Call for Book Fair Volunteers

Our annual Scholastic Book Fair is fast approaching! We are seeking volunteers to assist students with placing orders, total their sales, and return books to cabinets. This year's Book Fair takes place in the All Purpose Room, November 10 - 13th, 9AM-11:30AM and during parent teacher conferences. If you are able to help please contact Lori DiMartino 

Start Earning Your HSA 2014-2015 Assessment Hours -- UPDATED--You Make a Difference!

Thanks to those of you who stepped up to help! 

We are still in need of co-chairs for  Butter Braids. You will earn 10 HSA volunteer hours for chairing an event. 

The Butter Braids fundraiser takes place in the spring. More details available HERE.

For more information on Chairing a Fundraiser click HERE.

The HSA Board is looking for volunteers to fill two positions:  Senior Vice President and Vice President. You will earn 10 HSA volunteer hours for serving on the HSA Board. Please contact Gina McKay at  gina.mmckay@yahoo.com to serve on the board.

The Senior Vice President shall…

a.     Serve a term of 1 year, and then move into the position President the following year.  

b.     Act as aide to the president

c.     In their designated order, perform the duties of the president in the president’s absence or inability to serve

d.     Perform such other duties as may be provided for by these bylaws, prescribed by the parliamentary authority, or directed by the president, the executive board of directors.

 The Vice President shall…

a.     Be responsible for the assessment program.   

b.     Maintain/update family database to reflect all assessment funds and hours accumulated over the course of assessment year (July 1^st to June 30^th).

c.     Receive volunteer hours; list of funds raised by event chairs within two weeks of event completion.

d.     Receive bingo hours and lunchroom/office volunteer hours at least one week prior to assessment statements being distributed.

e.     Print assessment statements and give them to office staff the Wednesday of report card week. 

f.      Send final billing in July to all families who have not met assessment requirements as of June 30^th.

g.     Provide Treasurers with detailed chart of family names and amounts owed as of June 30^th in order for Treasurers to track and deposit assessment monies received.  

Volunteering

We have many opportunities for our families to earn their HSA Volunteer Hours. Read the details here:

Volunteer Opportunities

and 

Information on Chairing a Fundraiser

8 Easy Ways to Help St. Mary-St. Michael School

Check out the 8 School Reward Programs St. Mary-St. Michael School is enrolled in:

1. CC Recycling
2. Coke Rewards
3. Box Tops for Education
4. Labels for Education
5. Stop & Shop A+ Rewards  
6. Target Take Charge of Education
7. Big Y Education Express
8. Tyson Project A+

These programs are easy, convenient ways to earn cash for school supplies and enrichment activities for our students!

Way to Go St. Mary-St. Michael School Families!

A hearty thanks to all our families who signed up for Big Y's Education Express school reward program! Our school earned a total of 137,350 points!  We were able to order some fantastic sports equipment for our students:

• A Volleyball Net
• 2 Volleyballs
• 2 Official Size Basketballs
• 2 Heavy-Duty Playground Balls
• 2 Soccer Balls
• and a Net Ball Carrier

These items will be delivered at the end of March.

Thank You for a Successful Family Dinner!

Thank you all for a successful family dinner-- we had approximately 160 people! We hope you all join us next month for the chicken dinner.

 

A special thank you to the SMSM graduates from the class of 2013 who continually come to the dinners month after month and help us! A few of them are pictured above.

Thank You!

A Guest Post by Carla Lombardo

Maria and I want to take this time and thank everyone who helped us have such a successfull Festival of Trees. We had an amazing team to help with every point of the day. WE cant thank you all enough. It would not have ran so smoothly with out each and everyone of you.

Thanks to our

Kitchen staff -

Santa section -

Raffle section -

Bake sale/chocolate fountain section -

Set up and break down volunteers -

To all of you who donated baskets and wreaths, donating trees and decorating them. Baking for our bake sale...

You all helped us get through our first Co-Chairing on this successful event.

We thank you all. AND That's what this school is about coming together to help each other for our children. IT was a great day!!!

Check out some of these photos:

Renaissance Christmas Dinner

Please join the St. Mary - St. Michael School 

Drama Club for a 

Renaissance Christmas Dinner 

Friday, December 6, 2013 at 6:00PM 

at St. Mary the Immaculate Conception

 in the Church Hall 

212 Elizabeth Street, Derby, CT 06418 

The Evening’s Dining Fare 

Select Cheeses 
Vegetable Crudité 
Kingly Herb-Roasted Fowl 
Court Potato Roast 
Royal Honey-Glazed Root Vegetables 
Bread Pudding 
Gingerbread 
Other Assorted Sweets 

 Festivities will include Raffles, Music, Games, Entertainment, and More! 

