It was great seeing everyone this morning for the meet-the-teachers event! We are looking forward to a GREAT 1st day of School tomorrow. A few reminders – particularly pertaining to our K-8 families:
*All students should be in their regular uniform tomorrow and Friday. Gym uniforms (worn to school on gym day) will start next week.
*Dismissal is at 12:05pm tomorrow – LUNCH WILL BE SERVED prior to dismissal. For students being picked up by a parent or caregiver, afternoon pickup will take place in the parking lot between the main school and the Pre-Kindergarten. Please park in a designated spot (see below) and walk over to this lot to pick up your student. Kindergarten will be closest to the grassy area and 8th grade closest to the street – with all other grades sequentially in between.
*After-care/before-care is available on the first day of school for registered families. Please make sure your child’s teacher knows where they are going after school if it will vary.
*All students should bring a snack and bottle of water on the first day of school. Per school policy, please limit snacks to fruits and/or vegetables or a healthy protein only – cheese/yogurt. A refillable bottle of water should be packed with the snack every day.
*For the K-8 program, please arrive between 7:30am and 7:45am – allow yourself plenty of time to park, particularly on the first day when it will be extremely busy around the school. After 7:50am, your student is tardy and you must come into the main office with them to sign them in.
*Teachers will be reviewing all school guidelines with students over the first few days of school, however, we wish to remind K – 8 parents of the following for the first day (from our school handbook):
*No makeup, nail polish, artificial nails, or artificial “tattoos” are allowed
*Boys’ hair must not touch their shirt collar and must not cover their ears or eyebrows
*Hairpieces, mohawk-style haircuts, designs cut into hair, and outlandish hairstyles are not allowed
*Hair must not be dyed, highlighted, or bleached
*The following jewelry is allowed: one watch, one ring, one bracelet, one thin chain necklace with or without a cross. Smart watches and fitbits are NOT allowed
*Girls are allowed one pair of post earrings worn in the earlobes – no hoops; boys are not allowed to wear earrings
Please allow extra time in your day for drop-off and pick-up so you are not rushing in at the last minute. Extra staff will be on hand at both drop-off and pick-up to help guide you to where you need to be during the first few days.
As always, we thank you for your commitment to Saint James School and your continued support of our wonderful, faith-filled school and parish community! Please reach out to your child’s teacher with any last minute questions you may have. We can’t wait to see everyone back at school tomorrow!
HSA Meeting – Thank You!
Thank you to everyone who joined us last night for our first Home & School Association Meeting!
We are grateful to have filled a lot of our open “event chair” positions last night, but are still in need of a co-chair for Trunk-or-Treat and a lead chair for the Mother/Daughter Tea.
If you are interested in learning more and/or would like to be kept apprised of volunteer opportunities, please reach out to our HSA President, Sarah, at HSA@SaintJamesSchool.net.
We are looking forward to another great year!
(Please remember to contact the school office for information on completing your background check and VIRTUS training if you will be NEW to volunteering at SJS this year).
Last Call: SJS Spiritwear
Show your SCHOOL SPIRIT with Saint James School Spiritwear! Click the link below to view all items:
Products – Saint James School (saintjamesstore.com)
For the fall, we are offering one style of our school’s general spiritwear in a sweatshirt/t-shirt and also a cross country t-shirt/sweatshirt for our runners.
Please note: Either spiritwear sweatshirt may be worn to school on gym day, however that must be worn over the Gray uniform t-shirt from Lands’ End or Tommy Hilfiger. Spiritwear t-shirts are not permitted on gym day.
Orders must be placed by September 3rd and will be available for pick-up at SJS around mid-September (we will send an email when items are in). There is an additional fee if you would like items shipped directly to your home. A confirmation email will be sent from the vendor when you place your order.
1st HSA Meeting This Evening
The SJS Home & School Association (similar to a PTA/PTO) will hold its first meeting of the new school year evening – Wednesday, September 2nd – from 6:00-7:00pm in the school cafeteria. We encourage all Pre-K through Grade 8 parents to attend to learn about ways to get involved in our school community and get information about events that will be upcoming in the next few months.
