October 2019
Dear Parents & Friends,
It is hard to believe summer has finally come to an end and more than a month of this school year has already flown by. We want to thank you for your support of the mission of St. Rita High School. The beginning of the 2019-20 School Year has gotten off to a tremendous start and we know that you play a large part in that success. We are grateful also for our faculty and staff for the good work that they do in and out of the classroom – they are a wise and talented group of individuals. We are encouraged by the good spirit of the students as we begin this year and trust that this same spirit will light our way forward! Below are some items that may be of interest to you this month.
President Search Update:
Many thanks to all of you who have encouraged members of our St. Rita Family and others to consider the President position. We are delighted with the robust interest we have received. A large number of highly qualified candidates have applied.
The Search Committee is interviewing those whose experience and areas of expertise best meet the needs of St. Rita High School at this moment in time. We are fortunate that the Search Committee, appointed to evaluate candidates and make a recommendation for hire, represents each of our key stakeholder groups: current parents, past parents, alumni, donors, faculty, staff, administration, Board of Directors and Augustinians. They bring the perspective of each audience to this process. We are grateful for their dedicated service.
Since the application window closed on September 13, candidate materials have been reviewed, telephone screening interviews conducted, and references checked. The first round of meetings with candidates and the Search Committee has taken place. Second interviews with those candidates who are advancing in the process are now taking place.
We appreciate all those who helped promote the search and ask for your ongoing prayers as we seek out the best next leader for St. Rita High School. Thank you!
Best Wishes Ms. Eileen Spulak:
Many of you may have noticed that we have had an opening for the position of CFO posted. Ms. Eileen Spulak who has served the St. Rita Family in that position for the past three and a half years is moving on to a new career opportunity. Ms. Spulak will continue to assist St. Rita on a part-time basis as we hire and transition in her replacement. We thank her for her years of service and wish her well, but know she will be no stranger to St. Rita as she will continue to be present around campus as a St. Rita mom.
Parent-Teacher Conferences:
Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, October 17 from 1:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Conferences are by appointment only and there is a limit of one 5-minute conference per teacher for each class taught to your son.
The reservation window will be open at 7:00 AM on Wednesday, October 9 and close at 7:00 AM on Wednesday, October 16.
Log into the reservation system at
virtualparagon.com/stritahs/conference
and use the master password: shrine.
Once you are logged into the system ALL parents will need to set up a new account, even if you have already used the system in the past.
We recommend scheduling your conferences early in the reservation window, and in the order of classroom locations of the teachers you wish to see. (For example, Rooms 102, 106, 116, 200, 207, 210.) Teacher locations will be visible on the reservation link. You may want to leave time between conferences to get from room to room; some parents find it helpful to leave 5 minutes open between each conference. If you have any troubles reserving a conference with a teacher please contact Mrs. Noreen Kelliher at
nkelliher@stritahs.com
.
Grade Checks for Athletic Ability:
Is your son an athlete in any season this year--fall, winter or spring? If so, eligibility is determined each Wednesday for the current season, and eligibility for the next semester is determined by performance in the current semester. Be sure he stays on top of his work and his grades all the time--so he won't be sidelined on the field. Please see the Student Handbook for specific information about Athletic Eligibility.
Official athletic eligibility grade checks began on Wednesday, September 25 and will continue every Wednesday throughout the school year.
Homecoming 2019:
Join us this Friday, October 11 from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM in the McCarthy Center for our Annual Homecoming Party! This party is open to all alumni and friends of St. Rita to enjoy before our Mustangs take on Marian Catholic in a CCL/ESCC crossover game. The Freshman football team will kick off at 5:00 PM followed by Varsity at 7:30 PM.
Due to the Homecoming Week activities taking place on Thursday and Friday we will not have an All School Mass/Assembly on Wednesday, October 9. Students will have an Activity Period and report to their C Period classes during that time frame and are not required to wear chapel shirt and tie. If any student or family member ordered a St. Rita Homecoming t-shirt, those orders will be distributed to students during the Activity Period on Wednesday, October 9.
All students will take part in our Mustang Olympics competition day on Thursday, October 10 and have an early dismissal at 11:30 AM. Those students who utilize St. Rita transportation should note regular after school departure will be at 11:45 AM with the Metra bus departing at 12:45 PM for the 1:06 train. The activity departure will be at 2:45 PM with the Metra bus departing at 2:45 PM for the 3:01 PM train.
We will have a pep rally at the conclusion of the day on Friday, October 11 and encourage all students and families to come out later in the evening to the football games Friday night. To accommodate the pep rally, classes will be slightly shorter on Friday and G and H Period will be flipped. H Period begins the day at 8:30 AM and G Period will be the final period just before the pep rally. This will allow students without an H Period class to join us for the all school pep rally. You can see the schedule for Friday, October 11 by
clicking here
.
The Homecoming Dance will be held on Saturday, October 12. Tickets must be purchased in advance for $20 a couple. All students and guests must have a signed permission slip that can be turned in advance or on the night of the dance.
