TOMORROW! No School Reminder - There will be NO SCHOOL TOMORROW, Thursday, March 20 so teachers can attend the required Diocesan professional development.
THIS WEEK! Free Dress! Many thanks to our Principal of the Day, Henry, for adding a second Free Dress Day for this week…Friday, March 21!
Tuition Deposit Date - As noted in the 2025-2026 re-enrollment/registration packet, a $250 tuition deposit per student will be automatically withdrawn from a family’s FACTS Tuition Management account on Tuesday, April 1st using the payment method selected during registration. This is a TUITION DEPOSIT and will be applied toward your family's tuition balance. Please note that this is not the same as the $200 returning student REGISTRATION FEE that was paid when you submitted your students re-enrollment packet. Questions about the tuition deposit, or any other financial concerns, should be directed to Shauna Hein at [email protected].
NEW! FACTS Fees - We have been informed by FACTS that in addition to withdrawing the $250 tuition deposit, FACTS will also be withdrawing their payment plan “Enrollment Fee” around April 1st. This FACTS fee is for the use of the FACTS payment system. Those parents who chose one payment or two semiannual payments will be charged $25 and those who chose 10 monthly payments will be charged $55. We apologize for the confusion caused by the similar fee name…we are working to have this changed for future years.
NEW! Spring Uniforms - April 1st marks the start of our Spring Uniform season! Please note the following changes from the winter uniforms:
Lower Campus:
- Boys may now wear the navy blue twill uniform shorts. Socks must be navy or plain white (no sports socks with logos).
- Both boys and girls may wear the navy blue uniform gym shorts on their gym day. Gym sweatpants do not need to be worn over the shorts.
Upper Campus:
- Boys and Girls may wear the khaki twill uniform shorts.
- Girls: Shorts can be no more than three inches above the knee. Socks must be navy or white knee socks.
- Boys: Shorts cannot be longer than one inch below the knee. Socks (navy or black) or white socks only that show above the sneaker or shoe must be worn. Socks can have small logos like the NIKE swoosh, but otherwise cannot have logos, stripes, or blocks. Socks must be worn at all times.
- Boys and Girls - Navy or red colored “golf/polo style” (long or short sleeve) shirt with Saint Christopher Academy logo may be worn.
- Boys and Girls - Navy blue uniform gym shorts may be worn on gym days.
- Boys and Girls on Mass Day - Students must wear their dress uniform on mass days. This includes the twill shirt for both boys and girls (with a tie for boys). Boys should wear their twill khaki uniform pants and girls may either wear their skorts or the twill khaki pants.
Please note: Spirit wear is not considered to be part of the school uniform. Therefore, students are welcome to wear these items on school or personal free dress days or on official Spirit Days.
NEW! Used Uniform Closets - Both the upper and lower campus used uniform closets have recently been straightened up and organized…and there is a great selection! The upper campus especially has lots of boys and girls shorts, perfect for the Spring uniform change on April 1st! Parents are welcome to check out the used uniform closets during the school day. Please check in with reception and receive a name tag before proceeding to the closet!
NEW! Q3 Grades and Report Cards - Grades for Quarter 3 close Friday, March 28. Report cards will be emailed to parents on Friday, April 4.
NEW! Lower Campus Forgotten Lunch Reminder - Please do not rely on our bagel and cream cheese “forgotten lunch” as a bagged lunch from home replacement. The forgotten lunch is ONLY for those students who get to school and discover that they are not on the Hot Lunch list for the day. All parents are expected to provide a bagged lunch from home for their child if he/she did not order Hot Lunch for the day. Parents will be billed $3.50 for the forgotten lunch through Boonli. Students who repeatedly ask for a forgotten lunch will be asked to call home and have a parent bring a lunch to school rather than receiving a forgotten lunch. Thanks for your help with this!
NEW! From the Children’s Scholarship Fund – Great news from CSF! The Education Freedom Account (EFA) application has been moved to a new portal, creating a smoother and quicker application process for all families. There will no longer be a lengthy, combined application for both ETC and EFA -- families will apply to EFA via a separate Family Portal!
- Families already receiving an EFA grant in 2024-25 will soon be invited to re-apply for 2025-26 with a new link.
- Families already receiving an Education Tax Credit (ETC) scholarship in 2024-25 will be invited to re-apply for 2025-26 in April via the existing family portal.
NEW! Anxiety in the Family Workshop from the Catholic Schools Office - Anxiety is at an all-time high crippling and affecting our youth and families. The Catholic Schools Office and the Office of Parish Faith Formation are offering a free workshop on April 5th with powerful and practical interventions to help our youth to overcome the cultural crisis in mental health. Please see the flyer HERE for more informatio. Free but please register by March 28th so we can be prepared with resources.
