On 63 Liberty Street St. Michael School Pawcatuck, Connecticut December 2018 Volume 10 Issue 2 Staff: Co-Editor: Erica Cunningham and Presley Smith Writers: Erica Cunningham, Katie Danaher, Alexander McGrath, Presley Smith Advisor: Mrs. Getlein Upcoming Events: 12/20 SMS Girls & Boys Basketball games (3pm @ Pine Point) 12/21 Lessons & Carols (9:30am @ St. Mary) 12/24 1/1 Christmas Vacation Hopper: The Bunny Who Almost Hopped Through Christmas A Fictional Short Story By Alexander McGrath, 6 th Grade Hopper was a young bunny, who lived in a small cottage with his parents in the crook of an Elm Tree. He considered himself an Only, which was his way of saying he had no brothers and sisters. Hopper always thought that living out in the woods in the middle of Nebraska was keeping him from a good life. He was always on the go. He liked to hop from one place to another, not staying for very long because his parents would eventually call him in. Hopper always felt like there was something else missing. One day, his parents had to go out for a long day away. Hopper chose not to go and instead thought now he had the time to go out and do what he wanted to do when they left without anyone telling him otherwise. He started off in the back yard. He came across Mr. Brumble. He was a Snow Shoe Rabbit. Mr. Brumble was old and could not see very well. He asked Hopper if he could walk him to the pond for a drink as his eye sight was not what it used to be. Hopper obliged. On the way, Mr. Brumble told Hopper a story about how time flies. About how everyone should enjoy every day as we all come to our last day eventually. Mr. Brumble thought his last day would be coming soon. Hopper and Mr. Brumble took a few sips of fresh water and parted ways. The far meadow seemed to be calling Hopper from the pond. So off he hopped ready for another adventure. Unfortunately, when he had gotten to the meadow, a Bob Cat, by the name of Mr. Sniffles was lurking nearby. Mr. Sniffles pounced out from behind a large rock and was after Hopper. Hopper let out a yelp of horror and dashed as fast as he could away from Mr. Sniffles. Hopper was zigging and zagging, went under a large fallen branch, through a thicket, and then as he lost his footing he felt himself rolling down a very large and very steep hill. His stopping point was not a very pleasant one as it almost knocked the wind right out of him. He had been pleased he didn t see the Bob Cat anywhere. As he tried to find his way out of the valley, sometime later, he noticed that the sun was starting to set. He thought he should find his way back home. What felt like hours passed by. ***continued on page 6 *** Join the Newspaper Club!!! Do you really love to write? You should join the Newspaper club; you will be the first person to hear about the latest and greatest of St. Michael School news. If you join the newspaper club you will be able to write articles about important things coming up or going on in the school. You will also be able to pick articles that you want to do like short stories, poems, movie/book reviews, and much more. Look out for flyers in the New Year about our upcoming pizza party with a guest from The Westerly Sun!
Page # 2 of 6 Christmas Poetry Contest Results!!! K-2: 1 st Place Taryn Gynther, Gr. 2 Snow is falling all around me. The branches are bare on the tree. I look out the window what do I see, a snowman. Some people are singing a Christmas carol, looking at the Christmas tree. K-2: 2 nd Place Isabella Spiers, Gr. 2 On Christmas night I lay in my bed and Santa pops through my window. Hi, hi, hi, I say. Ho, ho, ho, he says. He gives me a present under the Christmas tree. K-2: 3 rd Place Finley Doyle, Gr. 2 Snow is falling all around. Snowflakes gently lay on the ground. Sleds zipping in the air while kids stare at the air. We drink hot chocolate as hot as fire, as I sit next to my fireplace. 3-5: 1 st Place Nate, Alec, and John, Gr. 5 Thanksgiving is gone, Christmas is here. Let s put aside the turkey and spread Christmas cheer all around the world so all can hear. Let s turn all the world s crimes and dreadful times and let s turn them to peaceful times. Jesus time is around the corner, so let s prepare for the best time of the year. For all the Military over the seas so we should pray for them to come home in peace. 3-5: 2 nd Place Sammi Nicole Giorno, Gr. 3 Christmas is the best time of the year. There is a lot of holiday cheer. There is hustle and bustle and wrapping of presents galore, but did you know that Christmas means so much more? Jesus was born on Christmas day in a little manger full of hay. Jesus was born to save us from sin and be our savior, so please do me a favor. Along with buying presents for loved ones near and far apart, rejoice and praise Jesus with all your heart!
