StMP September Newsletter

Dear St. Michael Preschool Families,

The 2025–2026 school year is off to a wonderful start! Thank you for entrusting your children to our loving care and for your support in making these first weeks such a positive experience. Our dedicated teachers are committed to creating a safe, joyful, and faith-filled environment where we pray, play, and learn together while growing closer to God.

We are delighted to be getting to know our preschoolers! It is a joy to see their excitement as they explore, learn, and make new friends. Please continue to check your child’s classroom posts on Brightwheel and encourage your child to share a favorite part of the day or tell you about someone new they met. We look forward to many more adventures ahead as we partner with you to strengthen the home-school connection.

To ensure your child’s safety, especially in the event of illness or an emergency, it is essential that we have your current contact and emergency information. Please take a moment to review your Brightwheel settings and confirm that your phone numbers and emergency contacts are up to date.

We are also deeply grateful for your generous donations from the student supply lists and teacher wish lists. Your thoughtfulness makes a real difference.

As we draw closer to our feast day, we are reminded of the many saints who inspire us. We are especially blessed to celebrate the canonization of two new saints—St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati—whose youthful lives model holiness, service, and a deep love of the Eucharist. May their example help our students see how turning to God leads to lives of meaning and joy.

Loving God, thank You for the gift of our children and families. Bless our school community with Your protection, joy, and peace. May we grow in faith, hope, and love each day, guided by the example of the saints and the presence of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Joyfully in Christ,

Paula Renke

Preschool Director

prenke@stmcary.org

Assistant to the Director, Melanie O'Brien

Administrative Assistant, Suzanne Park

preschool@stmcary.org

Thank you parents for learning our new system of checking in/out your child through the Brightwheel App. Here is some info to add an approved pickup person.

Our School Calendar is being revised to move Preschool Prayer dates from Thursdays to Wednesdays. This change is to align with heightened security to St. Michael School masses with locked doors and security presence.

Current calendar items will be available on the Brightwheel Calendar while our Preschool Google Calendar shown on the website will only contain generic dates for the safety of our students. Thank you for your patience as we all learn the new Brightwheel platform and make this transition.

NO PRESCHOOL on FRI, Sept 26 - All Staff is attending a Professional Development Day

Save the Date and Register for our St. Michael the Archangel Feast Day Festival!!

Sat. Sept. 27 after the 4:00 mass. There will be activities in the Preschool for all ages! Come celebrate with us.

No Preschool on Monday, Oct 20 Teacher Workday

Oct 22 First trip to the church following the StMS school mass at approximately 10:40

Oct 30 Fall Festival for Roo 2, Kanga, Rabbit, Pooh

Oct 31 Fall Festival for Roo 1, Tigger, Owl

Join the fun after the 4:00 mass with pizza and ice cream, Food trucks, music, games and inflatables.

The preschool will be open from 5:00-7:00 with preschool age fun! We look forward to seeing you there!!

Register your family at bit.ly/rsvp-feast

Date: Monday, Sept. 22

When: 11:15-12:15

Where: Matthew Meeting Room in the lowest level of the Trinity Center (below the Preschool)

Who: Room Parents and other interested parents wanting to help engage preschool families

Possible Committee Ideas include:

• Festival help
• Spirit lunches/dinners
• Yearbook or other methods of capturing memories
• Community Helper Visits (hair, dentist, construction, etc)
• Donuts or pizza after mass

Send an email to prenke@stmcary.org to be put on the committee email distribution list and calendar invite for in person and virtual meeting links.

A perfect start for kids to learn and explore! We welcome families and their children under three to our P.A.C.T. weekly playdays at St. Michael Preschool. Join other families as we enjoy time together and continue our Catholic faith journey.

Activities will include prayers, lessons, toy time, make and take crafts, and music and movement

Details:

• Starting September 16th
• Each Tuesday school is open
• 9:45am-11:00am

*Limit of 10 families per day

*Register through Brightwheel

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SUPER FUN ADD-ON PROGRAM ON FRIDAYS?

If your child just can’t get enough preschool fun, and loves to learn, explore, and experience all preschool has to offer, Discovery Day is the program for them!

Discovery Days are thematic-based units designed to reinforce your child’s love of learning. We encourage students to wonder, explore, problem-solve, and most of all, have fun! The thematic activities will focus on literacy, art, religion, music, math, and science. Teachers, Miss Brooke and Miss Leslie, will provide an outline of each class including concepts, vocabulary, and discussion questions so there can be a carryover from school to home.

The program runs from October through May and is open to children ages 3-5. If seats still remain in January, children in the 2's program may enroll.

Monthly registration on Brightwheel will open on Sept. 15 with the first day on Oct. 3rd.

Early Arrival, Lunch Program & Adventure Camp

Need some extra time to run errands or get to an appointment? We can help! Check out our Extended Day Programs. Your child will enjoy the extra time to socialize and play!

