Hello SMS Families!
We are in the home stretch for Christmas Break! The weather is looking sketchy for the weekend, and very cold next week, but it is December and this is Ohio so... We will see what that all brings, and of course if there are any schedule changes due to weather we will let you know as soon as possible via text, FB, and the SMS app. Please remember, we have students who come from many different directions in some cases we have some families who live over an hour away from other families. We try to make the right call for safety purposes, but if we ever have school, but you don't feel it is safe to drive from your home, you can stay home and it will be an excused absence. Just let us know.
This week in morning prayer, we talked about how we need to be careful not only to avoid sin, but especially to avoid causing other people to sin. It might be by talking with someone about things we shouldn't be talking about, showing people bad things we might see on phones or devices, or even gossiping about anyone. All of these things can lead to hurting our own souls and the souls of others, not to mention these sins hurt families, friendships, teams, and schools. This week we will continue to read from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah as we continue our preparation for the coming of Jesus this Advent!
Tomorrow, we are scheduled to participate in the Ripley Christmas Parade and Christmas tree lighting. We do plan to participate. Parade lineup begins at 5pm at Ripley Elementary. Students should dress warmly if they are going to ride the float. There are a lot of moving parts here. If school is cancelled due to weather tomorrow, we will not pull the float in the parade. If we have school, we will participate as scheduled. Also, if we don't have school, our dulcimer players will not perform.
On Wednesday, we will be sending home a white folder with the youngest in each family. Please keep an eye out for these folders. They will contain information regarding the upcoming St. Michael Gala, information pertaining to the Scholarship Granting Organization that I spoke of on Facebook that will benefit all of our families, and midterms for grades 3-8. (We are not going to send midterms for K-2 due to the standards based grading system.)
Looking ahead at this week:
Monday- " 'Tis Better to Give than Receive"
Students in uniform
5th-8th grade field trip to Ohio Supreme Court (please remember to pack lunches and fill out permission slips!)
We will collect donations of personal hygiene items for the local food pantry
Tuesday- "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
Students may wear SMS spiritwear
Homerooms will make Christmas cards for local nursing homes
Wednesday- "Show Your Christmas Spirit!"
Students may wear Christmas themed clothing
The School Spelling Bee will begin at 1:00 in the Parish Hall
Look for White SMS Folder
Thursday- "T'was the Night Before the Last Day of School"
Students may wear appropriate pajamas
Homeroom parties in the afternoon
There will be no Ripley afternoon bus
Friday- "I'll Be Home for Christmas"
Students in uniform for Mass
Packed lunch day
Christmas activities
PBIS rewards
12:30 dismissal
No Ripley bus (am or pm)
We will return to school Monday, January 5. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!