ST. Benedict School

Susan Rys - Principal

Principal’s Message

Lent began on Ash Wednesday, February 17.
No matter how far removed Catholics might be from their studies of Lent, Catholics know that the forty days of Lent remind them of giving up something that is a sacrifice, acts of self-denial, acts that are geared to remind them of Christ.
Lent is sacred and spiritual for every Christian.
Lent is a time to examine our inner lives and intensify our prayer life.
By our fasting, prayer and almsgiving, we prepare ourselves for the miracle of Easter Sunday.

May the Holy Spirit inspire us to make Lent a time of growth and renewal as we journey together through this Lenten season.

All School Lenten Theme
Our theme for Lent is "We Follow Jesus." We are called to fast, pray and give alms during Lent. We began our forty-day Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday. Students attended Mass on Ash Wednesday and made a commitment to their Lenten promises.

During Lent, every classroom has a special time for daily prayer with focus on praying, fasting and giving alms or service to others.

Lenten Mission Project
Our mission collection during Lent is for Operation Rice Bowl this year.
Mission Banks were sent home to every family. Students are encouraged to be generous and offer their own money during Lent.
Operation Rice Bowl has long been affiliated with Catholic Relief and money collected will benefit areas affected by the Haiti disaster.
The seventh grade students are sponsoring a school-wide food drive once a month for our parish pantry.
Donations for the March Food Drive are due on March 17.

Knights of Columbus Spelling Bee
One of our sixth graders competed in The Knights of Columbus Spelling Bee in January at Incarnation School in Palos Heights. Congratulations to Alyssa A. who took third place. Alyssa has been invited to participate in the next level of competition.

Testing Program
All schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago will participate in the testing program scheduled for the weeks of March 1 and March 8. Students will take the Terra Nova Series of tests from CTB/McGraw Hill, which is the testing program selected by the Archdiocese of Chicago. Students in Grades 1, 3, 5 and 7 will participate. It contains an array of assessments that assist students to demonstrate what they know. It is important that students are present on testing days. Be sure students get plenty of rest and that they have a good breakfast before coming to school.

Pot of Gold Raffle
Raffle money for the Pot of Gold Raffle is due on March 5.
Tickets were distributed to families in the amount of the balance due on your fundraising commitment.
The drawing will take place on Friday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. during Fish Fry.

Your fundraising commitment needs to be paid in full by March 5.

Registration for 2010-2011 School Year
Registration for the 2010-2011 school year will begin in mid March and will be ongoing through June.
Financial information for next year will be sent home when it becomes available.

Every attempt is being made to keep a tuition increase at a minimum.

Beverly Arts and St. Benedict School Present
"Beauty and the Beast"
The Beverly Arts Center and St. Benedict School are proud to present our ninth theater production on May 7 at 7:00 p.m. in the gym.
A group of grades 4 through 8 students will be very involved on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 2:30-4:30 p.m.
with the instructors from the center, practicing for the musical production of "Beauty and the Beast."

Tickets will go on sale in mid March for the performance. Tickets are $5.00 each and will be available at the door.

Marketing
Fliers will be circulated to homes, day care centers, and real estate offices in Blue Island and surrounding areas of Posen, Alsip, Calumet Park, Riverdale, and Chicago. We have a group of parents and staff committed to this task.
You can help us out by marketing our school to family and friends. Word of mouth brings in new students.
Many of our parents have received $200 credits for bringing in a new family.
Our #1 goal is to increase enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year.

Geckler Credits
Geckler credits from the fall fundraiser were posted on your February statement.

Manna
Manna credits accumulated from October 1 through February 28 will be credited to tuition on the May statement. Manna benefits both the parents and the school with the 50/50 split in credits. Thank you for supporting the program.

Fish Fry
Lenten Fish Fry began on February 19. This is the major fundraiser for the parish sponsored by the Women's Club. A donation of at least $20,000 is promised if there is significant school involvement. Every family is expected to work at least one fish fry. Lunch is served from 11:00-1:30 p.m. Dinner is served from 4:00 - 7:30 p.m. There is a special need for the clean up crew. Clean up is between 7:30-9:00 p.m.
It is the large outpouring of volunteers that has made the event such a great success. More school presence is needed at Fish Fry. School parents can work any week, but parents are encouraged to work the week that matches their child's grade indicated on the March calendar.
Working at least one fish fry is expected.

Discipline With Purpose
The following "Discipline With Purpose" skills will be covered during the month of March. Parent handouts are included so you can teach the skills at home. Communication will be covered the weeks of March 1-12. Organization will be covered the weeks of March 15-26.

