“Another Great Week” Newsletter from Principal Ferguson

Dear Lancer Families,

We’ve made it...Spring is FINALLY here. The weather is getting warmer (kinda!), birds are chirping, and the kids (and teachers) are ready for SPRING BREAK!!!! We want to wish you all safe travels whether you are going near or far this next week. We will keep everyone in our prayers. School resumes on TUESDAY, April 2nd.

Regional Science Fair - On Friday, March 8, eighteen 7th graders participated in the Regional Science Fair Competition at the University of St. Francis. SMPS was well represented and came home with a lot of awards!!

Bronze Awards - Henry Hilsabeck, Lauren Krause and Lily Veverka
Silver Awards - Ava Burdi and Declan O’Donnell
Gold Awards - Tommy Badgley, Matthew Burkly, Bobby delaCruz, Luke Doerfler, McKinnon Gryniewicz, Lauren Henkel, Evan King, Ava O’Malley, Nivi Raj, Chloe Rockliff, Pepper Rozylowicz, Ada Ude, and Ayden Wielgos
Artistic Award for his Display Board - McKinnon Gryniewicz
Best in Category Awards for their projects - Luke Doerfler and Ada Ude
Ada Ude earned an award for a perfect score on her project.
Matthew Burky, Bobby delaCruz, McKinnon Gryniewicz, Lauren Henkel, Evan King, Ava O’Malley, Nivi Raj, Chloe Rockliff, Pepper Rozylowicz and Ada Ude will all be moving on to the State Competition on May 3rd and 4th at Millikin University.
Congratulations to all of the participants on a job well done!

Living Stations of the Cross - This week, our 7th graders were able to present a live depiction of Jesus’ walk to Crucifixion. It was a real life reminder of the sacrifices Jesus made for all of us. I must say, this was one of the best Living Stations performances I’ve seen by our students…job well done, 7th Graders! A special THANK YOU to Mrs. Ede, Mrs. O’Kasick and all the other staff who helped prepare the students for this event.

This week, we welcomed a new member of our SMPS staff to the Catholic Faith…Mrs. Stieb (3rd grade teacher) was Confirmed and received her First Holy Communion during our All School Mass. It was a special day for all those involved. Congratulations, Mrs. Stieb!!

The Glory and Promise of Easter - May the glory and the promise of this joyous time of year bring peace and happiness to you and those you hold most dear. And may Christ, Our Risen Savior, always be there by your side to bless you most abundantly and be your loving guide. — Unknown

Make it a GREAT day, Lancers!

