August 28 - OPEN HOUSE and Ice Cream Social, 5:30 to 7:00 pm
August 30 - WELCOME ALL STUDENTS!!
First Day of School
August 31
- Magazine Drive begins, more info to come
September 4
- Labor Day-
No school
September 7
- First Parent Association Meeting at 5:00 pm
September 10 - National Grandparents Day
September 11 - Patriot Day
September 19 - Meadow Farms Fundraiser begins, more info to come
September 22 - First Day of Autumn
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Prayer to Begin the School Year
Father,
We thank you for the opportunity
to begin this new school year,
and we ask that you bless
the students, faculty, and student families
that make our school a great place.
We pray that you will guide us in your ways,
so that we will seek your will
in everything that we do,
and love others as you love us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
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As we near the end of our summer vacation, we have a lot of information for all of our students and families. I want to start by thanking Mr. Pelkey for doing a great job taking over the reins of the Summer Enrichment Program. The program has once again been a great success with several full weeks and several others that were almost full. The students worked on Moby Max every day, played a variety of sports, went swimming every week, went to the movies and assorted field trips, and in general stayed busy and away from video games and the TV.
Our Back to School night/Open house is fast approaching. It is on Monday, August 28, at 5:30 pm. There will be introductions and a meeting that will start promptly at 5:30 pm. Teachers will be available in their classrooms following the meeting. The Parent Association will also be hosting an Ice Cream Social throughout the evening. There will be a lot of very important information given on this night including curriculum, dress code, staffing, Parents Association, Team ExCEL, and the School Board. This is also a great time for new families to meet experienced families. Enrollment and re-enrollment has been excellent this summer. Even after graduating a large 8th grade class, our numbers continue to grow. We have a lot of new families joining our school, so I ask all of you to please extend a gracious welcome to all of them.
We have several new staff members as our school continues to grow. Our Pre-K program for three-year-old children is full for this school year, and we only have one spot left in our program for four-year-old children. Our new Pre-K three leader is Ms. Crosier. She comes to us with many years of experience as a lead instructor for the YMCA. Her two assistants, Mrs. Hudson and Mrs. Dumont, also come highly recommended with a great deal of experience. Our new first grade teacher is Mrs. Lajoie, who comes to us after teaching the past five years at Hussey School in Augusta, and Mrs. Turcotte will be teaching second grade, after teaching the last four years at Carmel Elementary School. Mrs. Turcotte has extensive experience working in the Faith Formation program in her parish. We are blessed to have such amazing teachers and people join our school family. Mrs. Boucher is moving from first to fifth grade, Mrs. Benedict is moving from second grade to part time junior high Religion, Mrs. Olmsted will be teaching Music and Mrs. Dionne is moving to seventh and eighth grade Math from Pre-K.
The question Mrs. Carr and I have heard the most this summer is in regard to school uniforms. Your child can wear the same uniforms this year as they did last year. The only additions have been a dress shirt for boys and girls on Mass and formal days (this includes a tie for the boys). We have also decided to allow the students to wear their gym uniforms all day on gym days. But this is not a requirement. The company you can order the shirts, ties, and gym clothes from is called Flynn-O'Hara. Flynn-O'Hara offers free shipping on all orders over $75.00 and they have told me they can get you your order usually within 5 days. Skirts and jumpers are the same, as are the pants, shorts, and polos. In addition to gym shorts and t-shirts, the students will be allowed to order sweat pants and sweat shirts from Flynn O'Hara. The gym clothes, including the sweat pants and sweatshirts must come from Flynn O'Hara. This applies to all children in grades K-8.
We also have a new grading and communication portal for the school, Ren Web. The new program is all inclusive, as it includes; FACTS, School Messenger, Grading and communication between parents and teachers, lunch billing, and before and after care. It is a very involved system and we will be bringing in one system at a time. We will begin with the grading system and the messenger system, followed shortly thereafter by the lunch program as well as before and aftercare. This will allow us to scan students in and out of after care, scan for billing of lunches, and stream line the entire billing process for both things. It will all be electronic. This may take a couple of months to have everything on line, but when it is all running it should be much better for all of us. Within about two weeks of the start of school, you will be receiving important information, on how you can access everything. But please be patient with us, as it is new to us as well.
