Big Bucks, Last Chance to Purchase

Thank you to our school community for the incredible support, and to the many families who have purchased additional tickets or helped sell them! We have around 200 tickets left to sell to reach our goal of 2,000 tickets sold and awarding the $50,000 Grand Prize. Please help us reach our goal by sharing the online purchase link with friends and family, or consider purchasing an additional ticket (or two) for yourself. Tickets purchased online will automatically be entered into the drawing. Online ticket sales will close at 12pm Saturday (or whenever tickets are sold out). Purchase here.

Fall Fest, Saturday

Our annual Fall Fest is tomorrow! Please join us for the 4pm mass, followed by an all-ages celebration in the lot. Petting zoo and games for the kids, camaraderie for all! The Big Bucks Raffle drawing will take place at around 7pm. Don't miss this fantastic community event! Walking is encouraged as parking is limited. 

Children of all ages must be accompanied by an adult chaperone. Children on school and parish grounds without proper supervision may be asked to leave.

Mums Pick-Up, Saturday

Reminder to pick up your pre-ordered mums on Saturday between 9am - 12pm on the Convent Lawn. There will also be a limited number of $13 potted mums available for same day cash pick-up. Learn more.

Service Day, Next Friday!

Next Friday, October 3, is Service Day. On this day, 650 students, chaperones, and staff will gather to live out our Root Belief - We are the hands of Christ. Our Preschool - Grade 3 students will complete their service projects at school, and Grades 4 - 8 will travel off campus to 11 different service sites in the Chicago area. Please review all the details outlined below:

Arrival and Dismissal - all students should arrive at the regular 7:45am morning bell. We will dismiss at 1:30pm (1:20 PK); After Care is available. 

Bagged Lunched for All - There is no hot lunch service. All students should bring a disposable lunch (and water). Preschool - Grade 1 should bring their usual daily snack. 

Dress Code - All students should wear school spirit wear or gym uniforms. Closed-toe shoes are required for all. NO Crocs or sandals! Many of our Grade 4 - 8 students will be spending time outdoors, please dress accordingly. Greater Chicago Food Depository volunteers must wear pants; students in shorts will not be permitted to travel to this service site.

Chaperones - Thank you to the nearly 100 parents who volunteered to help on Service Day! All chaperones should check in at the Church vestibule at 8am. Upon check-in, you will be directed to your group seating area. We invite you to wear school spirit wear, and you’re welcome to bring a bagged lunch to eat with the students. Each service project will wrap up at a slightly different time throughout the day (the majority will finish between 11:30am - 12pm); please review your estimated work times here > Service Day Chaperone Roster. 

Afternoon Reflection - At 12:15pm, students and staff in grades Kindergarten - Grade 8 will gather in the Church for a Service Day Reflection. We will share student experiences, pictures, and reflect on the momentous day. All parents are invited to join us in the Church at 12:15pm. After the reflection, students will proceed back to the school building and dismiss with their homerooms at 1:30pm (1:20pm for PK).

Support - we are seeking donations of children's books, used crayons, shoes, and dog care items. If you can help out, please bring items to school by this Wednesday.

Homecoming, Next Week

Dress Down & Pep Rally this Monday - All students are invited to show their school spirit and dress down this Monday, September 30. Spirit wear, school colors, gym uniforms, team jerseys, and cheer uniforms are all welcome. Non-uniform bottoms are permitted. We will celebrate our fall sport student-athletes with a pep rally at 1:45pm. Like most school-day assemblies, this is a student event, but we invite 8th-grade parents to attend the rally. 

Football Games on Saturday, October 4 - The BC Knights take on St. Gabe’s at Beverly Park. The 4th-grade game kicks off at 12pm, JV at 1:30pm, and Varsity at 3pm. 

Bitty Buckeyes

Enrollment for the Fall Session of Bitty Buckeyes (children ages 18 months - 3 years) is now open! We are pleased to welcome our new Bitty Buckeyes co-teachers: parishioner and alumni-parent, Mrs. Mary Lausch, and former St. Barnabas 1st and 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Kristin Haberkorn. Mary and Kristin both bring a wealth of experience, kindness, and enthusiasm, and we look forward to them engaging our youngest Buckeyes. The 7-week Fall Session begins on Tuesday, October 7, at 8:45am. Help spread the word to your friends and neighbors new to our community. Additional winter and spring session dates will be announced later this fall. Learn more and register.

