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September 24, 2023
Dear St. Giles Families: 

As we wrap up our school week and soon with it our first week of Lion’s Leap, I wanted to take a few minutes to thank you for your support. I’m thrilled to share that 76 percent of our student body has already registered for this year’s FUNdraiser and we’re more than one-third of the way to our goal of raising $90,000. Donations have come from 22 states and 2 countries, as friends, families, grandparents and more are showing their support for our school. (graphic as of 9/22/23)
I’m proud of the momentum to date, but we have a long way to go – and we need each of you to make this year’s effort the best yet. As we leap into the long weekend, I encourage everyone to take a few minutes for the following: 

  • If you haven’t already, register your Lion(s) at mybooster.com. We’d burst with paw pride if every single one of our students completed registration this year! 

  • Make a “Student Star” video in mybooster.com to share via email or social media directly with friends and family. This is an easy way to reach your personal communities for pledges. Every dollar counts toward your family’s contribution. 

  • Take a look at the Challenge calendar for next week so your Lion doesn’t miss out! Between now and midnight on Sunday, if a student raises $90 in flat donations or $3/minute in pledges, they’ll receive a special bonus prize on Monday. 

  • Check out the Volunteer Sign-up and see how you can support donation collection this weekend, prize deliveries next week, the 6th-8th grade Obstacle Course on Sept. 28 or the Fun Run for PreK-5th on Sept. 29. We need many more volunteers – please consider what you can do! 

Incentives? We have them!  

  • Top earning homeroom in each unit, PreK, Primary, Intermediate and Middle School wins a pizza lunch in the courtyard served by me!

  • Check out your homeroom teacher’s incentives on their teacher pages–there are plenty and include dress down days, crazy sock/hair days, etc. 

  • Top fundraisers in each unit will “Pie the Principal” in front of the whole school! 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. We’re here and happy to answer them all! 

We hope you are enjoying the three-day weekend. May it be safe, relaxing and fun! We look forward to seeing all our Lions on Monday! 

Have a wonderful week, 
Meg 
St. Giles Band Update

St. Giles Band is working on revamping the program and moving from after school to during the school day to meet the needs of more of our Lions interested in Band. Mr. Gloppen will offer weekly lessons and group band practice during the school day. Lessons will be 30 minutes and students will be responsible for making up any work missed in their classes. The time for lessons will vary each week so that students do not miss the same class each time. Mr. Gloppen will speak to 4th-6th grade classrooms the week of October 2nd during PE classes where he will introduce instruments and provide more information to our Lions. Costs and specific details are still being ironed out and additional information will be shared as soon as they are finalized. We anticipate the start date will be Trimester 2.
Let's Celebrate Fr. Carl!

Fr. Carl is being honored with the Service Award by Trinity High School at their annual Bal Dominique on Friday, November 10th! We are very excited to celebrate with Fr. Carl at this special event. If you'd like to attend, tickets are still available by clicking on the image below. We hope you can join us to congratulate Fr. Carl and thank him for all he does for so many!
Service Award

Rev. Carl Morello
Pastor of Ascension and St. Edmund Parish & St. Catherine-St. Lucy and St. Giles Parish

In addition to the many ways he has served the Trinity community through his sacred work and leads his neighborhood parishes, he has also been very involved recently in a new initiative "Housing Forward" providing warm and safe housing in Oak Park during the winter. 
Invest in Kids Update

Last week's press conference was well attended and we hope you saw the media coverage. More than 300+ people from around the state of Illinois and of every different type of religious background united in their support of the Invest in Kids Act and the kids and families that receive these scholarships. We still need everyone to contact their legislators either via phone or email. You can click on the link below to complete the form that goes directly to your legislator based on your address.
Advocacy training will be held at St. Catherine/St. Lucy tomorrow, September 25th at 6:00 pm in their Tutoring Center near the gym. Representatives from Empower Illinois will be there to help explain what we can do to help our legislators know that this program is vital and we need it to continue.
New Teacher Spotlight

Ms. Miranda Jackson, 2nd Grade
Associate Degree, Kishwaukee College, BA, English/Sociology, Northern Illinois University, Master of Science in Education, North Carolina A&T State University

Favorite Book/Movie: Book - Bible; Movie - Ten Commandments

Favorite Vacation Spot: Florida - Disney World

Fun Fact: I love Oberweis ice cream and I enjoy knitting

My name is Ms. Miranda Jackson and I teach 2nd Grade at St. Giles School. I have 20 years of experience teaching in Chicago Public Schools. I have taught 3rd - 7th Grade. Teaching is my profession and ministry. I have been an ordained minister for 20 years and I teach The Holy Bible at Progressive Life-Giving Word Cathedral in Hillside, Illinois.
Upcoming Events
Thursday-Friday, September 28-29
Lion's Leap
Friday, September 29th
Kindergarten Great Grade Party
Saturday, September 30th
7th Grade Great Grade Party
Tuesday, October 3rd
Soccer, Pack the Park, Field Park
Thursday, October 5th
Catholic High School Night, McDonough Hall
Friday, October 6th
PTO Fun Lunch
1st Grade Great Grade Party
Hello Lion Families, 

The Cross Country and Soccer teams continue to impress in the early going!

