December 3, 2014

Dear Parents,

"Prepare the way of the Lord."  Our glorious season of Advent has begun, and we look forward to seeing you at all the wonderful events that we have to celebrate the Christmas Season as a community.  The Scoop, our website, and our calendars have all the information you need to make sure you don't miss a minute of the fun.  I encourage you to check out our interactive Advent Calendar that can be found on our website.  You may recognize some of the voices that are singing and reading stories, so check it out as a family each day of Advent.

If you are available, we would love to see you at our Mass on December 8 to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  This is always one of my favorite Feast Days, and our students do a beautiful job with the Mass.

Continued thanks for all you do for St. Cletus and especially for our students.

Sincerely,

Margaret Hayes

Principal

St. Cletus Pizza Night is Tomorrow (Sponsored by the FSA and Mattone Restaurant)

       Pizza pickup is tomorrow, Thursday, December 4.

       Click HERE for the pizza flyer.

Dining for Dollars is Next Tuesday

       McDonald's Restaurant, La Grange Road, Countryside

       Tuesday, December 9, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

       No flyer is required.  A percentage of all purchases--drive-through or dine-in--will go toward the St. Cletus FSA school programs.

       READ MORE.

Save the Date, Students in Grades 4-8

       The St. Cletus Roller Skating Party will be held on Monday, December 29, at Fleetwood Roller Rink in Summit and is open to students in grades 4-8.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and we are asking parents to pick up at 9:00 p.m.  Parents are welcome to stay if they choose.

       Pre-sale tickets will be sold during lunch for $6.00 per student.  Tickets sold at the door will be $8.00.  Students may bring their own skates or rent them at the rink for $3.00.

FSA's "Winter Fest," Friday, January 9

       The FSA invites all pre-school through 3rd grade students and their younger siblings to our "Winter Fest" on Friday, January 9, 2015, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Morrissey Hall.  The invitation is going home in this week's family envelope.  R.S.V.P. by December 19.

       Winter Fest needs your help and donations!  Please check out THIS LINK and sign up to help and/or bring in a much-needed item to ensure Winter Fest's success.  This link is also for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students to sign up for service hours.  Any questions, please e-mail Lupe McKeehan or call (312) 823-9152.

Young Rembrandts Program, Students in Grades 1-6

       Does your child like to draw?  St. Cletus is offering a fundamental drawing class that teaches the basic skills, art techniques, art vocabulary, and history to expand your child's creativity, imagination, and confidence.  The class is taught by Young Rembrandts and is offered after school in January for grades 1-6.  There are limited spots available, and registration ends on December 5.  For more information and to sign up, see THIS FLYER.

2015-16 Re-Enrollment for Current Families Has Begun

       School families received an e-mail/letter from Mrs. Hillgoth and Ms. Hayes with instructions for on-line re-enrollment and a link to the FACTS Management site for your $50.00 deposit.

       Please Note: to prevent late fees, we scheduled the re-enrollment deposit due date for May 2015.  Auto Pay families accounts are scheduled to withdraw this payment in May, unless you schedule it sooner. So, we are asking all families, including those using Auto Pay, to schedule your deposit by December 15, 2014.  Please visit your FACTS Incidental Expenses account and open the 2015-16 school year to make your payment. 

       On December 15, 2014, St. Cletus School enrollment will open up to the general public, and class openings will be available to all on a first-come, first-
served basis.  Thank you for your timely re-enrollment!

See Our Students Perform in Upcoming Musical

       Leapin' lizards!  Did you know that there are more than a dozen St. Cletus Cardinals performing in the upcoming Footlight Players of the La Grange Park production of "Annie Jr." in early December?  Show your support for these starlets as well as community theater by attending one or more of the following shows (two casts) at Park Junior High School.

       The Red Cast performs on Friday, December 5, at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 6, at 2:30 p.m. starring Emma Karczewski, Catie Ramicone, Colleen Ramicone, Jon Ramicone, Ryan Beauregard, Carley Nicoletti, Emi Kapusta, Gabi Kapusta, Natalie Kapusta, Julia Vincent, Beth Bourjaily, Katelyn O'Toole, Annie Petrak, and Molly Banos.  The Blue Cast features Charlotte Tibbs on December 6 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 7, at 2:30 p.m.  Tickets will be available at the door. 

       See the "Annie Jr." Flyer!

Lands' End School Contest 

       Win a 3-D printer for our school!  Click HERE for details. 

Volunteers Still Needed

       Advent Giving Tree Volunteer Opportunities for 6th, 7th & 8th Graders

            Saturday, December 13, and Sunday, December 14, after all weekend Masses, Church: collecting and organizing Giving Tree gifts

       Sunday, December 14--7th & 8th Grade Students Only, 2:00-6:30 p.m., Church: sorting of gifts in Church; loading vans for delivery to St. Agatha's, and storing local community gifts in room 201 of the education building.  Students must come with an adult as a partner.

