Week at a Glance
Marian Central Catholic High School Faculty Newsletter
April 14, 2018
A Glimpse of this Past Week...
Not sure we can keep up with the roller coaster ride of this "Apruary" weather! It was a blessing to experience a hint of good weather this week, so hopefully there is more to come!
At this very movement, many of our students are taking the ACT test at Marian. Please keep these students in your prayers, as they work to show what they know in hopes of getting the score that, with their GPA, will help them get into the college of their dreams!
This past Tuesday we held our 3rd quarter Academic Breakfast. We had a wonderful turn out of students, parents, and faculty. Students were not only recognized for their excellence and improvement in academics, but some were also recognized for the Read for a Lifetime achievement from Mrs. Varga. Attendees were also fortunate enough to be entertained by a mixed ensemble by Gabe McKenna, Sara WIlson, Leah LoVerde, Ky Perrone, Nick Caliendo, and Zosia Staiarska. Thanks to these students, the cafeteria, and office staff for making this celebration yet another success!
Mr. Rome was kept especially busy this week! Tuesday and Thursday he lead his Choral team to visit and perform at all of the McHenry County Deanery Elementary Schools. Every year both students and staff at these schools are excited to be entertained by either the Marian chorus or band members. Great job!
Additionally, Mr. Rome had a special evening on Thursday as he was recognized by the Illinois Directors of Student Activities (IDSA) with the Distinguished Service Award. The Distinguished Service Recognition Award recognizes persons who have made lifetime contributions impacting student activity programs, and we all know that Mr. Rome has certainly made a lasting impact on his students as well as his colleagues over his tenure at Marian! Congratulations Mr. Rome!
Thursday also brought us our final Shelter In Place (tornado) drill for this year. Overall, the drill went well. It was quick and quiet. A simple reminder: Faculty does a great job remembering to take their green/red cards and rosters out for evacuation drills (fire drills) but please remember that you need to do this for ALL drills. This particular drill time may not have offered you enough time to take attendance prior to getting in the hallways, which could surely happen if this were a real incident, so everyone needs to take role while their students are crouched down and display their green/red cards for the supervisor to ensure we are accounting for everyone. Thank you for continuing to work hard to ensure all members of our Marian family are safe.
Looking ahead...
Midterms are posting this Friday, April 20, so please make sure that your grades are as up to date as possible. If a student is currently in the D/F range, besides talking with the student, please give parents a courtesy call to make sure they are aware of the low grade, and what the student might still be able to do to remedy the situation. It is always better to keep parents in the loop than getting to the end of a grading period and hearing a parent say that they never know it was that bad!
As we are nearing the end of this school year, we all know how important it is to keep consistency in the classrooms for our students. With that in mind, if you find yourself needing a sub for any reason, please remember to go through the proper channels. We ask that you do not contact potential subs ahead of Laurie arranging them. Instead, the office asks that if you have a specific sub request, that you tell Laurie at the time of requesting the sub and time off. Laurie has, at times, multiple sub requests to juggle and has to be a little creative to address everyone's needs. The end of the year is a busy time for all and we just ask that you help the office to make it as smooth as possible. Additionally, thanks to all faculty who continue to pitch in and help when we need to ask you to sub internally. We know how valuable your plan time is, so please know that we only ask because it is our last resort.
There are three schedule interruptions during this upcoming week. The first is on Monday, due to a brief homeroom. While the juniors are voting for prom court, our sophomores are asked to go down to the cafeteria to receive information on ordering class rings. This will be followed by class ring sales on Thursday, both during all lunches as well as in the evening from 5-7pm. The second is that we will be cheering out our WYSE Team on Wednesday at 2:20 pm as they go to compete at State. Best of Luck! The third schedule alteration is on Friday for our All School Mass.
Other things on this week's schedule include the Council of Administration Meeting on Tuesday night, the French Honor Society induction ceremony on Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 pm, and Principal's Coffee parent meeting on Thursday. Our Marian students are also continuing to make connections with our McHenry County Deanery Schools this week as our Comp/Speech students go to read their own authored stories to the primary students on Tuesday and Thursday. Surely the little ones will love hearing these stories and sitting with our students!
