St. Michael School
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November 10, 2016 
In This Issue
Dates to Remember
November 12  - Chicken Pie Supper sponsored by the Gardiner Knights of Columbus. See article below.
November 14  - Pie delivery to the school. Please pick up by 5:30 pm!
November 14  - Basketball season begins. See article below.
November 14-17  - Scholastic Book Fair. See article below.
November 15  - Auction Meeting at 6 pm. See article below.
November 16  - Parent/Teacher conferences. See reminder below.
November 17  - Parent/Teacher conferences. See reminder below.
November 19  - Christmas Fair, 9 am-3 pm in the gym. See article below.
November 21- Poinsettia delivery to the school. Please pick up by 5:30 pm!
November 22  - Thanksgiving Prayer Service at 9 am. See article below.
November 23  - Workshop Day. No school.
November 24  - HAPPY THANKSGIVING! No school.
November 25  - Vacation Day. No school.

Reminders
*  With COLD WEATHER here, please be sure your child comes to school dressed appropriately for outdoor play.

*  Each family should have received a SCHOOL DIRECTORY. If you have any corrections, please email them to
denise.levesque@portlanddiocese.org.

*  Please do not drop off any gently-used SCHOOL UNIFORMS at school until spring. Storage space is limited during this busy time of year.

*  The first order of school-approved HOODED SWEATSHIRTS have come in and were delivered to students. Please know that these are the only sweatshirts that students are allowed to wear in school going forward.

*   PICK-A-TIME CONFERENCE SCHEDULER opened on Wed, Nov 9th. If you have not scheduled your child(ren)'s appointments, please do so as soon as possible. You should have received instructions in the mail. If you have any questions, please call Mrs. Carr at the school office at 623-3491.

*   FROZEN PIE ORDERS  will be delivered and MUST be picked up from the school on Monday, November 14th, between 2:30 and 5:30 pm.

*   WREATH ORDERS  will be available for pick up at the Christmas Fair on Saturday, November 19th, between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm or at the school during the week of November 21st.

*  POINSETTIA ORDERS will be delivered and MUST be picked up from the school on Monday, November 21st, between 2:30 and 5:30 pm.
We have made it through the first quarter and are beginning the second. Hopefully you and your children have a pretty good system for getting homework done, and also enjoying family time. We have also completed our NWEA tests, and after reviewing the scores, I can see that there is a direct correlation between time spent working on Moby Max in the summer and improvement. We are not a common core school, and all tests are common core based, so the scores are a little bit skewed for us. But working on Moby Max will help, I promise.
We begin basketball season next week, and that means the gym will be occupied after school every day until after February break. If your children attend after care, that will be a great time to get extra school work done. I do want to offer extra congratulations to our boys' soccer team for winning the conference sportsmanship award. For me, that is the greatest award.  Congrats coach Gallant and all of the other coaches and players, well deserved.
We are now just a week from the Christmas Fair (November 19 th ). This is a great time to support the school, get some Christmas gifts, and have a lot of fun. Please remember that every time you help out by purchasing wrapping paper, cookie dough, attending Comedy Night, the Christmas Fair, or the Auction, you are helping our students, and our school.  
In my next newsletter I will share with you the theme for 8 th  grade STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, The Arts, and Math) projects. This is a very exciting step forward for our school. It is an all-encompassing project that never lets us forget the importance of God in everything we do. My hope is that this type of project will help our students think about their actions, and the consequences of those same actions. I am confident that these will be projects they will never forget. These STREAM projects will replace the science fair projects for 8th  graders this year.
It is beginning to get cold outside, and that means no more shorts at school. That started a week ago, but this is another reminder. It is also a reminder that the children will not be allowed to play outside if the real feel temperature is below 15 degrees. But if it is more than 15, they will play outside, so please help them come to school prepared.
I am now into my third year as principal of this amazing school, and I am no longer asked to write letters of recommendation for students trying to get into college, but this was always an exciting and scary time of year for the students. It makes me think of this quote from Desiderata "Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time". This applies to so many things and situations. I am proud of the things I have accomplished in life, but I know there is still more to do. This also tells me that I am right where I am supposed to be. 
I continue to feel blessed that your children are here at St. Michael School, and that you entrust us with them. It cannot go without saying how lucky and thankful we are to have parents who are so supportive of what we are doing.  

