Fence/Parking Lot Fund Letter January 23, 2013

Please Help Us Reach Our Goal

Fence/Parking Lot Project Is Almost Half-way There!

Dear St. Monica Academy Families,

Last year, you may remember St Monica Parish was very fortunate to take part in the Cardinal’s Annual Catholic Appeal Debt Reduction program.  This program, together with the generosity of our parishioners and school families raised enough funds for the St Monica Parish and School debt to be eliminated in February 2012. 

In addition to eliminating the debt, construction of a new church copula and roof was completed.  Extensive plumbing and sealing work was done in the Parish office basement.  This is an area where the Scouts have their regular meetings, the home of the St Vincent DePaul food pantry, and an important space for church storage.  In the school building, the heating and air conditioning systems were improved and needed upgrades all of last year and this year.  Again, the generosity of all of you made all of this possible.

Last January, the blue Roof Fund envelope in Church was replaced with blue Parking Lot Fund envelope.  The projected need for this project is over $155,000 and will cover all three of the campus parking lots (church lot, rectory lot, and school lot-where our St. Monica Academy students have outside recess).  This project will include a fence around the school lot at Carmen and Nottingham.  As of today, the fund totals are nearing $60,000.  With your continued support of this fund, a new parking lot and fence could be completed by spring of 2014 or sooner. 

As you can see, your generous donations have made it possible to pay off the Parish and School debt and complete many needed projects.  I want everyone to be aware of the progress of this project, and that we are almost half-way there.  Thank you for supporting this fund by using the blue envelopes and by donating through GiveCentral.org for online giving.  All future donations will help us secure the funding for a new fence and parking lot ultimately making our grounds safer for our school children and parishioners.

If you have any questions or would like information on GiveCentral for online giving please call me in the school office at 773-631-7880. 

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Ray Coleman, Principal

Principal's Letter - November 28, 2012

Dear St. Monica Academy Families,

Advent is beginning, and our students are preparing for Jesus in many ways.  All will participate in school-wide Masses, prayer services, special activities, and service projects in the weeks ahead. 

One such service project, called Joseph’s Workshop will allow our students to help families in crisis.  Collection banks will go home this week with the weekly folders.  We will also create a Jesse Tree that will be displayed in the main entrance of the school, and classroom doors will be decorated with Advent themes as part of a contest sponsored by the school newspaper.  In addition, everyone will participate on December 17^th in Las Posadas, which models the pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay.  They will travel around the school picking up each classroom.   

We are looking forward to our all-school Christmas Program led by our 1^st grade class, who will be performing as actors with other classrooms singing Christmas songs.  There are two performances held in the Church on Thursday, December 20^th at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.  This is a special time to share the spirit of the season with the whole school community.  Each grade level will be involved in retelling the “Story of Jesus”.  We hope you can share in this wonderful program presented to you by our school children.  December 20^th is also “Dress Up Day”, an opportunity for our school children to dress up in their best Sunday clothes.

An important academic event will be held Tuesday, December 6th.  The St. Monica Academy Science Fair is in its 12^th year and is an opportunity for our 7^th and 8^th grade students to share and present their science fair projects.  Our students have been working hard for months preparing their projects.  Top finishers will have a chance to advance to the regional and state competitions.

The Science Fair challenges our students to pursue a topic that is all their own under the guidance of Mrs. Kiszynski, our junior high science instructor.  The projects challenge our students to design an experiment, do research on a topic of their choice, create a display board, and then present their work orally to visiting judges.  Judges are represented by local grammar schools, high schools, area universities, local military personnel, and various industries and organizations.  We are looking forward to this educational event.

Congratulations to 7^th grader, Marty Dawson, who finished 11^th out of 340 students participating from 29 different schools in the Fenwick Junior High Science Contest held two weeks ago.  This is a tremendous accomplishment for one of our very own!

In sports, basketball season is coming to a close for all of our teams, and we are proud of all of them.  Our 8^th grade boy’s team won the Knights of Columbus Tournament and the Thanksgiving Shootout at Guerin Prep last week.  Currently, they have 13 – 1 record and are looking forward to their Conference Tournament as well as the 8^th grade Rose Game scheduled for Friday, December 14^th in the St. Monica gym.  Volleyball sign up went home last week.  Please return forms before the December 3^rd due date.  Lastly, check out all of our new team banners in the gym celebrating championships and winning seasons over the past two years! 

Reminders: 

• If you are interested in speaking to a teacher, please call in advance or email the teacher.  Teachers cannot meet during their teaching periods or during arrival time.  All visitors to the school need to check in with the office and sign in with a destination.