Lastly, the McCarthy Center will also be closed after school on Thursday, October 10 and Friday, October 11 due to Homecoming activities. Information regarding Homecoming Week can be found online at
stritahs.com/homecoming2019
.
Student Dress Code:
Regular school dress code will begin on Monday, October 14 and warm weather dress code will no longer be allowed. On Monday, students must wear khaki pants, a belt and dress shoes with a St. Rita polo. For complete dress code details please
click here
.
Upcoming Dates to Note:
While the information below has been posted on the school calendar for a while we wanted to draw your attention to a few special dates. We have also added a 2019-20 Important Dates document to the Parent Page of the school website that can be viewed by
clicking here
.
Important Dates to Note:
Monday, October 14: Classes in Session (Admissions Shadow Day)
Thursday, October 17: No Classes (Caritas Presentations & Parent-Teacher Night)
Friday, October 18: No Classes
Monday, October 21: No Classes
Minimester:
All freshman through junior students should have completed and submitted a registration form for Minimester. If any family has yet to complete a form please return your registration ASAP to Mrs. Marueen Larkin-Revers in the Mustang Store.
Physical Exams:
Per Illinois law, freshman students are required to turn in a current, completed physical exam, with current vaccination records, to the school prior to Tuesday, October 15. If you have not already done so, please turn it in as soon as possible.
You can access a copy of the form by
clicking here
. Please note that the IHSA athletic physical does not fulfill this requirement. Freshmen who do not have the proper physical forms completed and submitted by Tuesday, October 15 will not be eligible to participate in any sports or activities, and will be kept out of school, until this requirement has been met.
Please note:
Per Illinois law, all freshman students are also required to submit a current, completed dental exam form.
Parent Involvement:
We invite all our parents to be an active part of St. Rita. The next gathering of the Fathers' Club is Wednesday, October 9 by the stadium concession stand with dinner at 6:30 PM and a meeting at 7:30 PM. The Mothers' Club will meet on Thursday, October 10 at 7:00 PM in the McCarthy Center. All St. Rita Dads and Moms are always welcome to these meetings.
Parents are also needed and encouraged to assist with Winterfest. The theme for this year will be "Decades." Anyone interested in joining or learning more about being a part of our Winterfest Committee or assisting in any way please contact our Winterfest Chairs Terry and Brigid Hixson at
tbh818@comcast.net
.
Caritas Projects:
Our seniors did an outstanding job with their Caritas Projects. The lives that have been touched by our Ritamen will forever be changed for the good. This week each senior will receive a time to give his project presentation on Thursday, October 17. Any senior who has questions about his presentation should see Mr. Andy McIntosh or email him at
amcintosh@stritahs.com
.
R.O.S.E. Hours:
All freshmen and sophomores are required to complete R.O.S.E. Service Hours. Freshmen must complete 15 hours by Wednesday, April 15 and sophomores must complete 20 hours by Wednesday, April 15. Mr. Andy McIntosh has been around to inform all students of the requirement as well as how to log their hours in online on x2VOL. For complete details on the R.O.S.E. Program please
click here
. If you have questions regarding R.O.S.E. Hours they can be directed to Mr. McIntosh at
amcintosh@stritahs.com
.
School Pictures:
Freshman, sophomore and junior picture orders submitted on picture day were distributed last week. Those students who did not submit an initial order were given another order form for last chance orders. Any last chance orders are due by Wednesday, October 9 to Mr. Josh Blaszak. Seniors proofs should be delivered by Tuesday, October 22 and will distributed to the seniors upon arrival. Retakes for students in any grade level who missed their initial picture date or need retakes will take place on Wednesday, November 6.
Class Rings:
Representatives from Herff Jones were here on Tuesday, October 1 to accept Junior Class Ring orders. If any junior missed this date or was not ready to order at that time there is still time to place orders. You can order during their next visit to the school on Tuesday, November 5 or you can contact Mr. Jim Cranley at
ilringman@sbcglobal.net
or (708) 425-0130.
2018-19 Yearbook Update:
The 2018-19 Cascian Yearbook was completed over the summer and sent into production. We are currently awaiting their arrival and hope to distribute them soon to all of our students from last year.
NOTES OF CONGRATULATIONS
New Additions to St. Rita Family:
We extend our congratulations to our School Nurse Mr. Neil Ehmig, RN '11 who got married on September 28 and to Theology Chair Mr. Thomas Conlon who celebrated the birth of his third child Joel Danyal on October 5. Welcome to our newest members of the St. Rita Family.
Heeney Award Winners:
The following students were recognized as 2018-19 Second Semester Heeney Award recipients at the Sunday, September 15 Family Mass and Breakfast. For 51 years, the Heeney Award has been bestowed on any student who earns straight As during a semester and comes with a $50 reward. We are grateful to the Fathers' Club for sponsoring the award and the breakfast.
