"Before a child talks, they sing. Before they write, they draw. As soon as they stand, they dance. Art is fundamental to human expression" – Phylicia Rashad

We are constantly amazed by the talent of our students, teachers, parents, and our community. We are incredibly proud of all the hard work our students have showcased these past two weeks during the end-of-the-year assessments, and we are looking forward to celebrating the learning and growth of all of our students. Our 7th and 8th-grade students had the opportunity to visit our state capital of Springfield for historical field trips this week and last. It was an incredible experience for our Buckeyes! This coming weekend is our Unique and United Art Fair showcasing the extraordinary creativity of our students. We hope you can join us for some fun on Saturday and Sunday to celebrate our amazing artists at our Art Fair. All students and families are welcome to receive a special artist's blessing at 10am Mass on Sunday. We hope our 8th-grade students enjoy a fun and safe evening at their dinner dance on Saturday. With each celebration, we hope you take time to create memories with one another and soak in the final days together before graduation.

Have a wonderful weekend, Buckeyes!  ~ Mr. Stack and Ms. Sadowski.

ART FAIR

The Art Fair is this weekend! Thank you to our art teacher, Mrs. Bachler, and the team of volunteers who have coordinated this incredible showcase of student art. Come celebrate with the community as you peruse each student's extraordinary display of art, and enjoy face painting, concessions, and a raffle opportunity! At the Saturday event, Culture Club will host a craft fair. Raffle, concessions, and craft fair are cash only.  

Make sure to join us at 10am Sunday Mass as we give a special blessing to all students-artists.  

BAPA HOME TOUR

We are honored to be the starting point of this year’s BAPA Home Tour this Sunday, May 21. This year’s tour highlights neighborhood homes that have maintained historic details while making updates for today’s lifestyle. With appreciation for the recent expansion to our school building, BAPA invited St. Barnabas School to be the ticket pick-up and starting destination for tour guests. We know many of you will be visiting the Art Fair at a similar timeframe. We believe this is a great opportunity to showcase what a vibrant and active school we are, so should you see Home Tour guests on campus, please greet them with a friendly smile!

The Home Tour takes place throughout the Beverly neighborhood from 12pm - 5pm; purchase your tickets for the tour HERE.  

OPEN FORUM

The School Advisory Board holds two Open Forum sessions at regularly scheduled board meetings each school year. The second Open Forum for the 2022-23 school year will take place on Monday, May 22, 2023, at 7 pm in the Church Hall. The Open Forum represents an opportunity to share ideas and thoughts with the Board and the School Administration. The deadline to submit a request to address the board has passed, but all are welcome to attend. Questions regarding the School Board may be sent to schoolboard@stbarnabasparish.org.

UPCOMING ELECTIONS

Elections for next year’s Student Council are at the end of May. Candidate permission slips for interested 5th, 6th, and 7th-grade students were due to Mrs. McGowan or Ms. O’Neill earlier this week. Additional important dates to note: 

• Monday, May 22 - Campaigning officially begins, be sure to follow all campaign guidelines.
• Friday, May 26 - Printed speech due to Mrs. McGowan & Ms. O’Neill
• Wednesday, May 31 - Speeches and Election

TALENT SHOW

Student Council will host the annual Talent Show on Thursday, May 25th. All students in grades K-8 are invited to participate in a solo or group act. Interested participants should submit this FORM by today, Friday, May 19th. All talent show participants must attend a mandatory rehearsal and run-through on Tuesday, May 23rd from 3-4 pm. View FLYER for more details.

STEM FAIR

Thank you to the Junior High students who participated in our STEM Fair earlier this month. It was an honor to see their hard work and insights on display. We also thank Jim Pfeiffer and Mrs. Nola O’Keefe for their dedication to bringing the fair to St. Barnabas as well as John Loehr, Matt Ryan, Jose Quiroz, Greg Liss, Bill Peterson, Pat Crowley, Ed Curley, Vinny Thiagarajan, Eamon Reilly, Mike Groth, Joe Stoiber, Tom Condon, Brian Pearson, Jim Jennings, Joe Herber, Brian Murrihy, Jill Deenihan, and last but not least, generous sponsorship from the Men’s Club.

