The Messenger

June 10, 2016
Vol. III, No.39

St. Michael's Academy

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St. Michael's Academy

Last night St. Michael's Academy awarded diplomas to its seventh graduating class. It was an emotional evening for everyone present, as our students demonstrated through their decorum, their words and their song what an investment in Catholic education can produce. The faith and values that we hold most dear were proudly displayed throughout the evening by all of our students, but most especially during the presentation of their class song, Give Me Jesus. It was a proud moment for all who have supported these graduates on their life journey!

Congratulations Class of 2016 and may God bless you always!

Enjoy the weekend.

Peace,

Ann E. Dougal

Principal

Important Dates To Remember!

Please make note of these important

upcoming dates!

PLEASE NOTE:

Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Grade 2 Violin Performance

Holy Cross Church

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Last full day for Kindergarten

Friday, June 17, 2016 at 9 a.m.

Kindergarten Closing Ceremony

Holy Cross Church

Monday, June 20, 2016

Preschool Last Day

Monday, June 26, 2016

LAST DAY FOR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

Tuesday, June 21, 2016 at 9:30 a.m.

School Mass followed by Awards Ceremony

NOON DISMISSAL

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Thursday, June 23, 2016 from 9:30-11 a.m. and 5-6:30 p.m.

Uniform Swap Drop Off Only

Money Matters
Before and After School Program Please make sure that all outstanding balances for the Before and/or After School program are paid before June 21st.

Correction
Whoops! Last week in The Messenger, we incorrectly identified the kindergarten classes releasing their butterflies. It was, in fact, our 1st graders saying goodbye to their fluttering friends.

8th Grade Wraps Things Up

It was a busy week for the 8th Grade!

Pinning Ceremony

As part of the graduation festivities, St. Michael's Academy held a Mass and Pinning ceremony this week for the 8th grade students and SMA donors. Fr. White presided over the special Mass along with con-celebrant Fr. Mengel and the 8th grade students sang a beautiful version of "Give Me Jesus."

Immediately following the Mass, the pinning ceremony took place back at the school. Students, donors, parents and grandparents had the opportunity to celebrate the ceremony with the students and enjoyed some light refreshments.

Ice Cream Social

The 8th graders were able to take time out of their busy week to enjoy an ice cream social. Not only was the ice cream delicious but it gave them an opportunity to catch up with all their teachers from over the years.

And Finally...GRADUATION!

What a fantastic graduation ceremony!

Two students were chosen to deliver graduation speeches...

Rachel Boudreau

And Derek Wesley...Nicely done!!

To view the full gallery of graduation photos, please click here.

Congratulations to the members of the class of 2016!

Perfect Attendance
Congratulations to our perfect attendance dress-down winners! In order to qualify for the weekly drawing, a student must have no absences, tardiness or early dismissals the previous week of school. We select one from PreK - 2nd grade, one from 3rd - 5th grade and one from 6th - 8th grade. Congrats to this week's winners! Lily - Gr. 1A Anna - Gr. 3A Taylor - Gr. 6A

From The Classroom of Mr. Bernard-Physical Education

Field Days

Only a couple of weeks left to the school year and everyone in the school can feel the excitement of summer!

This is also the time of the year for Field Days. The 6th, 7th and 8th grade enjoyed their field day on Tuesday and Preschool, Kindergarten, and 1st grade today. And not to worry - Grades 2-5 will have their turn as well next Friday, June 17th.

Field days are a great experience for everyone involved. Please talk to your child about their field day experience and see what types of activities they participated in. The day holds a variety of fun "stations" that students rotate through, engaging in different games that promote physical fitness.

And don't forget, if your child has not had their field day yet, please wear sunblock and a hat to protect from the sun and bringing a water bottle is strongly recommended. The days have been warm lately and it's always good to be prepared for the heat.

This coming week will be our last full one and it has been another great year at St. Michael's Academy for myself. I have enjoyed the time spent with students, faculty, and families this year. I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing summer vacation. See you in August!

