Dear St. Giles School Families,

We hope you’ve enjoyed your summer so far, and that you and your families take full advantage of the days we have left before school starts (you know I will!). But as you turn your focus to the start of school, we wanted to share important information with you about the upcoming school year. We’re covering a lot, so please read through! 

First, I’d like to share some staffing updates. As you are certainly well aware, there is again a teacher shortage in our community and nationwide. The bulk of the summer was spent interviewing and hiring the strongest teachers for our Lions. I have compiled a list of new teachers, including those we shared at the end of the school year below. More information about our new teachers will be shared in upcoming Weekly Views.

Ensuring our students are taught by talented and compassionate teachers who believe in what it means to be a part of the St. Giles community is one of my highest priorities. We have great confidence in our staffing decisions and know that I will continue to work closely with all of our teachers to ensure a rigorous learning experience for our Lions.

As a final staffing update, Mr. Jim Callahan will not be returning to the office this year. Jim has been working towards his teaching degree and will be teaching 4th grade at St. Helen in Chicago this year. We are so grateful for everything Jim has done for St. Giles and will continue to see him around campus as a parent. We wish him well in his first year of teaching! 

FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL 

Students in all grade levels begin on August 22nd in full uniform. Dismissal will be at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 22nd to ease into the return to school, including our regular Wednesday 2:00 pm pick up on August 23rd. We will resume the regular dismissal schedule for the rest of the week. 

SCHOOL CALENDAR

The 2023-24 school calendar is updated and available on the family portal. You can access the portal by setting up your own personal password. Please see the instructions sent in a special eNews this summer. You can link the new school calendar to your personal calendar that will update any adjustments accordingly. Highlights include the PTO Orientation Evening on Thursday, August 17th in the courtyard, Parent Welcome Back Coffee in the courtyard on Tuesday, August 22nd, Back to School Open House on Thursday, September 8th – a night to meet your Lion’s teachers, our week off for Thanksgiving and two weeks off for Christmas. You’ll also find dates for additional days off, our annual events, such as Lion’s Leap, Catholic Schools Week and the Black & Gold Gala. 

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

PreK students will be able to drop off their supplies on August 17th, 18th or 21st; preschool families will receive a separate communication with further instructions regarding classroom assignments and supply drop off.

Our younger Lions in K-3 can either bring their supplies with them on the first day of class or drop them off in their homerooms on Thursday, August 17th between 9:00 am - 11:00 am or Friday, August 18th between 12:45 pm - 2:00 pm. Our older Lions in 4th-8th grade should bring their supplies during the first week of school. Everything does not need to be brought in on the first day. 

As a reminder, supply lists can be found below: 

UNIFORMS

School and gym uniforms are mandatory for all K-8 students. Preschoolers are invited to wear uniforms, but it is not required. Please check the updated Uniform Code for requirements and Dennis Uniforms for pricing. If Dennis Uniforms has notified you of backordered uniform items, please have your Lion(s) come to school in any polo shirt with shorts, an appropriate skirt, or pants. Shorts should be either St. Giles gym shorts or uniform shorts. Short shorts are not permitted. Please take some time before the first day of school to check the length of uniform skirts–skirt length should not exceed two inches above the knee.  We know our Lions get taller over the summer and skirts will need to be lengthened prior to the first day of school. 

HOMEROOM ASSIGNMENTS

Homeroom teachers in grades K-8 will email families on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 15th welcoming them to their classroom. We spend a lot of time placing students for the next year, with teacher input. Changes to your child’s class assignment will not be made.

ENTRANCE/EXIT PROCEDURES

Monitored doors will open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 8:15 am for morning drop off each day. 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 5-8, Door K, entrance off Columbian

LUNCH

Families provide lunch each day for their Lion(s). These lunches must be nut-free. If you’re interested in ordering lunch, there are two options to do so: 

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 can be found below. Online ordering will open on August 18th at marlaslunch.boonli.com. Marla’s Lunch service will begin on Monday, August 28. New users, please see the flyer below for more information and school code. Please note there will be no Marla’s or fun lunch the first week of school.  

PTO-sponsored Fun Lunch dates are Fridays and posted on the school calendar in the Family Portal. Fun Lunch serves as an important fundraiser for PTO projects and initiatives.

***We are unable to regularly accept delivery of lunches from outside vendors. Delivery will only be accepted on an emergency basis due to a forgotten lunch. Please make arrangements for your Lion’s lunch daily and send it to school with him/her in the morning. 

WATER BOTTLES 

Students are asked to bring their own water bottles each day. All floors have bottle fillers or sinks in the classrooms available for students throughout the day. We are not able to provide cups and bottles to students. Please be sure to label your Lion’s water bottle with their name in the event it ends up in the lost and found.

WEDNESDAY REMINDER 

Every Wednesday during the school year will be our day for faculty/staff meetings and staff development. All full-day students (PreK through 8th grade) are dismissed at 2:00 p.m. every Wednesday, including August 23rd. Kids Klub is available beginning at 2:00 on Wednesdays.

KIDS KLUB 

Kids Klub is our before and after school care program. Kids Klub provides a warm and caring environment for students, offering teacher-supervised homework time, outdoor and indoor play, specialized crafts, and planned activities. Registration is now open. If you haven’t yet, please register online below. Students are allowed to drop in/out as needed -- even day of -- so we encourage families to register in the event they need to use the service in the future. Morning and afternoon Kids Klub begins on Monday, August 22nd for all registered families. 

FORMS

Health forms must be submitted to school by Tuesday, September 6th. School physicals are required for students in Preschool, Kindergarten, 6th grade, and any students new to St. Giles. Check below for requirements. Any student who has not submitted required forms by that date will be excluded from school attendance until forms are submitted. Proof of COVID vaccines are not required. Reminder: any student participating in athletics will need an athletic physical form on file. Students in 6th grade need only their new physical with the box checked that they are approved to participate in athletics. Please review requirements on the athletics website and contact Sean Clancy with any questions.  

MEDICATION 

Any medication that needs to be administered at school, including Epi-pen, Benadryl, inhalers, etc., must be brought to the school office on or before the first day of classes, along with the Medication Authorization Form signed by a physician. This form must be updated annually.

SUMMER READING

With just over a week left, there is still plenty of time for your student to knock out their summer reading – or add another book to their reading habit! You’ll find the summer reading lists by grade level, including recommendations for our littlest readers, on the family portal.

Our Weekly View will resume on Sunday, August 20th. Until then, please remember to watch for the email from your Lion’s homeroom teacher on August 15th. As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. 

We can’t wait to see our halls and classrooms filled once again. Enjoy these last days and we’ll see you on August 22nd! 

Best wishes,

Meg

PS. Join us at Galewoodstock Music Festival on Saturday, August 26th from 12-8 pm and check out our booth!