THANK YOU!
Thank you to all of the fantabulous parents and grandparents who stepped up at the last minute to volunteer for Hot Lunch on both campuses! We truly could not put this program on without their help!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
NEW! Progress Reports - Progress Reports for all students will be emailed to parent THIS Friday, September 27.
NEW! Applications for 2025-2026 - Do you know a family who would like to join the Saint Chris community next year? We will begin accepting applications for new students for the 2025-2026 school year on Tuesday, October 1. New families should start the process HERE. Note: Re-enrollment for current students will take place starting on November 1, 2024, but we will be accepting new students for open seats next year based on current enrollment numbers.
NEW! Planning on Kindergarten or PreK for Your Little One at Home Next Year? - If you have a younger child who you would like to attend Saint Christopher next fall, please know that applications open Tuesday, October 1st for next year. With current PreK and kindergarten enrollment currently at capacity and high interest in both grades from new families for next year, we encourage you to submit your application on October 1st. 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! Forgotten Lunch at the Lower Campus - Hot Lunch service is underway! Because all of our food is pre-ordered through Boonli.com, there are no extra hot lunches available if a student forgets his or her lunch. Instead, a student will be given our standard “forgotten lunch” which consists of a bagel and cream cheese and a fruit cup. Parents will be notified of the forgotten lunch and a $3.50 charge will be added to the family’s Boonli account.
NEW! Hot Lunch Ordering for November- Hard to believe, but online ordering for November’s Hot Lunch through Boonli.com begins on Tuesday, October 1! 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.
School Financial Report - An important part of our Parent Information Nights last week was the financial update given by School Board Finance Chair Tom Nardone. For those who were unable to attend the meeting, we have posted the information on the school website HERE. Please feel free to send any questions to the School Board by using the contact form HERE.
iReady Testing - iReady testing has begun on both campuses and will run through September 27. Lower campus students will test in their homerooms, while upper campus students will test in their computer classes. Please be sure that your student is well-rested and has had breakfast every day so they can do their best!
Calendar Information
THIS WEEK! No After Care - Please remember that there will be NO After Care on either campus THIS Friday, September 27 as our faculty and staff will be attending a social event in Boston!
Miscellaneous Important Details
UPDATED! Calendar Raffle Fundraiser – We are getting soooooooo close! Our current total is 3,484 tickets sold…79% of our 4,400 ticket goal!
Sales Incentives - Here’s our student seller incentives for this year:
- NEW! All School Goal Challenge – Our school-wide challenge is on! If we meet our 4,440 goal, Friday, October 11 will be an all-school Spirit Day!
- Random Surprise Prizes – We’ll be picking random submitted tickets on random days…and the student seller for each of those random tickets wins a free dress pass. There’s no special schedule…it’s a surprise!
- Classroom contests –
- Top Selling Class on each campus wins an ice cream party!
- Second place class on each campus wins a morning donut party (with coffee for the teacher!).
- Top Sellers - The three top sellers across the Academy win a Target gift card! (1st place - $25, 2nd place - $20, 3rd place - $15)
UPDATED! O’Connor Studios School Portrait Day - School Portrait Day for both the upper and lower campuses is on Wednesday, October 2. (Retake Day will be on Wednesday, November 20.) Please see the important email sent to parents last week regarding Portrait Day HERE.
The paper order form envelopes are going home with students tomorrow, so check those backpacks on Thursday! If you use the paper order form instead of online ordering, please send the form in, along with payment, ON Portrait Day. Your student will hand it to the photographer.
*Note: Family Plan Discount. First two children pay full price, all other children pay half price. To apply this discount, you must use the paper order forms that are going home with your students. Follow instructions on the bottom of the forms.
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:
- October 9 - All School Mass - We are happy to be planning our first-ever all school mass to be held at the upper campus on October 9th at 9:45 AM! Lower campus students will walk to the upper campus and join upper campus students for mass in the gym. Since October is the month of Mary, 5th grade students will lead our walk through the neighborhood with our beautiful Marian processional signs. Classes will walk and sit with their buddies. Parents are welcome to attend the mass and should meet at the upper campus. Permission slips are required for all students and were sent home last week. If a parent chooses not to have a student participate, that student will need to stay home until we arrive back at the lower campus after mass at approximately 11:00 AM.
