What's the Buzz?
1/4/2024
We'd love to have you help out during lunch
As the weather starts to change, some of our students would rather stay inside. In order to accommodate students who want to stay inside and others that would like to go outside, we will need to have three adults present for safety. Please consider helping out.
Thank you so much to those who have been able to volunteer and help out in the lunchroom. It is such a blessing to have dedicated family members who are willing to help out!
Upcoming Events
Remember to utilize our SMS Google Calendar subscription (info on how to subscribe here), or view the “Events” page on the SMS website.
Jan. 5: 9 am Mass - led by Grade 3 (Ziomek)
Jan. 6: Feast of St. John Neumann - veneration of 1st class relic in church until 7pm
Jan. 6: Feast of the Epiphany
Jan. 8: Knights of Columbus Basketball Shoot Out- 3:30pm
Jan. 9: HSA Meeting - 7pm - location TBD
Jan. 11: LEAD Night (Lower Elementary Academic Discovery)
Jan. 12: 9am Mass - led by Grade 2
Jan. 12: Virtue Awards - following Mass
Jan. 12: 11:30am Dismissal
Jan. 15: NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 17: Snow Me the Money Tix due for families not attending Casino Night
Jan. 19: 9 am Mass - led by Grade 1
Jan. 19: HSA Casino Night & Snow Me the Money Grand Prize Drawing
Jan. 28: 9 am Catholic Schools Week Mass (students please attend in uniform)
Jan. 28: Open House 10:30-12:00
Jan. 29: Special Person Lunch - Grades Montessori K, Traditional K, 3 & 6
Jan. 30: Special Person Lunch - Grades 1, 4, & 7
Jan. 31: Special Person Lunch - Grades 2, 5, & 8
Feb. 1: Bishop Mike School Visit
Feb. 2: 9 am, Catholic Schools Week Friday Mass, First Friday Adoration
A Note from the Cafeteria
Lunch orders for 1/16-1/19 are below. Please complete your order before the noon deadline, Monday 1/9.
Buffalo notified us of a menu change for 1/11 serving pasta and marinara sauce in lieu of chicken wings.
INFORMATION REGARDING THE SPECIAL PERSON'S LUNCH WILL BE COMING HOME NEXT WEEK IN BACK PACKS.
CAFETERIA
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS DONATION!
Thank you to Mr. Kauppinen, school parent and owner/founder of Grand New Flag in Lockport, NY for the donation of these gorgeous American flags in our gym! They are a wonderful addition to show off our love of God and country!
Oh no, it's back!
COVID is on the uptick again. Mr. John is now spray disinfecting our classrooms, hallways, etc. 5 daily. He has also cleaned all of the air purifiers and new filters are being ordered to ensure maximum efficacy. Below are the most recent guidelines regarding direct COVID exposure and positive results. Please continue to honor these guidelines so that we can keep each other healthy. Thank you.
- Students who have been exposed need to wear a mask for 10 days. The first day of exposure is Day 0 and days begin counting after the initial exposure day.
- If any symptoms appear, students should be tested and no longer come to school since a positive result does not always appear immediately.
- Students should be tested on Day 5 whether they are showing symptoms or not. If they are positive, the day of the test is Day 0 and they must be out of school until Day 6 or symptoms have disappeared.
- Upon the student's return, they must wear a mask and will be isolated for snack and lunch (sitting at a different table) until Day 10.
- Students will need to eat at a separate table for snack and lunch. Once their mask can be worn again, they may return to sitting with their friends and/or participate in recess.
- Students riding a bus will need to wear the mask on the bus as well.
Have a student in Montessori, Kindergarten, or 1st grade? Attend LEAD Night (Lower Elementary Academic Discovery), on Thurs. Jan 11!
Formerly known as Kindergarten Discovery Night, LEAD Night will help acquaint you with our lower elementary staff, and help your child get ready for their next steps at SMS! Have a neighbor or friend with a child entering these grades next Fall? Be sure to invite them as well! We are own best ambassadors, if we don’t tell others how amazing SMS is, they may never know! Learn more and RSVP here.
