Family Authorization - Due Tuesday!

Prior to the first day of school, all families are required to acknowledge the terms outlined in the Family Authorization. Thank you to the many families that have already submitted! Your authorization is due no later than Tuesday, August 19, 2025.

The Family Authorization is an agreement between the school and all parents/guardians and students and authorizes your acknowledgment of Parent-Student Handbook along with many other essential school policies. One authorization form is required per family. 

Please be aware that any student without an authorization form will not be given access to an iPad for classroom curriculum (both Jr. High iPads and school-owned iPads for PK - 5), nor will they be able to complete the required concussion screening (grades 3- 8). We appreciate your prompt attention.

Info Sunday is here!

Information Sunday is this weekend! Let us join together in prayer at the 10am mass before the school event begins at 11:30am.

Info Sunday is a busy day, and we appreciate each and every one of you for all you do to help your children with the start of the school year. Everything you need to know about the day is linked here. Please take some time to review the Info Sunday page so you are all set for Sunday. Go Buckeyes!!

Schedule & Details to Start the Year

The first week's logistics are linked here. You'll find school day schedules, as well as details about arrival and dismissal, lunches, uniforms, and Extended Day.

The school parking lot is closed on the first day of school to allow for our school-wide gathering. Walking is strongly encouraged! If you must drive, please utilize the west side of Longwood Drive or the surrounding streets. Please DO NOT park on the school side of Longwood Drive.

Members of the Chicago Police Department will be joining us on the first day as they honor our Gold Star Families. Please join us in prayer for these beloved families and for the safety of all first responders.

FSA - Looking for New Members!

The Family School Association (FSA) is a volunteer parent/guardian organization similar to a traditional PTA. This organization is an invaluable part of our school's fabric. They provide fun events for students and parents and help to coordinate volunteers and fundraising efforts that support the school. Kathleen Hogan has served enthusiastically on the FSA for numerous years and has been so generous with her time, ideas, and energy. We thank her giving to our community. Kathleen's term as FSA President has ended, and with no additional volunteers for the FSA Executive Board roles (president, vice president, secretary, treasurer), we are looking to rebuild the FSA. The school will be helping to reconstruct and recruit the FSA into this new phase. We would love to hear from you!  Have you served on the FSA before and are interested in continuing? Are you new to the school and want to learn more? Have you been at the school for a few years and want to become part of this meaningful group? Please take a few moments to complete the FSA interest form.   

Spirit Wear

In the coming weeks, we will be launching a new online St. Barnabas Spirit Wear Shop. We have much pride in our Buckeye school spirit, and we look forward to unveiling the new shop. We thank parent volunteer Meg Kreiter for the boundless enthusiasm, good spirit, and humor that she brought to our school as she helped build spirit wear sales.

We are excited to introduce a new initiative at St. Barnabas that will benefit our entire school community. As we transition to this new school-managed online shop, we will not have a cash-and-carry Spirit Wear table at this year’s Information Sunday as we have in the past. When the new online store launches in September, families can place online orders that will be distributed to student classrooms (or shipped to home). We plan to carry a collection of pieces for the whole family (and that can be worn by students on Spirit Wear Fridays). We will also offer occasional pop-up shops to support student activities and athletics. Stay tuned for more to come!

Service Day

Service to others is fundamental to our mission at St. Barnabas and is central to our Root Belief: We are the hands of Christ. To support our mission, on Friday, October 3, we will host our annual Service Day! This is a remarkable and inspiring day, with over 600 students, staff, and parent volunteers joining together to help others. Service Day is a required attendance day for all our students. Parents and guardians, if you have time to join us for this day, please do! 

Please take a few minutes to learn more about Service Day and the organizations we will serve. Each of the 15 organizations we will serve this year has been carefully selected to have a positive and engaging impact on both our students and the organizations.