RIDGE RUN

Register HERE with the St. Barnabas team for a $5 discount if you plan to run the BAPA Ridge Run this year! Use code: team2023, team captain: Ms. Grace Sadowski when registering. We are not hosting a formal group training this year, but feel free to connect with your running buddies and plan a few training days together.

END-OF-YEAR DATES

Calendar dates for the final week of the school year are outlined below. Also important to note: Monday, May 29 is no school for the Memorial Day Holiday and Wednesday, May 31, is a 1:30 dismissal day.

TUITION COMMITMENT

On Wednesday, an email outlining the tuition rates for the next school was sent to all families. The email also included the required tuition commitment form for all families. To avoid a late penalty fee, please read, sign, and submit your tuition commitment no later than next Tuesday, May 30.

• Tuition Commitment for active parishioners can be found HERE.  
• Tuition Commitment for non-parishioners may be found HERE. 

SPORTS REGISTRATION

Registration is now open for Fall 2023 sports; make sure to get your registration in asap so coordinators may formalize teams for the start of next school year! Register today on REGISTRATION BUZZ.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

• Coordinator: George Carson - georgecarson7788@outlook.com
• Rising Grades 6th - 8th: Tryouts for Girls’ Basketball were last week. Registration is required by TODAY, May 19; late registration for basketball cannot be accommodated. After the registration process is complete and we have an accurate number of players per grade, athletes will be sorted into A and B teams. Players can expect to hear about team placement next week.
• Rising Grades 3-5th: Registration is also open for the younger students, however, tryouts were not required in these grades.

FOOTBALL

• Coordinator: Brian Murrihy - stbfootball@gmail.com
• Open to rising 4th - 8th grade students

CHEER

• Coordinators: Lucy Hubbird, Tara Miles, and Katrina Murrihy -stbarnabas.buckeyecheer@gmail.com
• Open to rising 4 - 8

SOCCER

• Coordinator: Kevin O’Kelley - saintbarnabassoccer@gmail.com
• Saturday Soccer League open to rising PK - 4
• League Soccer open to rising 1- 8

SPORTS PHYSICALS FOR ALL

Per guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Elementary School Association, ALL St. Barnabas students must have an annual sports physical on file next school year.  Sports physicals may be completed by your child’s pediatrician or at any clinic such as CVS, Walgreens, or St. Xavier Health Clinic.  Sports physicals are due at Information Sunday, August 20, 2023.  Students will not be permitted to participate in practice or games next year without a physical on file. Download the Sports Physical form HERE.  

MEDICAL FORMS FOR NEXT YEAR

In addition to sports physicals for all, annual medical forms are due for some grades.  Students with an allergy action plan or who require medication must complete authorization forms annually. Medical forms and authorization forms are due at Information Sunday, August 20, 2023.  Forms may be accessed HERE.

• Preschool - Medical Form
• Kindergarten - Medical Form, Dental Form, Vision Form, 
• 2nd Grade - Dental Form
• 6th Grade - Medical Form, Dental Form

PRESCHOOL NEWS 

We are opening a half-day afternoon option for preschool students. Help us spread the word! In addition to our traditional full-day and half-day morning options, we are thrilled to offer an additional schedule choice for our young Buckeyes. We encourage you to share this news with your friends and neighbors.

We are also hosting a Preschool Shadow Day for incoming students and prospective families on Wednesday, May 31; VIEW the invite here and please share it with your friends and neighbors.

KEY DATES FOR NEXT YEAR

We look forward to next school year with great excitement and are sharing some key dates, including the first and last day of school and holiday vacations. At Information Sunday on August 20, 2023, we will release the complete calendar of the year, including early dismissals and professional development days.

Thank you to Katie Rao and the FSA for coordinating a fun evening for the Mother-Son White Sox baseball game. Your commitment to celebrating and connecting the St. Barnabas community is greatly appreciated.

Thank you to the 7th-grade parents that were so generous with their time and chaperoned the 7th-grade trip to Springfield on Tuesday. It was a day filled with educational highlights, fun, and bonding.  

We also extend a huge thank you to all the 8th-grade parents who continue to plan and prepare for the upcoming 8th-grade events. Thank you to Bernadette Barsch for planning the recent Springfield trip and to Joe and Kathleen Herber for coordinating last week's Arts & Athletics banquet!