MCCHS FRIDAY FOCUS
122nd EDITION: August 16, 2019
Pilgrims on the Way of Truth
From the Desk of...
Welcome back to what is sure to be an exciting year at Marian Central Catholic High School. The faculty and staff take great pride in providing your children with the best “faith-based” academic program possible. The success of a Catholic school depends on the positive partnership that exists between home and school. Marian is blessed to have so many supportive parents and alums.
On Monday, August 12, our faculty and staff participated in our annual opening school in-service. The day was filled with presentations and activities that foster collaboration, enhance communication, and promote current trends in teaching and learning. As a faculty and staff, we believe Catholic identity is very important. One of our focuses this year is for each of us to write a spiritual goal that will help us grow personally and professionally. Through this understanding and awareness (and with Fr. Twenty’s guidance), we will continue to advance the school mission.
Much work was done this summer with the curriculum and to the facilities. I am sure Ms. Novy will update you on our school academic goals and improvements/changes to the curriculum. I would like to provide you with some of the upgrades to our facilities. Repairs were completed to the roofs of a number of our buildings, including the concession stand and the garage directly across the school’s parking lot. Electrical upgrades were installed for the new cafeteria kitchen oven, and we are in the process of reviewing bids for a new Cafeteria dishwasher. Some improvements were made to the athletic field and we along with a group of Marian parents are in the process of establishing the Athletic Boosters to support our athletic program. We are also looking into purchasing a new activity van to be used to transport students to various activities. Improvements were made to the school’s network operating system and we have contracted with St. Benedict Technology Consortium to support our technology needs. As a result of these changes, new and updated equipment was purchased and installed which will provide a faster internet speed and connectivity. We have also contracted with an outside cleaning service to clean the school on a regular basis.
At the end of the last school year, we conducted two faculty meetings we called “From the Inside Out.” Each of these meetings focused on building a stronger bond between and with our faculty and staff. These meetings were also used to determine our meeting/operating norms and to identify what the faculty and staff feel are working and where improvements might be needed. Each of these meetings was beneficial and we have decided to continue our efforts in this area through the 2019 – 2020 school year. We will keep you updated as the process continues.
As Peregrini via Veritatis – “Pilgrims on the Way of Truth,” we are all committed to Marian Central Catholic High School. I thank you for allowing me to be part of your family. May God continue to bless you and your family as together we begin the 2019-2020 school year.
Sincerely in Christ,
Vito C. DeFrisco
Interim Superintendent
Marian Central Catholic opened its doors to the first class of Hurricanes in the fall of 1959. That means this year we are celebrating 60 years of providing top quality, faith-based education to students in the area. It's a great day to be a Hurricane!
Late Start Days - Now on Wednesdays
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
The purpose of the late starts is to provide time for the staff to receive professional development and work collaboratively with instructional teams. Studies have shown that when teachers have time to participate in these highly focused professional development sessions, good teachers become better, the culture of the school improves, and this, in turn, leads to a significantly positive overall effect on student achievement.
Enjoy the extra sleep; but remember, per the Student Handbook, "Tardiness on all Late Start days will automatically result in a detention."
College Corner
Senior College Application Night will be held on Tuesday August 20th 2019 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the Auditorium. This program will outline the logistics of applying to college and will include a brief Common Application tutorial and detailed instructions for using SCOIR throughout the college application process. Though attendance isn’t mandatory, all seniors are strongly encouraged to attend. Parents are encouraged to attend as well. Even though parents may not be new to the college application process, the Class of 2020 will be the first to use SCOIR to process and send all of their college application materials. We want to be sure everyone has the information they need to make college application season smooth and stress free!
Financial Aid Information Night will be held on Tuesday, September 24th 2019 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the Auditorium. This program will provide families with an understanding of how families’ financial need is determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSS Profile and how colleges use that information to award need-based financial aid. This year’s presenter will be Susan Teerink, the Associate Vice Provost for Financial Aid and Enrollment Services at Marquette University. This program is open to students and parents from all grade levels, however junior and senior families are strongly encouraged to attend.