I ask for God's blessings for all of us.

Kevin Cull en


FOLLOW UPS
    We'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Shelley Nadeau for chairing the Harvest Dance again this year, as well as the many volunteers that helped with the event. Events like this are fun for all ages and take plenty of time and organization. We appreciate all of our volunteers effort and dedication!
Golf Season Wraps Up
     Our golf team played their last match on October 29th at the Augusta Country Club. Our teams shot very impressive scores and displayed amazing teamwork throughout the season. A big thank you to Coach Cullen. His leadership and guidance was greatly appreciated. Congratulations Saints!

                      
Celebrating All Saints Day
     To celebrate All Saints Day, our Pre-K students enjoyed a game of bingo with their 4th grade reading buddies. A fun time was had by all! 

Skating At The Ice Vault
     Students in grades 5 through 8 were invited to skate at the Kennebec Ice Vault last week. While we haven't broken our record for number of students skating, we still had a great turn out with forty-seven students. Thank you once again Mr. Hickey for coordinating this fun after-school activity!

UPCOMING EVENTS
Chicken Pie Supper
     The Gardiner Knights of Columbus will hold a chicken pie supper on Saturday, November 12, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Council Meeting Hall located at 109 Spring Street (on the street between Rite Aid and Cumberland Farms). All proceeds from the supper will be donated to St. Michael School to support tuition assistance for families who need help sending their children to St. Michael School for a high quality catholic community education. The dinner will consist of all solid white meat chicken pie and gravy, mashed potatoes, vegetables, dessert and assorted refreshments. The price is $7.50 for adults, $3.50 for children under 12 and free for children 3 and under. Macaroni and cheese will be offered as a substitute to the chicken pie.  You can help in this financial effort by attending and enjoying this delicious Chicken Pie Supper. 
Basketball Season Is Here
     The St. Michael School basketball season begins Monday, November 14th. Each student who signed up should have received a packet of information. Please be sure that you have reviewed this packet, signed the forms and returned everything to the school office. If you have not done so, please be do by this Monday. We must have all signed forms before evaluations begin. Team evaluations will be held on Mon, Nov 14.
The schedule for next week is as follows:
Mon, Nov 14 - ALL boys 2:45-4:15 pm, ALL girls 4:15-5:45 pm
Tues, Nov 15 - ALL boys 2:45-4:15 pm, ALL girls 4:15-5:45 pm
Wed, Nov 16 - ALL boys 2:45-4:00 pm, ALL girls 4:00-5:15 pm. At 5:15 pm we will hold a very important meeting. We ask that at least one parent/guardian for each player attend this meeting.
Thurs, Nov 17 - Girls 2:45-4 pm, Boys JV 4-5:15 pm (if we have a Boys V team), Boys V 5:15-6:30 pm
Fri, Nov 18 - No practice (Christmas Fair set-up)
Sat, Nov 19 - Boys JV will be playing at Whitefield, 10 am vs. Bristol, 11 am vs. Windsor.
If your child has the second practice and they plan on staying at school, they will need to go to aftercare for no charge.

The Christmas Fair Is Coming!!!
     The Christmas Fair is only one week away...Saturday, November 19th, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm in the school gymnasium. This years theme is "Candlelit Christmas" so everything will be gold, white and shimmery. We are still in need of A LOT of help:
*    Send your donation in to your homeroom parent for the theme basket raffle as soon as possible if you intend to contribute. Time is needed to purchase and package the items for the basket.
*    Sell and return your raffle tickets. Remember that 100% of your ticket sales will count toward your family financial obligation if tickets and payment is returned to the school office by the end of the school day on November 18th. You can obtain more tickets from the school office if needed.
*    Send in your donated items for the Secret Santa.
*    Bake for the bake sale. Ask some friends or relatives to do the same. Cookies are always a big hit. Last year we had some tourtiere pies and chicken pot pies that sold right away so are a welcome option as well. They can be fresh or frozen. Don't forget that for every batch of baked goods, you receive one hour of volunteer time.
*    M ake, create, or donate items for the craft booth. Items can be dropped off any day before the fair or the morning of the Fair . You can also count your time from making these crafts toward your volunteer time as well. 
*    Sign up to volunteer either to help set up on Friday, November 18th, or the day of the Christmas Fair.
*    We are in need of a photographer if pictures with Santa is going to happen. We have a printer and supplies to print. We just need someone with a camera and who is savvy enough to work everything.
*    We also need someone to volunteer to work the popcorn machine. We have the popcorn machine and all of the supplies. This helps to make the gym smell so good for our shoppers too!

