Family Update
Week of February 20, 2022
The Week of the Ultimate Twos-Day!
Good morning,
The video included before this section will highlight the main points of the update.
Tuesday is the Ultimate Twos-Day! It's Tuesday, 2-22-22! For all of us, this is a unique day to celebrate the number two and all things associated with two! See the flyer for ideas on dressing for the day. Activities in the school have a curricular focus on two, duos, and buddies.
Wednesday all 8th graders, kindergarten students, and PK4 students (entering K in August) will have graduation pictures taken. Please send the school uniform or play clothes (PK) so that students don't damage their dress outfits.
Friday at 1:15 PM, we will be live-streaming our recorded Black History Program. See the information below! Feel free to share the Zoom link with your family and friends. Let's celebrate Black History - Past and Present!
With the uncooperative weather, we have been not having late students stay after (in March we resume our tardy policies). However, the number of tardies and classroom interruptions is much too high on days that are not weather impacted. If a classroom is interrupted 6-10 times in the first hour because students are late, it affects all students' learning. Please help us by leaving earlier whenever possible. We believe that excellence happens on purpose -limiting interruptions in school is one way that happens!
We have opened registration for the 2022-2023 school year for returning and new families. As you may know, we have a waitlist for 4 classrooms, so reserving a seat is key! Please complete this form and then during the week make the $25/student payment to hold the seat. The rate will move to $50 in March. We have 65 students registered already! The payment can be made in the office or through the payment portal on our NEW SCHOOL APP putting registration 22-23 in the note/memo section!
Have you completed the family survey of the 5 Essentials Survey? If not, please go to this link and offer your thoughts. It's no more than 10 minutes, but the feedback will be helpful as we seek to always improve!
Have you downloaded the school app yet? It's an important tool in keeping all school information in one place. The app is our hub!
Our Game Night was a HUGE success! Thank you to all who helped to make this night possible! We look forward to bringing more community events back!
We are working very hard to keep the school free of COVID to the best of our ability. With that said, our families must partner with us by not sending any students to school who have ANY symptoms. Please keep students home if you are waiting for test results. I know it's hard and families have to work, but it's how we take care of each other and our entire extended school community. As of now, there are NO CHANGES to our mask mandate. All people in our building wear masks at all times!
We will send home students with runny noses, headaches, sore throats, and/or coughs. We will send work home as needed for students with an extended absence.
Apple watches and other smartwatches are NOT allowed at school. They, along with any cell phones, will be held in the office for the day.
- Boots must be changed upon arriving at school. This keeps the children safe and the school clean. Some families choose to keep a pair of gym shoes in the student's locker.
- FOLLOW THE DRESS & UNIFORM CODE: Hoodies and sweatshirts that are not part of the school uniform are not allowed during the school day. Please have your child wear their school hoodie, school gym sweatshirt, or a plain navy blue sweater if they're cold during the day. Please see the school uniform/dress code in our family handbook. We believe that excellence happens on purpose. Lessening distractions of being out of uniform is one way we foster that excellence. We still have light blue hoodies in all sizes and some navy blue hoodies.
- Students should not have nail polish, artificial nails, any jewelry, or smartwatches. Students do NOT need their cell phones at school. They are kept in the office all day.
- Please be sure to check the "Save the Date" section below.
- We will have a five-week summer program for students entering PK3 - 5th grade for the 2022-2023 school year. See the flyer below! Use this form to register. For the month of February, the registration fee for summer school is $10 (will go to $25 in March).
- We still have two spots remaining in Preschool. Do you know of anyone with children preschool-aged? Referring families will receive a $300 tuition credit ($150 this year and $150 next year) and 3 PAWS will be credited. We accept Action for Children/Child Care for payment for preschool. Spread the word!
- Do you have clothes and shoes your family has outgrown, don't wear, or don't want? We have a clothes and shoes collection box in the parking lot! The school receives $0.02/lb and a tree is planted in our honor each time it's emptied. We are the stewards of God's beautiful earth. This is one way we help!
- The school office is open Monday through Friday 6:30 AM - 3:30 PM. Our amazing office staff can take payments, sell hoodies and polos and answer questions. After 3:30, please leave a message on the mainline or dial 101 at the recording to be connected to my extension. If you need extended day after 3:30, dial 107 at the voicemail message.
- Please send your child to school with their mask every day along with an extra in their backpack. It's really important that the children are wearing child-sized masks that cover their nose and mouth fully. KN95 masks or other disposable masks are recommended over a cloth mask.
Thank you for trusting us with your child/ren. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.
Mrs. Farrand
2022 - Academy of St. Benedict the African Celebrates Black History
Friday, Feb 25, 2022, 01:15 PM
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RSVPs are enabled for this event.
March 4th - Conference Day Childcare Option
2022-2023 Financial Contracts and Forms
The contract will be written without carrying over any part of the 21-22 contract. In June and July, if necessary, we will make updates.
Please be sure that the phone number and emails we have on Powerschool are accurate.
Game Night Fun
Tuition Payments
The office will continue making reminder calls and sending notices. Please let us know if there is a particular challenge in advance of the payment due date. We will work with you, but we need to know! We will be starting exclusions as necessary.
As a reminder, all financial accounts must be settled by May 15th for all graduating students: PK4, Kindergarten, and Eighth grade.
Volunteering in School
Go to https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/ to register for an online class and consent to the background check. Please see or email Ms. Fernandez (mfernandez@academystbenedict.org) if you need assistance or have a question.
The Archdiocesan policy is that volunteers who are working directly with children, like chaperoning or in the classrooms must be vaccinated. Proof of the vaccination must be shown to me. Thanks for your understanding.
PAWS
As a reminder, all PAWS must be completed by May 15th.
We are requesting Coke products: 12 oz cans of Diet Coke, Coke, Minute Maid Fruit Punch, Lemonade, Fuze Ice Tea, and Sprite. 4 24-packs will count as a PAW.
Thanks for your help!
UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES!
- February 21st - No School - Presidents' Day
- February 22nd - Twos-Day - see flyer!
- February 23rd - Kind Shirt Day
- February 23rd - Graduation Pictures: 8th, Kindergarten and PK4
- February 25th - Black History Program - Details to follow
- March 2nd - Kind Shirt Day
- March 4th - Remote Learning Day with Parent-Teacher Conferences 8-4.
- March 9th - Kind Shirt Day
- March 11th and 14th - No school
- March 22nd - Kind Shirt Day
- April 4th - Kind Shirt Day
- April 15th - 22nd - Easter Break -no school
- April 27th - Kind Shirt Day
- May 10th - Kind Shirt Day
- May 19th - Kind Shirt Day
- May 30th - Memorial Day - no school
- June 1st - Last day of classes for 8th grade
- Last Day of School is TBD -depending on snow days
- June 3rd - Eighth Grade graduation 10 AM
- June 13th - July 14th - Summer Program
- August 22nd - First day of the 2022 -2023 school year. Full-Day for all students, no extended day.
Academy of St. Benedict the African
Email: jfarrand@academystbenedict.org
Website: academystbenedict.org
Location: 6020 South Laflin Street, Chicago, IL, USA
Phone: 773-776-3316
Facebook: Facebook.com/academystbenedictafrican
Twitter: @asba_chicago