• If your child is absent, please call the office by 9:00 a.m. on the day of the absence.  It is important that the office is informed of absences even if you have contacted your child’s teacher. 

• With regard to parking around the school during arrival and dismissal, please make an effort to use parking zones.  Please do not leave your car unattended in the drop off zone on Carmen Ave.  We realize that it is sometimes difficult to park at busy times, so please try to park in areas that may involve a short walk.  This will only make our drop-off and pick-up times safer for our children. 

• In the Church parking lot, please attempt to park only in designated areas and avoid parking lot entrances and the canopy area by the church.  This area is congested at times, and I appreciate your patience during drop off and pick up times.  Again, our first priority is to keep our students as safe as possible.

Lastly, remember to follow the traffic pattern outside during arrival and dismissal time.  The following is a reminder of the traffic pattern that parents are asked to follow:  South on Nottingham, West on Carmen and North on Mont Clare.  The traffic pattern is in a clockwise direction so that students can exit or enter vehicles safely on the school-side curb.

Important Upcoming Dates

Nov. 30^th to Dec. 2^nd (3 Days) Holiday Gift Shop Open - Rzany Hall

Dec. 1^st      Late Night Catechism – ‘Til Death Do Us Part in Beyenka Hall 7:00 p.m.

Dec. 3^rd     Advent Prayer Assembly 8:30 a.m. - Gym

Dec. 6^th     St. Monica Academy Science Fair – Beyenka Hall

Dec. 7^th     School Mass 9:15 a.m. - Church

Dec. 7^th     Sock Hop – Gym

Dec. 8^th     Lunch with Santa – Beyenka Hall

Dec. 9^th     Classroom Family Mass 10:30 a.m. 8^th Grade - Church

Dec. 11^th   Christmas Band Concert 7:00 p.m. - Beyenka Hall

Dec. 17^th   Advent Prayer Service 9:15 a.m. - Church

Dec. 20^th   Christmas Program 1:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. - Church (Dress Up Day)

Dec. 21^st   Confessions Grades 3-8  Church

Jan. 7^th      Classes Resume

Thank you for your continued support!

Blessings to All,

Ray Coleman, Principal

Principal's Letter - August 30, 2012

Dear St. Monica Academy Families,

Welcome back to all of our St. Monica families as we start a new and exciting school year.  There are many new families and new teachers that we would like to welcome this first week:  Mr. Gary Childers (8^th grade), Robin Goel (4^th grade), Callie Salerno (PreK4), and Marcus Hostetler (Music). 

In the classrooms, we now have five Smart/Active Boards.  Locations are spaced throughout the school in the junior high, 4^th grade, 1^st grade, preschool, and the computer lab.  The use of new technology in the classroom will open new learning opportunities for our students.  You may have also noticed that there are new permanent wooden benches installed around the school and parish.  This was an Eagle Scout project organized by Chris Lessner, a St. Monica graduate.  We thank him for his hard work to make this improvement to our campus.

PowerSchool will continue as our School Information System (SIS).  The system is a web-based application that is accessed through an Internet connection.  Once you are familiar with PowerSchool, you will be able to check your child’s grades and attendance with just the click of a mouse any time, day or night in grades 4-8.  More information will be coming home explaining login procedures to families that will be using it for the first time.  We will also continue using SchoolReach to assist in home and school communication through email (on Wednesdays) and periodic phone messages. 

Lastly, the St. Monica Academy faculty has formulated goals in these areas.  The goals are listed below and will assist us in keeping our school current with a focus on moving forward every year:

CATHOLIC IDENTITY:

-Strengthen student knowledge of and participation in the Catholic Mass (this year is the “Year of the Mass”).

-Increase parish and school interaction in the area of religious education.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE:

-Utilize Response to Intervention (RTI) knowledge and techniques to meet student needs and optimize educational opportunities.

-Integrate new and existing technology within classroom instruction.

SCHOOL VITALITY:

-Promote school in the community by showcasing environmental curriculum.

-Increase and strengthen student participation in the SEEDS curriculum through enrichment activities and stewardship opportunities.

Reminders:

*Information on Free and Reduced Lunches for qualified families is available in the school office, and applications can be sent home upon request.

*Please remember to return yellow Emergency Information forms as soon as possible.