Back to School Night
All Are Welcome
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!
Lunch Money
Depositing money on your student's lunch account is easy! There are three ways to do this...
2. Send cash or check to the school office to be deposited into a student's lunch account (no fee added).
3. You can make your lunch account payments on Marian's website through the "Quick Links" section, choose "online payments" - "lunch" from the drop down menu (3% fee on credit/debit cards).
Reminders:
- Students MUST have their ID cards to make purchases in the cafeteria. The cafeteria staff cannot look up a student by name. Replacement ID cards can be purchased through the school office for $5.
- Please be sure to keep track of your student's lunch account funds. If the student does not have money on their account, they are not able to purchase food -- there are no charges in the cafeteria.
Attention Sports Fans!
Cheer for your favorite Hurricane at this year's
Red & White Scrimmage Football Game
Friday, August 23rd
JV at 6:30 PM
Varsity at 7:15 PM
Please bring a non-perishable food item
On sale now: Hurricane Football Spiritwear! All orders are due to Coach Fortin or the Athletic Office by Monday, August 19th at 12:00 PM. Please click here for the form
Watch the Friday Focus for additional opportunities to purchase team and club spiritwear.
Say "Cheese"
FALL SPORTS TEAM PICTURE SCHEDULE
Saturday, August 17
9:00 AM Frosh/Soph Football
9:30 AM Varsity Football
10:15 AM Freshman Volleyball
10:35 AM JV Volleyball
10:55 AM Varsity Volleyball
11:15 AM Girls Cross Country
11:35 AM Boys Cross Country
11:55 AM JV Soccer
12:05 PM Varsity Soccer
Thursday, September 12
2:45 PM Girls Golf
3:00 PM JV Boys Golf
3:15 PM Varsity Boys Golf
3:30 PM JV Girls Tennis
3:50 PM Varsity Girls Tennis
4:10 PM Dance/Pom
4:30 PM Cheerleading
Calling All Juniors!
It's your turn to work CONCESSIONS!!!
Oh...JUNIOR YEAR! So much on the to-do list ...it can be a little overwhelming! We got you! First thing's first though: PLEASE SIGN UP TO WORK CONCESSIONS! This is a requirement of ALL JUNIORS - and not just because it reduces your Prom Ticket fee by 50%.
We have home football games coming up quickly here, so please consider fulfilling your class obligation early! All you need to do is click this link and sign up! If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Winkelman or Mrs. Dwyer.
Carpool Needed
Important Documents Needed
Attention Freshmen Parents: Please make sure your student's Birth Certificate, State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination and Dental forms are turned in to the office as soon as possible. Dental forms are not officially due until May 15, 2020; however, if your student had a dental exam prior to June 1, 2019, we are accepting those forms at any time.
Attention Senior Parents: Please make sure you have submitted proof of your student's second Meningitis Conjugate Vaccination to the school office as soon as possible.
If you are unsure if you have submitted any of these documents, please call Mrs. Johnson at 815-338-4220, x100, and she will be happy to check the student's file.
Thank you.
Parent Association Needs You!!
The Marian Central Parent Association (MCPA) is looking for enthusiastic volunteers! As you know, it takes many hands behind the scenes to make every school event a success. Whether you can make a regular time commitment or only have an hour or two to spare, you truly can make a positive impact on our beloved school!
We will be meeting on a monthly basis and will do most of our planning via email. Please consider being a part of this dynamic group and help us turn a "wish list" into a DONE list!
We are looking forward to a successful school year - and can't wait to make wonderful things happen at Marian Central with you all!
Support your Marian Central Fine Arts Boosters!
Where? Marian Central Catholic HS Auditorium
When? August 17 from 9am - 11am AND September 9-13 before and after school
Click here for more information! If you have any questions or wish to make other drop off arrangements, please contact Mrs. Connell at cconnell@marian.com.
This fundraiser is sponsored by the Fine Arts Boosters.