Adam Ferguson

Principal, St. Michael Parish School

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Don’t miss out on this year’s 8th grade play – Finding Nemo! Tickets go on sale Friday, March 22 at 7:00 a.m. (Class of 2024 look for a pre-sale link a few days in advance of public release.)
April 18 – 12:30 p.m.
April 18 – 7:00 p.m.
April 19 – 12:30 p.m.
April 19 – 7:00 p.m.
New for 2024 - we have moved our ticketing online! Hopefully this will mainstream ticket sales and allow us to use every available seat.
A few notes:
- Tickets are sold online: https://smsfindingnemo.ludus.com/
- Every purchaser will receive an email with their tickets and confirmation. Tickets must be printed or shown on a device at the entrance.
- There is an 8-ticket limit per show. If you need additional tickets, please reach out.
- Everyone must have a ticket as there is not “standing room.”
- Children in all grades will attend the afternoon performances.
Don't miss your chance to purchase your Shout Outs or Business Ads for the 8th Grade Play!
What is a Shout Out or Business Ad?
A Shout Out is words of encouragement or congratulations to one or more of the 8th graders involved in this year's production of Finding Nemo.
There are additional options to create a larger Shout Out for your favorite 8th grader or to Promote your local business and support the show!
Business card size and larger ads are in color and can include a picture (jpg.).
· Standard Shout Out is two lines of text (25-word max) - $20.
· Business card or business card size shout out - $30.
· 1/2 page ad (5x4) - $50.
· Full page ad (5x8) - $75.
All Shout Outs and Ads will appear in the play program. There is NO Limit on the number you submit. Recognize your neighbors, friends, babysitters! Pass this email along to grandparents and relatives, let's show the class of 2024 some Love!
Don't worry if you are not creative, we have a team that can make a memorable shout out with your text and picture! Businesses can send in business cards to be printed along with payment.
Click the link below for additional details and to make your purchase today!
https://forms.gle/ttn2XDAacwVqTm1b8
Shout Outs, Business Ads, artwork and payment must all be received by March 22nd.
Please email amybrink90@gmail.com with any questions.
St. Michael Parishioners we need your help if you are signed up in a ministry.
Here are the volunteer positions that are still needed for the upcoming liturgies.
Holy Thursday: Need 3 ushers
Good Friday: Need at least 2 altar servers
Holy Saturday: Need 2 altar servers; Need at least 2 more EMs; Need 3 ushers
Easter Sunday:
7:15AM: Need 3 altar servers
9AM: Need 3 ushers; Need at least 1 more altar server
9:30AM: St. Francis: Need 3 altar servers; Need EMs
10:45AM: Need 3 ushers
Dear Parents,
As we near the Feast of the Annunciation, when it was announced to our Mother, Mary, that she would bear the Christ child, the St. Michael School Lancers for Life Club and the St. Michael Parish Respect Life Committee wanted to provide you and your family an opportunity to participate in a spiritual adoption prayer campaign along with the parish community. This program is a simple, yet effective pro-life activity that involves components of prayer, education, and outreach. The first step involves pledging to pray for the protection of a baby in the womb starting on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25th. We encourage you to give a name to the unborn baby you are praying for as a simple reminder that you are asking God to protect the life and health of a specific baby in his/her mother’s womb whose life and health may be in danger.
Click HERE for the prayer/pledge card written by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Please cut out the prayer card for you to keep and use to pray daily for the baby you have “adopted.” Additionally, cut out the pledge heart and send it back to school office as a pledge that you will pray daily for the next nine months. Your pledge hearts will be posted in the school as a sign that you and your family are praying for these innocent unborn babies.
We are also attaching a milestone chart with cool facts of the development of the baby inside the mother’s womb like when the baby’s heart starts beating, when a baby starts sucking his/her thumb, when the mother will start to feel the baby kicking, and other fun facts about his/her growth. As you are praying for this baby over the next nine months, these facts can help you be aware of the baby’s growth and development.
Please prayerfully consider participating in this simple program and add your prayers to thousands of others. Just like we pray for people who are walking among us, we want to pray for and be aware of babies growing in their mothers’ wombs, who are worthy of our love and compassion. Help the Lancers for Life and the Respect Life Committee make sure these babies are prayed for and not forgotten.
In Christ, Lancers for Life
Click here for Kindergarten Young Rembrandts
Click here for 1st-5th Young Rembrandts
Click to view
A message from Mr. Wolf about Track & Field Registration…
Thank you for considering signing your child up for the 2024 Track and Field Season. It is a sport offered to all of our 5th through 8th graders. Track and Field is traditionally one of St. Michael’s most successful sports!
Events - Track and Field includes traditional Track Events like running, hurdles, relays, and medleys. It also includes field events that can be grouped into jumping events like long jump, triple jump, and high jump or throwing events like shot put, discus and javelin.
Practices - Optional indoor strength and conditioning will be available as early as March 9th and will be held in the Cashin Gym.
Outdoor practices start the week of April 1st and will run from 6-730p. Boys 5th - 8th grade practice together and Girls 5th - 8th grade practice together. There may also be co-ed practices. Generally your daughter or son will have two practices per week with the possibility of adding more. Practices are held at Wheaton College’s McCully Stadium. This unique opportunity gives our athletes the experience of practicing at a top notch track and field facility. In an effort to give your daughter or son plenty of options… if their “assigned practice day” does not work because of other commitments, they may attend the other practices.
Meets - There are 6 meets held throughout the season on April 13, April 20, April 27, May 4, May 11 and May 18 are the divisional and championship meets. The first 4 meets of the year are scored and offer individual ribbons and awards. The divisional meet on May 11th is a qualifying meet for the championship meet on May 18th. The divisional and championship meets are available to all of our athletes and should be prioritized to help St Michael’s Track and Field earn a league championship.
Generally, meets for 5th and 6th graders run from 8a-11a and meets for 7th and 8th graders run from 1130a-3p.
Flexibility - An important thing to know about your child’s involvement in Track and Field is that the coaches understand many of our Lancer athletes have commitments to other spring sports and activities. There is still a place for them on the Lancer Track and Field Team! As previously mentioned, they may switch to the other “assigned practice day”. We always have quite a few girls at the boys practice and vice versa.
In light of that flexibility, we would like to ask as many athletes as possible to prioritize the divisional and championship meet on May 11th and 18th.
Head Coaches - We are blessed to have two dedicated, passionate and patient Head Coaches. Greg Kojak, our sport coordinator for both Cross Country and Track and Field leads our Boys Team! Mike Abernathy will be in his 30th year as Head Coach of the Girls Team!
Additional Coach Staff and Parent Helpers - Greg and Mike have some excellent assistant coaches and parent volunteers who have been with them from the very beginning, but there is always a need for more help. If you are a former track athlete or just love physical fitness please consider helping with practices and athlete focus at meets. If you prefer to be a parent helper, every meet has a need for parents to help facilitate events.
Registration
St. Michael’s utilizes an online registration process.
Please sign up for the Team Snap App. St. Michael Athletics will be using this App for registration, team organization, team communication, and scheduling throughout your child’s Lancer Athletic experience. Here is the link… Team Snap Home
Through a web browser and not the App, please register for the Track and Field Team through this link… 2024 Track and Field Registration Link
After you have registered online, please send an envelope into the school office. It should include a check for $50 made out to St. Michael Parish School, and if you haven’t already done so already this school year, a copy of the Concussion Protocol Form and a Sports Physical Form.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Jim Wolf at
jwolf@stmichaelcommunity.org
Click for details on this upcoming March Madness Mens Tourney & Poker Night come-back!
Dads and Daughters…
This is your St. Mike’s Era! Join in the fun of this special evening on Saturday, April 6th, 6-8pm in the Cashin Gym!
CLICK to view flyer!
CLICK to Buy Tickets!
Save the date for this special Mothers & Sons event on 4/13 @ 6pm in Cashin Gym! Click for flyer!
June 17 - 21 - click for details!

