Shining Stars for the Future
January 28, 2010
EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT! ST. BARBARA SCHOOL WILL ONCE AGAIN OFFER PRESCHOOL TO THREE YEAR OLDS!
Please spread the word to your family, friends and neighbors. We have worked all year with our curriculum to effectively have our three and four year olds together next school year with choices of:
PRINICPAL NOTES: Watch for a very important letter and survey coming home today under separate cover. Please complete and return to us ASAP. Thanks for your cooperation!
Thanks to FSA for providing the kids' entertainment last Friday. The children really enjoyed seeing the animals and watching their fellow students interacting with the animals. They also learned a lot about rainforests.
Information on the free H1N1 vaccine was sent home with your child yesterday. Please read all the information very carefully before making your decision. Only those children returning a completed, signed consent form will receive the vaccination. If you have any questions, please contact CCDPH at 708-492-2828 Monday-Friday between 8:30am and 4:30pm..
Enclosed is the REVISED schedule for Catholic Schools Week.
Catholic Schools Week begins this Sunday, January 31, 2010 through February 5, 2010. Please join us at our Sunday Mass at 11:00 on January 31st. The school will be open immediately following the 11:00 Mass until 1:30 on Sunday for all school families, parishioners, and any new families to visit and register for the next school year. We ask that children stay with their families and not run up and down the stairs or in the corridors.
Congratulations to Michelle Hitzman who won the National Catholic Education Association Distinguished Graduate Award for her continued ministry to our school and parish! This award is always given to a former graduate of St. Barbara School who remains involved in parish life. Also, congratulations to first and second grade teachers, Mrs. Christine Scharf and Ms. Monica O'Meara, who each won the Heart of the School Award for their contributions to St. Barbara School. Presentations of both awards will take place at the 11:00 Mass this Sunday.
You are most welcome and invited to join us, also, in a variety of activities we have prepared for this exciting week.
· The Multi-Cultural Fair is this Sunday after the 11:00 Mass! The 7th and 8th graders will be hosting an ethnic fair to teach us about 20 different countries! Kindergarten through 6th grade students' projects will also be on display. Please come and help us Celebrate Diversity!!!
· Tuesday, February 2nd is Kids Day. The children may come to school out of uniform. Please be sure they are dressed appropriately.
· Everyone is invited to the see the 8th graders take on the Faculty & Staff in our Annual Volleyball Game on Thursday, February 4th at 10:20 in the gym.
· Our half-day preschoolers are also invited to enjoy the free Subway lunch, compliments of our FSA. Just send in your order. When your parents come to pick you up, you will be welcome to stay and eat in the preschool room with your full-day classmates!
The 9:00 Mass for the Primary Grades originally planned for Wednesday, February 3rd has been cancelled.
Invitations are being sent out tomorrow to all of our volunteers to invite you to the Catholic Schools Week Volunteer Mass at 9:00 a.m. followed by a continental breakfast to be held on Friday, February 5th. If you do not receive an invitation, you may have been inadvertently omitted. If this happens, please accept our apologies and feel most welcome to join us.
Coming home to all families in the next few days is our packet of teacher newsletters. Read about all the interesting and exciting things going on in our classrooms!
Thanks to Mr. E, father of a kindergartener, for fixing the sink in the kindergarten room. Mrs. Brija and our kindergartners are very excited that they can use the sink again!!!!
The Terra Nova Tests will begin on March 1st through March 12th for students in grades 2, 3, 5 and 7. Barring any illness, please do not schedule doctor appointments, trips, etc. during this time, as it is very important that the students are in school for testing.
Our Family School Association (FSA) is always looking for new members. Everyone is invited to our upcoming meeting on Monday, February 1st. This is a good way to form friendships with other school parents and to get involved in your child's school activities. If you have any questions about our FSA, please feel welcome to call me or Steffanie W..
THE JUNIOR HIGH LOCKERS HAVE ARRIVED! Thank you so much to everyone that has donated money in the past few years to purchase these! The students are so excited about the new lockers. We want to say a special thank you to the dads for assembling them!