Sports News
The eighth grade had their last Friday night home game on February 19.
Cheerleaders and basketball player's names were announced, along with the high school they will be attending,
as they came onto the floor with their parents.

A special celebration followed the awesome game against IJP. The eighth graders have had an excellent season.
Special congratulations to the 4th and 5th grade boy's basketball team who took first place in Durkin Park League. Go Bengals!

Required Volunteer Hours
It is expected that every parent/guardian complete ten hours of service. Failure to fulfill the requirement will result in a $100 charge in May. Please note that there is a sign-in book in the school office for you to track your volunteer hours.
It is each family's responsibility to be sure that volunteer hours are recorded in the Volunteer
Book in the school office. If you want credit for your ten hours, you must sign the book.
Eighth Grade Students Excel on
Catholic High School Entrance Exams
Special congratulations to Ryan B. who was one of the top two scores on the St. Rita High School Entrance exam.
He is awarded a $2,500 Academic Scholarship, renewable each year, for a total of $10,000.
Jerry M was awarded an Academic Scholarship from St. Rita High School.
He will receive $1,000 for the first year for scoring in the 94th percentile on the entrance exam.
Special congratulations to Regina B, who scored in the 99th percentile on the Mother McAuley high school exam.
Regina will be awarded a $2,000 Academic Scholarship.
Congratulations to Diana S, who scored in the 98th percentile on the Mother McAuley entrance exam. Diana will receive a $500 scholarship.
Congratulations to Patrick K. on his acceptance to St. Ignatius College Prep High School.
Patrick was one of the 360 students out of over 900 applicants to be selected.
Congratulations to Casey W. and Dominick K. on their acceptance to Marian Catholic High School.
Congratulations to Holly H. on her acceptance to Marist High School.
Congratulations to Ashley R, Annabel O, Crystal E, and Jacqueline I. on your acceptance to Mother McAuley High School.
Congratulations to Christopher B. on his acceptance to St. Rita High School.

Congratulations to Michael S. on his acceptance to Brother Rice High School.

Confirmation Retreat
A Confirmation Retreat is scheduled for March 6 for the Confirmation students and their sponsors from 5:00-8:00 p.m. in the Church Hall. Father Terry Deffenbaugh will be the facilitator. This retreat is a requirement.
The date was communicated back in October at the Parent/Student Confirmation Meeting.

Please keep the Confirmation students in your prayers. Confirmation is on Tuesday, April 27 at 7 p.m. in church.

First Communicants
The First Communicants had a retreat on Saturday, February 27. The parent meeting held on February 16 emphasized the importance of family involvement as the students prepare for First Eucharist. First Communion is scheduled for Saturday, May 1. The English Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. The Spanish Mass will be at 12:30 p.m. Please note that there are two required practices and are scheduled for April 17 and April 24. Practices are required for the student and one parent. The English practice is at 8:30 a.m. The Spanish practice is at 10 a.m.

Spring Portraits
Spring Portraits will be on Monday, March 15. Packets with important information will be sent home in the Friday folder on March 5.

Golf Outing
Our Father Connors Annual Golf Outing is scheduled for Saturday, May 8 at the Meadows Golf Course in Blue Island.
All proceeds benefit St. Benedict School. This is one of the fundraisers we expect all parents to support.
Even if you don't golf, you can come out for dinner and have a great time with great people. WE NEED EVERYONE.

This is a parish school and important events, like Golf Outing and St. Benedict Fest need to be attended by school parents.

St. Benedict Fest
Everyone is invited to the next planning meeting for St. Benedict Fest, scheduled for March 2 at 7 p.m. in the church hall.

We need your involvement and new ideas. Save the date for September 25, 2010 for our second St. Benedict Fest.

Latino Initiative
St. Benedict School has been invited to become involved in the Latino Initiative.
The initiative is a result of a study done by Notre Dame, led by Father Corpora.
The growth of the Latino community in the American Church represents a demographic shift unlike any in our history, and the future of our Church and our nation depends on our ability to provide an excellent education to Latino children.
A year ago, the University of Notre Dame commissioned a task force to explore the issues surrounding the education of Latinos in the United States and to consider how to improve outcomes by extending the Catholic school advantage to more Latino children.
The goal of this task force, which reflects our complementary desires to improve educational opportunities for Latino children while revitalizing American Catholic schools, is to double the percentage of Latinos attending Catholic schools, from 3 percent to 6 percent by 2020. This means increasing the enrollment of Latino children in Catholic schools from 290,000 to 1 million students in ten years. We will be guided through a plan to attract Latinos and increase our enrollment here at St. Benedict School. Pray that this works!!!