Dear St. Giles Families,

At our opening faculty and staff Mass on Tuesday, Fr. Carl shared this quote with us and it truly resonated with me:

Whoever has God Lacks nothing! God alone suffices. 

Wealth, knowledge, titles, degrees – 

none of these pave the way to heaven. 

-St. Theresa of Avila 

It is with that in mind, that I share our theme for this school year: Make your Mark! Be Creative, Have Courage, Collaborate, and Celebrate. Along with this theme goes this passage, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13. Our theme will be present in all we do: our Masses, our buddy activities, our events and our day-to-day learning. We are truly blessed to have each and every one of you partnering with us this year and look forward to a wonderful start of school! Let’s make our mark!

Our opening day is finally here! We are so excited to have you all on campus tomorrow and can’t wait to see you. We’ve been busy getting our curriculum and classrooms ready -- returning classrooms to pre-COVID setups, including rugs and reading nooks, flex spaces and group seating -- all to prepare for a terrific year with all of our Lions. For those of you who are new to St. Giles, we welcome you – and promise it will feel like home in no time! Remember, doors open at 8:00 a.m. and students must arrive by 8:15 a.m. when the doors close. We will dismiss at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow.

Below, we have included a few reminders about our first week, including morning drop-off locations. Please review our traffic map; we strongly encourage, especially on the first few days, that families consider parking off Linden and Columbian and walking your Lions to their drop-off locations. Parents often gather on the sidewalks as students enter the buildings – we look forward to returning to our first day gathering and photo ops! 

Also, be sure to check out our calendar for important dates, where you’ll see many events and traditions returning from pre-pandemic times! Events are listed on the calendar found on the website. Finally, be sure to visit our Family Portal for everything you need, using the password Lions123.

Finally, thank you for partnering with us in the education of your children and for your patience as we share important information and roll out our procedures for the year. This is such an exciting time of year for us and we cannot wait to get started! 

Enjoy this last day of summer and we look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.

Happy New School Year!

Meg

Construction on Greenfield

The Village of Oak Park began construction on Greenfield on Thursday last week that may involved the sidewalks.  As soon as we know the timeline and scope of work we will let you know.  Please be aware of equipment and work along the street, especially during drop off and pick up.  

What Supplies Do I Bring on Monday?

Please bring the class supplies you will need fo the day; folders, notebooks, pens, etc.  Due to space constraints, we do not have storage for all of the requested cleaning materials.  Please bring one roll of paper towel, one box of tissues and sanitizing wipes.  Teachers will let parents know when they need additional materials. 

We know that there are a lot of supplies to carry, especially for our little Lions.  Supplies may be brought in throughout the week. 

Can I Ride My Bike to School?

YES! We encourage our Lions to ride their bikes but please remember our safety rules.  Helmets must be work at all times and bikes must be locked either on the bike racks along Columbian or on the playground.  

Students biking to and from school need to use extra caution on the streets, especially during drop off and pick up. 

DRIVERS: Please use extra caution during drop off and pick up watching for pedestrians and bike riders. 

Photo/Academic Work Permission Form

On occasion, St. Giles School uses photos and/or academic work of students in school/parish publications to share information about the school. School publications include, but are not limited to: the website, school yearbook, student academic work, advertisements, annual reports, posters, newsletters, parish bulletins, social media and other public relations material. 

In addition, local news organizations may hear of our activities , and our school may invite or allow them to photograph or record our events. 

Please download and complete this form only if you do NOT want your child’s photo or work published in any format.

COVID Expectations 

As we return to school, our COVID restrictions are reduced from those in previous years. Masking is optional and we respect the decision of any student, faculty or staff member on their personal decision to wear a mask. You can find current protocols from the Archdiocese here. Additionally, we will adhere to these guidelines if a student or staff member develops COVID symptoms.

Back to School Coffee....

Join us on the first day of school immediately following drop off, for coffee in the courtyard, under the canopy between the church and the Frawley building. Stop by and chat with fellow parents. This will be your opportunity to sign up for PTO committees (including room parents). We hope to see you there.

