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January 17, 2020
Dear School of St. Mary Parents,
On behalf of the faculty and staff, we would like to thank each of you for selecting the School of St. Mary! We are honored with the tremendous responsibility of educating your child intellectually, spiritually, socially, emotionally and physically. Here at SOSM, we are proud of our traditions, Catholic identity, academics, and leadership-development, all in a family-oriented atmosphere. We are looking forward to continuing to provide an outstanding education for your child.
As we begin the re-enrollment process for the 2020-2021 school year, I appreciate the great trust you have placed in SOSM by your decision to send your children to our school. This is a decision that involves sacrifice and commitment for our school families. The pastor, administration, faculty, staff, School Advisory Council, and I are committed to provide the best Catholic education for all of our students. Evidence of this commitment is demonstrated by:
- ACT Aspire scores that place SOSM in the top ten percent of all schools nationwide, both public and private, thus demonstrating our commitment to academic excellence;
- Faith formation that informs, forms, and transforms our students into robust, vital, and life-affirming young adults. We do this through a holistic approach by way of the head, the heart andthe hands;
- Expanded educational offerings, including a second 2 year-old preschool and all day 3 year-old preschool next year, as well as opportunities to learn outside of the classroom, including field trips to Washington, D.C. and Springfield;
- Learning specialists on staff to support students with diagnosed learning differences to implement the accommodations necessary to ensure the success and well-being of all of our students;
- Expanded extracurricular offerings, including Cross Country, Quiz Bowl, Cooking Club and soon to be offered Fishing Club.
- Chromebook adoption in Fourth through Eighth grade beginning next year, and continued technology advancements; and
With the many financial pressures on all of our families, choosing to send your child to SOSM is a choice and a sacrifice. Families know that this is an investment in their child's future; one that will pay huge dividends later in the here-and-now as well as the hereafter. It is an important choice that parents make to ensure their children are provided an exemplary Catholic, SOSM education that helps them become courageous young adults, ready to change the world. Each and every one of our teachers, staff, and members of our School Advisory Council and Parents' Association carry the importance of that responsibility. We are partners with you in the formation of your children. These exceptional students are our hope for our world!
As partners in this journey, the School Advisory Council Finance Committee, in collaboration with the Parish Finance Council, pastor, and school administration has established the Tuition and Fee Schedule for the 2020-2021 school year. Our goal was to keep tuition increases as reasonable as possible. We carefully balance the financial demands of our families with the goal of providing an exceptional quality education for your children.
While addressing the rising cost of salaries and benefits for our faculty and staff, along with other rises in fixed expenses, we strive to keep increases to a minimum through financial stewardship and control of expenses. We will continue to work to provide you and your child with the exceptional education you expect and deserve for your investment in SOSM.
SAC, the Parish Finance Council and school administration have all worked very hard to limit the increase in school tuition to $310.00 annually for a single child, which translates to an increase of $31.00 per month per 10 month pay period. You should know that based on current year figures, our cost per student to educate each child is $9,266.00. The difference is made up from the parish, grants, and fundraisers. Because of our belief in the importance of Catholic education, we continue to provide a family plan that offers families reduced tuition for multiple children enrolled in K-8. Please know that we will continue to do everything we can to be good stewards of the tuition and parish support we receive while adhering to archdiocesan guidelines for compensation and other expenses.
There are opportunities to reduce your tuition costs by using our Refer-A-Family program. This program will enable you to lower your tuition by $1,000 per enrolled student referred to SOSM for the upcoming school year. There is also an active military discount for those families serving in the armed forces.
Financial aid is available to registered parishioners of the Church of St. Mary who wish to enroll their children in SOSM grades K-8.
We are grateful to all of you who support our mission through your gifts of time, talent, and treasure that go beyond the cost of education itself. The choice you have made to invest in preparing your child at SOSM for achievement in high school and college, success and happiness in life, and students rooted in their faith, is one that we honor in the work we do each day.
Thank you for entrusting us with this tremendous task of educating and formulating your child!
Yours in Christ,
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Catholic Schools Week Day of Giving
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We are getting ready for a fun faith filled Catholic Schools Week!
Show your support for Catholic education!
Click on the image to make a donation!
Let's how much we can raise!
We hope you will join us for our all school Mass on Wednesday, January 29th at 10AM!
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Opps!
Last week the Bott Family was accidentally left off the list of all the generous families who donated for Christmas bonuses for the faculty & staff.
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We are now accepting preschool applications for the upcoming 2020-21 school year!
We are excited to offer an additional section of our popular Little Angels Preschool Class. One section will meet on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and the other on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Families can select their preferred days in the application. Historically, this class has filled quickly, so please apply right away if you are interested.
