Weekly eNews

October 10, 2021

Weekly eNews

Dear St. Giles Families,

We talk a lot about the strength and spirit of our St. Giles School community. As a principal, I consider myself blessed to experience that every day -- not just in the halls and classrooms with the students and our teachers, but in the dozens of ways each week that I get to see our families and volunteers come together to make something special happen for the school. A recent example of that can be found in our relaunched school website, something I’m delighted to share with you today.

For more than a year, a group of dedicated parents have been working to transform stgilesschool.org into a digital experience that authentically tells the St. Giles School story to all who visit. Designed to give prospective families and the broader community a glimpse at what sets us apart, the site features an updated contemporary design, refreshed copy and new downloadable materials that introduce all facets of what it means to be a Lion -- from curriculum to community to extracurriculars. I know it was a massive effort and I believe it will deliver a massive impact for us as we seek to recruit new students, keep alumni updated and share our story with the community at large.

I want to express deep thanks to parent Drew Waiss who donated his professional talents to concept, design and develop the look and feel of the site, new materials and the refreshed Family Portal. Drew was pivotal in ensuring the success of the launch, working hand-in-hand with our web maintenance provider, DBD. Thanks also goes out to the small, but mighty, team including:

Meghan Hurley Gibbs who’s led the charge on this project since it began in summer 2020.
Sarah Yaffe, who -- along with Meghan -- wrote copy, developed content and updated countless pages.
Former parent Jonathan Sluys, who partnered with Drew on design and last year helped establish the site’s updated user experience.
Jenny Mueller, our interim PreK 4 teacher, who also happens to be a professional photographer. Mrs. Mueller spent a day last Spring photographing our campus and students -- you’ll see many of her photographs throughout the site.
Kathy Lofgren for her internal work and support throughout the process.

If you haven’t already, I encourage all of you to spend a few minutes exploring the website -- www.stgileschool.org. And while you’re there, visit the Family Portal. It’s the central location where you’ll find faculty pages, the school calendar, links to PowerSchool and School Rush and important school announcements and updates.

Have a wonderful week.

Stay well!

Meg

Parent Teacher Conferences

A special eNews will be sent this week to sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 21-22. School will be dismissed for all students at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, October 21; half-day PreK dismissal will remain at 11:15 a.m.

Please note: Kids Klub will not be available on Thursday after school due as our teachers and staff will be participating in conferences. There will be no school or Kids Klub for students on Friday, October 22nd to allow for conferences during the day.

Renew My Church Update

Dear Parents,

Last week, our parish gathered to hear about the Renew My Church efforts of the Oak Park Parish Grouping. We recognize that a Monday evening does not make it easy for working parents to attend a meeting and this is a very important process for all of us. While our schools are not directly impacted, your review and comments would be helpful.

To assist the small team representing St. Giles to provide feedback to our larger Oak Park Grouping, we would like to enlist your help. Materials, including proposed scenarios, are posted on the parish website for your review. Please review these scenarios and provide any feedback you would like considered that will go directly to the RMC committee.

We thank you for your participation in this important process. We know that our parish church is important to you. You and your children are important to us and we want to be able to continue to serve your family and families in the future.

Thank you for making the time to provide us with this important feedback.

Fr. Carl and the RMC Committee

Lion's Leap: There's still time to donate!

Thank you again to all our generous donors who contributed to Lion's Leap. As a reminder, the minimum expected contribution for Lion's Leap is $100 per preschool student, $150 per K-8 family with a single student, or $250 per household for each family with more than one student. Lion's Leap is a critical source of revenue for our school, but unlike tuition, Lion's Leap donations are tax deductible!

Checks payable to St. Giles School can be sent to Development via your child's backpack OR click here to donate online. Please get your donations in by Friday, October 15. If you have any questions, please contact Kelly.

Photos from the Lion's Leap obstacle course and fun run, as well as other photos from our school year, can be viewed here.

There are still open spots for our enrichment options at St. Giles. Chess Ed, Giving Artfully, Legacy Sports, Infinity Arts, and now including Sticky Fingers cooking class! Head over to our registration page to sign up today!"

Spirit Wear Store Closes Tomorrow!

We hope you saw the announcement that the St. Giles School Spirit Wear Store is open now through Monday, Oct. 11, so you and your Lions can stock up! You'll find t-shirt and sweatshirt options that show off your school spirit -- including two brand-new looks that feature our Athletic Department. If you haven't checked it out yet, don't miss your chance to pick up new black and gold gear -- visit the Spirit Wear Portal today.