Julia Bell

PTO President

Please note – Dismissal Schedule for the week: 

• Monday, August 22nd, 2:00 pm
• Tuesday, August 23rd, 3:10 pm
• Wednesday, August 24th, 2:00 pm (and every Wednesday hereafter)
• Thursday & Friday, August 25th-26th, 3:10 pm 

   **½ day PreK dismissal at 11:15 am daily

Kids Klub will be available before and after school beginning tomorrow. Please register here if you have not already.

Do we wear our uniforms on the first day? 

Yes, all students should be in full uniform on the first day of school. As a reminder, please review the uniform code; bermuda navy uniform shorts are appropriate under the uniform code and may be worn until October. PE classes will meet on Monday but students do not need to have PE uniforms on the first day. 

What if uniforms are on backorder?

No need to panic! If uniforms are not available, students may wear bermuda shorts or pants, with a collared shirt or an appropriate length skirt/dress.  We are working with Dennis Uniforms to ensure all orders are fulfilled quickly! 

Entrance/Exit Procedures

Monitored doors will open at 8:00 a.m. and classes begin at 8:15 am. Please note the entrance doors by building and grade level:

Gleeson Building

PreK 3, Gleeson South Door 

Prek 4, Gleeson North Door

Corrigan Building

Kindergarten, Door C, closest to the playground

Grades 1-2, Door B, gym entrance off Linden 

Frawley Building

Grades 3-4, Door H, entrance off Linden 

Grades 5-6, Door J, closer to Columbian, off courtyard

Grades 7-8, Door K, entrance off Columbian

Upcoming Events

Sunday, August 28th, Chicago Dogs Outing, click here for details

Wednesday, August 31, K-8 Opening Mass, 1:00 pm, please join us!

Thursday, September 1st, Cybersafety Parent Presentation, McDonough Hall

• All parents are welcome to attend 

Thursday, September 8th, Back to School Night Open House

• Additional details will be forthcoming

Friday, September 9th, Welcome Back Parents Concert-Courtyard

• Additional details will be forthcoming

Pre-K Kids Klub Helpers Needed!

We are looking for some special helpers, in grades 3 through 8, to assist with our Preschool Kids Klub Aftercare Program. Helpers will play and engage with preschoolers in the Gleeson Building for an hour or so after school and will be fully supervised by the Kids Klub staff at all times. Help is needed from 3:15 pm until 4:15 or 4:30 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and from 2:05 pm until 3:30 or 3:45 on Wednesdays. Daily availability will be listed on the registration form. We are looking to have the helpers start the week of August 29. The schedule for the first several weeks will be sent to families this week.

Helpers do not need to be registered for Kids Klub, however, if a helper is enrolled in Kids Klub, the family will not be charged for the time spent in PreK. 

Click here to register and note availability. Email Kathy Lofgren with questions.

Parent Volunteer Compliance

We LOVE our Volunteers! As a volunteer at St. Giles School, you are required to complete all the Archdiocese volunteer requirements. Here is a list of requirements. If you are new, you must complete everything. If you are returning, you can log into Virtus to see which requirements are due. Contact Michele Bibbey with any questions.

1. Register in Virtus Online (I do not need copies of these requirements - I can see them in Virtus)

• Select “Archdiocese of Chicago”
• Select “St. Giles School” (not Parish) for location.
• Select "Volunteer" as role
• Complete the criminal background check online
• Complete the Archdiocese Standards of Behavior (annual requirement)
• Complete the online class "Protecting God's Children" or the online renewal class "Keeping the Promise Alive"..

1. Complete the Cants 689 (DCFS background check - Annual Requirement) - email to me.
2. Complete the Mandated Reporter online class - email the completed certificate to me.
3. Complete the Cants 22 (Mandated Reporter Acknowledgement) - email to me.

Marla's Lunch

Marla’s Lunch is the daily lunch option ordered and paid through and served by external provider, Marla’s Brown Bag Lunch. Marla’s is available every day except on PTO-sponsored Fun Lunch days. Vendors that deliver lunches include: Portillo's, Buona, Panera, Chipotle, Potbelly and more! Online ordering will open on August 17th at marlaslunch.boonli.com. Marla’s Lunch service will begin on Monday, August 29. New users, please see the flyer for more information and school code. Please note there will be no Marla’s or fun lunch the first week of school.