Welcome to School News 2025-2026, our weekly newsletter. Here we share calendar dates and information about upcoming school events, activities, and announcements. You’ll also find quick links to some of the details on our website. We encourage all parents/guardians to spend time each week reviewing the newsletter so you’re connected and knowledgeable about all the happenings at our busy and vibrant school.  

During the academic year, School News will land in your inbox on Friday mornings at 10am. For your reference, past issues are archived on our website under the Calendar & News section > School News.

Stay Connected

As we prepare for the start of the year, we send a large amount of details to families, and we know sometimes the to-do lists can feel a bit overwhelming to manage. In addition to the school email newsletter, you can also find much of what you need to know within the following resources:

• Website: on our website, concentrated in the Family Resources and Calendar & News, you’ll find many of the forms, polices, and procedures of our school, including a Summer To Do.
• Facebook: St. Barnabas School Buckeyes, the private Facebook group for current school families. Feel free to ask a question, and a member of our staff or a fellow parent will respond to you promptly.
• Instagram: Follow our page to see the pictures of students life and event reminders we share throughout the year.
• Text Reminders: Our school utilizes the SchoolMessenger system to send occasional text message reminders. To opt in, text “Yes” to 68453.

Sometimes it's easier to talk it through! Please feel free to call our Main Office at 773-445-7711.

Information Sunday

Information Sunday is just around the corner on Sunday, August 17. This is the official kickoff of the school year and is always an exciting day. Please join us for 10am mass in the Church as we celebrate together in our newly renovated worship space. Then, visit the school from 11:30am - 1pm. The school portion is a required event - you’ll receive homeroom teacher assignments, pick up Big Bucks raffle tickets, turn in all medical forms, drop off school supplies, enjoy a teacher meet and greet, and meet representatives from some of our auxiliary groups and clubs.

If you cannot attend the school event, please contact Mrs. Sue Connolly at sconnolly@stbarnabasparish.org.

Beginning of the Year Schedule

Wednesday, August 20 - All students, parents, guardians (and younger siblings) are invited to the Parking Lot at 7:45am on the first day!! Teachers will be situated throughout the lot holding a sign with their name. Students should gather with their homeroom teacher and classmates. Parents, students, and staff will share in prayer and hear brief remarks from our Administrators.  

• Preschool Orientation: 7:45am - 9am. After the all-school greeting, Preschool parents will attend an orientation with the teachers, and PK students will be dismissed at 9am.
• Kindergarten - Grade 8: 7:45am - 10:50am. After the all-school greeting, students in grades K - 8 will proceed into school and be dismissed at 10:50am.  
• Parent Coffee - 8:15am. Parents, guardians (and younger siblings) are invited to the Rectory Porch at 8:15am for coffee, breakfast treats, and shared conversation. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow parents. Preschool parents, be sure to stop by after your orientation wraps at 9am!
• All students should wear their uniform and bring a water bottle.

Thursday, August 21 & Friday, August 22

• Preschool: 7:45am - 10:50am. Students should bring a snack and water bottle.
• Kindergarten - Grade 8: 7:45am - 1:30pm. Students should bring a lunch and water bottle; students in grades K - 2 should also bring a snack.

Monday, August 25 - Regular schedule begins: 7:45am - 3pm (2:50pm for full-day PK). All students should bring a daily water bottle and lunch (+ two snacks for PK and one snack for K - 2). Optional Hot Lunch service for K - 8 begins after Labor Day.

Extended Day (Before and After Care) also begins on August 25. Students MUST be pre-registered to utilize this additional service. Registration for Extended Day is accepted anytime throughout the year, and is now open for enrollment. Register here.

