Principal's Newsletter
November 16, 2018
Dear School of St. Mary Parents,
 
Our School of St. Mary 1st graders put on a fabulous Thanksgiving Musical Celebration last night! Between the singing, acting and performance on musical instruments, it was a great concert all around. To our 1st grade Parents: Please take a minute or two to give your kiddos a big hug and tell them how proud you are of them! Last night was such an EXCELLENT performance! Special thanks to our PGC Music Teacher, Lydia Jeon, and our 1st grade Teachers, Kristi Bernardi and Maggie Twardak, for all of the time, planning and practice put in to this concert. Knowing how much effort went into putting it together, I think you've got reason to feel very proud of yourselves. Congratulations all around!
 
With December right around the corner, comes the start of another basketball season! Our student-athletes have begun practicing and are working hard to get ready for their first games. Our coaches for the upcoming season are:
 
  • Jason Elliot - 5th Grade Boys
  • Andrew Goodman - 5th Grade Boys
  • Larry Potash - 5th Grade Girls
  • Keith Kowalski - 6th Grade Boys
  • David Young - 6th Grade Boys
  • Tom Ford - 7th Grade Boys
  • Kevin Harig - 7th Grade Girls
  • Jim Farrell - 8th Grade Boys Blue
  • Michael Graham - 8th Grade Boys Blue
  • David Heeres - 8th Grade Boys White
  • Annemarie Ranallo - 8th Grade Girls
 
We would not be able to offer sports' programs at the School of St. Mary without the volunteer efforts of our coaches! Thanks again for all your time, planning and dedication! Our athletic programs wouldn't be possible without you! A big thank you also goes out to Jimmy Knotek as well. Jimmy serves as our Athletic Director for the school. His is often a thankless job. Jimmy schedules and arranges practice times between buildings, (working around all of the many activities that happen daily at both buildings), schedules and reschedules games, assists with the hiring of officials, ensures players and coaches have all of their paperwork in, works with the other Athletic Directors in the league to offer quality athletic competitions, enforces athletic and academic rules and regulations, as well as a lot of other things that often fall under most peoples' radar. Thank you for all that you do. Games begin soon. Please check out our online school calendar for times, dates, opponents and location of games. We would like to wish all of our players and coaches the best of luck in the upcoming season. Go Crusaders!
 
There will be an early release on Tuesday, November 20, with the PGC dismissing at 2:00 pm and the UGC dismissing at 2:19 pm. There will be no Extended Daycare in the afternoon on the 20th, so please make sure you have other arrangements prepared.  If your child is going to be absent on either Monday or Tuesday, please call Dana Geldermann or Kathleen Hanson at 847-283-9800 for the PGC or Debbie Liden at 847-582-2528 or  dliden@schoolofstmary.org at the UGC. The school will be closed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of next week with classes resuming on Monday, November 26.
 
Thank you for making Catholic education a priority in your child's life and for choosing the School of St. Mary. We are grateful to you for entrusting us with the tremendous responsibility of educating your child. It is a duty we do not take lightly! All of our teachers and staff truly believe that our children hold the promise for a brighter tomorrow.
 
I hope that everyone has a wonderful, thoughtful and reflective Thanksgiving! God has given us much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is a day when we needn't worry about all of life's problems and pressures; a day when we need not struggle to get ahead. It is a day intended to relax, enjoy and be with family and friends. It's a time to give thanks to all that we have been blessed with. As we come to the close of the liturgical year, let us worship and give thanks to the Lord.
 
Crusader Pride!
 
Dave Wieters
Principal
 

Band Concert Information
2018 Giving Tuesday - Annual Fund 
Parents Association Update
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
PGC Bookfair
Holiday Shop and Support Event:November 30 - December 1



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

Penny's From Heaven
Lillie Alexander
Lake Forest Flowers
Kiddles
J. Crew
Gifted

Sage Explorers
Valentina
Wine Brokers of Illinois


The Mustard Seed

Lake Forest Book Store
Basketball Socks from Crusader Wear
As we are preparing for the new basketball season at SOSM, please remember we have basketball socks IN STOCK through Crusader Wear!
basketball_closeup.jpg
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
Holiday Ornament Sale

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



Sock Drive
Note from the Nurse
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.
 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
Hot Lunch Orders
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. 

Support School of St. Mary with Amazon Smile
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. 

 

Guild of St. Mary Holiday Family Events


Blessings Received and Shared in Faith
How have you and/or your family felt blessed by our church community? What are you most grateful for in your life? Please share your answers to these questions and share them with Lore Nugent our Pastoral Associate and Fr. Mark our Associate Pastor. We look forward to including these in our  Thanksgiving Mass on November 22 nd !  Please drop off at the Parish Office or email lnugent@churchofstmary.org or maugustine@churchofstmary.org your blessing by Wednesday, November 21.
Church of St. Mary Sacrament Schedule
Newspaper Collection Drive
Community Events and resources for School of St. Mary Families
You Matter-Blessing Bags

You can help people who find themselves in need either from a natural disaster or a result of personal challenges. The kind words "You Matter" can make a big difference. Please help School of St. Mary 3 rd 
grade Brownie troop (45283) to collect items for Blessing Bags. The troop will assemble them and get them to those in need. Below you will find a list of items we are collecting from November 1 through November 30.

Baby Wipes
Band -Aids                                                          
Brush, comb, elastic bands
Deodorant
Face and body care-travel size
First Aid Kit (travel size)
Lip balm
Mylar Survival Blanket
Shampoo-conditioner (travel size)
Soap                                                                                                       
Toothbrush/Toothpaste/floss
Hand warmers "hot hands"
Socks
Gloves
Scarf
Wash cloth 
Winter hats
-Gift Cards for McDonalds, Wendy's or easily located fast food.

Please drop off your donations at the Upper Grade Center box located across from the main office, the Primary Grade Center box or the box located at the Church of St. Mary. All donations  matter! Let's warm up some hearts together! 
Lake Forest / Lake Bluff Learning Differences Association (LDA)

The Lake Forest / Lake Bluff Learning Differences Association (LDA) met on October 31, 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 this year: November 28, January 30, February 27, April 24, and May 29. 

November 17 - November 30
   

Sunday November 18, 2018
decorated_turkey.jpg
  • UGC Choir sings @ 10:00am Mass @ St. Mary Catholic Church
Tuesday November 20, 2018
  • Early Dismissal Day
    • PGC dismisses @ 2:00pm
    • UGC dismisses @ 2:21pm
    • No extended day offered
Wednesday November 21, 2018 - Friday November 23, 2018
  • Thanksgiving Break- No School
Monday November 26, 2018
  • Classes Resume
Tuesday November 27, 2018
  • Giving Tuesday - to donate to the annual fund click here
  • UGC Mass @ 9:00am @ St. Mary Catholic Church
Wednesday November 28, 2018
  • PGC Mass @ 9:00am @ St. Patricks Catholic Church
  • PGC Night at the Bookfair @ 5:30pm