Good afternoon SMS Families!
We have had a great testing week here, although I am sure both student and teacher are ready to get back to our normal schedule. As many of you know, I refuse to get too high or to low regarding testing, and we will never be a school that "teaches to the test", but results are looking really good so far, and it is gratifying to see the growth on paper. Kudos to our students and teachers for their hard work in the first half of the school year.
This week at morning prayer among other things, we talked about the finding of Jesus at the Temple. We explored the circumstances of how the child Jesus became separated from Mary and Joseph and it led us to a discussion about our priorities. How the world tells us to always put our own happiness, and things that we want first, often times making the same prideful mistake Adam and Eve made. We spent some time reflecting on, "how do I prioritize my relationship with God". This week we will read from the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 6 and 7.
Special thanks to Mike Jennings who is coming in Friday the 16th to talk to our 5-8 grades about the real estate business during Life-skills class!
We are about three weeks from the SMS Gala! Please plan to support this event as it will directly benefit your child, and beyond that, it will give us a great opportunity to get together as a school community and have some fun. Thanks to everyone who has been working behind the scenes to make this a success. I know there have been several awesome prizes donated so far, but there is still a long way to go to get to the goal. You can register or donate here, or call the school or parish office.
Special Note: Georgetown will not have bus service tomorrow. If you need bus service via the SMS bus, please reach out and let me know. We could have some limited seating available.
We are excited to announce that the "St. Patrick's Day Party for a Purpose" has chosen SMS as a beneficiary this year. All proceeds will go to our resource officer fund. Their party is March 14 at the Venue in Mt. Orab. If you are able, I encourage you to attend or help their cause in any way. They do so much every year to help in our community.
Looking ahead at next week:
Monday- No School, MLK Jr Day
Tuesday- School resumes
Wednesday- 8th grade visits Southern Hills CTC. Please fill out permission slips on OptionC
Friday- Chuck Burke will talk to 5-8 grades about careers in the field of Science
Catholic Schools Week (January 25-30)
I would like to remind parents in grades 1-5 to sign permission slips for the Greenacres Field Trip coming up during Catholic Schools Week.
I would also like to remind all of our parents to log into OptionC to sign eform permission slips for the trip to the bowling alley on the Monday of Catholic Schools Week. Please remember we are asking for $10 per student to help with the cost of Catholic Schools Week activities. If you would like to pay online, just let me know and I will bill it to your account, otherwise, you are welcome to send in checks or cash in an envelope with your child(ren)'s name(s) and marked "CSW".
Remember we will need some desserts to be donated for the community soup supper at the Methodist Church. Desserts should be delivered by Wednesday, Jan 28
We are still looking for a few Safe Parish compliant volunteers to help with lunch duty on Friday the 30th so teachers can have lunch together for Staff Appreciation.
Special Events- We have two events we are sure everyone is looking forward to! The SMS Mother-Son Night Out is all set for Friday, January 30 from 7:30-9:30 at the YMCA in Maysville. and the Father- Daughter Dance is set for Friday, February 13 from 6:00-8:00 at the Library Annex in Ripley.
It's a busy time of year for sure, but lots of great things happening every day at SMS. Thank you for all you do to help create this atmosphere for our children. It is an honor to serve St. Michael School. Have a great weekend!