Parent E-NewsletterVol. 10, No. 1 August 30, 2019

This Week...School Year Underway

Welcome New Students

Sweatshirt/Fleece Orders

Drop-off and Pick-up

Reminders

ParentsWeb Info

Girl Scouts

Cub Scouts

Shred and E-Cyc le

Chicken Dinner

Hot Lunch Volunteers

Wings Shirts

Bishop Brennan

Kindergarten

Fall Sports

Preschool

Extended Care News

Virtus Training

Small Fry Wrestling

Invitation

Mark YourCalendars!

September 2: Labor Day - NoSchool

September 7: Shred and E-Cycle Event

September 11-13: CampMagis (grade 7)

September 12: Box TopShopping

September 15: 11:30Mustang Mass; ChickenDinner 12:30-3:30

September 20: ChildhoodCancer Awareness DressDown; End of 1st mid-quarter; PA Bake Sale

If any E-News reader has a

School Year Off to a Great Start!The first full week of the 2019-2020 school year is in the books! Thestudents and teachers are getting settled in and are ready for a greatnew year. Although summer break has come to an end, there weremany smiling faces and only a few tears...from the parents, ofcourse.

2019 Faculty and Staff.

change in email address,please send your newcontact information to KimBurge.

Quick Links...SMPS WebsiteParish Website

Our website is mobilefriendly! Check it out onyour Smartphone or iPad!

Santini family on the first day of school.

Students heading to mass on the 1st day of school (blessing of thebackpacks).

New Families and StudentsAt SMPS, we are always open to new classmates and families. Thisyear has proved to be no different. In addition to our early childhoodstudents, we have 29 new faces throughout the school. We welcomeall of our new students and their families and hope that they areenjoying being part of the SMPS family!

Order Forms - Sweatshirt/Fleece The fleece and sweatshirt order forms went home yesterday.All ordersare due back to school by Friday, September 6th. In case you stillneed a form, please print the form , fill it out, and return to school.

Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedure RemindersOur morning drop-off procedure in the Angelus Lot has been runningmore smoothly with each day. Thank you so much for yourcooperation!

Please keep the following tips in mind to help facilitate easy flow oftraffic during drop-off.

Pull up as far as you can through the drop-off zone beforeallowing your children to get out of the car. Teachers will helpto let you know when the kids should exit the car as we work tominimize any back-ups in traffic flow.Please refrain from using your cell phone in the drop-off line.There is a lot happening in a relatively small area and we wanteveryone focused on the safety of the children.Please be cautious and courteous when using the neighborhoodstreets. Obey all traffic laws and speed limits for the safety ofthose living in the neighborhood.Please enter at the far entrance to the Angelus Center and exitby turning right onto Lynwood.If you arrive after the teachers have gone inside the AngelusCenter, you need to park and walk you child into the office andsign him/her in.

When picking up students from the Angelus Center in the afternoonplease remember the follow rules:

All cars should enter from the far end of the lot and park facingNational Road.The first full row is reserved for the preschool families.Students are not permitted to walk into the parking lot until ateacher blows the whistle to dismiss them (including studentswalking with parents to the car)Wait for the teacher to start dismissing your row and payattention to the flow of cars leaving around you (there shouldnot be large gaps between cars exiting)If directed to exit onto National road, all cars must turn right.Please refrain from turning left onto the "L streets"

If directed to exit onto Lynwood, all cars must turn right (it isa one way street)

If you have any questions about the drop-off or pick-up procedure,please contact the school office or Mrs. Burge.

Attention Parents: Please Create RenWebAccounts and Update Necessary FormsJust a reminder to our SMPS parents to please take a minute thisweek to update or create your ParentsWeb account in RenWeb if youhave not already done so. This is where you will complete your contactinformation, view grades, and provide emergency information foryour child, among other things. Here's the link to get youstarted: https://smp-wv.client.renweb.com/pw/

If you have questions or difficulty, send an email to Mrs. Burge atmrsburge@smpswv.org.

Girl ScoutsCome join the fun, COME JOIN GIRL SCOUTS!

Our Saint Michael Girl Scout troop will be having a Sign Up night onThursday, August 30th from 6:30 pm until 7:30 pm in the schoolcafeteria to discuss our upcoming year in Girl Scouts. Please comeand find out about the fun that we have. Girl Scouts learn lifetimeleadership skills. They learn how to be a G.I.R.L, which stands forGo-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker and Leader. They develop self-confidence and learn how to make an impact in their community. Previous projects have included donated candy and nut sale proceedsto disaster relief in Texas, collection for at risk children, donation toa safety fence for girls softball field and more. Our girls learn aboutthe Girl Scout law, do crafts, earn rewards for meeting goals, learnabout different curricula such as water conservation, world cultures,performing skits and building creativity, civics, survival skills, andmore. We go camping, go to amusement parks and the zoo, and takepart in local and regional activities.

If you are in 4th grade and up, come and learn about how you can joinus for a trip to New York City this fall to see the world famousRockettes and more! If you have been a Girl Scout in the past, comeback. If you are a current Girl Scout, then renew. If you are aprospective Girl Scout we hope you will join our troop! Come join theorganization that has been serving girls and their needs for over 100years! The cost for your first year is $25. Financial aid is availablefor membership or activities during the year through the BlackDiamond Girl Scout Council.

Our leaders are Jennifer Robinson for Brownies, Kelly Murphy andMargaret Zoeckler for Juniors. We need one or more people: aparent, grandparent, or other interested adult to help with theKindergarten and First Grade Daisy scouts. These girls learn thebasics about Girl Scouts and more. I have been a leader for GirlScouts for my 4th year now and it is rewarding getting to know yourdaughter or granddaughter's friends and seeing the development inthem over the years. If you have any questions, please contactMargaret Zoeckler at 304 312 8731. Join Girl Scouts: make adifference!