Class of 2019: Zackary Aleman, Cameron Bartmann, Michael Benson, Kevin Brongiel, Christopher Bruglio, Ryan Clancy, Thomas Connolly, Liam Daly, Quinn Eaheart, Salvador Guel, Kyle Gustafson, Michael Henze, Andrew Lenehan, Matthew Mier, Myles Montaque, Kevin O’Hara, Liam Ohle, Timothy Regan, Kyle Somrek, Jacob Stefanski, Luis Treto and Thomas Troesch.
Class of 2020: Nicholas Adent, Patrick Cranley, Justin Darwin, Griffen Drebing, Ryan Fidler, James Larkin, Chudi Martin, Jr. and Juan Carlos Sanchez.
Class of 2021: Conor Aguilar, Robert Atkinson. Jr., Brandon Buday, Aidan Connolly, Brian Deenihan, James Dolan, Burke Eaheart, Mel Gade, Saul Garcia, James Gardner, Thomas Gikas, Thomas Gleason, Kameren Havard, Cristian Herard, Adam Iwaniec, Kyle James, Jason Koch, Devin Luckett, Jr., Michael Mixan, Zack Nelson, Noah O’Grady, Nicholas O’Neill, Jesus Pedroza, Ryan Reid, Thomas Rooney, Osvaldo Ruiz, Jr., Francis Schmitt, Evan Schoenberger, Eric Seo, Angel Valdes and Wenseslao Zavala, Jr..
Class of 2022: Miguel Cantu, Elwyn Geisert, James Healy, Jakob Marszewski, Brendan Martin, Michael Menard, Connell Moonan, Daniel O’Brien, Nathan Pruszewski, Israel Ramos, Luis Salgado, Tadhg Scanlon, Trent Scianna, Francis Signorelli, Alejandro Soriano and Maxwell Sun.
Mustangs of the Month:
The following students were named our September 2019 Mustangs of the Month during last week's All School Mass.
Class of 2020:
Luke O'Grady
Class of 2021:
DJ Luckett
Class of 2022: Nick Stawczyk
Class of 2023: Jake Malzone
STEM Competition Success:
On Thursday, October 3, St. Rita sent six teams (comprised of four students each) to compete in the inaugural IBEW-NECA STEM competition, hosted by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers - Local 134 and co-sponsored by Northwestern University. St. Rita students performed exceptionally well, and St. Rita took home 3rd Place overall honors and was the top-ranked Catholic school in the competition.
The top-ranked St. Rita team consisted of seniors Nick Adent, Justin Darwin, Ryan Fidler and junior Eric Seo. Congratulations Ritamen!
FROM THE GUIDANCE OFFICE
Our Guidance Office reminds all St. Rita families that Counselors are available to assist all students.
So far this year Counselors...
Went into Freshmen classes to introduce themselves and to answer any questions or concerns they may have.
Went into Sophomore classes to ask them to complete the career interest inventory on Naviance Student and to answer any questions.
Went into Junior classrooms to answer any questions and to discuss the ACT.
Met and will continue to meet with seniors in small groups discussing the college application process. Parents should ask to see the papers that are given to your son.
If you ever have any questions or need assistance please contact Mrs. Jill Nagel at
jnagel@stritahs.com
.
Upcoming Guidance Events:
Career Day:
On Friday, October 25 sophomores, juniors and seniors will have the opportunity to attend career presentations held throughout the school day. Sign-ups will take place online during the week of October 14.
College Visits:
Colleges are regularly visiting St. Rita during lunch periods to talk with students. Those visiting are always listed in the Daily Announcements. It's strongly encouraged that all students talk to the college representatives when they are at St. Rita.
FROM THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE
Perspective Families:
If you know of a potential St. Rita student and family please contact Mr. Ed Leiser in the Admissions Office at
eleiser@stritahs.com
with their information so he can add them to our database. We are always asking our current parents to be good ambassadors and recruiters for us!
Shadow Days:
The Shadow Day program has started, and St. Rita allows young men in 6th, 7th and 8th grades to shadow a current Ritaman on any full school day. Encourage your co-workers, neighbors, relatives and friends to have their sons shadow. Online registration can be found at:
stritahs.com/visit
.
We have two special Shadow Days coming up:
Columbus Shadow Day #1: Friday, October 11 | 8:00 AM - 2:35 PM
Columbus Shadow Day #2: Monday, October 14 | 8:00 AM - 2:35 PM
Open House:
Our first Open House is scheduled for Sunday, October 27. If you know any 7th or 8th graders who are thinking of attending St. Rita, please invite them to attend our Open House. We start with Mass at 11:30 AM in the Shrine Chapel and the Open House begins at 12:00 PM and should conclude by 2:00 PM.
Other Upcoming Admissions Events:
Lacrosse Clinic:
Saturday, October 13 | 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Basketball Clinic:
Friday, October 25 | 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Volleyball Clinic:
Saturday, October 26 | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Basketball 3-on-3 Tournament:
Saturday, October 26 | 12:00 PM
Have a Great October!
Mr. Wes Benak '81,
Interim CEO & Vice President of Academics
Mr. Josh Blaszak '02,
Vice President of Student Life
