NEW! Thank you! We’re a few days late with this, but we wanted to say thank you to the parent volunteers who helped out with school portraits last week….Erica Lilley and Jane Gill at the lower campus and Julie Knapp at the upper campus. It’s always a bit of a crazy day and having the extra hands is SO helpful!
THIS WEEK! Calendar Raffle No Homework and Spirit Day - In appreciation to our students for beating our school Calendar Raffle goal, THIS Thursday, October 12th will be a NO HOMEWORK DAY and THIS Friday, October 13 will be a Saint Chris Spirit Day…students may wear their spirit shirts, team shirts/sweatshirts, or blue and white. Bottoms may be student choice, as long as they follow the school Free Dress guidelines. The Tuition Raffle will take place on Spirit Day, along with some special surprises for our students!
Math Tutoring with Bishop Guertin Students – Starting this week, we will be hosting Bishop Guertin Campus Ministry Students who will be providing free math tutoring for upper campus students at the upper campus in the Cafeteria on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Times will be from 3:30 to 4:30 PM each day.
If you are looking for a math tutor for your student, this may be just the program for you. It will also be a great opportunity to meet slightly older BG students who are happy to discuss what high school is like. If you have any questions, you can email Mr Daley at [email protected].
NEW! Open House for Prospective Families - Spread the word! We’re holding an Open House for prospective families on Sunday, October 29 from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM at BOTH the lower and upper campuses! This drop-in Open House will include tours and the opportunity to meet with faculty and staff. To help us plan, those interested in attending should complete the RSVP HERE if they plan to attend.
Applications for 2024-2025 NOW OPEN - Do you know a family who would like to join the Saint Chris community next year? We are accepting applications for new students for the 2024-2025. We are seeing a large volume of interest in both PreKindergarten and Kindergarten already, so please especially encourage families with students in those grades to apply early! New families should start the process HERE. Note: Re-enrollment for current students will take place starting on November 1, 2023, but we will be accepting new students for open seats next year based on current enrollment numbers.
Planning on kindergarten or PreK for your little one at home? - If you have a younger child who you would like to attend Saint Christopher next fall, please know that applications are now OPEN for next year. We encourage you to submit your application ASAP. Veteran families can complete a new student application through their Family Portal. While siblings of current families do have priority, we can only honor that if we know you are interested! Please reach out to Lorrice Bedard, Enrollment Coordinator, at [email protected] with any questions.
NEW! 8th Grade Art Project - 8th Grade Families! Your students are starting a printing project in art class. They will have the opportunity to print on fabric towards the end of this unit. Students should set aside, or keep in their locker, any items they would like to print on. This could include any cotton based items such as sheets, pillow cases, sweatshirts, tshirts, jeans, sweatpants, tablecloth, cloth napkins etc. Printing on a fabric item is optional, not required.
Upper Campus Art Contest - Upper Campus Students…your artwork could be chosen for the official Saint Christopher Academy Christmas card! The chosen design will be printed and mailed to all families and friends of our school! Please read the flyers posted around upper campus, or click HERE to read the details. Pick up a template paper in the main lobby at upper campus to make sure you meet all size requirements. All entries due by Oct. 31st.
NEW! Ski Club - Registration for this year’s Ski Club is now underway! Parents were sent an email from Mrs. Joyce last week detailing the Ski Club and the same information can be found on the school website HERE. IMPORTANT: All students must be registered for Ski Club using the form HERE by December 1st!
NEW! Upper Campus Faith Opportunities - Ms. Thompson is excited to offer THREE upcoming Campus Ministry activities for upper campus students! All are wonderful ways to extend our students’ faith experience outside the classroom:
- Visiting the Elderly at The Courville’s Aynsley Place: Click HERE for more information on this once-a-month opportunity to spread kindness to the elderly.
- St. Chris’s Kitchen: Students will learn some kitchen basics after school…and with the saints! Click HERE for more information.
- Regina Caeli Girls’ Group: We have a new girls' group that will be meeting every other Monday starting October 16th from 2:40 pm-3:30 pm in Mrs. Bedard's room. All Upper Campus girls are welcome to attend! Click HERE for more information!
Parents of interested students should contact Ms. Thompson at [email protected]. Fees for St. Chris’s Kitchen should be sent to Ms. Thompson.
THIS WEEK! Parent Group Meeting - We will be holding our first Parent Group meeting THIS Thursday, October 12 at 7:00 pm at the upper campus. This meeting is for parents on BOTH campuses! Parent Group puts on a variety of school social activities and teacher appreciation opportunities during the school year, including the Father/Daughter Dance, the Mother/Son Bowling Night, and the year-end BBQ. All parents are members of the Parent Group….please join us!
Now Hiring - UC Boys Basketball Coaches – Our upper campus boys basketball teams are in need of coaches for both the Boys A and Boys B teams. The 2023-24 basketball commitment begins Monday, November 6, and runs through the middle of February, with a potential of additional basketball through the end of March. Games and practices are primarily in the afternoon and evenings at least 3-4x during the week, and then again on Saturday mornings.
Interested applicants should have previous coaching experience. Previous coaching experience within the middle school age group is preferred, but not required. This is a paid stipend position, and all interested applicants should email a copy of their professional and coaching resume to Athletic Director, Ryan Farris at [email protected].
THIS WEEK! Hot Lunch Ordering for November- Online ordering for November’s Hot Lunch through Boonli.com is now open through THIS Sunday, November 15 at midnight! Since we can not accommodate orders placed after midnight on the 15th, please be sure to log in early just in case you run into technical issues. Important: Orders are not placed until you complete the entire ordering process and receive a confirmation email from Boonli.