We are also pleased to offer an All-Day Three-year-old Preschool Program next year. This class will, of course, be developmentally appropriate, including both lunch and a rest period. If you are interested in any of our preschool offerings, please follow these steps:
- Go to factsmgt.com
- Click on the Parent login on the top right corner
- Click on FACTS Family Portal (ParentsWeb) in the top right corner
- Enter our District Code: SOSM-IL
- Enter a user name
- Enter a password
If you are a current family, you already have a portal account as well as a password. If you have any questions or concerns, please call Mandy Castle at 847-295-4830.
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Click in the image to go to the site!
Donating to Empower Illinois
Next week (January 15) the Empower Illinois Scholarship application goes live to families interested in attending Catholic Schools but who need scholarship assistance. We have the opportunity to donate to help fund scholarships while also earning a 75% Illinois State tax credit; and through February 29, 2020 the 2-for-1 Tax Credit Scholarship (TCS) Gift Program is open. Any TCS donations designated to a school between now and February 29 (or until funds are depleted) are eligible for a 2-for-1 matching gift.
The process to donate is a four-phase process. It involves first requesting a letter ID from Illinois, activating your account at mytax.illinois.gov, reserving your credit and then making the donation. The details around the whole process may be found at this link:
How to Donate for Tax Credit Scholarship Program
.
We will be offering in-person guidance on how to donate from 7-8pm in the Multi-Purpose Room at the School of St. Mary on Monday evenings in February. However, to get started on the first phase, and therefore save 7-10 business days, please consider doing the following as soon as you decide to donate (to maximize potential of 2-for-1 matching gift award):
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Clic on "Request a Letter ID"; under the "Miscellaneous section:
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Enter your Social Security Number and one of the following:
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Click 'Submit' and enter and confirm your email address; then click 'OK' to submit and receive your confirmation.
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Your Letter ID will be mailed to the address on your last year's tax return. You should receive it within 7-10 business days.
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Then proceed to the second phase of the donation process: Activate Your Account
Please consider donating to Empower Illinois and designate School of St. Mary. We will be able to accept more families with generous donations, particularly if donations are completed by February 29, 2020. Please contact Mandy Castle with any questions on how to donate (
[email protected]
).
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Wow! Due to a huge response, tickets to the St. Mary's Roaring into
the 2
0's Gala have sold out!
Unfort
unately, capacity at the beautiful Cuneo Mansion is limited; however, we are starting a wait list in case any tickets become available.
Please email Mary Catherine Nelson at
[email protected]
to be added to the list.
Wait list openings will be made available on a first come, first served basis. We cannot guarantee that any tickets will become available.
For those of you that are unable to attend or were unable to purchase tickets, there will be other opportunities to participate in the Gala festivities coming soon, including:
- Raffle of a gorgeous Therese Crowe monogram ring
- Wine tastings and opportunities to donate to the wine cellar auction item
- Online silent auction
Stay tuned for more information!
Remember that all proceeds raised in connection with the Gala go to support the Annual Fund which includes funding of student financial aid and annual bonuses for our outstanding teachers; we need the help of the entire St. Mary's community to meet our goal!
Thank you again for all your support for the School of St. Mary's, the St. Mary's community is absolutely amazing!
- Your 2020 Gala Planning Committee
#lovestmarys
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To download and print out the waiver click
here.
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Alumni Committee
We are looking for parents to be a part of our Alumni Committee! Help us grow our Alumni database, you don't have to be an alum to be a part of this committee, just a willing parent! Sounds like you? Please contact John & Rose Hancir at:
[email protected] or [email protected]
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The Parent Association is looking for parents who volunteers for some end of the year volunteer activities!
We are always looking for parents who want to be a part of the Parents' Association who have ideas on how to bring the community together both socially as well as to raise funds for our Annual Fund
Interested!?! Please contact John or Rose Hancir at:
[email protected] or [email protected]
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Randall Manges
Randy graduated from
Westminster Choir College, University of Oklahoma. He has previously worked at a variety of private and public schools and colleges in New Jersey, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Illinois and has been teaching music for 30 years. Before starting his professional work he had waited tables, worked in a library, done landscape work, and farmed. SOme of his hobbies include reading, growing things, stamp collecting.
When asked the following questions this is how he responded:
What do you find most inspiring about working at the School of St. Mary's?
The sense of shared mission in educating our children in academics as well as spiritual resources.
What do you hope your students come away with by the end of the year? A larger picture of life and their role in it.
What is one piece of advice you'd like to give either the students in the grade(s) you teach or our graduating 8th grade class? Always give more than you take and do a kindness for someone each day.
