Week at a Glance
Marian Central Catholic High School Faculty Newsletter
April 27, 2019
Happy Easter! Yes, we can continue to say this past Easter Sunday, as Father Twenty shared in this past Monday's All School Mass. It definitely does not look like Easter, or spring for that matter, when you look out the window today, though! I hope that the early blooms in our gardens can withstand this changing weather!
This week was busy in many ways! Prom festivities kept us all on our toes, all while we were trying to keep our students engaged in their school work. Special kudos to the Theology department as they completed the Circles of Care program with our students. It is quite a feat, and required by the Diocese, so thank you for helping our students through the program. In addition, a big thanks to the Comp/Speech students who visited our Deanery schools this week, sharing the children's books they wrote themselves. It is always a wonderful experience for both high school and elementary students when they can get together! In addition, our Engineering and physics students had a great day at Great America testing out their theories on potential & kinetic energy, gravity, and conservation of energy, to name a few! Glad to see students engaged in making connections between classwork and real application.
Wednesday was, of course, great for the students as they had the day off... but also hopefully quite inspiring and invgorating for staff members that went down to McCormick Place to the NCEA Conference. Those of us that rode the bus had a relaxing, though long, trip. We hope that those who attended saw value in the experience not only to gain new ideas for your classroom, but also to reconnect with our faith and why we responded to this special vocation of being a Catholic educator. For those of you who were able to attend one or more of the sessions that Father told us qualified for our Catechist Certification, please make sure you fill out this form and submit it to Father so you can receive credit. Administration is also looking into getting CPDUs for those who attended... stay tuned.
Finally, the week ended with a quick inservice on Friday and then Prom. For those who were not able to attend the inservice due to Prom obligations, here's a recap...
- Mr. DeFrisco shared a brief update, including reminding all to submit any concerns about your rooms, safety, or facility issues before the end of the year, as he will be working with Maintenance to create a plan to address them. He also shared that we will be continuing to focus on our school's culture "From the Inside Out" through next year.
- Ms. Novy shared that administration will be providing you with end of year check lists soon so your end of the year goes as smoothly as possible. She also shared that all email accounts will be changing over to Outlook (from Gmail) as of July 1. It is suggested that you clean up/delete any emails you no longer need prior to the switch, but it is not necessary for us to still be able to swith to Outlook. All of your email files will transfer over. How do you access this new email platform? Go to Office.com and here you will find your entire Office365 suite of tools, including your access to Outlook. Besides this email change, there will be no direct mandate to switch over to O365 this coming year, but it is suggested that you start to ease yourself into trying some things as you see fit. Right now we are "crawling" but eventually we will be running!
- Please review the Device Collection Procedures for the end of the school year. Students will be able to hand in their device as long as they are done using them for exams. From what we gathered, we understand that PE is the only department that will be requiring students to use their devices for semester exams. Please remember that once the students turn them in, we will not be allowing them to retrieve them again until the following year. **If you will be expecting students to complete summer work in a course you teach, please let Ms. Novy know whether the students will need their devices returned to them and when so we can make the appropriate arrangements.
- Semester 2 Exam Schedule 2019 Please become fully aware of the revised bell schedule for the Semester 2 exams, based on the fact that seniors will still be taking their exams on the scheduled dates, yet the underclassmen have another week of school. In addition, we are continuing to work on the schedule for classes that have a mix of seniors and underclassmen. Please review this chart to determine which students may need to go to study hall or which students need to go to another teacher to take the exam. **Because we still have to identify students who will be exempt from some exams, this chart is NOT final. ***In addition, although grade meetings will be after the underclassmen have completed exams, Mrs. Hilton and Ms. Novy will be putting together a "Senior watch list." Once we push that out, please understand that we MUST receive a grade update for the student(s) prior to graduation in order to determine if they will actually graduate.