Note about Friday, April 20:
On Friday, April 20, the news media has publicized that there may be yet another nation-wide student "Walk-out." This particular one has been identified as a "walk-out, stay-out." That said, please know that we, as a school, are not condoning any student walking out, thus interrupting either their's or any other student's education. We have shared our position with the Marian families through this week's Friday Focus. If you have any questions, concerns, or observations either before or on the day of the proposed walk-out, please let administration know. It is especially imperative that you take timely and accurate attendance throughout the day so we can provide our students and staff with the safest and most educationally consistent environment possible. We appreciate your support in this matter.
Finally, everyone is looking forward to the Black Box production of Godspell this coming weekend. The show will be Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22 at 7pm, and a Sunday matinee at 2pm. Remember that with Black Box productions there is limited seating, so get your tickets soon!
Have a blessed weekend and week ahead!
3rd Qtr Academic Breakfast 4-10-18
Mr. Rome Recognized
Senior Exemption Expectations
A quick note: Exemption forms are not due until early May, but we have already seen some forms getting signed by teachers. Please do not sign these forms too soon, as we know that there is still a lot of this quarter to go and grades can still fluctuate drastically. Thank you.
Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL) Renewal Information from ISBE
Please read the information below on PEL renewal from ISBE if your license is up for renewal in 2018. Remember that the Diocese expects that all teachers have a current Illinois PEL in order to receive/renew their contract.
"More than 200,000 educators have licenses up for renewal this year. To put this number in perspective, approximately 60,000 educator licenses are normally up for renewal in a given year. The 2018 renewal year is much larger than usual because it is the first year that educators who were issued a substitute teaching license (SUB) or educator license with stipulations endorsed for paraprofessional (ELS-PARA) in the 2013 certificate-to-licensure exchange will be able to renew these licenses.
As licensure renewal season approaches, ISBE is focused on educators having the best experience possible with the Educator Licensure Information System. ISBE will stagger renewal periods for educators according to license type in an effort to prevent the system from overloading due to increased user traffic.
- Educators who hold a PEL and ELS-CTE license with an expiration of 6/30/2018 may renew beginning April 1.
- Educators who hold an ELS-PARA license with an expiration of 6/30/2018 may renew beginning April 15.
- Educators who hold a SUB license with an expiration of 6/30/2018 may renew beginning May 1.
The “renewal” hot link in educators’ action centers will not be activated until the dates identified above. Professional development for this renewal cycle must be completed by Aug. 31, 2018, and all licenses eligible for renewal must be renewed by Aug. 31, 2018. Please share this important information with your educators. A short video is also available. Please contact licensure@isbe.net with any questions."
Professional Development Opportunities
If you are interested in attending one of these PD opportunities, please contact Ms. Novy. For more information, please click on the links provided.
Loyola Department Chair Conference, June 4-6, 2018
2018 Advanced Placement Summer Institute (APSI)
Questioning for Classroom Discussion: Grades 6-12 Online PD
STEM for All Online PD
TECHNOLOGY CORNER
If you are wondering how to integrate technology into your specific subject area, check out the BestPrep - Technology Integration" Resource Library. Click on your subject area and find a multitude of ideas on how to bring your content to life with technology. The lessons are also already in UBD format!
Upcoming events: If you are interested in one of these, or other technology conferences or workshops, contact Ms. Novy!
Tech & Learning Live Chicago on Friday, May 11, 2018 This one-day conference for school leaders will address this issue through workshops, demonstrations, and panel discussions that can help both sides better understand each other’s challenges, improve collaboration, and support a district’s instructional goals through powerful uses of technology.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship June 11-15, 2018 at the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IN2@IMSA). Classes throughout the week include Entrepreneurship Thinking, Designing Innovation Spaces, Makerspace Fast Start, Makerspace 3D Printing and Micro Controllers, and Design Thinking. All workshops will be held at IN2 located on the campus of IMSA at 1500 Sullivan Road in Aurora, Illinois. To learn more about IMSA and its programs, visitwww.imsa.edu.
