Hark! The Herald
Allhallowtide Edition: Saturday, November 2, 2019
We would like to extend a warm thank you to all of our amazing neighbors for welcoming students to their businesses for Trick or Treating!
Right up until Thursday morning, the weather was forecasting 90-100% chance of rain!
We had a fun backup plan but as the morning unfolded, the forecast began to change for the better. Since we faced only a light mist at 1pm, we felt it was best to brave the weather and take all the students out for their must-anticipated parade.
Students walked down Walnut Street to several local businesses where they were greeted with smiles, laughter and candy. Many of the employees were also dressed up: we met Wonder Woman, Dorothy and the Scarecrow to name a few.
Thank you to everyone who made the SMS parade a wonderful memory for our students.
Students in our 2/3 class went to visit residents at the Bradley House. They listened to a band, received candy and gave out handmade cards to the residents.
Important Dates and Reminders
TONIGHT, Saturday, November 2: Harvest Dance from 7-9:30 for students in grades 7-12.
Thursday, November 7: Parent/Teacher Conferences after school.
Have you signed up to meet with your teachers yet?
Friday, November 8: Parent/Teacher Conferences EARLY RELEASE*
*Release at noon, lunch served and extended care available until 3pm
Saturday, November 9: Fall School and Parish Cleanup from 9am-12pm
This is a great way to work off some of your parent volunteer hours!
Monday, November 11: Veteran's Day- NO SCHOOL!
Veterans Service to be held at the VFW in Brattleboro. See details below.
Saturday and Sunday, November 16 and 17: Student Collections.
We still needs students to sign up!! Please click the link below to sign up your family.
Thursday, November 21: Dress Down/Snack Bar to Benefit Grades 6/7/8
Friday and Saturday, November 23-24: Saint Michael Parish Christmas Bazaar, all proceeds to benefit the parish. Get some of your holiday shopping done early.
November 27-29: Thanksgiving Break- NO SCHOOL!
Thanks to our parent volunteers for putting on wonderful classroom parties!
What is Allhallowtide?
The Church Militant and the Church Triumphant,
fresco by Andrea da Firenze in Santa Maria Novella, c. 1365
Allhallowtide, Hallowtide, Allsaintstide, or the Hallowmas season, is the triduum encompassing the Western Christian observances of All Saints' Eve (Halloween), All Saints' Day (All Hallows') and All Souls' Day, which last from 31 October to 2 November annually. Allhallowtide is a "time to remember the dead, including martyrs, saints, and all faithful departed Christians." Source
The name Halloween derives from the Old English 'hallowed' which means holy or sanctified. Nowadays, the phrase is contracted to Halloween and has become adopted by the modern world as a holiday to dress up in costumes, traveling door to door for treats and parties.
As a Catholic community, it is important that we remember the origins of this triduum, or three days of prayer. Let us remember to honor the dead- the souls of the faithful departed who share in the glory of heaven, and also for those souls who are on their way.
On Friday, November 1, students and staff attended a beautiful All Saints Day Mass at Saint Michael Parish. Father Justin invited everyone to get to know the saints, not just to reflect on our favorite saint, but to continue grow in faith by learning about new saints. Often we connect with a particular saint because of a shared name (Saint Michael), or a Feast Day Such as January 1st when we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Fr. Justin offered other ways that one might connect with a saint: through shared geographic origins (like Saint Kateri Tekakwitha or Saint John Neumann) a shared experience like Saint Monica who prayed constantly for her son, or a mission that inspires you such as Saint Mother Teresa who devoted her life to service of the poorest members of her community.
The members of the Church Triumphant provide us with examples of the pursuit of holiness through willing suffering and sacrifice, persistence, self discipline, humility, generosity, acts of charity and love. He encouraged everyone to surround themselves with the company of an abundance of saints, and invited us all to reflect on that moment when we enter into heaven and meet our brothers and sisters in person! What an amazing experience that will be!
And today, on November 2nd, we enter into a deeply personal, prayerful day of remembrance for all the souls who have died and are not yet recognized by the Church as Saints in heaven. We hope you all will take a moment today to honor your loved ones with a prayer:
Prayer for The Eternal Rest
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light
shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.
Amen.
VFW Post 1034 to host a special Veterans Service on Monday, November 11th.
