SMS Weekly News

Here are the upcoming events for this week:

Monday, April 22, 2024

• School resumes from spring break.

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

• Storybook Club -  2:15 PM- 3:15 PM- Kindergarten Classroom with Miss Shanahan. 
• Read-A-Thon- Last day to send in cash donations for our Read-A-Thon Fundraiser. Donations can be made online until 4/24. 

 Wednesday, April 24, 2024

• School Mass- 8:15 AM- (Participating Classes: Grade 6 &7) All are welcome to join!
• Banking- JDCU will be here to collect the children’s bank deposits. Please send in saving account deposits in an envelope labeled with your child’s name, date, school name, account number and amount of deposit.
• Instrument lessons - For those who have registered. Please bring your instrument and music sheet book. 
• Re-Enrollment / Financial Aid Help Desk- 3:00 PM- 4:00 PM- There will be help available on Wednesday, April 24th from 3 PM - 4:30 PM for anyone who needs assistance with their child's Facts Re-Enrollment or the Facts Financial Aid Application for school year 2024-2025.

Please review the available slots below and click here to sign up.

*Please make sure to bring your Facts Family Portal login information (username and password),      form of payment (credit/debit card or checking/ savings account information) and tax documents (only if applying for financial aid).

• Mother/ Son Bowling- 5:30 PM- 7:30 PM- Bowlero- 647 Pawtucket BLVD, Lowell, MA -

Please join us for a fun night of bowling for the boys to celebrate the special female figure in their life. Included: 2 hours of unlimited bowling, shoe rental, 2 slices of pizza and unlimited soft drinks. Cost: $32 per person. 

Please Register Here!

Please note, payments can be made by cash or check (made out to Saint Michael School) and sent into the school office by no later than Tuesday, 4/23. Payment must be received in order to secure spot. 

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Friday, April 26, 2024

• Dress Down Day- Wear Blue and Yellow for $3 - Celebrate our 8th grade class by supporting their fundraiser! Pay by cash, check or online by clicking here!
• Bake Sale- (Hosting Class: Grade 8) 

All students will have the opportunity to purchase snacks and drinks from the bake sale, as well as purchase chances to win raffle items!

All snacks and drinks: .50 

Raffle tickets: 5 for $1 or .25/each

• Progress Reports- (Grades: K-8) Progress reports will be sent home. Please sign and return by Monday, 4/29.

Saturday, April 27, 2024

• First Communion Retreat and Rehearsal- 9AM- 1PM- (Grade 2 - First Communion participants only)- Parents please drop your child off at the school for First Communion Retreat and rehearsal. Lunch will be provided. 

Sunday, April 28, 2024

• First Holy Communion Mass- 11 AM- (Participants: Grade 2) Please join us for mass as our SMS Grade 2 and Saint Michael’s Parish Religious Education students receive the sacrament of First Holy Communion. 

 Looking Ahead:

• 5/4 - Grade 8 Car Wash Fundraiser- 9 AM- 2 PM- Rectory Parking lot. 
• 5/6- 5/10 - Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week-  We will be celebrating our wonderful hardworking staff all week long with fun activities, staff luncheon, raffles and more!
• 5/10 - Early Dismissal - (No buses or extended daycare) 
• 5/10 - Re-Enrollment Deadline 
• 5/17/24 - Jog-A-Thon



News & Reminders:

• We are looking for volunteers to help organize and facilitate activities for  “Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week” (May 6th-10th). We will also be looking for parent volunteers to help cover classrooms during our staff luncheon.

Please email pto@saint-michael.com if you are able to help. If you would like to help by making a donation, please send in cash or check to the school office in an envelope marked “ Teacher Appreciation Week”. 

• Please arrive on time.- Student tardiness has been an issue. Please make sure to get your students to school by no later than 7:45 AM. All students must come through the school yard or Sixth Street doors.

 All late arrivals (after 7:45 AM), should come through the office door on Read Street to be marked tardy.

• Please follow morning drop off and pick up procedures. With no exceptions are vehicles allowed in the school yard during morning drop off. Please follow “No Parking Signs” to ensure the safety of our students. Please see below for procedures from our Student Handbook. 
• Financial Aid Application Period is now open for families with students in Kindergarten- Grade 8. Your most recent tax returns will be required to complete the application process. All current financial aid recipients must complete a new application every year in order to qualify. Application Fee: $40
• Parent/Grandparent Volunteers Are Needed. We are compiling a list of parent volunteers for upcoming school events.. If you are interested in being added to the list please email jflood@saint-michael.com 
• Please join us at the Saint Michael School Alumni Association’s Inaugural Distinguished Awards Dinner on Thursday, May 2nd at 6:00 PM at Lenzi’s in Dracut. 