I conclude with this from my friend Jonathon Doyle "The climate of a school (is) the sum-total of the different components at work...which interact with one another in such a way as to create favorable conditions for a formation process...the elements to be considered are: persons, space, time, relationships, teaching, study, and various other activities
." To be great as a school, please remember that things you say in front of your children, they remember and share at school. When we teach the children at school, it is important that we have a partnership with you the parents. Even though we are inherently designed to fail because of our humanity, that doesn't mean we stop trying. We love working every day at St. Michael School, and we value the dignity of each of our students as a gift and blessing from God
.
I continue to feel blessed that these children are here at St. Michael School, and that you entrust them to us. It cannot go without saying how lucky and thankful we are to have families and parishioners who are so supportive of what we are doing.
I ask for God's blessings for all of us.
Kevin Cullen
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OPEN HOUSE
for all 2017-2018 enrolled families
MONDAY, AUGUST 28th
The schedule for the evening is as follows:
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5:30 pm
6:00-7:00 pm
6:00-7:00 pm
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Principal welcome, staff introductions, new family welcome and Parent Association introductions.
Ongoing ice cream social in the gym
sponsored by the Parent Association.
Teachers will be in their classrooms. Parents/students may go into their classroom to drop off their school supplies and visit with their teacher(s).
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This is a great opportunity to bring in your school supplies and for new students to meet their teachers and get to know the school building.
Teachers will have handouts and will be available in their classrooms for questions from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. If you wish, you may rotate to all of the middle school classrooms to meet the teachers that your middle school student will have for each subject.
Hope to see you on the 28th!
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 Dear Parents and Students,
We look forward to welcoming all of you to a new school year at St. Michael School on Wednesday, August 30th. As you know, our goal is not only to provide a rigorous academic program, but also to enhance your child's love of God, love for country, community and one-another. Don't forget that there is no school on Labor Day, Monday, September 4th.
Please take a moment to read through the following important information:
___________
STAFF CHANGES: We say goodbye to Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Driscoll. Their presence will be missed and we wish to thank them for their dedicated service to St. Michael School. We would like to welcome Ms. Barbara Crosier as our teacher for the Pre-K for 3 year-old program, along with her two assistants Mrs. Loralie Dumont and Mrs. Elizabeth Hudson. We also welcome Mrs. Brittany Lajoie as our first grade teacher and Mrs. Amanda Turcotte as our second grade teacher. Mrs. Suzanne Olmsted will be our Music teacher. See the complete list of the
2017-2018 Faculty and Staff.
WEBPAGE: The school web address is
www.smsmaine.org
. School lunch menus, school supply list, policies & procedures, and newsletters are posted on the website.
UNIFORMS
:
Uniform enforcement is a priority and your cooperation is appreciated. All students are expected to wear the uniform on the first day of sch
ool.
Pre-K 4 through Grade 5 girls wear red polo shirts (short or long sleeve) with navy blue pants or plaid jumpers and the boys wear red polo shirts (short or long sleeve) with navy blue pants or shorts. Grade 6 through 8 girls wear navy blue polo shirts (short or long sleeve) with khaki pants or plaid skirts and the boys wear navy blue polo shirts (short or long sleeve) with khaki pants or shorts. Socks/tights should be navy or white only for both girls and boys. On Mass days and formal events, boys must wear a white dress shirt and tie and girls must wear a white Peter Pan collar shirt. We have also added a vest and sweater option for boys and girls. Students are required to keep their polo shirts tucked in during the entire school day and we recommend that boys wear a black or brown belt. We have also added a Khaki skort option for girls in grades 6 through 8. All of this will dress up our uniform look a bit without taking anything away. We will still offer a uniform exchange, and everything we currently have is still part of the uniform.
We have also changed our PE days. Students will no longer need to change into their PE uniform on PE days. The students will be allowed to wear their PE uniform all day on their PE days, unless we have Mass or some other formal event. PE shorts, sweat pants, t-shirts, and sweatshirts will all be available for you to order online. All uniforms are available through JB Pride Uniforms and Flynn O'Hara.
Students in the Pre-K 3 program DO NOT wear uniforms.
