February 14 Red, White, and Pink Valentine’s Day Free Dress
February 15 Hot Lunch ordering ends at midnight on Boonli.com
February 18 NO SCHOOL – Presidents Day
February 19 Yearbook Group Photos
February 20 Paper Wednesday News
February 23 – March 3 NO SCHOOL – February Vacation
March 4 School Resumes
NEW! Thank You – Thank you to all those who registered their students for Fall 2019 (or who have let us know they will be registering)! We are so glad you will be back with us next year! In addition, because the Diocese requires our budget to be based on actual registrations for the Fall, your timely registrations are especially helpful in setting a realistic tuition. Thank you!
We also thank our students who represented us by giving speeches at area parishes over the last few weeks! Current students Ronan Bradshaw, Simon Yasevich, Anna Blanchard, Ben Michels, Molly Reardon, and alumni Kate Hansen and Derek Griebel all did a fabulous job extolling the virtues of a St. Christopher education!
UPDATED! Annual Fund– Just over a month left to get your donation in to the Annual Fund so it appears in the Honor Roll of Donors! All donations made before April 1st will appear in the Honor Roll published in the summer edition of the News and Notes. As of today, we have raised $25,501 towards our $34,000 goal!
Donating to the Annual Fund is easy! You may make your donation using any of the following methods:
- Return the remittance envelope included in your Annual Fund letter along with a check, cash, or credit card number.
- Send a check or cash in to school in an envelope marked “Annual Fund”.
- Call Business Manager Murrayann Abucewicz at 882-7442, ext. 113, to have your credit card charged manually.
- Or donate online through Paypal HERE.
However you choose to donate, please know that we are MOST grateful!
THIS WEEK! St. Chris at the Red Sox! – The deadline of February 20 is approaching quickly! Join our Saint Christopher community for some family fun at Fenway Park! Our Parent Group has secured two blocks of tickets for the Saturday, June 8th 1:05 PM game vs. the Rays!! Tickets for St. Chris will be available in the bleachers ($40 each) or the grandstand ($68 each) and we will all be sitting together. This is not a fundraiser, just a great opportunity to get together and cheer on our World Champion Boston Red Sox! Tickets must be purchased HERE by February 20. No additional tickets will be available beyond the 20th, so reserve your seats today!
THIS WEEK! Hot Lunch Ordering – Reminder! Hot Lunch ordering is open through midnight THIS Friday, February 15 and no late orders can be accepted. Log into Boonli.com HERE.
TOMORROW! Valentine’s Free Dress – How sweet our school will be on Thursday, February 14th with our annual Valentine’s Free Dress day! All students are invited to wear red, white, and pink that day! Please be sure that students follow our free dress rules!
UPDATED! Yearbook Group Photos – Oops! We had the wrong date for the group photos in last week’s Wednesday News! Lifetouch will be here on Tuesday, February 19 to take photos of all of our school groups (Chess Club, Ski Club, Altar Servers, etc.). Students should wear their regular school uniforms that day. Group photos will not be retaken if a student is missing that day.
NEW! Lenten Fish Dinner Volunteering -- Wondering how to observe your Lenten obligation this year? Looking to DO something rather than give something up? The St. Christopher/St. Patrick Parish Knights of Columbus have invited our school community to volunteer with them to put on their annual Lenten Fish Dinners! This is a wonderful service opportunity that benefits the parish, the school, and you! (For our participation, the Knights will donate a share of the proceeds to the school!)
The dinners run for six Friday evenings from March 9 through April 12 in the St. Christopher church hall. There are a number of volunteer times, dates, and opportunities available. The Knights have set up two "teams" that would alternate weeks. Team A would be assigned to March 8, March 22, and April 5. Team B would be assigned to March 15, March 29, and April 12.
To volunteer for Team A, please click HERE. To volunteer for Team B, please click HERE. Thank you!
NEXT WEEK! February No School Dates – Mark your calendar! We will have this coming Monday, February 18, off from school for Presidents Day and February vacation will run from February 23 through March 3!
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Auction News -- Our 15th Annual St. Christopher School Auction will be here before you know it! The “St. Chris Rocks” Auction will take place on Saturday, March 23 at Sky Meadow Country Club…and we need your help! Please consider getting involved in any of the following ways:
UPDATED! Item Wish List: The Auction Committee has put together a “wish” list of items they need for this year’s Auction! If you are looking to donate, but just don’t know what to give, please consider any of the following:
- Southwest Airlines Gift Card (any amount) to add to our Girls Weekend package!
- $20 - $30 Uber/Lyft gift cards (also for the Girls Weekend package!)