CALENDAR

COMMUNITY POSTS

Calling all Current 8th Grade/Rising Freshman hockey players! 🏒🥅
Registration for our Spring/Summer hockey program is now OPEN! Please click on the link below for all the relevant information, dates and registration:
Welcome | 2024 Benet Spring / Summer Program Registration | Benet Redwings Hockey (sportngin.com)
Be sure to follow us on-line and social media for all the news that's fit to print about Benet Hockey ~ find us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram... and you can always see our most updated calendar at www.benethockey.com. Don't forget: Do you need new hockey equipment or sports fan gear? Support Benet Hockey and shop at PureHockey.com and Fanatics.com through our affiliate links at www.benethockey.com!
Questions? Just email communications@benethockey.com. We encourage you to please forward this email on to anyone we may have missed! Thanks so much and we hope to see you this spring!
GO REDWINGS!
Angela Karras Neboyskey
Communications Director
Red Wing High School Hockey Club
communications@benethockey.com
SFHS SUMMER CAMPS – Registration is open! (pdf attached)
Wide variety of camps and clinics available for students entering grades 1-12. Register at https://sfhs.8to18.com/accounts/login.
Art Camps: Drawing & Painting, Mixed Media
Athletic Camps: Baseball, Basketball, Cheer, Cross Country, Football, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Strength & Conditioning, Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling
Band Camps: Beginning Guitar, Jazz Band, Band Camp, Music Ensemble, Drumline, Orchestra
Choir Camps: RockAppella, ILMEA Choral, Vocal Arts, Vocal Jazz
Academic Camps: Fun with Grammar (for incoming 9th graders), ACT/SAT Prep, Chinese Culture
Technology Camp: STEP: Spartan Tech Entry Program (for incoming 9th graders)
Theatre Camps: Summer Musical, Young Spartan Showcase, Stage Crew
Any questions? Please contact Director of Admissions Maureen Isphording at misphording@sfhscollegeprep.org or (630) 668-5800, ext. 1120.
A message from our friends at Rosary High School:
I wanted to let you know of a few upcoming events at Rosary in the next few weeks.
We will be hosting our annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 16 at 10am. This is a FREE event for 5th grade and under, we will have it Rain or Shine.
On Tuesday, March 19 from 3:30-4:45pm will be hosting an Easter Cookie Decorating class, cost is $5 at the door. Pre-registration is required to ensure enough materials for girls 3rd grade and up. www.rosaryhs.com/easter
On Friday, April 19 from 8:30-10:30am we will be hosting 7th Grade Girls in the area for a Royal Ramp Up, a glimpse of a day at Rosary High School. www.rosaryhs.com/rampup
On Tuesday, April 23 we will be hosting a Lil" Royal Picasso class from 3:30-4:30pm. This class will be taught by the Art Club and Ms. Krainak. All girls in 3rd grade and up are invited to attend, pre-registration is required and payment is $5 at the door. www.rosaryhs.com/picasso
On Wednesday, April 24 we will be hosting a Royal Taste and Tour for families interested in learning more about Rosary High School from 6:30-7:30pm. www.rosaryhs.com/visit
You are invited! Click to view: Glenbard Parent Series