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September 14, 2016
Dear Parent & Faculty Member,
This entry for The Scoop comes to you in follow-up to my first Fall Fest. I am still in awe with regard to the event that transpired for four days. There was such a spirit of giving and feeling of family as we celebrated all that was right with being a St. Cletus Cardinal. I have to admit that the Freak Out ride was not my favorite part of the Fest. Rather, meeting families and getting to know individuals better was the best part of the Fest for me. From the words of my own family members who visited the Fest, I heard the following:
"The school and parish are beautiful; you can tell that the teachers are really committed, dedicated and dynamic educators."
"The Wizard of Oz classroom is very welcoming and shows great care." In fairness, we didn't follow the yellow brick road all the way to the junior high classrooms.
"Your parents are all so welcoming, friendly and caring." Everyone is like one big happy and supportive family."
"You should move to the area and retire at St. Cletus; it's where you belong."
"Love the great people of St. Cletus and they will love you back for who you are as a leader and person of strong character and faith...be yourself."
"You should have Bingo more often; I have never been so lucky as I was at St. Cletus." These words came from my 95-year-old grandmother (a/k/a Lucky Millie--short for Mildred) who won three times at Bingo on Sunday. Her departing words to me that evening were, "You and St. Cletus will be lucky together and have a prosperous future."
Several of my family members are teachers, police and fireman and so identified with the moving "Mass for First Responders" and how incredible the school and parish are together in their sense of faith, family and the future.
One last "thank you" goes to all of you who introduced yourselves to me at the Fest. Please continue to keep in touch or introduce yourselves--it means a lot to me. I feel like I am surrounded by loved ones but that I still have some amnesia. I really do want to remember all of you and get to know everyone better. The more you can share with me, the more helpful it is to remember you.
Speaking of getting to know some people, allow me to introduce some faculty members who joined us after the Meet and Greet.
Please join me in welcoming Mrs. Amy Matthews, our part-time school counselor who has returned to us again this school year. St. Cletus is fortunate to have access to a school counselor through a grant that was written through the Youth Initiative, Nazareth Academy, and the Community Memorial Foundation. Mrs. Matthews will be in our school building for half a day on Wednesday mornings. She will be leading individual and group sessions with our students.
We have also hired two experienced and talented Spanish teachers, Ms. Leah MacDonald and Mrs. Mariana Mejia, who are co-teaching our Spanish classes to all grade levels--preschool through grade 8.
Homecoming is this weekend starting with our all school pep assembly on Friday. Students may wear red and white or spirit wear on Friday, September 16. One final thought, to use Dorothy's line from the Wizard of Oz, "There is no place like home." Thank you, St. Cletus parents and teachers for all that you do to make our school feel like home and for your support of me as your principal. Now, it's time to Cardinal Up for Homecoming this weekend. Remember, win or lose, it's ALWAYS a great day to be a Cardinal!
"Blessings and Best!"
Mr. Thomas Chinske
Principal, St. Cletus School
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September 16: Red/White or Spirit Wear Dress Down Day, Homecoming
Pep Rally,
2:00 p.m., Morrissey Hall
September 17: Homecoming Dance, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Morrissey Hall
September 18: Homecoming Parade, 7:45 a.m.; Football Game, 9:30 a.m.
September 22: Roller Skating Party, 7:00 p.m., Fleetwood Roller Rink
September 23: NO School: Staff Development
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School News & Information
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Homecoming Parade on Sunday
St. Cletus families, join us for our annual Homecoming parade this Sunday, September 18. Cars will start to gather at 54th Street and Stone Avenue around 7:30 a.m. The parade will push off for Nazareth Academy by 8:00 a.m. for the football game against our cross town rivals, Saint Francis Xavier. Go Cardinals!
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8th Grade Mums Sale Informational Flyer Order Form
See an eighth grader today to order your fall mums or turn in an order form and payment to the school office by Friday, September 16. |
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Attention All Boys in Grades 6, 7, and 8
Please check out Boy Scout Troop 19 during our annual Blast Into Scouting Fall Recruitment Night on Thursday, September 15, from 7:00-8:00 p.m. at the American Legion Hall at 900 S. La Grange Rd, La Grange. Open house format.
You did not need to be a Cub Scout to be a Boy Scout.
Any questions, contact Dave Kelly.
Hope to see you there!
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"Back to School" Auction Party
What better way is there to celebrate back to school than a party with your favorite St. Cletus friends? Break out your favorite alma mater sweatshirt and join us for a truly one-of-a-kind party, hosted by the Beauregards. This adults-only party includes cocktails & appetizers.
When: Saturday, September 24, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Beauregards' home
Cost: $25.00 per person
Donated By Tracy Beauregard
To register, e-mail
Auction Party with the number of persons attending and send your payment to the school office. Please mark your payment "Beauregard Auction party."
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The FSA Needs Your Help
We are still looking for parent volunteers to serve as Class Representatives this year! Please click HERE to volunteer.
Thank you to all who have already signed up to help out this year!
