Hark! The Herald
Friday, October 4, 2019
Important Dates and Reminders
Next Monday, October 7- NO SCHOOL: All teachers must attend a faith formation day at the Diocese office in Burlington.
Wednesday, October 9: We will be drawing three family names for a $500 tuition voucher towards enrollment next year. See below for more details.
Thursday, October 10: Fall Open House- invite your friends and family to come experience SMS. We will open our classrooms to current families and prospective students.
Monday, October 14: NO SCHOOL
Thursday, October 17: Dress Down/Snackbar day benefitting grade 4/5
We had a special visitor this past week: Brother Felix of the Franciscans of the Primitive Observance Community from Roxbury Massachusetts.
By Janna Andrus
Last week Saint Michael students enjoyed meeting Br. Felix Mary Waldron of the Franciscans of the Primitive Observance Community from Roxbury Massachusetts.
Students delighted in his company and had many questions.
The Franciscans of Primitive Observance (FPO) is a Roman Catholic community of men, founded in 1995, that lives a strict observance of the Rule of St. Francis. In church law they are established as a Lay Association of the Faithful under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.
The FPOs, like St. Francis, feel called to give up everything to follow Jesus Christ. St. Francis said that no one is truly poor unless they give up the purse of their own will, and this is what they do.
Br. Felix and his community of priests and brothers make four vows when entering the community. They make vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The fourth vow is of total consecration to the Blessed Mother. St. Francis founded the order on her initiative, at her little shrine and placed it under her protection.
Prayer takes top priority in their daily lives, up to six plus hours a day. They pray the liturgy of the hours, the rosary, attend Mass and an hour of Eucharistic Adoration everyday. Every Friday is set aside for prayer in silence. The Holy Eucharist is the center of all that the FPOs are and do.
The following are some other important aspects of their life:
· Penance – sacrificing good things for better things
· Minority – to be counted among the least
· Fraternity – imperfect brothers learning how to love
· Manual Labor – ennobling hard work
· Fidelity – to the Vicar of Christ and the Magisterium
· Pro-Life – defending the most defenseless
· Joy – because He is with us
It is mainly by the witness of their lives that they hope to draw everyone to Jesus through the immaculate heart of Mary. They evangelize by various means, especially preaching the word of God. This could take place at a retreat or parish mission, during a parish Mass, on a street corner, or with a truck driver who is kind enough to give us a lift on an apostolic journey. St. Francis preached but also took care of lepers, the outcasts of his time.
Brother Felix talked about vocations, he shared his witness story with some students and answered many questions as well, like why do you wear a rosary and did you make the crucifix on it yourself?
He answered that the rosary helps him to always remember to pray it everyday and when people ask him about it, it reminds them to pray the rosary too, and yes he did carve the crucifix on his rosary.
Students asked Br. Felix, "what is your job?" and he answered his job is to pray.
The staff and students very much enjoyed his visit as he shared stories and even a game of Gaga ball at recess. We thank him for sharing his day and apostolic example with us here at Saint Michael School.
Mark your calendars for our Fall Open House next week on Thursday evening.
Please feel free to invite friends, family, and those you know who are interested in enrollment at Saint Michael School!
Final Call for Boxtop Clippings!
Our Boxtops submission is due on October 15th and we need time to count and pack them up.
Remember, every one of those little clippings is worth 10 cents for our school.
Lights! Camera! Action!
On Tuesday afternoon, a few of our students and staff met with videographer Steve Giroux to provide content for the Diocese of Burlington Catholic Schools TV spot (a :30 second commercial) that we plan to release in January. The Diocese is helping to spread the word about the unique educational experience found in our Catholic schools, and who better to share than the students who experience it every day! Steve is excited to get started on the project and we were among the first schools to be interview. The filming will be complete by mid-October and the video will be ready for release in January prior to National Catholic Schools Week... stay tuned!
Parent Volunteers Needed
If you have some time and would like to help out for the day, please let us know. The students LOVE this special meal!
The Saint Michael Saints High school soccer team had a busy week...
By Phil Leggiere
The Saint Michael Saints High School soccer team was back in action this week hosting the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School (PVCICS) of Hadley, Mass. Tuesday Oct. 2nd at SIT field in its fifth contest of the season. In a hard fought defensive match, the Saints came up slightly short, losing 3-1 against a twenty-person strong PVCICS team, one of the powerhouses of the River Valley Athletic League. The Saints effort included several highlight performances. On offense Thomas Duchaney scored the Saints’ only goal, while Saints’ four man defense led by Jack Leggiere and Michael Pierce helped keep the game tight against PVCICS’s explosive offense, which recently scored 7 goals against The Berkshire Art and Technology Charter School.