When you arrive at the school, please ring the buzzer at the breezeway doors and then head downstairs to the cafeteria for the meeting.
Any questions can be directed to our HSA President, parent volunteer Sara Scholsky, at hsa@saintjamesschool.net.
Please note, we will have child care available at the meeting if needed.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Instrumental Music Enrollment & Meeting Date Change
Following Mr. Corcoran’s retirement and the conclusion of his Future Musicians Program, we are pleased to share that our new band director, Mr. Barakat, will continue bringing instrumental music to SJS through The Scholastic Band Project.
Despite the new name, the instrumental music program will remain virtually the same. Students will continue to participate in small-group lessons, use the Ed Sueta Band Method book, and perform in our traditional Christmas and Spring concerts (with Advanced Band also playing at select school events). Instrumental music is open to students in 4th–8th grade, and additional fees apply.
To register your student for instrumental music this year or to learn, please use this link: https://www.
Please direct any questions to Mr. Barakat at mrbarakatband@gmail.com.
DATE CHANGE:
For any Grade 4 families (or new 5th – 8th grade families) looking to enroll their student in instrumental music/band this year, please note the Parent Info Meeting with Mr. Barakat will now be held on Thursday, September 10th at 6:00pm in the school cafeteria. This is a date change from our published calendar due to a schedule conflict. Our 4th grade students will attend a short information session about the instrumental music program during the school day on the 10th as well.
Please note the following instrumental music start dates:
*SJS Advanced Band Practice begins on 9/23 at 7:15am (7th & 8th graders attend);
*Intermediate Band Practice begins on 9/24 at 7:15am (5th & 6th graders attend);
Advanced and Intermediate Band students should arrive between 7:05am – 7:10am and enter via the breezeway doors (ring the buzzer). Practice will begin promptly at 7:15am.
*Beginning Band will practice during regular school hours on 9/24 (4th grade and 1st year instrumental music students in gr. 5-8);
*Advanced and Intermediate Band Lessons begin on 9/23 (during regular school hours)
*Beginning Band Lessons begin on 9/24 (during regular school hours)
School Picture Forms
Individual Pictures will be taken on Monday, September 14th. For students in grades K-8, this is considered a DRESS DOWN (or “Dress Up”) Day, where students will come to school in whatever you want their picture taken in. They will wear that attire for the entire school day. Please note all student attire must adhere to the Dress Down guidelines on page 1 of the 2026-2027 Parent Student Handbook
School picture forms will be coming home with students this week. To order pictures, please send the form back on picture day OR you can order ONLINE by going to mylifetouch.com and entering our school code of EVTCJ4FZ4.
Cherrydale Fundraiser
All students (PreK-Grade 8) will be coming home today with our fall fundraiser packet from Cherrydale Fundraising. This catalog-based fundraiser offers a wide-range of items including wrapping paper, kitchen gadgets, home decor, candles, cookies, cakes, and candy — there is something for everyone!
This year, all sales should be done online at ShopFund.com. Please note our school is listed in the drop down as “St. James School – Manchester 06040-5996” and our group code is UW8Y3
At the end of the fundraiser, students will earn prizes based on the total number of items sold. In addition, throughout the sale, there are 3 chances to earn extra incentives. Turn-in dates for “FOODIEZ” incentives are:
Friday, September 4th
Friday, September 11th
Friday, September 18th
On these dates, send your child to school with the “Foodies” coupon from the brochure in the fundraising packet. The incentive will be processed that day and sent home with your child. On the first week, participants can win extra fun prizes with the Add 10+ Contacts Coupon on the back of the fundraising packet. Please create your account for details on this – the required redemption code is emailed once you earn each coin level.
While all fundraisers are optional, this is always one of our biggest so we greatly appreciate your participation! If you have any questions, please contact the school office or email parent volunteer, Kate Davis, at 70greenbean@sbcglobal.net.
We Had a GREAT First Day!