We rounded out the meeting with two service awards... Mr. Pipitone was recognized for his 10 years of service and Dr. Pinnau for his 20 years of service. The Marian Central community is very appreciative of the impact these individuals have made on countless students who have walked these halls! Thank you!
Prom... What a wonderful night it was!
I think the comment that someone "cleans up well" was truly applicable Friday night! The students looked wonderful and behaved just as well! A big shout out to Mrs. Dwyer and Mr. Winkelman and their Junior Student Council team for making it a truly magical night! Congratulations to Shane Gibson and Kristeria Wolf, 2019's Prom King and Queen! Additional thanks to all of the chaparones who helped make the night a safe and enjoyable evening!
Looking ahead...
Full week ahead!
We are very excited for this Monday's All School Mass because Bishop Malloy will be celebrating our May Crowning Mass! This is a beautiful mass with special Marian devotions and our senior retreat leaders participating in the crowning of the Statue of St. Mary. This mass has always been a very touching mass and helps to reground us in our faith as well our love of our Mother Mary.
This Tuesday is our last Principal's Coffee for this school year. This is a great time for parents to have constructive conversation with administration about various topics that impact teaching and learning. When we work together with all stakeholders, we will be able to make our school the best it can be!
Please note that any student taking AP classes will be required to this Thursday's Pre-AP Testing Meeting. Underclassmen will report to the cafeteria during 8th period and seniors will meet 9th period. This meeting provides students the ability to prepare for testing, understand rules and expectations, and be fully aware of when and where they are to report for the various tests. Thank you for supporting these students if they need to miss your class for this meeting.
This Thursday and Friday all seniors will be taking the ACRE test in their Theology classes. Similar to the way the ACT test measures students' understanding of core subjects, the ACRE test measures students' understanding of the content taught throughout their four years of theology class. Theology teachers use the data collected from this test to ensure that they are meeting all of the required standards set forth by the USCCB. Although this is not a test in which student need to study, please be aware of the test and refrain from calling any senior student out of their Theology classes this Thursday and Friday. Thank you.
Friday afternoon we will be cheering out yet another academic team... our Math Team... as they go to U of I for state competition! Best of luck to these students!
In addition, please be aware that ALL Senior Exemption forms are due into the office by 3:00 pm this Friday! If you haven't already, it may be helpful to designate a particular day and time for signing these forms so as not to interrupt your instructional time too much! Thank you ahead of time for 1) making sure all grades are updated to ensure students who deserve it can qualify for an exemption and 2) all the time and energy you put into putting what's best for students in the forefront every single day!
Finally, students are busy perfecting their acts all week long in preparation for this Friday's Variety Show! Rehearsals are daily. We would love to see a full house Friday night for this once in a lifetime original performance!
Have a wonderful week!
Congratulations to Joe Noonan!
AP Exam Schedule
Underclassmen: Period 8
Seniors: Period 9
Monday, May 6, 2019
8:00 am ~ US Government & Politics
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
12:00 pm ~ Physics 1: Algebra-Based
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
8:00 am ~ English Literature & Composition
Thursday, May 9, 2019
8:00 am ~ Chemistry
12:00 pm ~ Psychology
Friday, May 10, 2019
8:00 am ~ US History
Monday, May 13, 2019
8:00 am ~ Biology
12:00 pm ~ Physics C: Mechanics
2:00 pm ~ Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
8:00 am ~ Calculus AB
12:00 pm ~ Human Geography
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
8:00 am ~ English Language and Composition
12:00 pm ~ Macroeconomics
Thursday, May 16, 2019
8:00 am ~ Comparative Government & Politics
8:00 am ~ World History
12:00 pm ~ Statistics
Friday, May 17, 2019
8:00 am ~ Microeconomics
Catechist Certification Opportunities
Diocese of Rockford Adult Faith Formation
This site provides FREE courses, lessons, instructional videos, and educational resources.
This is an online platform providing access to Catholic audio talks, movies, e-books, and video-based studies.
