Happy Friday, Buckeyes! 

It is hard to believe that we are in the final days of January and entering the second half of our school year. We hope all of our lovely ladies had a wonderful evening at the Sweetheart Soiree last Friday. We are amazed by the creativity of the committee and are grateful to them for making it such a memorable evening. We are beyond proud of all of our students for their hard work & effort these past two weeks of testing. It is wonderful to see the progress of so many students. Although this time of year can be gloomy, this coming week is always one that shines so bright as we celebrate who we are and what makes us unique at St. Barnabas. We hope to see you all at 10am Mass on Sunday to kick off Catholic Schools Week and our Open House to showcase our amazing students and school to our community. It’s a great day to be a Buckeye! 

OPEN HOUSE

Our Open House is this Sunday, and we are so excited! This is an opportunity to celebrate our current families as we kick off Catholic Schools Week and showcase the school to prospective families. 

Help Us Spread the Word

• Do you have local friends or neighbors who are not yet part of our school? Please extend them an invitation to the Open House. 
• Show your St. Barnabas Spirit! If you have a St. Barnabas flag, please fly it all weekend. Or show Buckeye Pride in your house window by displaying a printable OPEN HOUSE sign or the BUCKEYE coloring sheet.

Additional Ways to support our Open House

• The 10am Mass, led by our Student Council, will feature an 8th-grade student speaker and our Children’s Choir. This Mass is a beautiful opportunity to reflect on why we all choose Catholic Education.
• After Mass, current school families are invited to the school from 11am - 12:30pm. See your child’s homeroom, chat with classmates, parents, and friends, and visit our auxiliary groups in the gym for coffee and donuts. At that same time, prospective families will be touring the building. We love that our prospective families have the opportunity for a shared experience with current students and families. We are all ONE Barnabas.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

Catholic Schools Week is a nationwide celebration in partnership with National Catholic Education Association (NCEA). All Catholic schools throughout the country are encouraged to celebrate and share the same central theme. We are thrilled to be part of a nationwide celebration, and our Student Council leaders and staff are working diligently to facilitate a memorable week! Please see the week's outline, which includes: dress down on Thursday & Friday, School Mass, Wheel of Wisdom, and more!

Thursday, February 2 is “Celebrating Our Students” day, and we would like to share a small popsicle treat with the students at their lunch. If you do NOT want your child to have the popsicle, please complete the google opt-out form HERE.

BOYS' VOLLEYBALL REGISTRATION

Boys’ Volleyball, Grades 4-8, is now open for registration. Please note - there is a tight turnaround, and registration closes on Thursday, February 2. Don’t delay if your son is interested in participating! The VB season runs from early March through early May. Coaches anticipate one practice and 1-2 games per week. REGISTER HERE. 

Registration for 8th Grade Spring Golf, Grade K - 8 Soccer, and Grade K - 3 Junior Basketball will open soon.

SERVICE DAY INFO NIGHT

Service Day Info Night & Prayer Service is Monday evening from 6:30 - 7:30pm in the Church. There will be a short evening prayer service, followed by an Information Session where you can learn what Service Day (scheduled for Friday, April 28) will look like this year. The evening will include parent and student testimonials, and some participating service organizations will be onsite. All families are welcome to share in this optional evening; we hope to see you there!

ATHLETICS GAME SCHEDULE

47 games this week, with 13 home games this weekend!

VIEW the Grade 4-8 Basketball and Volleyball Schedule for the Week.



Also - save the date - Friday, February 10 is Pack the House for Girls’ Volleyball, and Saturday, February 11 is Pack the House for Boys’ Basketball!

AFTER-SCHOOL ENRICHMENT

The FSA has exciting opportunities for After-School Enrichment open for registration.

Yoga Class, taught by The Studio Beverly. Thursdays from 3pm - 4pm. February 9-March 30., Open to Grades PK - 8.