On Monday, November 11th, in honor of Veterans Day, the VFW will be hosting a service for military veterans. Guests are encouraged to be there by 11 am, attend the service, and a free buffet will follow. If anyone would like to attend, please contact Sandi Gauthier in the office to RSVP at sandigauthier@smsvt.info
Did you know: The Brattleboro VFW located at 40 Black Mountain Road is open to the public for lunch. Lunch is served Mon-Fri from 11:30 – 1:30. Lunch specials are only $6.50 a plate and posted on their Facebook page. Hand made burger, fries, sweet potato fries, wings, onion rings, soups and sandwiches are also available.
Take outs available by calling 802.257.0438, however, do yourself a favor and order your meal to eat in the dining room... you are certain to meet some wonderful men and women who have served our country well and would welcome conversation with you.
We still need several families to volunteer for November collections in two weeks.
Yankee Doodle went to town
A-riding on a pony,
Stuck a feather in his cap
And called it macaroni’.
Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Up stairs and down stairs in his night-gown,
Tapping at the window, crying at the lock,
Are the children in their bed, for it’s past ten o’clock?
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To give the poor dog a bone:
When she came there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.
SMS Staff all dressed as characters from Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away!
There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, "It is just as I feared!—
Two Owls and a Hen, four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard.
Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in a tub,
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick-maker,
They all sailed out to sea.
VICTORY!!! SMS wins coveted Harvest Cup to close out the RVAL season!
By Phil Leggiere
The Saint Michael Saints High School soccer team finished up their season on a high note this week with exciting victories in River Valley Athletic League playoff competition, which earned them this year’s Harvest Cup championship.
On Monday, October 28, the Saints hosted the White Oak School. Playing on a rain soaked SIT field the Saints took command early and never let up in a decisive 8-3 win. Senior Stephen Borst, playing in his penultimate game, led the Saints’ aggressive offense with five goals. Jack Leggiere scored his first goal of the season and Ezra Christie put in yet two more goals.
The Saints then advanced to the finals of the Harvest Cup on Tuesday, Oct 29, traveling to Charlemont, Massachusetts to vie with a Charlemont School team which had edged them out earlier in the season in a 5-4 squeaker.
Charlemont came out very strong, taking an early lead with two quick goals in the first quarter of the game. Shortly before halftime, the Saints came alive when Thomas Duchaney scored on a corner kick from Jason Borst, closing the score to 2 to 1 at the half. About one minute into the second half, Ezra Christie took a pass from Stephen Borst on wing and scored to tie the game up. With about two minutes left in the game, Stephen Borst had a drop ball with Charlemont that he tapped over to Thomas Duchaney who found the net again for his second goal, putting the Saints into the lead 3-2. The Saints’ defense then held firm in the final minutes, securing the win and the coveted Harvest Cup.
The High School and Middle School teams will come together for a joint banquet to celebrate the season next week.
SMS Middle School closes out its season and looks forward to a banquet next week
by Liz Chechile
This year SMS launched a middle school soccer team for 4th thru 8th grade students. The team was led by Coach Nathan Chechile and assistant coach Michael Pommels. It was a season full of building foundational skills and learning the fundamentals of the game. Our players started with a wide range of experience, from several years of soccer to others who were brand new to the sport. 10 out of our 12 players will be returning next year (hopefully!) and some of our players will be old enough for the high school team. We are excited about the future of our soccer program.
The High School and Middle School teams, and their families, are invited to an end of season celebration! Join us for pizza, drinks and some specialty food, with a time to honor our players for all the effort they put forth this season. Wednesday, Nov 6th at 4:30pm in Rand Hall.
Parent Volunteers Needed
- It's that time of year... we are now in need of tissues and cough drops.
- Do you have experience with photo editing and slideshow creation? I am looking for someone to help me create some videos to share with the school community. There are too many wonderful things happening at SMS... I could use some help! Contact Lindsay O'Neil at lindsayoneil@smsvt.info
- If you plan to drive or chaperone for Winter Sports, please check in with the office to make sure you are all set. This process can take a few weeks. It would be fantastic if we could have everyone ready to roll by early December.
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
November is National Adoption Awareness Month
New England Center for Circus Arts Upcoming Calendar
Thank you very much for being a supporter of live, innovative theater in the form of circus. We invite you to enjoy more of what NECCA has to offer and this Fall season there is a lot to choose from!
Tickets and information at https://necenterforcircusarts.org/performances/
- October 26 & 27: Circus Spooktacular
- November 8: XOXO Moongirl (award-winning Almanac Circus Dance Theater)
- November 9: Circus Cabaret
- December 20-22: Flying Nut; 'Tis the Sea-son
- March 7 & 8, 2020: Save the date for the 10th annual Circus Spectacular fundraising event at the Latchis Theater
Vocal, 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 vocals, 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/