Archive for the News Category

Some important dates:

• Friday, April 22………St. Phillip / Sister Thea Bowman Sign Dedication & Mass
• Saturday, April 30……Robotics Competition
• Sunday, May 1……….Spring Concert (more information next week)
• Monday, May 2………No School
• Tuesday, May 3………Safari Dental here at Sister Thea Bowman

For Your Information: 

1. Families, just as a reminder:  If you are planning on re-enrolling for next school here at Sister Thea Bowman, please do so before enrollment rates increase on May 1. (See additional page in Thursday Envelopes).
2. Thank you for the wonderful turn out with Muffins with Mom’s last week.   With it being our first “trial run” at the event, we couldn’t feel more blessed that having everyone join us for breakfast.
3. Tomorrow, Sister Thea Bowman will be celebrating our Friday Mass with Bishop McGovern.   We are happy that he will be here to join us, as well as give us an opportunity to “show off” the wonderful happenings here at school!
4. Scholastic Book Fair Final Count!!!  Over 480 items sold and raised over $2,000.  Thank you to Ms. Smith and all of the people who helped.

Some important dates:

• Thursday, April 7 – Sister Thea Bowman Open House
• Friday, April 8 – No School
• Wednesday, April 12 – Muffins w/ Moms (see below) / Stations of the Cross

For our Easter Holidays, NO SCHOOL ON THE FOLLOWING DATES:

• Thursday, April 14
• Friday, April 15
• Monday, April 18

For Your Information:

1. As a reminder, tomorrow evening (April 7), Sister Thea Bowman is conducting an open house for any families that are interested in having their children attend Sister Thea Bowman next school year.  If you aware of any families that might be interested, please have them come attend, again, this Thursday, from 4:30 – 6:30.   If they have any questions, please have them contact the Sister Thea Bowman Office.  Thank you
2.  If your child is interesting in attending Camp Ondessonk this summer, a small booklet was sent home earlier with your child.  Within the booklet is page families must complete.   If interested, please turn that form back into the office before Easter Holiday begins.   More books are available in the office if you can’t find yours.
3.  We will have vision/hearing screenings for all students here at Sister Thea Bowman on April 19.   We will also have Safari Dental here for checkups.   For families wanting to take advantage of Safari Dental, we have included in the Thursday envelopes a sign up sheet.  We HIGHLY encourage our 1st and 5th graders to take advantage of this opportunity as dental records are required when your child is in 2nd and 6th grade for next year.

*Don’t forget next week:  Muffins w/ Moms.   Students any mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin that has been a wonderful influence in your life…let’s celebrate with them and bring them to school on April 12!

*Also, on April 22, Sister Thea Bowman will be visited by Bishop McGovern as we will have a Dedication Mass for a new sign that will be in front of our Chapel!

You’re Invited

St. Philip’s Class of 1971 Sign Dedication

and

Celebrating over 180 years of the Catholic Church in East St. Louis, IL

Celebrating the Past ~ Creating The Future

Friday, April 22, 2022
Mass Begins at 9:00 a.m.

Bishop Michael McGovern as Celebrant and Homilist
Fr. Carroll Mizicko, OFM, Concelebrant

Dedication of the new Chapel sign and reception immediately following the mass

Sister Thea Bowman Chapel
8213 Church Lane – East St. Louis, IL

Please come ~ Enjoy the celebration of Mass Learn more about the history of our church with St. Philip’s Alumni

We Celebrate the Past with St. Philips
while Creating our future with
Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School

IF YOU LIVE IN ILLINOIS AND HAVE TAX LIABILITY Please read more to INVEST IN KIDS! 
Every contribution made to Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School before April 15 is matched 1-to-1.

TOGETHER WE CAN EMPOWER STUDENTS

You can provide a quality Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School education to children from low-income families while also receiving a state tax credit yourself. The Tax Credit Scholarship Program (TCS) offers a 75 percent income tax credit to individuals and businesses that contribute to Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School under the Invest in Kids Act.

And there has never been a better time to take advantage of the program. A generous donor has created a 1-to-1 matching gift program, which means that for every dollar you donate an additional dollar will be donated to Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School.

But we must act fast! The matching gift program will only last until April 15, or until in matching funds are all used. Please consider giving a child the gift of a quality education this year.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

For more information, contact Roberta Trost at rtrost@srthea.org or (618) 397-0316.

Sister Thea Bowman’s influence as she sung, dance and spoke God’s word wasn’t just unique to our school.  Her reach was wide.  This past week, Viterbo University (a place where Sister Thea taught) opened up the Sister Thea Bowman Center on campus.

