IMPORTANT INFORMATION
NEW! Congratulations! Congratulations to our lower campus cross country team for bringing home the city championship in BOTH the boys and girls 3k divisions this past weekend!! It’s been 9 years since the girls won the crown and 21 years for the boys, but they were all champions on Saturday!
Special congratulations to Alexa for her first place win in the girls division and to the five girls and the eight boys who placed in the top 25 in their race!
NEW! More Congratulations! The upper campus cross country team competed in the Division 3 East Tri County championship at Nashua South on Saturday. Zoe Coler won the race for the girls and Angelina Rodriguez came in 3rd. The boys team came in 2nd. Top finishers were Ashton Gregoire in 4th, Connor Ricker in 6th and Liam Troy in 10th.
Way to go Wildcats! We are SO proud of all of you!
NEW! School Board News - Parents received an email yesterday welcoming Hanna Sullivan, Catherine, Collard, and Dr. Michael Vacca as new members of our School Board. To view that email online, please click HERE. Bios of each of the new members are also available on the School Board page of the school website HERE.
NEW! October Meeting Minutes - Minutes from the October School Board meeting have also been posted on the Board page. Please click HERE to review. Note: Minutes from previous meetings from the past year can be found in the right sidebar of the School Board page.
Calendar Raffle Winners - Looking for a list of daily winners? We have a running post HERE on the school website and a pinned list of winners HERE on Facebook!
NEW! Student Dismissal Notifications - Please remember that when your child is going to be dismissed during the school day from the lower campus, you must notify your child’s teacher and/or the front desk first thing in the morning. Notification may be done via email to the teacher or [email protected], through a note to the teacher, or by a phone call to the front desk at 603-882-7442, ext. 500. This notification allows the teacher to have the student ready at the correct time without disrupting the class. Thank you for your cooperation!
NEW! Lower Campus Front Drop-off Reminders - Please help us keep our students safe and our traffic pattern moving smoothly by following all protocols for the morning drop-off in front of the lower campus building! We have had several close calls, with cars and students narrowly being missed by oncoming traffic. Please note:
- Drop off is on the school side of the street ONLY. Do not pull up to the other side of the street and escort your student/s across the street. Local traffic is often not particularly aware that students are crossing the street and crossing students are easy to miss!
- Pull up as far as possible towards the end of the school building when you drop off in order to make room for others behind you to also drop their students off.
- Do NOT get out of your car in the drop off line for any reason. If your student needs additional time or your assistance in getting out of the car, please park in the upper parish parking lot by the church. You may exit your car there and walk your student down to the back entrance of the school.
- Once your child has exited your car, please follow the car in front of you and pull away as soon as you are clear. We have a teacher stationed in the front of the school every day to be sure that students enter the school safely, so it is not necessary to watch children go up the walkway.
- Please do not pull out around another car when your child has exited and please check oncoming traffic before you pull away from the school. Local street traffic has the right of way at all times.
NEW! Copier Donation? Sadly, we are noticing that our downstairs black and white copier is nearing its end of life in the next few months. This copier was donated several years back by a company who was replacing it with a new one….and we are hoping that another company might find themselves in the same position this year! If your business might have a copier available, please email Mrs. Clarke at [email protected]. Thank you!
NEXT WEEK! Winter Uniform begins November 1 - Friday, November 1st, marks the beginning of our winter uniform season on both campuses! Please be sure that students are dressed appropriately and all uniform pieces have been purchased from Red Brick Clothing. Thank you for your cooperation in making the following changes….
Lower Campus:
- Boys must now wear navy blue uniform pants. Shorts may be worn again on April 1.
- All students must wear navy uniform sweatpants over their shorts for gym class.
Upper Campus:
- Boys must now wear khaki uniform pants. Shorts may be worn again on April 1.
- Girls must now wear either khaki uniform pants or plaid skorts. Shorts may be worn again on April 1. Note that skorts can be no more than 3” above the student’s knee.
- All students must wear the blue long sleeved oxford shirt with the SCA logo. Short sleeve polo shirts may be worn again starting April 1.
