Pilgrim Lutheran School News
May 10, 2019
Bada Bing, It's Spring!
Pilgrim Presents…Bada Bing! It’s Spring. Today, Friday May 10. This morning’s performance was awesome! Seats are still available for this evening’s performance. Pre-K through Grade 3 are working hard to present a Pilgrim Operetta like no other. Children, teachers and parents have worked hard to ensure a high-quality performance. Thanks to Mrs. Bataneant, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Halter, Mrs. Kato, Ms. Stone, Mrs. Gates, Ms. Sada, Mrs. Fritzand, Mrs. Gast and Mr. Knuth for all their hard work. This is show will make Hamilton look like the work of an amateur! Thanks to our students for stellar work! The last performance is 7:00 p.m. in Maring Hall. Tickets are $4.00 per person and are available in the School Office or at the door.
Teacher Appreciation Week
Thanks you to everyone who helped make a great Teacher Appreciation Week! The PTL did a wonderful job and it was very much appreciated.
- Alison Hays and Saro Loucks for stocking the fridge!
- Anna Lambros and Carrie Goerne for delivering coffee
- Sara Witt for the great flowers
- Kim Czarnopys (and your boss) and Kelly Tobin for the incredible candles
- Tara Karmin for those fabulous t-shirts
- Jessica Ittner and Saro Loucks for the wine and olive oil delivery!
A special thank you to Shellie Riedle, the chair of the committee, and to all the PTL members, a very heartfelt thank you from the staff!
MAP Testing
Students in Grades 1-8 are set to start the Spring MAP tests. Upper Grades test this coming week and Lower Grades the following week. Please make sure that students get enough sleep and a good breakfast before the tests. Check your child’s homeroom newsletter or SIS page for more information about scheduling for the test. MAP tests help teachers to identify skills that individual students need more help to master. For Upper Grade students, MAP is good preparation for the hurdles students face getting into the high schools of their choice. If you have questions about your child’s progress, contact the homeroom teacher.
2019-20 School Calendar
https://pilgrimchicago.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2019-2020-Pilgrim-School-Calendar.doc
Wildcats!
Pilgrim Sports are now officially finished for the 2017-2018 School Year. The Lutheran School League Track Meet enjoyed a beautiful day of sunshine at Chicago Hope Academy. The Pilgrim Wildcats had a great time of running, jumping and throwing. And there were some exciting moments of competition. Congratulations to all our track stars for their hard work. Thanks to our Track coaches Beata Halter, Gavin Swartz and Andrew Yearick for their work with our students. Many thanks to ALL our coaches and athletes who participated in interschool sports this year. We look forward to honoring all our athletes on Sports Awards Day, June 7
PTL News
Upstairs at Pilgrim
When: Tuesday, May 21
Time: 7:00-8:30
Yearbook photos
Thank you CLEF
Thank you to our partners at the Chicagoland Lutheran Educational Foundation (CLEF)! CLEF hosted their annual Teacher Appreciation Dinner last night, and they announced the winners of the teacher “Dream Awards.” Pilgrim teachers had written proposals for three Dream Awards: Mrs. Gates wrote a proposal for a new science curriculum material for the primary grades; Mrs. Raabe and Mr. Yearick requested that CLEF underwrite the Green Team and the worm project; and Ms. Mesirow asked for curriculum materials to support social-emotional learning at Pilgrim. All the Dreams came true! Congratulations to our staff members and thanks again to CLEF!!
Grace Ways Survey
In January all Pilgrim families received an invitation to complete a lengthy survey from Grace Ways, a nation-wide provider of surveys for Christian Schools. This survey was funded by a generous CLEF donor. The survey results are now in and categorizes results into four big quadrants: Thrills (Pilgrim hits a homerun on these); Frills (Pilgrim does well on these, but not as important as Thrills); Fix ME; and Annoy me. We scored 18 Thrills, 8 Frills, 1 Fix Me, and no Annoy Me’s. The one Fix Me was to strengthen the natural science curriculum. The survey results also showed how Pilgrim compares to the other schools around the country that have taken this survey, and we scored about the 80th percentile in 5 areas. Included with the results were all the parent comments. Thanks to all who took this survey. If you would like to see a copy of the results, please contact Principal Comella.
