Expanded Saint Chris Wildcat Spirit Wear Store! We are SO excited to announce that we have EXPANDED our Spirit Store offerings through Maverick Stitch and Screen! In addition to our traditional Wildcat Spirit Shirts for students and adults (perfect for school Spirit Days!), new offerings include pajama pants (students and adults) and polos, fleece vests and jackets, and softshell vests and jackets for adults! We even have pom-pom hats and baseball caps!
The first ordering period will end on September 15 and all items will be delivered to the school and sent home with students as soon as they are completed. Additional ordering periods will be announced as the year progresses. Please click HERE to order and show your Wildcat pride!
Please note: Spirit wear is NOT part of the daily school uniform on either campus and may only be worn on Free Dress or Spirit Days. Spirit wear is not part of the gym uniform. Thanks for your help with this!
P.S. Have ideas for other fun spirit items? Let Marta know at [email protected]!
Calendar Information
NEW! Daily School Schedule - Just a reminder that the upper and lower campuses run on slightly different daily schedules. To view the lower campus schedule, click HERE. To view the complete upper campus schedule, click HERE.
2024-2025 School Academic Calendar - Our school calendar is available on the website HERE!
Days with NO After Care - We will have a number of NO After Care days this year, so please note these on your calendar:
- All Early Release Days (September 20, October 25, November 21, January 29, April 17, and May 9)
- September 27 (Staff Outing)
- December 6 (Christmas Tree Lighting)
- January 9 (Staff Christmas Party)
- May 20 (STEM Night)
- May 23 (BBQ)
- June 4 (Baccalaureate)
- June 9 (Convocation)
Important Back to School Dates: Please mark your calendars with the following important back-to-school dates!
NEXT WEEK! Monday, August 26 – Lower campus Meet the Teacher from 9:00 - 11:00 AM. Class lists will be posted in the school that day. NOTE: This is a drop-in event, so families are welcome to visit any time between 9:00 and 11:00 AM.
Pro tips:
- Come after 9:45 AM to avoid the waiting-for-the-door-to-open crowd!
- Bring along any wipes/tissues/paper towels requested by your student’s teacher to lessen your child’s load on the first day of school!
- When you arrive, check the large bulletin board in the lobby to find your child’s assigned teacher. Staff members will be available to help direct you to the classroom.
NEXT WEEK! Monday, August 26 - First day of school for 6th grade only at the upper campus. Students should be in full uniform. This is an early dismissal day, with students released at 11:30 AM. Bus service will be provided for eligible 6th grade students that day. There will be no After Care that day.
NEXT WEEK! Tuesday, August 27 - First day of school for all other students on both campuses. Students should be in full school uniform that day. Bus service for grades K-8 will begin. Don’t forget to send in a lunch…no extra food will be available on either campus!
Friday, August 30 and Monday, September 2 - No School…Labor Day Weekend
Wednesday, September 4 - New Parent Orientation, 6:30 PM at the upper campus. This orientation is for ALL new parents from both campuses! Please join us to learn more about Saint Chris, to meet important staff, and to get your questions answered!
Tuesday, September 10 - Upper Campus Parent Open House, 6:30 PM in the gym.
Thursday, September 12 - Lower Campus Parent Open House, 6:30 PM in the church hall.
Required Documents for School
Updated Contact Information - Summer is a prime time for change of addresses and other contact information…and we want to keep you up-to-date on all communications from Saint Chris! If your address, email, or phone number will be different this fall, please contact Database Administrator Donna Beatrice at [email protected]. Thank you!
Medical and Immunization Updates - At the start of the school year, we need updated physical and immunization records for every student, grades PreK to 8. These can be provided in paper copy sent into school on the first day or by email to Gloria Sheehan at [email protected] at the lower campus and Laura Danielson at [email protected] at the upper campus. Note: If your student has a medical or religious exemption for immunizations, please also forward that document. All documentation is due by September 1st.
Summer Work & Supplies
2024-2025 Lower Campus School Supply List – The school supply list for the lower campus for the 2024-2025 school year is available HERE!
New Upper Campus Supplies - All upper campus students are asked to bring a box of tissues, a roll of paper towels, and a container of Clorox wipes to school on the first day. Please note that there are no classroom supply lists for the upper campus. Each teacher will provide students with a supply list on the first day of school.
Summer Work - Summer assignments for both campuses can be found HERE. (Note: lower campus assignments appear at the end of each grade’s supply list). Please be sure that your student is working on summer assignments on a regular basis throughout the summer! The goal of summer work is to help students continue their mastery of concepts, skills, and knowledge gained over the school year. Lower campus students are especially encouraged to work on Lexia and IXL over the summer in addition to their summer reading assignments. All upper campus students have work in their math workbooks to complete in addition to the work posted. Let’s start the year strong!