- All students must wear uniform sweatpants over their shorts on gym days.
THIS WEEK! 1st Quarter Grades - 1st quarter grades on both campuses will close Friday, October 25. Report cards will be issued Friday, November 1st.
Lower Campus Parent-Teacher Conferences - Parent-teacher conferences at the lower campus are scheduled for Thursday, November 21 from 12:45 - 8:00 PM. Conference sign-up's were done in most classrooms on Parent Information Night in September. If not, you will hear from your teacher shortly. At least one parent/guardian must meet with each child's homeroom teacher at the lower campus at this time.
Upper Campus Parent-Teacher Conferences - Upper campus parent-teacher conferences will take place on Thursday, November 21, from 12:20 - 7:40 PM, in the upper campus gym. All meetings will be 10 minutes in length and MUST be pre-scheduled using the Sign-Up Genius HERE (click the tabs across the top to view each teacher’s conference schedule as well as a waitlist for teachers whose conferences are full.) Parents are encouraged to review their student's schedule and prioritize meeting with teachers whose class is challenging a student most. Parents are not required to attend or to speak with all of a student's teachers.
Student Absence Notifications - Please remember that when your child is going to be absent from either campus, you must notify the school office first thing in the morning by emailing [email protected] or [email protected]. Please include the reason for your child’s absence, particularly if he or she is not well. Our school nurses need to be aware of all illnesses affecting students in the school. Thank you!
THIS FRIDAY! Parent Alert System – We will be doing a test run of our Parent Alert system for both campuses THIS Friday, October 25 at 9:00 AM. We use Parent Alert for sending out mass communications, including text messages, robocalls and emails, to notify you of weather-related school closings and any emergency information we might need to get to parents in a timely manner. By providing your consent, you are enrolling in Saint Christopher Academy's Parent Alert system. You may opt out of text messages by texting STOP to 31706 at any time. Please note that message and data rates may apply and subscription to the alerts is not required by the school. Please review the FACTS Parent Alert Privacy Policy HERE. Any text alerts from our school will begin with “Parent-Alert: SCA-NH” and calls will show from “603-882-7442”.
On the 25th, we will send out a test message to all parents using all forms of communication. Therefore, you should expect to receive several versions of this test message, both through your phone and email. If you do NOT receive the messages, please contact Marta at [email protected].
Note: Per Telephone Consumer Protection Act we have to provide all recipients the option to Opt Out of receiving our text alerts. Anytime we send out a text alert you will see “Stop to End”. If you reply “Stop” you will no longer receive ANY text alerts from Saint Chris.
Education Tax Credit Scholar Highlights - Children’s Scholarship Fund NH (CSFNH) would love to hear from you! CSFNH enjoys seeing pictures of ETC Scholars and their families, as well as listening to their stories. Please send pictures and/or short write-ups about ETC Scholars to [email protected]. The ETC Scholar's story and Saint Chris may even be featured in one of CSFNH’s publications or social media platforms!
Applications for 2025-2026 - Do you know a family who would like to join the Saint Chris community next year? Applications for new students for the 2025-2026 school year are now OPEN. 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.
NOW OPEN! Planning on PreK, Kindergarten or 1st Grade for Your Little One at Home Next Year? - Applications for new students for the 2025-2026 school year are now OPEN! If you have a child at home who will be joining us for the first time next fall, we highly recommend that you apply immediately so that we may reserve his or her space. With PreK and kindergarten enrollment currently at capacity and high interest from new families in both grades, as well as 1st grade, we encourage you to submit your application right away. 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.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
THIS FRIDAY! Early Release Reminder - THIS Friday, October 25, is an early release day so that teachers may attend professional development. Upper campus students will be released at 11:30 AM and lower campus students will be released at 12:00 PM. There will be NO After Care on either campus. Note: PreK students are released at 11:40 AM and Kindergarten students are released at 11:50 AM.
NEXT WEEK! Orange/Black/White Free Dress - Thursday, October 31 will be a booooo-tiful day on both campuses as our kids dress in their favorite orange, black, and white Free Dress outfits! Please keep our Free Dress rules in mind when picking out an outfit. Those rules can be found in our online Parent-Student Handbook HERE for the lower campus and HERE for the upper campus.
