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WELCOME TO SBCA

September, 2013 Welcome to our 2013-2014 school year. It is always so exciting to start a new school year. We have some new students, a new teacher's assistant in Gr. 3/4, Ms. Becca Steigerwald, a new preschool aide, Mrs. Andrea Gertonson, and a new Computer teacher, Mrs. Stefanie Klupshas. We have worked hard over the summer making some very exciting plans for an eventful school year. It was great to see all the families at the Back to School Picnic. We are truly blessed with beautiful children and wonderful parents. Tomorrow is the 19th ANNUAL RIBFEST !! This year we've dedicated the whole area between the Quonset Hut and the Rectory for the KIDS !! We will have a three-person climbing wall, a 50ft. Obstacle course and 12 different Carnival games for the kids to have FUN !! Besides the mouth-watering ribs (and the Rib Contest), we will also be selling walking tacos, burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob and many other treats. PLEASE COME and invite your neighbors and friends. Se you there !! Please plan on attending the Back To School Parent Night this Tuesday, Sept. 10th at 7:00 pm. It's a great opportunity to meet your children's teachers and to meet new parents. It's been a great start for the new school year - thanks for your support. Mrs. Baumann January, 2013 Dear Parents, It certainly is a busy time of the year for us. We are busily planning our annual Catholic Schools Week and Open House and we hope you will be a part of it. On Sunday, January 27th we will celebrate the opening of our Catholic Schools Week at 10:30 Mass. After Mass, we will proceed to O'Brien Hall where our students will perform a few songs and then everyone is invited to participate in the Open House and Book Fair. Please plan on attending.

Registration forms for next year went out to every family today. The Archdiocese is requiring every school to include a registration fee for next year. Our registration fee for the 2013-14 school year will be $100 HOWEVER if you register before March 1st you are eligible for a 50% discount ($50). We hope we can count on every family to act as ambassadors and tell your friends, neighbors and co-workers about our great school. Lawn signs will be available at our Open House on Sunday, Jan.27th or at our school office after that date- please take one and proudly post it on your lawn.

Please check our website for several upcoming events- Family Bingo night, Father-Son night and February Basketball camp, etc.

Stay warm and thanks for your support, Mrs. Baumann

October, 2012 Dear Parents, Many new things are happening around our great school ! Last Friday many parents attended our Parent-Teacher conferences and were very pleased with their children's accomplishments. Our students and teachers are working very hard to see to it that every child succeeds at St. Bernadette. We're off to a great start !

Our Innisbrook fundraiser was very successful - our students (with the help of their parents) sold over $10,000 in Innisbrook. Thank you !!

This Sunday, Oct. 28th, Msgr. Prist will be celebrating the 10:30 Mass and the parish is having a farewell reception for him in O'Brien Hall. Please join us if you can. Msgr. has done wonderful things for our school and parish - we will miss him a lot.

This week is Drug-Awareness Week and Anti-Bullying Week. Our students are encouraged to practice peace and to be a friend to all !

Next week is Halloween and also the eve of All Saints Day. We will have our annual Halloween parade out on the blacktop and many other fun activities are planned. On All Saints Day the teachers and students will attend Mass and at the same time they will meet our new pastor, Fr. Benedykt Pazdan.

Don't forget to check the wiki spaces of your children's teachers. Thanks for your support.

Mrs. Baumann

September, 2012 Dear Parents, Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year! If it is your first year at SBCA, I look forward to getting to know your child and working with you as partners in his/her education. For our "SBCA veteran parents" - thanks for your continued support and I look forward to another great year !! The beginning of a new school year always brings excitement, hope and anticipation on the part of the students, parents, and teachers alike. Please join us on Tuesday, Sept. 11th for our Back to School parent meeting. This meeting is very important. The first part of the meeting we go through some procedures/expectations that are vital to your children's success at SBCA. During the second part of the meeting you will have the opportunity to meet your child's/children's teachers and hear of their expectations. Please join us at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, Sept. 11th. Also mark your calendars for our 18th Annual Ribfest on Saturday, Sept. 22nd. If you'd like to sign up to cook or be a sponsor please contact me at 708-422-6429. We are also looking for additional workers, please contact Cheri McKeown at 708-422-4283. Yesterday was our annual kick-off assembly for our annual Innisbrook fundraiser. This major fundraiser generates funds used for programs for the students and other "extras" for the kids. Please support this important fundraiser !!

Thanks for your continued support, Mrs. Baumann Dear Parents, HAPPY NEW YEAR! The school year is just flying by. We are already busily making preparations for our next school year with registrations, Open House, school tours to new families, etc. Please join us on Sunday, January 29th for 9:00 Mass and for our Open House which follows from 10:00-11:00. The theme of Catholic Schools Week is "Faith, Service and Academics". This is a perfect theme for St. Bernadette Catholic Academy because we excel at all three. We foster our faith in everything we learn and everything we do together as a faith community. Our students learn to care for each other as well as those who are not as fortunate in doing service projects throughout the year. We are very proud of our excellent academic program which is enhanced by our implementation of technology. Please invite a coworker, neighbor or friend to join us at the Open House - we are counting on our parents to act as ambassadors of our outstanding school. Thanks for your continued support, Mrs. Arlene Baumann Dear Parents, We have just completed our first trimester and I do have to say that the time just flew by. The teachers and I are very pleased with our students' successes. I hope you are equally pleased when you receive your child's/children's report cards next Wednesday. One of our concerns is that a few of our students are having a very difficult time completing their homework. Our homework philosophy at SBCA is to assign homework that will reinforce what the children learned during the day. Students are not assigned "busy work" - rather they are given work that will review their daily lessons. Please work with your child and check to see if they are completing their homework on a daily basis. Also, students may log into Study Island (Gr. 1-8), ALEKS Math (Gr. 3-8), Reading Eggs (Preschool & Kdg.) for 15-20 minutes each day if they have extra time. Also, it goes without saying, curling up with a good book in this cold weather is always fun. Our Student Council members are sponsoring our Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. Their goal is 500 cans or non-perishable food items. All items will be sent to the Evergreen Park Village Pantry. Thanks for your generosity in our service projects. Our "Gifts From Home" project was a great success. We sent many items for the troops as well as Christmas cards and drawings done by the students. I am sure they will be greatly appreciated. Tomorrow is Veteran's Day. We will have a special Veteran's Day Prayer Service at 11:00 a.m. Students were given red, white or blue stars and asked to put the name of a relative or friend who has served in the Armed Forces. We will remember all these veterans as we pray together. Have a blessed Thanksgiving - enjoy your families at this special time of the year. Mrs. Baumann Dear Parents, It's hard to believe that it is already "mid-trimester". The reports for grades 3-8 will be going home on Wed.,  Oct. 5th. Our Kindergarten-2nd grade students were tested with DIBELS this past week to identify any Reading weaknesses the students might have. Our kindergarteners took a Kindergarten Readiness Test this week. All classes are working hard on the Study Island Computer program while the Preschool (4 year olds) and Kindergarteners started the Reading Eggs Computer program. Thanks to our Family and School for providing  us with these programs. Gr. 3-8 are already well into the ALEKS Math program and progressing amazingly. WOW ! We have definitely had a busy start of the year. Thanks to all who participated in the Innisbrook fundraiser - we'll keep you posted on the profits as soon as we  get the final figures. Don't forget to "save the date" for Bring Your Parent to School Day - Thursday, Oct. 20th. Also, I look forward to seeing you at Parent Teacher conferences on Friday, Oct. 14th.

Thanks for your cooperation and support, Mrs. Arlene Baumann You may contact me at sbca.baumann@yahoo.com