PARENT/STUDENT HANDBOOK
:
The Parent/Student Handbook
will be available on the school website soon. Instructions and paperwork for pages that need to be returned will be sent home on the first day of school along with other important papers. Please take a few moments to review this handbook for our policies and procedures.
ELECTRONICS
:
Cell phones should be turned off and in the backpack
(please see the Parent/Student handbook for more information on cell phone, tablet, E reader, Ipad and Chromebook rules). Any student using their cell phone during the school day will have their phone confiscated. Parents will need to pick up the phone from the office. If a student needs to contact parents, the phone in the office is to be used.
BUS INFORMATION
:
The City of Augusta School Department publishes transportation information in the Kennebec Journal. Please watch for this information to find out where your child(ren) will be picked up and dropped off. When students ride the Augusta buses, they are to have a number tag attached to their backpacks. These numbers will be given out by the office on the first day of school. If you still have your tag from last year, please keep it on their backpack as you will not need another one. If your child is taking the bus for the first time, or if you have any questions, please call First Student at 626-5569.
EMERGENCY CARDS:
Emergency information cards will be sent home to all students on the first day of school. Please complete and send these back to school immediately so we can be certain that we have the most up-to-date information, even if your information has not changed from the summer. These must be updated EVERY fall. Please be sure to include extension numbers where applicable.
SCHOOL VISITORS
:
ALL visitors MUST stop by the office before entering any part of the school. A name tag sticker must be obtained at the office and worn by all visitors while in the building
. This is so the office knows who is in the building at all times. Visitors not wearing this name tag sticker will be
stopped by staff.
ARRIVAL/DROP-OFF: Students must be dropped off at the Lincoln Street entrance to the back school yard upon arrival.
Supervision in the back school yard begins at 7:40 am.
Students
are not
to be dropped off until then unless they are enrolled in the Extended Morning Program (see below). If the yellow gate on Lincoln Street is closed, this indicates that a staff member is on duty. Students need to arrive on time to enter the building with their class through the back school yard.
The start times are as follows:
8:15 am - Pre-K 3, Pre-K, K and Middle School (grades 6, 7 and 8)
8:20 am - Grades 1 through 5
It is important for students to be punctual for good order entering the school. TARDINESS is disruptive to the classroom. Please make every effort to cut down on the congestion in the office due to the number of tardy students.
Students are not
to be dropped off at the Sewall Street school entrance unless they are tardy or are coming early to meet with a teacher. This will be strictly enforced.
It becomes very congested in the front of the school and can be a safety hazard to our students. If you
bring your child/children to school in the morning, please pull up, drop off your child/children and leave promptly. With the exception of the first two weeks of school as we help the students transition, we ask that you not park your car and come into the school yard or it's entrance as it will create congestion when more students and buses arrive. Also, supervision becomes difficult for staff to know whether the adult in or near the school yard is a parent or a stranger. Students are prohibited from playing at the entrance of the back school yard.
DISMISSAL/PICK-UP: Please pick up students at the back school yard on time after school. This will help to eliminate unnecessary congestion in the hallways and traffic at the front door. Also, please
try to have after school plans determined before your child comes to school in the morning. When messages come in the afternoon, students may be changing classes so getting instructions to them can be challenging. Student safety is our top priority. Your attention to this matter is appreciated.
2:30 pm - Walkers/Pick-up students will be dismissed at
the playground
2:35 pm - Bus Students will be dismissed
2:40 pm - Extended Day students will go to their assigned classrooms
Parking is allowed in the Rectory parking lot, South Chestnut Street, and Lincoln Street across the street from the school only. There is no parking from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm on the school side of Lincoln Street. This area is for buses ONLY. Please adhere to this when you are attending an event at the school during the school day. The City of Augusta school buses need to be able to pick up the
students timely and safely. We ask for your strict cooperation regarding this matter.
The parking lot next to the gym is reserved for faculty and staff only but any available spots may be used at dismissal. Please do not block the entrance so that traffic may drive through.
EXTENDED MORNING PROGRAM
: This program begins at 7:00 am to 7:40 am. There is a flat fee of $2.50 per day per student for this service. Drop off is at the front door for this program only. If students are dropped off at school before 7:40 am they will be charged for Extended Morning.