• Early Arrival - available daily; drop off begins at 8:15 am (ages 2 and up)
• Lunch Program - available daily; pick up is at 1:30 pm (ages 3 and up)
• Adventure Camp - available approximately twice a month Oct-May; pick up is 2:00 pm (ages 3 and up) - First Adventure Camp - Buggin Out is Wed. Oct 8.

Drop In Rate = $13.00

Adventure Camp Rate = $15.50 Registration Form will be available starting 9/16 -Check your Brightwheel account under Paperwork and SignUps.

Note: There is a one time $10 administrative fee for first time sign up/use of any extended day care program

Congrats to Murphy Family!! Wesley (Roos 1 class) has a new brother, Ronan, born on August 31st!

Congrats to Patrick Family!! Sophia (Kanga class) has a new sister, Liliana born on Sept 14th!

There are so many ways we can help others! Here at St. Michael Preschool we are learning to serve others through our Prayer Board, Rock Garden, and monthly community service events.

Our Rock Garden is located near the playground and is a new addition to our outdoor space. Every family is invited to bring in a painted rock that you create as a family, as individuals, or anything in between! These rocks will add color and personalizaiton to our play space, and we look forward to continuting this tradition for years to come. Rocks can be brought in anytime during the year. Ideas include: birthday celebration rocks, holiday themed rocks, "just because" rocks, rocks painted in the memory of a loved one. The possibilities are endless. Thank you for embracing this new endeavor!

Miss Karen's contact info is kcassidy@stmcary.org

Click here to read about what our Faith Formation Department has for older children and adults.

The Msgr. Gerald L. Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching is presented annually to a teacher in the Diocese of Raleigh who exemplifies outstanding dedication, professionalism, and commitment to Catholic education. This award honors a teacher who not only demonstrates excellence in the classroom but also lives out the Gospel message through service and faith.

It is one of the highest recognitions a Catholic school teacher in our diocese can receive, celebrating both exceptional teaching and Christian witness.

We invite you to take a moment to nominate a deserving member of our St. Michael School faculty by completing the form here:
👉 Lewis Award Nomination Form

The Catholic Steward Tuition form is now open for the 2026–2027 school year. St. Michael Parish families may apply using this form. Only one application per family, per school year is accepted, so please include all of your children’s information.

Families from other parishes in the Triangle should follow their own parish’s stewardship application process.

For additional questions, please visit the Catholic Steward Tuition Rate page or contact stewardship@stmcary.org.

2026–2027 St. Michael Catholic Steward Tuition Rate Application Deadlines:

October 24, 2025 | Families with returning Cardinal Gibbons High School student(s)

January 3, 2026 | Families with a new Cardinal Gibbons High School student(s)

March 1, 2026 | All other families

Fall registrations for Apex-Cary Soccer and Apex Baseball are ending soon, you can still register at ParishAthleticsNC.org for most ages!

Celebrate St. Michael Preschool with our fun merchandise. T-shirts with our cute school logo. CLICK HERE for Online Merchandise Ordering. Thank you in advance for showing your preschool pride!

(All sales are final, no refunds or returns. T-shirt delivery is approximately 1-2 weeks).

Have you met any of our 4 students from the Cristo Rey High School in Durham yet?? They are here every Thursday and an occasional Friday during the entire school year. Left to right: Janely, Maria, Fr. Scott, Christian, and Anneleise.

Project Enlightenment offers support to parents of young children from birth through kindergarten with topics such as discipline techniques, communication, child development, and more.

Upcoming Events:

PROJECT PALOOZA 2025 COMING SOON! September 27 from 10am-1pm at Project Enlightenment! Join us for a free, family-fun, good time!

Questions about Kindergarten Enrollment? Project Enlightenment partners with magnet programs, student assignment, and academics to provide virtual kindergarten enrollment information sessions for families. Register using this link.

A limited number of seats remain. Please tell your family, friends, neighbors, or any new families in the area to contact us! Thank you for spreading the word!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Instagram: @stmpreschoolnc

Facebook: StMichael Cary

Please Post with #stmichaelpreschool and #stmichaelcary

We are excited to share that St. Michael Preschool has been voted 3rd Place for Best Preschool in the 2025 Maggy Awards: Best Lifestyle Category by Cary Magazine! We are also proud to celebrate our sister school, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic School (PreK-8), for being named 1st Place for Best Private School!

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who voted for us and continues to support our mission of faith-filled early childhood education. Congratulations to all the winners in this year’s Maggy Awards!

Email: preschool@stmcary.org
Website: https://stmichaelpreschool.com
Location: 804 High House Road, Cary, NC, USA
Phone: 919-468-6110
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stmichael.preschool.16
Instagram: @stmpreschoolnc