REMINDER FIRST EUCHARIST PARENT MEETING: A First Eucharist parent meeting will be held in the Windemere Room Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. This is a very important meeting for parents whose child will be receiving their Sacrament of Eucharist this spring. Babysitting will be provided.
FSA NEWS - TRIVIA IS BACK!!!
Jr. High Trivia- Friday, January 29th, doors open at 6:30, trivia starts at 7:00pm- teams of not more than 4 people in grades 5th-8th. $10 per kid-pizza, drink and snacks provided. $100 cash to the winning team.
Mighty Kids Trivia- Saturday, January 30th - 1-3pm, teams of not more than 4 kids, grades PS-4th grade, $5 per child, snacks provided. Want to play but don't have a team? Come out and we will place you on a team. Prizes will be awarded to the 1st place team.
Adult Trivia- Saturday, January 30th, doors open 6p and trivia starts at 7pm. Not more than 6 people per team- $10 per person, cash bar. $300 to winning team!
For more information on Trivia events, please call Cathy K..
ST. BARB'S BUZZ: Student Council will be selling their second edition of "St. Barbs' Buzz" this week for 50 cents. This newsletter is packed with lots of interesting facts! There are teacher interviews, games, book reviews, and so much more! Get your copy today...they are selling quickly!
HELP US GET TO SPRINGFIELD: The 7th and 8th graders will be holding a raffle of several baskets during the Multi-Cultural Fair on Sunday, January 31st. The tickets are $1.00 each or 6 tickets for $5.00. The winners will be drawn at 2:00 that same day.
FSA KIDS LUNCH needs volunteers on Thursday, February 4th. FSA is sponsoring lunch for the entire school on February 4th. We are looking for some Virtus-trained volunteers to coordinate picking up the lunch from Subway and distributing it to the students for their specified lunch times. Please call or email Steffanie W. if you would like to help us out.
VALENTINE CANDY-GRAMS: Order forms for Valentine Candy-grams will be sent home soon. Send your child, child's teacher or St. Barbara staff a candy-gram through school. The Candy-grams will be delivered to classrooms on Friday, February 12, 2010. Candy-grams are $1.00 each and all proceeds will benefit the St. Barbara Student Council.
NEW FSA DATES: The FSA meeting dates have been changed for the remainder of the school year. Please change your calendars to reflect the new dates:
Monday, February 1st
Monday, March 1st
Monday, April 12th (remains the same)
Monday, May 3rd
Thursday, June 3rd
ITEM NEEDED TO BORROW...Does anyone have an Indian headpiece that our first grade can use for the talent show? If so, please call the school office or contact Mrs. Scharf, our first grade teacher.
SPRING PICTURE DAY (sticky pics) is set for March 31, 2010. This is a casual out-of-uniform day. These pictures are not the ones used in the yearbook. You are not required to get your picture taken or to purchase these pictures, but these pictures do always turn out really nice. More info to follow as it gets closer.
KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION PICTURES will also be taken on March 31, 2010. They are taken with a cap and gown and there is no obligation to purchase, but these are used in the yearbook. More info to follow as it gets closer.
MARKET DAY NEWS: This Saturday, January 30th is our Market Day pick up. Our Kindergarten families are our scheduled helpers. Volunteers, please arrive at the Parish Center by 9:15.
BOX TOPS: Don't forget to turn in your box tops, etc. We are having a collection tomorrow.
LOST AND FOUND: Parents, please be sure to put your child's name or initials on the tags of their uniform, coats, hats, etc. We have numerous articles of clothing in our lost and found which could be returned to the owner if only THE NAMES WERE ON THE TAGS J.
POP TOPS FROM CANS: We continue to collect the pop tops from pop cans, etc. These are donated to the Ronald McDonald House where out-of-area families stay while their seriously ill children are in the hospital. This is a wonderful cause and very easy to contribute to. You can collect and send in pop tops in a baggie or some kind of container throughout the year. Thanks for your help!