NEW! Upper Campus (Tri-County) Basketball Signups – We are starting the process of signups for our upper campus basketball teams. The upper campus offers four basketball teams each winter including varsity and JV teams for both boys and girls. For those interested in trying out for the team (grades 6-8), please click here to sign up for upper campus basketball.
NEW! Upper Campus (Tri-County) Basketball Informational Meetings – Basketball season is right around the corner here at Saint Chris! We will be offering two separate mandatory informational meetings that will be basketball specific. These meetings will cover schedules for both practices and games, travel information, playing time, expectations, and more. These meetings should not be any more than 30 minutes. Meeting dates are Tuesday, October 29, and Wednesday, November 6. Both meetings will begin at 6 PM in the gym.
NEW! Now Hiring! Boys JV Basketball Coach Needed – Are you interested in coaching basketball here at the upper campus? We are looking to hire a boys JV basketball coach for the upcoming Tri-County season. This team is focused on building a fundamental base, and preparing students for higher levels of middle school basketball. The team will practice 3-4x per week, typically in the early evenings, and on Saturday mornings. Previous coaching experience is strongly preferred. This position is a paid stipend position. For those interested, please contact Ryan Farris at [email protected] for more information.
Veterans Day Commemorations - Both the upper and lower campuses are looking forward to their annual Veterans Day Commemorations on Friday, November 8. The upper campus ceremony will take place at 9:45 AM and the lower campus will take place at 1:45 PM. We would especially like to honor and thank all veterans who are members of our Saint Chris community as part of these programs. Veterans who can attend are asked to please RSVP HERE by Monday, November 4.
UPDATED! Father-Daughter Dance - Dads (or grandads, uncles, and other father figures) and their daughters are cordially invited to attend the Father-Daughter Dance on Saturday, November 16 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM in the upper campus gym! This event is open to all families from Prek to grade 8 and tickets are $15 per family. Please RSVP by Tuesday, November 12 HERE!
Since it is a dress-up evening, our students should keep in mind these guidelines: Dress, skirt and blouse, dress pants and top, or full jumpsuit (no strapless dresses or tops.) may be worn. If the straps on the dress or top are less than 2 inches wide, a sweater or shrug should be worn over it. Skirts and dresses should be no more than 3 inches above the kneecap and should not be tight-fitting. Shoes or sandals must be worn. No flip flops.
NEW! Desserts and Volunteers Needed - Help us make the Father-Daughter Dance a night to remember! We are in need of desserts and packaged snacks, as well as a set-up and clean-up crew. Please see the SignUp Genius HERE!
NEW! Write at the Museum - Calling all budding writers! ✍The Nashua Historical Society will be hosting an upcoming event on Saturday, Nov. 2 called Writing at the Museum. Students (and adults!) are invited to work on their current writing project surrounded by history at the Nashua Historical Society!. Whether staying for the day or stopping in for a paragraph, enjoy the historic ambiance with your current writing project. Mrs. Lester will be at the event from noon to 3PM and invite students of all ages to join her! For more information, click HERE!
Upcoming School Masses - All parents are invited to attend our school masses! Parents must enter through the front door of each campus facility, sign in, and receive a nametag to attend. All upper campus masses are at 9:45 AM and lower campus masses will be at 1:45 PM unless otherwise noted. The schedule for the next month is:
- October 24 - Upper campus
- November 1 - All Saints Day Mass - 9:45 AM on BOTH campuses
- November 7 - Lower campus
- November 13 - Upper campus
- November 18 - Lower campus
Student Programs and Activities
UPDATED! Upper Campus Fall Dance - All upper campus students are invited to attend the Fall Dance on Friday, November 1 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM in the upper campus cafeteria. Tickets are $5 and will only be sold in advance at lunch through October 25. No tickets will be sold at the door. The dress for this dance will be casual. Questions about the dance can be directed to Katie Osborn at [email protected].
