April 13, 2023
April 13, 2023
Dear Families,
Happy Easter! I hope that you had a beautiful Easter Sunday. It was a wonderful weekend of faith and fellowship and a blessing to have a full church and see so many families at Mass. The parish Easter Egg Hunt was a hit on Saturday and attended by quite a few of our families.
Kelci Jaburek in seventh grade took part in the Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil. She received the gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation. What a remarkable gift; the Holy Spirit! In the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Spirit brings us the Body and the Blood of Jesus, who gives Himself to us during Holy Communion. She also received her First Holy Eucharist. Congratulations, Kelci! It was truly a beautiful Mass.
Our second grade students are in their final days of preparation for receiving their First Holy Eucharist. Please keep them in prayer. They are just nine days away from the reception of the sacrament.
As you know our third through eighth grade students packed meals at Feed My Starving Children. We learned that the meals packed on March 14 were shipped to the Convoy of Hope in Haiti. It is of great comfort and joy to know that children will be eating nourishing meals because of the work of our students. “A generous person will prosper, whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” ~ Proverbs 11:25
Our kindergarten through second grade students collected money for the animal shelter. The purchases will be made soon. As a thank you, the DuPage and Animal Care and Control will be coming on Wednesday, April 26 for a visit. They will be bringing some small animals for the children to see and learn about.
If you haven’t returned your collection box for the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Eucharist, please remember to send it in to school.
For the past two days, our student in grades six through eight have been graced with the Cyber Awareness and Safety Education (CASE) curriculum presentations. Yesterday the focus was cyberbullying and today was centered on overexposure and appropriate online behavior. The presentations conclude tomorrow morning. Don’t forget that we have a fantastic online parent education opportunity on Wednesday, April 26 at 6:30 PM led by Liz Repking. Liz is the founder of Cybersecurity Consulting and author of the CASE curriculum. The Zoom link for the night will be sent out soon.
SJB’s Gala is on Friday, April 28, and only 15 days away. It is our biggest fundraiser of the year and necessary for the success of our school. We truly hope to see you there! We are thrilled to be able to meet together for this event as the last in person Gala was in 2020. Purchase your admission ticket here: https://sjwinfield.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/ANightattheOscarsSJBGala2023/tabid/1346193/Default.aspx Once on the site, simply click on Registration to get started. Tickets need to be purchased by April 21 so that the food count can be given to our amazing caterer. Our “Fund a Need” goal is to upgrade and improve the sound system in the school gymnasium. You are able to contribute to the fund at the Gala or on the registration site. You can also purchase a raffle ticket for free tuition for the year for one of your children as well as other raffle tickets. The Gala Committee has been working so hard to make the event an evening of fun. It is a fantastic way to get to meet and get to know other SJB parents. The Committee has also been busy putting together amazing packages this year. Please spread the word to your family and friends.
To update you on the tax credit scholarships program, I am happy to let you know that to date, we have awarded 18 tax credit scholarships for the 2023-2024 school year, and are only $1,000 away from awarding the next scholarship. Please prayerfully consider making a contribution to the tax credit scholarship program and receive a tax credit on your 2023 state taxes while making it possible for eligible current and new students to attend our school. For every dollar donated, donors receive a tax credit of 75% of their donation on their Illinois income tax and a 25% credit on tuition for the 2023-24 school year. 100% of your donation comes back to you through a credit! Additionally, there is an amazing opportunity to double your gift. Due to two large donations, there is $40,000 in matching monies for donations which are made by new donors to the program. Simply put, a donation of $500 becomes $1,000. Let’s keep the donations coming and take advantage of the $38,000 left in matching funds for new donors to the program. Please find a one page donation guide in the posting to get you started. If you have questions about the program, please contact Father Jeff Putthoff at jputthoff@dioceseofjoliet.org or me. Fr. Jeff works for the diocese and can easily walk you through the process. Thank you for your consideration of taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity! The program has been a true blessing for our school and families.
Tax Credit Scholarship Advocacy Update
It's time to plan our trip to Springfield during the spring legislative session for the final advocacy push to extend the Tax Credit Scholarship program. The program is scheduled to sunset on December 31, 2023. We must not let this program sunset! Our families and school rely on the thousands of dollars awarded in scholarship funding each year. Last year we raised $283,000 in donations and funded 54 scholarships to our school! Every school leader in the Diocese of Joliet has been asked to commit to bringing two-to-five school representatives (school board members, teachers, parents) to speak with lawmakers face-to-face about the importance of extending this program. If interested in joining me, please contact me. I am planning to go on Monday, May 15.
Our spring play, Snow White and the 7 Endings, a musical comedy is in full swing. Each Forest Dweller (dwarf) tells his/her own version of events, thus the 7 endings. Performances are on Friday, May 12 & Saturday, May 13 in St. Cecilia Hall. Tickets will go on sale Sunday, April 30th at noon. Limited seating will be available at the door.
This is a reminder that there is an Early Dismissal on Wednesday, April 19. We dismiss at 1:30 PM and After Care is not available. Don’t forget that our principal of the day has declared a black and white dress down day on April 19. You also have the chance to participate in our Athletic Department’s Cook’s Night Out at Chipotle on Roosevelt in Wheaton on April 19 from 4:00-8:00 PM. See the posting for the flyer. The flyer will be sent home soon.
The fishing field trip will be here soon. Mrs. Norton asks that if you are able to chaperone to please contact her at Pnorton@sjbwinfield.org and to also indicate it on the permission slip. Permission slips are due on Friday, April 21.
Please be reminded that tomorrow is a SJB favorite, Panoramic Picture Day. Pictures are scheduled to be taken at 8:15 AM. If ordering a picture, please send in your order form with payment. Checks should be made out to HR Imaging. Students should wear the following shirt colors tomorrow:
Preschool 3 – pink
Prekindergarten 4 – red
Kindergarten – black
1st grade – purple
2nd grade – green
3rd grade – white
4th grade – blue
5th grade – DARE shirt
6th grade – yellow
7th grade – orange
8th grade – Class of 2023 t-shirt
This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. There will be a service at 3:00 PM in the Chapel. The message and devotion to Jesus as the Divine Mercy, is based on the writing of Saint Faustina, a Polish nun who wrote a diary of 600 pages recording the revelations she received about God’s mercy.
That’s all for this week…until next week…
Have a wonderful and blessed weekend,
Joanne