NEW! FIRE Foundation for Students with Disabilities - FIRE Foundation’s mission is to “To provide children with special needs the opportunity for an inclusive Catholic education in their home parish schools.” In partnership with the FIRE Foundation, the Catholic Schools Office is inviting parents, school leaders, faculty, and parents to attend a dinner and presentation to learn more about the FIRE Foundation’s impact on supporting children with disabilities in New Hampshire Catholic schools. To learn more about the FIRE Foundation, please click HERE. To register for the event, please click HERE.
Hot Lunch Volunteers - Thank you to our fabulous Hot Lunch volunteers! The schedule for the next week is:
Thursday, October 12:
LC: Courtney Duran, Beth Kreick, Katie Shrieves, Alison Salafia
UC: Susette Parks, NEED A VOLUNTEER!
Friday, October 13:
LC: Jenna Richardson, Natalie Boldeia, Jamie Viveiros, Kelly Ciardelli
UC: Nadra Bell, Tarrah Ledoux
Monday, October 16:
LC: Diane London, Shannon Silva, Amanda Vargas, Anju Kurian
UC: Nadra Bell, Tina Bruno
Tuesday, October 17:
LC: Tina Bruno, Stephen Carroll, Andrea Infante, Cindi Conley
UC: Teresa Carlton, Stephanie St. Jean
Wednesday, October 18:
LC: Alexandra Sullivan, Crystal Romero, Carol Laviolette, Nancy Sydow
UC: Paul Schibbelhute, Stephanie St. Jean
NEW! Upper Campus Hot Lunch Volunteer Openings - We still have a few open volunteer slots available for upper campus Hot Lunch volunteers! If you can fill in for any of the days noted above, please email Marta ASAP! Thanks!
STEM Committee Meeting - The STEM Committee will meet on Thursday, October 19 at the upper campus. Like the Parent Group, this committee encompasses BOTH campuses. Members work with faculty and administration to augment our STEM curriculum with a variety of programs, clubs, and activities. These might include: STEM Day speakers and STEM Night activities, Math and Science clubs, FIRST Lego League, Chess, Checkers, and Cribbage Club, and Coding and 3D printing clubs among other programs.
Fine Arts Committee Meeting - The Fine Arts Committee is a new endeavor at Saint Chris! Please join us in exploring ways to bring the beauty of art, music, and drama to the students of Saint Chris. Potential ideas might include special performances of local musicians, visiting artists or artist demonstrations, and exhibitions of student art in local businesses. The Fine Arts Committee will have its first meeting on Thursday, October 26th at 7:00 pm at the upper campus!
Lower Campus CYO Basketball - Calling all basketball players in grades 3 - 6 to represent Saint Christopher Academy in the CYO Manchester League. The season will run November to March with one weekday practice (days TBD) and games on Saturdays in the Manchester area. Click HERE for more information and to fill out a form to indicate your interest. Contact Mrs. Tracy Beauregard with questions ([email protected]).
Cheerleading Interest Form - Last year's Cheer squad was a HUGE success and we are looking to do it again this year! If your grade 3-8 child is interested, please complete the form HERE. The squad is limited to 20 students, so please don't wait!
Upcoming School Masses - 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 unless otherwise noted. The schedule for the next month is:
October 12 - Lower campus mass (grades 3-5) - in Church Hall
October 18 - Upper campus mass
October 19 - Lower campus Eucharistic Adoration - all day
October 25 - Lower campus mass (grades PK - 2) - in Church Hall
Bishop Christian Scholarship - All families are invited to apply for the Bishop Christian Scholarship for financial assistance. The application can be found HERE and must be completed by October 27. All questions about the scholarship can be directed to Brian Harrison, Parish and School Development Manager for the Diocese of Manchester, at [email protected].
COMMUNITY NEWS
Respect Life Essay Contest - The New Hampshire Knights of Columbus is once again sponsoring a Student Respect Life Essay contest. The contest is open to any Junior High (grades 6 - 8) and Senior High (grades 9 - 12) student in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Knights of Columbus will provide up to six cash awards of $100 each.
This year’s contest theme is: “What do you think is the root cause (i.e., basic reason for, or core issue) for abortion and how do we eliminate the root cause?”
RULES: Essays may not be longer than 500 words; typed, and submitted as a PDF or Word Document and emailed to [email protected]. Include student name, age, grade, school, parent name and address, phone, parish and email. Students may obtain help & information, including from parents, teachers, friends, and internet but the essay itself must be their own work. Deadline: Midnight, December 15, 2023
Happy Hearts Day Care - Happy Hearts Daycare, located across the street from the lower campus at 12 Cushing Ave., has a few openings for extended care. The hours are 6:30 to 8:30 AM and 3:00 to 5:30 PM. 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...603-321-9320.
Trinity High School Open House - Due to ongoing construction in the Trinity High School gymnasium, the Open House has been postponed to November 15 at 7:00 PM. Trinity High School is located at 581 Bridge St., Manchester. All future students in attendance will be entered into a raffle to win $1,000 off tuition! A Trinity High School education is affordable for all who desire it through several financial aid options. In addition, 2023 graduates of Trinity received over 24 million in merit awards. To RSVP, please contact the Admissions Office at [email protected] or by calling 603-668-2910 Ext. 220.Discover the difference at Trinity!
Bishop Guertin Open Houses: Bishop Guertin High School will hold two upcoming Open Houses for prospective students and their families in October. The first will take place from October 15 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm and the second will take place on October 19 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. Students and families will tour the building, meet faculty and staff, and discover the BG difference. Registration for the event can be completed HERE.