Staff News

We are honored to welcome 11 new staff members. They each bring a wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm, and kindness to our talented teaching team. The following teachers and instructional aides will be joining us:

• Mrs. Kylen Boyer - Kindergarten Teacher 
• Mrs. Niki Flood - Kindergarten Aide
• Mrs. Sheila Kopplin - Kindergarten Aide
• Mrs. MariKay Reilly - 1st Grade Aide 
• Ms. Katelyn Clifford - 2nd Grade Teacher 
• Ms. Elizabeth Sweeney - 5th Grade Teacher 
• Ms. Eva Eberhardt - Jr. High Math Teacher  
• Mrs. Stephanie Krabbe - Jr. High ELA Teacher + 7th Grade Homeroom
• Mrs. Kelly Stoll - Jr. High ELA Teacher + 6th Grade Homeroom
• Ms. Emily Montelongo - Early Childhood Music Teacher
• Ms. Gabriela Sanchez - Spanish Teacher

Our band director, Phil Enns, is retiring. We are currently interviewing and exploring options for the Band. We are also in need of substitute teachers and support in Aftercare. If you know of anyone who is interested, please share this employment opportunity link with them.

The Parish is also looking to fill two positions (Parish Receptionist and Admin Assistant). If you know of anyone who is interested in either of those positions, please reach out to Kelly Florek at kflorek@stbarnabasparish.org.

We welcome our teachers back next week to prepare for the school year. If you would like to help welcome them back with a treat - canned beverages (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Bubbl'r, Lacroix) are most welcome! Drop off anytime at the Main Office or contribute online, and we'll do the shopping and stock the teacher's lounge.

Join Us!

One of the most rewarding parts of St. Barnabas is being part of our community. We hope each of you can take part in the following activities as we come together to meet and connect with school families.

Ice Cream Social - Thursday, August 14, 6pm at St. Barnabas Park: Students, siblings, parents, and guardians - come play at St. Barnabas Park (near the Early Child Building/Convent Lawn). Meet new and long-time families and enjoy some ice cream treats!

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.

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!

Crossing Guard Update

As we shared last week, CPS has eliminated crossing guards for two intersections that directly impact St. Barnabas. Under this plan, the stop-sign crossings on Longwood at 101st Place (near the Church) and 101st Street (near the north end “Quick Drop”) will be eliminated. The intersections on Longwood and 103rd and 99th will remain staffed by CPS crossing guards.

We do not yet have a solution, but are actively working in partnership with Alderman Matt O'Shea and other local school leaders to ensure a plan for safer crossing in front of our school.

Important Action Items to Complete

Many of the summer to-dos are listed on our website. Below, we are highlighting a few key items:

School Uniforms - All students (PK - 8) wear a daily school uniform. The complete uniform guide can be found here. Plaid jumpers, skirts, and gym uniforms are available for purchase at Schools Are Us.  All other items, including uniform-style navy pants/shorts and collared shirts, may be purchased at any retailer.  Students are permitted to wear St. Barnabas spirit wear tops every Friday paired with uniform bottoms. In warm weather (75 degrees or warmer), students are permitted to wear gym uniform shorts and tshirt or navy-uniform style shorts with a collared shirt. Many students opt to wear gym shorts and tshirts each day, for the first few weeks of school. Items remaining from our July Uniform Exchange will be available free to families at Info Sunday. Please note, many of the remaining donated items are larger sizes/suited to upper grades.

Medical Forms - Submit forms at Information Sunday. ALL students who play sports at St. Barnabas, including Preschool students in soccer, must have an annual sports physical or medical form (that authorizes sports participation). Students in Preschool, Kindergarten, Grade 2, Grade 6, and ALL students transferring into Grades 1 - 8 have additional medical documentation requirements. Students with additional medical needs (in-school medication, allergies, asthma, and seizure disorders) have additional forms that must be submitted on an annual basis. Access the medical forms

School Supplies - Bring supplies to Information Sunday. Lists by grade are found here. Students in 6th grade (and new 7th grade students) may pick up their iPad at Information Sunday. A protective case is required throughout the year. While an integrated keyboard is not required, the vast majority of students find a keyboard to be useful. This year’s new iPads are: Apple iPad, A6 - 11th Generation (model number: A3354).

Tuition - Please confirm your FACTS Tuition Management Account. First payments began in July. Families who have not yet finalized their FACTS account for the 2025-2026 school year, or those who hold an outstanding balance from last year, will not be given their homeroom assignment at Information Sunday. Please reach out to Mrs. Jeanne Reilly at reilly@stbarnabasparish.org if you have any questions.