MCCHS FRIDAY FOCUS
160th EDITION: August 21, 2020
From the Desk of Mike Shukis, Superintendent
Dear Marian Central Families,
Even through this time of uncertainty, stress, confusion, and general unrest, I am still very excited to officially be recognized as the new Superintendent of Marian Central, and I am looking forward to the 2020-2021 school year. During this current crisis there are a number of us looking for answers, apprehensive about the future, and simply uncomfortable with the numerous “unknowns” that we all are confronted with. I believe strongly that we, as school leaders, should never be thought of as all-powerful or (especially at this time) all-knowing. Instead, Administration should take a page from Job 6:14, a despairing person should have kindness from his friend, “so that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty”. Marian’s goal at this time will be to become more loving and more holy. It should be clear that the more we become like Him in these two attributes, the less we all will struggle.
At this time, I would ask our Marian Central family and our community to do our best to reflect the image of God to all those around us. This is, of course, not easy. How do we work on becoming “holy” when we feel so powerless to control all the unknowns that currently surround us? How can we be “loving” when others do not share our thoughts and feelings towards this epidemic, politics, and other culturally significant issues? The answer, at least for Marian Central, is to look at grace. To put it simply, grace is unconditional love and acceptance and is often considered the first ingredient necessary for growing up in the image of God. This love, through grace, is the foundation upon which all healing of the human spirit rests. Let’s allow grace to be a pillar and a characteristic for all those who attend and work at Marian Central.
Once again, I am excited to team with you, our new leadership team, and the returning faculty, to provide the highest quality of Catholic education and foster an overall environment that allows each student to grow in mind, body, and spirit.
Please feel free to e-mail me with questions, comments, or concerns. I can be reached at mshukis@marian.com or by calling the school at (815) 338-4220 x101.
In Person Learning Attendance
Back to School Night - Virtual Style
Please note - Tuesday, August 25th will remain a noon dismissal for students. Tuesday, September 8th will remain a full day of classes.
Empower Illinois
Kids only get one chance at a quality education! If you weren't able to join the Empower Illinois webinar on Tuesday and are interested in getting a tax credit, view the recording here. Donors to Empower IL can provide scholarships for families in need and receive a 75% credit on their Illinois state taxes. Learn more here.
Napoli Lunch Option
Due to COVID-19, we are unable to prepare hot lunch in our cafeteria. However, we felt it was important to still provide a hot lunch option to make it easier on parents. We are excited to announce that Marian has partnered with Napoli Pizza, who will provide one meal per day. All meals will be $6, which will include an entrée and side. Families will place their lunch order directly on Napoli’s website. All orders must be placed no later than 8 am on the day your student will be eating that particular lunch. All meals ordered after 8 am will be provided the next day and will be that day’s menu item. Napoli Pizza will be available for lunch starting on Monday, August 24.
Click here for the Napoli lunch menu for August.
Click here for instructions on how to place an order with Napoli.
The Napoli monthly menu, a link to their website, and ordering instructions are available through the Marian website by clicking "Students", then "Cafeteria Menu".
Face Masks
Each student was provided one cloth reusable mask with the Marian Central logo to wear if they choose. Please remind your student to bring a mask to school every day - and keep a spare in his/her backpack. Marian Central reusable masks are available for purchase in the office for $5 each.
Lanyards/Student IDs
Save the Date - Virtual Trivia & Poker Night
Saturday, September 26
Zoom
6:30 pm Trivia / 7:00 pm Poker
More details to follow
Parking Lot Reminders
- School buses drop off and pick up in front of the Theater Entrance. Please refrain from parking in this area.
- PACE buses are picking up and dropping off near Door #1. These buses will move past the parent pickup line and stop at the concrete area furthest east of Door #1.
- Car drop off/pick up is typically at Door #1. When picking up your student, it is important to pull up to just in front of the concrete area in front of Door #1.
- While in the pick up line, please do not block the "jock lot" exits (parking lot west of the building) so that students can still exit that lot.
- After picking up your student, please pull up to the turn-around midway between Door #1 and the Theater doors and turn left. But please do NOT pass the school buses that are loading students (with their stop sign out). This is illegal.
- If your car is parked in a parking spot while you are waiting to pick up your student, it is advisable to park far enough west of the turn around so that it can be utilized safely.
Please remind your student drivers that driving and parking in the Marian Central Catholic parking lot is a privilege and can be revoked if students do not adhere to the expectations, including:
- The Marian parking tag must always be hanging from the rear view mirror.
- Cars must be parked correctly in a single parking space.
- Speeding will not be tolerated.
- Cars must stop at ALL stop signs.
- Leave promptly after getting to your car (no hanging out in cars in the parking lot).
Thank you for assisting us as we continue to ensure our school and those who visit are safe!
College Corner
Mark your calendars for Financial Aid Information Night. This program is taking place on Tuesday, September 22nd at 6:30 PM. At this point, this program will be virtual, but stay tuned in case we’re able to switch it over to an in-person event. This event is geared more toward parents than students, but students are certainly welcome to attend.
Our presenter will be Susan Teerink, the Director of Student Financial Services at Marquette University in Milwaukee. Susan does a fantastic job explaining how financial aid applications calculate a family’s financial need and answers many questions about need-based financial aid for college.
Please contact Mr. Stamatakos with any questions about Financial Aid Information Night!
Senior Portraits - Planning Ahead
Senior portrait days are right around the corner. Seniors are not required to wear uniforms for their senior portraits. However please remember that these photos are the traditional yearbook “portrait” that features each student’s head and upper torso, which is why we require ALL students to wear dress pants or uniform pants and appropriate shoes. Masks and lanyards will be required all day and will be removed only for the photo.
Senior Women (Tuesday, September 22nd):
Appropriate attire on this day includes dress pants or uniform pants and a blouse or sweater that covers the shoulders. Dresses/skirts are not allowed. No nose rings/studs, facial piercing, and no more than two earrings per ear will be permitted on girls. Since students are expected to follow a full day of course scheduling, appropriate and comfortable shoes are recommended. High heels are discouraged.
Senior Men (Wednesday, September 23rd):
Suitable dress on this day includes a white shirt and tie, a sport coat or suit coat, and dress pants or uniform pants. No nose rings/studs, facial hair, facial piercing, and no earrings will be permitted on boys.
Hair for girls and boys must conform to Student Handbook guidelines.
Additional information regarding choosing your photo, order copies and more will be shared soon.
Congratulations as we celebrate this exciting milestone!
Around Town
Family Directory
Each family will have the ability to view the demographic information of other Marian families directly through the Portal. Each family also has a choice of what information, if any, they would like to keep visible for other families to view. At this time, each family’s, name, address and main telephone number will be visible to other families through the online directory. If you would like to restrict your information from viewing, please follow the steps below by Friday, August 28th.
· Log on to your student’s portal.
· You should see your name on the top right - choose “Directory Listing” from the drop-down menu.
· If you would like to restrict viewing completely, uncheck the top box. If you would like to allow viewing, leave the check, then check only the information you would like to share (emails will not appear in the Directory).
· Click on “Save Directory Settings”.
It’s that easy! Then, beginning Monday, August 31st, you can view the Directory by clicking “Directory” on the left side above your student’s photo. There you will find an alphabetical listing of those families who have chosen to share their information.
Please remember that this Directory is not intended to be used for solicitation of any kind. If you have any questions, please contact the office at 815-338-4220.