St. Francis de Sales High School Celebrating 75 years "Be who you are and be that well." - St. Francis de Sales 23 September 2016 St. Pio of Pietrelcina Dear Parents, I write to you today with an update on staffing: Mr. Bernal is recovering nicely! He is expected to return during the first week in October. In the meantime, Ms. Chapleau will continue to cover his Spanish classes. Having taught Spanish for 7 years, it is a very natural fit for her. While she covers his classes, Mr. Rich Pinewski is covering her English classes. Mr. Pinewski taught English in the Chicago Public School system for over 30 years and, in recent years, has worked as a substitute teacher for us. Mr. Parquette has taken on a very difficult load so far this year, teaching 5 different classes that span 6 periods. In addition, both his father and mother-in-law have fallen ill...please keep them in your prayers. In the meantime, Mr. Harman, our Business Administrator, who was originally hired here as a Math teacher, will teach Mr. Parquette's Honors Algebra II course. He will take this course until we can staff this class permanently. Needless to say, this has created some challenges for us. All of our teachers are working incredibly hard and, even amidst difficult circumstances, are producing great fruit! Today the Church celebrates St. Pio of Pietrelcina, the saint better known as Padre Pio. Padre Pio bore the Stigmata, or the wounds of the crucifixion of Jesus, for 50 years. Despite these pains, he brought a countless number of souls to Christ. Our Lord shared suffering with Padre Pio because he loved him so deeply and used him to bring souls back to Himself. I cannot help but think that the same thing is happening here at SFDS...so many people are working so hard and are suffering so greatly. This is all the more proof that our school is destined to do great things. In the words of Padre Pio, "Pray, hope, and don't worry." John Kimec SFDS Marketplace Its' Tomorrow! On Saturday September 24, from 9am -1pm, we will have the first SFDS Marketplace! Different vendors will come with goods to sell and enjoy on, what is forecasted to be, a beautiful Saturday. Come and get to know our community! Click here for more information and click here to reserve a table. College Preparation On September 12th the class of 2017 attended a FAFSA 101 event here at St. Francis de Sales provided by Ladder Up. Each senior was given a folder with a FAFSA Ready Worksheet inside. They must share this document with parents so they can fill in required 2015 tax return information which is required by FAFSA. Remember: FAFSA opens much earlier this year (October 1st not January 1st) so we are asking that all seniors must have this form completed when they attend our FAFSA Completion event on October 13th. We will also host a Parent FAFSA Completion Night exclusively for St. Francis de Sales parents on Wednesday November 9th from 6-7pm. If you have any questions about FAFSA, please visit www.fafsa.ed.gov or email Mr. Fennessy at [email protected]. All seniors are asked to attend the Saturday October 1st National College Fair at McCormick Place, Chicago from 11:00 am to 3:00pm. Representatives from 400 four year colleges, nursing schools, business schools and trade schools will participate in this event. Your student should register at:www.gotomyncf.com in order to receive/print a personal barcode that they will need for admission. This barcode will allow college reps to instantly receive your student's personal information which leave more time to engage in one-to-one conversation. I have provided all seniors with a National College Fair manual so they have a floor plan of the event and list of participating colleges which will allow students to proactively know exactly where each school rep's table will be. Students should plan ahead by selecting 5-10 reps they wish to speak with. This is a free and popular event so please have your student arrive early. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions. Club Meetings Thanks to all who came and expressed interest in our different club offerings! The next late start day for club meetings is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, October 20th. Moderators will communicate with students if their respective clubs will meet before then. By way of reminder, we will tentatively be offering the following: Band-New This Year! Campus Ministry Drama NHS Podcasting Student Council Technology Club-New This Year! Yearbook STARS - Student Ambassadors Even if students did not make the meetings yesterday, it's not too late to get involved! Fall Spirit Week A great beginning to the year deserves a little celebration! We will announce the dates for Fall Spirit Week in next week's newsletter. Parents Club Bunco An SFDS favorite! The first Bunco Night of the year is Saturday, October 29th! Click here for more information. Employment at SFDS We are currently accepting application for both a full-time and part-time custodian. Qualified applicants will have experience in custodial work. Ability to take on a variety of repair projects is a plus. Applicants should express their interest via email to: [email protected] . Applications should include: Brief Employment History Contact information for three professional references Whether interest is in full-time or part-time work The positions will be open until filled. Upcoming Schedule Changes Upcoming dates with alternate schedules are as follows: Thursday September 29-Staff Development: Early Dismissal class from 8:00-1:40 Thursday, October 6-Staff Meeting: Late Start Stay Connected .