Yesterday was the Feast Day of our school’s patron, St. Mathias the Apostle. St. Matthias was chosen by the early church to replace the apostle, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus and later hanged himself in despair. Read the account of Matthias’ selection in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:15-26). Among other things, St. Matthias is the patron saint of hope and perseverance. This is certainly a time when both are greatly needed. Let us pray for the intercession of St. Matthias that we remain hopeful and persevere in love and patience in our families.
Tuition contracts for the 2020-2021 school year will be sent out next week. If your child is enrolled, you will receive an email from TADS instructing you to review and sign your tuition contract. Tuition contracts must be signed by June 15 in order to qualify for the 11-month payment plan. Payments will begin in July 2020. Families who have applied for BOOST will not be receiving tuition contracts until BOOST awards are announced. However, these families are cautioned to begin setting aside some tuition money, since they will be on a 10- month plan. Teachers are working on a virtual Moving Up Day to take place in early June. Families who intend to return are urged to enroll, so that we can be prepared for this event.
Applications for the 2021 Father Hughes Scholarships are attached. Registered parishioners of St. Matthias parish are eligible to apply for their children who attend The Academy of St. Matthias or a Catholic high school. The application deadline is June 15. The application can be found here.
Dates have not yet been set, but once they are, you will receive an email to sign up for a time to pick up your child’s belongings and return items that belong to the school (for example, library books, textbooks, chromebooks, and used uniforms for the uniform exchange to take place in August). We are asking that only one adult comes to the school for the exchange. The exchange will take place outdoors behind the school using a car line method. More details will accompany the email
Plans are underway to celebrate the Class of 2020. Parents are reminded to complete the signature, height and ceremony preference emailed recently and send it to mblackburn@ stmatthias.org. Families are also reminded that financial obligations to the school must be met prior to participation in graduation events.
This morning, the first grade witnessed, via Zoom, the release of the butterflies they have been nurturing and studying in science over the past couple of weeks. Thanks to Ms.Blanco and Mrs. Smith for making this possible for the children. Congratulations to our second graders for their growth and diligence these past few weeks. Ms. Campbell is very proud of you as we all are. Check out our fifth graders Flipgrid projects on the school’s website! Kudos to the students who are working hard on math, reading, science and social studies skills on IXL. To date 8,196 skills have been practiced. The students have reached proficiency on 5,646 skills and mastered 5,004 skills over 1,509 hours! Learning during this time is very important. Parents are urged to do their best to see that their children attend the teachers’ instructional sessions via Zoom and work on assignments, daily reading and IXL practice to the best of their ability. We understand that expectations must be adjusted and due dates are flexible, however, we also want our students to be growing and prepared for school in the Fall. The teachers are beginning to work on summer learning packets for students who are enrolled for the 2021 school year. These will be distributed with the children’s belongings on Exchange Day.
Mrs. O’Hare will be putting together a mystery bag of books for the children to enjoy over the summer. Please look for an e-mail from Mrs. Blackburn asking if you are interested in receiving books for your child(ren). You will be asked to indicate your child’s name and grade level. A prompt response to this email would be greatly appreciated so that Mrs. O’Hare has time to prepare the bags.
We will be welcoming new students in every grade for the 2021 school year. Volunteers are needed to reach out to these families over the summer to welcome them, answer their questions, and help them quickly feel a part of the community. So far, the only grade that has a volunteer ambassador family is grade 4. This is a great way to earn volunteer hours. If you are interested, please contact Mrs. Blackburn at mblackburn@stmatthias.org.