Principal's Newsletter
November 30, 2018
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Dear School of St. Mary Parents,
Although Thanksgiving has come and gone, it's never to late to still give thanks for so many things. The School of St. Mary is blessed to have such caring and generous members of our community donating their time, talent and treasure to make our school a better place. On Tuesday, our school participated in the global
#GivingTuesday
movement supporting the Annual Fund. We had a very successful day! Thanks to everyone who donated or shared the information about our giving page. Our Annual Fund is an integral part of the success of our school. All funds raised through the Annual Fund go directly towards supporting our students and teachers. Through the generosity of our school families and friends, we have reached 20% of our annual goal for the 2018-19 school year. Thank you, everyone!
On Wednesday, the Second Annual
Night at the Bookfair
took place at the PGC. It was a wonderful opportunity for our school community to welcome in the Christmas season. We had a great turnout with many families and friends in attendance. There were opportunities to peruse the many offerings at the book fair, students had opportunities to create holiday crafts and play games, all the while enjoying time together as part of our School of St. Mary family. We were even lucky enough to have a special visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Thank you to everyone who organized, planned and volunteered at the event, as well as to all those who attended. Everyone there had a great time. Christmas is only 25 days away!
Thank you to our School of St. Mary 3
rd
grade Brownie Troop (45283). They recently assembled
all of the donations they had collected during November for their
Blessing Bag
Project. The Troop was blessed with many necessary contributions.
The
Blessing Bags
will be given to PADS to distribute to the needy. Congratulations to our Brownie Troop on a job well done! Thank you to our Troop Leaders Nina Abuja, Sandi King, and Kristi Nevin for helping the girls with this project!
Once again our School of St. Mary students participated in the Lake Forest Holiday Button Contest. As in years past, we had several students' buttons chosen among the best.
The 1
st
Place winner was Katie-May Newman, who is in 6
th
grade at the School of St. Mary, while the 3
rd
place
winner was classmate Clara Bartusiak in 8
th
grade. Congratulations girls! Special thanks to Tina Moulton for assigning the project and working with our students. Way to go everyone!
Basketball season is right around the corner and we are excited to have such a large group of kids participating! We are also fortunate to be able to host a number of games this season. That being said, we need volunteers to help run our concession stand. We have created a google doc signup and are asking for each grade level to be responsible for working a couple of games each throughout the season. Time slots are approximately an hour to an hour and a half long. Ideally, we would have 2 adults working the stand per shift. Look for an email from Mr. Doherty with the link to the signup sheet. Kids should not be working the stand. We realize that everyone's schedules are extremely busy, but we cannot run a successful program without all of your participation and help. Please feel free to trade shifts with another parent if you need to do so. Thank you again for your support of our athletic program. All of these activities would not be possible without your support!
Dave Wieters
Principal
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3rd Grade Brownie Troop filling Blessing Bags
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Parents Association Update
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We are excited to announce that due to generous donations to the Annual Fund. We have been able to add both the Sphero and Ozobot robotics equipment to our STEAM program at the School of Saint Mary for both our Upper and Lower Grade Centers. STEAM teacher Mrs. Spevacek had this to say about the new purchase "The addition of these new resources will help promote engaging, hands-on, inquiry-based learning around the topics of coding, robotics, and engineering. By incorporating such equipment into our STEAM program, we are on the cutting edge of educational technology to help integrate and promote 21st-century learning for our SOSM students. These resources will continue to foster an environment that promotes an excellence in STEAM curriculum in Lake Forest."
Thank you to all who have supported the annual fund to make advancements like this possible for our students. To make a donation to the annual fund please click here.
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Holiday Shop and Support Event : November 30 - December 1
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Make sure you are following School of St. Mary on Instagram (@schoolofstmary), Facebook (School of St. Mary) and Twitter (@schoolofstmary) for updates and insights into what is happening at the school.
If you would like to help support the school you can make a donation to the Annual Fund by clicking here.
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Basketball Socks from Crusader Wear
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As we are preparing for the new basketball season at SOSM, please remember we have basketball socks IN STOCK through Crusader Wear!