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 23
- Family BBQ at the upper campus (all current families and incoming 2025-2026 new families invited!)
Wednesday, June 4
- 8th Grade last day of school - 8th grade released at 11:30 AM (no bus for early release students)
- NO After Care
- 5:00 PM – 8th grade Baccalaureate Mass at St. Christopher Parish (graduate and two parents only)
- 6:30 PM - 8th grade Baccalaureate Dinner at the upper campus (graduate and two parents only)
Friday, June 6
- 7:00 PM - 8th grade Graduation at the upper campus
Monday, June 9
- Grade 5 last day of school - 5th grade released at noon (no bus service for Early Release students)
- NO After Care
- 5:30 PM - 5th grade Convocation at upper campus (students gather at lower campus at 4:40 PM)
Wednesday, June 11
- Early Release and final day of school for grades PreK to 4, 6 & 7
UPDATED! Lower Campus Spring Portraits - O’Connor Studio is returning to the lower campus on Wednesday, April 2 for Spring Portraits. This is for lower campus students only. It 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.
O'Connor Studios will send families an email message with a link for online ordering. Paper order envelopes will go home TODAY. If you are interested in having your student's spring portrait taken, you may place an order online or use the paper envelope. The paper envelope also includes a QR code for online ordering. Students placing an order using only the paper envelope (not online) should bring their completed paper 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!
Diocesan Scholarship - Established by Ella Sue and Salvatore La Cerva in 1993, the La Cerva Scholarship Fund enables a Catholic education for students entering grades 6-12. Scholarship awards may cover up to 75% (maximum) of a yearly Catholic school tuition in Diocesan and parochial schools in New Hampshire. Awards are based on demonstrated financial need, along with a set of criteria. For more information, click HERE.
Lenten Diaper Drive!
UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Lower Campus - Spring Into Action! Mrs. Beauregard is looking for pictures of what your child is doing this spring to keep active. Do they play a sport? Do they like to hike, go for walks, fly a kite, play at the playground? If interested in sharing, please send a picture of your child participating in their favorite activity to Mrs. Beauregard ([email protected]) and it will be printed and added to our PE board at the lower campus near the front desk.
Upper Campus Rosary Group - "'Woman, behold your son.' Then [Jesus] said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother." (John 19:26-27) After a wonderful first meeting, the upper campus Rosary group will continue meeting for tea, snacks, fellowship, and, of course, most importantly, to pray the Rosary! Our Lady loved Jesus more than anyone who ever lived, and the goal of this group is to come to know and love Him just like she did. The club is open to all and will meet in room 202 (previously the sixth grade wing) from 2:40pm until about 3:30pm each Friday. Come by and check it out!
NEW! Introducing Rosary Club for Elementary Students! – We are excited to introduce the Rosary Club for our elementary students! This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to grow in faith, deepen their devotion to Mary, and pray together in community. All students are welcome to join as we pray the rosary, reflect on its mysteries, and strengthen our connection to God through this beautiful tradition.
Our first meeting will be THIS Friday, March 21st at 3:15 PM. Students are to dismiss to the church hall. We will have a snack and proceed to the church to say the rosary. All students should be picked by a parent promptly at 4:00 PM in the church parking lot. After 4:00 PM, students can be picked up at After Care.
We look forward to seeing our students there! God Bless! Mrs. Clarke
UPDATED!! Saint Chris’s Kitchen - Saint Chris's Kitchen will be making Saint Patrick's Day treats NEXT Tuesday, March 25 from 2:45pm-3:45pm in the upper campus kitchen. Cost is $5 for supplies. See Mrs. Prud'homme for a permission slip.
Lower Campus Spring Sports - Registration - We had a great response from those interested in spring sports at the lower campus, so we will be offering them starting next month!
Below are the dates for both soccer and flag football and a link to the registration form. You will need to fill out one registration form per child even if you already filled out the interest form.
Pre-K, K and 1st
Soccer
Tuesdays 4/15, 4/22, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20
Afterschool until 4:15 pm
2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th
Flag Football
Wednesdays 4/16, 4/23, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21
Afterschool until 4:30 pm
Click HERE to register for spring sports at the lower campus.
Baseball/Softball Open Gyms - Due to some scheduling conflicts in the gym, we have had to rearrange and reschedule our baseball and softball open gyms. These open gyms are totally optional, and open to any upper campus student. Open gyms are just an opportunity to get a baseball or softball in the kids hand, and get them mentally ready for the upcoming season. Open gyms are not associated with tryouts, and attendance to open gyms will not impact a student's ability to make a team.
