MCCHS FRIDAY FOCUS
140th EDITION: January 10, 2020
From the Desk of Mr. Joe Price
Greetings and Happy New Year - and a new decade for that matter! Here is to 2020 and what promises to be a great second half of the school year. As is common, this time of year calls for reflection, renewal, and of course resolutions. It is my sincerest wish that you find success in all of these endeavors.
Reflecting on the first half of the school year, an area that we would like to address relates to school attendance. In early December, you may have received a notification regarding attendance as we sent letters to students who had five or more absences. These letters were intended to provide you with an update as to the current status of your child’s attendance. In our efforts to provide the best education possible, and to prepare all of our students for success, it is important to understand the effects of missing school.
A great deal of research has been conducted and there is a strong correlation between student attendance and academic achievement. A common percentage found in most research articles is what we refer to as the “magic number” of ten (10). When a student has missed 10% or more of a given school year, there is a precipitous drop in achievement. As the absence rate goes up, there is generally a direct impact on achievement - meaning with each day missed after 10%, there is a corollary effect on academic performance. For more information on this, please take a moment to visit the Attendance Works website, which is teeming with information.
Invariably, situations will come up where there are things beyond our control, and students will miss school from time to time. Please know we are always willing to work with the students on a case by case basis. One great way to work together is through regular communications with administration and our amazing guidance department. Additional letters will come out in the near future and we encourage you to speak with your child about the importance of regular school attendance.
As always, we thank you for your partnership in working together on behalf of our students here at Marian Central Catholic High School.
Empower Illinois 2020-2021
Reservations for the 2020-2021 Empower Illinois tax credit scholarship will open on Wednesday January 15, 2020. This year, the reservation form will be available at 6:30 pm to give families time to enter their information before submission at 7:00 pm. Additional information about preparing for reservation night can be found by clicking this link, "How Do I Apply."
For your convenience, we are offering access to laptops to be able to reserve your spot in the application process. For those of you wanting to attend Rachel's Challenge and with this being time sensitive, you can join us in the cafeteria between 6:30-7 pm to complete your reservation and then still attend the event in the Auditorium.
Parents Hotline: (309) 416-0741 scholars@empowerillinois.org
Donor Helpline (309) 644-4524 donors@empowerillinois.org
Rachel's Challenge
Marian Central Catholic High School is fortunate to have the opportunity to bring Rachel’s Challenge to our school on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Rachel’s Challenge is an organization started by Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Joy Scott, who was the first student killed in the Columbine shooting in 1999.The Rachel’s Challenge program reports that it has prevented at least eight school shootings and more than 500 suicides.
Wednesday morning, students and staff will attend Rachel’s Challenge presentations. In addition, all students will be given the opportunity to voluntarily sign-up for a Friends of Rachel Club training that will be held that same afternoon. Students involved in the Friends of Rachel Club will then continue to work within our school throughout the year to grow and nurture a culture of kindness and compassion.
That evening we will be offering a parent/community event at 7:00 p.m. in the school auditorium which will provide a snapshot of the message that was presented to the students
and staff. Through these efforts, as a Marian Central Catholic High School community, we will all be equipped to nurture a healthy culture within our school. (Due to certain content, this program may not be suitable for children under the age of 12).
Semester 1 Grades
Athletic Boosters - Meeting Change
Tuesday, January 21st
7:30 pm
Marian Central Cafeteria
Note that this meeting is rescheduled from Wednesday, January 15th to avoid conflicting with the Rachel's Challenge presentation.
College Information Night
WHEN: Wednesday, February 26th from 6:30-9:00 PM (Check in begins at 6:00 PM, Program begins at 6:30 PM)
WHERE: Marian Central Catholic Theatre
WHAT: An opportunity to learn about starting a college search, financial aid, the differences between the ACT and the SAT, and to attend a mock college application review. Students and families will also attend a question and answer session about the college admission process with a panel of college admission officers.
Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors and their parents/guardians are invited to attend this program. We strongly encourage juniors and their parents/guardians to attend College Information Night. We’ve put together a comprehensive program that’ll be slightly different than last year’s program. We’re confident students and their families will leave with insight into some of the most complicated and confusing parts of the college search.
We ask that those planning to attend this program please register online at: https://forms.gle/LFhoogdgc5aJcPYn6
Fr. Twenty will also be providing an Ashes Service from 5:30-6:00 PM for any families that wish to observe Ash Wednesday before the evening’s program.
Please direct any questions about College Information Night to Mr. Stamatakos (jstamatakos@marian.com) or Mrs. Diamond (guidance@marian.com). We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, February 26th!
Growth Spurt?
CollegeStock is Coming
50 years ago, a four-day music festival that took place in Bethel, New York etched its place in history as a pivotal moment in popular music history and a defining event for the counterculture generation.
In February 2020, a small, Catholic high school located in a town that shares a name with that iconic festival will hold its own four-day celebration. But instead of bringing in musicians like Joan Baez, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, and James Marshall Hendrix that school will bring in representatives from nearly 60 colleges and universities to promote their schools to Marian Central Catholic’s entire student body.
Marian Central Catholic High School celebrates our first annual COLLEGESTOCK from Monday, February 10 through Thursday, February 13th! 14 college admission counselors will visit Marian each day that week and be in the Cafeteria during the lunch periods to meet Marian students and answer questions about their respective colleges.
A full listing of colleges visiting each day will be posted in the Friday Focus and on the Guidance Department’s website soon, so stand by for more information!
A special “Thank You” goes out to Marian Central Catholic’s own Aila Reuter (Class of 2022) and Isabel Odahowski (Class of 2022) for designing the official CollegeStock logo!
Homecoming Pictures
Attention parents: Do you have some fun pictures taken during the Homecoming Dance? If so, feel free to email them to the Publications Staff at lwidhalm@marian.com.