Uniform Requirements - There are no changes to the uniform requirements for this year. All uniforms must be purchased from Red Brick Clothing in Manchester (or online HERE). Please see the uniform requirements HERE.
Transportation
UPDATED!! Nashua Bus Transportation - The Nashua School District provides free bus transportation for students in grades K through 8 who live in Nashua. Lower campus students must live more than one mile from the lower campus and upper campus students must live more than two miles from the upper campus in order to be eligible for bus transportation. If you indicated on your enrollment form (or responded to an email prompt), that your child would ride the bus or be a commuter student, his or her name was sent to the Nashua transportation department. We have not yet received the bus passes and bus stop information from the Nashua School District. We will email that information to parents as soon as we receive it. Please contact Jackie Langenfeld at [email protected] with any questions.
Commuter Student Instructions - Will you be dropping your student off in the morning….or picking him or her up in the afternoon? Please see the important instructions HERE for lower campus students and HERE for upper campus students. We ask everyone’s cooperation in following these instructions very carefully and mindfully in order to keep our students safe and our process orderly and speedy! It is imperative that all parents follow all of the instructions. NOTE: The first two weeks of school will be very busy at both drop-off and pick-up time as families learn the procedures and adjust to the timing that works best for them. Please be patient and kind to staff members and other parents.
Absences, Late Arrivals, and Early Dismissals - If your child is going to be absent from school, arriving late due to an appointment, or will need to be dismissed early, you MUST notify the school as soon as possible. Lower campus notifications should be emailed to [email protected] and upper campus notifications should be emailed to [email protected]. Please note:
- Absence or Late Arrival: If a student is absent and we do not receive notification of the absence by 9:00 AM, parents will be contacted to confirm the absence.
- Early Dismissal: Notice of a student’s early dismissal MUST be submitted by 9:00 AM. Parents should not arrive at school to dismiss students without first notifying the school. Last minute and unexpected dismissals are disruptive to the class and may be difficult to accommodate if students are in other parts of the building for gym, recess, art, etc.
Lower Campus After School Student Pick-up Change Notification – We know that in this crazy world a parent’s plans can change without warning! If your wild day necessitates a sudden change in where your child should go after school (After Care, Linda Rousseau’s, carpool pick-up, etc.) or who will pick up (mom, dad, grandma, family friend, etc.), we must be informed by a PHONE CALL to 603-882-7442! Please do not rely on emailing teachers or the office at either campus as they may not be able to check their email until after school is over. With a quick phone call, you can be assured that the front desk will let your child know about the change in plans as soon as possible.
NEW! Lower Campus After Care Phone Number - Parents who use the lower campus After Care program are reminded that they can contact the After Care staff directly after school hours at 603-438-4735.
Miscellaneous Important Details
NEW! 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 1:45 PM on both campuses unless otherwise noted. The schedule for the next month is:
August 28 - Upper campus
August 29 - Lower campus (grades Kdg to 5)
September 11 - Upper campus
September 16 - Lower campus (grades 3-5)
Wednesday News Email - Do you have a grandparent or other important person in your family who you would like to receive the Wednesday News? If so, email Donna Beatrice at [email protected] to have them added to the list! Please indicate the individual’s name, email address, and relationship to your family.
After School Tutoring - We are happy to announce that we will be providing additional after school tutoring in math and reading through Title 1. This program will be available to students in grades K to 5 who live in Nashua and who show academic challenges in these areas. Teachers will evaluate students and make recommendations regarding those students who may benefit. Teachers will reach out to parents of eligible students during the first quarter of the school year.
Checks to Saint Chris - Due to banking regulations, all checks to Saint Chris must now be made out to Saint Christopher Academy with no exceptions. Checks that are made out to St. Christopher School will be returned and a new check requested. We apologize for any inconvenience!
UPDATED! Hot Lunch Ordering - The Hot Lunch program will begin on both campuses on September 23. Students will need to bring a lunch from home until that time! Please remember to send your child with any necessary utensils to eat his or her bagged lunch. We do not have spoons, forks, or knives available for student use. Due to technical challenges, ordering will open on September 1st, not August 15. It will run through midnight on September 15…no late orders accepted! Ordering for Hot Lunch is done through Boonli.com. Full instructions for ordering can be found HERE for the lower campus and HERE for the upper campus. Parents will also receive an email on September 1st with the detailed ordering instructions. Please be sure to read carefully!