Contact Nikki Gorman
with any questions.
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St. Cletus Roller Skating Party, Thursday, September 22
The Roller Skating Party (Flyer) will be held at Fleetwood Roller Rink in Summit and is open to students in Grades 1-8. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., and we are asking parents to pick up at 9:30 p.m. Parents are welcome to stay if they choose. Pre-sale tickets are being sold during lunch and cost $6.00 per student. Tickets sold at the door will be $8.00. Students can bring their own skates or rent them at the rink for $3.00. Contact Jennifer Antonietti with questions at (708) 903-7828.
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School Crossing Guard Job Opportunity at Plainfield Road & 55th Street
This part-time position (with no benefits) pays $22.40 per day. There are two crossings per day, which are generally 7:30 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. and then 3:00 until 3:30 p.m (unless school is a half day). The "work week" will reflect the St. Cletus School schedule--when school is off for the day, so is the crossing guard. Any further information and/or applications can be found on the City of Countryside
Website.
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Grades K-8: Grandparents and Special Friends Day, October 7
Please mark your calendars and invite your children's grandparents or a special guest to our annual
Grandparents and Special Friends Day celebration
. Guests should arrive at 1:00 p.m. for a special Mass, followed by a school open house. More details coming soon!
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Grand Piano Donation
A grand piano is being offered to a family of St. Cletus from a generous parishioner who is donating it.
It is an Anderson baby grand piano. The condition of the piano is good but needs a tuning.
The family who wants this piano would need to hire movers and pay for that expense.
The approximate cost of moving a piano is between $300-$500 dollars.
If you are interested in this grand piano, please e-mail the parish music director, Larry LaLonde.
He will put you in touch with the owner of the piano. First come basis.
Larry Lalonde will try to respond to all e-mails but may only have time to respond to some requests.
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Run for JOY!
The Kelli Joy O'Laughlin Foundation is hosting its annual "Run For Kelli" on Sunday, September 18, at 9:00 a.m. at Lyons Township High School (LTHS) South Campus, 4900 S. Willow Springs Road in Western Springs. The course winds its way around LT South, where Kelli attended school as a freshman in 2011. Kelli's mother, Brenda O'Laughlin, is an alumnus of St. Cletus School. Last year, more than 900 runners, joggers and walkers followed the three-mile path to raise money for college scholarships to high school seniors throughout the Chicago area. A DJ will be on hand to provide entertainment, and several raffle prizes will be awarded. Runners and walkers, who will receive special "Run for Kelli" shirts in their race packets, will also be able to fuel up with fruit, water and other items. To register, visit
Run for Kelli.
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2016 Homecoming Dates
Friday, September 16: Pep Rally, 2:00 p.m., Morrissey Hall
Saturday, September 17: Dance, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Morrissey Hall
Sunday, September 18: Parade, 7:45 a.m.; Football Game, 9:30 a.m.
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School Mental Health Program
This is the second year that St. Cletus School is offering a mental health program for its students. We have a licensed counselor on site every Wednesday from 7:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. for students who need extra support, such as clinical issues, life events (moving, loss of a family member, divorce), or just for students who would like to know that there is one more friendly set of ears on campus. If you have any questions about this program or you would like to discuss the possibility of using this service for your student, please e-mail
Mrs. Amy Matthews.
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St. Vincent de Paul
The St. Cletus Social Concerns Ministry is collecting recipes for the St. Cletus/St. Vincent de Paul cookbook! Please Submit Your Recipes as soon as possible but no later than September 27. Questions? E-mail Cookbook Questions. |
School Office Hours
Monday through Friday, 7:15 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
Aftercare Pickup
Please park in the angled parking spaces along 54th Street (behind the school building), walk up the sidewalk between the church and the school building, and go to door # 6. Ring the doorbell on the north outside wall at door # 6 to let the aftercare staff know you are here. A staff member will greet you at the door, bring you to Room 99 (aftercare pickup room), and call your child(ren) to the room for pickup. To contact the aftercare staff, call
(708) 215-5408 after 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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Attendance and Extended Care Notifications
Please notify the school office and teacher(s) for student attendance and/or extended care changes/requests:
School Office: attendance@stcletusparish.com or call (708) 352-4820
Teacher E-mail: [first initial last name @ stcletusparish.com]
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September 16-18: Homecoming Activities
September 22: Roller Skating Party, Grades 1-8
October 7: Grandparents and Special Friends Day |
| In This Week's Family Envelope |
- ShopwithScrip News flyer
- Grandparents & Special Friends Day flyer
- Parent Community Network presentation notice: Screenwise--Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World
- Mums sale flyer and order form
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| Family School Association News |
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- The St. Cletus Fall Fest was a great success! We thank all of the volunteers who worked very hard to ensure everything ran smoothly. Great job to all!
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School Scoop Article Deadline:
Mondays by 3:00 p.m. to scoop@stcletusparish.com
Articles should be one to two sentences and include contact information.
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See what's happening on our Facebook page:
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