- Bruins Tickets
- Tupelo Music Hall tickets HERE for John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band (of the 1983 Eddie & the Cruisers movie fame!)
- $25 - $50 gift cards from Exxon, Mobil, Shell, or Irving
- $10 - $25 Target gift cards
- $15 - $25 Michael's or AC Moore gift cards
- $25 - $50 restaurant gift cards (local or chain)
- Yeti tumblers, bottles, mugs, bottle openers, etc. (no cooler needed!)
- Pampered Chef items
- Rodan and Fields items
- Norwax items
- Launch and Altitude gift cards of any denomination
- Baskets from our Basket Sign-Up Genius HERE (or a custom basket!)
Donations this week include:
“Holy Smokes” with Fr. David
$100 Atlas Fireworks gift card
$100 towards dumpster rental with Casella
$30 Skin and Body Spa gift card
Movie passes with popcorn at Chunky’s
Lottery basket
And more! Check out the list HERE!
Business Participation: We love to have local and national businesses participate in the Auction through item donations, program advertisements, and sponsorships! This is a great opportunity for businesses to reach over 200 potential patrons! Chat with your boss, ask your barber, talk with your dry cleaner, reach out to your dog groomer….almost any local business is happy to participate! If you need an Auction information packet to pass along to a local business, you can download the Auction packet on the school website HERE or contact Marta at [email protected] for a printed copy. Thank you!
Thank you to these current sponsors:
The Aquino Family – Silver Sponsor
St. Joseph Hospital – Bronze Sponsor
Catholic Medical Center – Copper Sponsor
Center for Physical Therapy and Exercise – Copper Sponsor
Drs. Franklyn & Francesca Liberatore, DDS – Copper Sponsor
The Valade Family – Copper Sponsor
Advertising -- Program advertising runs from $50 to $250. Every Auction attendee receives a program for the evening. Because the program describes EVERY Live Auction item in detail, these are guaranteed to be read by everyone!
Thank you to our current advertisers:
Platinum Tan
Forcier Contracting and Building Services
Kalil and Kress Dentistry
PAL Force Football and Cheerleading
Catholic Medical Center
Auction Committee Meetings: Our Auction planning is in high gear! Many hands make light work…please consider joining us at our next Auction Committee meeting on March 4 at 7:00 PM at Margarita’s!
UPDATED! Ticket Purchases: Invitations have been out just one week….and we have already sold over 25% of the available seats! Get your seat today! To reserve your seat, return the RSVP card to the school with your payment (and be sure to make your meal selection on the reverse side of the RSVP card!) or you can also click HERE to purchase your ticket online. Tables of 10 or 12 can be also reserved ahead of time by sending a list of attendees to Marta at [email protected] or Ellen Valade at [email protected].
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NEW! Yearbook News – Yearbook information went home with all oldest and only students earlier this week! All orders are due by Friday, March 8. The yearbook is a wonderful momento of the year at St. Chris and features portraits and photos of ALL students, from PreK through grade 6! Please click HERE to download the information and order form!
Calling all Box Tops! -- Now‘s the time to bring in all the Box Tops your family has been collecting! The next submission deadline is just around the corner, so be sure to have your child drop them off in the bin next to the computer lab. Every little bit helps! Send them in today!
Financial Aid Applications for 2019-2020 – As always, our goal is to make a St. Christopher education affordable for any family! To that end, applications for Financial Aid for the 2019-2020 school year are open and will run through March 15 and all families in need are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. All oldest and only students were sent home with a packet of information regarding the Financial Aid process today. The packet can also be accessed HERE. Please read the information carefully. All families interested in financial aid MUST follow the packet instructions or aid will not be given. If you have any questions, please contact either Mrs. Clarke at [email protected] or Business Manager Murrayann Abucewicz at [email protected].
Parish Support Financial Aid -- If your child is entering grades 1 through 6 and you are an active member of a parish in the Diocese of Manchester, you may be eligible for Parish Support. This financial aid available through this program is substantial, and worth applying for if you qualify…this year’s support was $1,006 per student! The Diocesan Support Program requires the timely identification of families who meet the minimum diocesan support criteria and qualify for the supported student tuition rate.
The minimum support criteria include:
- registration in a parish or mission;
- contributor of record in a parish or mission; and,
- active participation in the life of a parish or mission.
All three criteria must be met and verified by the Pastor as indicated by his signature on the Supported Student Form. The form should also be stamped with the parish seal. It is the RESPONSIBILITY of the parent, after the signature of the pastor is obtained, to return the signed form to the school by March l, 2019.
Supported Student forms are available from Jackie Langenfeld at the school office or can be downloaded HERE.