PAL Cross Country – Nashua PAL Gate City Striders (GCS) is a Junior Olympic National Champion team (USATF), recognized for being one of the largest youth running programs. Registration is open for the season which begins the week of October 28th. Runners will be on teams by gender and two year age groups, with a goal of making it back to the National Championship in Indiana in December. Sign up HERE!
NEXT WEEK! Praying for All Souls - Ms. Thompson would like to invite all upper campus students to join together in praying for all souls in Purgatory during an evening event on All Souls’ Day, November 2nd. Students will gather for an evening of camaraderie (and pizza!), learn about Purgatory and the history of All Souls’ Day, and then participate in a candlelit procession to Edgewood Cemetery to pray for all those who are buried there. For more information, please contact Ms. Thompson at [email protected].
Christmas Card Contest for 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 outside the offices at upper campus to make sure you meet all size requirements. All entries due by Oct. 31st.
Lower Campus Library News - Mrs. Noon has lots of great information to share!
Birthday Books - It's Birthday Book time for lower campus! If your student's birthday falls between September - December they received a birthday book flyer this week. Students whose birthdays are after January will receive their flyer in January. It is a great way to commemorate your child's birthday, and the book they choose will be shared with others for many years to come! Books typically cost between $14-$21 and are typically library bound. If you have more than one student, please consider ordering books for all of them at once even if they haven't received their flyer yet. Feel free to have your student order a book anytime. You can find more information HERE. If you have any questions please email Mrs. Noon at [email protected].
Destiny Online Catalog - Students in Grades 2-5 have all been assigned a password and username to fully utilize the online catalog. Students' usernames and passwords do not change from year to year. Once they are assigned a username and password it will stay with them through 5th grade. This week, students will receive a label with their username and password which will be adhered to the inside of their planner for your convenience. Upon logging in, students can look up the books they have checked out, they can put books on hold, and browse the online catalog from the comfort of their home! You may access our online catalog 24/7. Please visit Mrs. Noon's class page to access the online catalog as well as under the Student Life tab on the lower campus home page. Please feel free to email Mrs. Noon at [email protected] if you are having trouble logging in.
Self Check-In and Self Check-Out - Independent check-in and check-out in the library for students in Grades 1-5 has begun. Students are now checking in and checking out their own library books. Students love being part of the library process, and it also fosters their independence in the library.
Happy Reading!
UPDATED! Ski Club - Registration for this year’s Ski Club is now underway! The Saint Chris Ski Club is a fun opportunity to learn how to ski or snowboard through Crotched Mountain. It is a 6 week program beginning Friday, January 10th. Students depart school about 2:45 pm to arrive at the mountain for a 4:00 pm lesson. Lessons run an hour long after which students are welcome to enjoy dinner in the lodge and ski the rest of the evening. Buses depart, heading back to school, at 8:00 pm sharp. For more information, please email Mrs. Beauregard at [email protected].
$408 is the cost for lift tickets, lessons, and rentals for all 6 weeks. There are also a la cart options for lift, rentals and lessons so you can get only what you need. There will be a separate charge for the bus which will be posted once we get a final head count. NOTE: Only students in grades 3-8 are permitted to ride the bus. Our younger students are welcome to join Ski Club but must be accompanied by a parent and will need to have transportation to and from the mountain.
IMPORTANT: All students must be registered for Ski Club using the form HERE by December 1st!
UC Campus Ministry Volunteer Activity - Upper campus students are invited to assist PLUS Company bowling athletes in the Special Olympics at Leda Lanes every Wednesday in October! Volunteers will help athletes at Leda Lanes from 4:00 - 5:15 PM. Please contact Ms. Thompson at [email protected] for more information!
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! The Chess, Checkers, and Cribbage Clubs on both campuses are off to a great start! New members are ALWAYS welcome. To view the schedule for upcoming meetings, please click HERE!
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
Parent Group - Many thanks to those parents who attended last week’s first Parent Group meeting of the year! The group is currently working on plans for the upcoming Father-Daughter Dance (grades PK to 8) on November 16, a Mother-Son Event in mid-winter, Family Bingo this spring, and monthly Teacher Appreciation treats on both campuses. It’s not too late to get involved! The Parent Group’s next meeting will be Monday, November 4th at the upper campus. Please join us!
