School Skating and 8th Grade Parent Parties

Skating Party - Tonight, let’s come together to strengthen our bonds as a community. Bring your skates, scooters, and helmets and come out to the FSA's Annual Back to School Skating Party. The celebration is held in the parking lot beginning at 5:30pm. Food, snacks, and treats will be available for purchase. Learn more.

Parent Party - 8th grade parents and guardians are invited to join together for a Parent Party at Michelle Brett's house tonight at 7:30pm. We wish you all a wonderful evening as you kick off this momentous year for the Class of 2027. View the invite.

Smart Families

Smart Families is a new initiative at St. Barnabas School that aims to help families engage with technology in a healthy, intentional way. Smart Families is not judgemental; it is informative. It’s about educating, empowering, and finding the right balance with technology for our children and households.

Throughout the year, we will host teacher training events, a keynote speaker and info sessions for parents, developmentally appropriate student presentations, and a February event for families. Learn about Smart Families and save the date for the upcoming in-person and online sessions > Smart Families.

We highly encourage at least one parent in every family to make time to attend the initial parent info session. To best suit your schedule, we are holding two events: an evening or morning session.

• Wednesday, September 16 at 6:30pm in the Main Hall
• Thursday, September 17 at 10am in the Church Hall (immediately following our weekly School Mass)

Fall Fest - September 26

Saturday, September 26 is a day to celebrate all things St. Barnabas and the incredible community we are. Be sure to make space on your calendar to join us.

• Mums Sale - Saturday morning, 9am - 12pm: Fill your front porch, or make someone's day and gift them a beautiful fall mum from the FSA's annual flower sale. Pick up your pre-ordered mums on the convent grounds. $12 for large 9” pots. Order today.
• Parish Mass - Saturday, 4pm - 5pm: Please join us for the 4pm Parish Mass. We will be honoring our student-athletes, and all fall sports athletes are encouraged to wear their team jersey. We will also be blessed with the beautiful voices of our Children's and Adult Choirs. It's one of the best Masses of the year, and we hope to see you all there.
• Fall Fest - Saturday evening, 5pm - 10pm: After Mass, head over to the parking lot and school grounds for an all-ages celebration - drinks, food, and games. View the invite.
• Big Bucks Raffle - Saturday evening, around 7:30pm: The Grand Prize drawing takes place during Fall Fest. Who will have the winning ticket? $10,000, $20,000, or $50,000 could be yours. Purchase another chance!

Savvas/HMH Testing

Next week is our final round of beginning-of-the-year testing. Students will take the ELA test on Tuesday and math on Wednesday. These tests are one component of determining students’ placement in Math and ELA. Thank you to our students for their positivity over these past few weeks of testing, and to parents and teachers for supporting the students.

New Online Gallery

We’re excited to share the new format for our online photo gallery. To make things a little easier for families, we no longer require a password. All images are available for free download, with an option to purchase prints if you choose. We will continue adding to the gallery throughout the year with photos from special school events and masses. You’ll find the gallery link in the Calendar & News section of our website and in Quick Links at the bottom of the newsletter. If you’re on social media, follow us for additional photos. View the Photo Gallery.

After School Activities

Next week, after-school sessions begin for Parish Children’s Choir, Irish Dance, and Run Like a Cheetah. Scheduling and registration details can be found on our site > Student Activities

Parish Choir (Mondays) - is a meaningful way for students to engage in their faith and one of the highlights of Christmas Eve Mass. All students in grades 3-8 are encouraged to consider this student ministry opportunity.

Irish Dance (Mondays) - a non-competitive form of Irish Dance, meets weekly after school to learn the basic steps of Irish Dance, open to all students in grades K-8.

Run Like a Cheetah (Mondays or Tuesdays) - Engaging and energetic, Run Like a Cheetah aims to build confidence, coordination, and a love of running from a young age; open to all students in grades K-4.

We are finalizing details for After School Enrichment (ASE) classes led by some of our teachers. We plan to share registration details next week and begin classes the week of September 28. Stay tuned!

Student Band

Student Band lessons begin next Monday, September 21. Led by Director Mr. William Gula, all students in grades 4 - 8 are welcome to join. Student Band meets weekly during the school day to develop skills on the flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and snare drum. Interested students should return the contract and payment to the school. View the Student Band details.

Room Parents

Thank you to the many parents who offered to serve as room parents. We hope to assign and announce roles within the next two weeks. We are still looking for a few more volunteers for 3rd-8th grade homerooms. Please consider signing up!

Diverse Learners Night

Parents and guardians of 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students with Student Support Plans/IEPs are invited to attend a Catholic High School Info Session on Wednesday, September 23, 7pm at Church Hall. Representatives from nine area Catholic high schools will share information about learning support services at their schools. Learn more.

This is a community-wide event. Families from all area grammar schools are encouraged to join us - please help spread the word to your friends at other area schools.

Service Day Donations

We are seeking donations for some of the organizations we will support on Service Day. A collection table is available in the school's Main Hall and the Preschool Building. Kindly contribute by Tuesday, September 29. Learn more

• Care of Animals - Dog treats, dry dog food, leashes, and no-pull dog harnesses. Or check out the Amazon Wish List for The Blue Island Stray Dog Shelter. Note: If ordering from the Amazon wish list, please ship items to your house and bring them to school. 
• Books - New or gently used childrens books.
• Used Crayons - Bring in your broken, used, well-loved crayons to be repurposed into like-new crayons.
• Shoes - New or gently used shoes in men’s, women’s, and children’s sizes. To help us stay organized, please zip-tie or bag pairs of shoes together.
• Financial Contributions - Make an online donation if you wish to further support the missions of the organizations we serve.

Men's Club

Good Times. Good Friends. Good Cause. 
The St. Barnabas Men’s Club is an opportunity for men of the school and parish to come together, support our community, and help raise funds for the Kevin G. Barron Continuing Catholic Education Scholarship, teacher bonuses, and school events. Meetings and social events take place throughout the year, and all are encouraged to join. Complete the Interest Form to join the mailing list.

The first meeting is next week, Thursday, September 17 at 6pm in the backyard of the Rectory!

Family School Association (FSA)

All parents are invited to get involved with the FSA. The FSA is an engaging, inviting way to get to know other parents in the school community and is an invaluable part of our school's fabric. They plan many of the fun events we enjoy throughout the year - Skating Parties, Fun Food, Spirit Day, Mother-Son and Father-Daughter events, Scholastic Book Fair, and more. Your volunteer time commitment can be large or small. Complete the Interest Form to join the mailing list.

We invite you all to attend the first meeting on Wednesday, September 23 at 7pm in the Outdoor Classroom!

Join the Equity & Inclusion Committee

The School Advisory Board invites all interested parents, guardians, and faculty members to join the Equity and Inclusion Committee. Our goal is to foster a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment for every member of our school community. If you are interested in joining or learning more, please reach out to Jana Elion at janaelion14@gmail.com.

Saints Among Us - Thank you to the parish for organizing a beautiful experience - presenting the relics of three saints last week. We also thank our students for their reverence and curiosity, and the parents who joined us for the student prayer service or the evening parish reflection.

Brother Joe - Thank you to Bro Joe for making the time to visit and bless all of our classrooms, hands, and hearts this past week.

Matt Lunkes - Thank you to St. Barnabas parent and veteran, Matt Lunkes, for taking the time to visit the school and teach our Student Council about the history of our American Flag and how to properly care for it

Picture Day - Thank you to all the parents who helped their children get out the door with a smile on their faces this morning. We know getting dressed for Picture Day can sometimes make for a hectic morning. We appreciate you.