Friday Flash
January 17, 2025
Open House – Sunday, January 26th – Please invite any friends and family who might want to send their children to SMS to attend. Hours are 9:00am until 12noon. Teachers will be present and students will be giving tours.
Remember, if you refer a family who completes the enrollment process and attends SMS next year, both you and your new family will receive a $300 tuition credit.
Grandparent Brunch –
Sign up online through your parent portal. The last day to sign up is Thursday, January 23rd.
- Our brunch this year is on Tuesday, January 28th. There will be two seatings:
- Child’s last name-
- A-K 10:30am-11:30am
- L-Z 12:00pm-1:00pm
Also, please send pictures of your children with their grandparents. We like to hang them in the cafeteria for everyone to enjoy. Please label them with the child’s name and class so we can return them once the event ends.
This year’s Grandparent Brunch menu is as follows:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 7:30 am – 11:00 am
Wednesday 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
New PE Uniforms and Fleece can be purchased by clicking here.
**Volunteer Opportunity:**
The Santa Shop urgently needs wrapping paper, tissue paper, tags, and gift bags. When you’re out shopping, look for sales on these items and consider picking some up for the Santa Shop. You’ll earn one volunteer hour for every $25 spent. Your support will make a significant difference!
FROM THE NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY:
The St. Matthew’s Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society is beginning a recycling program and we are inviting all families to participate! A recycling station has been set up in the Cafeteria to collect recyclables from the following list. When we recycle with TerraCycle, we earn points for each shipment of hard-to-recycle trash that we send in. Points can then be redeemed in the form of a donation for our school. It’s a Win-Win! If you have any questions about the program, or the items that can be recycled, please contact Mrs. Lewis (NJHS Chapter Advisor) at [email protected].
VIRTUS TRAINING:
In accordance with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People all diocesan employees, clergy, religious, teachers, staff, and all volunteers who regularly or routinely work with children or youth participate in a Protecting God’s Children for Adults (VIRTUS) training session. This link connects to the VIRTUS website listing of currently scheduled training sessions within the Diocese of Richmond. To register for one of the sessions, click the Start Registration button. You will be prompted to create a user id and password. Follow the prompts to continue the registration process. After entering your personal information, a drop down function will enable you to select a Diocese of Richmond training center location/date/time. Continue to follow instructions as indicated to complete the pre-registration process. Childcare is not available unless noted on the session listing. There is no charge for this training. Sessions are available online and in person. St. Matthew’s School VIRTUS Facilitator Louise Lewis will be hosting online VIRTUS sessions on the following dates and times:
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 @ 6PM – 26 spots available
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 @ 6PM – 30 spots available
Tuesday, March 4, 2025 @ 6PM – 30 spots available
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 @ 6PM – 30 spots available
These sessions are available for registration on the VIRTUS website, although it is not required that you take VIRTUS with the SMS Facilitator. Please contact Louise Lewis (SMS VIRTUS Facilitator) at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Greetings SMS Military Families
Military Lunches are set to begin next week! Mrs. Johnson, the school counselor, will have lunch with the children during their designated lunch times. Below are the scheduled groups:
Wednesday – 1/22/25 – Kindergarten Group 1
Thursday – 1/23/25 – Kindergarten Group 2
Cheryl Johnson, MA, LPC-R, School Counselor
[email protected]
Track and Field Registration:
Calling all runners, jumpers, and throwers! Track & Field registration is open! Grades 3rd through 8th, all abilities are welcome. All athletes will compete against other private schools in the area in large invitational meets. Elementary and middle school athletes have separate divisions for the Championship Meet. Middle school participants also have the opportunity to compete in High School meets in the JV Division. Please click the following links for registration and more information. REGISTRATION CLOSES FEBRUARY 28TH!
Track & Field Information Flyer
Track & Field Registration through FACTS
The Drama club has raised 7,600 dollars in the first week of fundraising for the Spring Musical, Matilda!
Week 1 – Winners were:
- 1st place for highest number of donations was a TIE!
- Both Jessica W. and Lucy D. had 10 Donations! THANK YOU!
- 1st place for highest number of AMOUNT of donations: Peyton M!
- 2nd place for highest number of AMOUNT of donations: Tristan A!
