Principal's Letter - February 23, 2011

Dear St. Monica Academy Families,

As the month of February comes to a close, the St. Monica students have accomplished so much.  They won’t have much time to reflect on the past because there is so much to do and to look forward to in the coming months.  As Lent approaches, we must however reflect on our faith during this special season.  We will increase our vigilance by participating in weekly “prayer assemblies” in the gym and school masses. 

Regarding Sunday participation, the new monthly classroom masses have been a success.  Classrooms have been hosting these masses on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. since the beginning of the school year.  Each grade level has or will help to prepare and participate in a Sunday liturgy celebration.  Increasing attendance at Sunday Mass is an important goal that we want to emphasize and continue for the future.  Spiritual development is essential as our students grow in so many other areas through opportunities in the classroom, clubs, activities, and sports.  Here are examples of the success of our students in recent weeks.  

Last week, 8^th grader Marin McCall was announced as a winner in the “Scholastic Writing Contest”.  She was awarded a Gold Key Writing Award and was nominated for an American Voices Award.  This is a huge honor.  Gold Key Awards are the highest level of achievement at the regional level.  Marin’s writing entitled, “Lord of the Flies:  The Prequel” has been forwarded to the national level of the Scholastic Writing Awards.  She is also invited to attend the Chicago Regional Awards Ceremony on March 26^th at the University of Illinois Chicago campus.  Great Job!

Winners of the “Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest” were announced and celebrated last month.  The winners were Thomas Robaczewski (Kindergarten), Juliana Gisler (2^nd gr.), Kailey Kraft (3^rd gr.), Alexander Skokan (5^th gr.), Jonathan Stevens (6^th gr.), Brian Guratowski, (7^th gr.), and Dylan Tabang (8^th gr.)  In another contest, the “Drug and Alcohol Awareness Art Contest” the following winners were announced:  Shannon Daniels (8^th gr.), Daniel Nieves (7^th gr.), Joey Lynch (6^th gr.) and Sean Neace (6^th gr.).  Congratulations to all of the winners.  Thank you to art teacher, Marlene Power, for her guidance and to Grand Knight, Greg Repta and the St. Monica Knights of Columbus for taking an interest in our students and sponsoring these contests.

In another important event, the St. Monica Speech Team competed at the West 40 Speech & Poetry Competition at Elmwood Park High School on February 12^th.  St. Monica Academy entered two teams and both teams were awarded 2^nd place trophies out of 17 teams.  Our students competed against mostly public schools and performed very well. 

Here are the individual results with the following students earning perfect scores:  Sydney Ryan, “Oh the Places You’ll Go” in Humorous Poetry;  Dylan Tabang, “Let America Be America Again” in Serious Poetry;  Dylan Tabang in another performance, “JFK Inauguration Speech” in Oratorical Declamation;  Ryan Pesole, Lucas Krysten, Paul Saad “Episodes from the 3 Stooges” in a Trio Presentation; and Joey Hilger, Anthony Mitchell, “The Golfer” in a Humorous Duet.

Students who were one point short of a perfect score were Elijah Irizarry, “Selection of Robert Frost Poems” in Serious Poetry;  Kevin Mack, Lexi Ippolito, Julia Swider, Anna Natividad, Scott Mitchell, Michael Ghiloni, Sydnee Brown, Cristina Gamboa, “To Kill a Mockingbird” in Dramatic Performance;  Ryan Ranft, “The Dentist” in Humorous Presentation;  CheChe Sinfuego, Maeve Swan, Sophia Acevedo, “How to Dump a Dip” in a Trio Presentation;  and Anthony Mitchell, Joey Hilger in an Extemporaneous Duet.  Congratulations to all of these individuals and to the entire team of 54 students who participated.  Our speech team continues to excel in front of an audience and judges.  Thank you to the Speech Team coaches, Lindsey Bornholdt and Michael Sheehan, for all that they do to prepare and guide our students!

In the Sciences, twelve of our 7^th and 8^th graders will participate in the Regional Science Fair Project Competition on Saturday, March 12^th at the Museum of Science and Industry:  Zachary Becker, Liam Herrin, Raquel Gonzalez, Joey Hilger, Leanne Mordan, Erica Skibicki, Elijah Irizarry, Theresa Romano, Blake Rosenbusch, Lexi Ippolito, Dylan Tabang, and Maddie Larsen.  The Paper Session of the competition will be held this Saturday with the following three students advancing:  Michelle Kubala, Marin McCall, and Paulina Marecka.  Good luck to all of them!

In other news, the Scholastic Book Fair was another success.  We will be able to purchase more than $2700 in books with the proceeds.  Thanks to Monica Brunell, who organized the book fair for the fourth year in a row, to all the volunteers, and to those who supported the book fair during Catholic Schools Week. 

In Sports, both the 6^th and 7^th the St. Monica Academy Boys Basketball Team finished the regular season as conference champions and earned 2^nd place in the City and Suburban Catholic Conference Playoffs respectively.  Go Mustangs!

Important Notes and Reminders

§  At the end of the school year, two snow days will be added to our school calendar, which will extend our school year to Tuesday, June 7^th.

§  Virtus Training will be held at St Monica Academy on March 27^th in Beyenka Hall from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. for all volunteers.  Please register at http://virtus.org

§  Thank you to all the families and vendors who have assisted St. Monica Academy in donating materials and “regift” items.  These items have been sold at the Holiday Fair and will be used at the Mardi Gras Celebration for prize redemptions (increasing funds for the school).

§  Remember to attend, volunteer, or purchase raffle tickets for the Mardi Gras Celebration scheduled for March 4^th 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

§  The next Family & School Association (FSA) meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 23^rd at 7:00 p.m. in Beyenka Hall.  Let’s all plan on attending the meeting to see how we can help and become involved in our school through this important parent organization.

§  Terra Nova Testing will be starting with practice tests tomorrow in grades 3, 5, and 7.  You can help your child to do his/her best on the test by making sure your child gets a good  night’s sleep the night before testing, providing breakfast on the mornings of testing, reminding your child to ask the teacher questions if he/she does not understand the test directions, letting your child know that you have confidence in his/her ability to his/her best, and advising your child not to worry about the test and just do his/her best.

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

Sincerely,

Ray Coleman, Principal