Thank You! Our upper campus staff and faculty have been feasting this week thanks to Alex Bruttaniti (homemade Greek Christmas treats!), Elizabeth Foster (bagels, cream cheese, and COFFEE!), and Tanya Fox (beautiful handcrafted cookie bouquets...check out her custom cookie business HERE!). We are spoiled!
NEW! Nashua Soup Kitchen Thank You! Our families ROCK! We collected 4 truck/SUV’s FULL of food and personal supplies for the Nashua Soup Kitchen for our Christmas Service Project! We are so blessed to have so many generous people in our community who are ready and willing to step up to help others!
NEW! Snow Days! It appears that the snow is going to fly overnight, so we want to remind everyone of how they will be informed of a snow day! Parents will receive a text message, as well as an email. In addition, any closures or delays will be posted on WMUR Channel 9 and 95.7 WZID, as well as the school Facebook page and Instagram.
Please note that our notification system is not foolproof….power and internet outages may interfere with delivery of the text messages and emails and we will post the information as soon as we are able. Thank you for your understanding!
NEW! Delayed Openings - Delayed openings are 2 hours. When there is a delayed opening, there is no school for the AM Pre-K. Before Care will take place starting at 8:30 AM. Doors are open for regular drop-off at 10:30 AM and school starts at 10:50 AM for all grades Full Day PreKindergarten through 6.
COVID Information -
NEW! Christmas Break Update - As outlined in our email yesterday, we will be starting our Christmas vacation this Friday due to the increase in COVID cases and the impact on our school. All classes on both campuses have been canceled for Monday and Tuesday. School will resume IN PERSON on Monday, January 4!
Keeping Students Home - COVID infection rates continue to increase locally. Should a member of your household need to be tested for COVID (including parents or children), please keep all students home from school until the test results have been returned. This helps us contain the risk of infection for our students and staff. Thank you!
Quarantine Time - You may be aware that the CDC and the State of NH Department of Health and Human Services recently recommended reducing the quarantine/isolation requirements for those who have tested positive for COVID-19, those who having close contact with a person who tested positive, and those who have traveled outside of New England. The recommended quarantine/isolation period is now 10 days, rather than 14. As an educational institution with many children and staff in the building at one time, we have chosen to continue with the 14 day requirement for our students and staff for at least the remaining two weeks until Christmas vacation. We believe this is the best way to keep our community safe and our school open for in-person learning. We will reevaluate this policy following Christmas vacation in light of COVID rates in Nashua and New Hampshire. As always, parents may elect to have their child/ren attend school remotely at any time by contacting their child’s teacher or Mrs. Clarke.
Testing Sites -- The NH DHHS has created a list of current testing sites in NH. Should you find yourself in need of testing, please consult the list HERE.
Remote Learning Introduction - Mrs. Litch has prepared a short “introduction” to lower campus remote learners for parents whose children may need to be on remote learning for the first time. Please click HERE to read the document and please feel free to contact Mrs. Litch at [email protected]!
Remote Learning Expectations - If your child is new to remote learning, we ask you to review our At Home Learner Expectations that were published at the beginning of the school year. You can find them HERE. These expectations were created to facilitate the best learning experience for both at home and in school learners and we require that all expectations be met.
NEW! Lower Campus Gift Suggestions - Looking for a few last items for your child? Mrs. Litch has an idea….a set of very inexpensive headphones for use in school! Every student should have a set of headphones with an aux cord for his or her use on the school ipads. Either over the ear or in the ear types are fine!
THIS WEEK! Christmas Free Dress -- Ho-Ho-Ho...the lower campus will have a Christmas Free Dress THIS Friday, December 18! Students can wear their most festive red, white, and green for the day. Please be sure your student follows the dress code for Free Dress days:
The following are not appropriate for free dress days:
- Tank tops (boys and girls), spaghetti straps, tube tops or halter tops, sheer tops
- T-shirts/shirts/shorts or articles of clothing that display rock groups, violence, or inappropriate saying
- Large baggy pants, bike shorts
- Shorts, skirts or skorts that are more than 3 inches above the knee
- Legging and yoga pants may be worn on dress down days ONLY if a shirt is worn that covers the students’ bottom.
Students must also wear socks on dress down days.
NEW! Christmas Crafternoon - Lower campus students have a fun afternoon coming up this Friday! All classes will participate in our first ever Christmas Crafternoon starting around 1:00 PM. Serenaded by Christmas music over the intercom, students will be crafting a special gift for their families, along with eating a holiday treat or two!
Annual Fund - The second of our three annual fundraisers, the Annual Fund, is underway! Each family was sent an Annual Fund letter asking for your support of this effort. All gifts to the Annual Fund stay here at Saint Chris and directly benefit our students through advanced academics, updated technology and facilities, and other important programs. In addition, because the cost of educating our students exceeds our tuition, EVERY St. Christopher School student receives discounted tuition supported by our fundraising efforts.
Our goal for the Annual Fund is 100% participation from current families, faculty and staff, and School Board members, with $30,000 as our financial goal. When you receive your letter, we ask you to support our mission to provide an excellent Catholic education to all students at Saint Christopher Academy by donating to the Annual Fund at the level your family is most comfortable. All donations, no matter the size, are MOST appreciated. To donate online, please click HERE.
NEW! Current Student Registration for 2021-2022 - Hard to believe that it’s time to think ahead to the next school year, but registration for current students for the 2021-2022 school year will be available starting January 1! Parents will receive an email with instructions for registering students online through the Family Portal. Registrations will be due by January 22 and require a $150 registration fee. Please note that due to high interest from new families interested in joining the Saint Chris community, current families who do not register by January 22 will forfeit their chid’s seat for the Fall. For more information, please contact Admissions Coordinator Lorrice Bedard at [email protected].
NEW! Financial Aid Applications for 2021-2022 – Applications for Financial Aid and the Children’s Scholarship Fund for the 2021-2022 school year will be accepted starting January 1. All families with a financial need are encouraged to apply for Financial Aid! To apply, parents must do the following in this order:
- Apply to the Children's Scholarship Fund HERE if eligible. (The eligibility rules are listed on the Children's Scholarship Fund website) The Children's Scholarship Fund is a source of financial assistance for families in need in NH. Awards are made on a first come, first served basis, so parents are encouraged to apply early.
- Apply to St. Christopher School Financial Aid through the Financial section in your Family Portal (click on the link under “Financial Links” on the right side of the window). The level of Saint Christopher School Financial Aid is determined by FACTS. Please be aware that Saint Christopher Financial Aid will take into account any award from the Children's Scholarship Fund when awarding aid to families.
Applications Open for New Students in 2021-2022 - Registrations are now OPEN for NEW students for next year, from PreK 3 through grade 8. If you have a younger child who you would like to join us next year, please visit the front page of the school website at SaintChrisAcademy.org and click the Apply Now button to get started! Please also pass the word to any new families.
NEW! Christmas Masses at St. Christopher Parish - Fr. David and St. Christopher Parish would like to invite all families to celebrate the birth of Jesus at one their Christmas masses:
Christmas Eve:
4:00 PM (Upstairs in the church and Downstairs in the Church Hall)*
12:00 AM Midnight Mass
Christmas:
9:30 AM
New Years Eve: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
4:00 PM
New Years Day: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
10:00 AM
*Note: The 4:00 PM masses are historically very busy. With limited seating due to COVID, families are encouraged to arrive early to secure a seat.