We hope everyone had a restful long weekend! The autumn colors seem to be at their most beautiful right now, and the mild weekend weather was God's way of nudging us all to spend a few extra minutes outside to breathe in all the beauty. It's important, especially, to remind ourselves of the beauty in the world in the midst of so much tragedy. We pray for all those affected by the hurricanes and wildfires, and our hearts ache for the victims of the Las Vegas shooting. It is easy to feel overwhelmed with pain, fear, and uncertainty- but that is precisely when God also shows us mercy, compassion, heroism, and beauty all around us.

One small act of kindness adds to the fabric of our community! Pope Francis once shared that "Some think that holiness is closing your eyes and making the face of a plastic statue, but that's not holiness.... It is living with love and offering your own Christian witness in your daily tasks." ("The Francis Chronicles", 2014). Father Caliente's school-wide theme for the entire year compels us all to be kind. Let us celebrate the good in this world together!

Our entire Marian faculty joined other Diocesan high schools this past Tuesday at Newman Central High School to pause and reflect on our own spiritual growth. Father Tom McCarthy, O.S.A., (Villanova University) spoke passionately about how our students need to know we care before they care about what we know. We couldn't agree more - and we all dedicated the day's meetings to explore how to foster a deeper Catholic spirituality in our own lives and our teaching profession.

At this retreat, teachers were able to attend several insightful break-out sessions led by wonderful priests, including Fr. McCarthy, Fr. Romke, Fr. Etheridge, Fr. Trowbridge, Fr, Manno, and even Fr. Doyle!

Continue to pray for our faculty and staff as we continue to promote faith development within our educational community!

DAILY Mass is celebrated in the chapel at 2:40 pm - ALL ARE WELCOME!

Eucharistic Adoration or Confessions available during all lunch periods this week!

October 14, 2017 (Sat)

• 10:00 am - Boys V Soccer vs Woodstock North IHSA Class 2A Regional Quarterfinals

October 15, 2017: (Sun)

Monthly and Quarterly tuition payments are due by October 15th.
We cannot change the 1st quarter tuition rate after this date.

You may make credit card tuition payments online, by following this link! Or, you are welcome to send in your payment via check to our school office!

October 16, 2017 (Mon)

• 3rd Pd - Marines/NROTC Rep in Guidance
• 9th Pd - Marquette Univ. Rep in Guidance
• 7:00 pm - Theatre Showcase in Auditorium

October 17, 2017 (Tues)

• 1st Pd - Augustana Rep in Guidance
• 8th Pd - University of Dayton Rep in Guidance
• 9th Pd - St. Mary's Univ. Rep in Guidance
• 5:00 pm - Girls S/FA Volleyball vs Marist
• 6:15 pm - GirlsV/FB Volleyball vs Marist - SENIOR NIGHT!
• 7:00 pm - Notre Dame Information Night in Auditorium
• 7:00 pm - Parent Association Meeting in Annex - all are welcome!

October 18, 2017 (Wed):

• 1st Pd - George Williams Rep in Guidance
• 2nd Pd - St. Ambrose Rep in Guidance
• 3rd Pd - College of St. Benedict/St. Johns Univ. Reps in Guidance
• 8th Pd - Hillsdale College Rep in Guidance
• 9th Pd - Syracuse Univ. Rep in Guidance
• 3:00 pm - Gradebook Parent Portal Closes for Quarter Exams

October 19, 2017 (Thurs): Quarter Exams - full day of classes

• QUARTER EXAMS - Periods 1, 3, 7, 9

October 20, 2017 (Fri): Quarter Exams - 10:40 am Dismissal

• QUARTER EXAMS - Periods 2, 4-6, 8
• 5:00 pm - Boys F Football vs St. Patrick
• 7:30 pm - Boys V Football vs St. Patrick - SENIOR NIGHT!

Check out our detailed Athletic Calendar for all practice times and "Away" games for this week!

Please help spread the word about Marian Central's Open House event on November 5th from 1-3 pm! We have 45 newsletters from the past year that have kept our dear Marian families updated on all the wonderful school news, innovations in education, and our sincere care for our students and families - and we are SO BLESSED to have your continued support!

We would love to spread that message to others who may not have considered Marian Central in their child's educational plan.

If every Marian family could help share information about our upcoming Open House events through social media - or just word-of-mouth with friends and family - imagine how we could grow our enrollment in ALL our wonderful Catholic schools!

We have just launched several ads through Facebook - so please "like" our page, share our ads, and help us all WELCOME new families into our entire school community! We also have an MC Twitter page, as well as an MC Instagram account to help stay connected with our students, families, and dear alumni!

As you check your Marian sweater inventory, Lands End is running a special promotion offering FREE logos on all school uniforms! This is a great opportunity to grab a new sweater or pair of pants, and take advantage of the cost savings!

The offer is good valid from Monday, October 16 through Monday, October 23!

Promo Code: LOGO

PIN: 5782

Starting on October 23rd (first day of Quarter 2) we will be switching over to Marian Central uniform sweaters! Students will be required to wear a white or light blue dress shirt under the MC sweater, as well as long uniform pants and appropriate shoes. Young men should wear a tie. Should students need to "layer up," they are welcome to continue wearing their MC fleece jackets or 3/4 zip pull-over.

Underclassman Student Portraits will take place on October 24th through all the gym classes. DeWane Studios will be providing hard copies of the portrait order forms through our school office, but here is a downloadable form you can print off and prepare payment. Please send completed form, with a check payable to DeWane Studios, in an envelope WITH YOUR STUDENT on October 24th. The student will turn in their form and payment as they sit for portraits.

Student School Portrait Order Form

If you have been contacted by Mrs. Carlton regarding any missing immunizations or student records (such as copy of birth certificate, etc.) - please help us maintain a healthy and safe school environment by providing these documents by TUESDAY, October 31st.

Many parents of SENIORS may not have known that the state is now mandating the booster for Meningitis PRIOR to entering into the 12th grade. Previously,this was a recommended vaccine as students head off to college. Please see the Immunization Schedule published by the Illinois Department of Public Health for more information. Please double check this mandated list of required immunizations against your most recent records to make sure your student is up-to-date and send those updates to our school office by Tuesday, October 31st.

Also - many area Walgreens locations offer walk-in immunizations for Meningitis and other required vaccines. Click here to visit Walgreens' adolescent immunization availability!

Please be aware of upcoming college application deadlines. Many colleges may have a November 1st Early Action deadline. Please turn your transcript and guidance counselor recommendation requests into guidance in a timely manner. If you need a guidance counselor's recommendation for any colleges with November 1st deadlines, please turn in your request by Monday, October 23. Click on this link for the "Transcript Request Form". Any questions, please call the guidance office at 815-338-4220 ext. 115.