Patty Bajek / Thursday, February 2, 2023

Saints Speak - 2/3/2023 - Build a Better World

Please take a few moments to reflect on today’s quote from Pope Francis:

“Let us encourage the generosity which is typical of the young and help them to work actively in building a better world. Young people are a powerful engine for the Church and for society.”

I am lucky that I get to witness the generosity and kindness of our youth often. When a child forgets a pencil for class, several others volunteer to share with them without being asked. When a student is without a lunch, others quickly offer their own food. We must encourage our young people to continue to be generous with what they have, sharing not only their treasure but also their time and talent, as we work to make a better world together!

Catholic Schools Week

It has been a great Catholic Schools Week so far! The students have enjoyed the special out of uniform days, the treats, the Talent Show, and so much more. The 5th graders did a fantastic job teaching us all about the lives of the saints on Monday, and my ears are still ringing from all the cheering and excitement at yesterday’s pep rally – our first one in three years! Please consider joining us for Mass tomorrow morning. There is no better way to conclude our week of celebrating Catholic education than joining together in prayer!

Dismissal

Since the start of the school year, we have seen an increase in the number of students who are not picked up on time from school. Due to liability, students may not attend after care with Children’s Choice if they are not registered for the program. If a child is not picked up at dismissal and is not enrolled with Children’s Choice, an ASCA teacher or staff member must wait with him/her until a parent or guardian arrives. In recent weeks these late pickups have led to teachers being late to faculty meetings and personal appointments and missing out on those valuable minutes after school when they grade papers, organize their classrooms, and prepare for the next day. Minutes matter for all of us, but especially for teachers who are so actively engaged with your children throughout the school day.

While we understand that emergencies happen, traffic causes delays, and we are all human, the pattern of late pickups must be addressed, as it is placing an unfair burden on our teachers and staff.

Beginning next week, families will be charged for late pickups from school. For full-day students, school dismisses at 3:30pm. At Door 1, we will bring the students inside at 3:35pm. At Door 7, we will bring the students inside when the car line ends (typically 3:40pm). If your child is brought inside, he/she will be sent to after care if registered. If you are not registered for after care, you will be charged $1 per minute for the late pickup. Charges will be incurred for late pickup from detention (4:15pm) and preschool (11:15am, 12:30pm, or 3:00pm depending on your grade level and full/half-day status). Please register your child for after care with Children’s Choice! This will reduce any late fees you incur (their cost is $5 per half hour) and give those precious minutes back to our teachers to use in preparing for the next school day. Thank you for your support.

Safe Environment Lessons

Next week, all classes will be completing the Diocese's required safe environment lessons during religion classes. Please click here for more information and to access the opt out form; you only need to return the bottom portion of the letter if you are choosing to "opt out" of the lessons. If you are interested in learning more about this Diocesan-provided program, please click here.

MAP Testing

All K-8 students took the NWEA MAP assessment in reading and math at the end of January. This is the second MAP testing session of the year and allows us to measure student growth and progress since September. Teachers are in the process of reviewing MAP data, which is used to inform instruction. MAP test results for K-5 will be sent home next week. MAP results for junior high will be sent home the week of February 13th, as those teachers see many students and needed a little more time to review their students’ data.

February Updates

During the month of February, our students will be spending time with their faith buddies learning about the virtue of honesty. Click here for ways you can make honesty a focus at home this month, too!

February is Black History Month. Our person of the month is St. Martin de Porres. At the end of the month we’ll share a student-made video on St. Martin de Porres sharing what the children have learned about his life and impact.

Our social-emotional learning topic for February is the second of the 5 core competencies, self-management. Click here for more information on self-management.

Extracurricular Activities

Click here to sign up for the newest session of Sticky Fingers, our after-school cooking class!

Community News

DuPage County Health Department is offering a low-cost dental clinic for children. Click here for more information on Give Kids a Smile Day.

Saintly Acts

Congratulations to the following students who earned Saintly Acts this week: Alex S. (8th grade), Sophia S. (6th grade), Carter P. (6th grade), Kameron G. (5th grade), 5th/6th period 6th grade ELA class, Antonella B. (1st grade), JP S. (1st grade), Blakely D. (1st grade), Ameila N. (2nd grade), Genevieve S. (2nd grade), Uriel C. (2nd grade), Olha T. (2nd grade), Shivani S. (3rd grade), and Liam B. (2nd grade). Keep being saintly!

Margie Marshall