“The Sr. Thea Bowman Center celebrates the life and legacy of Thea Bowman, FSPA, as a hub for inclusivity and equity teachings.  A pioneer for justice and equality, Sr. Thea dedicated her life to advocacy for human rights for all people.  This center highlights all the gifts she treasured, including education, spirituality, equal rights, music, literature, and art.” (University website)

Some important dates:

• Monday, April 4 – 12:30 Dismissal (½ Day)
• Thursday, April 7 – Sister Thea Bowman Open House and STEM Night
• Friday, April 8 – No School
• Wednesday, April 12 – Muffins w/ Moms; Stations of the Cross

For Your Information: 

1. Thank you for your patience and understanding this week without bus transportation.
2. Please note to important dates from above:
   • MONDAY, APRIL 4 IS A 12:30 DISMISSAL.
   • FRIDAY, APRIL 8 IS NO SCHOOL.
3. Please mark your calendars for the evening of April 7.  This is our Open House / STEM Night for Sister Thea Bowman.  Our newly completed STEM room will be able to show itself off and see all of the great activities and learning opportunities for our students for years to come.  We also want to take that evening to show prospective students how great our school community is (and the great things we have coming in the future!).  Please, if any one you know is interested in sending their children to Sister Thea Bowman, please have them reach out and come to “Our Place” on April 7.

*Don’t forget next week:  Muffins w/ Moms.   Students any mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin that has been a wonderful influence in your life…let’s celebrate with them and bring them to school on April 12!

*Also, on April 22, Sister Thea Bowman will be visited by Bishop McGovern as we will have a Dedication Mass for a new sign that will be in front of our Chapel!  More information will be coming!

St. Paddy’s Day started as a religious celebration in the 17th century to commemorate the life of Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. This “Feast Day” always took place on the anniversary of Patrick’s death, which was believed to be March 17, 461 AD. In the early 18th century, Irish immigrants brought the tradition over to the American colonies, and it was there that Saint Patrick started to become the symbol of Irish heritage and culture that he is today. As more Irish came across the Atlantic, the Feast Day celebration slowly grew in popularity. So much so, in fact, the first ever St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in Boston in 1737.

Some important dates:

• Wednesday, March 23 – 8th grade students to Greenville College
• Wednesday, March 23 & Thursday, March 24 – Report Card Conferences
• Friday, March 25 – No School
• Wednesday, March 30 – 6th grade students to Fontbonne College
• Monday, April 4 – ½ day Dismissal
• Thursday, April 7 – Sister Thea Bowman Open House and STEM Night

**Please note:  The East St. Louis School District Spring Break is Monday March 28 through April 1. During that week, there will be no bus transportation for Sister Thea Bowman.  We will still have our Extenday Day program as well as Access Academy, so please plan accordingly for your student’s morning, afternoon, and evening transportaiton. Thank you.

For Your Information: 

1. Report Cards Conferences will be held on:
   1. Wednesday, March 23 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM (3:30 Dismissal / No Access or Extended Day)
   2. Thursday, March 24 from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (No School)
2. Please mark your calendars for the evening of April 7.  This is our Open House / STEM Night for Sister Thea Bowman.  Our newly completed STEM room will be able to show itself off and see all of the great activities and learning opportunities for our students for years to come.  We also want to take that evening to show prospective students how great our school community is (and the great things we have coming in the future!).  Please, if any one you know is interested in sending their children to Sister Thea Bowman, please have them reach out and come to “Our Place” on April 7.   More information will be coming shortly.
3. 5th grade families only: Access Academies Parent Meeting (via zoom)  with Mrs. Spencer. Tues. March 22nd @6pm. Please check your email for zoom information.

This week, students were visited by Julius Anthony from the Believe Room, and he came bearing gifts.   Each student in grades K – 5 received the book “Last Stop on Market Street”.  This is the same book that students were able to see the live production of in St. Louis a few weeks ago!

Some important dates:

• Saturday, March 12 – Sister Thea Bowman Benefit Auction
• Monday, March 14 – No School – Professional Development Day
• Tuesday, March 15 – (8th Grade Families Only) 8th Grade Graduation Meeting
• Wednesday, March 23 – 8th grade students to Greenville College
• Wednesday, March 23 & Thursday, March 24   –   Report Card Conferences
• Friday, March 25 – No School
• Wednesday, March 30 – 6th grade students to Fontbonne College
• Monday, April 4 – ½ day Dismissal
• Thursday, April 7 – Sister Thea Bowman Open House and STEM Night

****REMINDER:  NO SCHOOL THIS MONDAY, MARCH 14

Wear your Black History Month T-shirts tomorrow, March 11!!

