Saint Peter School Newsletter
September 19, 2025
Picture of the week: Sloane in Grade 5's summer reading project hanging in the hall. It's so great to see student projects on our walls again!
From the Principal's Desk
Thank you to all the parents and guardians who joined us for our Back to School Night this past week! It was wonderful to see so many of you in our classrooms, meeting with teachers, and engaging in this cherished tradition that helps strengthen our school community. Your participation and investment in your children's education truly makes a difference.
Some Key reminders from the evening:
Health and Wellness: We need your partnership to keep our entire community healthy
- Keep children home if they have a fever (they must be no-medication fever-free for 24 hours before returning)
- Monitor coughs, runny noses, and rashes carefully, especially given some recent cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease in our community.
- Continue emphasizing good hygiene practices at home and at school
Parent Expectations: Remember that you are your child's primary educator. The consistency between home and school in expectations, values, and support makes all the difference in your child's growth.
CORI/VIRTUS: Don't forget that all volunteers must complete CORI and VIRTUS requirements early in the year. Drop by the office to fill our your forms or get more information!
As we navigate this school year together, please remember that our goal is simple but profound: our students need to learn (and that takes effort), grow (and that takes struggle), thrive (and that takes people), and develop spiritually (and that takes God).
If you have any questions that arose from Back to School Night or need clarification on anything we discussed, please reach out to your child's teacher or contact the main office. We're here to support you and your family throughout this journey.
If you missed the night altogether, please reach out to your teacher to set up a meeting to learn more about the class and about the school. You can also review the powerpoint presentation by clicking the button below!
CYO REGISTRATION IS OPEN
"Registration is open for the 2025-26 St. Peter's Catholic Youth Organization basketball season. Space is limited and priority will be given to St. Peter's School students and church parishioners. Boys and girls in grades 3 through 8 are eligible. Practices will either be on weeknights or Saturday mornings starting around late October or early November. Teams will play games against other parishes throughout the Boston area and most games are on the weekends, with home games on most Sundays starting in early December. The season will go through early March. Basketball experience is helpful but not necessary.
Parents can sign up at this link https://go.teamsnap.com/forms/498902 and can email Michael Hoff (hoffmichaelao@gmail.com) with any questions."
General Announcements
Thursday Mass Guidelines
Parents are welcome to attend all masses throughout the school year. For security reasons, everyone must enter the church through the double doors overlooking the driveway (the others will be locked) and will be greeted by a member of the parish staff. There may be a chance a police officer will be parked outside of the church during mass.
- If you arrive on time (before 8:00am) please drop-off as usual.
- If you arrive after 8:00am, children should be directed to the main office and will be walked over to the church.
- If you arrive after 8:15am), your child will need to wait by the main office until mass is over.
K1 classes will join us for mass in a week or two.
Pickup and Dropoff Procedures
Please review the pickup and drop-off procedures outlined in the Family Handbook, section 2.2. Special care should be taken to follow our safety regulations including:
- Please note that parents are not allowed to park in the lot at 160 Manassas this is not school property. We have been advised that any cars parked in the lot could be towed.
- Dropping off students only in dedicated zones
- Staying in your car
- Scheduling meetings with teachers rather than having long conversations at pickup
- Not parking on the school hill or on the main road (you may get a ticket for this!)
Health Forms
If you have recently received an email from the Nurse's office, please respond immediately. It is against policy to keep students in attendance at the school if they have not submitted health records to the nurse's office. Please contact nurse@saint-peter-school.org to avoid an interruption to your student's attendance!
Need to Add Lunch Money to Your Childs Account
Lunch account process steps:
Log in to the Facts Family Portal.
Enter the district code: SPE-MA.
Once logged in, select "FINANCIAL" from the menu on the left.
Click the "Add Funds" button for the current school year.
Specify the amount you wish to add to the lunch account and follow the prompts to complete the process. We suggest $50-$100 per student to start the year, depending on how often you think your child will have school lunch.
Please note that the lunch balance will be reduced as your child eats school lunch, though updates to the balance may occur approximately twice a month. You will receive a notification to add funds when the balance goes below $25. Also, lunch balances left over at the end of the school year will be lost (allocated to our free lunch program). As we approach the end of the school year, please monitor cash balances carefully.
Students of the Week
Amen Tesfaye (K2A)
Nominated for: Always being kind and ready to listen and learn
Eyerusalem Hailu (Grade 2)
Nominated for: always trying to be respectful and kind to teachers and other students
Andreas Philippakis (Grade 6)
Nominated for: being a positive and welcoming member of his class community, especially for new students.
Faculty of the Week
Mr. Brendan J. O'Connor (LC)
Nominated for: fully committing to everything he does for SPS and our students!
Mrs. Beth Adams
Nominated for: always being willing to help out and jump in where needed with a helpful hand or support.
A NOTE FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
September reminders from the Health Office: In order to keep all students at SPS safe and healthy:
- Please do not pack nuts, tree nuts or shellfish for snack and/or school lunches.
