“Another Great Week” Newsletter from Principal Ferguson

Dear Lancer Families,

We had a wonderful week celebrating our Catholic School this past week! We were able to continue many of our yearly traditions once again this year. Monday was filled with many different Buddy activities for our students. On Tuesday, the St. Francis Jazz and Rock Band came to perform for all the students. Many of the members of the band were SMPS alumni and/or siblings of current students which added to the excitement. Wednesday we celebrated an All School Mass. We had many parents and special guests join us afterwards for an Open House showcasing all the wonderful work of the students. Thanks to all who joined us to see what the day-in-the-life of an SMPS Lancer looks like! We held our annual Spelling Bee on Thursday. Like every year, it was a tight competition. We really have some remarkable spellers at SMPS. The final round showcased Sophia Mendoza (4th Grade), Lauren Flamme (7th Grade) and our returning Champ, Jake Babula (8th Grade). Ultimately, Jake Babula was crowned the Champion of the 2024 Spelling Bee. He will represent SMPS in the DuPage County Private School SPelling Bee next week. Congratulations to all the students who made it to the final round. On Friday, the students in Kindergarten through 4th grades were able to participate in our traditional “Fun Day” activities, while the 5th through 8th grade students participated in a series of “Minute to Win It” games and activities in the gym with their classmates. A huge thank you to all the members of the SMPO Board and a host of other parent volunteers for making this such a special and fun-filled day for the kids. It was great to see all the excitement and smiling faces of the students. Students also collected loose change and dollar bills for FMSC, and collected non-perishable food items for the local food pantry. We are so proud of all the ways our students showed their Catholic faith throughout this year’s Catholic Schools Week!!

We want to send a big THANK YOU to all of our families who make St. Michael Parish School such an awesome school. We recognize the sacrifice it can be to send your children to Catholic School each year. Your commitment to your child’s Faith development and their overall education is much appreciated. We are proud of the traditions and long history of excellence here at SMPS. Thank you again for being a part of the future of our school!

St. Michael Parish School & SMPO are thrilled to announce the 4th year of the Peggy Flynn/Bill Cashin Scholarship Fund. When Mr. Cashin and Mrs. Flynn celebrated their 50th year of teaching at St. Michael School, a scholarship fund was created to honor them and to award students based on academic and athletic merit. This scholarship is awarded annually to two students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. All students, entering grades 6th-8th grades next school year, are invited to apply as the scholarship is merit based, NOT NEED based. Recipients will receive a $1000 scholarship to be used for the 2024-2025 school year. Recipients may only be awarded the scholarship once. Please complete the application and return to the Main Office by February 9th, 2024. Students will be completing the essay portion of the application in school. Please contact Melissa Bertuca hongolito@yahoo.com with any questions.

Lastly, the Knights of Columbus hosted their Annual Free Throw Contest last Saturday night. Congratulations to the following students for advancing to the next round. Marty Brennan (age 9), Hannah Weidman (age 9), Jack Ferguson (age 10), Vera Vadakumpadam (age 10), Charlie Knab (age 11), Allison Macek (age 11), Gabriel Gomez, (age 12), Reagan O’Neil (age 12), and Tristan Lux (age 13). Best of luck to all our shooters!!

A final THANK YOU to all the wonderful parents and students for their generous gifts throughout this Catholic Schools Week. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful community that supports our efforts at St. Michael’s.

Make it a GREAT day, Lancers!

Adam Ferguson

Principal, St. Michael Parish School

ANNOUNCEMENTS

This CSW we continue to answer the call to feed and care for our brothers and sisters in need. Help a hungry neighboring family in our community…contribute to our Catholic Schools Week Food Drive, benefitting the Glen House Food Pantry. Boxes will be out for collection from 1/29-2/5, and will also be in the Church narthex. Thank you and bless you for your generosity and care for our neighbors in need!!!
Click to view the flyer for this year’s annual Family STEM Night here at St. Michael! Brought to you by our SMPO!
SMPO sponsors speakers and resources for parents and students throughout each school year. A new resource page was added to our SMPS website under “Parents (Internal)” where parents can access any recorded or sharable content. This page is password protected for internal use (and because the content is intended for adults, not children). Use the internal password: golancers to check out the recent presentations from Dr. Maniacci and Officer Bean! https://www.stmichaelschoolwheaton.org/smpo-parentseries
Back by popular demand…Our Knights of Columbus Council is very excited to have the annual Free Throw Contest return this year! Click for Details!
This year, our Catholic Schools Week Open House will follow our all-school 8am Mass during CSW! This allows all our students to engage in the celebration!
After Mass on Wednesday, 1/31, family guests will be invited to stop into classrooms to see the wonderful work the children have prepared. The CSW Open House will end at 9:30am.

CALENDAR

COMMUNITY POSTS

BELOW IS A MESSAGE FROM WHEATON NORTH:
Greetings!
I am writing to provide updated information for any 8th grade students who may be interested in attending Wheaton North High School in the fall:
Enrollment for incoming 9th grade students (24-25) will open on February 1st. Please check our website for more information on February 1st. I would also encourage parents to follow me on instagram: @wncounseling as I will post up to date information there.
We ask that all registrations be completed by February 21st.
Unfortunately, we do not offer tours or shadowing at Wheaton North.
Each student needs to complete a freshman course selection sheet. The student must give it to their teachers, who will fill out their level recommendations and initial it. Once this is done, the family will circle their course selections and turn the form into me (it may be emailed). A copy is attached HERE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cm6LRhVQRUyk1QrHOyAjJ0E6cygO0BMH/view?usp=sharing
If your families have any questions, please encourage them to contact me.
Warmest regards,
Carolyn Switalski
Administrative Assistant to the
Career and Counseling Center
(630)784-7325
Instagram: @wncounseling
A MESSAGE FROM WHEATON WARRENVILLE SOUTH
Good afternoon,
Please share the following information with your school's families who are considering attending Wheaton Warrenville South High School for the school year 2024/2025. They need to review this information before attending the event.
The event location / date / time:
WWSHS January 31, 2024 from 6pm-8:30pm.
Occurring the same night is the Course Selection Fair event so the main parking lot spaces will fill quickly. The school address is 1993 Tiger Trail, Wheaton, IL 60189.
8th Grade Presentation (GoogleSlide):
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1raCU2w4_lnUzBJt3fdOKZc5G0YPwoqu6FBlmOsw3RDc/edit?usp=sharing
Course Selection (Google Form):
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeNpB6HnNWBfPjGwO4W8jiPo3YN_gndBw03hub5OhY6pj3G-Q/viewform?usp=sf_link
Thank you,
---------------------------
Mrs. Heidi Fruzyna
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Counseling Center Secretary
Main Phone: #630-784-7200, ext. 4455
Counseling Center Phone: #630-784-7206
Counseling Center Fax: #630-682-2042
Wheaton-Warrenville South High School
5th through 8th grade boys and their families are invited to join us at our Pizza Pop-Up Event at Paisans Pizzeria in Lisle on Wednesday, February 7 from 6-8pm.
Families can meet with administrators and students in an informal setting to ask questions about all things Marmion. Come learn about the uniqueness of our school, the extraordinary foundation our students acquire through the Academy’s three pillars: Spirituality, Academics, and Leadership, and why a Marmion education will put them at an advantage for a lifetime.
Complimentary pizza (gluten free options available) and soft drinks will be served.
Please RSVP at www.marmion.org/pizzapopup no later than February 5.
You are invited! Click to view: Glenbard Parent Series