As we wrap up the busy month of March and enter into Holy Week, we are in awe of the continued faith, friendship, and fun of our St. Barnabas Community. 

We are so proud of our 8th graders who received the Sacrament of Confirmation this past Sunday. We look forward to seeing them grow in faith as Buckeyes and beyond. Thank you to Mrs. McGowan, Mrs. Baudo, Mr. McGowan, and all those who have helped prepare our students for this special day.

Seeing so many St. Barnabas parents and parishioners last weekend at the Bet on the Buckeyes Foundation Event was wonderful. We are blessed with the best students, teachers, and families. Thank you for your ongoing love, generosity, and support.  

A huge round of applause to our 8th graders for so reverently helping us experience and reflect on the final days of Jesus’ life and Resurrection at our living Stations of the Cross this afternoon. It is always a beautiful reminder that every Good Friday in our life is followed by an Easter Sunday. 

We will not have a newsletter next week, so we would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a blessed and Happy Easter. We hope you and your family have a safe, relaxing, and fun spring break. When we return, we will be in the final stretch of the school year, and we are so thankful for all the love, joy, learning, and memories we have already made. 

We hope to see many of you tonight as our great student band performs alongside the Notre Dame Jazz Band. Have a great weekend and break. ~ Mr. Stack and Ms. Sadowski

SPRING BREAK 

Our spring break is Thursday, April 6 - Sunday, April 16. 

Please call the Main Office at 773-445-7711 if you are departing early for the break and have a planned absence or early dismissal day. 

We welcome the students back on Monday, April 17, at the regular 7:45 am arrival time. The school office will be closed throughout the break.

HOLY WEEK

We look forward to gathering as a parish as we enter Holy Week.  We invite all school families to join the students for a special Holy Week Liturgy on Tuesday, April 4, at 8:45am at Church.

NOTRE DAME JAZZ BAND TONIGHT!

We are honored to welcome the Notre Dame Jazz Band to St. Barnabas tonight, Friday, March 31. The jazz band will gather with our St. Barnabas School Band students for a clinic and shared dinner, then join together for an evening of incredible music. Thank you to the FSA and Band Director, Phil Enns, for coordinating this memorable experience. 

Doors open at 6:30pm, concert begins at 7pm. Purchase tickets at the door.

UPDATES TO HANDBOOK

We recently completed an Illinois State Board of Education audit. This is a standard process that all schools complete every five years. As part of the audit review, we made minor revisions to the Parent-Student Handbook. Changes include amendments to the hairstyle policy (pages 26-27) and athletic uniforms (page 28). We welcome these suggested changes from the ISBE, which allow for more inclusive language. The handbook may be found on the school website and linked HERE.

SERVICE DAY FORMS DUE MONDAY

As part of our continued preparations for our upcoming Service Day on April 28, all students brought home a waiver and contribution form earlier this week. Signed waivers and contributions for all students should be returned to school on Monday. We ask for your prompt attention as we hope to have all forms processed before spring break. Requests for a replacement form may be sent to Shannon Griffin at [email protected]. 

LOST AND FOUND

We encourage all students to visit the lost and found table and search for any items they may have misplaced. Next week, we will move the table to the main entrance doors each day at dismissal, so parents and guardians have the opportunity to peruse it.  Any unclaimed items will be donated over spring break. Thank you for your cooperation.

RELIGION ASSESSMENT

All Catholic grammar schools within the Archdiocese of Chicago are required to participate in a standards-based religion assessment this school year. The standardized test will be completed during a portion of the school day on April 18 and 19 by our students in Preschool (age 4) - Grade 8.  The goals of this assessment: 

• To better understand strengths and opportunities in teaching and learning religion. 
• To gauge student proficiency in relation to curriculum standards for religion. 
• To support teachers and students in their knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith. 

NOTICE OF DATE CHANGE

The second Open Forum School Advisory Board meeting will be held on May 22, 2023, at 7pm and not April 24 as previously scheduled. In light of spring break, budget discussions going on now and through April among the administration, staff, and the Board, and a new Archdiocese deadline for submitting the 2023-24 budget, the Board found it necessary to make a calendar adjustment.

The notice for sign-ups to speak at the May Open Forum will go out during the first week of May. 

SPORTS SCHEDULE 

Congrats to our Boys’ Volleyball athletes who are in their second week of games. Their sportsmanship and dedication have been a joy to witness.

The soccer season is kicking off, and the league is still fine-tuning some schedules. After spring break, we plan to add soccer games to our weekly schedule. View the schedule for the next few weeks of volleyball HERE. 

STUDENT HONORS

Congratulations to 8th-grade student-athletes Will Loehr and Brendan Reilly for representing St Barnabas in the Southside Catholic Conference All-Star Basketball game this past weekend at St. Rita HS. Thank you Will and Brendan!

DISCERNING DEACONS

Last year St. Barnabas Church hosted the Discerning Deacons. The event drew a city-wide audience to learn about the critical role women can play in the future vitality of the church. The organization returns to Chicago on April 19, 6pm at the Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park. You’re invited to join for a “prayerful pep rally.” Hear women preach and learn about ministry and empowering outreach happening around the globe. See the FLYER for complete details.

YOUNG AUTHORS

The Annual FSA Young Authors contest is open for registration on MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT. Completed books are due by Friday, April 28. Questions may be sent to Eileen Stoiber at [email protected].

ART CAMP

Rising St. Barnabas 1st through 8th-grade students are invited to join Art Teacher Ms. Bachler for an incredible summer camp experience. The camp will run from June 12 - June 23. REGISTER today.

Optional registration for one week of camp is also available; email Mrs. Bachler for details at [email protected].

ADVERTISE IN THE SEUSSICAL PLAYBILL

The school musical, Seussical, Jr, is April 27-29. The cast and crew includes over 100 5th-8th students and we anticipate a packed house at all three performances!

We would love to showcase your business organization in the theater program book, highlighting your support for the theater program. Business ads will be placed among the family well-wishes, cast biographies, and program information. All proceeds are used to support the production costs and add permanent equipment to the theater program at St. Barnabas. You can purchase ad space on MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT.

For questions about business ads, please contact [email protected].

SHOE COLLECTION

As part of our upcoming Service Day, a group of students will visit Share Your Soles, an organization in Pullman that provides shoes to those in need. If you’re doing some spring cleaning over break, we are collecting gently used (or new) shoes to contribute. Shoes may be brought to the Main Office anytime prior to the April 28 Service Day. Read about this wonderful organization HERE.

HOWL AT THE MOON

Gather with friends to start the summer and celebrate the Feast of St. Barnabas as you enjoy the dueling pianos of Howl at the Moon. Tickets are now available for purchase on Give Central. Individual tickets are $35 in advance, purchase HERE. Premium seating tables for six are $300 and available for purchase HERE.

THANK YOU - SB PARENT FOUNDATION

Thank you to the St. Barnabas Parent Foundation for hosting their inaugural fundraising event last week at Ridge Country Club. The evening was a huge success, filled with good cheer and community bonding. We are so grateful for all the generous donors that contributed. We also thank the St. Barnabas Foundation Committee for sharing your ideas, enthusiasm, and dedication to create this important and meaningful foundation.