Page # 3 of 6 3-5: 3 rd Place Isabella, May, and Jason grade 5 Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Snowflakes fall and children call, Merry Christmas to all. Carolers sing and jingle bells ring, spreading holiday cheer to those who believe. Christmas is the best when you have family and friends, to help spread the joy of this special time of year. We join together around the Christmas tree, with children s laugh full of glee. With presents surrounding the Christmas tree, it is the best time for all to see. When candles are lit and angels sing, there is always hope for a beautiful Christmas. This is why Christmas is the best time for you and me. 6-8: 1 st Place Gracelyn Smith, Gr. 6 Look, there is snow on the ground and lovely carolers singing all around. There are Christmas lights up and ornaments on the tree hoping Santa will come and see. Milk and cookies out by the fireplace and an advent calendar almost through, Christmas Eve is something to look forward to. We rush downstairs on Christmas morning to see if Santa got our callings. We jump up and down when we see all the presents under the tree. We open one at a time and smile at everyone and that more and more is yet to come. After presents we grab our snow gear and head outside for some holiday cheer. We go sledding in the park and have lots of fun, but now Christmas is almost done. So we start to head home and there is no more holiday cheer. Merry Christmas! And to all a good year! 6-8: 2 nd Place Nora Niedbala, Gr. 6 Christmas time is here. Everyone is filled with cheer. Snow falling on the ground, people walking all around town. Giving gifts to those who need it most, are the people who care about Christmas the most. Every tree is lit with lights, and the ornaments hang like dazzling stars in the night. When Santa comes the children are filled with joy because they know they have presents to enjoy. Stories are told, songs are sung, gosh it s like Christmas has just begun. On the morn of December 25th it couldn t have been brighter, because we know baby Jesus had been born. 6-8: 3 rd Place Erica Cunningham, Gr. 7 Cheer Holidays Rejoice Icicles Stockings Thankful Merry Apple pie Santa
Page # 4 of 6 St. Nick s Shopping Event, a SMS Tradition By Presley Smith This year the annual St. Nick s closet took place from December 10-13 th. As usual, there were plenty of amazing gifts available for students to purchase for their families and friends. This year, the event raised over $4000, which is ~$800 more than last year! Next year, we are hoping to raise even more to beat our record! Also, don t forget, you can contribute to this event by donating new items, homemade crafts and wrap/bows/ tissue/bags from those after Christmas sales! If you would like to donate, please contact Kim Smith. St. Nick s closet is always open for donations year round! SMS Basketball 2018-19 Schedules Virtue of the month: Generosity By Erica Cunningham Saint Michael School is helping students learn about the virtues in the Catholic Faith. The virtue for the month of December is generosity, so the teachers have been talking about generosity with the students. What some classes have done is they have put up signs and posters all around the school about generosity. The 7th grade has been collecting items of food for a food drive. The 8th grade put together bags of supplies for the homeless. Also on Thursday December 13th, the 7th and 8th grade students went to the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center to make boxes and move food items for the holidays. Going to PNC was a great experience and a great way to help out the community and learn the value of being generous. SMS Boys Varsity Head Coach: Mark Benedict 12/4: Home vs. St. Joseph, 7:15pm 12/11: Away at Sacred Heart Taftville, 7pm 12/13: Home vs. St. John OS, 7:15pm 12/20: Away at Pine Point, 4:45pm 1/8: Away at Sacred Heart Groton, 8pm 1/12: Away vs. St. Joe (at Sacred Heart Groton), 10am 1/17: Away at St. Bernard, 7:15pm 1/22: Away at Sacred Heart Taftville, 7pm 1/24: Away at St. John OS, 6pm 2/5: Away at Sacred Heart Groton, 7:15pm 2/7: Away at St. Bermard, 8:30pm SMS Girls Varsity Head Coach: Kim Smith 12/11: Home vs. St. Joseph, 7:15pm 12/13: Away at St. John OS, 7pm 12/20: Away at Pine Point, 3:30pm 1/3: Away at Sacred Heart Taftville, 8pm 1/8: Home vs. Sacred Heart Groton, 7:15pm 1/17: Home vs. St. Bernard, 7:15pm 1/19: Away vs. St. Joseph (at Sacred Heart Groton), 9am 1/24: Home vs. St. John OS, 7:15pm 1/29: Home vs. Sacred Heart Taftville, 7:15pm 2/2: Pine Point Tournament 2/5: Home vs. Sacred Heart Groton, 7:15pm 2/7: Home vs. St. Bernard, 7:15pm