For Your Information: 

1. Report Cards Conferences will be held on:
   • Wednesday, March 23 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM (3:30 Dismissal / No Access or Extended Day)
   • Thursday, March 24 from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (No School)
   • **If you have not registered for a conference with the office, please do so immediately.   Reminder that conferences are MANDATORY and students are to be there as well.
   • **During our Report Card Conferences, we will have Scholastic Book Fair here for the kids.  Contact Kindergarten Teacher Beth Smith (618-973-6100) if you would be interested in helping with the Fair.  If you get Ms. Smith’s voicemail, please leave a message please let her know your name, cell number, and the name of your student.   PLEASE contact her if you would be able to assist.
2. (8th Grade Parents Only).  Please plan on attending an 8th Grade Parent meeting on Tuesday, March 15 at 5:00 PM. Attendance at this meeting is MANDATORY.   

The word “Lent” comes from the same root that gave the English language the words “long” and “lengthen”.  During Lent the light of the world gains strength, unquenchable, irresistible.  Lent, the Paschal Triduum and the Fifty Days of the Easter season – a quarter of the year – are the church’s springtime.

-School Year, Church Year

Parents, 

Please enjoy your Saturday evening and be a part of our Annual Benefit Auction. “Bid Early and Bid Often!!  

Lent is often called a journey.  We march not through space but through time, and the march is rarely merry. Like the prodigal son, we are a long way off from where we want to be. In many of the Lenten scriptures, like the tale of Noah’s flood, people are on the move. God told Sarah and Abraham, “Go from your country and your kindred.” And so they set out in search of the Promised Land. Their children and their children’s children continue the adventure.

As in the tale of Noah, the number 40 often gets connected to the tales of travel. One such story is harsh and difficult, but a key to entering into the mystery of Lent: in the days that the Hebrew people journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom to the Promised Land, the slave-born generation was condemned to perish in the desert, so that only their free-born children would enter their homeland in Canaan. This passing of one generation to another took 40 years.

-School Year, Church Year

Some important dates:

• Monday, March 7 – WE HAVE SCHOOL / NO TEACHERS’ INSTITUTE
• Tuesday, March 8 – 8th Grade Graduation Meeting  (8th Grade Families Only). 5:00 PM – After Access
• Saturday, March 12 – Sister Thea Bowman Benefit Auction
• Monday, March 14 – No School – Professional Development Day
• Wednesday, March 23 & Thursday, March 24 – Report Card Conferences
• Friday, March 25 – No School

For Your Information:

1. Report Cards Conferences will be held on:
   • Wednesday, March 23 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM (3:30 Dismissal / No Access or Extended Day)
   • Thursday, March 24 from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (No School)

     Included in this Thursday envelope is additional information regarding registering a time to meet with your student’s teacher.   Please note that conferences ARE MANDATORY and your child will not be allowed to attend back until a conference is held.

2. Scholastic Book Fair!!  During our Report Card Conferences, we will have Scholastic Book Fair here for the kids.  Contact Kindergarten Teacher Beth Smith (618-973-6100) if you would be interested in helping with the Fair.  If you get Ms. Smith’s voicemail, please leave a message please let her know your name, cell number, and the name of your student.
3. (8th Grade Parents Only).  Please plan on attending an 8th Grade Parent meeting on Tuesday, March 15 at 5:00 PM.   Attendance at this meeting is MANDATORY.  
4. Thank you for your patience this week as we had to fix a major piping issue in our school. Recently, a pipe located under our elementary playground burst and was leaking into our boiler room. Thankfully,  at no time were we without water, but it was an issue we needed to address. The final phase of the project was completed this past Monday.   Again, thank you for your flexibility.
   
5. We were originally scheduled to have a Sister Thea Bowman Open House for current and prospective students on Tuesday, February 1.   Yet, because of COVID, we are trying to limit the number of outside individuals into our building.   We are tentatively planning on having our Open House / STEM Night on April 7.

Parents, 

Every year, Sister Thea Bowman holds our Annual Benefit Dinner & Auction.  This is an  important event and fundraiser for our students.   Please take a moment to look at the invitation included in our Thursday envelopes and PLEASE share with your family and friends.

CLICK HERE TO READ NEWSLETTER

A NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Friends of Sister Thea Bowman,

Welcome to Connections, we look forward to sharing our good news each semester! It’s difficult to believe that the school year is flying by and that we are well into the second semester. For many of us, a new year means the opportunity to reflect on the past while also setting goals and making plans for the future. As a school community, we too, take this time to be reflective of all that we’ve accomplished, of areas where we need improvement, and of excited anticipation for all the future holds.

At the beginning of the school year, our staff selected a quote from our namesake, Sister Thea Bowman, as our theme. “With God, I can change things. I can make things happen.” All year, I’ve been astounded by all the things our students, staff, families, volunteers and benefactors have done to “make things happen.” And we’ve done it together, with God guiding our hearts and the school’s direction.