Monday, 1/8 - Free Throw Competition
The Knights of Columbus will be sponsoring a free throw competition next Monday. Below is the information you will need to know regarding the competition. All are welcome to participate.
- Participation is FREE!
- Boys and girls ages 9 to 14 are invited to participate (based on January 1 age).
- Boy and girl champion at each age group.
- Winners determined by best of 15 free throws. Certificate prizes for the winners.
- Registration is at the door.
- Participants must furnish proof of age (copy of birth certificate/passport) and parental consent (forms available at door).
For more information, or to obtain a parental consent form in advance, contact Greg at (716) 713-2222.
SMS Open House will be Sun. Jan, 28th!
We’ll be opening our doors and putting our best foot forward for Open House at the end of January! Be sure and share your great experiences and thoughts about SMS with friends and family who are considering education options for their family. We have something truly special here at SMS and are more than just a school - we’re family! Be sure to like and share social media posts about our school leading up to Open House, talk to others, leave a positive review on Google or Niche, or simply post your photos from school events with the hashtag #SMStheplacetobee. All of these things help the public know how much we love our school and what an amazing place it is. We’re asking each family to share the Open House Facebook event on their own social media profiles before the event. Help us spread the word, and help SMS continue to thrive!
As a reminder, our next HSA meeting is on Tuesday, January 9th at 7:00pm location TBD.
Keep an eye out for more information coming soon about…
SMS Parent Winter Social: 2/2
Ice Skating Party: 2/9
Roller Rink Party (formerly the Gift-gathering Bowling Party): 3/2
Join us for this NEW & EXCITING event celebrating the final drawing of SNOW ME THE MONEY on Friday, January 19th 6-9pm. St. Mary’s Families RSVPs DUE HERE. CASINO NIGHT will be an evening of social gaming, delicious food & drinks, and great company. “Win” the most chips & receive your ticket price back! Wine, Beer & Food Available for Additional Purchase! Sign up & Find out more HERE!HSA News & Notes
Students: Win Prizes for Selling Snow Me the Money tickets!
Congratulations to our early bird drawing winner! WEDS. JAN 17TH will be the LAST DAY to send purchased tickets in with your students to school before the big drawing on Jan. 19 at HSA Casino Night! (Tickets may be purchased up until the drawing that evening, but we’d love to get the bulk of them logged before-hand). If you haven’t sold all your tickets yet, get on it!
Ask grandparents, family, friends, neighbors, & coworkers to join in the fun and give the gift of support for Catholic education this year! If you’ve already sold all 6 of your tickets and need more, please stop by the school or parish offices to pick some up, or email Rebecca Kisailus and she’ll send some home with your child.
Please mark any tickets that your family sells as “SOLD BY: FAMILY NAME” to be sure your children get credit for selling! Like last year, the class that sells the most tickets per student will win a SNOWBALL FIGHT in the gym against Mrs. D’Angelo and ALL FOUR of our priests! The two individual students who sell the most tickets will also win a prize - one of the awesome SMS “Bee Backpacks” pictured below! Thank you for your support!
Box Tops & Dash’s - two easy additional ways to help out!
Saving paper receipts from any of the Dash’s supermarkets and turning them in at the school office, or signing up with Box Tops for Education are two easy ways that you can put your normal, weekly shopping to good use for SMS! For Box Tops, simply visit their website and download the app. Every time you shop, scan your receipt and SMS will earn money. Even orders placed with Instacart qualify, just forward your email receipts to: receipts@boxtops4education.com. For more information on both programs, as well as how you can use your Tops Bonus Card and Amazon purchases to ear money for SMS, please click here.
St. Mary School
Email: office@stmaryschoolswormville.org
Website: stmaryschoolswormville.org
Location: 6919 Transit Road, East Amherst, NY, USA
Phone: 716-689-8424
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StMarySchoolSwormville/