Page # 5 of 6 Band and choir concert: Music to our ears! By Erica Cunningham On Wednesday December 5th Saint Michael School had their band and choir concert at Saint Mary s church hall. It was a full house! The Beginner Band went first, then the Concert Band, and lastly the Choir. In between the performances of the Concert Band and the Chorus was a special guest John Mauritz and Mr. Tebbetts from the Mystic Fife & Drum. John Mauritz played the bagpipes and Mr. Tebbetts played the drum. They performed a couple songs for us. The Beginner Band played the songs Clare de Lune, Old Macdonald had a Farm, and Jingle Bells. The Concert Band performed the songs Jurassic Park Theme song, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, and Sleigh Ride. The Chorus sang the songs Windy Nights, Puer Natus, the 12 Days of Christmas, Silent Night, and Lully Lullay. Everyone did a great job and I can't wait for the Spring Concert! And a special thanks to Mr. Piccolo the band director and Mrs. Tebbetts the choir director. SMS Angels By Presley Smith This year the SMS Angels, our First Lego League Robotics team, were made up of Emerson, Ethan, Gracie, Lauren, Matthew, Nora and Presley. The theme of the 2018 competition was Into Orbit, which you can probably tell from the name was all about Outer Space. The project the SMS team decided on was to investigate how to improve the space veggie pillow, which is a way to grow fresh vegetables while in orbit. The SMS Angels created a SMART Micro-soil mix and compared it to normal potting soil to determine which resulted in better germination, better nutrient quality and better reusability. At the tournament, the SMS did not make the top 5 teams overall, thus eliminating them from the State Championships. The good news, however, is that their robot performed in the top 5 of all teams that competed that day! In addition, the team received a judges award for best use of technology during the teambuilding competition. They received the award because they used Facetime to include one of the team members who was away on vacation so that she could participate in the activity, and the judges were very impressed. So although the SMS Angels did not advance to the State Championships, they learned a lot about potting soil and had a fun time doing it!
Page # 6 of 6 Hopper: The Bunny Who Almost Hopped Through Christmas (Continued from page 1) He arrived in a place about a mile from home and it looked familiar. He became excited by this as he had never ventured from home by himself for so long. His stomach was rumbling terribly and he was so very tired and a little sore. As he approached the cottage, he noticed a light on in the distance. It looked so welcoming. There was also smoke coming out from the chimney and he could just imagine the warmth of the fire. What is this? Hoppers nose was picking up a scent of his favorite Elderberry and Bushel soup in the air. He dashed for home on his own without anyone telling him to. As he neared, he saw the newly decorated Christmas tree in the window, with the lights blinking slowly. It was very mesmerizing for Hopper. His thought before entering the door was that he couldn t wait to hug his parents and tell them how happy he was that he made it home and that he would never venture away without telling them again. As he opened the door, wide-eyed with wonder, he saw presents all along the Christmas tree base. He looked at the clock that said 12:12AM. He had missed Santa Claus, probably by just a few minutes. He heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw his parents. They had been out looking for Hopper. Long hugs were given over and over. Mommy Bunny got Hopper some soup and he gobbled it up. He then got under his blanket in front of the fire and just was so happy he was finally warm. That night he prayed to God to tell him thank you for getting me home safely and teaching me how much I do love my home. With that he fell off to sleep dreaming of the gifts that he would be opening up under the tree in the morning. But, the best gift of all was that he just realized the biggest gift was opened this night. The realization of what really mattered to him: his home, his family, and that he was able to be kind and helpful to Mr. Brumble on what turned out to be his last day. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all who read this!!!!!! From: Zanderman100 (AKA: Alexander McGrath)