Welcome back Sabers! Here are some pictures taken this morning…
Note-to-School Notepads Available
Rushing out the door in the morning? No paper handy to send a note into school? The HSA has got you covered! This year the HSA is once again offering Note-to-School Notepads to help make life so much easier for you, your child’s teacher, and the office staff! Purchase a notepad and always have a quick and easy way to send a note to school.
The notepads cost $5.00 each and are printed on blue paper to make notes easily visible in your child’s take-home folder. Notepads will be for sale as long as supplies last. You can order one (or more) by sending payment into the school office or stopping in at arrival/dismissal. If sending in payment please indicate your child’s name and homeroom so your notepad(s) can be sent home with your child.
Last Call: Cross Country Team Registration
For all students in grades 5 – 8 interested in running Cross Country this fall, please complete the following items and return them to the SJS main office by Friday, August 28th.
1. 2026-2027 Athletics Health Permission Form (please remember, this is different than the standard health physical form and must be signed by the child’s doctor. A new form must be submitted each school year);
2. Cross Country Permission Slip;
3. $75 sports/activity fee.
Practices will typically take place on Mondays and Thursdays after school until 3:45pm, with meets (at other area schools) also taking place on weekdays throughout the season. There will also be some Saturday practices and meets throughout the season. Parents must be able to bring their child to meet locations or arrange transportation with other families. The season runs until early November. Our lead volunteer coach this year will be SJS middle school teacher, Mr. Mike Conlin. Please reach out to him with any questions at mconlin@SaintJamesManchester.org.
Please note: Cross Country practices are expected to start Thursday, September 3rd. Runners must have the endurance to run a distance of AT LEAST one mile (without stopping) at the start of the season. Also, we will still need a couple of volunteers to help Mr. Conlin – thank you to those that have already agreed to assist with this wonderful activity for our students.
1st Day Notes & Reminders
It was great seeing everyone this morning for the meet-the-teachers event! We are looking forward to a GREAT 1st day of School tomorrow. A few reminders – particularly pertaining to our K-8 families:
*All students should be in their regular uniform tomorrow and Friday. Gym uniforms (worn to school on gym day) will start next week.
*Dismissal is at 12:05pm tomorrow – LUNCH WILL BE SERVED prior to dismissal. For students being picked up by a parent or caregiver, afternoon pickup will take place in the parking lot between the main school and the Pre-Kindergarten. Please park in a designated spot (see below) and walk over to this lot to pick up your student. Kindergarten will be closest to the grassy area and 8th grade closest to the street – with all other grades sequentially in between.
*After-care/before-care is available on the first day of school for registered families. Please make sure your child’s teacher knows where they are going after school if it will vary.
*All students should bring a snack and bottle of water on the first day of school. Per school policy, please limit snacks to fruits and/or vegetables or a healthy protein only – cheese/yogurt. A refillable bottle of water should be packed with the snack every day.
*For the K-8 program, please arrive between 7:30am and 7:45am – allow yourself plenty of time to park, particularly on the first day when it will be extremely busy around the school. After 7:50am, your student is tardy and you must come into the main office with them to sign them in.
*Teachers will be reviewing all school guidelines with students over the first few days of school, however, we wish to remind K – 8 parents of the following for the first day (from our school handbook):
*No makeup, nail polish, artificial nails, or artificial “tattoos” are allowed
*Boys’ hair must not touch their shirt collar and must not cover their ears or eyebrows
*Hairpieces, mohawk-style haircuts, designs cut into hair, and outlandish hairstyles are not allowed
*Hair must not be dyed, highlighted, or bleached
*The following jewelry is allowed: one watch, one ring, one bracelet, one thin chain necklace with or without a cross. Smart watches and fitbits are NOT allowed
*Girls are allowed one pair of post earrings worn in the earlobes – no hoops; boys are not allowed to wear earrings
Please allow extra time in your day for drop-off and pick-up so you are not rushing in at the last minute. Extra staff will be on hand at both drop-off and pick-up to help guide you to where you need to be during the first few days.
As always, we thank you for your commitment to Saint James School and your continued support of our wonderful, faith-filled school and parish community! Please reach out to your child’s teacher with any last minute questions you may have. We can’t wait to see everyone back at school tomorrow!