THANK YOU! Wowza! We raised $947 for CMC’s Casual for a Cause fundraiser last Friday! Thanks so much to all of our students and staff for participating!
We also want to thank Donna Noon and Lorrice Bedard for coordinating yesterday’s virtual Vocation Day! Our students enjoyed getting to meet a wonderful group of priests, deacons, sisters, and seminarians from around the country. Our Vocation Day program celebrates its 30th anniversary this year!
Special thanks to our 7th and 8th grade student volunteers who helped prepare materials for this weekend’s Auction! They have been cutting and counting and stuffing and organizing like crazy over the past few weeks and we really appreciate their help!
Even more thanks…yesterday, representatives of the Nashua High School class of 1959 visited us to present a check from the class to the Nancy Garceau Scholarship Fund. They were joined by Miss Nancy’s husband, Gene. Like us, Miss Nancy’s friends and family miss her greatly and we are very grateful that they choose to honor her with a donation to the Academy.
NEW! Drama Club Congratulations – Congratulations to the cast and crew of the Drama Club’s production of The Enchanted Book Shop last weekend! The reviews have been over the top….amazing sets, incredible acting, and fabulous singing! Special thanks to Dr. B for his direction and Mrs. Michael for her set production, as well as all of the other parents and faculty members who helped put this production together!
Lenten Service Project: Ukraine Refugee Support Collection - Almsgiving is a central part of our Catholic Lenten practice and during Lent each year we collect funds for the benefit of another worthy cause. This year, we can think of nothing more worthy than supporting refugees from the Ukrainian crisis. Through contacts provided by Miss Murphy, we will be donating our collection to the Franciscan University Ukrainian Relief Fund. Franciscan University is purchasing goods and medical supplies requested by a priest working with a Caritas group on the Hungarian border. The supplies are sent directly to the group at the border. We will have collection jars at the lower campus front desk and in Mrs. Coker’s office for students to place their donations until Friday, April 8. Please be as generous as possible!
NEW! Spring Uniforms - Friday, April 1st, marks the start of our Spring uniform policy! Please note:
Lower Campus:
- Boys may now wear the navy blue twill uniform shorts. Socks must be navy or plain white (no sports socks with logos).
- Both boys and girls may wear the navy blue gym shorts on their gym day. Gym sweatpants do not need to be worn over the shorts.
Upper Campus:
- Boys and Girls may wear the khaki twill uniform shorts.
- Girls: Shorts can be no more than three inches above the knee. Socks must be navy or white knee socks.
- Boys: Shorts cannot be longer than one inch below the knee. Socks (navy or black) or white socks only that show above the sneaker or shoe must be worn. Socks can have small logos like the NIKE swoosh, but otherwise cannot have logos, stripes, or blocks. Socks must be worn at all times.
- Boys and Girls - Navy or red colored “golf style” (long or short sleeve) shirt with current Saint Christopher Academy logo may be worn.
- Boys and Girls - Navy blue gym shorts may be worn on gym days.
- Boys and Girls on Mass Day - Students must wear their dress uniform on mass days. This includes the twill shirt for both boys and girls (with a tie for boys). Boys should wear their twill khaki uniform pants and girls may either wear their skorts or the twill khaki pants.
Please note: Spirit wear is not considered to be part of the school uniform. Therefore, students are welcome to wear these items on school or personal free dress days or on official Spirit Days.
LIBRARY NEWS - If you would like to purchase a birthday book for your student this year, please send Mrs. Noon an email or a note by April 15th to allow plenty of time for the book to be delivered and processed. If you have more than one student, feel free to get their birthday books at the same time! For more information on the birthday book program find it HERE. We have added over 65 new books to the library this year, thanks to our families donating to the Birthday Book Program. Thank you for your generosity!
NEW! FINAL Hot Lunch Ordering – Hot Lunch ordering for May opens Friday on Booli.com through April 15. Hot Lunch will end on Friday, May 27 on both campuses. This is the last Hot Lunch ordering period for the school year! As of Tuesday, May 31, all students on both campuses must bring a bag lunch through the end of the year!
Children's Scholarship Fund and Education Freedom Accounts - Applications for the Children's Scholarship Fund and the Education Freedom Accounts are now open! Apply for the CSF HERE by May 6 and HERE for the EFA by July 15.
NEW! Easter Break – Our Easter Break will be here soon! Please mark your calendars:
- Thursday, April 14 - Early Release on both campuses. Upper campus dismisses at 11:30 AM and lower campus dismisses at 12:00 PM
- Friday, April 15 and Monday, April 18 - No School.
