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| August 22 Newsletter: Hooray for the First Day of School!
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| It's the MOST wonderful time of the year...
Back-to-School time!
We hope all of our Dragons had a fun and restful summer. We are so very excited to have our learning community back together. We also extend a very warm welcome to all of our new students, families, and faculty! It is an exciting time to be at St. Michael's!
This first weekly newsletter contains all of the info you need to get through the first week of school. Moving forward, please note that our "This Week @ St. Michael's" newsletter goes out every SUNDAY MORNING to help you prepare for the week ahead. Copies are also posted on the St M website.
Let's be friends! Be sure to check out and LIKE our St M Facebook and Instagram pages for photos and videos from the first week of school and beyond!
Not on social media? We also have a Media Gallery page on our website under News and Events so you can follow all of our St M social media in one place!
IMPORTANT:
- All students, remember to bring a nut-free snack and refillable water bottle DAILY to school.
- Grades K-2 are all nut-free classrooms this year.
- A reminder that students in grades K-5 do NOT have school on Monday, August 26.
- All NEW students need to bring their birth certificates to the front office (if you have not already done so).
Welcome Back, Dragons!
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| Middle School Orientation Schedule (Grades 6-8) for Monday, August 26 - All Middle School students should bring their school supplies to orientation.
- Sixth graders should also pack a bag lunch and water bottle.
- PARENTS MUST ATTEND. See the schedule below for exact times and instructions by grade.
- New students should bring their birth certificates to the front office.
- COME SHOP! The Spiritwear POP-UP SHOP continues in the Perkinson Arts Center from 9:30-11 a.m. and 12:30-2 p.m. on Monday.
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Academic Calendar for the 2024-2025 School Year: IMPORTANT UPDATE
As shared with families on July 25, St M revised the 2024-25 Academic Calendar to streamline the final weeks of school and incorporate additional events and information.
Closing ceremonies will now be held exclusively for eighth graders in celebration of their graduation. Please review the updated academic calendar carefully below. Changes are highlighted in red.
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School Hours (Starting Tuesday, August 27)
Tuesday, August 27, is the first FULL day of school for ALL students.
For the 2024-25 school year, St. Michael’s standard school hours are:
- School Day: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Free Morning Gym beginning at 7:20 a.m.
- If not attending free Morning Gym from 7:20-7:45 a.m., the morning drop-off window is 7:45-7:55 a.m. (Students should be in their seats and ready to start the school day by 8 a.m.)
- Afternoon pickup is between 3 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. (Any students not picked up by 3:15 p.m. will be sent to Extended Day and billed the drop-in fee.)
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Show your DRAGON PRIDE on the First Day of School!A rite of passage each year is the taking of first day of school photos. Click and post!
Show your DRAGON PRIDE by taking a photo of your child on the first day with the St. Michael's sign below and posting it on your social media with the hashtag #STMDragon2024. Or, email your photos to Mrs. Amore in our Communications Office for posting. Go DRAGONS!
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Carpool Maps and Assignments
A lot of thought has gone into our carpool procedures. We do ask for your patience, support, and understanding as families learn new patterns and routines.
To help our families learn the carpool routine for campus drop-off and pick-up, below please find a carpool map. Each family is assigned a carpool location by color with color assignments noted on car visor placards. (For visual assistance, note the large colored flags in each carpool loop during the first two weeks of school.)
IMPORTANT INFO ON CARPOOL LANE ASSIGNMENTS:
LOWER SCHOOL:
- Lower School families received their carpool placards/loop assignments at Meet Your Teacher Day on August 22.
- If you did not pick up your carpool placard/loop assignment: For the first day, Lower School families should drop off/pick up at the loop corresponding to each family's youngest child. Families with a K-1 youngest student should drop off/pick up ALL riders in the BLUE loop and families with a Grade 2-5 youngest student should drop off/pick up ALL riders in the GREEN loop. We will send the carpool placards home with your student on Tuesday.
MIDDLE SCHOOL:
- Middle School families will receive their carpool placards at Monday's orientation.
- If you did not pick up your carpool placard/loop assignment: Middle School pick-up is in the YELLOW LOOP (unless your family also has a K-5 sibling in which case pick-up is in the youngest sibling's assigned loop.)
ALL FAMILIES: PLEASE ENSURE YOUR CARPOOL PLACARDS are always on your RIGHT passenger side VISOR.
CARPOOL SAFETY GUIDELINES
- Always drive S L O W L Y
- Always stop at the 4-way and 3-way intersections
- Always have your name placard visible on the PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISOR (We’ll print you as many as you’d like)
- Always go to your assigned loop, even if a student is absent
- Always pull up to the farthest cone/car line sign
- NEVER PASS another car (ALL carpool lanes are NO PASSING zones)
- NEVER EVER be on the phone while in carline
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Time to Order Hot Lunch!
At St. Michael’s, students may bring their own lunch or pre-purchase lunch in advance through our hot lunch program. Our hot lunch program begins on Tuesday, August 27.
We’re excited to welcome back our lunchtime partner, School House Fare. School House Fare offers an easy-to-choose lunch calendar where you can schedule lunches for the next week or the entire semester.
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Friday, August 30 is DRAGON DRESS DAY!
Which class will have the MOST school spirit?
Friday, August 30, is our first Dragon Dress Day of the school year and we want to see a SEA of school colors in the halls.
Wear blue and white OR St M spiritwear shirts with pride!
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Safety FirstAs part of our school safety protocols, all school doors (including the front doors) are locked during the school day.
Parents and visitors to the School will need to be buzzed in at the main office entrances by front office staff in each building, sign in, and wear a visitor badge. We want to reassure you that our number one priority is the safety and security of our students and faculty.
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Dress Code & Spiritwear
As our students select their clothes for the first day of school, please remember to refer to our 2024-2025 Dress Code below. Parents, we need your help. Thanks for ensuring students are dressed appropriately each day.
Spiritwear: Be sure to check out all the St M items available through our Spiritwear website! We have lots of exciting items!
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Directory Updates Needed by September 1
Did you move this summer? Has your email or phone number changed? Do you want School communications to go to a new email address?
Please send any changes by September 1, as we are finalizing the School directory. Returning families need only to review their current listing (in last year's directory) and forward all new/corrected information via the form in the button below. Thank you!
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Digital Back-to-School Forms
Be sure to complete all digital Back-to-School and Magnus Health forms BEFORE the first week of school. You may access them by logging into your PowerSchool account.
Please contact Michael Jones, Director of Technology, with any questions.
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Let's Be Good Neighbors: Please Drive Carefully!
As our campus is in a residential neighborhood, thank you for driving VERY slowly and carefully as you drive to and from School.
Please note that we expect that Richmond City Police will have an increased presence around our campus monitoring the posted 25 mph (10 mph around the curves) speed limits.
If you are approaching a pedestrian exercising, walking a dog, or pushing a stroller, especially given that neighborhood roads are narrow and without sidewalks, we also EXPECT our families to significantly reduce their speeds to WELL BELOW the posted limits (<20 mph). Thank you!
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| Let's Be Friends!
Get connected to keep abreast of St M news, events, calendar changes, and information.
Current and past issues of "This Week at St. Michael's" are now archived on our website under "News and Events," as well as under "Community."
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