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Friday Thoughts February 16 2018

Posted on Feb 17, 2018

Dear Falcon Families,

I hope you are enjoying the mini winter thaw. Although it may be short, it is good to see the snow mounds in the parking lot begin to vanish.

Valentine’s Day ranks with Halloween and the day before Christmas on the “good reasons to be in school” days.   Hints of red and tons of valentine wishes AND treats, combined with Mardi Gras festivities provided a festive environment.

Our all school mass on Ash Wednesday was lovely.   The tradition in our church is to use the days of Lent to focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.   Building on those ideas, Ms. Chermak introduced our school’s Lenten theme:  “Let Kindness and Character Carry You.”  We are challenging the students to use this time to think about how they can make a difference in their little part of the world…simple things like smiling and  saying hello,  sharing a treat at lunch, lending a helping hand, standing up for values, being courageous when feeling peer pressure, using social media to spread good news. . just a few of the ideas that were suggested.  

We will also be raising funds for Tailler de Jose, a ministry sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph.   The mission of the program is one of accompaniment for persons who need to learn how to navigate services available to them.  More about that in the weeks ahead.

Our Lenten prayer builds on the school theme of being aware of God’s Awesome Gifts.   Each morning, in addition to our regular morning prayer, one student will name a gift for which we can be especially grateful that day.   This might be something you could do at home as well.

Our hearts are broken as we mourn the death of Commander Paul Bauer.  Many of you probably knew Commander Bauer personally.  All of us share your grief.  Too often we take our women and men in blue for granted, but this tragic death reminds us of the personal sacrifices our officers make each day as they go to work.  We are so grateful for your selfless dedication to guard and protect. 

To honor Commander Bauer, we welcome you to stand with us on 111th street as the funeral procession passes through our community tomorrow.   Bring a flag, a sign, a prayer in your heart to demonstrate our support for Commander Bauer’s family and extended police department family.

All are very welcome for Sunday’s Pancake Breakfast in Kane Hall between 8:00 and noon.   All proceeds go to the program that purchases vests for our police personnel.  Because of your generosity at today’s “Bingo”, our school will be presenting a very generous check for this most worthy cause.

Earlier this week, Mrs. Reed sent a message that those who ordered lunch on our recent snow day will be compensated with a free lunch with the snow day menu item on Tuesday, March 6.  Also, a small number of you ordered a lunch for March 12.   There is no school that day and your order has been voided and your account credited.  If you have a question, please email Mrs. Maxwell at dmaxwell@sjfschool.net.

We have had several inquiries about making arrangements for sports and or grade level physicals which are now available free of charge at our SJF mini-clinic. We would like to make those available now, since our Spring Break and that of our future nurse practitioners are not the same.   The nurses are here Tuesday-Friday from 8:00-2:00.   I have attached a request for an appointment with this newsletter. 

We still have a few openings in our pre-school programs.   Please tell neighbors and friends who might be interested. 

We are still collecting Box Tops for Education.  Given the size of our school, they can really make a difference in the cash rebate we receive.   Thanks for your help.

Our hearts are heavy and our minds troubled as the nation faces the tragedy of another school shooting incident.  While politicians debate gun control and mental health issues, we need to ensure that our schools are safe.   After much consultation we have again revised the “active shooter” part of the school’s emergency plan and will have a drill next week.  We will let you and the local authorities know the day and time so that you are not alarmed.  Our goal is to be well prepared but not frighten our youngest students who might not understand why this kind of emergency drill happens at school.

The madness of the tragedies in Florida and Chicago, are harsh reminders of how very fragile life is.   As I watched our eighth graders being confirmed last Sunday, my prayer was that the world will be a safer, more peaceful place for them and that perhaps they will be the women and men who will be the peacemakers and problem solvers the world so desperately needs.   That prayer is repeated every morning when I see the smiles and unbounded enthusiasm of our falcons at every grade level.   I hope I do not seem too preachy when I ask that as the adults in their lives we say a little prayer each morning, during Lent especially, that each of our children’s AWESOME potential will be the gift that can and will make a difference.

We are delighted that our new partnership with the nursing school at St. Xavier includes the availability of grade level and sports physicals. Students entering school for the first time, all preschoolers and students entering sixth and ninth grade must have a physical and be up to date with the inoculations mandated by the state of Illinois. 

Two nurses are available in our “mini clinic” from 8:30-2:00 Tuesday through Friday.  There is NO CHARGE for this service.

 If you would like to schedule a physical please:

  1. Complete the attached Google document that includes:

Student Name and Grade Level
Times you are available to accompany your
child to the clinic.(You do not need to accompany your child if you are confident he or she is comfortable without your presence.)Once we have your request, one of the nurses will call you to decide a convenient time for the physical.

  1. Complete and sign required forms for physical history…. Attached to the Google doc. On the school physical form you need to complete the health history on page two, date the form and SIGN IT.On the sport physical form parent needs to answer all of the questions on page one, SIGN and date.

We strongly advise making the appointments as soon as possible since our Spring Break is different than that at the university, so times will fill up quickly.    Physicals completed now will be accepted for both summer sports programs and for next school year. 

 

Hope to see you on 111th Street on Saturday and at Mass and over pancakes on Sunday.  Remember there is no school on Monday because of the President’s Day holiday. 

 

 


 


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