This beautiful photo was taken by teacher, Mary Migalla, of a monarch released by our middle school class. This beautiful butterfly used our sanctuary to fuel-up for that long trip south.
The students are enjoying our new living science room and outdoor market place!!! The butterflies are happy, and the tomatoes are just thriving, so we pray the first frost holds off a little longer.
PRINCIPAL’S NOTE
This month we will teach the students about the Rosary. This meditative prayer reflects on the life of Jesus and is a tradition that was passed down from St. Dominic in 1214. Your students should be able to tell you the prayers and mysteries of the rosary, and they will have a rosary to use.
NO SCHOOL FRIDAY
You are receiving the “Thursday Envelope” today because there is no school Friday. All teachers will be attending a special Teachers Convention at Holy Trinity Church.
WE HAVE SCHOOL MONDAY, NO BUS SERVICE
Monday is Columbus Day, but we do have classes. There will be no bus service.
TJ’S PIZZA SALES
So far it looks like you all sold almost $8,000 in product, which will give the school about $3,000. WAY TO GO!!!. Top sellers are… 1st : DeArrion Sayles (K), 2nd: Kamira Wilson (2), 3rd : Damont Jenkins (8). They receive Gift cards of $100, $50, and $25 respectively. The top class to receive a pizza party is Kindergarten.
SISTER THEA BOWMAN PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION PLANNING MEETING
Our first meeting of the year to discuss activities for the year will be Wednesday, Oct 11, from 3:45 – 4:30 in the staff room. If your student stays, they may participate in Extended Day during the meeting time.
PICTURE DAY
Picture Day is October 13. You will receive the Life Touch order form today. Please send back the form and money with your student by next Friday to order photos. We will send one more reminder next Thursday. It will be a non-uniform day, with students following normal non-uniform guidance.
STBCS SWEATSHIRTS
All students had a Sister Thea Bowman Sweatshirt ordered for them, provided by a generous grant. These should be going home to students next week. They can be worn during the entire school day.
FALL CLEAN-UP
Please mark your calendar if you can join your student’s class in a FALL CLEAN-UP on Friday, Oct 20, from 1 – 3 PM. We are doing this a bit differently this year to get all involved!
ANNUAL FUND VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Our Annual Fund Appeal goes directly to Tuition Assistance. Can you help stuff envelopes on Tuesday, Oct 10, at 9 AM? If you can come then or another time next week, please call the office and let us know!
CBS St. Louis shared a YouTube video of Ameren’s stone dropping presentation which demonstrated our new unbreakable windows.
Channel 5 recently featured our window project! Watch the segment below or on their website HERE.
Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School has received a $20,000 grant from Ameren Illinois! Ameren IL employees Mr. Larry and Mr. Barry visited us recently to provide “My Safe City” education about being safe with electricity.
Ameren IL provided electricity safety education with “My Safe City” presentations.
Mr. Larry, Ms. Paula and Mr. Barry from Ameren IL provide “My Safe City” education about being safe with electricity.
By CAMILLE PHILLIPS • SEP 22, 2017
Students get ready for a violin class taught by Philip Tinge at Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School in East St. Louis.
Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School in East St. Louis is one of hundreds of private schools in Illinois that could see a financial boost from the state’s new tax credit scholarship program.
More than 90 percent of the families who send their children to the school fall below the federal poverty line of $24,600 for a family of four. That gives them top priority to receive a scholarship.
Although children from low-income families get priority, if Illinois follows the pattern of other states with similar programs, most of the tax credit scholarships will go to middle-class families.
SEE THE REST OF THE ARTICLE ON ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO WEBSITE
You’re invited to a celebratory event, the unique restoration experience of Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School and the unbreakable spirit of the school community.
Tuesday, September 26 – 9:30 a.m.
Join us along with Richard Mark, chairman and president with Ameren IL to learn more about their participation in our unique window restoration – A View to the Future of Education
9:30 am – Welcome ceremony – Richard Mark, chairman and president of Ameren Illinois to share their support
9:45am – Window Demonstration – Special Guest – TV Personality will conduct television segment from the Ameren IL bucket truck
Reception immediately following
We look forward to seeing you there!
PRINCIPAL’S NOTE
“What do you want for your child?” This is a question asked at Catholic Baptisms, and the parents respond “Baptism”.
Have you asked yourself this question lately about Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School? What do you want for your student? Is it: Faith Formation, Education, or something else?
More importantly, I think the question is: “What will you do for your student to meet that goal?” We are a team, and neither of us can do it alone. Stay focused on your student’s education and be involved with our school!
IOWA ASSESSMENT TESTS
Students will be testing next week in grades 2-8. These tests are important to help us gauge where students are at in various subjects. It is so IMPORTANT that all students are on-time, present, and well-rested next week for testing! Please be sure they are in bed early Sunday night.
FIRST ANNUAL SISTER THEA BOWMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL FISH FRY
We did well, making about $1,800 in sales. There is talk of doing this again, so stay tuned for how you can help!
PROGRESS REPORTS AND EXTENDED DAY
First Quarter Mid-Term Reports go home tomorrow with students. Be sure to ask for yours! If you do not see progress that meets your expectations, please ask for a conference with the teacher. Also, we highly recommend students participate in our Extended Day Program to receive individual and small group help (Starts Oct 2).