Click on “Register Now” and create your account (email and password). For future visits, enter your sign-in info and choose step 2. Once you create your account, you will be on Marian’s FORMED page.
TECHNOLOGY CORNER
Please refer to the 18-19 Technology Guide for most of the information needed for log-ins, Wi-Fi, printers, saving files, and more!
2018-2019 MCCHS SMART Goal: Technology: Curriculum Integration
2018-2020 MCCHS Technology: Professional Development SMART Goal
**Technology Comittee will be meeting Thursday, May 2 at 2:45 pm in the Library.
Professional Development Opportunities
**NEW! NCEA Virtual Education Program
Being a member of NCEA also allows your teachers to use the new Virtual Education Program through Notre Dame of Maryland. Teachers can take up to 4 graduate courses for a yearly fee of $125. More information can be found onhttps://www.ncea.org/NCEA/Membership/Virtual_Education_Software_Course_Membership_Program.aspx
NCEA Micro-Credentials: Compentency-based Learning for Catholic School Educators
Teacher's Teacher : A wide variety of online courses are offered, designed to meet the changing needs of teachers.
2019-20 School Year
The Andrew M. Greeley Center for Catholic Education is pleased to announce the 5thAnnual Mustard Seed Project, October 7 – 9, 2019. Registration will open July 15, 2019. If you have any questions or require any additional information, please contact Dr. Sandria Morten @ smorten@luc.edu.
This Week's Schedule
As you work through your plans this week, please note these events. For a more detailed list, check out our school calendar, 8to18 Athletics Calendar or Clubs/Organizations Page
>>> If you sponsor a club or organization and would like to have your events listed here, please provide Ms. Novy with your calendar.
Monday, April 29, 2019
All School Mass: May Crowning with Bishop Malloy Bell Schedule #4
8:55 am ~ All School Mass
Lunches~ Confessions, Chapel
12:00 pm ~ Administrative Meeting, Superintendent's Office
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:45 pm ~ Variety Show Act I run-through, Auditorium
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
7:30 am ~ Spanish Honor Society, rm 208
7:45 am ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
8:00 am ~ Principal's Coffee, cafeteria
Lunches~ Adorations, Chapel
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:45 pm: Variety Show Act II run-through, Auditorium
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
DeFrisco & Novy Out: Diocesan Superintendent/Principal Meeting
7:45 am ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
Lunches~ Confessions, Chapel
Period 8: 9th - 11th Grade AP Pre-Test Meeting, Cafeteria
Period 9: 12th Grade AP Pre-Test Meeting, Cafeteria
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:30 pm ~ Key Club, Cafeteria
2:45 pm: Variety Show run-through Tech & MCs, Auditorium
Thursday, May 2, 2019
ACRE Testing during all Senior Theology Classes
7:45 am ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
Lunches~ Adorations, Chapel
Lunches ~ Illinois National Guard in Cafeteria
2:35 pm ~ Detention
2:40 pm ~ Friends of Rachel Club, Rm 134
2:45 pm ~ Tehnology Committee Meeting, Library
2:45 pm: Variety Show Final Dress Rehearsal & Dinner, Auditorium
Friday, May 3, 2019
ACRE Testing during all Senior Theology Classes
7:45 am ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
12:00 pm ~ Teacher Lunch, Cafeteria
7th - 9th pds: SENIOR Graduation/Honors Day Rehearsal (receiving caps/gowns)
2:20 pm: Math Team State-Bound CHEER OUT (1st floor)
3:00 pm: ALL SENIOR EXAM EXEMPTION APPLICATIONS TO IN TO OFFICE!
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Art Show - Open Exhibit in Auditorium Commons
7:00 pm: Variety Show in Auditorium
Saturday, May 4, 2019
State Math Competition, U of I
10:00 am ~ Senior Day Girls Soccer, Field of Dreams
1:00 pm ~ Senior Day Girls Softball, Bates Park Fields