       Sunday, December 21, 7:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Morrissey Hall: Giving Tree-- accepting and organizing food baskets and gifts; and/or

       1:00-7:00 p.m., Morrissey Hall: distribution of baskets/gifts and clean-up.  Students must come with an adult, or if in a group, one adult to every five students.  It is not necessary to work the entire morning/afternoon but at least 2-hour shifts, please.  To volunteer or for more information, e-mail Mary Beth Ford or call (708) 215-5418.

Aftercare Notifications

       Please contact the school office NO LATER THAN 2:00 p.m. for Aftercare notifications.  The office needs plenty of time to get your messages to your child(ren)'s teachers.

       School Office:   attendance@stcletusparish.com or call (708) 352-4820

       Copy Teacher:  [first initial last name @ stcletusparish.com]  

St. Cletus Parish Preferred Providers

       Thank you to the following St. Cletus Parish providers. Your patronage to the vendors would be most appreciated.

       Adolf Funeral Home & Cremation Services (630) 325-2300

       Adventist Hinsdale Hospital (630) 856-9000

       Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital (708) 245-9000

       All Around Amusement (815) 725-2323

       Annella Family 

       Bannerville USA, Inc. (630) 455-0304

       CJ Wilson Mazda of Countryside (708) 354-2700

       Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage/Dave Sipek (708) 352-4840

       Friends of the Capital Campaign

       Hallowell & James Funeral Home (708) 352-6500

       JH Web Marketing, Inc. (708) 352-7417

       Bill Jacobs Land Rover Hinsdale (630) 615-5712

       Lumes Pancake House/Bona Pit/Klapsis Family (773) 233-2323

       Royal Envelope (773) 376-1212

       R.W.S. Landscaping & Lawncare (708) 489-6333

       Southwest Town Mechanical (708) 460-7330

       Mark and Margaret Bentley

       Hurley Construction (630) 660-3558

       Lagunitas Brewing Co.

       Ledo's Pizza (708) 354-4500

       El Patron A Modern Taqueria (773) 677-0629

       Windy City Music (708) 588-0001

Target's Take Charge of Education Program

       Shop at Target and support our school.  Read their Flyer to see how!

DATES TO REMEMBER

December 4:        FSA's "Pizza Night"

December 8:        All-School Mass, 9:00 a.m., Church

December 9:        Advent Reconciliation (Grades 3-8), 9:00 a.m., Church 

December 9:        Dining for Dollars, 5:00-7:00 p.m., McDonald's, Countryside

December 11:      Christmas Program (Grades 1-4), 7:00 p.m., Morrissey Hall

December 17:      Band Concert, 7:00 p.m., Morrissey Hall

December 18:      Dress Down Day, Bring $1.00

December 19:      All-School Mass, 9:00 a.m., Church

December 22 -

January 2, 2015:  NO SCHOOL: Christmas and New Year's Break

January 5:            Classes Resume 

Archdiocesan "Partners in Education": Link to Monthly Newsletter

Partners in Faith: Link to December Newsletter

Nazareth Academy 2014 Entrance Exam

       Saturday, January 10, 2015, 8:00 a.m.

       Please bring two #2 pencils.  $25.00 exam fee; no calculators; no pre-registration required.  Exam concludes at 11:30 a.m.

       Optional parent gathering: 8:15-9:15 a.m. (Q & A session with refreshments)

Montini Catholic High School's Holiday Extravaganza

       When:     Tuesday, December 9, 4:00-7:30 p.m.

Notre Dame High School for Girls' Breakfast with Santa

       When:      Sunday, December 7

       Where:     Notre Dame's Activity Center and Gym, 3115 N. Mason Ave.,

                         Chicago

       RSVP:      (773) 622-9494

La Grange Little League 2015 Open Registration, December 1-15, 2014

       Go to Flyer.

Breakfast with Santa

       Saturday, December 6, 9:00-11:00 a.m.

       Meadowbrook Manor, 339 S. 9th Avenue, La Grange

       The morning will include a fantastic breakfast, photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and face painting and balloons, by West Suburban Clown Club.

       Bring your own camera for photos.  Please call (708) 354-4660 with the number of attendees.  This event is FREE of charge.

Holiday Open House & Bake Sale

       Sunday, December 7, 12:00-4:00 p.m.

       La Grange Area Historical Society, 444 S. La Grange Road, La Grange

       Event includes gifts and visits with Santa (bring your own camera), holiday music, Christmas gift shop, hot cocoa & refreshments, and marshmallow roasting (weather permitting).

       This event is FREE of charge. Questions? Call Tina Stelmack at (708) 937-9120.

Scoop Article Deadline:  Mondays by 3:00 p.m. to scoop@stcletusparish.com

       Flyers must be pre-approved by the school office and submitted by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday preceding the Wednesday Scoop publication.

       Articles for publishing for non-St. Cletus-related events (no flyers) should be one to two sentences and may include a link to a website and/or an e-mail address.

School Office:  (708) 352-4820