Dear Holy Name Families,

We capped off our first week back to school with an afternoon school assembly focused on kindness, the culmination of a week spent discussing kindness through Character Strong, a new program that will be used this year.

Thank you to our Parent Ambassadors for welcoming parents back with this morning's coffee and refreshments. I would also like to thank our Student Council for leading our morning assemblies outside this week. With the beginning of the car line next week, morning assembly will move back inside.

Next weekend, we have two special events that I would like to highlight. The Parent Ambassadors are hosting a Welcome Back Movie Night on Friday, September 15th (see more details below) and Holy Name Parish will be hosting its annual picnic on Sunday, September 17th. On September 17th, the 11 am mass will be celebrated on the Church lawn and the picnic will immediately follow. We hope to see many families at both events.

The car line and Extended Day both begin on Monday. Please see the details below as well as updates and reminders on upcoming events. There is a note from our Home & School Organization which introduces their role, some upcoming events, and their Spirit Wear sale. Spirit Wear can be worn on casual/spirit days and to and from school. Please take a few minutes to read about Home & School's work and consider attending their next meeting.

Have a great weekend.

Best regards,

Mr. Chisholm

Announcements and Reminders

• The Parent Ambassadors are hosting a Welcome Back Movie Night next Friday, September 15th. The movie will be shown at 6:30 pm in the front parking lot. Please click here for additional details.
• Students brought home three forms in a yellow folder this week: a handbook acknowledgement, milk purchase form, and photo release. Please complete and return these forms if you have not already.
• Extended Day begins on Monday (see more information below).
• Clubs and activities begin later this month. Please click the following links for registration links and information: Dance, Band, and Yoga.

Meet The Teacher Night (1-6)

Meet the Teacher Night for Grades 1-6 is next Thursday, September 14th. The start time is staggered by grade level. Parents of 5th and 6th grade students can meet the upper school team at 6:00 pm in Finn Hall. Meetings for other grades will happen in your child's classrooms. Grades 1 and 4 will meet at 6:30 pm and grades Grades 2 and 3 will meet at 7:00 pm in classrooms.

Morning Drop-off: Car Line Starts Monday

The morning car line begins on Monday. Please click here for traffic flow and detailed directions. During the first few days, the car line will operate at a slower pace as everyone becomes familiar with the process. We ask for your patience and cooperation with our procedures. The car line will begin to move more efficiently after the first week.

Here are some important reminders:

• Cars enter through the driveway on the West Roxbury Parkway. There is NO entrance from Greaton Road.
• Please do not pull into the driveway prior to 7:40 am. A HNPS staff member will wave the first car through when we are ready to begin.
• Cars should line up against the curb on the school side of West Roxbury Parkway with their flashers on to allow non-Holy Name traffic to continue to flow.
• There is no left turn into the car line from the West Roxbury Parkway.
• Anyone who is walking to school or chooses to park and walk up should use the designated crosswalks/pedestrian zones.
• When cars are waived through the crosswalk, they should pull up to the farthest cone or all the way to the car in front of them.
• Please have students ready to exit, e.g. backpacks accessible. If possible, students should exit their cars from the passenger side.

Extended Day

Extended Day begins on Monday. Extended Day runs from dismissal until 5:30 pm. Students are divided into two groups for Extended Day: nursery through kindergarten and first through sixth grade. Registration for Extended Day is completed through the FACTS Parent Portal. We begin with a monthly form similar to the process for ordering lunches. Once the monthly form closes, there will be a weekly form available in case after school needs arise. To the extent possible, we would like registration to be completed with the monthly form.

To Register for Extended Day:

• After logging in to the Parent Portal, select Web Forms from the left-hand menu.
• Click September Monthly Extended Day Form.
• Click the button next to your child's name.
• Select the dates by checking the box(es).
• Click save.

Home and School Update

What is Home & School? 

The HNPS Home & School Association is made up of school parent volunteers who plan and run fundraisers for the school while building community. All funds raised for Home & School go directly towards supporting the school’s mission to educate our students; it helps the school to meet its operating costs and keep tuition as low as possible. Some of the past popular fundraisers include Touch-a-Truck, the Holiday Marketplace and Tree Lighting and the Glow Run. H&S also does spirit wear sales.

Learn more about Home & School and ways that you can get involved here.

Home & School Inaugural Meeting for 2023-2024 School Year- September 19^th

If you are interested in helping out with Home & School, we would love to have you! Our first HNPS Home & School Association meeting will be taking place on Tuesday, September 19th at 8:00 PM in the school library. If you can’t make the meeting in person there is also an option to join via zoom.  The zoom link will be circulated ahead of time.  

Election Day Bake Sale-Call for Baked Goods-September 12th

Home and School will be holding a bake sale this upcoming Tuesday, September 12th, to raise funds that will go towards event costs for our upcoming Touch a Truck. We are looking for families to donate baked goods. Please drop off your baked goods on Tuesday during school drop off. We will have a table set up by Parish Hall. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Jenny Toomey at jennysaksa13@gmail.com

Spirit Wear Now Online through September 24th

Holy Name Spirit Wear is on sale online through September 24^th. This is a great opportunity to show your Holy Name pride while also helping to raise funds for HNPS. Orders will be shipped to school 2-3 weeks after the store closing date. Purchase your spirit wear here.  

The online store will be open to the public 4-5 times a year (usually open for 3 weeks at a time).

Save the Date: Holy Name Touch a Truck and Fall Festival-October 14th

We are excited to be hosting our annual Touch a Truck fundraiser again this year! Save the date and be on the look out for more information!

Like us on facebook at Holy Name Parish School Fundraising to learn more about our work!

Grade Level Announcements

• Maryellen McNally, Holy Name Parish's Religious Education Coordinator, sent information to second grade families regarding Reconciliation and First Communion. Hard copies were sent home in students' folders. Please click here for an electronic copy.
• BC High is holding a secondary school fair for 6th grade parents on Sunday, September 17. Please click here for more information.

Looking Ahead

School Mass: The Opening School Mass is Tuesday, September 26th at 8:45 am in the upper Church. Students in kindergarten through 6th grade will attend. As part of the Opening Mass, we will inaugurate our Student Council members. Nursery and K1 students begin attending school masses in November.

School Pictures: O'Connor Studios will be at Holy Name on Wednesday, September 27th for school portraits. O'Connor Studios will send ordering information directly to parents.