School News a Day Early

School News is landing in your inbox a day early. As a reminder, there is NO school for students tomorrow, Friday, November 8. Our staff will be participating in a professional development day. We hope you all enjoy the long weekend.

Scholastic Book Fair!

VISIT & VOLUNTEER - The FSA is hosting the Scholastic Book Fair next week! Students will visit with their class on Wednesday, November 13, or Thursday, November 14.

Volunteer - Volunteers are needed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Please consider carving out some time to help with this great event. It's a wonderful opportunity to meet with other parents and connect with the students. Register to volunteer on Membership Toolkit, and please remember to log into your Virtus account to confirm you are up to date with all volunteer requirements.

Class Schedule - Students will visit the fair with their class on November 13 or 14. View the homeroom schedule.

Purchasing Books - students can use cash or set up an eWallet for cashless shopping. The eWallet is simple to set up, and book fair volunteers will have an easy-to-access record of your child’s eWallet at check-out. If you set up an eWallet last year and have funds remaining, it now appears as a gift card in your Scholastic account. To use those funds, set up a new eWallet and select the option to transfer a gift card balance. Set-up EWALLET.

FSA Book Fair Coordinators - The Book Fair is managed by our dedicated FSA; coordinators are Carolyn Burke - ckaymeyer@hotmail.com, Catherine Ryan-Cassel - cjryan51@gmail.com and Nora Quartaro - nora.quartaro@gmail.com

Questions - for questions about purchasing books or volunteering, please contact one of the coordinators.

Virtus for Volunteers

Protecting God's Children/Virtus Training program is in place to keep students safe. It is a requirement of each catholic school within the Archdiocese of Chicago, and the Arch audits schools to ensure we comply with these requirements.

Even though most of our parents have completed the initial certification process, there are action items that must be completed every year. These include background checks, authorization forms, and additional online training. Each volunteer has different due dates depending on when you set up your initial account. For some, these items expire mid-year.

Please review the Virtus process, then log into your account to see if there are steps you need to complete.

Not sure if you’re current with Virtus? Check in with Mrs. Connolly at sconnolly@stbarnabasparish.org.

Art to Remember

Today is the final day to order keepsakes from Art to Remember if you plan to share them as Christmas gifts. View art (sorted by homeroom) and place orders here. Please email Ms. Abby Graeber at agraeber@stbarnabasparish.org with any questions.

Veterans Day Mass on Sunday

We are so grateful for the service, protection, and dedication of all those who have served in our armed forces. Each year, the Parish hosts a beautiful 10am Sunday mass to honor our veterans, and we encourage you all to join in this inspirational mass. Let us gather together to share in God's blessing for veterans. Join us this Sunday

Navigating the Teen Years

Please join us on Tuesday, November 19, at 7pm in the Church for a special presentation by Sarah Kolkmeyer. Ms. Kolkmeyer will offer practical strategies and insights for thriving in the teen years. Junior high students and parents/guardians (and high school siblings) are all encouraged to join us. Learn more.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

For forty years, The Maple Morgan Park Food Pantry has been serving those in our community who are experiencing food insecurity. Hunger can sometimes feel invisible in our neighborhood, but the lines at the pantry tell a different story. We continue our annual tradition of supporting this wonderful organization. To balance our donation, we invite each grade to bring from the designated list of contributions. Thank you for your support and for serving as the hands of Christ.

100th Anniversary Raffle and Auction

Less than 100 tickets remain for the 100th Anniversary Parish Gala at Olympia Fields Country Club on Saturday, November 23. Purchase event tickets and sponsorship here.

The committee also has an exciting auction and raffle planned. You can join the bidding and raffle from home - free tuition for a year, breakfast with Santa, and more! Check it out.

School Board Open Forum

The School Board is holding its Open Forum meeting on Monday, November 18, at 7pm in the Media Center. Requests to speak at the meeting are due tomorrow Friday, November 8. Learn more.

Men's Club Christmas Cheer

Christmas Wreaths - The Men's Club is selling Christmas wreaths to benefit the Kevin G. Barron Scholarship Fund. Pre-order online for pick-up after mass on the weekends of December 6-7 and 14-15. Learn more and order today!

Progressive Mixer - The Men's Club is also busy making plans for the annual Progressive Mixer. This year's event takes place on the evening of Saturday, December 7. Advance tickets are required, and the event is expected to sell out. Purchase tickets today on Give Central.

Basketball for Young Buckeyes

Christ the King is currently accepting registration for their Little Tykes basketball league for students in Grades 1 - 3. This is a popular league for young Buckeyes, and teams are typically grouped by gender and school. Registration is due by November 15. Learn more.

Saints Wax Museum - We extend a huge thank you to our 4th-grade students. Their dedication to learning about the lives of the saints and courageously sharing their knowledge with the St. Barnabas community is a beautiful reflection of their faith. A special note of thanks to all the parents who supported their children, Mr. Patrick McGowan, Ms. Patty Green, Mrs. Alicia Sims, and all those who shared in this special day. 

Big Buck Sellers - On Monday night, we held a reception to thank all ticket captains and those who played an instrumental role in facilitating another successful Big Bucks Raffle earlier this year. Congrats to the two winners of the $2,000 sellers prize - Meg McGarry and Trish Kominiarek