NEW! Hot Lunch Volunteer Schedule - Thank you to our fabulous Hot Lunch volunteers! The schedule for the next week is:
Thursday, October 24
LC: Crystal Romero, Melissa Richardson
UC: Nadra Bell, Lori Gordon
Friday, October 25
LC: Early Release - No Lunch
UC: Early Release - No Lunch
Monday, October 28
LC: Rugi Mercier, Renee Gabree
UC: Rocio Spencer, Ann Marie Pellechia
Tuesday, October 29
LC: Dorene Krauss, Melanie Marcu
UC: Nadra Bell, Luci Foppa
Wednesday, October 30
LC: Melanie Marcu, Parissa Khayami
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].
NEW! Popcorn - Thank you to this week’s popcorn poppers:
Lower Campus: Early Release - No Popcorn
Upper Campus: Early Release - No Popcorn
ST. CHRISTOPHER PARISH NEWS
St. Christopher’s Moms & Minis – Meet with other moms for hot coffee, light treats and conversation in the church hall. Our minis get to play while we chat and grow in faith and fellowship! We meet every 1st and 3rd Wednesday at 9 - 10:30 AM during the school year, with play dates throughout the summer. For additional information call or text Alex Sullivan at 603-479-4554.
CATHOLIC SCHOOL NEWS
THIS WEEK! Bishop Guertin Boo Bash - National Honor Society students at Bishop Guertin invite students and their families to attend their annual Boo Bash THIS Sunday, October 27. See the flyer below for more information!
Trinity Open House - 8th grade students and their families are invited to join Trinity High School in Manchester for their Open House for 8th graders and transfer students on Thursday, October 24, at 7:00 PM. During the Open House, you will have a chance to meet administrators, faculty, students, visit classrooms, learn about the curriculum and meet members of the club advisors and athletics. Please email our Admissions Office with any questions- [email protected] or call 603.668.2910 ext. 220.
THIS WEEK! Bishop Guertin Open House: Bishop Guertin High School will hold one remaining Open House for prospective students and their families THIS Thursday, October 24 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.
CATHOLIC PARISH NEWS
NEW! Our Lady of Mercy Confirmation and First Communion Meeting - Our Lady of Mercy will hold a parent meeting for Confirmation & First Communion prep on Thursday, November 7 at 6:30pm in the church. Students should be in third grade and in their second (or more) year of Faith Formation through the parish or Catholic school. Contact Katie Corsetti at [email protected] with any questions.
COMMUNITY NEWS
NEW! Care-E-Oke! Get ready for an unforgettable night of fun and local talent at Care-E-Oke, hosted at the beautiful and state of the art Nashua Center for the Arts! Support the United Way of Greater Nashua and 22 other amazing local nonprofits by joining us for Care-E-Oke on Friday, November 15th from 7-10pm. Enjoy incredible performances by hometown stars, from soulful solos to high-energy group numbers, all in a family-friendly atmosphere. This is the perfect chance to support your community and have a blast without breaking the bank. Whether you're there to cheer for your favorite singers or just enjoy an impressive show, Care-E-Oke promises a night of fun you won't want to miss! Tickets can be purchased here: https://tinyurl.com/Care-E-Oke24Tickets. The purchase of a ticket gets the purchaser a discount for service at Best Ford Nashua and entry into a raffle for a fully electric Segway Scooter!
NH Knights of Columbus 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 6-12 grade students in NH. The NH Knights of Columbus will make up to six cash awards of $100. Applicants do not have to be a member of the Knights or a Catholic.
The theme for this year’s contest is: “What does the Catechism say about our cooperation with evil (para # 2271,1868,1869) and how does this correct Catholics who have given scandal by supporting abortion and infanticide?”
Essays should be no longer than 500 words, typed, and submitted as a PDF or Word document. It should be emailed to [email protected] by midnight on Sunday, Dec. 15.
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.