As you may know, the following teachers from last year will be moving on:  Laura Chmiel, Gena Lupo, Carrie Elko, and Katie Snyder.  I would like to thank them for their outstanding service to St. Monica Academy!  We will also miss Chris Haruska, who has had a tremendous impact at St. Monica Academy during the past 8 years.  Congratulations to him for accepting a new position with the Office of Catholic Schools at the downtown office. 

With a new school year beginning, there is a lot to look forward to at St. Monica Academy.  Welcome Back!

Sincerely,

Ray Coleman, Principal

Principal's Letter - May 23, 2012

Dear St. Monica Academy Parents,

It has been an amazing year at St. Monica Academy, and it is hard to imagine that summer break is on the horizon.  To end the year, we have celebrations, prayer services, graduations, and farewells scheduled in the days ahead.  With all of this happening, we are already starting to look forward to next school year. 

Recently, there have been many highlights and student achievements that we are proud to share with you.  Earlier in the month, St. Monica 8^th grade students presented their science fair projects at the state competition at the University of Illinois in Champaign.  The competition has two components, a paper session, where student compositions are judged.  There is a project session component as well, where students present their science projects and are formally judged.  Here are the results of the state fair:  Elijah Irizarry (8^th gr.), a silver award in the project session, Ben Ranft (8^th gr.), a silver award in the project session, Emily Boehm (8^th gr.), a gold award in the paper session, Maddie Larsen (8^th gr.), a gold award in the paper session, Grace Torres (8^th gr.), a gold award in the paper session, and Julia Swider (8^th gr.), a gold award in the paper session.  Great Work!

The State Science Fair included more than 1,000 projects from the entire state of Illinois and acknowledges the work and achievements of the finest young scientists in the state of Illinois.  Congratulations to all of our students for the many hours that they have invested in their projects and papers under the guidance of junior high science teacher, Mrs. Kiszynski.   

Congratulations to a St. Monica Academy student team for receiving first place for the spring 2012 session for the City of Chicago in the Stock Market Game program.  Seven of our St. Monica teams placed in the top 15.  The first place team consisted of 6^th graders, Natalie Morales, Jennifer LoForte, and Gavin Mills.  All three students were honored at the awards reception and presented their investment strategies in a PowerPoint format on May 7^th at the Tribune Tower on Michigan Ave.  The stock market game is a simulation game and winners are chosen based on the team with the highest gains in their portfolio of investments.  Great job and thank you to Mr. Haruska for coordinating this program. 

The winner of the St. Monica 5K Fun Run Logo Contest is 3^rd grader C.J. O’Gara.  His “running leaf” design included a green leaf image and the spirit of a fun runner.  Congratulations C.J.!  Early registration for this inaugural running of the SMA 5K ends tomorrow at noon.  So take advantage of the discounted rates for this event that will be held Saturday, June 2nd.

In other news, our St. Monica Academy Student Council serves as role models to others throughout the school year.  The following students have participated and showed great initiative throughout the year as members:  Lexie Ippolito (President), Dan Nieves (Vice-President), Jeremy Donohue-Wach, Annie Valenziano, Mary Ann Creighton, Lexi Austin, Gracie Torres, Joey Lynch, and Michael Ghiloni.  All of these Student Council members have developed into fine leaders in addition to balancing their academic responsibilities. 

I would like to take a moment to thank Ronna Atlas (President), Amelia Terrell (Hospitality), Jonathan Frawley (LAP), and Lori Laera (Secretary) for their dedicated service as members of the St. Monica Academy School Board.  We appreciate all of their time and effort as school board members for the last three years! 

In our student gardens around campus, classrooms are beginning the process of preparing the soil after weeks of planning.  Planting has started outside, and we will have to maintain the gardens through the summer.  We would like each class to volunteer to assist in the maintenance of our growing and beautiful gardens, with more areas being added each year.  We thank Lurvey’s Garden Center in Des Plaines for their yearly donations of so many plants.  They have been very generous to our school in providing needed shrubs, flowers, and vegetables plants to us. 

In sports, the 8^th grade Boys Volleyball Team finished the regular season as champions of the City Suburban Catholic Conference.  They also finished as champions in the playoff tournament.  The 6^th grade Boys Volleyball Team finished the regular season as conference champions and finished the playoffs in 2^nd place.  Great Job!   Lastly, I would like to thank Ed Creighton and Paul Jankiewicz for serving as members of the Athletic Board for many years and for their dedication as coaches.  Also, thank you to Paul Jankiewicz for his service as St. Monica Athletic Director! 