Despite the challenges of an ongoing pandemic, our students continue to work hard and shine their beautiful lights in this world. From violin performances at a reception for Cardinal Wilton Gregory to students decorating the restrooms to make the school a more welcoming place to our Peacemakers upholding the highest standards for themselves to our National Junior Honor Society holding a supply drive for refugees and a food drive for our community — our students are truly changing things and making things happen. Getting to know them and watching their beautiful impact is humbling and a true gift to witness every day.

Just as humbling is watching the work of our staff and volunteers. Our teachers continue to give their all, every day, to teach, guide and love our students. From events like our Reading Night and Advent Prayer Service to our newly added “Donuts with Dad” to countless volunteers who come to help support our students in so many ways, I can proudly proclaim that there are so many caring adults who fill our building. We’ve been grateful for the support of our parents and families, as well. We are committed to creating a school community that cultivates the intellectual, spiritual and social growth of our students through a partnership with families.

We’ve actively committed to seeking input from families — through tools like our first quarter report card, completed by parents — to ensure we foster open communication. We also have tried to strengthen our presence on social media to keep families and benefactors informed of school happenings.

Lastly, another important reason that Sister Thea Bowman is able to make so much happen is because of our grantors, donors, and sponsors. Through your generosity, our students’ lives are being enriched now, which we know will have a ripple effect far and wide, for generations to come. Our school is blessed beyond measure because of the financial support we are given.

Please enjoy this issue of Connections, which will further highlight many of our first semester achievements. Thank you for helping us make these many wonderful things happen.

Blessings,
Tim Keefe
Principal

CLICK HERE TO READ NEWSLETTER

Posted in Town & Style Saint Louis
August 10, 2021
By: Stephanie Wallace

4th student from the left is Yannah – Sister Thea Bowman Alum – Class of 2021. (Cover design by Julie Streiler / Cover photo by Bill Barrett)

While many of us may be a little reluctant to think back to our middle school years thanks to a lingering sense of awkwardness, there is no question that it’s a pivotal time in a young person’s life. The transition from child to teenager comes with new responsibilities, challenges and opportunities for growth, but if poverty and a lack of resources are part of the equation, the future can feel limited. Since 2005, Access Academies has provided support for students who have been historically underserved so they can thrive as they move to high school, college and beyond. The organization partners with urban middle schools and assists participants through enrichment, counseling and scholarships.

Access Academies’ mission centers on creating equitable opportunities in education. More than 90% of participants qualify for free or reduced lunch, a federal indicator of poverty. “Too often in St. Louis, a child’s ZIP code pre-determines their life outcomes, and we’re working to change that,” says executive director Shelly Williams. “By eliminating barriers to education, students are invested in their futures and have a pathway to follow their aspirations.” The nonprofit’s results speak for themselves: 99% of graduates are accepted into private college-prep high schools and 96% go onto college or other post-secondary institutions.

The program starts when students are in sixth grade, and counselors continue working with them through their entire academic journey, a more than 11-year partnership. Graduate support directors help middle schoolers prepare and make important decisions about secondary school and guide them through their senior year, when a college and career counselor takes over. Williams notes that this creates a strong bond with the students and Access Academy staff. “That individual attention and commitment makes the difference as students transition to—and persist in—their next level of education,” she says. “Our strong and trusting relationships allow us to understand their needs and help them address challenges.”

Along with counseling, Access Academies provides extended school day programs for enrichment in areas like academic and career development, the arts, STEM, and leadership and character growth. It also offers financial support in three ways: high school scholarships, work-study scholarships and preparation for post-secondary plans, including covering costs related to ACT testing, applications and college visits. “Our program contributes to the vitality of our region,” Williams explains. “Our students work hard and are committed to their education. They are future community leaders and productive citizens who are ready to make a difference.”

On Sept. 9, Access Academies will hold its 12th annual Celebration Dinner at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. To prioritize health and safety, there will be both in-person and virtual options for guests. All attendees will get a special look into the lives and achievements of students through a documentary screening. Williams says the event plays a major role in making the organization’s mission possible. “As our main fundraiser, the dinner supports every facet of Access Academies, from enrichment programming to helping make private school tuition affordable,” she notes. “Our students, families and partner schools work incredibly hard, and the support we receive ensures our enduring success.”

Access Academies partners with urban middle schools to prepare students for success in high school, college and beyond through enrichment, guidance counseling and scholarships. It hosts its 12th annual Celebration Dinner Sept. 9 at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. Pictured on the cover: Executive director Shelly Williams with Access Academies students. For more information, call 314.898.0430 or visit accessacademies.org.

READ ARTICLE ON TOWN & STYLE WEBSITE

Yannah – Sister Thea Bowman Alum – Class of 2021 is featured in this documentary – Congratulations Yannah! WATCH WE ARE ACCESS VIDEO