Tickets are $65 per person or $650 for a reserved table of 10 and can be purchased via PayPal: SMSAA.pay@gmail.com or Venmo: @SMSAA_donate. 

In addition, program book ads and sponsorships are also available. 

Tickets & Sponsorships: Bill Sullivan at wrsullivanjr@gmail.com or 978-397-3427

Program Book Ads: Tom Battle at Tombattle50@gmail.com

This promises to be a great social event to be enjoyed by parish and school members, alumni, supporters and civic leaders. Additionally, your contribution supports Saint Michael School, which has been offering quality Catholic education since 1889.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Anne Gallagher

SCHOOL DAY ARRIVAL / DISMISSAL

Arrival

Please keep the safety of all students your top priority. No cars should be parked on the school side of Sixth Street at any time during school hours. Please do not park or wait for your child in any area marked as no parking.

Students may enter the school yard starting at 7:30 a.m. through the Fifth Street or Sixth Street gates. Teachers will be on duty to receive and monitor the students. Students will line up in the schoolyard with their class.

●  Students may not enter the schoolyard before the teachers are on duty in the yard.

●  Students are not permitted to use the playground/basketball court at this time of day. It is not a recess time.

●  Students are not permitted to bring into the schoolyard or school any coffees, outside drinks,
smoothies, etc. Students will be told to throw away any such drinks.

●  Outside prayer will start at 7:45 a.m. daily. Students will then enter the building with their class and teacher.
If there is inclement weather students will enter the schoolyard at 7:30 a.m. and go directly into the school hall. Teachers will be on duty to receive the students.

A few safety reminders upon arrival/ dismissal: Cars should never be parked on a crosswalk and cars should always pull over to the curb and have children exit or enter curbside.
If needed, please use the Seventh Street area (in front of the garages) forming two rows for additional parking spaces during our arrival and dismissal procedures. It is also very important to not block available parking spaces near the side of the church for our teachers to park. Also, leave ample room for entering and exiting this area.
There is a disabled persons parking space available at the corner of Read and Sixth Street. This is utilized for any disabled student who attends Saint Michael School. There is no parking in front of the disabled persons spaces for any reason.

Dismissal

Regular Dismissal: Students in Grade 1-Grade 8 will be dismissed at 2:15 p.m. Once dismissed, students are not allowed to return inside the building after 2:15 unless they are with a teacher. 

The following dismissal procedures are to be followed at all times:

Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten:

Students will be dismissed from the schoolyard door at 1:50 p.m. Students with upper grade sibling(s) will be dismissed at 2:15 p.m.together out the schoolyard door. There will be no dismissals out the 5th Street door.

To pick up your student(s), you must pull into the schoolyard through the Fifth Street gate between 1:45 p.m. and 1:50 p.m. and park your vehicle, facing Sixth Street. Once all the students have been dismissed by the teacher on duty, the cars will exit the schoolyard by the Sixth Street gate. At no time are vehicles allowed to make a U-turn or back out of the schoolyard onto 5th Street. Everyone must pull forward and exit through the Sixth Street gates.

Grades 1 - 8:

Any students in Grades 1-8 who are exiting the schoolyard door will be dismissed through the lower hall by the teacher on duty. If you are driving a student home, you must pull into the schoolyard by the Fifth Street gate between 2:00 p.m. and 2:10 p.m. and park your vehicle, facing Sixth Street.

Once all the students have been dismissed by the teacher on duty, the cars will exit the schoolyard by the Sixth Street gate. At no time are vehicles allowed to make a U-turn or back out of the schoolyard onto 5th Street. Everyone must pull forward and exit through the Sixth Street gates.

If you are picking up a student and do not pull your car into the schoolyard as noted above, the students will exit through the door on Sixth Street. You should then meet your student at the door and walk him/her to your car using the crosswalk.

Any students in Grades 1 - 8 who are walking home will be dismissed at the door on Sixth Street by the teacher on duty. Walkers crossing Sixth Street or Read Street must do so cautiously at the crosswalk when told to do so by the crossing guard. Students walking home are expected to go directly home.