Next week will be a busy one as the Saints head back on the road to Putney, VT. taking on the Greenwood School on Wednesday, October 9 at 3:30 and the Putney School on Thursday, October 10.
Saint Michael School Soccer Schedule 2019
Please come out and cheer for our team!!!
The games are exciting, the fields are gorgeous, and the students notice your presence.
The address for home games is 1 Kipling Road, Brattleboro VT 05301, at the SIT field
SMS High School Soccer Games:
10/9/2019 Greenwood Away 3:30
10/10/2019 Putney Away 3:30
10/22/2019 Eagle Hill Home 4:00
10/24/2019 White Oak Away 4:00
10/29/2019 Quarter Finals
SMS Middle School Soccer Games:
Tuesday October 8: 4pm Away game at Hilltop
Thursday, October 10: 4pm Home game at SIT field vs Marlboro
Thursday, October 17: 4pm Home game at SIT field vs St. Joseph's
Monday, October 21: 4pm Away game at St. Joseph's
GO SAINTS!!!
Next week we are doing a drawing for (3) $500 vouchers good towards next year's tuition!!!
Have you submitted your sold Super Raffle Tickets yet???
If you plan to buy all twelve tickets, or if you have already sold twelve, get those ticket numbers and payment submitted to the office by 3:30 pm on Wednesday 10/10/19.
For every 3 tickets sold beyond 12, your family will earn an additional entry into the drawing. This is a really exciting opportunity and we don't want you to miss out!
Three Weeks To Go For Super Raffle Ticket Sales!!!
Not only is this a great way to sell your tickets but more importantly, a chance to inform people in our community about the educational experience offered here at Saint Michael's.
Please make sure your children are present with you and wearing their SMS uniforms... it means a lot to our donors! Bring scissors, 3-6 pens, and some cash to make change.
Make sure to arrive 30 minutes early and wear your SMS uniform!
Make sure to arrive 30 minutes early and wear your SMS uniform!
Welcome to Hannaford Helps Schools 2019!
PLEASE CONSIDER DOING YOUR SHOPPING AT HANNAFORDS THIS FALL!
Between 8/25 and 11/30, with the purchase of 4 participating Hannaford Helps Schools items, a customer will receive a printout for 3 School Dollars at the register. The customer can place that printout into your school's slot in the Hannaford Helps Schools collection tower which is located at the front of the store that your school is registered with.
This fall, we celebrate 20 years of the Hannaford Helps Schools program! Since the program's inception, Hannaford has raised more than $12 million to help schools and schoolkids reach their goals.
Click here to see the products that are eligible for participation
Saint Michael School Brattleboro tower location 896 Putney Road
Breakfast is $2.50 and Lunch is $3.75
Check out all of these delicious breakfast and lunch options for the month!
If you would like your child to have breakfast, please make sure they order it the day beforehand. This will allow us time to bake or prepare meals that are ready to go the next day.
After School Meal Program
Attached, please find the After School Meal Program (AMP) menu for the month.
If you are unfamiliar with "AMP" this is a free meal program, sponsored by the state, and available to all students who stay after school for any reason. If your child is staying for aftercare, sports, drama, tutoring etc. they are welcome to order AMP in the morning and eat in the afternoon FOR FREE. Paper copies are available in the office if you would like a menu for home.
Community Events and Information
Piano and organ lessons now available
Hi! I'm Breton Abbondanzio, the music teacher at Saint Michael School and Music director for the parish. I'm pleased to offer private lessons in piano and organ to interested families. I teach all ages and levels, and some of my students have won prizes in the ATAM Music Competition in Newton, MA. Lessons are a half hour in duration and my fee is reasonable and competitive.
Please give me a call at (802)251-0644 or email me at babbondanzio@gmail.com.
I look forward to teaching your child!
Math tutoring center in downtown Brattleboro!
If you are looking for a wonderful tutoring center that specializes in mathematics, you should check out the Brattleboro Math Center! We had the pleasure of having Marissa Meyers volunteer her time with our students last year and the students flourished under her care.
MATH TUTORING
Brattleboro Math Center, 139 Main St. Brattleboro
Math tutoring for elementary and middle school
Multi-sensory approach to understanding the math
Call Marissa at (510) 919-0843
½ off first session for Saint Michael students
We are here for you
Questions? Thoughts? Suggestions?
Please reach out. We LOVE to hear from our families!
If you are not already a friend of SMS on Facebook, please come join us! We will post school cancellations, fun photos and events that happen during the week that don't make it into the Hark! Please click this link, like and follow our page so you can continue to stay involved.
Email: lindsayoneil@smsvt.info
Website: http://www.smsvt.info/
Location: 48 Walnut Street, Brattleboro, VT, USA
Phone: 803-254-6320
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SMSVT/