Still accepting enrollment for:

Chess Club, Tuesday from 3pm - 4pm.  Open to Grades K - 8.

Academic Team, Mondays from 3pm - 4pm. Open to Grades 6-8.

Register today on MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT

THEATER ARTS

Registration is open through January 31 for our spring musical - Seussical, Jr! All 5th - 8th-grade students are invited to join the cast or crew. Cast auditions will take place February 8 - 9th, and performance weekend is April 27-29. View the complete details HERE.

GET BEHIND THE VEST

We are so grateful for the dedication and protection of the Chicago police officers. On Tuesday, February 14, the day of love, join us in spreading love to our police officers with a special 8:45am Mass. On Thursday, February 18, we will enjoy a dress-down day to raise funds supporting the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation’s Get Behind the Vest campaign.

UPCOMING SCHOOL MASSES

Join us throughout February for our weekly school masses

• Tuesday, February 7 at 8:45am, led by Culture Club, honoring Black History Month
• Tuesday, February 14 at 8:45am, honoring Police Officers
• Wednesday, February 22 at 8:45am, led by Mrs. Carr’s 7th-grade homeroom, Ash Wednesday
• Tuesday, February 28 at 8:45am, led by Mr. Rank’s 7th-grade homeroom
• On Wednesday, February 22 we will gather as a faithful school community for Ash Wednesday mass at 8:45am. There will also be 6:45am and 7pm masses and a 3:15pm prayer service if you cannot attend the school mass.

BOOK FAIR 

Save the Date for the Scholastic Book Fair! The FSA will host the fair on Wednesday, March 22, and Thursday, March 23, and students will have the opportunity to browse and shop with their class. More details to come on purchasing books and volunteer opportunities for parents/guardians.

THANK YOU TO THE SWEETHEART SOIREE COMMITTEE

Thank you to the volunteers who worked tirelessly to host the Sweetheart Soiree last weekend. It was a truly magical experience for all who attended. A special thanks to the volunteer committee leaders: Jessica Scheller, Megan Kreiter, Molly Tracy, Dawn Pfeiffer, Amber Chatellier, Eileen Towe, and Katie Gonzales, and the FSA leaders: Lauren Doig, Kathleen Hogan, and Nora Gill. We are so grateful for your creativity, enthusiasm, and time. 

CONGRATS TO THE BACHLERS

Our heartfelt congratulations to our beloved art teacher, Ms. Natalie Malinowksi, who was married last weekend and is now Mrs. Bachler. Ms. Malinowski and Mr. Nate Bachler were married in a private ceremony last Friday afternoon. They found one another while working together at St. Barnabas and feel extremely lucky to be surrounded by so much love within our community. We wish them all the joy in the world.

PARISH NEWS

Book Club

Join the Lenten Book Club in partnership with Southside Parish Renewal parishioners and friends. All are welcome to share in a self-guided reading of Matthew Kelly’s book, Difficult Teachings The 40 Most Challenging Teachings of Jesus. Click HERE for more detail, or sign-up HERE

Holy Hour

The St. Barnabas Holy Hour of scripture, song, and prayer will take place on Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 7pm in Church.

WOMEN’S CRHP

St. Barnabas will host the next Women’s Christ Renews His Parish retreat on February 25 – 26, 2023. As hundreds of women in our parish can tell you, CRHP is a wonderful opportunity to take time for yourself, renew your own spirituality, and meet new friends. As part of the Renew My Church process, the retreat opportunity is also open to women of Christ the King, St. John Fisher, and St. Cajetan. To reserve your spot or for more information about CRHP, please call the rectory or email womens.crhp.stbarnabas@gmail.com.

MEN’S CRHP

All men of St. Barnabas are invited to The Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) Men’s Retreat, March 25-26. For more information or to register, please email stbmenscrhp@gmail.com or connect via phone or text with Brent VanHootegem at 312-498-6274, or Joe Stoiber at 773-590-4305. Additional details can be found HERE.