ILfabCon (Illinois Flipped and Blended Learning Conference June 21 & 22, 2018 at Huntley High School
Join ICE-IL and the team from Illinois Math & Science Academy on June 23rd in a fun and unique space for a full-day workshop focused on Teaching and Learning Entrepreneurial Thinking. Entrepreneurial thinking cuts across all subjects and connects what is learned in school to the real world. We'll examine the entrepreneurial mindset, how it intertwines with academic standards and impacts all learning activities. Instructional methods and curricular examples are demonstrated for grades 6-12 in STEM-oriented subjects & extra-curriculars. Lunch will be included. Add this workshop onto your ISTE registration OR register for it separately ~ you do not need to register for ISTE to attend this workshop.
ISTE Conference June 24-27, 2018 in Chicago
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
Monday, April 16, 2018
Homeroom Schedule #3
7:30 am ~ CIA, rm 229
Lunch ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:30 pm ~ Math Club, rm 207
2:40 pm ~ Club Med, rm 123
2:40 pm ~ Mass, Chapel
3:00 pm ~ Black Box Rehearsal, Auditorium
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Comp/Speech Field Trip
7:00 am ~ Mustard Seed Committee, rm 210
7:40 am - Rosary, Chapel
9:00 am ~ French 1 Event, Cafeteria
Lunch ~ Eucharistic Adoration
2:30 pm ~ Ping Pong, Auditorium Commons
2:30 pm ~ Business Club, rm 219
2:40 pm ~ Mass, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ Gavel, rm 218
2:40 pm ~ Chess Club, rm 129
2:40 pm ~ Scholastic Bowl, rm 219
2:45 pm ~ Smart-Fit Club, rm 147
3:00 pm ~ Black Box Rehearsal, Auditorium
7:00 pm ~ Council of Administration Meeting, Cafeteria
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
7:15 am - Campus Ministry, Cafeteria
7:30 am ~ Student Council, rm 127
Lunch ~ Eucharistic Adoration
2:30 pm - Key Club, Cafeteria
2:40 pm ~ Mass, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ Art Club, rm 110
2:45 pm ~ Black Box Rehearsal, Auditorium
3:00 pm ~ French NHS Inductions, Cafeteria
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Comp/Speech Field Trip
7:30 am ~ Spanish Honor Society, rm 208
8:00 am ~ Principal's Coffee, Cafeteria
Lunch ~ Eucharistic Adoration
Lunch ~ Class Ring Sales
2:30 pm ~ Writers Society, rm 130
2:35 pm ~ Journalism Club, rm 128
2:40 pm ~ Mass, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ FOR Club, rm 134
2:40 pm ~ Scholastic Bowl, rm 219
2:45 pm ~ Black Box Rehearsal, Auditorium
3:00 pm ~ Black Box Crew Dinner, Cafeteria
3:30 pm - Campus Ministry, rm 231
5 - 7:00 pm ~ Class Ring Sales, Gym Commons
Friday, April 20, 2018
Mid-Term Grades Posted
All School Mass Schedule #4
7:30 am NHS Meeting, Auditorium
7:30 am ~ All Council Student Council Meeting
8:55 am ~ All School Mass, Lander's Pavilion
Lunch ~ Confessions, Chapel
Lunch ~ Prom Tickets on sale
2:30 pm ~ Ping Pong, Auditorium Commons
2:35 pm ~ Journalism Club, rm 128
2:40 pm ~ Mass, Chapel
4:30 pm ~ Black Box Prep, Auditorium
7:00 pm ~ Black Box Theater Show
Saturday, April 21, 2018
4:30 pm ~ Black Box Prep, Auditorium
7:00 pm ~ Black Box Theater Show
Sunday, April 22, 2018
11:30 am ~ Black Box Prep, Auditorium
2:00 pm ~ Black Box Theater Show