Reservations Required 

Tickets are $21 per adult, $12 per child 

To make reservations, or for more information, please contact us: 

Email: SMSMDramaClub@gmail.com 

Stacey Ference 203 – 906 – 7144               

  Autumn Caraglio 203 – 305 – 8628 

Call for Volunteers - Christmas Shopping Spree

The annual Christmas Shopping Spree will be here soon and we are seeking volunteers for the following areas:

1. Help receiving the inventory on November 21st, time to be determined.

2. Help setting up the night before on December 10th.

3. Help assisting the students with shopping and wrapping on December 11th.

The event runs from 9:15 AM to 2:00 PM on Wednesday, December 11th, and any help during the day will be appreciated. This is a fun event for the students!

Please contact Brenda Lagoja at brenda.lagoja@att.net or 203-231-3262 (cell) for more details.

Thank you for your help!

St. Mary - St. Michael Wine Tasting Fundraiser

Our Wine Tasting Fundraiser takes place this Sunday, November 10, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM at 500 Degrees, 181 Main Street, Derby.

Join us for an evening of wine tasting, hors d'oeuvres, basket raffles, and door prizes. $25 per person. To purchase tickets please send in an envelope addressed "Wine Tasting" with you name and the number of tickets you are purchasing. If you have any questions contact the school office at (203) 735- 6471. 

All Proceeds to Benefit 

St. Mary-St. Michael School

HSA November News

The HSA Board gives thanks to our amazing parent volunteers. Thank you for all that you do, for always stepping up to help, and for your vital contributions that create an environment where our students grow and thrive! We are so grateful for your meaningful participation. Happy Thanksgiving, and God bless you and your families.

We invite you to visit our Scholastic Book Fair, November 4th - 6^th, and experience a celebration of reading that provides families the opportunity to get involved in a universal mission: encouraging kids to read every day so they can lead better lives. Our Book Fair theme – Reading Oasis: A Cool Place to Discover Hot Books! – takes students on a journey back to Ancient Egypt to an oasis overflowing with fun, engaging, and affordable books kids want to read.  If you’re all booked up during Book Fair week be sure to visit the Book Fair online. Look for the link on our Book Fair post at HSA Parents. Our Online Fair is available for an extended time from October 30th to November 19th. We look forward to having you participate in our Book Fair and remember all purchases benefit our school.

Our HSA State of the School meeting is scheduled for November 6th at 7:00PM in the All Purpose Room. This informative meeting is a time to reflect on where we have been, where we are, and what is in store for the future. 

Our Wine Tasting Fundraiser takes place Sunday, November 10, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM at 500 Degrees, 181 Main Street, Derby. Join us for an evening of wine tasting, hors d'oeuvres, basket raffles, and door prizes. $25 per person. To purchase tickets please send in an envelope addressed "Wine Tasting" with you name and the number of tickets you are purchasing. If you have any questions contact the school office at (203) 735- 6471. All Proceeds to Benefit St. Mary-St. Michael School.

The Roast Beef Family Dinner is Saturday, November 16th at 5PM in St. Mary's Church Hall. Dinner includes pasta, bread, salad, soda/wine, desert, and coffee/tea. Adults, $15. Children $7.00 (under 5, FREE).   Raffle donations -- seasonal decor items, bottles of wine, candles-- are welcome! You may drop them off at the school, or bring them with you to dinner. Volunteering at our Family Dinners earns HSA assessments hours. Parent volunteers your spouses and children eat free, but we do request you donate a raffle item.

Save the date! Our Festival of Trees Christmas Bazaar takes place Saturday, November 23rd, from 10AM - 3PM in the All Purpose Room.  Join us for Breakfast with Santa! There will be Christmas Tree & Wreath Raffles, a Chinese Auction, and photos with Santa. We have a great line up of unique craft vendors. This is fun way to support our school and get in the holiday spirit.

Thursday Night Bingo - Doors open at 5:00 PM. Kitchen and ticket sales begin at 5:30 PM. Bingo starts at 6:45 PM. Admission packet costs $10.00 which includes 20 games.

Thanks to All who Came Out for Trunk or Treat!

A Guest Post by Diana Brancato

Thanks to all of our friends and families who came out for Trunk or Treat this past Saturday! We had some amazing trunks this year and everyone was raving about the Candy Shop, the Scary Spider (winner of the Trunk Contest- winning a $25.00 gift certificate, courtesy of Antonio's Restaurant) and the Inflated Halloween trunk. 

