MCCHS FRIDAY FOCUS
Pilgrims on the Way of Truth
13th Edition December 9, 2016
We have been very fortunate to have our significant snow-falls of the year occur over the weekends (click here for this weekend's Winter Storm Watch information.) Should we ever have to implement an emergency school closing, we will activate our automated phone messaging system, update our school website, and list in the Emergency Closing Center. Please encourage your students to have adequate outer-gear, especially those waiting at bus-stops. Also, student-drivers should give themselves extra driving time during inclement weather, and have a fully-stocked emergency kit in their car (blankets, extra gloves, road-side safety kit, windshield washer fluid, etc.)
Finally, that said - please communicate any lateness/absences as quickly as possible. We begin to account for ALL students the minute the 8:05 am bell rings. If there is no phone call, we (like all parents!) start assuming the worst - especially when the weather is bad. Please help us keep all of the students safe this winter! Our Attendance Hotline # is (815) 338-4220 ext. 299 and is available 24 hours/day.
ERROR in last week's Friday Focus:
Please forgive the error in last week's newsletter. We had shared the Senior Portrait selection instructions with you, but erroneously based the login instructions on families with SENIOR SIBLINGS or shared last names. For those families, the instructions are correct (to use first name initial.) However, for the majority of the families, please use only the first three letters of your last name, followed by the date of birth. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. All senior families should have received an instruction post-card from DeWane Studio with the correct login information for your family.
We still have about 72 senior families who have NOT logged in to select their child's Senior Portrait. If you haven't done so already, please do this now (linked below.) This ONLY selects what portrait will be used for both YEARBOOK and the COMPOSITE class photo displayed in the Gym Commons. Even if you do not have a preference, please take a moment to authorize which portrait should be used.
Week At-A-Glance: December 10 - 16, 2016
Since the clubs and activities have now settled into regular meeting times, we will try to include as many of them here as possible. Please encourage your student that it's never too late to become involved in something here at Marian! As you can see by the variety listed, there is something for everyone!
Monday, Dec. 12, 2016
- 7:30 am - CIA (Catholics in Action) meeting in room 229
- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Underclassmen Portrait Retakes in Gym Commons
- 2:35 pm - Math Club meeting in room 126
- 2:45 pm - Club Med meeting in room 123
- 6:00 pm - Music Education Services presents Catholic Middle School Christmas band concert in Auditorium
Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016
Extended Mentor Homeroom
- 2:35 pm - Scholastic Bowl meeting in room 218
- 2:40 pm - Business Club Meeting in room 219
- 2:40 pm - Gavel Club meeting in room 218
- 2:45 pm - Ping Pong Club in Auditorium Commons
- 2:45 pm - Chess Club meeting in room 129
- 5:30 pm - Boys FR. Basketball vs Richmond Burton in Aux Gym
- 5:30 pm - Boys Soph. Basketball vs Richmond Burton in Landers Pavilion
- 7:00 pm - Boys FR. Basketball vs Richmond Burton in Aux Gym
- 7:00 pm - Boys VAR. Basketball vs Richmond Burton in Landers Pavilion
Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016
Junior Day Retreat / Senior Day Retreat
- 7:30 am - Student Executive Council meeting in room 123
- 7:30 am - Safe Drivers' Club meeting in room 218
- 2:30 pm - Key Club Christmas Party in Cafeteria
- 2:30 pm - Art Club in room 110
Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016
Locker Clean-Out Day
- 2:35 pm - Scholastic Bowl in room 218
- 2:40 pm - FOR Club Meeting in Guidance
Friday, Dec. 16, 2016 - Spirit Dress Down Day
- 7:30 am - NHS meeting in Auditorium
- 8:00 am - 9:30 am - Principal's Coffee in Cafeteria (RSVP above!)
- 3:00 pm - Cheer/Poms/Basketball Dinner in Cafeteria
- 5:30 pm - Boys FR Basketball vs St. Patrick in Aux Gym
- 5:30 pm - Boys SOPH Basketball vs St. Patrick in Landers Pavilion
- 7:00 pm - Boys FR Basketball vs St. Patrick in Aux Gym
- 7:00 pm - Boys VAR Basketball vs St. Patrick in Landers Pavilion (Christmas Co-ed Dance at Half-Time of Varsity Game!)
These are just the highlights of the activities happening this week at Marian. For a more detailed calendar, including all away games and practices, please visit our 8to18 Athletics Calendar. Or, click here for a more detailed look at the Marian Central school calendar (non-athletic.)
Highlights & News
End of Semester Approaching!
GRADES: Please encourage your students to make sure that all missing/late work is addressed prior to Christmas break! It always works to everyone's advantage to begin those conversations early. Also, Christmas break is a great opportunity to review class notes to help prepare for exams which are scheduled for January 10-12th.
TUITION PAYMENTS: Our policy states that no student will be allowed to take first semester exams unless his/her tuition is current. A minimum of one-half of the family tuition must be paid prior to the first semester exam dates (January 10th-12th.) Tuition payments are always accepted in the front office, or for your convenience may be made on the school's website. Click here to go directly to the Online Payment Form.
Interested in Taking a FULL Practice ACT?
This January, our wonderful library administrator is offering an opportunity for Sophomores and Juniors to take a COMPLETE ACT test, spread out over two after-school sessions. The testing will take place on January 18th (2:30 pm - 5:00 pm) and January 19th (2:30 pm - 4:15 pm). These are official practice tests from ACT, and students will receive scaled scores for each test section and subsection. This is an opportunity for Marian students to get an idea of the types of questions they will be seeing on the real test. They will also experience the ACT testing environment, complete with proctored instructions, ACT rules, and more than one test in one sitting.
Test seating is limited to the first 25 students to register. If you are interested, please print the form linked below, complete the signature block, and return it to the Marian office no later than January 13th. You will be notified by email once your form has been received. Watch the Marian website for information on the number of seats available!
Practice ACT Test Registration
Remember - deadline for signing up is January 13th!
Planning Time Off? PLEASE KNOW OUR REQUIRED PROCEDURES!
If you are planning to take THREE or more days off school, you MUST send your notification in writing to the school office at least ONE WEEK prior to the dates requested. The school office then issues a "Student Advanced Notice Leave Form" that the student must take from class to class to have teachers fill out. As this Christmas break approaches, please plan communication accordingly with the front office. For example - if your student will not be at school Mon - Wed, Dec. 19 - 21st (even with the 21st as a half-day) you must have your written request turned into the school office by Monday, December 12th.
Every day, we work through attendance issues as quickly as possible to make sure all students are safe and accounted for. Knowing these absences in advance help expedite this necessary process.
Here's the link to the Student Handbook (please see page 19 for more information!)
Do you live in McHenry? Can you help with a carpool next year?
The Admissions Office has an incoming freshman family for the 2017-2018 school year that would like to connect with a carpool to provide a ride to and from school. The family lives just off Rt. 31 in McHenry. Please contact Mike Maloney at (815) 338-4220 ext. 108, or email at mmaloney@marian.com if you may be able to help. Thank you!
Attention Seniors working on college applications!
Please be aware that the Guidance office is closed during Christmas break. If you are applying to any colleges/universities that have application deadlines of January 1st through January 15th, you will need to turn in your transcript and recommendation (if applicable) requests to Guidance by no later than Monday, December 12th, in order to give our staff enough time to process your request. If you are using the Common Application, this also means that you will need to at least invite Mrs. Reed, the senior counselor, by that time too (December 12th.) If you are unsure of how to do any of this, please stop by the Guidance Office before December 12th!