HOT LUNCH PROGRAM: The cost of lunch is $4.00 a day and includes milk. Please review the menu from the
school website. ALL MEALS MUST BE PREPAID; CHECKS PAYABLE TO:
St. Michael School
.
Please place check or money in an envelope
clearly marked
with student's full name and grade along with a completed lunch order form obtained from the school website. Students that do not order hot lunch are to bring their lunch to school in the morning. Milk is available for 50¢
.
We also have a salad bar and desserts available daily. The salad bar is $1.75 and dessert is 50¢. Payments will be kept on the students' account and reminders will be sent home when funds are low or in arrears. Please make every effort to keep these accounts up to date.
EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM: This program begins on the first day of school. The program runs from 2:40 pm to 5:30 pm. Students may buy snacks for 50
¢. If desired, students may bring their own snacks and beverages. Please note the payment structure below:
1 child - $4.00 per hour
2 children - $6.00 per hour
3 or more children - $8.00 per hour
Payment for this service is due weekly. Please pre-pay at least one week in advance at the beginning of the school year. There is no extended day service on early release days or school vacations. If you still have an outstanding Extended Day balance from the 2016-2017 school year, please remit promptly.
FOOTWEAR/OTHER: Students are not allowed to wear flip-flops, open back clogs, or crocs, even on dress down days. Socks must be worn at all times. Socks/tights colors are white, navy, or red ONLY for both girls and boys. The students are to be neat and well dressed in their uniform. Students should not do anything to his/her uniform or personal appearance that detracts from this philosophy. Unusual or distracting haircuts, dyed hair, piercings except for ears, make-up and bright nail polish are not allowed at school. Skirts/jumpers should be worn at an acceptable length and not rolled up.
SCHOOL BAG CHECK: Please check your child's school bag daily for notes and notices. Bi-weekly newsletters will be sent via email through Constant Contact. Please fill out the Directory/Constant Contact form and return it to the school office by Friday, September 8th. This will provide the office with your current information to keep the lines of communication open. Other notices will still come home via the school bag so please continue to check them. The menu, school calendar, and school supply list are also located on the school's website
.
FUNDRAISING:
This year the St. Michael School Parent Association is expected to raise $65,000 to help support the school budget. The first scheduled fundraisers are the Magazine Drive, scheduled to begin Thursday, August 31st, and Meadow Farms Gift Wrap, scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 19. More information to follow. Parents are encouraged to become active members of the Parent Association. The money raised by the Parent Association helps to provide the "extras" at St. Michael School: music, foreign language, theater, Discover the Arts/Science Day and much more. The Parent Association officers will be available at the "Back to School" Open House and will have information on volunteer opportunities.
PHYS. ED. UNIFORMS:
All P.E. uniforms are to be purchased through Flynn O'Hara. See Uniform Section above for more information.
JUNIOR HIGH FALL SPORTS:
Fall sports sign-ups will be held Wednesday, August 30 through Friday, September 1 during lunch
.
Please watch for forms to come home with the students.
If you have any questions regarding fall sports, please contact our Athletic Director, Mr. Rollie Pelkey
.
Thank you for your attention to all of these matters. Your cooperation and support is greatly appreciated. The staff would like to personally thank all of the students and parents for making St. Michael School your school of choice. If there is any way for us to make your year better, please let us know. We are very pleased to have you as partners in this educational year. As the year progresses and you become either more informed or more puzzled, you are encouraged to call the school and talk with those who might be of help. If your questions deal with in-class events, please ask to speak with the teacher. If it deals with the overall program, curriculum or activities, please contact the principal,
Mr. Kevin Cullen
, directly. It is our goal that the school year ahead will be an enriching and wonderful experience for your child.
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Parent Association Ice Cream Social
Please join the Parent Association for an Ice Cream Social at the "Back to School" Open House on Monday, August 28th, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Make your own sundae, catch up with friends and teachers and learn about upcoming volunteer opportunities.
Also, mark your calendars and join the Parent Association for the first meeting of the 2017-2018 school year on Thursday, September 7, at 5:00 pm in the school gym.
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