STEM SCOUTS 3rd – 5th GRADE
Our special STEM SCOUTS Program starts Sep 22 from 3:30 – 5:00. We filled up the program, so if you did not receive a letter stating your student is in the program, then they are on a waiting list.
TJ’S PIZZA SALES
All orders must be turned in with money tomorrow, Friday, Sep 22nd. We appreciate your efforts to support the school. Top sellers will be announced next week.
SIUE MATH HOMEWORK HOTLINE
Tutors will be available to provide free math homework help from Sunday through Thursday evenings from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. to our 5th through 8th grade students. University mathematics students staff the SIUE Hotline.
EGG CARTONS FOR PEACEMAKER DAY ART
We are building an egg carton castle. Actually, we need your empty, clean egg cartons for an art project.
NEW WINDOWS
We have met our goal of about $150,000 for Phase 2 of our Window Replacement Project. We will start to replace windows in more classrooms probably over the Christmas break. More news to come.
PEACEMAKER DAY SEPTEMBER 29
Our next Peacemaker Day will be Friday, September 29th. A Dress Down Pass will be sent home for Peacemakers.
Please plan to join us for Curriculum Night on Thursday, August 24, starting at 7:00 p.m. and finishing by 8:30 p.m. This is a night for Parents/Guardians only, and we ask that children not attend this event. We have made it mandatory this year because it is very important to get teacher information firsthand! We will do our best to start and end on time. Please plan to be present for the entire presentation.
We will begin in our school chapel (located next to the school) and have the second part of the evening in the school building. You will have the opportunity to hear about our school, experience some of the schedule of a “mini-school day”, and receive information from your child’s teachers about the curriculum for this new school year.
In order to help us plan, please complete the Commitment Form and send it to school with your child by August 22. We are looking for 100% participation in this first Parent/Guardian meeting of the new school year. Students who have a parent/guardian to represent them for this meeting will receive a non-uniform pass for Friday, August 25.
Sincerely,
Dan Nickerson
Principal
“BE A SHOOTING STAR FOR GOD”
WELCOME
Thank You God for wonderful students with bright smiles and excited energy for this new school year! Thank You God for wonderful families ready to support their children to get the best education possible! Thank You God for wonderful teachers and staff that will care for your children and will help them grow! Let us strive to be Shooting Stars for God!!!
PRINCIPAL’S NOTE
We want to help our students to be Shooting Stars for God, so they can wow people as they show their Christian Values through actions and words! Help us nourish their spiritual growth and let’s watch them SHINE!
ARRIVAL
Students arriving from 7:15 – 7:35 report to the cafeteria. All other students should be at the front doors by 7:45. We start prayer at 8:00. Please help your child be prepared for the day by arriving at 7:45, so they have time to unpack in their rooms, get settled, and then arrive for prayer with their class.
DISMISSAL
Students are dismissed at 3:30pm. Kindergarten through fourth grade leave from the front of the school while the older students in grades 5-8 will dismiss from the back. Know that students are always supervised by staff members, and they are not allowed to cross the street if you park across from the school. Your child’s safety is top priority for our Sister Thea Bowman family.
UNIFORM
Please review uniform requirements from your handbook. We start to enforce the rules next week, so please do not let your student come to school without checking if they meet the standards. Key items: Belts (Brown or Black, Plain Buckle), Socks (White), Headbands (Girls: Plain, flowers, etc), No Nail Polish or Lip Gloss.
SIGNED FORMS
Thank you for returning the signed Handbook Verification, Concussion and Internet Use forms. They were included in the family packet. If you still need any of these forms, please send a note with your child for the office.
BUSES
Buses started today. For bus riders, you should have received notification of pick-up/drop-off times and locations for your children. If not, please contact the office.
REDUCED/FREE MEAL APPLICATION
Don’t forget to complete the application for free/reduced meals and return it as soon as possible. The deadline for the application is Friday, September 1. Please note that failure to return a completed application form will result in full priced meals.
EXTENDED DAY
The Extended Day program for students in grades K-8 program runs Monday through Friday from 3:30pm-5:00pm. If interested, please return the enclosed registration form and fee by Tuesday, Aug 22. Extended Day begins on August 22nd.
ECLIPSE FIELD TRIP
Please return all field trip forms by Friday. Remember to have students at school between 6:30 AM and 6:45 AM on Monday, so we can feed them and leave by 7:00 AM.
SMART TUITION CHANGE
Several families asked if we could change the SMART TUITION date that money is pulled from accounts to avoid issues when months have 31 days. Starting immediately, all SMART TUITION withdrawals will occur on the first day of the month. So your next withdrawal is September 1, not August 30.
PEACEMAKER ACTIVITY
Our first peacemaker activity for the year is August 31. As a special incentive, students who are Peacemakers during August (no major discipline issues) will attend a Peacemaker Activity on Thursday, August 31, at 2pm. Ice cream might be involved!
MASS
Our first Mass for the year will be Friday, September 8, at 8:30 AM. in the chapel. You are welcome to join us for this Mass, as well as all Masses held throughout the year. Ordinarily, our Masses are every Friday at 8:30a.m. Please check the calendar for any alternative dates.
NO SCHOOL
There will be NO SCHOOL on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4. School will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
POSITION OPENINGS:
We have a few positions open at our school. If you are interested or know a qualified person, please contact the office. All positions require the applicant to complete an application, interview, Child Protection Training, and background check. Pay is hourly.
