May, 2009 Newsletter
Dear St. John Fisher Families,
Blue Ribbons, candles on Talman, many, many prayers. Thank you for your thoughtful prayers and support for fourth grader Ryan as he and his family face the difficult challenge of this terrible illness. Like most of you, I struggle to find words to name the worry and concern we all feel at this time. We have had encouraging news from the hospital today that Ryan is making slow but steady progress. Please, please keep praying for a complete and speedy recovery. As another sign of our support for Ryan, friends are organizing a blood drive. We have a tentative date of Saturday, May 8th in Kane Hall. Details will follow, but please let others know about the blood drive.
You should have a copy of the May Calendar in your possession at this time....You will need to have it handy for the many events that fill this last full week of the school year.
We begin the month with our celebration of the May Crowning on Friday at 11:00. The class of 2009 will lead us in prayer as we honor Mary, the Mother of Jesus. We hope if you are free that you might be able to come for this lovely ceremony.
On Saturday, the neighborhood will be transformed as ninety-six of our second graders from school and the CFF program celebrate their First Communion. Although we talk about the beautiful dresses, snazzy new ties, guest lists of relatives from all over the world, seemingly endless housecleaning for the parties that are so often part of the day, you need only hear the communicants' conversations about the importance of this day to know that they have a deep, honest and loving relationship with their God that is a gift to all of us whose faith is a bit less conditional. Pray with and for them tomorrow as they remind us of God's limitless love.
Are your hands raw from washing them...Are you sneezing into your sleeve? How about those vegetables? All of us have had countless helpful reminders about precautions to take to avoid the Swine Flu. All of our teachers are reviewing these important steps with their classes and as a school we are following the guidelines of the Archdiocese in conjunction with the Board of Health and the Chicago Public Schools.
You can assist if you also remind the kids about hand washing, providing good rest, and reporting flu-like symptoms to the school as soon as possible. If your child is running a fever, has the chills, is unusually fatigued or has a sore throat or cough, please do not send him or her to school. We hope that the Lysol that permeates the air here at school, diligent cleaning each night, and your cooperation will prevent any outbreak here at SJF. Please call if you have a question or concern. If your child is home because of illness, we have been asked by the Board of Health to document the symptoms, so please mention those when you call.
In my attempt to be crystal clear about our final fund raiser of the year, FISHER FEET FEAT, I probably confused most of you. I hope I can clarify: All of our families are asked at the beginning of the year for a $175.00 fundraising fee. That fee is paid "up front" on book fee day. That money is part of our operating budget and is used for ordinary school expenses. FEET FEAT is above and beyond the call of duty...We ask that each family contribute $20.00/child or $50.00/family to help defray some extraordinary expenses such as new computers, special programs etc. Money raised at FEET FEAT is very simply (and boldly, I guess) an invitation to give a bit more if you can. It is not mandatory. As an incentive for participation, each child who contributes $20.00 will receive the trendy new (be the first on your block to wear!) Fisher Flip Flops. Earlier we sent a preliminary order requesting flip flop sizes. This order was intended to reflect your willingness to contribute to the success of the event. Early next week we will send a full letter of explanation and request for payment. All of our students will participate in the fun of the actual party on the parking lot with line dancing, cheers, and pounding the pavement in support of their school. Children who chose not to order the flip flops can of course wear gym shoes for the day. Thanks in advance for anything you can do to help make the event both a financial and social success. Pray now for good weather.
We will also need good weather for our all school field trip to Crestwood for the Thunderbolts Minor League Baseball Game. Early reservations have allowed us to have great box seats, a hot dog and a cold drink. We have ordered busses, but because we are so close to Crestwood, we are also allowing students to ride with their parents who might want to attend the game. Another letter with full directions for participation will go home next week. We have reserved ample seats, but will need your firm commitment for tickets and transportation by Thursday, May 14.