Crossing Guard Update

As you know, two of our crossing guard posts have been eliminated by CPS. This includes both stop sign crossings on Longwood Drive in front of the school - 101st Pl, near the Church entry, and 101st St. hill at the north end of the building.

The elimination of these positions was made abruptly by CPS without engaging school administrators or families. Alderman Matt O'Shea has tried to advocate on behalf of the numerous Catholic schools that have been impacted by these budget cuts. Unfortunately, the City of Chicago and CPS have not reinstated the positions. Concerned parents and guardians are encouraged to email Mayor Brandon Johnson at mayor@cityofchicago.org and Dr. Macquline King, CPS Interim Superintendent, at CEO-King@cps.edu.

As we start the year, we ask for parents' support and understanding as we navigate this transition:

1. All parents are asked to discuss pedestrian safety with their children, including safe ways to cross the street. Please don't allow young children to cross streets on their own. Development is different for each child, but most children under age 10 are not ready to cross streets without an adult.
2. Our current plan is to have staff members assist with student crossing, but logistically and schedule-wise, this is a challenge for the school.
3. If any parent has availability to assist with morning and/or afternoon crossings, please complete this quick interest form.

Soccer Registration Still Open!

There is still time to register for Fall Soccer (Football, Cheer, and Girls Basketball are no longer accepting registrations).

Registration for League Soccer (Grades 1 - 8), will close on Monday, August 18. Registration for Saturday Morning "Coffee League" Soccer (Preschool - Kindergarten) will remain open until September 1. Learn more about St. Barnabas soccer and register here!

Fall Sports

Our fall sports season is about to begin! Thank you to our Athletic Board and the Girls Basketball Coordinator, Mike Berry, Cheer Coordinators Anne Lunkes & Tara Miles, and Football Coordinator Brian Murrihy for your efforts in preparing for the season. Next week we will begin to share the games schedule so you can come and cheer on our Buckeyes!

We hope you can join us at the following activities as we come together to meet and connect with school families.

Wedding Bells Tomorrow! - Saturday, August 16, 2pm at the Church: Preschool teacher Ms. Burklow is soon to become Mrs. Pinkston! Ms. Burklow's wedding will be held in St. Barnabas Church on Saturday, and she extends a heartfelt invitation to her current and former students to attend her 2pm wedding mass.

New Parent Night - Monday, August 18, 6pm in Main Hall: Families new to school (adults only) are invited to learn about life at St. Barnabas. You'll hear from our school leadership and some of our auxiliary group members. Then mix and mingle with other new parents. Multiple parents per household are welcome (and encouraged) to attend, but as this is a parent-only event, and we know finding babysitters can be tricky, only one adult is required to attend.

Welcome Coffee - Wednesday, August 20, 8:15am Rectory Porch & Yard: The rectory staff at the parish invites all parents, guardians, and younger siblings to a Welcome Coffee on the first day of school. This is a lovely opportunity to connect with fellow parents and meet the parish team. Preschool parents, be sure to stop by after your orientation wraps at 9am!

8th Grade Parent Night - Thursday, August 28, 6pm in Outdoor Classroom: 8th grade parents, it's here! Time to roll out an extraordinary year for the Class of 2026. Come and learn about the calendar outline for the year, student expectations, and how you can help out.

Back to School Night - Thursday, September 4, 7pm in the Church: Parent/Guardian evening. Begin in the Church and hear the vision and goals for the year from school leadership, then transition to your child's classroom to learn more about class expectations, PowerSchool vs. Google Classroom, and get a taste of the academic year ahead. The evening concludes with a parent gathering in the gym and the Early Bird Drawing of the Big Bucks Raffle!

Back to School Skating Party - Friday, September 5, 5:30pm in the Parking Lot: The annual Back to School Skating party is set for Sept. 5! Students (with parent chaperones) are invited to enjoy an evening of roller skates, roller blades, and kick scooters. For the safety of all, traditional bikes, electric bikes, electric scooters, and hoverboards are not permitted on the parking lot grounds during the event.