Friday May 13, 2016
Weekly Newsletter
“The joy is born from knowing that with him we are never
alone, even at difficult moments.” – Pope Francis, The Church
of Mercy
Reminders and
Upcoming Events

5/17 – Art Show/Spring
Concert
No Hot Lunch
Dear SMS Families,

We can really feel the onset of the end of school
frenzy! May has become that month where we try
to fit a lot in. It has been a busy week!
5/20 – Gr. 8 Benediction
and Dinner

5/23 – SMS Annual
Scramble and Spring Fling
Dinner
We had our last Sr. Luncheon on Tuesday. The
kindergartners did a wonderful job entertaining
our seniors with their rendition of “God Bless
America.” Thank you to Amy Bruce, the Parish
Volunteers, our SMS volunteers and Msgr. for all
the help and support with this community
endeavor. Next year, Liz Carrozza will take over
the lead in this for SMS.
On Wednesday, our 5th grade students enjoyed
their Middle School Orientation with their future
teachers. They then celebrated with a pizza lunch
with the other middle schoolers who helped
welcome them on their new journey! Thank your
middle school teachers and students for your help
with this!
Wednesday after-school our back play area came
alive with enthusiasm and service for Walk for
Water. This was sponsored by the 7-Service Club
who did a great job organizing and running it. It
was a beautiful afternoon for our community.
Thank you Mrs. Fahey and the 7-Service Club!
Also, a big thank you to the staff, students and
parents in attendance for their help and support!
Cont’d on next page…
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QUICK LINKS
SMS Website
www.smsridgefield.org
Spirit Wear Orders
http://www.smsridgefield.org/Abo
ut_Us/Saint_Mary_Spiritwear_2015
.pdf
Note from Mrs. O’Rourke Cont’d…
It was a celebration of French and Spanish
speaking countries and famous people at the
World Language Expo on Thursday! What a
spectacular array of information about the
land, food, culture, music and fashion of these
countries. This was another wonderful
learning experience for all. A big thank you to
Madame B, Senora Manno and Senora Wein for
your help and support with this endeavor.
Also, thank you to all of our K – 8 students
who participated to make this such a success!
4th Grade celebrates
Nurse Linda
Next week we look forward to our Spring Art
Show and Concert on Tuesday evening for
students in PreK through grade 8! Also next
week, we have our Student Government
elections for next year! Good luck to those
candidates running for office!
Have a great weekend! Blessings and peace!
Anna
Thank you Nurse Linda
for all you do!
Pentecost is Sunday, May 15th
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Preschool News
Ms. Gallo and Mrs. China's Preschool 4s
are really enjoying our science unit
entitled, "From Seed To Plant"! We used
many texts and films to learn about what
plants need to grow tall and healthy. We
also mapped out the stages of the life
cycle of a seed and drew the 4 stages in
great detail. We are very proud of our
little scientists! They are using terms such
as seed, root, stem, leaves, pollen, soil,
sunlight, and water. After gaining all of
this knowledge, we put it to good use by
decorating cups, scooping soil, and
planting our own individual Lima bean
seeds! We will make observations and
watch them grow. We will draw our
observations in our science journals and
share them with our peers. How exciting!
We can't wait to see how tall our plants
will grow after giving them tender-loving
care!
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More News from our Preschool “Rising Stars”
This week, we had a very fun visit from
Madison’s mom. Mrs. Couri came to our
outdoor play area with a box of baby
chicks. Our extended day 3’s were
excited to touch their soft feathers and
learn some fun facts about chickens.
Thank you, Mrs. Couri, for an eggcellent surprise!
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May Crowning
On May 6th the 3rd grade participated in the
May Crowning Mass. At the conclusion of the
Mass, Audrey Greenleaf and Conor Donohue
crowned Mary with a wreath of roses. Each
third grader then presented Mary with a
single white or red rose.
News from
Lower School Spanish
Senora Wein celebrates
Cinco De Mayo with the
4th grade
The World Language EXPO was a
huge success!
SMS students,
parents and faculty enjoyed a
wonderful morning. We will share
pictures and highlights in next
week’s newsletter.
Again, congratulations to all who
participated!
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"Keeler Tavern”
By Charlie Alessi
On May 4th my class went to the Keeler
tavern Museum to learn about Colonial
history. Right here in Ridgefield. We walked
about one mile along Main Street to get
there.
All along the way we read the
Museum on the Street signs. When we
arrived at the museum, “Ester Keeler”
greeted us, told us a little about the Tavern,
and then we split up into groups for the tour.
Something I enjoyed about the tour was
going to the barn to play Colonial games such
as “skittles”. It was a game where you pulled
a string on a top and tried to know down
miniature pins. Another thing I liked about
the trip was the cannonball, the bayonet and
a uniform from one of the Militia soldiers. In
closing, this trip was fun and I learned a lot
about Colonial history.
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More Keeler Tavern pictures…
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Middle School Orientation
On Wednesday the 5th grade attended
Middle School Orientation. They spent the
afternoon asking questions and spending
time with current middle schoolers. What a
beautiful day for team building activities
outside!!
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Student News
On Sunday May 15th, SMS Cub Scout Pack
124 will be racing their car in the Cub Mobile
Derby in Ridgefield with other local Cub
Scout Packs.
The name of their car is "All Hands on Deck".
.
Best of Luck SMS Cub
Scouts!
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