November 22, 2020

Weekly enews

Dear St. Giles Families,   Entering the season of Advent brings us closer to Christmas and all of the joy that brings.  The first candle of the Advent Wreath will be lit today as we enter this new season. We are excited to have an outdoor wreath, located on the Columbian side of campus near the church, that students and teachers can use to observe and celebrate the season. We welcome families to visit the wreath as well!   We see and hear so many ways to shop small and shop local throughout the season.  I come from a family with a family business and know the importance of local support.  How can we support our local family businesses, especially during COVID?  We would love to provide ways for our community to shop St. Giles local businesses.  In order to do that, we need to make sure we have all of the necessary information.  Do you own a small business? Do you have a store, restaurant, or other business that we can help support?  If you do, please complete this form for Shop SGS Local.  We will put together a special enews and create a page in the family portal listing businesses affiliated with St. Giles families. Just another way we can support one another during these difficult times.   Have a wonderful week!    Stay well, Meg

The basis of social emotional learning here at St. Giles involves teaching the children deep breathing techniques. We begin the practice of deep breathing in the student’s very first years here. We want the children to be well versed in recognizing when to use the skill of calming down to self regulate the strong feelings our bodies might feel during a problem. The deep breathing is often taught along with a positive mental picture or verbal phrase to provide a focus. The season of Advent provides us with a wealth of images and phrases to focus our energy while deep breathing. The Ignatian Spirituality part of Loyola Press website gives us the following phrase. Begin by taking in a deep breath, taking in God’s love, the light of Christ, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Exhale all your worries, your challenges, and your fears. Try the phrase with yourself or your children sometime in the following week. Check out the website for more ideas on how to provide a positive focus during times of stress or problem solving.

Thanksgiving? Black Friday? Cyber Monday? Giving Tuesday? Holiday Shopping? The Teacher Appreciation Fund fits in all of those categories!!!   Thank you to those who have gotten their donations in, but many still need to contribute to help us get to our goal of 100% participation.   Please put the Teacher Appreciation Fund at the top of your gift giving list!  Ways to contribute:  Send your cash or check (to St. Giles PTO) to school Donate here. (or through the Support Tab on the Website)  Or text Givethanks to 708-554-4218 Questions? Contact TAF Coordinator Amy Crilly.

December Fun Lunch Registration Open Mark your calendar for Friday, December 4th and Friday, December 11th for our next PTO fundraiser lunches! Alpine subs and pasta are the menu this month!! Ordering closes for the first lunch on 12/1! Click HERE to visit the site.

2:1 Empower Illinois Tax Credit Scholarship Matching Donation Program Begins Dec. 1, 2020 The Archdiocese of Chicago has once again secured matching donors for the Empower Illinois Scholarship Program. St. Giles will receive an additional $2 for every dollar that you contribute between Dec. 1, 2020 and Jan. 20 (when funds typically run out). Here's how the program works: REGISTER with the State of Illinois at mytax.illinois.gov to secure your letter ID (this takes 10-14 days). You can start this process NOW! RESERVE your tax credit for the current calendar year (2020 if you donate in Dec and 2021 if you donate in Jan.; designate St. Giles School as your school of choice; and receive your Contribution Authorization Certificate (CAC) via email. DONATE: Make your donation between Dec. 1, 2020 and Jan. 20, 2021 (So that we can get our 2:1 matching funds). You will receive 75% of your donation that can be used as a tax credit on your Illinois tax bill.  Last year, we were able to secure $50,000 in matching funds due to our generous donors which helped 17 children in need! Our goal this year is to secure the full $100,000 in matching funds available to each school. Here is a step by step guide to make your donation and the Empower Illinois Donation Page for more information. Contact Michele Bibbey Business Manager at St. Giles School or Carolyn Burke, parent advocate with any additional questions.

Christmas Card Contest Please encourage your child to enter the contest to be the front of this year's St. Giles Christmas card! Requirements: On 8.5 x 11" white paper Use colors Name on back Religious themed Submissions due by December 4 to homeroom teacher. Winner will receive a $10 gift card. Last year's card was drawn by now 7th grader, Meghan C. NEW this year - we'd like to make a photo montage of all students & their drawings. You can take a picture of your child holding their drawing & email Kelly or we'll take their photo at school. The more submissions, the merrier!

Thank you to The Povilaitis Family/Alpina Manufacturing LLC for their recent donation of desk shields for our 8th grade classrooms. We are so grateful for our added safety measures!

The St. Giles fifth and sixth grade Girl Scout troop donated their hard-earned cookie money to three local organizations. They chose to split nearly $1,400 and donate $463.78 each to The Animal Care League, the St. Giles art and P.E. supply closets, and Beyond Hunger (their donation will pay for 1,500 meals!). Good job girls!

Follow and like us on social media. Stay up to date with what's going on at school and see pictures of your children engaging in educational activities with their classmates during the school day.

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