- October 24 - Upper campus (Rain date for all school mass)
- November 1 - All Souls Day Mass - 9:45 AM on BOTH campuses
Student Programs and Activities
NEW! Mindful Movement Club for Kindergarten to Grade 2 - Students in grades Kindergarten to 2 are invited to join us for a new Mindful Movement Club where kids will learn the power of their breath, thoughts, and of course, movement! We will read stories and play group games that focus on important social and emotional learning concepts to help kids thrive. And of course, we will dance, stretch, and get our wiggles out! The first session of the club will take place for six Thursday afternoons starting October 10 and running through November 14. The club will start at 3:00 PM and parents should plan on picking up their child in the school lobby at 4:00 PM. Students should bring a small snack and a water. Class size for this session is limited to 12 students. This class is offered at no charge. Please sign your child up by October 2nd HERE. If the signup is full, please use the waitlist and your child will be first on the list for the next session!
NEW! MathCounts Program for Grades 6 to 8 - Students in grades 6 to 8 are invited to join our new after school MathCounts program! MathCounts is a national math enrichment program and competition series focused on engaging the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of middle school students. Students will gather both in-person and over Zoom with their upper campus peers and coaches to practice math skills and prepare for individual and team competitions later in the year.
Meetings will take place in person at the upper campus on Friday from 2:45 to 3:45 PM. An additional meeting will take place on Zoom on Monday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 PM unless an additional volunteer is available to meet live with the students at another time.
Cost for the MathCounts program is $40, which will be billed through FACTS Incidental Billing. The group will hold its first meeting on Friday, October 11. Sign up HERE!
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]).
Chess, Checkers & Cribbage Club! We are happy to announce that our Chess, Checkers & Cribbage Club is back at both campuses, thanks to parent volunteer Tom Nardone! This program offers a safe, low stress environment for students to learn and enjoy the games, while engaging in a social activity that is fun for all. Students play with classmates and learn at their own pace. There is no charge for this club, however parents are asked to sign interested students up using the SignUp Genius HERE. This will allow us to share schedules and other communications as the year progresses.
*We need a few parent volunteers at each campus to assist Mr. Nardone. While some knowledge of chess, checkers or cribbage is helpful, it isn’t necessary! Please contact Carol Fiore at [email protected] if you can help!
Lower Campus: The club will meet on Monday mornings at 7:30 AM. Students should enter through the Before Care entrance and check in with the teacher on duty before proceeding to Mrs. Hickey’s class for the club. The next chess/checkers-focused meeting will be Monday, October 7th.
Some students are particularly excited to learn the game of cribbage in addition to chess. Parent volunteer and pre-k aide Amanda Morrell has volunteered to teach this fun math-oriented game at the lower campus. Therefore, we will be alternating chess and checkers with cribbage. The first cribbage-focused meeting will be Monday, September 30.
Upper Campus: We are thrilled to also offer chess and checkers at the upper campus! The club will meet on Monday morning every other week at 7:00 AM in the music room. Students should enter school through the cafeteria doors. The first meeting will be Monday, September 30.
NEXT WEEK! Kid Trivia Night - Does your child have random information taking up space in his or her head? Students in grades 5-8 are invited to come show us what they know at SCA's very first Kid's Trivia Night of the year next Friday, October 4 from 6:30-8:00 pm in the lower campus church hall. The cost is FREE. Students bring their own snacks and water…Miss Nott and Mrs. Lowry will provide the questions and prizes!
Music Groups and Activities - LC Chorus sign ups are now closed. Performance Choir is excited to welcome its new members and can still accept a few newcomers! If interested please email Mr. Quigley. All other group sign ups are still open. We will be lowering the cost of LC Band to encourage more students to enroll! See the email sent out on 9/16 from Mr. Quigley for more details.
Upper Campus Faithful Fridays - Come adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament before school begins on Fridays from 7:00 - 7:30 AM at the Upper Campus Chapel! Parents, teachers and students are welcome to join our Campus Minister, Miss Abbey Thompson, and Mrs. Lester for Faithful Fridays. Stop by and join us as you are able for a moment of prayer. This is a great opportunity to spend quiet time with Jesus as you begin your day and end your week!
