NEW! Thank you -- Special thanks this week go to our faculty and staff who have worked so hard to prepare our building for student safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yesterday was “moving day” and we spent over 10 hours transporting a huge amount of furniture and other items to storage in order to create additional space in the classrooms. Prior to this, teachers were here often over the past few weeks to box materials for storage and rearrange their classrooms. It has been a herculean effort...but so worth it to keep our students and teachers healthy as we open on September 1!
COVID-19 Plan -- We have completed our plan for opening the Academy safely under the current COVID-19 conditions and are awaiting final approval from the Diocese. If you missed the email, you can view the plan HERE. This week’s Wednesday News email also includes an FAQ on specific topics that can be found HERE. Many thanks to our planning committee for their research, input, and guidance as we created this challenging document! While it was not an easy task, we feel confident that we have kept the safety of our students and staff at the forefront of our plans and look forward to welcoming everyone back to the Academy in person this fall!
NEW! Nashua Bus Service Survey - A survey regarding bus transportation for Nashua students was sent to parents several weeks ago. If you live in Nashua and did not complete the survey HERE, you must do so by this Friday, August 21 in order to receive a bus pass. Students who live in Nashua are eligible for Nashua School District bus transportation to both campuses of Saint Christopher Academy. Although the Nashua Schools will not be returning to in-school learning until later this fall, transportation WILL be provided to Academy students.
UPDATED! Faculty/Staff Changes - We are saddened to announce the departure of two of our faculty over the past week. Ryan Farris, Athletic Director and Physical Education teacher at the upper campus, and Laura Daigle, music teacher at the lower campus, are both leaving the Academy for new opportunities. We wish them all the best on their new endeavors!
In addition, we have three exciting new additions to our faculty and staff to announce this week!
Ms. Erika Joyce comes to us from the recently closed St. Louis School in Lowell where she had experience teaching both kindergarten and second grade. She will be teaching our new 2nd grade class this fall at Saint Chris. Ms. Joyce is a graduate of Rivier University with a BA in Education and is currently working towards her Masters degree.
Mrs. Stacey Lambert will be joining us as the third member of our 6th grade teaching team. In addition to her 6th grade homeroom, Mrs. Lambert will be teaching 5th and 6th grade Reading. Mrs. Lambert has a Master’s degree in Education from Rivier University and has experience teaching in the Nashua School District, Infant Jesus School, the Pelham School District, and the Academy of Notre Dame in Tyngsboro.
Mr. Tim Davidian will be our new Academy Athletic Director and physical education teacher at the upper campus. Mr. Davidian was most recently the Athletic Director at the Boys and Girls Club of Nashua since 2016. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in physical education from Bridgewater State University.
NEW! Meet the Teacher Day and First Day of School- As announced in today’s COVID-19 parent FAQ’s, we will not be holding our traditional Meet the Teacher Day this year due to concerns of overcrowding in our hallways. Instead, parents will receive an email on Wednesday, August 26 with a secure link to our class lists. Teachers and staff will be stationed throughout the building on the first day of school (September 1!) to help students to their classrooms. Please also remember:
- All students should be in full uniform on the first day of school and should wear their mask when entering the building.
- Lower campus students should bring in as much of their supplies as possible on the first day without being overwhelmed! Note: As there is no supply list, upper campus students will be given a list of supplies by their teachers on the first day of class.
- Parents are not allowed to enter the building. While we understand it may be difficult for many parents, we must enforce this rule in order to ensure student and teacher health and safety. As noted above, we will have plenty of teachers and staff available to assist students in getting to their classrooms.
Labor Day Weekend - We will have Friday, September 4 and Monday, September 7 off for Labor Day weekend!
2020-21 School Calendar - Looking for the school calendar for the year all on one page? Click HERE to view it!
NEW! New Parent Orientation - New parents should be on the lookout for an email from the Academy about an Orientation event on the evening of September 3!