Calendar Raffle Fundraiser – It’s Fall Calendar Raffle time again! On the first day of school, all oldest and only students on both campuses will bring home envelopes with our popular Fall Calendar Raffle tickets! We have some GREAT prizes again this year, including gift cards to fabulous stores and lots of CASH! Every family is asked to sell a minimum of 10 tickets at $10 per ticket. This is the first of our three major fundraisers, so we are really counting on your support! This year, our Academy goal is 4,400 tickets between the two campuses! We can do it!
As in the past, for every 10 raffle tickets your family sells, you will earn one entry into a raffle for a $1,500 Tuition Credit or $1,000 Cash!
After Care Rates - Extended Care (both Morning and Afternoon Care) will begin on the first full day of school on both campuses, August 27. Students are automatically registered for Extended Care…there is no additional registration needed. If your lower campus child will be attending After Care on a regular basis, please send a note to the homeroom teacher on the first day of school or let him/her know on Meet the Teacher Day.
Due to rising program costs, After Care rates on both campuses will increase to $5 per half hour this fall. However, we have modified the family policy to include a discount for any family that has two or more students attending After Care on either campus. The youngest student on either campus will be charged full price, while all older children will be charged the 50% discounted rate. Parents will continue to be invoiced through their Family Portal on a monthly basis.
Please note: All Extended Care balances are due when billed on a monthly basis. If a family is past due on Extended Care payments above $100, they will not be able to utilize the program until that balance is paid.
NEW! Look Us Up on Social Media – Don’t forget that we have very active social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest! Each account usually has different material, so be sure to follow both! You can find us at https://www.facebook.com/SaintChrisAcademy https://www.instagram.com/saintchrisacademy/
https://www.pinterest.com/SaintChrisAcademy/
Student Programs and Activities
NEW! Popcorn Fridays and Popcorn Volunteers - If your child loves popcorn, he or she is going to LOVE Popcorn Fridays! By preordering now, your student/s on either campus will receive a fresh bag of delicious popcorn every Friday (and you don't have to pack a snack!)! The cost is $27 for the year per student (approximately 27 Fridays between October 4 and the end of May. No popcorn on Early Release Days). Please complete the form HERE to order popcorn for your student/s for the year as no individual bags will be available for purchase on Fridays. Fees will be posted in Incidental Billing in the Family Portal. Ordering deadline is Friday, September 13 and popcorn will begin on October 4th.
We are also in need of volunteer poppers at both campuses! Upper campus popping begins at 8:00 AM and takes approximately two hours to complete. The lower campus begins at 8:30 AM and takes approximately three hours to finish (more students = more popcorn to pop!). Depending on the number of volunteers, you will be assigned to approximately one popcorn session a month. Thanks so much for your help! Questions? Contact coordinator Andrea Rugg at [email protected]. Sign up to volunteer HERE!
Lower Campus Scholastic Book Fair News - The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to the lower campus! We are so excited to start the year off with the Scholastic Book Fair to help support our lower campus library. Students in grades PreK - 5 will bring home Book Fair information for your review the week of September 3rd. Students will visit the Book Fair on either September 4th or 5th to compile their wish lists. Additional shopping opportunities include visiting the library during their regular library times the week of September 9th, before school, and during the day during recess or lunchtime with their teacher's permission. Parents may shop during the Open House on Thursday, September 12th, or during regular school hours. The Book Fair will close on Friday, September 13th at 11:30am. Please contact Mrs. Noon at [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering at the Book Fair.
Click HERE to reach the Scholastic Book Fair homepage to purchase an eWallet, or browse the digital flyer!
Online Book Fair and eWallet - The online Scholastic Book Fair runs from August 30th - September 12th. Please take a look at our Book Fair website HERE for some shopping ideas and to purchase the eWallet The eWallet gives students a secure, cash-free way to shop the Book Fair. There is no charge to set up an eWallet. You can simply create an account and authorize a spending limit on your credit card. There will be a record of the eWallets at the Book Fair in case your student does not have their eWallet in hand.
Lower Campus Altar Servers -- Hooray for all of our lower campus students who have signed up to be altar servers this year! We have a wonderful group so far and hope to add a few more young men! If your son is in grades 4 and 5 and has completed his Confirmation, he is welcome to sign up as a school altar server. Members of any Catholic parish are welcome to participate. Students must be able to sit still on the altar, remember and carry out instructions while standing in front of the whole school, and, most importantly, understand the sacred responsibility of serving at God's altar. There will be training during the school day. Questions? Contact Marta Nissen at [email protected]. Spaces are limited. Please use the Sign-Up Genius HERE. Note: Upper campus altar servers will sign up in Theology class once school has begun.
