STA August News Brief

Dear Families,

Here we go! We are beginning a new school year

with wonderful students and families. It is a

privilege and honor to serve as principal at

St. Thomas the Apostle. We have a school advisory

Board, administrators, teachers, and staff dedicated

to providing not only the best academic education

possible, but also offering unlimited support to our

students as they grow in faith and prepare for the

challenges of the future.

We are a cohesive team dedicated to meeting the

goals of our mission statement. 2015-2016 will be

a year filled with excitement and opportunity.

Our 2015-16 staff features some familiar faces

and also some new ones. As you read in our July

Newsletter, new teachers are joining us in grades

3, 4, 6 and 7. They come from far and near.

Along with our returning staff, we will have

a great team of educators this year!

We are continually striving to refine and improve

our current academic programs while maintaining

our traditions. We do this by providing active and

Summer Updates! August 2015

engaging instructional practices to meet the

diverse needs of all our STA students.

By sharing our belief in God’s goodness and

living our faith each day, your children are

blessed with a clear advantage in living and

growing in an ever-changing world. Faith

provides the anchor whose value can never be

overestimated. It provides a compass and a

touchstone that will serve your children

well into the future.

St. Thomas the Apostle has been a leader

in education in Hyde Park for over 130 years!

We’re proud to continue to educate the

community’s future leaders in 2015-16.

As we begin this year together, I look forward

to speaking with each of you about your precious

children. May God continue to bless you and

your family each day.

Principal Candace Scheidt

The mission of the St. Thomas

the Apostle School community is

to lead, challenge and encourage

God’s Children in Extraordinary

Variety as they grow in faith,

knowledge, and commitment

to service.

Did you HEAR? We were on the Radio!

We recently were recognized for our excellence on the Catholic School Spirit Show. If you missed our

program that featured administrators, STA students, parents, alumni, and the pastor, you can hear the

podcast at www.catholicschoolspirit.org. One feature of the program was, “Are you smarter than a

St. Thomas fifth grader?” You can hear the student Gospel Choir, too.

The show’s host, Bill McNamee, is in the business of helping people save money on their mortgage and

other debts so that they can more easily afford a Catholic education for their children. Please consider

talking to him to see if he can help you save money. He may be able to make a meaningful difference for

you and your family. He can help you finance a new home closer to our school as well. Here is his contact

information:

BILL MCNAMEE, Vice President, MSI

718 E Schaumburg Road | Schaumburg, IL 60194

O: (630) 748-2125 | C: (630) 776-6706

bmcnamee@msiloans.biz WWW.CATHOLICHOME.NET

Service Hours Each family is expected

to perform 20 hours of

service during the year

to support the school.

This obligation can be met

through a variety of volunteer

opportunities. A long list of

suggested options for

completing your service will

be provided at the Back-to-

School Night. Adult family

members may help fulfill the

service. Some activities can be

completed BEFORE school

starts. If interested, contact

Principal Scheidt regarding

this option.

At the beginning of May,

each parent/guardian

completes an annual report

of how service was provided

to the school. Some service

can be taken home to

complete, some can be

completed on weekends

or in the evening; most

activities involve work at

school. You will learn more

about parent involvement at

the New Family Orientation

and the Back to School Night.

CALENDAR

AUGUST 13: NEW Parent/Guardian Orientation on Thursday

at 6:30 PM in the school gym. Are you new to STA? Were you new

last year, but missed Orientation? Very important information

about the school will be shared with you this evening. At least one

adult from your family MUST attend the meeting prior to the start

of school. We will hold a Q & A period and some of our “veteran”

parents will be present to assist you.

AUGUST 17: Welcome Back Social on Monday from 4:00-5:30 PM

in the gym for ALL families is sponsored by the Home and School

Association. Students are encouraged to bring in their school

supplies and visit classrooms from 4:30-5:30 PM Please join us!

AUGUST 19: School begins! School starts promptly at 8:00 AM for

grades Pre-K-8 and ends at 2:30PM. After-School Care begins

today too. Hot lunch IS served for all who ordered by the July 23rd

deadline. Send a bag lunch if you did not order. No “extra” meals

are available.

AUGUST 20: Full days for ALL in Pre-K– 8th grade start today:

8:00 AM-3:30 PM. Before-Care starts this morning. BE on TIME!

AUGUST 26 and ALL Wednesdays: School dismisses at 2:30 PM.

SEPTEMBER 3: Back-to-School Night in the gym. Display tables and

sign-ups open at 6 PM and the meeting begins at 6:30 PM with all

parents and guardians in attendance! Babysitting is available.

SEPTEMBER 8: Join us for our first all-school Mass at 8:30 AM.

