MCCHS FRIDAY FOCUS
175th EDITION: December 11,, 2020
From the Desk of Brad Williams
The end of the year can be a stressful period. For students, exams are on the horizon. For teachers, the grading of those exams as well as the tremendous planning that leads up to that cumulative activity. For families, this time of year can create stresses related to the holiday season and associated decisions.
For me, as someone who is a husband, father and son, as well as a teacher and administrator, I find times of stress lead to a search for perspective. Perspective to assess progress and identify goals. And perspective to provide mental, emotional and physical well-being.
As a member of the Marian Central community, I hold a perspective of celebration for our school year thus far. Not perfect, of course, but with much to celebrate. Students in school, engaging with their teachers and peers. A homecoming court complete with a crowning ceremony. A spirit week with themes and activities throughout. Our teachers, who have put in the mental and physical energy necessary to deliver a quality educational experience to our students, both in person and remotely, in what is a challenging and unique time. Our staff, who accomplish the logistical and behind the scenes work required for the school to function in quite real terms.
What this community has accomplished is tremendous, in my opinion. Across the country there is intense disagreement that, for better or worse, has left students out of schools. As I have said many times, Marian Central is proud to offer a safe and consistent place where students and teachers can interact in person on a regular basis—and this is no small feat.
Perspective of accomplishments like these provide comfort in times of stress. When feelings of frustration and aggravation develop, we can try to rely on the knowledge that we are doing all we can given our circumstances. We must of course have the fortitude to see the effort through. I think that this school year, the Marian Central community, which includes teachers, staff, administration, parents, and students, have shown the commitment and fortitude needed for great accomplishments.
Mr. Brad Williams
Christmas Drive - Deadline Extended
The Christmas Drive for Cody O'Neill and his family has been extended until Tuesday, December 15! Please consider bringing Christmas cheer to this family in need. Donations are accepted via cash, gift cards, or checks payable to Marian Central.
Exams
- Please click here for a reminder of the exam schedule for next week.
- Durham buses will pick up at regular time each morning and depart Marian Central approximately ten minutes following the last exam each day.
- All students must be in uniform for all exams.
Upcoming Office Hours
Friday, December 18th: 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Monday, December 21st - Friday, December 25th: Office Closed
College Information Night - Virtual
College Information Night
Tuesday, February 9th
6:30-9:00 PM
Open to all freshman, sophomore, and junior families, this program will provide students and families with opportunities to learn about the college search and application processes from presentations led by college admission officers from colleges and universities across the country.
This year’s program will be held virtually, with more information coming soon! Please contact Mr. Stamatakos in Guidance with any questions about College Information Night!
Remote Learning - January 4 - 15
Per the Diocese of Rockford, all students will be learning remote for the first two weeks in January. All students will follow Bell Schedule 1 for all days during these two weeks. Students will return to the red/blue hybrid schedule beginning Tuesday, January 19th. Please click here for details.
Yearbook Photos
We are excited to share the Marian School Picture Gallery with you! Here's what you will need to know to access your student's photo:
1. Go to www.vickylongphotography.com/marian, scroll down to the gallery area of the page.
2. Freshman, Sophomores, and Juniors should go to the School Pictures area and then click Enter Gallery. Seniors should go to the Class of 2021 Senior Portraits and click Enter Gallery.
3. Type your email address to enter the gallery.
4. Read the instructions that display after you've entered the gallery. (Please scroll to read all of the instructions!) This will inlcude information you'll need to access your student's private album, order digital files and/or professional prints, add White Glove Touch-Up services, and use your Pre-Pay Credit!
Students that have not been photographed or that require or request retakes will be scheduled on a retake date in early 2021. If you would like to request a retake, please contact Vicky at the email below by December 15, 2020.
If you have any questions about the photos or the ordering process, please contact Vicky at vlbrphotography@gmail.com or 815.307.0974
Class of 2021 - Baby Pictures Needed
It’s that time of the year! BABY PICTURE TIME!
1. Bring in an actual photo (size 8x10): please have your FULL NAME and your English teacher’s name marked on back. (Use masking tape to write on if you don’t want to write on the actual photo back!) GIVE TO YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER! He/She will have a folder to collect photos, and we will return the photo through your English class once we have it scanned and saved.
2. Email a .jpg formatted directly to mcpublications@gmail.com In the title of the email, please include your full name. Make sure you notify your English teacher, and we will verify with him or her that the image was downloaded successfully.
3. Send in a .jpg copy on a recordable cd. Give to your English teacher, and we will return the disc promptly.
What type of photo works best? The BEST type of baby photo is when you were 6 months – 3 yrs. PLEASE do NOT send in newborn photos (taken in the hospital.) All newborns look the same – and have that same scrunchy-faced angry look. At about 6 months, however, we can see hints of your unique personality! Don’t be left out! We are striving to have 100% of our senior class represented!
ALL PHOTOS ARE DUE TO YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER NO LATER THAN February 1st!
EMPOWER ILLINOIS Reservation Night 2021
The State of Illinois has created a new way to fund scholarships for children who choose to attend Catholic schools through the “Invest in Kids Act.” Scholarships offered through this program have the potential to cover up to 100 percent of tuition and eligible charges for next school year at Marian Central Catholic High School.
The Empower Illinois Scholarship Granting Organization website (www.empowerillinois.org) will be accepting applications for the 2021-2022 school year beginning Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Empower Illinois scholarship is first come first served, based off the time in which you submit reservation. Your timestamp matters and may impact your chances of receiving a scholarship.
Testing Day - January 26th
PSAT/NMSQT and PREACT STANDARDIZED TESTING DAY - TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021
IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE DAY FOR ALL FRESHMEN, SOPHOMORES, & JUNIORS
Senior Students will not have school on January 26th to allow for college visits.
Freshmen and Sophomores will be taking the PreACT test, and Juniors will take the PSAT/NMSQT in-person at Marian Central (start time 8:00 a.m.) on Tuesday, January 26, 2021. This will be a shortened school day and all buses will run according to the shortened schedule. Social Distancing guidelines will be maintained in hallways and testing rooms and all students will be required to wear masks while testing. All safety and cleaning protocols will be observed.
Remote students are strongly encouraged to test and will be assigned to remote-only student testing rooms. Those remote students planning to attend and test should contact the Guidance Director, Mrs. Hilton, via email (khilton@marian.com) no later than Friday, January 15, 2021 to register for testing.
We encourage our students to take these tests seriously as the results provide valuable information to be used to prepare for future ACT and SAT tests and resources to aid in the career/college planning process. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Mrs. Hilton, Guidance Director, at 815-338-4220, ext. 121 or khilton@marian.com.
To familiarize yourself with the tests and the benefits for your students, please click on the following links:
PSAT: https://parents.collegeboard.org/college-board-programs/psat-nmsqt
PreACT: https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/pdfs/PreACT-Toolkit-WhyTake.pdf