Thank you!

It’s great to be back, and the energy in our hallways, classrooms, and school grounds brings us immense joy! Thank you for choosing Catholic education and thank you for choosing St. Barnabas. Thank you to our students for showing up with positivity and enthusiasm. Thank you to the parents, guardians, and caregivers for helping with all the back-to-school details, settling first-day jitters, and loving your children. Thank you to our teachers, administrative team, facilities team, and parish staff for their tireless efforts supporting Catholic education and our students. St. Barnabas - We are the hands of Christ.

Intro to School News

Welcome to the first school newsletter of the year. School News is our weekly email newsletter, sent every Friday morning to all parents/guardians and staff. It keeps you in the loop on all things St. Barnabas and is often the first line of communication for many school events and activities. For reference, you can find past issues on our website in the Calendar & News section > Weekly Newsletter.

On some devices, your browser will condense a lengthy issue, and mid-issue you may see a prompt: "... view entire message". Please be sure to click the prompt to view the full email.

Regular Schedule Begins Monday

On Monday, we will begin our regular schedule. The doors open each day at 7:45am, and the tardy bell rings at 7:55am. Full-day preschool students are dismissed at 2:50pm (10:50am for half-day). Kindergarten - Grade 8 students are dismissed by homeroom in a staggered exit from 2:55pm - 3pm. Occasional 11:50am and 1:30pm early dismissals are noted on the calendar. Any student still on campus at 3:05pm (2:55pm for Preschool), without parental or caregiver observation, will be sent to After Care.  

Buckeye Shop Closes Sunday Night

The Fall Spirit Wear Buckeye Shop will close on Sunday night! Flannels, sweatshirts, tote bag, hat, and tshirts - there is a range of styles that capture our Buckeye spirit. Students may wear St. Barnabas spirit wear tops paired with uniform bottoms every Friday. Tops should display St. Barnabas School, Parish, team/activity, or charity events coordinated by St. Barnabas. Hoodie sweatshirts are allowed on Spirit Wear Fridays. Order today!


Note on the Buckeye Shop - If you missed out on placing a uniform sweatshirt order in August, we plan to sell the grey crewnecks and quarter zips for same-day purchase in our Main Office in the coming weeks. Parents will be welcome to stop by during school hours to purchase a uniform-approved sweatshirt. Purchase details coming soon! The gym uniform: shorts, tshirts, and sweatpants will continue to be available for purchase year-round at Schools Are Us. 

Service Day 2026

Our annual, school-wide Service Day is Friday, October 2. On this day, over 600 students, staff, and parent volunteers will gather to help others. This remarkable, inspiring experience is the perfect way to live out our Root Belief: We are the hands of Christ. 

Registration - Next week, on Tuesday, August 25, all parents/guardians will receive an email with a link to register their child(ren) for Service Day. Service Day is a required day for all full-time students, and a $15 per student fee is added to your tuition statement.

Preschool - Grade 3 will stay on campus and participate in the same service opportunities as the rest of their grade. Half-day and 4-day preschool students who are not typically at school on Friday afternoons are encouraged, but not required, to join us!

Grades 4 - 8 will select a service project from a list of off-campus opportunities. We encourage you to spend time this weekend talking with your child about the different organizations and decide together which organizations they hope to serve. Each site has limited spots available, and registration is first come/first served. If your child’s first choice is full, please select another option. Due to bus/site capacity, we cannot add more registrants to a site that has reached capacity. 

Chaperones - Each year we are fortunate to have over 100 parents join us as chaperones. If your schedule allows, please consider registering to take part!  

Return Greens Sheet

Your Information Sunday Family Packet included a green sheet with Student Data. Forms were due today; if you forgot, please send them to school on Monday with your student. Please carefully check the form for accuracy before signing and returning it to school. For questions, please contact Mrs. Sue Connolly at sconnolly@stbarnabasparish.org.

First Day Pictures

We would love you to share your First Day of School pictures with us. Please upload any pictures to this Google Drive or email images to Ms. Amelia McCabe at amccabe@stbarnabasparish.org. We also encourage you to share with the Beverly Review at general@beverlyreview.net for their Back-to-School issue.

Extended Day Registration

Before and After Care begins on Monday, and enrollment is accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the year; all students using this service MUST be pre-registered before they first attend. View the details.

After School Enrichment

In September, we will launch registration for our After School Enrichment classes. In the meantime, we wanted to share links and sign up for a few additional student activities:

• Parish Children’s Choir (Grades 3 - 8) - Mondays at 3pm
• School Mass Choir (Grades 5 - 8) - Tuesdays at 7:40am
• Irish Dance (Grades K - 8) - Mondays at 3pm
• Run Like a Cheetah (Grades K - 4) - Mondays or Tuesdays at 3pm
• Scouts - Cub Pack 3607 (Grades K - 5) and Scout Troop 607 (ages 11- 17)

Mass Moved to Thursday

This year, our weekly school masses will be held on Thursday mornings. All are welcome to join us at 8:45am in the Church. The first mass of the year is next week, Thursday, August 27.