Last night the school board approved the announcement of two great new programs at St. John Fisher. The first will provide before and after school care for families who can use it because of work schedules. We hope this reasonably priced program will answer the multiple requests we have had over the years but were unable to provide because of limited space. We need a minimal number of families (15) who will participate in order to move forward. Look for a full letter of explanation to come home on Tuesday. The letter will also be on the school website. Please call if you have questions.
A second new program we will offer next year if there is sufficient interest will be the
St. John Fisher Kiddy Academy, an extension of our early childhood program is open to children in our three and four year old pre-school or half day kindergarten. The program will meet on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and will be based on units that explore various themes. Art, music, creative play, crafts, drama, and even a bit of technology will be vital components of the program. A full explanation is posted on the website and an explanatory letter is going home this week. Again, we need a minimal number of participants to move forward with the program. If you have questions or would like to know more about the program, please also feel free to call me if you have other concerns or questions about the program.
In a recent email, I mentioned how proud I always am when our students demonstrate the goal of good education which includes both right and left brain development. The recent art show and band concert gave strong evidence of the multiple opportunities students at SJF have to excel in the fine arts. We also learned this week that two of our eighth grade teams who have been participating in "The Stock Market Game" sponsored by the Tribune and the Illinois Council on Economic Development won first and second place in this year's competition. Over 4,000 teams at the elementary and high school level participated this year and our teams took both the first and second place prize....AMAZING!!! They will be honored at a special reception at the Tribune Tower later in May. The winning team will also participate in a two day program in June that includes a trip to the Board of Trade, the Federal Reserve Bank, and a meeting with financial leaders in the Chicago area. I have suggested that our winners and members of the second place team offer to review stock portfolios. (Do any still exist in this economy?). They have pledged to remember SJF as their favorite charitable contribution when they start trading with "real dollars" in the years ahead.
Even though the air is still brisk, on Friday, May 1, students may wear the SJF summer uniform, khaki or navy capris or walking shorts. (Please be sure that the walking shorts are no more than two inches above the knee.) We do not want to embarrass any student by asking her to change into gym clothes if her summer uniform is not appropriate. Students may also start wearing gym shoes as part of the summer uniform.
The FSA bake sale is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19th. Save your points or calories for some of the delicious treats that will be available.
The drama club is in full rehearsal for this year's play, Oklahoma. The cast will do two school performances and an evening performance at 7:00 p.m. to which all are invited on Thursday, May 21. Plan to come for a great night of entertainment.
The last tuition statements for the year were mailed earlier this week. Please be sure that your tuition is paid in full by May 15th. This deadline is particularly important for families who have an eighth grader because students who have an outstanding balance will not be able to participate in graduation events or the ceremony if there are outstanding bills. If you anticipate a problem, it is essential that we be notified immediately.
Thanks to the generosity of many in our parish and school community, we do have a very limited amount of tuition assistance available. Members of the school board have formed a sub-committee who will review a brief (and anonymous to them) application for these funds. The application will be available at school on May 8th. Please call if you have questions.
Friday, May 15 is our faculty planning day. The children have no school that day but our teachers will be busy planning for the upcoming school year. Although we do not make formal class lists at that time, it is important for you to know that it is impossible to honor a request you might have for your child to be placed in a particular classroom. Although there can be rare extenuating circumstances that require special consideration, please know that the teachers and I factor in many components when we determine classroom assignments. In justice to all, please only make a special request if a very serious concern exists. These concerns must be given to me in writing before our planning day.
Thanks for your cooperation in this matter.
Although we hope none of our families is leaving at the end of this school year, if you are moving or planning not to return, it would helpful if we had that information before planning day. We will reserve place unless we hear that you are not returning.
Please check the website regularly for fast changing news in the fast paced month of May. Baseball is in full swing, the days are longer, and graduation is on the near horizon. Although we want each of the students to enjoy the beauty and energy of each Spring day, we also want them to finish with a flourish. Thanks for reminding them that homework is still important, even summer uniforms should be clean and neat, and kindness is a virtue for all seasons. Like you, each of us at school continues to work hard to be sure that each of the kids we love so dearly has the chance to become his or her best self. We can do it and so can they!