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| August 27 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. (The positive energy in our halls during Meet Your Teacher Day and Middle School Orientation was amazing!) We also extend a very warm St. Michael's 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. 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 and social media.
Let's be friends! Be sure to check out and LIKE our St M Facebook, Twitter, 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:
- Students, remember to bring a lunch, snack, and water bottle this week.
- A reminder that students in grades K-5 do NOT have school on Monday, August 29.
- 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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Movie Night Time ChangeSunday, August 28: How to Train Your Dragon
Field Opens, 7:30 p.m. | Movie Begins, 8 p.m. | St. Michael's Balzer Athletic Field
PLEASE NOTE THE TIME CHANGE: The outdoor movie company assisting St M has necessitated a time change for our event. Please RSVP.
Eighth Graders: To kick off all the ways we will celebrate our Class of 2023 this year, your class will receive special reserved seating AND special treats at the event so grab your friends and see you at the movie!!
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| Middle School Orientation Schedule (Grades 6-8) for Monday, August 29 - 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 by grade.
- New students should bring their birth certificates to the front office.
- COME SHOP! The Spiritwear POP-UP SHOP will be open in the Perkinson Arts Center from 8 a.m.-Noon on Monday.
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School Hours (Starting Tuesday, August 30)
Tuesday, August 30, is the first FULL day of school for ALL students.
For the 2022-23 school year, St. Michael’s will return to our standard school hours:
- School Day: 8 a.m. to 2:55 p.m.
- Free Morning Gym beginning at 7:20 a.m.
- If not attending Morning Gym, the morning drop-off window is 7:40-7:55 a.m. (Students should be in their seats and ready to start the school day by 8 a.m.)
- Afternoon pickup is between 2:55 p.m. and 3:05 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 #DragonPride2022. Or, email your photos to our Communications Office for posting. Go BLUE! Go WHITE! 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.
IMPORTANT INFO ON CARPOOL LANE ASSIGNMENTS:
LOWER SCHOOL:
- Lower School families received their carpool placards/loop assignments at Meet Your Teacher Day on August 25.
- 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.
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 sun visor name placard visible (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
- NEVER PASS another car (ALL carpool lanes are NO PASSING zones)
- NEVER EVER be on the phone while in carline
- Please leave pets at home
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Pack a Lunch for the First Two Weeks of School
Our hot lunch program WILL NOT BEGIN until Monday, SEPTEMBER 12, so be sure to pack lunches for your child until then.
St M families will be able to update their Yay Lunch registrations/place future orders beginning SEPTEMBER 7. Lower School families need to include teacher assignments. Middle School just needs grade level.
Families will receive a 20% discount on their first order placed before October 2 by using the promo code sayyay20. Also, families may now order up until Sunday at noon (versus Saturday) for the following week.
IMPORTANT: For grades K-8, please have your child bring a snack and a water bottle EVERY DAY, including half-days.
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Friday, Sept. 2 is DRAGON DRESS DAY!
Which class will have the MOST school spirit?
Friday, September 2, 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 and wear a visitor name tag. Security cameras are installed throughout the buildings. We want to reassure you that our number one priority is the safety and security of our students and employees.
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Academic Calendar
Click below for a copy of the Academic Calendar (updated in August) which contains school holidays, early dismissal, and other important dates. Please note the updates in red.
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Dress Code & Spiritwear Pop-Up Shop
As our students select their clothes for the first day of school, please remember to refer to our 2022-2023 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!
- COME SHOP! Our Back to School Spiritwear Pop-Up Shop will continue in the Perkinson Arts Center on Monday, August 29, from 8 a.m.-Noon.
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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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2022-23 COVID Protocols
St M will follow COVID isolation, quarantine, and close contact guidelines set by VDH and applicable law. As the virus moves to an endemic stage, we will not be sending out a weekly COVID dashboard this year. Click below for a summary of our COVID protocols. Please contact Nurse Maben with any questions.
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2022-23 COVID-19 Reporting Form
Please inform the School IMMEDIATELY via the COVID-19 Reporting Form link below if someone in your family has been exposed or is being tested for COVID-19. The confidentiality of the diagnosed student or teacher will be maintained.
If your children exhibit any signs of illness, please keep them AT HOME until you talk to St. Michael's nurse, Shawnetta Maben.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you submit your COVID reporting form AFTER HOURS or ON A WEEKEND, please keep your child AT HOME until you hear from Nurse Maben on the next school day.
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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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