Smart Families

As we begin the school year, we are proud to partner with Smart Families to build healthier, more intentional relationships with technology. Through education, practical resources, and community support, Smart Families helps students, parents, teachers, and school leaders understand how digital products like smartphones and social media can influence attention, behavior, and well-being — and what we can do about it. 


We encourage you to watch this brief video overview that outlines Smart Families.  

We will share more information about Smart Families in the coming weeks and invite you to save the date for a few upcoming sessions:

• Wednesday, September 2 at 9am or 7pm. Online sessions for parents who are interested in learning more and serving as a Lead Family within our school community. RSVP here.
• Wednesday, September 16 at 6:30pm or Thursday, September 17 at 10am. In-person session at St. Barnabas for all parents/guardians to learn about the Smart Families Program.

Jr. High Cell Phone Policy

This year, all 6th, 7th-, and 8th-grade students with a phone must store their device in a secure cabinet in their homeroom each day when they arrive at school. We will return phones to all students at the end of the school day. If your child will not be traveling to school with a cell phone, please email their homeroom teacher to let them know they will not bring a phone to campus.

Changes to Lunch Schedule

We have adjusted our lunch schedule for Kindergarten - Grade 8. Grade 1 and 2 students will no longer have a daily snack because they now eat during the first lunch period.

Optional hot lunch service through Country House begins on Tuesday, September 1. The order window, through Meal Manage, will open next week, but you're welcome to preview the September menu and details here > Hot Lunch Meal Mange


We invite parents to volunteer during the lunch periods. View the lunch times and volunteer overview > Lunch and Recess Schedule.

Join the FSA

The FSA is a volunteer parent/guardian organization similar to a traditional PTA and is a wonderful way to connect with the school and parent community. The organization coordinates many fun events throughout the school year, including: Back to School and Presidents’ Day Skating Parties, Fun Food, Spirit Day, Mother-Son and Father-Daughter events, Scholastic Book Fair, and more! We need many hands to make the events run smoothly. We invite you to complete the interest form (new and returning volunteers) and attend the first meeting on Wednesday, September 23 at 7pm in the Innovation Center.

Men's Club

All men of the school and parish are invited to be part of the St. Barnabas Men's Club. The first meeting of the school year is Thursday, September 17 at 6:30pm behind the Convent. Food will be provided, and expect some surprise special guest(s) as we look to plan for the school year! Bring a friend - all are welcome. Please reach out to Pat Wirtz - pwirtz@alumni.nd.edu with questions.

Volunteer & Virtus

A reminder to get started on your annual Virtus volunteer requirements. All volunteers, both long-time and new, must complete Virtus every year. Learn more.

Chicago Snowballs - Thursday, August 27, 6pm at Ozinga Field
Chicago's newest sports team, inspired by the Savannah Bananas, is the Snowballs. All are invited to bring the family out for St. Barnabas Night. Students can walk onto the field and meet the players. View promo code and purchase link. 

Back to School Night - Thursday, September 3, 6:45pm at Church and School
Hear from school leadership and teachers about plans, protocols, and goals for the year ahead, and then enjoy a parent social in the Gym and a Big Bucks Early Bird Drawing. This a parent/guardian event only. We ask all households to send at least one parent.

The Saints Among Us - Friday, September 4, at the Church

We are honored to welcome the relics of three saints to St. Barnabas Church. A relic of Saint Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, along with relics of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi, will be presented at the Church as part of a relic tour throughout the Chicago area. Archbishop Emeritus Domenico Sorrentino from Assisi and Sr. Alessandra, Chancellor of Assisi, will accompany the relics.

Our students will gather in the Church at 1:45pm to learn about the relics and share in a prayer service and veneration; parents are welcome to join. Throughout the afternoon and evening, the relics will remain on display in the Church for anyone who wishes to pray and reflect. 

Class Picture Day (Grades PK - 7) - Friday, September 11, school day event 
VanGogh School Photographers will be on-site during the school day to photograph PK - Grade 7 students. Students should wear dressy attire (collared shirt, sweater, simple dress, etc). Learn more.

Skating Party - Friday, September 11, 5:30pm at School Parking 
All families are invited to attend the FSA's annual Back to School Skating Party! Learn more.

Fall Fest - Saturday, September 26, 4pm at Church and Parking Lot
Join us for this all-ages event! We will gather at 4pm in the church to celebrate Mass as a parish community. After Mass, proceed to the parking lot for an all-ages celebration. Learn more.


Big Bucks Raffle Drawing - Saturday, September 26, evening event in the Parking Lot

The winning tickets will be awarded at Fall Fest! Your chance to win $10,000, $20,000, or the $50,000 Grand Prize! Learn more.