NEW! Trees, Hills, and Planters - Now that the weather is (sometimes!) getting warmer and students are enjoying their "freedom" after school, please remember that no children should be climbing any tree on school property (including the one right by the back door), nor should they be rolling down the hill in front of the kindergarten classrooms. In addition, we ask that students do not climb or walk on the stone wall by the St. Francis statue by the rectory. Student know that they are not allowed to do any of these things during the school day and the rules still apply after school has ended. We appreciate our parents' help in keeping everyone safe!
We are DESPERATELY in need of Track & Field Coaches! Want to join an excited group of young athletes and help them to be their very best? We are in need of a Head Coach and a couple volunteer assistant coaches for this upcoming Track season. Practices can be arranged and scheduled to best fit your work schedule. The meets have already been scheduled, but we will have to delay track practices for next week if we do not find coaches! This is a paid stipend position. Previous Track & Field experience is encouraged but not required. If you are interested, please reach out to Mr. Farris at [email protected]. Go Wildcats!
NEW! 8th Grade Helen J. Horan Scholarship Applications – Applications for the Helen J. Horan Scholarship for graduating 8th grade students are now being accepted. This scholarship provides support to a deserving Saint Christopher Academy 8th grade student who plans to continue his or her education at a Catholic high school next year. Established by the late Father Denis Horan in loving memory of his sister Helen, the Helen J. Horan Scholarship is the top award for our graduating students and will be awarded at the Baccalaureate Dinner on June 9. The deadline for applications is May 6. Please see the description HERE for qualifications and other important information.
NEW! 8th GRADE GRADUATION DANCE –The National Junior Honor Society is hosting a Graduation Dance for 8th grade Saint Christopher Academy students on Saturday, May 21st from 7-9 PM in the Upper Campus Cafeteria. This will be a CASUAL dance - (please do not wear formal/semi-formal attire), following our out-of-uniform guidelines. Ticket forms and more information coming soon!
BBQ RSVP - The BBQ is back! All Saint Chris Academy families are invited to this fun and FREE gathering on Friday, June 3rd from 5:30 - 7:00 PM! The event will be held in the back parking lot of the lower campus and will include food and a DJ. To help us plan and purchase enough food, we'd like to get a preliminary count on attendees. If you think that you and your family will be attending, please complete the anonymous form HERE by April 22. THANKS!
End of the Year Dates - June may seem like a long way away, but it will come quickly! We have scheduled the following important dates and events for our last two weeks in June:
Thursday, June 9
- 5:00 PM – 8th grade Baccalaureate Mass at St. Christopher Parish (graduate and two parents only)
- 6:30 PM - 8th grade dinner at the upper campus (graduate and two parents only)
Friday, June 10
- Last day of school for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten.
Tuesday, June 14
- Last day of school for 5th and 8th grade students. This will be a half day for 5th and 8th grade students. 8th grade will be released at 11:30 and 5th grade will be released at 12:30. Please note: Bus transportation home for these students will NOT be available, so parents will need to arrange transportation.
- 5:30 PM - 5th grade Convocation
Friday, June 17
- 11:30 AM - Early release and last day of school for grades 6 & 7
- 12:30 PM - Early release and last day of school for grades 1-5
- 7:00 PM - 8th grade Graduation at the upper campus
ENDS TOMORROW! Annual Fund - Have you made your Annual Fund donation yet? The drive is ends this FRIDAY! We are just $800 shy of our $60,000 goal…please help us over the top! All donations made by TOMMORROW, March 31, will be included in our summer Honor Roll of Donors published in the summer News and Notes and online. To see last year’s 2020-2021 Honor Roll of Donors, please click HERE. To donate please click HERE!
STEM Day Speakers - Are you in a STEM field? Would you like to share your love of or experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math? We have begun planning for this year’s STEM Day, to be held on May 24. We are looking for speakers to virtually present to students about their interest and/or careers in any STEM-related field, whether as a professional or hobbyist. Presentations will be approximately 20-30 minutes in length. If you are interested in speaking, please email Carol Fiore at [email protected].
Hot Lunch Volunteers - Thank you to all of our Hot Lunch volunteers! The schedule below is for the next week of Hot Lunch volunteers on both campuses. Volunteers are asked to check the list carefully so you do not miss your shift. If you can not make your shift, please email those on the sub list as well as Marta at [email protected] as soon as possible.
Thursday, March 31
LC: Blaise Bizimana, Sarah Colon, Beth Kreick
UC: Bethany Dionne, Catherine Tribou
Friday, April 1
LC: Heather Reardon, Katrina Piskorski, Lisa Blanchard
UC: Andrea Hebert, Betsy Hansen
Monday, April 4
LC: Lorraine Barry, JoAnn Howell, Melissa Butz, Jen Liba
UC: Marge Decato, Carrie Ayers, Bethany Dionne
Tuesday, April 5
LC: Jess Hickey, Tina Bruno, Jennifer Liba
UC: Andrea Trepanier, Tarrah Ledoux
Wednesday, April 6
LC: Tina Bruno, Kristen Bechard
UC: Lucy Osborne, Sue Goyette
Anticipated Openings - Saint Christopher Academy is currently building an applicant pool for anticipated faculty openings for the 2022-2023 school year. Interested applicants are invited to submit materials as soon as possible so we may begin conducting interviews. We anticipate openings at both our lower campus (pre-kindergarten to grade 5) and upper campus (grades 6 to 8) this fall. Current teachers, new education graduates, and recently retired teachers are welcome to apply! For more information about qualifications and how to apply, visit our website HERE!