We saw some very cute princesses, superheroes and musical artists and they all cleaned us out of candy within 15 minutes!  Thank you for all of your candy donations!  Congratulations to Evan in 1st grade and Selena in 3rd grade for winning the Best Costume Contest- they each received a $25.00 gift certificate to Wal-Mart or Target. 

I'd like to thank all of the volunteers who helped in planning and orchestrating Trunk or Treat. Many new families volunteered without knowing what to expect and that is commendable and appreciated. Many families returned to volunteer again this year, which made everything run very smoothly. Trunk or Treat could not have been such a success without all of your involvement... THANK YOU!

Call for Raffle Items

Dear Parents,

We are seeking raffle donations for our November 10th, Wine Tasting Fundraiser.  We will be raffling Wine Gift Baskets.  The value of your gift basket will be deducted from you HSA Assessment. Please send your items in by November 8^h. Remember to tag your items with your family name and include your receipt so we may deduct the value from your assessment. 

If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

Thursday Night Bingo

St. Mary - St. Michael School, 14 Seymour Ave., Derby, hosts Bingo every Thursday night. Doors open at 5:00 PM. Kitchen and ticket sales begin at 5:30 PM. Bingo starts at 6:45 PM. 

Admission packet costs $10.00 which includes 20 games. There are also five ($1.00) specials, a progressive jackpot, a 50/50, quickie, and bonanza games.

Participants should park in the rear lot which is handicapped accessible. For more information contact the school at (203) 735-6471 or send an email to  bingo@stmarystmichael.org .

Employer Matching Gifts

Many corporations double their employees' gifts, sometimes even tripling them! A matching gift form, available from your employer, is required. Below is a partial list of the many corporations in the area that match their employees' gifts:

3M Corporation,  Dow Chemical Company, ADC Telecommunications, Dun & Bradstreet, Aetna Duracell International, Inc.. Allianz of America Eaton Altria The Equitable Foundation. American Express, ExxonMobil, American Int’l Group, Fleet Financial, Arch Chemicals, Inc. , FM Global Arkwright Gartner, Arthur J. Gallagher Found. GE AT&T General Re Corporation Bank of America The Gillette Company, Bank-Austria, Credit Harsco Corporation, Barnes Group, Henry Luce Foundation, BF Goodrich, Hewitt Associates LLC, Black & Decker Corp., Hitachi, Credit America Corp., BP America Inc., Hoechst Celanese, Bristol-Myers Squibb, The Home Depot, USA Business & Legal Reports, IBM Corporation, Capital Group, ING Financial Services Corp. Centre J.P. Morgan, Chase, Chesebrough-Pond, Jefferies & Company, Inc., CIGNA, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Computer Associates Int’l, Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, CPC International, Inc., Kemper Insurance, Cytec Industries Inc., Labatt USA, Inc., Deutsche Bank, Landamerica Financial Group, Dictaphone Corporation. Lucent Technologies, Dominion MasterCard International Inc., MBIA, Inc., Reader’s Digest, McGraw-Hill Rockefeller Foundation, Merck Company, Sara Lee, Merrill Lynch & Co., Shell Oil Company, MetLife Foundation, The St. Paul’s Companies, Minerals Technologies Inc., Stanley Works, Monsanto Survey Sampling, Mott's Inc., Tauck World Discovery Network Associates Thomson Financial, New York Times Co., Thomson Reuters, Olympus America, Inc., Towers Perrin Oracle, UBS, PartnerRe U.S., Unilever United States, Inc., PepsiCo, United Technologies, Pfizer, UPS, Philip Morris, USA Networks, Inc., Pitney Bowes Inc., Verizon, PPG Industries, Vivendi Universal, The PQ Corporation West Group, Prudential Xerox, Quadra Foundation, Inc., XTRA Corporation, Quest Diagnostics, Zurich Reinsurance

Walk-A-Thon Today!

Our Walk-A-Thon takes place today, Tuesday, October 15th at Ryan Field. Meet us at the field, catch up with other parents, and cheer the students on as they earn their pledges.  

One hundred percent of your student's pledges are applied to your family assessment! 

• All students are to report to St. Mary-St. Michael School.
• All students will be transported to Ryan Field by buses at 9:15 AM. This includes PreK and Kindergarten students.
• Students will be encouraged to leave their backpacks at school.
• At the conclusion of the Walk-A-Thon the students will brought back to school by bus. (approx. 10:30 AM)
• Lunch will be served as usual.
• Students are to wear their gym uniforms (sweatpants, sweatshirts, flannels, sneakers).
• Students may bring water as a beverage for the walk.

HSA October News

Happy autumn! We have a great October planned for our families.

