NEW! Thank You! Thank you to all those students who dressed “Casual for a Cause” last Friday! Between the two campuses, we raised $811.29 for Catholic Medical Center’s Reach Out and Read program which allows CMC physicians to provide children with books at their annual exam. Well don!
TONIGHT! Upper Campus Prospective Student Open House - Do you know a middle school student looking for a new school? We’ll be holding an Open House for prospective students at the upper campus TONIGHT, Wednesday, March 15 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM. Please extend the invitation to students and families looking for a change from their current school! We’d love to meet them and show off our fabulous school!
UPDATED with New Date! Spring Portraits - As parents were notified on Monday, the date for the Spring Portraits by O’Connor Studios has been changed to March 28 due to yesterday’s Nor’easter. Spring Portraits for lower campus students only. This is a one-time event, so there are no retakes for absent students.
Only students who have paid for photos will go to the photographer to have a picture taken. As with fall portraits, each student was given a unique access code for ordering. O'Connor Studios sent parents an email message with a link for online ordering. Paper order envelopes also went home yesterday. Both include your student's unique access code. If you are interested in having your student's spring portrait taken, you may place an order online or use the paper envelope. Students purchasing pictures should bring their online receipt or their completed envelope to school for picture day.*
This is a Dress UP Day! All lower campus students may dress up instead of wearing the uniform, regardless of whether they're getting a spring portrait!
*Any parent who did not receive an envelope or an email with an access code may call O'Connor Studios at (978) 640-6250 to place an order before picture day.
UPDATED WITH NEW DATE! YEARBOOK GROUP PHOTOS - We are taking group activity/club photos for the yearbook this month on the following mornings:
Upper campus - Tuesday, March 14 Updated! Tuesday, April 4
Lower campus - Wednesday, March 22
All students should come to school in the regular uniform on those days. NOTE: 7th grade students who have gym on Tuesday afternoon should wear the regular uniform but may change into the gym uniform before class.
NEW! National French Contest - "Bonne chance" to our 8th grade French students who will be participating in the National French Contest (Le Grand Concours) sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. The students will be taking a two-part exam beginning on Friday, March 17 and concluding on Monday, March 20. Over 50,000 students nationwide will be participating this year. Mrs. Anger has been preparing the students since January for this annual event. We wish them all the best as they do their best!
NEW! Lower Campus Front Drop-off - With the extra snow in street, we ask that lower campus parents who drop off in the front of the school to PLEASE remember:
- Do not get out of your car while pulled up to the front of the school. This creates a dangerous line of cars to back-up behind you. If your child needs extra time getting out of the car, or if you need to assist him or her, please pull around to the back of the school and park in the back parking lot.
- Do not park on the opposite side of the street and ask your child to run across the street. Children are hard to see among the cars and are at great risk of being hit by cars speeding down the street! Always approach the school from Manchester St. We would much rather have your child be a few minutes late than get hit by a car!
- Do not pull up to the school side of the street if you are traveling in the opposite direction. This is illegal, very dangerous, and creates confusion and danger for other drivers.
NEW! Lower Campus Nashua Riders Pickup – Those who pick up lower campus students in the upper parking lot (Nashua riders) are reminded that they should follow the arrows on the parking lot at all times.
UPDATED! Annual Fund - Many thanks to all those who have already donated to our Annual Fund! Our total currently stands at just shy of $51,000. If you have not yet donated at any giving level, please consider doing so today! All donations will be listed in our Honor Roll of Donors which is distributed in our summer News and Notes. All donations, no matter the size, are MOST appreciated and will be used to directly benefit our students. To donate quickly and safely online, please click HERE. Thank you!
TODAY! Hot Lunch Ordering for April - Hot Lunch ordering for April ends at midnight TONIGHT, Wednesday, March 15. Do not wait until the last minute to order!
NEW! Lenten Service Project- In this season of Lent, in addition to prayer and fasting, we make a particular effort to "give alms," and donate to those who are less fortunate. This year we are focusing our efforts on the Saint Patrick Day Cafe in downtown Nashua. The volunteers at the Day Cafe open the Saint Patrick Parish Center each morning to provide an oasis of calm and dignity to those who don't often find it. They provide a peaceful and safe space where those who live on the street can have a few hours of respite from the elements, enjoy a cup of coffee and snack, engage in conversation, and be seen as a child of God. Their work is entirely funded by donations. We would ask that our lower campus students please "give alms" by donating funds in the St. Vincent de Paul poor box in the lobby at school. All funds will be used for the purchase of the particular coffee, creamer, sweeteners, and snacks used by the Day Cafe.