And Speaking of Field Days...
Another Beautiful Day for a Field Day! PreK, Kindergarten and 1st grade had their field day today! There was lots of energy and lots of smiles!

Gr. 4 PowerPoint Presentations

The 50 Nifty United States

If you have a 4th grade student, you know that during the month of May they have been hard at work creating a PowerPoint presentation on the state of their choice. What a fantastic job they did! They included individual state statistics information, interesting facts, famous people from the state and what the state is known for. The PowerPoint was complete with music and slide transitions of their choice. During this week, each student took a turn presenting their slide presentation and answering questions from their classmates about their chosen state. The project was a cross curriculum one with Social Studies and the Computer Lab.

Grade 5 Is Busy!

Farm Building

After studying geometric concepts such as lines, angles, and shapes, Mrs. McQuade's 5th grade students used these concepts, as well as measurement, to create a fantasy farm that included a field with an area of 60 square units, a weather vane made of perpendicular lines, and a horse with a quadrilateral as its body.

Using the Scientific Method

Mrs. McQuade's 5th grade students had fun reviewing the steps of the scientific method as they tested different designs of paper airplanes.

Girls On The Run

Girls on the Run is coming to

St. Michael's Academy

this fall!

Great news! St. Michael's Academy has been approved as a Girls on the Run site and girls will be able to register starting next week!

Girls on the Run is a unique 10 week (twice weekly) after school program led by trained coaches that guide girls through a fun, uplifting, proven curriculum. Through dynamic, conversation-based lessons, and active games, coaches teach and model essential healthy living skills. Some of the themes include making good friends, working in a group, resisting peer pressure, making healthy decisions and contributing to the community.

Along the way, the girls train to walk or run in a 5K (3.1 miles) celebratory event with girls from other GOTR program in western Mass.

All girls in grades 3-5 are welcome - you don't have to be a runner. Each team will have at least one head coach and one assistant coach. Teams are between 8-15 girls. For more specifics about the curriculum, visit www.girlsontherunwesternma.org or on Facebook at www.facebook/girlsontherun.org.

Registration begins on June 15th through the website and teams will be selected by lottery. The cost for the program is $150 and includes snack, t-shirt and race registration. Partial and full financial aid is available when you register. If you do not have access to a computer please let us know and we will assist you.

The program will begin the first week in September on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15 - 5:15 p.m. and will continue for 10 weeks. The program will end with our own GOTR 5K at Smith College.

For further information, contact Jasmine Hutchinson, site liaison, at jhutchinson@springfieldcollege.edu or Alison Berman, site director at alison.berman@girlsontherun.org or (413) 687-2726.

Parish News

St. Catherine of Siena 2016-17 CCD Classes

Registration for children starting with age 4 in Little Church and up through 11th grade confirmation class is now open.

Registration forms will be sent to families with children in last years program. If your child is new to the program or you do not receive a form, registration forms are available in the Parish Office, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4:p.m. Classes will start in September.

Fees are:

Little Church - $20

Grades 1 - 10 - $40

11th Grade/Confirmation Class - $50

Please note if your child attends Catholic School and is in 2nd or 11th grade they will need to register for CCD to receive the sacraments of 1st Communion and Confirmation.

Prayer Corner

St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us!

We pray for all St. Michael's Academy students, families, faculty, and staff, and their special intentions.

Patricia Holland

Joyce Duggan

Ann Boyle

Mr. and Mrs. Carl Gustafson

Kathleen McNamara-Sinnott

And we pray in a special way for our recently departed:

Joan Teresa Tivnan

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Our prayers continue to be with Mr. Rancitelli, who is undergoing treatment for a cancer recurrence. Each week, a different homeroom sends him cards. If your family would like to send a card, please send it to school with your child, clearly marked for Mr. Rancitelli. His family has set up a blog to write about this experience.Click here to read the blog.


Thank you for your interest in St. Michael's Academy. To ensure receipt, please add smanews@smaspringfield.org to your address book. You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our newsletter and emails. St. Michael's Academy 153 Eddywood Street - Springfield, MA 01118 www.smaspringfield.org 413.782.5246 office 413.782.8137 fax