The 3rd Annual Saints Open Golf Tournament to benefit St. Mary-St. Michael School will be held on Monday, October 7, 2014 at Race Brook Country Club in Orange.  

Thursday, October 10th, is Breast Cancer Awareness Day at St. Mary - St. Michael School. The Student Council is sponsoring a PINK change of pace. Their goal is 100% participation for this worthwhile cause. The requested donation is $2.00 or more and will benefit the Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness at Griffiin Hospital.

Tuesday, October 15^th is our Walk-A-Thon at Ryan Field. Meet us at the field and cheer the children on as they earn their pledges!

The Galaxy Fundraiser began September 30th and ends on Wednesday, October 16th. Galaxy has a wide range of quality products that include: Cookies & Candles, Wrapping Paper, Household Items, Holiday Decor, Magazines, Chocolate and more! 

Join us Saturday, October 19th in St. Mary's Church Hall for a Porchetta Family Dinner.  Dinner includes pasta, vegetable, salad, bread, soda/wine, desert, and coffee/tea. Adults $15. Children $7.00 (under 5, FREE).  

Trunk or Treat is Saturday, October 26^th from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM. After treating is complete come to the All Purpose Room for food, crafts and games! Trunkers should arrive by 5:30 PM to set up. If you would like to decorate your vehicle and hand out candy please contact Diana Brancato at hsa@stmarystmichael.org. Trunkers earn three HSA assessment hours. Rain date: Sunday, October 27^th , 5PM-7:30PM.

Thursday Night Bingo! Doors open at 5:00 PM. Kitchen and ticket sales begin at 5:30 PM. Bingo starts at 6:45 PM. For more information contact the school at (203) 735-6471 or send an email to bingo@stmarystmichael.org

Thanks to All our Pumpkin Festival Volunteers

A Guest Post by Mark Adams, Chairperson

I would like to thank everyone who helped participate at the Pumpkin Festival on Sunday, their efforts were invaluable for the day-long event. I would like to especially thank Chris Bohon for taking the lead and facilitating all the behind-the-scenes work, there a tremendous amount of planning for such a short period.

Please join me in thanking:

Robert and Michelle Santiago and mom Nilsa Grafals (who absolutely embarrassed me on the grille),

Peter Caraligio,

Lori DiMartino,

Bruce Hescock,

Maria and Vinny Brinkmann,

Maria Alvarez,

Dorota Trojak,

Jim Maher, &

Christine Bohon

We made a nice little profit, got our name out to the community featuring “Mrs. C’s Famous Kielbasa”, and spent some nice and needed bonding time as families of one community.

Thank you again for all your hard work. It is greatly appreciated.

- Mark Adams

8 Easy Ways to Help St. Mary-St. Michael School

Check out the 8 School Reward Programs St. Mary-St. Michael School is enrolled in:

1. Big Y Education Express
2. CC Recycling
3. Coke Rewards
4. Box Tops for Education
5. Labels for Education
6. Stop & Shop A+ Rewards  (Reminder: Stop & Shop requires that your register your card each new school year.)
7. Target Take Charge of Education
8. Tyson Project A+

These programs are easy, convenient ways to earn cash for school supplies and enrichment activities for our students!

Donations Sought for Festival of Trees Christmas Bazaar

A Guest Post by Carla Lombardo & Maria Brinkmann, Festival of Trees Co-Chairs

Dear Parents,

It’s almost that time again!!! Festival of Trees Christmas Bazaar is right around the corner. We are seeking donations for this November 23^rd fundraiser. The Festival features a Chinese Auction, Themed gift baskets, Seasonal Décor, Wine, Candy, Candles, Stocking Stuffer, and Toys baskets, just to name a few examples of the types of items we are seeking to raffle. Your donations for this school fundraiser would be much appreciated.

The value of your item/s will be deducted from your HSA Assessment. Please send your donated items in by November 8^th. Remember to tag your items with your family name and include your receipt or estimated dollar value so we may deduct the amount from your assessment.

            

We also are looking for volunteers to decorate, pre-lit Christmas Trees and wreaths once they are donated. If you would like to donate a wreath or pre-lighted tree we are taking those too.

This is a super fun festival for the whole family to attend. Room Parents may be interested in having their class decorate a tree as well. The Trees and Wreaths will also be raffled at the Festival.

Along with this donation request we included Sponsor letters in the last Friday Folder for the trees or wreaths. Please feel free to make copies and hand these to any business you think might be interested in sponsoring.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact either one of us.

We thank you!

Carla Lombardo & Maria Brinkmann

Co-chairs

Beadog15@yahoo.com or 

maria_brinkmann@hotmail.com