We would also like our friends served by the Day Cafe to know the joy of Easter. Our upper campus students will be donating items for Easter gift bags that will be distributed to Day Cafe guests. To ensure we can create what we need, a sign up can be found HERE. If upper campus families prefer to make a monetary donation, they may send check or cash in an envelope to Lorrice Bedard. Thank you for your generous support of this worthwhile ministry.
8th Grade Field Trip: Boda Borg – 8th grade students will be going on a field trip to Boda Borg in Malden, MA on Thursday, March 23. Some parents placed hot lunch orders for their students for that day prior to being informed of the field trip date. Those lunch orders have been credited in Boonli and parents will see the $5.00 credit when they log in to place their next hot lunch order.
IMPORTANT! Now Hiring Spring Track and Field Coaches! – The upper campus athletic department is looking to hire coaches for our upcoming and quickly approaching spring track and field season! Positions are paid stipend positions, and can be flexible when it comes to scheduling practices to accommodate coaches. Previous coaching experience is not required, but is preferred. Anybody interested in learning more about either position, should contact Mr. Ryan Farris at [email protected].
Upper Campus Spring Sports Signups – Spring sport signups have begun at the upper campus! Signup sheets are out in the cafeteria for anybody interested in participating in one of our spring sports. Varsity teams include baseball, softball, track & field, and golf.
We are also in the preliminary stages of an exploration into a lacrosse club program for this spring. If we do offer lacrosse, both boys and girls, it will only be a club team, and commitments will be minimal. Students will be allowed to participate in other varsity sports as well as lacrosse, but varsity sports should come first in the event of any practice or game conflicts. If we get enough students to sign up and show interest, we will discuss the opportunity further. There will be a separate meeting solely focused on lacrosse if we were to get to that point.
Baseball & Softball Open Gyms – Spring is just around the corner and our upper campus athletes are turning the page to the spring athletic season. We will be offering optional baseball and softball open gyms throughout the month of March. Please note that these are only open gyms and not practices or tryouts. Attendance at any of the open gym sessions will have zero weight towards tryouts. These are solely to get some early reps in before the tryouts begin. Tryouts for both teams will get underway on Monday, March 27.
Baseball open gyms will take place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Softball open gyms will take place on Tuesday afternoons from 2:30 to 4:30 PM. These sessions will be held in the gym and the only equipment needed is a glove and sneakers.
NEW! 2023-2024 Tuition/Financial Aid - As noted in the email sent to parents this morning, we are delayed in posting financial aid awards for the 2023-2024 school year to parent accounts. We are working on completing this as quickly as possible. In the meantime, parents who have applied for financial aid should log in to their FACTS account through the Family Portal and be sure that ALL required documentation has been uploaded. We are unable to make financial aid awards to any incomplete application. For questions, please contact Shauan Hein at [email protected] or 603-882-7442, ext. 212.
NH Education Freedom Accounts and Education Tax Credit Scholarship Applications Open - The Children’s Scholarship Fund has announced that applications for the Education Freedom Account awards and Education Tax Credit Scholarship for the 2023-2024 school year are now open HERE. All parents who apply for Saint Christopher Academy financial aid are required to apply for these awards.
Employment Applications and Teacher Fair - With the current teacher shortage, Saint Christopher Academy is currently building an applicant pool for any openings that may be available for the 2023-2024 school year. Interested applicants are invited to submit materials as soon as possible so we may begin conducting interviews. Current teachers, new education graduates, and recently retired teachers are welcome to apply! Click HERE for more information on how to apply!
NEXT WEEK! The Academy will hold a drop-in Spring Teacher Fair on Monday, March 20 from 6:00 to 7:30 PM at the upper campus! During the Teacher Fair, candidates will participate in an informal mini-interview with the principal and meet faculty and staff. Candidates are encouraged to download and complete the Diocesan Teacher Application at https://www.catholicnh.org/.../Sch.../TeacherApplication.pdf prior to the Teacher Fair and also bring along supporting credentials such as teaching accreditation, transcripts, and letters of recommendation.
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Roll Out the Red Carpet for Saint Chris!
19th Annual Auction
March 25, 2023
The Event Center, Nashua
NEW! Auction Sponsors – We are honored to have another NEW Copper sponsor, the Knights of Columbus Council 13904!
Presenting Sponsor:
Platinum Sponsor:
Wanderlust Therapeutic Services
Gold Sponsor:
Silver Sponsor:
Kevin Brown - Knights of Columbus Insurance
The Brian and Sharon Hall Family
he Tony and Cathy Storace Family
Bronze Sponsor:
Family Chiropractic of Merrimack and Wellness Center
Copper Sponsor:
J.S. Heating Service
NEW! Knights of Columbus Council 13904
Sneak Peek! - Wondering what wonderful items will be up for grabs at our Auction? Check out the Sneak Peek list on the Auction website HERE! This list will be updated often as items come in, so be sure to check it often!