Congratulations to our entire 8^th grade graduates as they prepare for their graduation ceremony on this Saturday, May 26^th.  We wish them great success as they enter high school and a new phase in their lives.  They have impacted our school in so many ways and by providing student leadership.  We wish them well in their future endeavors!

Reminders:

• As we look forward to the next school year, it is extremely important that we have an accurate student count to properly plan for the new school year.  Therefore, if you have not registered, please do so as soon as possible.  If your child is not returning, please inform Mrs. Pellegrini in the school office. 

• Registration for extended day care is also open.  Forms are available in the office and on the school website. 

State Required Examinations

• Every student entering Preschool, Kindergarten, and 6th grade is required to submit a complete physical exam and immunization record by the first day of school in order to begin school.  This is a requirement of Illinois State Law.  We encourage you to beat the rush and make your physical appointments now.  Here are additional requirements for children entering preschool, kindergarten, 2 grade, and 6 grade.

• Preschool - completed physical examination when entering for the first time. 
• Kindergarten – completed physical examination, vision examination, and dental examination. 
• 2^nd Grade – completed dental examination.
• 6^th Grade – completed physical examination and dental examination.

• Please remember to pick up student medication in the school office by the end of June.  Medications not claimed will be discarded.

• Remember to purchase gym uniforms through the Athletic Board for the coming school year.  Orders are due by June 1 and will be delivered on Family Payment Day in Beyenka Hall on August 18 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  Order forms have been sent in the communications folder and are also available in the school office or can be printed from the school website.^stth

• School office hours for the summer:

        June        9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.     Monday – Thursday

        July         Closed                     Phone calls will be returned

        August     9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.     Monday – Friday

Upcoming Events

Thur.     May 24^th         8^th Grade Graduation Dance 6:00 p.m. 

Fri.       May 25^th          PreK-palooza Celebration 10:00 a.m. 

Sat.      May 26^th          8^th Grade Graduation Mass 11:00 a.m. 

Mon.     May 28^th          Memorial Day – No School

Tues.    May 29^th          Athletic Banquet 6:00 p.m. Beyenka Hall

Wed.    May 30^th          Kindergarten Graduation 9:00 a.m.  Gym

Thur.     May 31^st          Awards Assembly 9:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.

Fri.       June 1^st           School Mass 9:15 a.m.  Last Day   

                                 (11:30 a.m. Dismissal)

Sat.      June 2^nd          St. Monica 5K Fun Run 9:00 a.m.                                  

I would like to take a moment to say how much we miss Mrs. Losurdo, who passed away during the school year.  She worked at St Monica Academy for many years and meant so much to all of us.  We know that Mrs. Losurdo is watching over us, and we also know, she will never be forgotten.  Yesterday, a tree was dedicated in her honor with the whole school offering prayers for her.  Thank you Mrs. Losurdo for doing so much for us and impacting our lives in such a positive way!  God Bless you.

Sincerely,

Ray Coleman, Principal

Principal's Letter - March 28, 2012

Dear St. Monica Academy Families,

Lent preparation is on our minds as we approach Holy Week.  On Monday, the school gathered together for a “prayer assembly” in the school gym with another scheduled for the Monday of Holy Week.  As the most faith filled time of the year, these experiences help us make the connections to Jesus in a prayerful way.

Over the course of this school year, the St. Monica students have made great strides in their development and academic progress.  Amazingly, there are only 2 months of school remaining.  There have been many opportunities and student successes to highlight recently.  Here are some examples.  

The I.J.A.S. Region 2 Science Fair Project Competition was held at the Museum of Science and Industry.  Five St. Monica Academy 8^th grade students received gold awards (the highest possible award) in the science project session.  They are Blake Rosenbusch, Nigel Castelino, Colleen Gale, Ben Ranft, and Elijah Irrizary.  Ben and Elijah will be moving on to the State Competition at the University of Illinois in downstate Champaign on May 4-5.  Elijah Irrizary earned an additional award from the Illinois Association of Heating and Refrigeration Engineers.  Six more students received gold awards for their science fair papers:  Emily Boehm, Maddie Larsen, Annie Valenziano, Grace Torres, Julia Swider, and Lexie Ippolito.  All of these St. Monica 8^th graders will be competing downstate as well.  Thank you to Mrs. Kiszynski for leading such a great Science program.  Great job to all of our students.