NOTE: If your child received the supported student rate for the 2018-2019 school year, you do not need to fill out another Supported Student Form. The names of those students who are currently supported will be forwarded to the pastors, and the pastors will notify the school whether or not the student is still eligible for support. The school will then notify the parents of the pastor’s decision.
NEW! Paper Wednesday News – Our next paper News will be next Wednesday, February 20. If you have material to be distributed, please send it to either Marta at [email protected] or Jackie at [email protected] by this Friday.
NEW! Nashua Catholic Jr. High Reminder – 6th grade students are kindly reminded that registrations for Nashua Catholic Jr. High School for Fall 2019 are due by this Friday, February 15. Early registration is especially important for those seeking parish support or financial aid. Please call the school at 882-7011 for more information.
Diocesan Excellence in Education Awards: The successes of our Catholic schools and their students would not be possible without the selfless support of committed educators, administrators, clergy, and lay partners in the community. This year, the Diocese of Manchester is holding its second annual Recognizing Excellence Awards Gala at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord on Thursday, June 20, 2019. All are invited to attend this exciting event to officially honor the School Leader of the Year, Clergy Member of the Year, Community Partner of the Year and most especially our Teacher of the Year.
Nominations from the St. Christopher community are now being accepted. To nominate someone you think deserves to receive this special recognition for this year, please read the award descriptions HERE.
The deadline for nominations is March 1, 2019. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Catholic Schools Office at (603) 663-0140.
NEW! Youth Ministry News:
Junior Group Service Project – On Sunday, Feb. 17, the Teen/Junior Group is helping the Squam Lake Association with trail maintenance and cleanup. All 6th-12th graders are invited to join us. Please let Emily know if you’d like to come so she can get you the proper waiver forms.
Kid Group News – We all know it’s cool to wear a fancy white robe and help the priest during Mass, but did you ever wonder how altar serving got started? That’s what we’ll find out at Kid Group this week. See you in the Pennell Center on Feb. 16 from 5-7pm! All 3rd-5th graders are welcome to join us.
Middle School Youth Rally – We might learn a lot about Jesus, but what does it feel like to actually open your heart to Him? If you’d like to find out, come join us for the Diocese of Worcester’s Middle School Rally on April 7. All 6th-8th graders are welcome. Please return the permission slips to Emily or the parish office by 3/17 if you’d like to come with us.
For any questions, email Emily Murphy at [email protected].
NEW! Vacation Bible School Save the Date!!! St. Christopher Parish’s popular Vacation Bible School (VBS) with run from July 29-August 2, 2019! This year’s theme is ROAR! 2019: Life is Wild~God is Good. Registration forms coming soon! Children ages 4 (entering pre-K) to Grade 5 are invited to come join us for a GRRReat time at Vacation Bible School this summer! We will travel to the African Savannah, a safari into the Bible, where we will sing, dance, create and play as we learn that even when our life gets WILD, God is always good! And we Trust in Him! We will need many adult helpers for the Safari trip of a lifetime! Please consider sharing your special talent! Email [email protected] for more information or to volunteer!
NEW! Happy Hearts Day Care Summer Camp Openings – Linda Rousseau of Happy Hearts Day Care, located across the street from the school, has openings for children age 6 to 11 in her summer camp. Activities include daily field trips, hiking, swimming, playgrounds, nature preserves, restaurants. $175 per week, lunch and snacks included. Please call Linda Rousseau at 880-6575 if interested.
NEW! Shroud Encounter: Experience the Mystery -- The Shroud of Turin, unknown to many, is believed to be the burial cloth of Jesus. Shroud Encounter is a production of the Shroud of Turin Education Project, Inc. and will be presented by international expert Russ Breault on Sunday, March 3, from 2pm-4pm, at Immaculate Conception Church, 216 E. Dunstable Rd., Nashua, NH. Admission is $10 (under 18 and Clergy is free.) Tickets available at the parish office and gift shop. For more information, please call 603-888-0321, or visit https://iccnashuanh.org/shroud.
Hot Lunch Schedules – Thank you to everyone who stepped up to volunteer for the Hot Lunch program! Your help is MUCH appreciated. Volunteers for the next week are below:
Thursday, February 14
Lisa Campbell
Mary Schriener
Nadra Bell
Friday, February 15
Jane Gill
Stacy Cardinale
Liza Tirado Calzada
Karla Hall
Monday, February 18
No School – President’s Day
Tuesday, February 19
Karla Chamoun
Gwen Beaudet
Annette Cameron
Wednesday, February 20
Jen McGowan
Ramona Telford