Welcome Back, Buckeyes! 

We hope you had an extraordinary Easter and spring break! It was wonderful to be back together after a week of rest, relaxation, and fun. The final months of the school year are here, and we are looking forward to ending strong with lots of learning and joyful experiences. We were thrilled to have our littlest Buckeyes in Preschool join us for our school Mass this week. They bring with them a contagious joy and energy that we love to see. On Wednesday, some of our hardworking Buckeyes celebrated Pizza with the Principals for a job well done in the 2nd trimester. We are incredibly proud of our students for their hard work and dedication. We are looking forward to all the successes in the 3rd trimester. Our faith is the cornerstone of St. Barnabas. This week all students participated in the Archdiocese of Chicago Religion assessment to help reflect on the faith life of our students and how we can continue to make God known and loved in our school and community. Our amazing Student Council hosted the Hoops for Humanity 3 vs. 3 Basketball Tournament this past Wednesday. Congrats to Mean Streets and Pink Pickles for winning their brackets. The money raised for this event goes to the winning teams' charity of choice. It was a fun way to live out our root belief, “We are the Hands of Christ”. On Thursday, our Preschool team held a Bitty Buckeye shadow day; it was a joyful and fun morning seeing our future Buckeyes explore our amazing preschool. We are in awe of the talent, hard work, and creativity of our amazing cast, crew, and team of Seussical the Musical. We hope you can make it to a show next weekend. We promise you will be impressed! We hope to see the St. Barnabas Community at our 8th-grade boys' volleyball Pack the House tonight and on Sunday at 10am Mass for Pack the Pews for a special Mass and blessing our students participating in our school musical next week. We hope you have a wonderful weekend and take a moment tomorrow to soak in nature, clean up our neighborhood, and celebrate Earth Day. Thanks for your continued love and support.  ~ Mr. Stack and Ms. Sadowski

PACK THE HOUSE TONIGHT!

Come out to the St. Barnabas Gym at 6:30pm tonight for the 8th Grade Boys' Volleyball Pack the House. This is the final 8th-grade home sports event of the year! The recommended dress/theme for the night is pajamas. See you there!

PACK THE PEWS ON SUNDAY!

Join us this Sunday for a 10am mass celebrating the fine arts at St. Barnabas Parish.  A special blessing will be offered to all Seussical cast and crew members.  After mass, stay for coffee and treats.

SERVICE DAY

Service Day is next Friday, April 28! Thank you for your commitment to this meaningful day. As a reminder, we dismiss at 11:50 am, and aftercare is not available. Parents/guardians are welcome to join us for the post-service reflection in the Church beginning around 11:15am. Thank you to all the parents that offered to volunteer for the day; we greatly appreciate your support. Additional details for parent volunteers will be emailed next week.

OPERATION RICE BOWL

If you have been collecting funds for Operation Rice Bowl at home, please send your collection to school on Monday or Tuesday. We will be presenting the collection at Mass on Tuesday, April 25. Thank you for supporting this Catholic Relief Services initiative; read more HERE.

SEUSSICAL

The musical is almost here! 100 students in grades 5-8 have been diligently rehearsing and creating for months, and we cannot wait to see the extravaganza hit our stage. All are welcome - Thursday at 7pm, Friday at 7pm, and Saturday at 5:30pm.  Purchase tickets at the door for any show, $10 for adults and $5 for students; advance tickets are not sold. Cast and crew families may purchase a weekend ticket pass on MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT.

STEM & SCIENCE FAIR

All 6-8th grade students are encouraged to participate in the St. Barnabas STEM & Science Fair! Please see the attached details HERE. Interested students should sign and return the permission slip to Science Teacher Mrs. O’Keefe, asap. Projects are due May 4. After school, on May 4, there will be evaluations and judging. All are welcome later that evening at 7pm in the Innovation Center to view the projects. Questions, contact Jim Pfeiffer at [email protected].

RIDGE RUN

Register HERE with the St. Barnabas team for a $5 discount if you plan to run the BAPA Ridge Run this year! Use code: team2023, team captain: Ms. Grace Sadowski when registering. We are not hosting a formal group training this year, but feel free to connect with your running buddies and plan a few training days together.  

8TH GRADE EVENTS 

8th-grade parents/guardians, the email that was sent before spring break regarding graduation events is linked HERE. This link also contains the recent updates regarding Springfield and the Athletic & Arts banquet. We are thrilled for our graduates and wish them great fun and joy at their graduation festivities.