In another important event, the St. Monica Speech Team competed at the West 40 Speech & Poetry Competition at Elmwood Park High School earlier in the month.  They came away with a second place trophy out of almost 20 schools entered in the competition.  All of the following students competed individually or in group performances to receive perfect scores:   Dan Nieves (8^th gr.) in Serious Presentation; Sydnee Brown (8^th gr.) in Serious Monologue; Ryan Pesole, Lucas Krystyn, Paul Saad (8^th gr.) in a Trio Presentation; Cristina Gamboa and Yalitza Ruiz (8^th gr.) in Serious Duet; Sophia Acevedo and Cherryshe Sinfuego (7^th gr.) in Humorous Duet; Sydney Ryan (7^th gr.) in Serious Monologue; Gavin Mills (6^th gr.) in Humorous Poetry, and 4^th grade class members Daniela Badami, Angelina Giovannielli, Joseph Laera, Johnathan LaVecchia, Kelly Moritz, Charles Rademaker, Nikki Rasmussen, Randy Ryan, Michael Siemiaszko in Readers Theatre. 

There were more than 60 St. Monica students competing at West 40 and many more received 1^st and 2^nd place ribbons.  Congratulations to all of them.  Our Speech Team continues to display tremendous poise and confidence in their ability to speak and perform in front of a crowd and judges.  Thank you to the Speech Team coaches, Mr. Sheehan and Mrs. Wiss for all they have done to prepare and guide our students in their performances.

The Talent Show is only two days away and is “sold out”.  The big event will take place this Friday, March 30^th at 1:00 and 7:00 p.m.  We have added extra seating and standing room space to accommodate the high demand for tickets.  As a result, seating will not be available to everyone in attendance.  Doors will open no earlier than 30 minutes prior to showtime.

A belated congratulations to the winners of the Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest.  The winners were Connor Sturt (1^st gr.), Cherryshe Sinfuego (7^th gr.), and Brian Guratowski, (8^th gr.).  Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you to the St. Monica Knights of Columbus for taking an interest in our students and sponsoring this contest.

In Sports, four St. Monica Academy volleyball teams have made the playoffs.  Good luck to all of them.  The 8^th grade boys team is playing in the championship match at Loyola Academy.  Baseball, softball, and track season will be starting soon.

Lastly, more than twenty band students participated in the Solo Adjudication held at St. Patrick High School in late February.  Each student performed a piece before a judge and was scored for their performance.  St. Monica Academy had four students, who earned perfect scores.  They were Nick Amati (6^th gr.), Joey Valenziano (6^th gr.), Sophia Haloulas (5^th gr.), and Bobby Stempien (5^th gr.).  Great Job!

Reminders
      Parking

• With regard to parking around the school.  Please make the extra effort to park in areas that may involve walking a few blocks.  This will make our drop-off and pick-up times safer for our children.  Avoid parking in the areas marked with cones on Carmen Street and under the canopy in front of the Church.  This area must be made accessible for emergency vehicles.

Traffic

• Remember to follow the traffic pattern outside during arrival and dismissal times.  The following is a reminder that parents are asked to follow:  South on Nottingham, West on Carmen and North on Mont Clare.  The traffic pattern is in a clockwise direction so that students can exit or enter vehicles safely on the school-side curb. 

Child Safety

• Please remind your child(ren) about keeping themselves safe and “stranger danger” precautions.  St. Monica Academy teaches the “Child Lures” program to assist children to protect themselves and inform them of various lures that are out there.  Here are a few reminders:  teach your children not to talk to strangers, tell them not to approach a motor vehicle of someone they do not know, and tell them they can say “no” to strangers and avoid them.  The safety of our children is our number one priority.

Registration

• We are in the process of making preparations for the 2012-13 school year, and it is important that we have an accurate number of student enrollment to properly plan for the new school year.  We will be sending home student registration forms and tuition agreements after Easter Break.  Please return all forms to the school office upon receipt.  If not returning to St. Monica Academy, please inform Mrs. Pellegrini in the school office.  Our planning for classrooms depends on actual numbers of registered students. 

State Required Examinations

• Every student entering Preschool, Kindergarten, and 6th grade is required to submit a complete physical exam and immunization record by the first day of school in order to begin school.  This is a requirement of Illinois State Law.  We encourage you to beat the summer rush and make your physical appointments now.  Here is a summary and additional requirements for children entering Preschool, Kindergarten, 2 grade, and 6grade.^ndth
  • Preschool – completed physical examination
  • Kindergarten – completed physical examination, vision examination, and dental examination.
  • 2^nd Grade – completed dental examination.
  • 6^th Grade – completed physical examination and dental examination.

May the season of Lent be a time of blessing upon all of you.

Sincerely,

Ray Coleman, Principal