They come in dark blue or a lighter blue and read SMS on the side. The sizes are intermediate or adult. Please contact Carlotta Plotner if you would like to purchase a pair for $15.00 by clicking
here.
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As we prepare for the Christmas Season we will be selling these beautiful painted ornaments depicting St. Mary's Church. This image embraces the Christmas spirit and the happy
times in our church. The ornaments created by Bridget Halloran, who is a parishioner of the church herself, will be sold for $10.00.
Please contact Carlotta Plotner, if you would like to purchase
one, by
clicking
here
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Flu Season is coming!
Dear Parent,
Due to the high absense level normally seen at this time of year, we would like to give you some guidelines to help with your decision on whether or not to send your child to school. Please be advised if you child has any of the symptoms listed below he/she should not attend school.
1. Fever over 100
2. Rash of unknown origin
3. Sore throat with fever
4. Persistent cough
5. Nausea and vomiting
6. Diarrhea
If your child has recently been ill, please be aware of the following guidelines before having your child return to school:
1. He/she should be feeling fit for 24 hours before returning to school
2. He/she should be
free of a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of medication such a Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
3. He/she should be free of vomiting and diarrhea for at least 24 hours.
4. He/she should be taking an antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning after being diagnosed with strep throat.
5. He/she should be on a prescription antibiotic eye drops for conjunctivitis for 24 hours before returning to school.
To keep your children healthy, make sure they have plenty of rest and good, nutritious diet. Make sure they are dressed properly when playing out doors. Please notify the school if your child has been diagnosed with strep throat, chickenpox, scarlet fever, flu, etc.
The single most important thing you can do to keep your child free of illness is to teach him/her the proper way to wash his hands. Make sure he/she uses soap and rubs his/her hands together for 15-20 seconds. He/she should then rinse his/her hands in running water and dry them thoroughly.
Please help us keep our children healthy by keeping your child home if ill. Remember, one sick child can spread his/her illness to all of his/her classmates.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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Winter Weather Notice
As we enter into the winter season, we believe outdoor recess is an important and valuable part of the student's day. Fresh air, exercise and time spent outside afford students a break from the structure of the classroom. In the colder months, our policy will be that children will play outside as long as the temperature or wind chill is at or above ten degrees and the weather is not inclement. The wind chill report will come from the National Weather Service. Students must dress for the cold weather. Parents should make sure that their children are dressed appropriately for these days and bring the appropriate winter apparel to school. We want them to be comfortable while enjoying these brisk winter days. Follow these suggestions to protect your child's body from excessive heat loss:
Wear a hat. You lose as much as 50 percent of your body heat through your head.
Cover your ears and the lower part of your face. The ears, nose, chin and forehead are most susceptible to frostbite.
Cover your mouth with a scarf to protect the lungs from directly inhaling extremely cold air.
Consider mittens instead of gloves. The contact of your fingers keeps your hands warmer.
Wear water-resistant boots. Feet should be kept as dry as possible.
Coats should be water-resistant, tightly woven, and hooded and sleeves snug at the wrist.
Wear warm leg coverings and heavy socks or two pairs of lightweight socks.
Thank you for your attention and cooperation as we head into these colder months
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 Please make sure you are placing your orders for hot lunch by clicking
here. We are happy to again be working with such a great organization to bring our students hot lunches, for more information on this great program please read this
story from the AP about how they are changing school lunches.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM KIDDOS ABOUT THE NOVEMBER 26 SNOW DAY
Good afternoon and we hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving and have been staying warm! On Monday, November 26, your school had a snow day. Ordinarily we would try to reschedule this day, however, since it occurred so early in the school year, we have instead provided a credit for any lunches you had ordered on your Kiddos account. If you had a lunch ordered, your Kiddos account has been credited and the credity will be auto applied during the checkout process, the next time you place a lunch order.
If you would like to SEE THE CREDIT ON YOUR ACCOUNT, please log into your account, and click STATEMENTS. You will need to click any "plus signs" on the left to display the information in that category (Orders Dates, Orders, etc.)
If we can assist with anything else at all, please contact us at support@kiddoscatering.com.
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Support School of St. Mary with Amazon Smile
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AmazonSmile
is a website operated by
Amazon
with the same products, prices, and shopping features as
Amazon
.com. The difference is that when you shop on
AmazonSmile
, the
AmazonSmile
Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the School of St. Mary.