A blessing of the school and classrooms follows immediately after

Mass.

PLEASE NOTE: OPEN HOUSE & CLASSROOM VISITS TAKE

PLACE Sept. 8-10. In order to be fully informed about all of the

upcoming activities this school year, attendance is necessary at

both the Back-to-School Night on September 3rd AND the

individual Classroom Open House Nights.

SEPTEMBER 3

Plan to attend the Back-to-School Night Parent Orientation with all parents and guardians in attendance!

It starts at 6:00 PM and takes place in the GYM. This will be an evening for meeting our teachers, welcom-

ing new parents, renewing acquaintances, and hearing input from the pastor, principal, and parent leaders

about the new school year. Representatives from many groups will have information tables. You will pick up

informational materials and sign up for activities and service opportunities. Classroom visits do not take

place this evening; those are saved for the following week.

SEPTEMBER 8-10

Open House/ Meet-and-Greet Events are a time to meet teachers in their classrooms where they will share

expectations and plans for the coming school year. These take place in September. Please mark these dates

on your calendars now!

Pre-School, Kindergarten, and Grades 1-2: 6:15-7:15 PM on Tuesday, September 8th

Grades 3-4-5: 6:15-7:15 PM on Wednesday, September 9th

Grades 6-7-8: 6:15-8:00 PM on Thursday, September 10th. Families are asked to meet first in the

gym at 6:15 PM for important announcements. Afterward, parents will meet with teachers in their

classrooms from 7:00—8:00 PM.

Students will receive N.U.T. cards (No Uniform Today) for their parents’ attendance at both the

Back-to-School Night AND the Classroom Open Houses. Babysitting IS available this year.

N.U.T. Cards: Students may earn rewards for various actions that result in No Uniform Today Cards. On

these days students are exempt from wearing the school uniform. Clothing must be modest and appropriate

for a Catholic school setting. Any unused cards from 2014-15 may be used until September 30, 2015.

SCHOOL UNIFORM SALES

Gently Used School Uniforms will

be available for purchase beginning

at noon on Tuesday, August 11 in

the school gym. This will be a cash

and carry event. Recycled uniforms

are generally sold for $10 each,

but free will offerings and clothes

exchanges are optional. The honor

system will be used for all

donations for uniforms taken.

We need volunteers for set up and

help with sales early on August 11

and throughout the following days.

Please notify Mrs. Peeples in the

school office if you are able to lend

a hand.

Back-to-School Night AND Classroom Meet-and-Greet Nights

SCHOOL UNIFORMS

Students wear school

uniforms beginning on the first day of school. The uniform

code for 2015-16 includes the

directive to wear SOLID

WHITE or SOLID BLACK gym

shoes with an option to wear

dress shoes as part of the school

uniform. It is preferable to wear

solid white or solid black gym

shoes. “SOLID” means no

stripes, additional colors as a

decoration, or visible edging,

blinking lights, labels

(for example, Nike) or variable color shoe laces. White shoes

are worn with white laces,

black shoes with black laces.

Socks are to be solid colors, too.

They must extend above the

shoe line. Sandals are never

worn to school.

Students may wear the school

uniform (blue walking shorts

with a uniform shirt) in place of

long pants at the start of the

year. Wearing school shorts is

an option for August and

September only.

On all days that students

attend Mass (generally on

Tuesdays), students must wear

the regular full school uniform.

Special occasions may warrant

exceptions to this rule; the

Principal will announce these

changes. The first school Mass

is on September 8th

at 8:30 AM.

Faculty Adventures

Ms. Erin Monahan is STA’s new middle school English and Language

Arts teacher and will also serve as the 6th grade homeroom teacher.

A graduate of St. Joseph’s University, Ms. Monahan began working

toward her Master’s degree at Loyola’s School of Education

this summer. When she wasn’t in class or studying at the library,

the Connecticut native could be found exploring Chicago’s museums,

attending concerts at Millennium Park, or training for a 5 K race.

Ms. Emily Morehart will teach Middle School Literature and

Social Studies. A graduate of the Ohio State University,

Ms. Morehart received her M.Ed. from Loyola University

Chicago. This summer she enjoyed a trip to Colorado with her

family where she went hiking, zip-lining, and climbed

the Manitou Incline, a trail that gains over 2,000 feet of eleva-

tion in less than a mile!

Ms. Shannon Jordan is STA’s new 3rd grade teacher.

She attended Marquette University where she received her Bachelor’s

degree in Elementary Education and Sociology. A resident

of Naperville, Illinois, Ms. Jordan acknowledges summer is her favorite

season and swimming her favorite sport–an ideal combination!