- Baseball - Tuesdays 4:30-6:30 PM & Thursdays 4:30-6:15 PM
- 3/25, 3/27 - *No School 3/20
- Softball - Mondays 2:45-4:30 PM & Fridays 2:45-4:15 PM
- 3/21 and 3/24 - *No Open Gym 3/28
STEM Programs - Additional STEM education, including hands-on Robotics, learning about the Engineering Design Process and introducing students to Block-coding, is available via After School programs. Currently, our Winter STEM program supports a Junior level for 3rd-5th graders and an Advanced level for 6th-8th graders. A Spring STEM season is scheduled to start some time in April and we are looking for students and parents to help coach. Read a weekly blog and more provided by The Local Beacon at this link... https://thelocalbeacon.org/steamprograms
Silver Knights Education Day - We are excited that our grade 1 through 6 students will be once again attending the Silver Knights Education Game on Wednesday, May 28! Parents may also purchase tickets and attend with us using the link HERE! The password is STCHRIS.
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:
- March 25 - Lower campus (grades 3-5) @ 1:45 PM
- April 3 - Upper campus 9:45 AM
- April 9 - Lower campus @ 1:45 PM
Lower Campus Stations of the Cross - Lower campus Stations of the Cross continue on Fridays for the rest of Lent. Parents are welcome to attend this short (approximately 20 minutes) observation of the stations, presented by 5th grade. Parents should come through the school and sign in prior to going to the church. The schedule is:
- Friday, March 21 - 2:15 PM
- Friday, March 28 - 2:15 PM
- Friday, April 4 - 11:00 AM (Time Change)
- Friday, April 11 - 2:15 PM
Student Programs and Activities
Chess, Checkers & Cribbage Club! New members are ALWAYS welcome to the Chess, Checkers, and Cribbage Club. To view the schedule for upcoming meetings, please click HERE!
Parent Volunteers
STEM Day Speakers - Are you in a STEM field? Would you like to share your love of or experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math? We have begun planning for this year’s STEM Day, to be held on May 20. We are looking for speakers to present to students about their interest and/or careers in any STEM-related field, whether as a professional or hobbyist. If you are interested in speaking, please email Carol Fiore at [email protected].
NEW! Hot Lunch Volunteer Schedule - Thank you to our fabulous Hot Lunch volunteers! The schedule for the rest of this week and the first few days of next week is:
Thursday, March 20
LC: NO SCHOOL
UC: NO SCHOOL
Friday, March 21
LC: Athena Chisholm, Amanda DeWitt, Leslie Bellows, Dorene Krauss
UC: Lisa Censabella, Nadra Bell
Monday, March 24
LC: David Guilmette, Liz Guilmette
UC: Becky Kosterman, Diane London
Tuesday, March 25
LC: Taylor Barry, Leslie Bellows
UC: Nadra Bell
Wednesday, March 26
LC: Courtney Duran, Melanie Marcu
UC: Teresa Carlton, Stephanie St. Jean
NEW! Popcorn - Thank you to this week’s popcorn poppers:
Lower Campus: Caroline Belt, Leslie Bellows, Amanda Carnazzo
Upper Campus: Andrea Rugg (See request below!)
THIS WEEK! Popcorn Help Needed! We are in need of an additional popcorn volunteer for the morning of THIS Friday, March 21st! You don’t need to be a permanent member of the popper brigade…a one time popper is fine! Please email Andrea Rugg at [email protected] if you are able to help out!
NEW! Hannaford Helps! - It’s time again for the annual Hannaford Helps Schools program! If you are a Hannafords shopper, please consider participating in the program to benefit the school!
ST. CHRISTOPHER PARISH NEWS
P3: Prayer, Penance, and Pasta at St. Christopher Parish - School families are invited to join members of St. Christopher Parish on the evening of Friday, March 28th for a Lenten celebration before the start of Holy Week! The evening will begin at 5:00 PM with Stations of the Cross, followed by Mass, and then a FREE spaghetti dinner! Our very own Campus Minister Abbey Prud’homme is coordinating the evening! Please see the flyer above for more information and to register.
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! Click HERE for more information on the parish website.
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.
COMMUNITY NEWS
NEW! PAL Gate City Striders Track and Field - The youth track & field program is a program offered by the Nashua Police Athletic League (PAL) and Gate City Striders (GCS) for boys and girls ages 7 through 14, who are interested in competing in track and field events. Middle school athletes are invited to participate at the conclusion of their school track & field season. Athletes without a school program can join at the beginning of the program. It includes twice-weekly coached workouts. Athletes can also choose to participate in the USATF Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships in June (optional).
Click HERE for more information and to sign up.
Nashua Cal Ripken Baseball – Don't miss out on the fun! Register your player today for Nashua Cal Ripken Baseball's Spring 2025. Visit https://www.nashuacalripken.org/leaguesummary for more information!