To use amazon smile go to smile.amazon.com and then select School of St. Mary Lake Forest, IL as your organization of choice. Then just use amazon as you normally would you will be supporting the school without even thinking about it.
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Guild of St. Mary Holiday Family Events
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| Church of St. Mary Sacrament Schedule |
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Newspaper Collection Drive
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| Community Events and resources for School of St. Mary Families |
Lake Forest / Lake Bluff Learning Differences Association (LDA)
The Lake Forest / Lake Bluff Learning Differences Association (LDA) met on November 28, and invites you to join us for our monthly meetings. We regularly meet on the last Wednesday of every month at the West Campus of Lake Forest High School from 9:30-10:45.
All parents are welcome to come learn about the many resources, trends and issues our students with learning challenges experience. It is a friendly group that talks with District / school administrators, hears about grant and financial updates and provides support for families. We meet on the second floor of the West Campus of Lake Forest High School on the following days next year: January 30, February 27, April 24, and May 29.
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Saturday December 1, 2018
- 5th grade boys vs Our Lady of Perpetual Help @ 9:30 am
- 5th grade girls vs Our Lady of Perpetual Help @ 11:30 am
Sunday December 2, 2018
- Girls Basketball Players attend 10:00 am Mass @ St. Mary Catholic Church
- PGC Choir sings @ 10:00 am Mass @ St. Mary Catholic Church
Monday December 3, 2018
- UGC Advent Prayer Service @ 9:15 am @ St. Mary Catholic Church
- 7th grade girls basketball @ St. Joseph @ 5 pm
- 8th grade boys basket ball - blue @ St. Joseph @ 6 pm
- 8th grade boys basketball - white @ St. Joseph @ 7 pm
Tuesday December 4, 2018
- UGC Mass @ 9:00 am @ St. Mary Catholic Church
- Reconciliation for 4th - 6 Grades from 9:45 am to 12:15 pm @ St. Mary Catholic Church
- PGC Advent Prayer Service @ 1:15 pm @ IMC
PGC Mass @ 9:00 am @ St. Patricks Catholic ChurchWednesday December 5, 2018
Thursday December 6, 2018
- 6th grade boys basketball vs. Our Lady of Perpetual Help @ UGC @ 4:30 pm
- 8th grade boys basketball - white @ Our Lady of Perpetual Help @ 5:00 pm
- 7th grade girls basketball vs. Our Lady of Perpetual Help @ UGC @ 5:30 pm
- 8th grade boys basketball - blue @ Our Lady of Perpetual Help @ 6:00 pm
- 8th grade girls basketball vs. Our Lady of Perpetual Help @ UGC @ 6:30 pm
- 7th grade boys basketball @ Our Lady of Perpetual Help @ 7:00 pm
Sunday December 9, 2018
- 5th graders attend Mass @ 10:00 am @ St. Mary Catholic Church
Monday December 10, 2018
- UGC Advent Prayer Service @ 9:15 am @ St. Mary Catholic Church
Tuesday December 11, 2018
- UGC Mass @ 9:00 am @ St. Mary Catholic Church
Wednesday December 12, 2018 -
EARLY DISMISSAL DAY
- PGC Mass @ 9:00 am @ St. Patricks Catholic Church
- 8th grade girls basketball @ Pope John XXIII @ 5:00 pm
- 6th grade boys basketball @ Pope John XXIII @ 6:00 pm
- 8th grade boys basketball - white @ Pope John XXIII @ 7:00 pm
Thursday December 13, 2018
- 6th grade boys basketball vs. St. Catherine @ UGC @ 4:30 pm
- 6th grade boys basketball @ St. Joan of Arc @ 5:00 pm
- 7th grade girls basketball vs. St. Joan of Arc @ UGC @ 5:30 pm
- 7th grade boys basketball @ St. Joan of Arc @ 6:00 pm
- 8th grade girls basketball vs. St. Joan of Arc @ UGC @ 6:30 pm
- 8th grade boys basketball - white @ St. Joan of Arc @ 7:00 pm
Friday December 14, 2018 - Casual Dress Day
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