| Week of December 15, 2014
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| "I want to keep coding as it is really fun to do and it makes your brain smarter!" (-A quote from a 3rd grader in Mrs. Hettrick's Class) St. Michael's dove enthusiastically into The Hour of Code this week as our students in both schools practiced coding and brain skills.
Our budding computer scientists tell us that they are eager to keep coding at home over the holidays! So, if you need some quiet time during the hustle and bustle of Christmas, have your kids do some coding! Here are some recommended sites:
- For grades K-2: https://www.kodable.com/ (Kodable is a self-guided iPad game that introduces kids 5+ to programming basics. Having a teacher or parent nearby is optimal, but not necessary).
- For grades 3-5: http://code.org/learn (Our students started with the "Angry Birds" coding game and moved on to "Coding with Elsa and Anna" for a harder challenge).
- For Middle School: http://scratch.mit.edu/ (Scratch is a free programming language and online community where you can create your own interactive stories, games, and animations).
Be sure to check out the St. Michael's mention in the online news coverage of the Hour of Code on WTVR. Here is the link!
St. Michael's is so very thankful for Carol Wise and Melanie Price for leading our Hour of Code initiative. BIG high fives to you both for getting our students energized about computer science!
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Christmas Pageant: - The Christmas Pageant dress rehearsal will be held at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 18, 2014, at the Bon Air Campus. As always, Middle School students will attend the dress rehearsal. Thus, Middle School students should be dropped off at the St. Michael’s Church by 8:15 a.m. that morning. Drivers who have signed up to transport students back to the Singleton campus should be at the church no later than 9:00 a.m. Students will be assigned to a driver by their homeroom teachers.
- For families coming to the Pageant on Friday, December 19, the chuch will open at 8 a.m. for the 9 a.m. presentation.
Yoga Coming to the Middle School! After school yoga classes will be offered to the Middle School girls from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday afternoons starting January 14th. Details to follow in January. Namaste!
Lower School Author Visit: Author Jennifer Hollands has rescheduled her visit with 2nd-5th classes for Tuesday, January 13th. If you purchased copies of Jennifer Holland's books for her to sign, please have your child bring them to Mrs. Wise by January 12th. Put a slip of paper securely inside the front cover of the book(s) with your child’s first and last name, grade and teacher’s name. Please contact Mrs. Wise if you have any questions. Book Fair Gift Cards: The SMPA is selling Book Fair Gift Cards that can be redeemed during the St M Book Fair on January 27-29. Gift cards can be purchased November 24-December 17. Click here for more information.
Meetings with Michael: Thanks to everyone who came out to share their thoughts and ideas on co-curriculars and what might be "awesome" in terms of after school activities at St M. Thanks to the SMPA for hosting these sessions!
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Admissions Yard Sign Ambassadors
Our best ambassadors for St. Michael's are our families! Will you help us get the word out to prospective families about our Middle School Open House?
Once again we are looking for families willing to post Open House signs in their yards after Christmas preferably in high visibility areas near Mary Munford, Fox, Tuckahoe, Maybeury, Bettie Weaver and Robious Elementary Schools. Presently drawing families from 32 zipcodes, this is an wonderful opportunity to spread our message. (Over the past four years, we have added an average of two new student zipcodes per year.)
Interested? Please send your name, address and email to Betty Isaacs by December 19. Thanks so much!
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Middle School Admissions Season Underway
'Tis the season… to start thinking about Middle School Admissions! Please help us spread the word to prospective rising sixth grade families that we are accepting applications and Middle School tours are every Friday. (Please call to schedule.)
Our Middle School Open House is Sunday, January 11, 2015, at 2 p.m. for prospective families and at 3 p.m. for our current St. Michael's families at the Singleton Campus. Click here to register. We hope you will visit and see how We Do Small in a BIG Way!
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| Magic Dragon Day Collections:
If you find yourself in an "Out with the old and in with the new!" frame of mind over the holidays, please be sure to keep the following items for Magic Dragon Day, May 2, 2015:
- Stuffed Animals - Please set aside your child's gently used stuffed animals to be "won" at the Pet Palace on Magic Dragon Day. Please hold onto your animals at home. We will put the call out for our fuzzy friends to come to school for collection at a later date.
- Used Spirit Wear/ Blue Blazers - Donate gently used St M Spirit Wear and navy blue blazers that your child has outgrown. Again, please hold these items at home at this time until we put out collection requests closer to May.
- Please note, the Used Book Sale will not be a part of MDD this year. Any prior book donations can be held in the SMPA room, but please do not submit any more used books at this time. This is a change from previous years.. Thanks!
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Holiday Community Outreach
A HUGE thanks to all Lower School families who generously donated toiletry and food items to help the Children's Hospital of Richmond, The Virginia Home and Ronald McDonald House during the Christmas season. Our students have completed beautiful Christmas cards in art class for the patients and residents. The Middle School sold candy canes to support Heifer International during this season of giving. Students were educated about the Heifer model. The model is simple: you give the gift of animals, and Heifer provides the livestock, training and critical opportunities to families in the world’s poorest places. These gifts provide a family in need with the dignity of feeding themselves…the means to pay for clothing…an education…doctor’s visits…decent shelter…and ultimately the ability to help others.
Each family who receives an animal agrees to give the animal’s first offspring to another family in need. Our gifts will keep on giving!
The Middle School students raised $340, and the SCA has approved the purchase of one goat, one sheep and five flocks of chicks. We are pleased to not only raise awareness, but to help in the global effort to eradicate poverty.
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| Have a Holly Jolly Christmas! Our students have had so much fun celebrating the season!
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| 10 more days until Christmas... Have a blessed holiday! Early Dismissal on Friday, December 19: - Grades K-3 students are dismissed immediately after our Christmas Pageant.
- Grades 4-5 are dismisssed at noon.
- Grades 6-8 are dismissed at 11:45 a.m.
Lower School:- Championship Chess, Wednesday, 12/17, 2:40 to 3:40 p.m.
- Christmas Pageant, Friday 12/19, 9 a.m. in the Church. For those coming to the show, the Church will open at 8 a.m.
- Boys JV Bball practice, Tuesday, 12/16, 5:30-7 p.m.
- Boys JV Bball practice, Thursday, 12/18, 7-8:30 p.m.
- Boys JV Bball GAME, Saturday, 12/20, 4 p.m. vs. Steward @St M
- Save the date for the Book Fair! January 27-29. More info to follow after the holidays.
Middle School: - Eighth Grade Exams, December 12-19. Click here for the exam schedule. Good luck to all!
- REMINDER: All Middle School students should be dropped off at the Bon Air Campus on Thursday morning, 12/18, at 8:15 a.m. to attend the Christmas Pageant dress rehearsal.
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