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Weekend Enrichment
FemInStem at Carmel Catholic High School
Join Carmel's FemInStem Club for a day of fun, instant challenges, science activities, and coding!
When: January 18, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Who: Girls in 2nd - 8th grades
Where: Carmel Catholic High School (Door H)
Fee: $10 for materials. Pizza and juice boxes will be provided.
Weekday Field Trip
The Carmel Catholic Fine Arts Department would like to invite your students (grades 6-88) to an exclusive junior high weekday showing of Peter Pan.
Synopsis:
Based on J.M. Barrie's classic tale and featuring an unforgettable score by Morris "Moose" Charlap and Jule Styne with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Peter Pan is one of the most beloved and frequently performed family favorites of all time. This high-flying Tony Award-winning musical has been performed around the world and delighted audiences for 60 years.
Peter and his mischievous fairy sidekick, Tinkerbell, visit the nursery of the Darling children late one night and, with a sprinkle of pixie dust, begin a magical journey across the stars that none of them will ever forget. In the adventure of a lifetime, the travelers come face to face with a ticking crocodile, a fierce Indian tribe, a band of bungling pirates and, of course, the villainous Captain Hook.
Featuring the iconic songs, "I'm Flying," "I've Gotta Crow," "I Won't Grow Up" and "Never Never Land," and a rousing book full of magic, warmth and adventure, Peter Pan is the perfect show for the child in all of us... who dreamed of soaring high and never growing up. Peter Pan is a dream come true for theaters looking to spread their technical wings and entertain countless families.
When: April 2015, 2020 from 9 a.m. to noon (noon end time is approximate)
Who: Students in grades 6-8
Where: Carmel Catholic High School Auditorium
Fee: NO FEE
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Sign up to volunteer for Monday, Jan. 20th! Click
here to get to their website.
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The Father-Daughter Dance is February 7th, 7:00-9:00PM at the UGC
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Shadow Days for Carmel Catholic, Loyola Academy, Regina Dominican & Woodlands Academy
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- Saturday, January 18th
- Girls 5th Gr Basketball, 1:30PM at St. Francis
- Boys 5th Gr Basketball, 3:50PM at OLPH
- Sunday, January 19th
-
A Time to Pray... A Time to Play, after the 8AM Mass
- Monday, January 20th- No School MLK Jr. Holiday
- Tuesday, January 21st
- ACT Aspire Interim Testing
- UGC Mass 9:00AM
- Wednesday, January 22nd
- ACT Aspire Interim Testing
- PGC Mass at 9:10AM
- Hoops Fest at the UGC, 2:21-3:35PM
- Basketball at SCL
- 4:30 - 6th Girls
- 5:30 - 7th Boys
- Thursday, January 23rd
- ACT Aspire Interim Testing
- SOSM Open House at PGC, 6:00-8:00PM
- Basketball vs Pope John
- 4:30 - 6th Girls
- 5:30 - 7th Boys
- Friday, January 24th
- ACT Aspire Interim Testing
- Saturday, January 25th
- 2nd Grade 1st Reconciliation Service 11:00-Noon
- 2nd Grade 1st Reconciliation Service 1:00-2:00PM
- Sunday, January 26th
- Catholic Schools Week begins
- Monday, January 27th
- Hat Day
- Geography Bee at 2:25PM UGC
- Tuesday, January 28th
- CSW Day of Giving!
- Jersey/Sports Team Dress Up Day
- Carmel Catholic HS Robotics Team Demo and Collaborative Event, 9:00AM at UGC
- Spelling Bee at 2:25PM UGC
- Wednesday, January 29th
- Dress-Up/Formal Dress-Up Day
- All School Mass 10AM
- Religion Rocks, 2:25PM UGC
- Basketball at Sacred Heart
- 6:00 - 8th Girls
- 7:00 - 8th Boys
- Thursday, January 30th
- High School/College Shirt Dress Up Day
- School of Rock Assembly, 10AM UGC
- Career Day at UGC starts at 1:50PM
- 4th Grade Saint Reports starts at 1:50PM
- Basketball at OLPH
- 4:30 - 6th Grade Girls
- 5:30 - 7th Grade Boys
- 6:30 - 8th Grade Girls
- 7:30 - 8th Grade Boys
- Friday, January 31st
- Blue & White/Spirit Wear Dress-Up Day
- Volleyball Game 8th Gr vs Faculty & Staff at 2:25PM
- Sunday, February 2nd
- 4th Graders attend 10AM Mass
- Webelo Den mtg Dinner Group: UGC Gym, MPR, Kitchen, Cafeteria, 2:00-4:00PM
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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.
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