MEN'S CLUB SCHOLARSHIP

The St. Barnabas Men’s Club has renamed its annual Continuing Catholic Education scholarship to honor the memory of Men’s Club member and longtime parishioner Kevin G. Barron. The Kevin G. Barron Scholarship will be awarded to four 8th-grade students continuing their education at a Catholic high school.  The scholarships will be awarded to two boys and two girls from St. Barnabas School and/or St. Barnabas parishioners who participate in Religious Education. Click HERE to learn more or register. All applicants are required to attend the essay contest on Monday, May 1 from 3-5pm. All 8th-grade students are encouraged to apply.

CALL FOR ARTISTS

The St. Barnabas student art fair is Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21. In advance of this spectacular student art showcase, we are seeking art contributions from our talented parents/guardians. Thank you for your support. Questions, contact Elisabeth Pennix at [email protected].

NEXT MEETING: The next School Advisory Board meeting is Tuesday, April 25 at 8 pm in the Media Center (please note the meeting date and time have changed from the previously scheduled Monday night meeting). Per the visitor POLICY, visitors (members of the school and parish community only) are welcome to attend any school advisory board meeting to observe. 

OPEN FORUM: The Open Forum meeting will be held on Monday, May 22 at 7 pm, location TBD.  The Open Forum meetings happen twice per year, once in the fall and once in the spring. If you would like to address the School Advisory Board during the Open Forum, please review the details HERE and email the School Advisory Board no later than Friday, May 12, 2023, 

NEW MEMBER APPLICATION: At this time, we are seeking three new Board members to fulfill a 3-year term that will run from June 2023 through June of 2026 to bring the number of Board members to 11. Please click HERE for an overview. The application process will open on April 26. 

We look forward to hearing from those who would like to participate in the Open Forum and hope that many of you choose to apply for the Board positions.

The FSA is enthusiastically working on a number of events over the next couple of months. Many thanks to our hardworking FSA volunteers! The next FSA meeting is Thursday, May 4 at 7pm, in the Church Hall; all are welcome.

MOTHER-SON BASEBALL GAME - Saturday, May 13 at 6:10pm Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros. Click HERE for details and to order tickets. Questions, contact Katie Rao at [email protected].

YOUNG AUTHORS - There is still time for students to unlock their creativity as they write and illustrate their own book!  Completed books are due to school next Friday, April 28. Opportunities for awards and recognition in Creative Story, Dynamic Illustration, and Creative Cover. Learn more or order a copy on MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT. Questions, contact Eileen Stoiber at [email protected].

CHIPOTLE FUNDRAISER - Enjoy Chipotle on 95th on Wednesday, May 3, and 33% of sales will be donated to St. Barnabas! Click HERE for the complete details. Questions, contact Erin Liebenauer at [email protected].

ART FAIR - The Art Fair returns as an in-person event. All students will showcase their school-created art on Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21. Click HERE for details. 

SPIRIT DAY - Volunteers are needed for our all-school Spirit Day on Friday, May 26. Volunteer opportunities throughout all grade levels are still available. Learn more and sign-up HERE. Questions, contact Maggie O’Reilly at [email protected].

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. Questions, contact Anita Snow at [email protected].

MEN’S CLUB BAGS TOURNAMENT

Join the St. Barnabas Men’s Club for a Bags Tournament on the afternoon of Saturday, May 13. The tournament will be held in the 103rd alley between Hoyne and Seeley (Sullivan/Kreiter's backyards). Cost is $20 per person/$40 per team. Time details will be announced soon. Register for the event HERE. Questions, contact Pat Wirtz at [email protected].

SERVE THOSE IN NEED

Pro Labore Dei CHICAGO, is a Catholic, non-profit organization serving families in need and homeless individuals on the southwest side. The organization has a long history of support from dedicated St. Barnabas parishioners, and they are currently in need of more volunteers.

On Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, during the early afternoon, volunteers work to load and organize food donations at the old St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Catholic Church in Posen (near Midlothian). On Saturday mornings, from 9am -12pm, volunteers work to distribute food and necessities in the old St. Thomas More parking lot. 

This is a great opportunity for parents and children, now or throughout the summer. Contact Anne DeAngelis at 708-502-8424, or Deacon Andy Neu at 773-807-2231 if you are interested in learning more or helping out.

SPRING CONCERT

Join us this Saturday, April 23 after the 4pm mass for the Sounds of Spring concert featuring the St. Barnabas Adult Choir, Anslee Rainwater, Sandro Tsomaia, and members of the Children’s Choir.