Winter Sports Tryouts

Registration for Boys Basketball (Grades 3 - 8) and Girls Volleyball (Grades 4 - 8) has now closed. If you have questions related to a sport, please contact the sports coordinators directly.

Athletes in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades are asked to try out for team placement:

BOYS BASKETBALL TRYOUTS

Coordinator: Craig McShane - stbarnabasbasketball@gmail.com

• GRADE 6: Friday, September 26 from 6pm - 7pm and Sunday, October 5 from 4:30pm - 5:30pm
• GRADE 7: Friday, September 26 from 7pm - 8pm and Sunday, October 5 from 5:30pm - 6:30pm
• GRADE 8: : Friday, September 26 from 8pm - 9pm and Sunday, October 5 from 6:30pm - 7:30pm

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TRYOUTS

Coordinator: Trish McGill - stbarnabasgirlsvball@gmail.com

• GRADE 6: Sunday, October 26 from 4:30pm - 6:00pm
• GRADE 7: Sunday, October 26 from 6:14pm - 7:45pm
• GRADE 8: Sunday, October 26 from 8:00pm - 9:30pm

Kids Heart Challenge

Students are invited to join the American Heart Association - Kids Heart Challenge "Jump Rope for Heart" on Friday, October 17. At this optional school-day fundraising event, students are invited to jump rope to learn how to keep their hearts, bodies, and brains healthy—while helping children with special hearts live longer, healthier lives. There is a minimum contribution of $25 per jumper; all interested students are required to pre-register. Learn more and register today!

Coming Soon

New Spirit Wear Store - We look forward to launching our new online spirit wear store in October. Details and fun apparel coming soon! 

Directory Spot -We publish an annual school directory in the Directory Spot app. The directory is meant to connect us as a community; only current parents/guardians and staff of St. Barnabas School are granted access to this password-protected directory. Directory log-in credentials for the 2025-2026 school year will be released in early October.

Upcoming Safety Drill

On Thursday, October 2, we will hold an Intruder Lockdown Drill for the entire school. We understand that thoughts and discussions of school shootings and emergencies may cause stress and fear. The school lockdown drill (required by the Illinois School Safety Drill Act) helps prepare the people in the building for a potential emergency. As with fire drills and other safety programs, we hope and pray that these drills always stay drills, but it’s critical to teach our school community what to do quickly and correctly in an emergency. We encourage all students to take part in this important safety measure. If you do not want your child to participate, please complete the exemption form.

Parent-Teacher Conferences, in October

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, October 8, from 4pm - 7pm, and Thursday, October 9, from 1pm - 6pm. Junior High students (6th, 7th, 8th grade) are encouraged to attend the conference with their parents/guardians. You may register for up to two conferences per child. The conferences are ten minutes in length with a two-minute gap between for travel. Register for Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Fun Food, Order by Oct 17

Barraco’s Fun Food is Friday, October 31. Thank you to the FSA for bringing this fun tradition to the students! 

STEP 1 - Before you place your first Fun Food order of the year, follow these steps to update your family information in Membership Toolkit. If you place an order before updating your parent and student details, the food may not be properly allocated to your child.

STEP 2 - Place student order for pizza, mostaccioli, or chicken tenders and sign up to volunteer! Orders are due Friday, October 17 at 3pm. Learn more and order.

Order the 2024-25 Yearbook

Last year's yearbook is being created, and there is still time to place your order. Don't miss out on this special keepsake. Learn more and order.

Diverse Learners Panel - Thank you to the parents who attended our first Diverse Learners High School Panel. We also thank St. Barnabas Case Manager Maureen O’Donnell for creating and leading the nine-school panel discussion. 

FSA First Meeting - Thank you to the many parents who attended the first FSA meeting of the year! We appreciate your commitment to rebuilding the FSA and making it the best it can be. If you missed the meeting and still want to be involved, please complete the FSA Interest Form.