As you can see, many hands are needed to pull off an event like this, one of the biggest fundraisers of the year! If you want to help, contact Stephanie Hunter at spleunis@hotmail.com or stmikeschristmasfair@gmail.com or at (207) 485-9392.
Together great things really CAN happen!
Thanksgiving Prayer Service
     On Tuesday, November 22nd, at 9:00 am, the fourth grade class will be leading St. Michael School in a Thanksgiving Prayer Service at St. Mary Church. We are asking for donations from all students of the most needed food items this year. Food donations will be given to the Augusta Food Bank.

The most needed items are:
*    boxed macaroni and cheese
*    canned chicken
*    canned fruit
*    canned baked beans
*    canned red kidney beans
These food items should be brought to school on Tuesday, November 22nd. Thank you in advance for your wonderful generosity. Parents and relatives are welcome to join us at this traditional school service.
Christmas Card Stocking Stuffers
     Christmas Card Stocking Stuffers will be going home to students before Thanksgiving. These cards are like raffle tickets. Recipients receive a Christmas Card with a number printed at the bottom. This number is put into a monthly drawing for 2017. Each month two numbers are drawn for certain prize amounts. The lucky winners' prize money is mailed directly to them. All number go back into the drawing for another chance to win the following month, no matter how many times they may have already won throughout the year. The card holder has a chance to win up to $1,350 next year! This is a great gift for those "hard to buy for" on your Christmas list! These Christmas Cards sell for $10 each and are a great way to give to St. Michael School AND to the people you care about this Holiday season. Each family will be given ten cards to sell. 100% of the sales will count toward your family financial obligation if you Family Sheet, payment, and any unsold cards are returned to the school office by the end of the school day Friday, December 16th. Cards can be sold after that date but wont count toward you financial obligation. Please contact the school if you have any questions once you receive your packet.
Annual Dinner & Auction
     Mark your calendars and tell your f amily and friends! The 8th Annual St. Michael School Dinner and Auction will take place on Saturday, March 25, 2017 Join u s as we set sail for a night of fun and ask our community to "Be Our Anchor" and support the dreams of our children! Until then, here's how you can help:
  • Promote the Dinner & Auction when speaking to friends, family and community members starting now!
  • Share the Save the Date from our Facebook page once posted.
  • Join the Dinner & Auction committee.  Opportunities to help include:  
    • Help seek out businesses to sponsor or donate to the event (improved sponsorship opportunities available this year!)
    • Be a Parent Volunteer to help an entire class create an unforgettable piece of artwork to auction.
    •  Help turn the gym into a night on the sea the day before the big event.
    • Serve as a Greeter, Registrar, Raffle Ticket Salesperson, Food Server, or Runner for the evening!  We'll even be looking for a "Vannah White" to showcase the auction items!
We look forward to sharing more exciting news with you along the way!  New volunteers may contact Tammy Niemi (lorenntammy@msn.com or 446-8326) or Lori Dube (lori@spragueandcurtis.com or 620-0886) to discuss volunteer opportunities or to join us at our first meeting on  Tuesday, November 15 at 6:00 pm .  
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
October Boxtop Winner
      Congratulations to Mrs. Maguire's Pre-K class. They won the boxtop challenge for the month of October. Don't forget to continue to clip those boxtops and send them to the school in an envelope or baggie with your child's homeroom teacher's name on it. 
November Stocking Stuffer Winners
      CONGRATULATIONS to the two November Christmas Card Stocking Stuffer winners who each won $50:
Pauline McKenny - sold by Jack Rodrigue
Kate Pare - sold by Natalie Bolduc
K-12 Student Accident Insurance Plans
      St. Michael School is partnered with Commercial Travelers Mutual Insurance Company for K-12 Student Accident Insurance Plans. For more information, visit commercialtravelers.com and follow these instructions:
  1. Click Resources
  2. Click K-12 Brochures and Enrollment Forms
  3. Enter access code 993A
  4. Click Submit
  5. Print Brochure and Enrollment Form
  6. Complete and mail!
    For more information or to speak to an agent, call 1-844-261-8588.