February 7, 2021
Weekly enews
Dear St. Giles Families,

We had a wonderful and celebratory Catholic Schools Week last week and kicked it off with a successful virtual open house for prospective families. The snow did not stop our Zoom sessions where we shared all the good news of who and what we are at St. Giles. Thank you to Sarah Yaffe, BSJ Marketing Chair, and members of the marketing team, for making our first virtual open house a success. 

We would also like to thank PTO, especially co-chairs Laura Milder and Kristen Reale, for their tremendous efforts to organize a fun yet safe week for our students. From online games of Name the Face to Find the Lion to Jeopardy!, our students were able to celebrate this special week despite the restrictions. Thanks also to Stacy McEnery who put together desk decorating kits for all of our classrooms and Amy Crilly who helped us to cap off the week with rousing Zoom Buddy Bingo games! The games were such hits teachers have plans to play them again! Finally, thank you to everyone who helped arrange and safely deliver the pizza lunch to all faculty, staff, and students. We are so blessed by our dedicated parent community! 

Last week was also a celebration of what we, along with other Catholic schools in the Archdiocese and beyond, have been able to accomplish with our in-person and remote learning opportunities for all families. These efforts of meeting the needs of our students and families during the pandemic have been recognized in local and national press articles; find them linked below. We are so proud of our students and grateful for our families throughout this year. We are hopeful that all of our faculty and staff will soon be vaccinated and, while that does not end our protocols or waiver any of our safety measures, it is a sign of progress and brings about feelings of security, relief and continued hope that everyone will soon be vaccinated.  


Lastly, we would like to appeal to all parents and caregivers to be mindful of our traffic patterns at both drop-off and pick-up on Columbian and Linden. With the building snow piles, it is very difficult to see around cars. Please use extreme caution loading/unloading and when driving around cars. We know everyone is anxious to get to work in the morning and home in the afternoon but extra care and working together will help everyone get to and from school safely. 

Due to the extreme temperatures this week, uniforms will remain optional. We ask that our Lions come dressed warmly and appropriately. Thursday will be a pink/red day in honor of Valentine's Day.

Stay warm, safe, and well,
Meg

Re-registration is complete!
Your Facts account has been updated with next year's tuition information and also with the non-refundable registration fee of $200. This fee is due by Feb. 22.
  • If you are set up with auto pay, you don't need to do anything and the charge will automatically pull from your account on Feb. 22. 
  • If you are set up with an invoice payment, you will be required to sign in to Facts and make your payment. 
  • If you registered a preschooler and have not made a schedule selection yet, please do so ASAP here, PreK Program Selection, as our classes are filling up fast! Charges will be added to your account as soon as a selection is made.
As a reminder, the first tuition payment is due in July. If you have further questions, please contact Michele Bibbey.

Important February Calendar Reminders!
Thursday, February 11th, Trimester 2 Parent/Teacher Conferences
11:45 dismissal for all students, Kids Klub will not be available.
Conferences are not required; teachers will contact parents for appointments.
Friday, February 12th, Staff Development Day, No School
Monday, February 15th, President's Day, No School
Catholic Schools Week falls during the same week as National School Counselors Week. The activities during Catholic schools week help our students strengthen their friendships and school counselors provide activities to help students have more success at school, including relationships with peers. During our Catholic Schools Week open house, the role of the St. Giles School Counselor was explained to prospective families as a varied integral collaborative part of the community. As a reminder to current families during this upcoming week with a day for conferences, I am available as a resource to students, parents, teachers, and administration. I can provide community linkage, short term counseling, and consultation. A Social Emotional Lesson(SEL) is provided twice a month to K-8 students in their homeroom. The American School Counselor Association has a nice infographic of the role of a school counselor in an elementary and middle school. Is there some way for me to help your student have more success at our school? Please email me at mlechowicz@stgilesschool.org.


Save the date
Saturday, March 13, 2021
  7:00 - 8:00 pm
More details will be coming soon.
2021-22 Scholarship Information
  • January 4  through  April 15 - St. Giles Scholarship Application Opens. Log on to your Facts account and click on Grant & Aid when available. All applications will be reviewed after the April 15 deadline.
Miles for Giles - Registration Open!

A new PTO sponsored running and walking event!

Sign-up here! Registration is $25. 
Register by 2/18 in order to guarantee that you will receive your t-shirt before the race weekend. All participants will automatically be entered in a drawing to win a brand new fit-bit charge!


The virtual run will take place March 6th/7th.
February Fun Lunch Open

Pasta, Pasta!! Mark your calendar for February 19th and 26th for our next PTO fundraiser lunches! 

Click HERE to visit the site and get your order in.
February PTO Meeting
The February PTO Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 9th at 8:30am via zoom.

All are welcome to join. Here is the meeting link.
REGISTER NOW for the Spring Session 2021 of
Chess-Ed's Virtual EnrichmentProgram!

Dear St. Giles Families, 
 
Registration for Chess-Ed’s virtual 10-week Spring Session is well underway.   Our 55-minute virtual lessons are offered every weekday after school, at 4, 5, and 6 pm with Beginner, Novice, Continuing, and Advanced program levels to appeal to students with a wide variety of chess knowledge and skills.  The Spring Session runs from 2/22/21 to 4/30/21 and is open to all students in all grades. 
 
For more information and to register, go to www.r-spring-virtual-chess-ed.eventbee.com.   
 
Chess-Ed instructors look forward to seeing your chess enthusiast this Spring.  JOIN TODAY! 

Catholic Campaign for Human Development Art Contest:
Rebuilding Together at the Margins
The youth of the Archdiocese of Chicago are invited to participate in this year’s CCHD Arts and Media Contest! The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a multimedia contest and virtual arts and variety show for students in grades 7-12. Through participation in the contest, students explore U.S. poverty and related issues – all in the context of their faith.

All who enter should plan to attend the Archdiocese of Chicago's CCHD Virtual Art and Variety Show on Sunday, March 21, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Prizes available, up to $500.

By Monday, March 1, 2021 group or individual entries need to be mailed to Sister Julia Walsh at the Cardinal Meyer Pastoral Center.

For more information contact juliawalsh@archchicago.org.
For complete contest rules and information packets please visit: https://www.usccb.org/committees/catholic-campaign-human-development/creating-margins

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.