The Cross Country team took part in their fourth meet of the season this past weekend! Congratulations to all the Lions who participated in the Round Barn Park Invitational in Manhattan! Nice job to all our runners who continue to improve their race times! Keep up the great work!

The Soccer teams have continued their roll through the first third of the season! Our student-athletes continue to exhibit great team work, communication, and good sportsmanship.   
Home games are played at Field and Taylor Parks - Come on out and support our Lions! 

Schedules and Calendar can be found on the Athletic website: TeamSideline 

Pack the Park is scheduled to take place on October 3, 2023, at Field Park. This is a fun event that features inter-squad soccer games (that count) between the 5th v 6th and 7th v 8th grades … Eighth grade student-athletes are also recognized at this event. More information to come!

The AAC is looking for volunteers to bring goodies for our student-athletes and to assist in providing our young Lions with a memorable experience!
Please consider signing up to contribute to this exciting event: Pack the Park Signup 

Girls Basketball Registration is NOW OPEN! Coaching opportunities are available - Please contact me if you are interested!
Stay tuned for Boys Basketball Registration, which begins on October 2nd!
 
Reminders:
  • We held our first AAC Meeting this past Tuesday night… Please consider becoming a member of the Athletic Advisory Committee (AAC). Contact Sean Clancy or Kristen Reale for more information. 
  • If you have not signed up to receive text alerts from the Athletic Program, please do so here: Notifications Sign-up
  • The St. Giles Athletic Program always welcomes your feedback! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me!
** ALL student-athletes require a sports physical in order to participate in athletics this year - Please submit completed physicals to: medicalrecords@stgilesschool.org

STUDENTS WHO DO NOT HAVE A PHYSICAL ON FILE MAY NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE OR GAMES … ENFORCEMENT HAS BEGUN. Thank You for Your understanding in helping us be Compliant with the IHSA Mandate!
More information about Physicals can be found on the Athletic website: TeamSideline

Thank you and Go Lions! 
Sean Clancy

The Week Ahead in Athletics

Soccer 
Monday 09/25 4:00 pm Taylor Park Giles 7 v Ascension 7
Tuesday 09/26 4:00 pm Field Park Giles 5 v DP JV 
Tuesday 09/26 4:00 pm Taylor Park Giles 6 v Leonards JV
Wednesday 09/27 4:00 pm Taylor Park Giles 7 v Vincents VAR
Thursday 09/28 4:30 pm Barrie Park Giles 6 @ Ascension 6
Thursday 09/28 5:30 pm Barrie Park Giles 8 v Leonards VAR
Friday 09/29 4:00 pm Field Park Giles 8 v Angelas VAR
Saturday 09/30 8:00 am Veterans Field FP Giles 7 v Ascension 8
Saturday 09/30 9:00 am Veterans Field FP Giles 6 @ Ascension 6
Saturday 09/30 4:00 pm Veterans Field FP Giles 5 v Lukes 6

Cross Country
The Cross Country Team will be at Lewis University in Romeoville this weekend - Saturday, September 30th - Championships. Go Lions! 
St. Giles School - High School News
Trinity High School News
 
Shadow Visits
Please have a look at the information below for a special athlete shadow day for 8th grade girls on Tuesday, September 26th.
Students can sign up at the link below.
TRINITY HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSES
Hello, Future! From the minute a student walks through the door at Trinity, she will be on a path to her future. She will plan, discover, collaborate, and develop confidence to become the best version of herself! Join us for Trinity's Open House ~ on Tuesday, October 3, and Sunday, October 15~ and see how, after four years, a student will confidently be able to say, Hello, Future!  
Fenwick High School - Logo
Fenwick High School News

Future Friar Shadow Days
Get the Fenwick Friar experience by signing up to be a Friar for a day. Future Friar Shadow Days are open to current 8th graders during Fall of 2023! Click on the image below for details and registration information.
St. Patrick High School News
Shadow Days are now available! Click on the graphic below to register for an upcoming shadow day and be sure to check out our Open House!

St. Pat's has an all-new Career and Technical Education department in which our young men can discover pathways for engineering, manufacturing, technology, trades, civil service, business development, arts and communication. This complements our college prep and advancement placement programs as well. We believe that every young man is a unique learner and we want to prepare them for whatever they feel is their next step post high school.
DePaul Prep High School News

DePaul Prep Open Houses
DePaul College Prep will host two open houses for prospective 6th-8th graders this upcoming fall on October 12 from 6-8 PM and November 5 from 12-2 PM. 

The form to Register for our open houses is open on our website. Link below!