NH Department of Education 603 Bright Futures Survey - The NH Department of Education invites parents, educators, and community members to complete the 603 Bright Futures Survey regarding perspectives and experiences of New Hampshire schools. Read more about the survey in the WMUR story HERE.
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Auction News!
April 2, 2022
Alpine Grove Banquet Facility, Hollis
This weekend! We are excited to FINALLY get together to celebrate the Academy with fun and friendship!
Thank you to our amazing Auction sponsors for their generous support!
Platinum Sponsor: MATRIX PMO
Gold Sponsor: Wireless Zone
Silver Sponsor: Knights of Columbus Insurance/Kevin Brown
Silver Sponsor: Wanderlust Therapeutic Services, PLLC
Silver Sponsor: Toyota of Nashua
Silver Sponsor: Virtuoso Kids Music Academy
Bronze Sponsor: Eleanor Dahar
Bronze Sponsor: Center for Physical Therapy and Excercise
Bronze Sponsor: Knights of Columbus NH State Council
Bronze Sponsor: Eastern Bank
Copper Sponsor: Kalil & Kress Family and Cosmetic Dentistry
Copper Sponsor: Catholic Medical Center
Copper Sponsor: Knights of Columbus Council 13904 at Immaculate Conception Parish
Copper Sponsor: Refined Beauty Medical Spa
Copper Sponsor: Nashua Riverfront Dentristy
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CMC Hearts and Hands Scholarship - Catholic Medical Center (CMC) and the Diocese of Manchester’s Catholic Schools Office are excited to announce the CMC Heart & Hands Scholarship.The Heart & Hands Scholarship seeks to assist motivated, mission-driven middle and high school students access a Catholic education. This scholarship will award two scholarships to students entering grades 7-12 at a diocesan Catholic school in New Hampshire in the 2022-23 academic year. This opportunity is available in addition to—and is not a part of—a student’s financial aid package; however, financial need is not a requirement for this scholarship program. One of last year’s winners was our very own Kathryn Kieley!
Interested students must complete an application including an essay explaining their desire to lead and serve while making a significant impact in their community. Completed materials must be submitted by 11:59 PM on May 1, 2022
Lenten Schedule and Special Events - Fr. David and St. Christopher Parish invite school families to attend any of the many sacraments, activities, and special events during Lent, the most sacred time of the year in the Catholic church!
- Saturday Morning Holy Mass and Confessions – Saturdays at 8:00 AM
- Eucharistic Adoration and Confessions – Wednesday mornings after 7:30 AM mass and Tuesdays from 6:00 - 7:00 PM (through April 5)
- Rosary – Tuesdays at 7:00 PM and Wednesdays after 7:30 AM Mass
- Confession – Monday through Thursday after 7:30 AM Mass, Tuesdays from 6:00 - 7:00 PM, and Saturdays 3:00 PM
- Friday Stations of the Cross and Mass – Stations at 5:00 PM with Holy Mass at 5:30 PM
LAST ONE IS THIS FRIDAY! Lenten Soup and Salad Dinner – The parish is sponsoring a FREE Lenten Soup Dinner this Friday! A meatless soup and salad will be served following the 5:30 PM Mass on Friday, April 1. Please join us for Friday fellowship!
NEW! Holy Week Schedule - Holy Week is the most holy week in the Catholic calendar and St. Christopher Parish invites families to attend any of the upcoming Holy Week observances:
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- Mass on Saturday at 4:00 PM
- Mass on Sunday at 8:00 & 10:00 AM
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- Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper at 7:00 PM
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- Church will open at 8:00 AM for personal prayer
- Commemoration of the Lord's Passion at 3:00 PM
- Stations of the Cross at 7:00 PM
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- Easter Vigil at 7:30 PM
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- Mass at 8:00 and 10:00 AM
NEW! Happy Hearts Day Care - Happy Hearts Daycare, located across the street from the lower campus at 12 Cushing Ave has two openings for extended care. The hours are 6:30 to 8:30 and 3:00 to 5:30. They accommodate students on snow days, two hour delay, early release, no school days (except for the major holidays) and even if there is a power outage :) They also provide care on the Christmas, February and April vacation weeks. If interested, please call...880-6575.