Mrs. Barton

A “shout out” from Market Day to Mrs. Lisa Ryan and the wonderful team of volunteers that contribute to the success of this program each month.  Over $4,074, was raised this school year through the dedication and hard work of Chairperson Lisa Ryan and her team of volunteers. Since 1996, our partnership with Market Day has earned the school $102,108. Thanks to all our Market Day volunteers and to the families who support these efforts by participating in our monthly grocery fundraiser.

The theme for the May Building Peace Project, building on April’s themeof “Thought Circles”, is the “Influence of Messages”. The students will talk about keeping positive thoughts to help us to stay on our chosen path. They will learn that the most important discovery we can make in life is to find out who we are and those helping us with that discovery are the most important people in our lives. Finally, we must all ask the question what can we do to help others discover who they are.

One of the people helping us to discover who we are is Father Steve. We honored and blessed Father Steve as the Pastor of a Catholic School yesterday at our all-school mass. Several of the students told Father Steve what they appreciated about him: “I like how he calls the grades up to the altar; he doesn’t rush masses; he is good at splashing us with water; and he has good stories during the homily”. Thank you Father Steve.

School is open today. Please use prudence in deciding whether to drop your children off at school or not. We understand many basements are flooded and some streets may be closed. We will be accepting students as they arrive with no penalty for tardies.

School is open today. Please use prudence in deciding whether to drop your children off at school or not. We understand many basements are flooded and some streets may be closed. We will be accepting students as they arrive with no penalty for tardies.

During the past six weeks, our school community has prayed, fasted and given alms with a special focus on the poorest members of our global community through Operation Rice Bowl. We listened to stories from Burkina Faso, East Timor, Lesotho, Dominican Republic, Pakistan, and the United States. Through our Lenten prayers and donations, we have touched the lives of millions of people served by Catholic Relief Services, our representative to the poorest communities in the world.

Thank you to all the Saint Juliana School Families who supported these efforts during the Lenten season. May you have a prayerful holy week and a blessed Easter.

The Building Peace topic for March is “Above and Below the Line”.  Class discussions this month will help students learn how to identify their moods, attitudes, and/or state of mind in terms of being Above or Below the Line. They will also explore how to take responsibility for their feelings and how to get back to being a Top 20 person with an energetic and positive view on life or being Above the Line. You may want to ask your children to describe the “triggers” that bring them Below the Line, and the “trampolines” that help them to bounce back Above the Line.

Remember: Top 20 people can be creative, self-confident, organized, self-motivated, persistent, enthusiastic, self-disciplined, focused, optimistic, courageous, and spiritual! When you exhibit even one of these qualities, you are living Above the Line.

Please join with our parish and school this Lenten season as we participate in Catholic Relief Services, Rice Bowl. During Lent we are asked to pray, fast, and give as a way to draw closer to God in preparation for Easter.  CRS Rice Bowl helps us to share our faith, our love, and our gifts.  We “give something up to lift others up”.

The children will each receive a rice bowl as a symbol of their Lenten giving. In school we will also learn more about the people around the world who will benefit from our generosity.  Also, one of our Lenten prayers will be the Rice Bowl prayer:

Abundant God, help us this Lent to let go of those thing that weigh us down. May our prayers and sacrifices bring us closer to your Son, Jesus and help bring life to our brothers and sisters who struggle with hunger and poverty. May we proclaim the dignity of life and celebrate the witness of your love each day. Amen.

The Building Peace Project theme for the month of February is “Fact or Fiction”. This topic helps us to learn to distinguish between facts and beliefs; and to understand how our beliefs and convictions may impact our lives. The students will explore the power of beliefs and how false beliefs may block our potential to be our best selves. The Top 20 people try to be aware that what they believe might not be true, so they are always open to getting more information or listening to other’s ideas. In the next weeks, we all will be paying attention to the things happening around us and what we believe about them. We will try to ask more questions to get more information about what we believe to be true so we can more easily let go of false beliefs and/or be able to change our beliefs.