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March No School Day - Please note that there will be NO school on Friday, March 24 so that teachers can participate in the Diocesan professional development being offered that day.
Silver Knights Education Day - We are excited to announce that our grade 1 through 6 students will be attending the Silver Knights Education Game on Wednesday, May 31! Parents will also be given the opportunity to purchase tickets and attend with us. More details on ticket prices and other arrangements will be forthcoming in April!
End of the Year Dates - The end of the school year may seem like a long way away, but it will come quickly! We have scheduled the following important dates and events:
Friday, May 26
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- Family BBQ at the upper campus (all current families invited!)
Thursday, June 1
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- 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)
Tuesday, June 6
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- Last day of school for 5th and 8th grade students
- 5:30 PM - 5th grade Convocation at the upper campus
Friday, June 9
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- Early Release and final day of school for grades PreK to 4, 6 & 7
- 7:00 PM - 8th grade Graduation at the upper campus
THIS FRIDAY! St. Patrick’s Free Dress - Irish eyes (and everyone else’s, too!) will be smilin’ on St. Patrick’s Day, Friday, March 17! Students are invited to wear green and white in celebration of the day! Please be sure that students dress according to our free dress day dress code…thank you!
Recognizing Excellence Award Nominations - Nominations for the 2023 Diocese of Manchester’s Teacher of the Year and Clergy of the Year awards are now open!
- Teacher of the Year Award - The New Hampshire Catholic School Teacher of the Year views Catholic education not only as a profession, but as a vocation of service to students and to the greater Church. A practicing Catholic active in his or her faith, the award recipient brings a joyful witness to his or her ministry that inspires students to not only achieve academically, but to put their skills and knowledge to good use creating the Kingdom of God on Earth. Submit a nomination HERE.
- Clergy of the Year Award – The recipient of the Spirit of St. John Vianney Award is a member of the clergy who similarly provides inspirational support for Catholic education in the diocese. The faithful witness that the recipient of the Spirit of St. John Vianney award provides is inspirational to students as they go on to eventually discern their vocation in life. Submit a nomination HERE.
School Mass Schedule - All parents are invited to attend our weekly school masses! Parents must enter through the front door of each campus facility, sign in, and receive a nametag to attend. All masses are at 9:45 AM on both campuses. The schedule for March and April is:
TOMORROW, March 16 - Lower campus, grades 3-5 (rescheduled from snow day)
March 21 - Upper campus
March 29 - Lower campus
April 3 - Lower campus
April 12 - Upper campus
April 18 - Lower campus Vocation Day
Lower Campus Stations of the Cross - 5th grade will be presenting Stations of the Cross on the Fridays of Lent. Parents are welcome to attend this short (approximately 20 minutes) observation of the stations and should come through the school and sign in prior to going to the church. The schedule is:
- Friday, March 17 - 2:15 PM
- Friday, March 31 - 2:15 PM
Hot Lunch Volunteers - Thank you to our fabulous Hot Lunch volunteers! The schedule for the next week is:
Thursday, March 16
LC: Sarah Daugherty, Tina Bruno, Julie Vincent, Sadie Presenti
UC: Sarah Neary, Nadra Bell
Friday, March 17
LC: Amelia Mickles, Ashley Curreri, Katie Shrieves
UC: Jaclyn Leonardi, Lisa Blanchard
Monday, March 20
LC: Sadie Presenti, Alex Sullivan, Erin Sarette
UC: Nadra Bell
Tuesday, March 21
LC: Sadie Presenti, Danielle Schuh, Hanna Sullivan, Andrea Rugg
UC: Kathy Maynard, Sue-Ellen Maher
Wednesday, March 22
LC: Sadie Presenti, Elona Cook, Katie Osborn, Erica Lilley
UC: Sasha Shaplyko, Nadra Bell
Popcorn Poppers: Our fabulous popcorn poppers for the week are Alayna Zucchi and Arthur Carew.
Nashua Youth Football and Cheer - Registration is now open for Nashua Youth Football and Cheer! Nashua is served by the Nashua Elks Crusaders and Nashua PAL Force. Both programs offer cheer, flag football, and tackle football for ages 5-14. If you live in the Nashua High School South district, please visit www.nashuaelkscrusaders.com for more information. If you live in the Nashua High School North district, please visit www.nashuapalforce.com. The season begins on July 31st and we look forward to seeing you!
St. Christopher Parish Lenten Schedule –Saint Christopher Parish has created a rich schedule of programs, masses, rosaries, and confessions to help us deepen our faith during the holy season of Lent. All school families are welcome and encouraged to attend any and all of these Lenten activities!