We Need You!
Healthy organizations need fresh, energetic leaders to grow! Currently, several leadership roles are available to parents to take Pilgrim to the next level of excellence. If you are interested in a leadership role with PTL, please contact School Office. Pilgrim is also seeking a new Auction chair for the 2018-2019 program year. Contact Pastor Kristian or Principal Comella if interested. Thanks for your thoughtful consideration of these positions.
BOE
School Board met on Tuesday, May 7, to discuss the 2019-2020 budget year. There was a lively discussion about how we can best use our money to serve the needs of all our children while not overwhelming staff. We also had a report about the Grace Ways survey that 77 of our parents completed. The Pilgrim School Board has also sent out its own brief survey about school climate at Pilgrim. This survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Survey results are an essential component of mapping how we improve our school. If you would like more information about the Pilgrim Climate Survey or Pilgrim’s School Board, please contact Chad Smith, our School Board Chair, or the School Office.
Gift Cards
Now that soccer and baseball seasons have started why not buy some gift cards for those quick lunches/dinners while on the road, such as Subway ($5 & 10), Red Robin $10, Chipotle $10 & 25, Panera $5, 10 25, Potbelly $10, BK $10. Graduation is right around the corner. We bet there is somronr who would love a gift card to start a new phase of their life! Please contact Anne Barsano at 312-972-9040 or cbarsano@aol.com. or drop a form off in the school office to place your order. We have Amazon ($10, $25, $50 and $100), Visa $50 and $100 (already activated). Check the green list for others!
Honoring All Women
This coming Sunday we celebrate all women at the 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services! We will honor all daughters, sisters, aunts, mothers, friends, grandmothers with blessings, prayers, and a gift! This year's service on Mother's Day will be led by our youth!
Celebrating Mrs Halter's Ministry
VBS
Vacation Bible School is scheduled for July 15 - July 19 from 9:00 am - noon. Games, Snacks, Music, Arts and Crafts, and Bible Lessons for kids aged 4 through 5th grade. Youth older than 5th grade are invited to volunteer. Please contact Dana Thomas dlthomas8@sbcglobal.net with your area of interest and availability! To register your child or children, go to: https://tinyurl.com/Pilgrimvbs19 To register as a volunteer, go to: https://tinyurl.com/Pilgrimvbsvol19
Pilgrim Enrollment
Please encourage your friends with kids in Grades 1-8 to take a second look at Pilgrim. They can compare the test scores and track the data about where Pilgrim students successfully enter High School. Our data continues to be some of the best in the neighborhood! Middle School Girls are especially welcome! Upper Grades at Pilgrim are THEEEE place to be!!
Like us on Facebook
Finally, if you missed the list of ways that parents can help at Pilgrim, here are some ideas:
- …in the classroom
- …in the Parent-Teacher League
- …at the Board of Education Meetings: 1st Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.
- …as part of the Marketing Team
- …as part of the Development Group
- …as part of the Technology Team: 1st Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m
- …supporting Pilgrim Fundraisers and purchasing gift cards on a regular basis
- …sharing the good news about Pilgrim with a prospective family (postcards with Open House dates are available in the school office.
Our theme for parents this school year is 100% Participation! Our success as a school and as a living, growing community depends on the reality of every family donating some time, talent and treasure, as each family is able. Thanks for your help and participation.
You are always welcome in classrooms, and I welcome your feedback and questions. Feel free to contact me (ccomella@pilgrimchicago.org) whenever something arises. If you would like to become involved in events and activities hosted by the Parent Teacher League (PTL), please contact Shellie Riedle, Kelly Tobin,or Staff Rep to PTL, Kristen Stone. Parents are also welcome to attend weekly chapel services. The students are always happy to see you there!
Chris Comella, Pilgrim School Principal
Pilgrim Lutheran School
Email: office@pilgrimchicago.org
Website: pilgrimchicago.org
Location: 4300 N Winchester Ave, Chicago, IL, United States
Phone: 773-477-4824
Facebook: facebook.com/pilgrimlutheranchurchandschool