Parent Volunteers
NEXT WEEK! Auction Committee Meeting - It’s time to start planning for the event of the year! Our 21st Annual Saint Christopher Academy Auction will take place on Saturday, March 22 at the Event Center in Nashua. Those who attended last year can attest…this is an amazing evening in support of the school and its students… full of live and silent auctions, raffles, delicious dinner, and more! The Auction Committee has a GREAT time putting the event together and we’d love to have any and all parents join us! The first meeting of the Auction Committee will be NEXT Wednesday, October 2nd at 7:00 PM at the upper campus. Please email Auction Chair Jamie Gregoire at [email protected] more information…or just come to the meeting!
NEW! Parent Group Meeting - We will be holding our first Parent Group meeting on Thursday, October 10 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, Teacher Appreciation Lunch, and the year-end BBQ. All parents are members of the Parent Group….please join us! Parents interested in getting on the Parent Group email list should sign up HERE.
Ski Club Volunteers - Winter will be here before we know it…and that means it will be time for Ski Club! Our Ski Club is open to all students and takes place for six weeks starting in January at Crotched Mountain. Grades PreK to 2 must be transported to the mountain and accompanied by parents while there. Grades 3 to 8 have the option to ride a bus between school and Crotched. This year, we are in need of several volunteers to make this program a success for the over 100 students who participate! If you are interested, please contact Mrs. Clarke at [email protected]!
NEW! Hot Lunch Volunteer Schedule - Thank you to our fabulous Hot Lunch volunteers! The schedule for the next week is:
Thursday, September 26
LC: Crystal Romero, Melissa Richardson
UC: Nadra Bell, Lori Gordon
Friday, September 27
LC: Natalie Boldeia, Jenna Richardson, Amand DeWitt
UC: Nadra Bell
Monday, September 30
LC: Rugi Mercier, Renee Gabree
UC: Rocio Spencer, Ann Marie Pellechia
Tuesday, October 1
LC: Dorene Krauss, Melanie Marcu
UC: Luci Foppa, Nadra Bell
Wednesday, October 2
LC: Melanie Marcu, Parissa Khayami, Mark Presenti
UC: Cindi Rice Conley, Ami Algeo
Cheer Coach - Goooooo Saint Chris! Our cheer squads raise the spirit at our CYO basketball games throughout the winter season. We are looking to have TWO squads this year, one for grades 3-5 and one for grades 6-8. Coaches would begin meeting with students once or twice a week in October and continue through the season until approximately late-February. For more information, please contact Mrs. Clarke at [email protected].
Popcorn Poppers - While popcorn popping always takes place on Friday morning on both campuses, the schedule is flexible (ex: sign up to be a sub/sign up for certain Fridays/pick a popping partner, etc.) Grandparents/Aunts/Uncles, etc. are also welcome to pop. Any questions, please reach out to coordinator Andrea Rugg at [email protected]. Sign up to volunteer HERE!
Catholic Community News
St. John Neumann Parish Faith Formation News:
First Reconciliation will begin Thursday, October 3 at 6:30pm for a parent meeting to get materials and get started.
Confirmation & First Communion will begin on Thursday, November 7 at 6:30pm for a parent meeting to get materials and get started (our celebration date is TBD but we expect spring).
St. Aloysius of Gonzaga Latin Night - St. Aloysius of Gonzaga Parish invites you to join us at our Latin Night on September 28th from 5 PM to 8 PM in the church parking lot (48 West Hollis Street, Nashua). This vibrant event celebrates the rich variety of the many Latin American nations represented in the parish via food and music.
COMMUNITY NEWS
NEW! Bishop Guertin SHE BELIEVES Soccer Night - Mark your calendars for a very special soccer night with the Bishop Guertin Girls Varsity soccer team. The team is excited to invite our local elementary and middle school soccer players to their home game on October 8th where they will be walking out with the players to start the game and take a photo in this special theme night of, SHE BELIEVES. Please see the flyer below for more information. If you have any questions please email Jessica Hickey at [email protected].
Happy Hearts Day Care - Happy Hearts Day Care, located across the street from the lower campus at 12 Cushing Ave, has one opening 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.
THIS WEEK! YouthWell NH "Beyond the Screen" Events: The first event of YouthWell NH's "Beyond the Screen" series for parents takes place THIS Thursday, September 26 at Nashua North High School at 6:30 PM. This session will focus on elementary students and the mental health effect of screens, social media, and smart phones. All are welcome to attend this important presentation and discussion about critical influences on youth mental health!