Thank you so very much to the St. Matthew’s community for your continued support of our wonderful Theatre program! This year we are so pleased to bring you the story of Matilda! Based on Roald Dahl’s fictional novel about an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. The show times are April 4th at 7pm and April 5th at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets will be on sale soon! But of course, you can GUARANTEE your family four tickets with a minimum donation of $250 to the show of your choice! We have sold out performances to ALL of our shows for the last four years.
Please keep an eye out for ticket sales soon in the Friday Flash!
ANY VOUCHER TICKETS MUST BE REDEEMED by the date on the attached. WE cannot guarantee you the show of your choice if you do not contact ticket sales by the date printed. This applies to all donation vouchers as well as cast and crew vouchers.
We look forward to seeing you at the show!
Shoe La-La News: Students will vote on shoes January 22nd-24th. Voting will be 25¢ per vote or 5 votes for $1.00 at 7:45am-8:15am and 3:05pm-3:30pm. Contact Mrs. Liebold with any questions at [email protected]t. Good luck to all the designers!
Kids/American Heart Challenge News: Wow, we are off to a good start as of Wednesday morning, we have raised $3,496.23 towards our $9,500 goal! NEW THIS YEAR we have TWO different CHALLENGES, students in grades EL3 – 4th will participate in the Kids Heart Challenge and students in 5th – 8th will participate in the American Heart Challenge. Make sure you are signing your child up for the correct challenge. Go online and donate today, it’s a Win-Win for all! KHC/AHC Day will be Thursday, February 6th. Anyone donating $5.00 or more will earn a dress down on the KHC/AHC Day. Feel free to contact Mrs. Liebold with any questions or concerns you may have at [email protected].
OUR SCHOOL NAME TO LOOK UP: St. Matthew’s Catholic School
Congratulations to the top three donors as of Wednesday 1/15/2025:
3rd Place: Emiliano P (4C) and Sorella P (K1) tied with $250.00
2nd Place: Logan K (K3) $257.94
1st Place: Isabella C (4C) $423.34
Congrats to the following students for completing Finn’s Mission:
Gabrielle A, Benjamin B, Emerson C, Oaklee C, Isabella C, Grant C, Ronnie C, Logan K, October K, Lincoln S, and Elie S.
Remember, for every 18 students to complete Finn’s Mission, St. Matthew’s will get our name in the lottery to earn a $10,000 gym equipment makeover. Our school goal is 20 students or more.
Download the app to watch your Heart Heroes come to life. You can also fundraise from your mobile device. Search “Kids Heart Challenge” and “American Heart Challenge” in the Apple or Android store.
***We are in need of 2 cornhole board sets for the KHC Day on Feb 6th. Please contact Mrs. Liebold at [email protected] to let her know if you are able to loan your set for the day.
Thanks in advance for your support to this great cause! Mrs. Liebold, Mrs. Slade, and Mrs. Lilley
From Your Parent Teacher Guild—-
Important Dates:
- January 24th- Family Fun Night 6pm
- February 21st- VIP BALL
January 24th 6-8pm Family Fun Night
Get ready for an unforgettable evening of laughter and togetherness at Family Fun Night on January 24th from 6-8 PM! Hosted by the PTG, this exciting event kicks off Catholic Schools Week with a bang.
Dive into a variety of board games, unleash your creativity with ceiling tile painting, and groove to some lively tunes. Various raffle items will also be available to win! With delicious pizza to fuel the fun and thrilling raffles (prizes still a mystery!), there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Bring the whole family for a night of joy, bonding, and memories in the making—you won’t want to miss it!
February 21st VIP BALL 6-8pm
Mark your calendars for the VIP Ball on February 21st from 6-8 PM!
This special PTG event invites students to bring any important grownup in their life—whether it’s Mom, Dad, Auntie, Uncle, or even Mimi and PopPop—for a magical evening of dancing, delicious food, and lively music.
Everyone is encouraged to dress their best and make unforgettable memories on this special night!
Sign ups for all upcoming events will be posted soon on our PTG Facebook page and available here in the Friday Flash.
Follow this Link for PTG Facebook page to get up to date info on events and all things SMS.
Got a passion for volunteer opportunities or event planning? Ready to be the behind-the-scenes hero we’ve been waiting for? Dive into the action by emailing:
Capes are optional, but your enthusiasm is absolutely required. Let’s team up and create something amazing!
Thank you and have a great weekend.