Ms. Selena Rangel joins St. Thomas the Apostle from Dallas,

Texas. Originally from Seguin, Texas, Ms. Rangel received

her B.Ed. in Interdisciplinary Reading and English from

St. Mary’s University and her M.Ed. through Notre Dame’s

Alliance for Catholic Education Initiative. She’s looking forward

to exploring all subjects and Chicago with her 4th grade students.

For most of us, summer in Chicago includes at least one

baseball game at either U.S. Cellular Field or Wrigley Field.

Assistant Principal Mr. Tim Gallo and his dad were no exception.

They scored their own home run when they met Ken “The Hawk”

Harrelson, former American League Player of the Year and current

sportscaster for the Chicago White Sox.

Celebrate Summer

Middle School Science teacher Mrs. Susan Belcastro attended

several professional development programs over the summer

including, TEACH (Teachers and Engineers for Academic

Achievement). Hosted by Northrup Grunman, the program

focused on helping teachers recognize and encourage students

who have the potential to become engineers. Mrs. Belcastro

can’t wait to implement what she learned in her science classes.

When she wasn’t at STA supervising our summer school

program, meeting new families and planning for the 2015-2016

school year, Principal Scheidt could be found in her

“little garden of Eden.” An avid gardener, Ms. Scheidt enjoys

growing vegetables in her city backyard including kale,

romaine lettuce, green beans, onions, and tomatoes.

“For me, gardening is a way to relax and enjoy God’s creation.”

Returning preschool teacher Ms. Jean Lendi spent her summer

working full-time for a cardiology practice as she has for many

years. She also completed the final class in her ESL (English as a

Second Language) program. Ms. Lendi’s free time was spent at

her neighborhood pool, on the beaches in Chicago, and taking

long walks with friends.

Veteran 5th grade teacher Ms. Joan Wilson taught summer school

at STA, but made sure she spent time with family and friends as

well. Together they enjoyed picnics, watched movies, visited new

restaurants, went on shopping sprees and took mini vacations in

two different states. “It has been an amazing summer!”

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. “ - Psalm 32:8

Our unique After School Clubs

and Activities will begin the

week of September 11th.

Programs will be held on a

trimester basis. Look for the

flyers and sign-up forms sent

home the first week of school.

We will send home packets of

information and urge you to

respond promptly to the

programmers if you want your

child to participate. We have

tried hard to include programs

for all grade levels.

Some programs will be held

only one trimester; others,

more frequently, depending

on student interest. Some

programs will continue through

the entire school year. Some

have fees and some are free.

We will schedule the times,

dates and topics. You are

directly responsible to the

presenters for any and all fees.

The following are just some

of the opportunities that will be

available this year:

Hip-Hop Lessons

Piano

Basketball

Soccer

Science Club

Violin

Jr. Speakers Club

Mandarin

Yoga

Guitar

Chess

Little Scholars

After School Clubs Return for 2015-16

The Home and School Association

has planned some exciting events

for the coming year. Their success

depends on parent leadership.

We invite you to step forward and

lend a hand. We appreciate your

time and talents!

Here’s a preview of the coming

months:

September

Back to School Night Give a hand to new families

entering the school.

Welcome them and guide them

through the evening. Sign-up

to volunteer for events.

Parish Picnic Everyone is invited to come to the

10:00 am service on Sunday,

September 13th followed by

a picnic on the parish grounds.

October

Taffy Apple Sale

Halloween Party

Home and School Partnership Fosters Community Spirit

POWER IN NUMBERS HELPS OUR SCHOOL! Students can earn N.U.T.

cards for bringing to school the

following proofs of purchase:

75 Box Tops for Education

75 Campbell’s UPC Codes

Visit mycokerewards.com

and upload your coke

rewards points to

St. Thomas Apostle School

Chicago

25 ink cartridges in any

combination or three cell

phones

November

Game Night & Pot Luck

Book Fair

December

Christmas Bazaar & Chili Luncheon/Bake Sale

January

Catholic Schools Week

February

Father-Daughter Dance

March

Mother-Son Dance

Book Fair

April

STArry Night

May

Reading Week & Mini Book Fair

SCHOOL LUNCHES

There is a change in hot

lunch vendors this year.

Aramark Educational

Services will be providing

the food service to

Archdiocesan Schools for

2015-2016. Lunches are

always ordered a full month

in advance of when they are

served.

Students who ordered hot

lunch by July 23rd may

participate in the hot lunch

program beginning with the

first day of school in August.

Anyone who did not order by

the July 23rd deadline must

bring a lunch for school days

in August.

Order forms will go home in

August for September and

again in early September for

October lunches. Price for

lunch: $2.85. The price for

milk is still 55 cents.

