14355 Highland Avenue Orland Park, Illinois 60462 708-349-0068 www.saintmike.org KnowledgeFaithHopeGuidance The Principal’s Notes St. Michael School November 13, 2014 Early Bird Winners I am delighted to announce the names of our “early bird” winners from the 80 Grand Raffle! Two of our finest veterans picked the winners during our Veterans Day Brunch on Monday. The winners are: Mr. Bill Ward Mr. Justin Bittner Each gentleman received one thousand dollars! Congratulations! Please purchase your tickets ASAP so that they will be in the next “early bird” drawing on December 1st! The tickets from the early bird winners are returned to the barrel immediately! Who says lightening can’t strike twice! Good luck and thank you for supporting the 80 Grand Raffle. Trot-a-Thon In my ongoing attempt to highlight the importance of volunteerism, I am again delighted to announce that as of today, Trot-a-Thon has brought in over $43,000! God bless you and thank you to all who supported Trot-a-Thon. We are so grateful to you! Mrs. Danielle Scheel chaired this very important event! The work that is required and the time that is invested are overwhelming, but on the day of Trot-a-Thon, Mrs. Scheel makes it look easy. The children absolutely love the day, and the excitement is palpable. Trot-aThon is a long-standing tradition that provides the school with much needed funds. I know the question often asked is “What do they do with the money?” Every year the School Advisory Board commits to fundraising $165,000. This commitment is incorporated into the annual budget. We depend on this commitment as part of the operational costs of the school. Furthermore, the board makes this commitment in order to keep tuition costs down. Page 2 Our major fundraisers are: Fall Fest Trot-a-Thon 80 Grand Raffle Trivia Night If people choose not to support these fundraisers, our tuition costs will go up considerably. It is everyone’s responsibility to insure that this does not happen! I always asked the question, “What are they doing with the money?” when I wrote out sizeable checks to Providence Catholic High School! It was a sacrifice for us. I never underestimate the sacrifices you make to send your children to SMS during their most vulnerable years! I have had so many parents over the years inform me that their spouse was educated in a public school and was very satisfied, but that both parents LOVE the Catholic education their children are receiving. Catholic education is expensive but so worth it. The return on your investment is priceless. Back to my original topic! God bless the volunteers who planned and organized Trot-aThon this year! It was a beautiful day, filled with children’s laughter, joy and energy. And the sun was glorious! Again, I thank you for your unending support. The committee members: Beth Ryan Nicole McClain Beth Kohlstedt Rachael Mishka Catherine Bonini Jennifer Beeson Kelly McHugh Nancy Crnkovich Academic Bowls We continue to be amazed, excited and so proud of our 7th and 8th grade students who participated in the St. Laurence/Queen of Peace Math Competition which was held on November 8, 2014! There were 38 teams with 152 total students competing. The Math Competition took place the same day as the Carl Sandburg High School placement test so there were 2 eighth graders able to attend and the rest of the participants were 7th graders. St. Michael sent 12 students to the competition. The students were: Ayden Domico Sean Harlin Emily Patula Jacob McClain Declan Ryan Drew Hnilo Grace Hollowell Pat O’Malley Connor McNamara Anna Piacente Erin Depke Ethan Violetto Page 3 The students took individual tests and awards were given for 1st thru 3rd place. Connor McNamara won 1st Place Ayden Domico won 2nd Place Ethan Violetto won 3rd Place Teams of 4 also competed to complete a Team Test. St. Mike’s team of Ayden Domico, Declan Ryan, Connor McNamara and Sean Harlin came in 2nd place and also won the 2nd place OVERALL award after combining the individual and team tests! I could not be prouder of this group for the manner in which they have represented St. Michael School! Congratulations! Annual Food Drive Ms. Mary Dapkus is coordinating the annual St. Vincent DePaul food drive! Please contribute any food items you can. The St. Vincent DePaul Society is so grateful to the school families who contribute to this worthy cause. The food pantries have very low inventory at this time of the year. SMS is a major contributor to the Orland Park food pantries. Again, God bless the SMS families for living the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. Page 4 Page 5