- For birthday treats please bring tree nut, peanut free treats such as "Two Bite" or "School Safe" brand items or popsicles and Luigi brand Italian Ices.
- If your student needs fever reducing medication such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen prior to school please refrain from sending your student until he is 24 hour fever free without using medication.
Thank you for your cooperation and we hope your school year is getting off to a great start! For more information about SPS policies please refer to the SPS Handbook.
- Nurse Sheila and Nurse Carolyn
FROM THE PARENT ASSOCIATION
Thanks to all of you who attended the first PA Meeting last week and Parents Night this past Wednesday - amazing attendance and energy!
SAVE-THE-DATE and JOIN US for our upcoming get-togethers:
- September 25th at 6:00pm to 7:30pm - Fall Social around Flower Arrangement Fun with lite bites and maybe a glass or wine! (grownups only) - RSVP to Mandy or Marie is encouraged so we can plan accordingly.
- October 1st - anytime between 7:15am and 8:30am - SPS Connect Cafe in the Convent sunroom (grownups only) - Swing by for a cup of coffee/tea and some informal time with other fellow parents
- October 24th at 5:30pm - Oktoberfest (school wide - kids and grownups)
VOLUNTEER with SPS
Volunteer is fun, allows you to create or deepen (new) connections, and get to know your SPS community better. Finally, it's super flexible, so what are you waiting for?! ;-)
Please reach out to Marie or Mandy to learn more or check out some volunteer opportunities for this school year. We can't wait to meet you!
Kitchen Update: The fan that drives the hood over the stove is in the process of being fixed. We are looking forward to bringing back out hot lunches on Monday. We appreciate your patience this week and would like to thank Chef Doug and Sous Chef Jeremy for providing "awesome" sandwiches this week.
VIRTUS Training for Volunteers
There is still time to sign up for the VIRTUS Training on September 23, 2025 from 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm in the lower parish hall. If you wish to volunteer this year for the school, you must be VIRTUS trained and fill out a CORI background check form (see Mrs. Flynn in the front office). You do not have to complete the VIRTUS training at the school, so if you can't make it to this training that's OK. In either case, please register for the training on https://virtusonline.org before coming. Upon completion of your training please forward Mrs. Flynn your certificate.
October 8, 2025 is Picture Day. Students can be out of uniform. Picture forms will go home at a later date.
October 10, 2025 No School Teacher Professional Development
Monday, October 13, 2025 , No School Columbus Day
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Grades 1-8 Progress Reports will be sent home
CONFIRMATION PREPARATION SCHEDULE 25/26
Thank you for your interest in the St. Peter Parish Confirmation Program!
To register your child, please complete the sign up form below.
Candidates may choose one of the following sessions (held twice a month):
Thursdays, 3:00–4:15 PM, starting September 25, 2025
Sundays, 3:30–4:45 PM, starting October 5, 2025
SIGN UP FOR CONFIRMATION CLASSES HERE
THURSDAY Confirmation Schedule
"LAST CALL"
2026 SPS SKI CLUB
*** WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY *** We have very few spots left for the 2026 ski club - do not get left out in the cold!!!!
We know it still feels like iced coffee season, but it’s time to start thinking SNOW! Our St. Peter School Ski Club is gearing up with goggles and gloves for another awesome winter at Nashoba Valley, and we’d love to have your child join us on the slopes!
All the key info is in the form below, but here’s the quick rundown:
Open to students ages 7 and up; kiddos under the age of 7 will need a parent chaperone each week.
Your kids will love the bus ride with classmates and friends almost as much as shredding the gnar! Ski club will run for SIX Thursdays in January & February (January 8, 15,22, 29 and February 5 and 12; if needed, makeup day will be February 26).
Location: Nashoba Valley Ski Area
Lessons available for beginners and budding Olympians alike!
Spots are limited – we’ve got one bus, and it fills up fast! Snowboarders welcome!
Please sign up no later than Sunday, September 25, 2025. We need to give Nashoba a headcount by EOB the 25th so we don’t get left out in the cold (literally).
Please note: calendar dates are also available on our school website and are updated continuously.
Broader Community Participation Opportunities
Mr. Selby is Acting in a local Play!
If you'd like to see "Rumplestiltskin" please click this link to learn more: https://www.burlingtonplayers.com/winnmere-family-theater_1
Our very own Mr. Selby (K1) is a large part of this production.
Presentation: "The Menopause Mixtape: Separating Science from Fiction"
Dr. Kandadai (Mother of Abi in Grade 7) is giving a presentation in Cambridge on Thursday September 25th. Anyone interested in this presentation should follow the link to learn more. https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/womenscommission/Calendar/view.aspx?guid=03b209fd6f7b45ca9f1f081e73602457
Other Important Links
These links will remain the same each week, please use them as needed!
Student Mass Responsibility Schedule
This year, due to security concerns, we will not be sharing our student mass schedule publicly. However, keep an eye on your homeroom teacher newsletter to know when your student(s) will be helping to lead the mass. We apologize for the inconvenience that this causes.