We celebrated this way of thinking at our mass this week as we enjoyed the rainbow of t-shirt colors reminding us that we are a community that cares and supports each other.

Today is Teacher Appreciation Day at Saint Juliana School. Thank you to all our teachers for their dedication to our school and for the commitment they make to the education of our children every day. Our faculty and staff consistently go above and beyond all expectations. Our community is certainly enriched by their presence.

We are also grateful to the Saint Juliana Men’s Club for providing lunch for us today.

Many people have asked me over the past week how a Principal for a Catholic School is chosen.  The following may provide a clearer understanding of the process.

The Office of Catholic Schools and Father Steve Kanonik are currently working together to begin the Principal Search Process.  The first step is to form a Principal Search Committee to provide feedback and insight on the needs of the school.  School Board members in their role as advisors will be a part of this committee in addition to a team of teachers.  The Office of Catholic Schools will screen qualified applicants for the Search Committee to interview. After the interviewing process, the committee will make their recommendations to Father Steve. This process usually takes about one to two months to complete.

Father Steve and I are very grateful to the School Board and to the school staff for their willingness to serve on the Search Committee. Please pray for all those involved in this important decision making process.

On another note, Ms. Mary Werner, Assistant Principal, will also be retiring at the end of this school year. I am thankful to Ms. Werner for her educational expertise and her dedicated service to our school. We all wish her well as she begins a new chapter in her life.

Saint Juliana School has welcomed several student teachers as we begin the second semester. Ms. Veronica Ramos, from North Park University, is working with Mrs. Tricia Smith and the third, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade Spanish classes. Ms. Elizabeth Henehan, from Northeastern Illinois University, is student teaching in the first grade with Mrs. Cheryl Florine. Ms. Brooke Steger also from North Park University is working with Mrs. Christine Boldt and the fourth grade students. We are delighted to share our expertise and knowledge about student learning, and to help these student teachers practice the art of teaching.

The Building Peace Project theme for January is Point of View. The children will reflect on the question: “Do you see or are you blind?”.  The classroom discussions and follow-up activities will help them to realize that often we do not see all that there is to see; to understand the different results that come from being right or being curious; and to know how to change the way we see.

You may want to ask your children how Top 20 people try to see things.

Dear Saint Juliana Parents,

After many years as a student, teacher, parishioner, and principal of Saint Juliana School, I have decided to retire from my administrative duties at the end of the 2012/2013 school year. My long association with Saint Juliana School and Parish has been a blessing and joy in my life. Over the years, I have appreciated working with two fine Pastors, Father Phil Dressler and Father Stephen Kanonik, many dedicated and hard-working teachers and staff as well as numerous supportive parents and parishioners.

The most wonderful part of the job has always been the Saint Juliana children.  The students are energetic, bright, and loving. Their smiles, hugs, and willingness to try their best every day has inspired and enriched my time here.  And because of you, the parents, they have the academic help and encouragement they need from home.

I continue to be grateful to be a part of the Saint Juliana School and Parish community. I thank you for the opportunity to serve and minister to your children these many years. My heart and my prayers will always be with Saint Juliana School. My husband and I will remain in the area in the foreseeable future and plan to remain active in the parish community.

May God bless you and may He continue to bless and watch over our wonderful school,

Kathleen Barton

Thank you to all the Saint Juliana families who donated to Taller de Jose during Advent. If you have not sent your donation to school, you may do so this week. Sister Kathy Brazda, the Executive Director of Taller de Jose, will be visiting Saint Juliana School soon to thank the students and to collect our monetary gifts along with the cards made by the students in their Spanish classes.

"Worship the Lord with gladness".         Psalm 100:2

“For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord.”      Luke 2:11

Christmas blessings to all our Saint Juliana School families. Thank you for your loving support of our school.