Lunch forms are available

for registered students only.

Sample menus are available

in the school office. Find

more information at

www.fspro.com.

Free and reduced lunch

status remains the same

until September when NEW

application forms are due.

Lunch orders remain in

paper form only.

ATHLETICS IN 2015-2016 Get the Sports Program Discount

on “bundled” sign-ups. When you

sign up your student for more than

one sport, you get a discounted

rate. Our St. Thomas Athletics

Program is well known and

respected in the area. Plan to

meet our Athletic Director,

Mr. Clifton Satterfield, and sign up

for sports on Monday, August 17,

at the Family Social, from

4:30—5:30 PM. Mr. Satterfield

will also be at the NEW FAMILY

Orientation Night. You can sign up

your children for sports and

volunteer as a coach or assistant

coach this year.

As we prepare for a new school

year, we enlist your help to support

the ban on “junk food,” as well as

high fat and high sugar food and

drinks at our school. Peanuts and

products containing nuts should

not be brought to school. These

items may have a serious impact

on children with allergies.

St. Thomas the Apostle School,

along with all schools in the

nation, continues to implement a

Health and Wellness Policy that

promotes healthy exercise and

nutritious eating habits.

Healthy desserts and treats are

encouraged as substitutes for

sugary or high fat products for

treats or lunch. We ask that you

avoid sending sugary cupcakes or

donuts for birthday celebrations.

A variety of healthy alternatives

are available that are delicious,

too.

Nutritional Guidelines Continue to Guide Our Students

We are very aware of students

who have severe allergies,

especially to peanuts or any type

of tree nuts. Even the

aroma of nuts can cause

serious harm to some children.

For that reason, we request that

you refrain from sending snacks

or lunches containing nut

products, such as peanut butter.

Sometimes the very smell of

peanuts can cause an allergic

reaction to those in proximity.

Please do not send soda/pop

in school lunches. We will not

serve it at our Fun Lunches

or for snacks on Spirit Day.

We will continue our efforts

to serve fresh fruit and

vegetables and nourishing

water.

We won the Race for Education for a third year in a row! Thanks to the generosity of parents and grandparents, friends, neighbors and members of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, STA crossed the Race for Education’s finish line in style, raising $23,170 and surpassing last year’s total of $20,250! Donations flowed in during the weeks prior to and even after our Race held on May 29rd. Students enjoyed their jaunt around Stagg Field at the University of Chicago. Kudos to event coordinators, Marcella Wheatley assisted by Raquel Irvin and a team of volunteers who set the winning pace! Many helping hands have been instrumental in making this fundraiser a huge success with a tremendous profit-margin. And yes, we will do it again in 2016. The Race

is on for funds to support the purchase of more technology for our school.

Welcome to Our Wonderful Faculty & Staff! TEACHERS SPECIALS TEACHERS OFFICE STAFF

Pre-K-3 Mrs. Jean Lendi Art Mrs. Denise Smolarek School Secretary Mrs. Marlyn Peeples

Pre-K-4 Dr. Marina Mardus Spanish Ms. Marisela Carrillo Office Clerk Mr. Jonathan Mitchell

K Mrs. Faith Jones P.E. Coach Abe Carreon Admin. Assistant Mrs. Carol Perlut

1 Ms. Mary Alice Acton Music Mr. Willie Jones Hot Lunch Coordinator

2 Ms. Jaclyn Damico (McNamee) Computer Mrs. Julie Niederer Mrs. Caryn McNulty

3 Ms. Shannon Jordan Librarian Mrs. Julie Niederer

4 Ms. Selena Rangel Catechist Mrs. Julie Niederer EXTENDED CARE

5 Ms. Joan Wilson Title I Ms. Christine Kudia Morning Care Dr. Marina Mardrus

6 Ms. Erin Monahan After-Care Dir. Mr. Jonathan Mitchell

7 Ms. Emily Morehart TEACHER ASSISTANTS Office Manager Ms. Raquel Irvin

8 Mrs. Xanthoula Melachrinidis Grade 1 Reading Sister Marcene After Care Supervisors: Pat Bennett

Middle School Science

Mrs. Susan Belcastro

Pre-Kindergarten Ms. Jackie Elms Julianna Davis

Mrs. Banah Abou Robeieh Jackie Elms

ADMINISTRATION Mrs. Katy Norkett Villa Gordon

Pastor Rev. Elias O’Brien, O. Carm. Kindergarten Ms. Tamisha Holifield Marguerita Langford

Principal Ms Candace Scheidt Aimee Tolson

Assistant Principal Mr. Tim Gallo Joan Wilson

Director of Advancement Mrs. Cecily Fultz