Girls Soccer Coach Needed - We are in need of a soccer coach for our girls’ team this fall! Coaches and teams get underway with tryouts starting on Tuesday, August 27. Soccer and tryout and practice schedules have some flexibility to help accommodate schedules of potential/interested coaches. This position does not have any weekend or late evening commitments. The girls soccer position is a paid stipend position where previous experience is preferred, but not required. Anybody who is interested or who wants to learn more, can send Athletic Director Ryan Farris an email at [email protected] for more information.
Lower Campus Cross Country Sign Ups - Calling all runners! Sign ups are still open for students who will be in 2nd - 5th grade this fall by clicking HERE. Please fill out one form for each child in your family. Click HERE for more details along with the practice and meet schedule. For questions, please contact Coach Beauregard ([email protected]).
Parent Volunteers
Volunteering at Saint Chris - Are you planning on volunteering at Saint Chris this coming school year? Get a jump on things by completing the Safe Environment Training now! All volunteers are required to complete the training prior to ANY volunteer opportunities, including Hot Lunch, field trips, class projects and activities, etc. To complete the training, please see the Diocesan information HERE. Questions about the process at the lower campus can be directed to Jackie Langenfeld at [email protected] and questions about the upper campus can be sent to Sue Coker at [email protected].
New Volunteer Opportunities - While we will have a wide variety of volunteer opportunities available on both campuses this year, we do have a few additional requests from our students!! In particular, we are looking for parents to coordinate:
- Coding Club (either/both campuses)
- 3D Printing Club (either/both campuses)
- Science Club (either/both campuses)
- Math Club (either/both campuses)
- Jr. Great Books (lower campus)
If you have an interest in any of these areas, please reach out to Marta Nissen at [email protected] to discuss!
UPDATED! Hot Lunch Volunteering - We are still in need of many, many more Hot Lunch volunteers! We need a minimum of two volunteers daily at each campus.. Everyone is welcome to volunteer…we’ve had parents, alumni parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Hot Lunch is a great way to get to know other parents, to see what’s going on at the Academy, and to see your children and their friends. Volunteers serve lunch approximately one day a month on the day of the week of your choice (although those who want to help out several days a month are always welcome!). Volunteer hours are approximately from 11:15 AM to 1:15 PM at the lower campus and 10:15 AM to 12:30 PM at the upper campus.
To volunteer at the lower campus, use the Sign-Up Genius HERE. To volunteer at the upper campus click HERE. Be sure to click through the tabs at the top of each Sign-Up Genius to view the teams and dates available for each day of the week!
CHRIS PARISH NEWS
St. Christopher Parish Sacrament Preparation Begins Soon
GRADE 2 Students - RECONCILIATION
RECONCILIATION class for this Fall 2024 begins September 29. Baptized students in Grade 2 and up who are seeking reconciliation should register for this class. Students and a parent attend 7 to 8 Sunday evening classes to prepare for this wonderful healing sacrament. We will learn about God’s love for all of us, His forgiveness when we go astray, the Ten Commandments and more. Online registration and payment can be found on the parish website under the Faith Formation tab. Students must also be registered for either our Family Faith program or enrolled at a Catholic school for their ongoing faith formation. Visit stchrisparishnh.org for registration information. Questions? Email: [email protected]
GRADE 3 Students- CONFIRMATION/EUCHARIST
Students in grade 3 who received their Reconciliation last Fall may register for this CONFIRMATION class. This class meets on 7 to 8 Sunday mornings. Families attend the 10 AM Mass and then proceed downstairs for class from 11:15 AM-12:15 PM. Students and a parent participate together as students learn and prepare to receive both Confirmation and Eucharist in Spring 2025. Students registering for this class also register for First Eucharist, which runs from January to May 2025. Students must also be registered for either our Family Faith program or enrolled at a Catholic school. Sacrament prep registration can be done conveniently online from our website stchrisparishnh.org Questions? Email [email protected]
Saint Christophers' Community BBQ - All families are invited to attend the 2nd Annual St. Christopher Parish Community BBQ on September 8 from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (following the 10:00 AM mass). Come share food, fellowship and some fun at Saint Christopher’s Catholic Church! In addition to delicious food (Hamburgers! Hotdogs! Egg Rolls!), cornhole, and a 3-legged race or two, we have added spin art and a 50/50 raffle this year! All are invited to join the fun by RSVPing HERE. To make this event the best possible one ever, we need volunteers to support the different aspects of this community celebration. A link to the volunteer page is included at the bottom of the RSVP form!
COMMUNITY NEWS
Happy Hearts Day Care - Happy Hearts Day Care, located at 12 Cushing Ave, will have three openings in the fall, for before and after care. The hours are 6:30 to 8:30 AM and 3:00 to 5:30 PM. We accommodate on snow days, two hour delays, 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 Linda at 603-321-9320.