UPDATED! Before and After Care - Extended Day programs will begin on both campuses on the first day of school, September 1. Before Care will open at 6:30 AM and After Care is available until 6:00 PM. All lower campus Before and After Care programs will take place in the Church Hall, so Before Care children should enter through those doors. Upper campus students should enter through the cafeteria doors at the rear of the school. NOTE: We are working on simplifying Extended Care billing. More information about billing and registration will be sent to parents by the end of this week!
Uniforms -- Red Brick is now scheduling appointments for families who would like to try on and purchase new uniform pieces in person! You can schedule an appointment by clicking HERE. Uniforms can also be purchased online by clicking HERE. Returning Academy parents should have received their card for their $100 credit in the mail. If not, please contact Red Brick.
Updated -- Red Brick has released a handy-dandy visual uniform guide for parents! You can find it HERE.
NEW! Used Uniforms - We have made arrangements with several organizations, including Mary, Gate of Heaven Orphanage in Haiti, to receive our old uniform shirts and gym uniforms...and we are still accepting used uniform pants, shorts, skirts, and skorts! On Monday, August 31, we will place several large boxes outside the front doors of the school and parents are welcome to drop used uniforms in those boxes between the hours of 9 and 3. Thank you for your generosity in donating your used items!
Lower Campus Supply List -- Please click HERE to see the supply list for the lower campus. This list also includes any summer reading. Note: Several of the supply lists ask for parents to supply chlorox (or similar) wipes for the classroom. We recognize that they are difficult to find in stores right now. We have procured enough to get our year started, but please just keep your eyes peeled and send in more whenever you happen to see them! Thanks!
Upper Campus Literature Summer Journal Assignment -- All students at the upper campus must complete the English Literature Summer Journal Assignment that can be found HERE. This must be returned to school during the first week of school.
Upper Campus Math Summer Work -- Upper campus students need to complete summer work based on their Math class assignments for the fall. Students in the Introduction to Pre-Algebra class should click HERE for their work, students in the Pre-Algebra class should click HERE, and those in Algebra should click HERE.
Website - Our new website, SaintChrisAcademy.org, is now live! It is still a work in progress, so you may notice a few spots where we are still completing the copy and updating photos!
Please notice that the new website is actually 3 websites in one! The home Academy page at SaintChrisAcademy.org is an overview of the Academy as a whole and contains more “global” information. In the upper right corner, you can then click on either the “Upper Campus” or “Lower Campus” link to go to a specific microsite for each campus. These sites include information that is targeted to the families at each campus. We hope to continue to add campus specific information to each of these sites as we go. We are looking for parental input...please let us know if there is information missing that you think other parents would be interested in! You can send any suggestions to Marta at [email protected]. Thanks!
Mask Suggestions - As our COVID-19 plan states, all students will be required to wear masks while in school. If at all possible, we would prefer that all masks be the cloth variety rather than the paper disposable (and easily rippable!) versions. Fun and festive masks are certainly welcome, as are those of any solid color...we just ask that there be no inappropriate sayings or graphics anywhere!
And speaking of masks, please be sure that you have your child start to practice wearing the mask now! Try increasing the time a little bit each day, and show them how to carefully put the mask on and take it off themselves. This investment of time and practice will go a long way to helping kids feel comfortable and independent when wearing their mask!
Lower Campus Yearbooks - If you ordered a yearbook last year from St. Christopher School, please stop by the lower campus from Monday to Thursday between 8:30 AM and 2:00 PM, to pick up your book(s). If you are not available during those times, please contact Carol Fiore at [email protected] to make arrangements for another day. Thank you!!
NEW! Upper Campus Yearbooks - The upper campus yearbooks (Nashua Catholic 2019-2020) have also arrived! Yearbooks may be picked up any time the school is open from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM or 8th grade returning students may choose to wait to receive their yearbook when they return to school on September 1. Contact Sue Coker at [email protected] for more information.