Cub Scouts

Join Cub Scouts at St. Michael's Pack 5 Your scouting adventure startshere!

Every year our scouts (and their parents) enjoy amazing adventures. From the Pinewood Derby to overnights at Sandscrest scout camp,trips to museums, outdoor adventures, swimming, earning belt loopsand more await you when you join Cub Scouts. Cub Scout Pack 5 is hosting a sign-up night at St Michael's School inthe cafeteria on Wednesday, September 4th from 6 pm to 7 pm.All families with girls and boys in Kindergarten through 5th grade arewelcome. For questions and more information please contact Keith Zoeckler at304-312-7608 or email him at keithzscout@gmail.com

Community Shred and E-Cycle DayOnce again St. Michael Parish Angleus Center will be the location forthe Wheeling Shred Day. See the flyer below for more information.

Winner Winner Chicken DinnerPlease join us for our annual Winner Winner Chicken Dinner onSunday, September 15, 2019. It is sure to be a great time again thisyear!

Hot Lunch Volunteers St. Michael Parish School is seeking volunteers for hot lunch this year.If you, or a friend, relative, or even neighbor would be interested involunteering a day or two a month, please contact Mrs. Michelle Kovalin the school office.

Wear Your Wings ShirtsThe deadline to order Wear Your Wings shirts is Tuesday, Sept. 3 by8:30am. Download and print an additional form by clicking this link.

Bishop Brennan Visits SMPSThe student body had the wonderful opportunity to watch theinstallation mass of our new bishop, Bishop Mark Brennan onThursday, August 22 in the Angelus Center.

Student body watching the installation mass.

Bishop Brennan then celebrated our school mass on Wednesday. Aftermass he shook hands with all of the students and visited manyclassrooms. It brought great joy to the students and faculty to haveBishop Brennan at SMPS. Thank you Bishop Brennan!

Bishop Brennan delivering the homily at mass.

Bishop Brennan and Mrs. Carter with first grade.

Bishop Brennan shaking hands with Isabella Contraguerro aftermass.

Kindergarten Fun!

Kindergarten prayer wall.

Kindergarten is so happy to be back in school. They have created awonderful prayer wall and peaceful place to pray. Kindergarten did alesson on learning to LIVE and LOVE like Jesus. Each student wasgiven an opportunity to share something nice about a classmate. Thekind words and we placed on the tootle board! The goal is to have thestudents focus on "tootling" instead of "tattling" and to look for theGOOD in others.

Tootles board.

Fall SportsVolleyball, football, and 5/6 girls' basketball are all in full swing forthis year. Schedules for all sporting events can be found on ourwebsite. Please follow the new athletics page, SMPS Athletics, onFacebook and Instagram. Our new Athletic Director is Mrs. AprilJones. She can be reached at mrsjones@smpswv.org. We hope thatyou all can come out to support our Mustangs!!

Jr. Knights Football apparel sale is ongoing until tomorrow. Checkout this site to place your order.

Preschool FriendsWe are so happy to welcome our Preschool friends to school thisweek! The 3 and 4 year olds have already had so much fun and havelearned a lot. It sure is great to see their smiling faces!

Extended Care News Extended Care Services, coordinated by Mrs. Betty Letzelter, willoperate nearly the same as last year. Extended Care paperwork andrates were sent home with students but are also available in theoffice.

Important details for parents about the extended care program arehighlighted below:

Extended Care normal hours of operation are 3:00 p.m. to 5:45p.m. (Monday-Friday).Children will be at the SMPS School Hall/Cafeteria until3:30p.m. Then they will go to the playground/Angelus Centergymnasium.On all early dismissal days, Extended Care Service will be openfrom 12:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Children will remain in theSchool Hall/Cafeteria until 12:30 p.m. to eat their lunch.Children must bring a lunch on Early Dismissal Days if attendingExtended Care.

If you are interested in sending your child to Extended Care on anygiven day, please write a note in your child's agenda book. If yourplans change and you prefer to pick up your child immediately afterschool, simply call the school office to advise (304.242.3966, Ext. 2).If you have any additional questions about the Extended Careprogram, please contact the school office.

Reminder - ALL Volunteers Must Be VirtusTrainedWe remind all parents and grandparents that if you plan to volunteerat SMPS this year -- whether in the classroom, cafeteria, as a fieldtrip driver, or as a helper at the Angel Walk -- you must complete a

Virtus training ("Protecting God's Children for Adults") and provideyour certificate of completion to the school office. If you are alreadyVirtus certified from a previous year, you do not need to repeat thetraining. The process is very steam-lined and the training can becompleted online. The process is as follows:

1. Complete the online Virtus training by visiting the followingURL: www.virtusonline.org/virtus/reg. At the end of thesession, make sure to print your certificate and turn it in tothe school office.

2. Contact Mrs. Mullin in the school office for the paperwork thatgrants permission for the Diocese to perform a backgroundcheck.

For more information or for questions on Virtus certification, pleasecontact Mrs. Lisa Mullin in the school office.

Small Fry WrestlingIs your child interested inn wrestling? If so, check out the flyerattached here to sign up for The Greater Wheeling Small-FryWrestling Association.

You are InvitedYou are invited to join Alex Nagem and Deacon Doug Breiding for afour week series by the Augustine Institute on The Presence: TheMystery of the Eucharist, which will be held Tuesday evenings at 6pmat St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Elm Grove. These presentations willheld from September 17th through October 8th. Each Session will lastabout 90 minutes. To help defray the cost, a $5 cost is beingrequested for the workbook. Please call 304-242-0406 to reserve yourseat!

Please direct all inquiries to:School OfficeSt. Michael Parish School1221 National RoadWheeling, WV 26003304.242.3966