Chesterton Weekly 11/19/21

Written By Guest User

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”

― G.K. Chesterton

In this Issue:

  • Thanksgiving Note - from our Headmaster

  • All Things Gala

  • Coffee and Conversation - with Mrs. Kim Roth

  • Admissions Application Deadline and HSPT

  • Plus Portals Family Directory

  • Christmas on the Prairie

  • ILMEA Concert

  • Update to the Last Week of School in December

  • Lessons and Carols

  • Save the Date

Thanksgiving Note - from our Headmaster

Dear Chesterton Families,

I hope the Thanksgiving break is a restful one for your families as a whole and for your students in particular. In keeping with our belief that the holidays should be treated as such, no mandatory work is assigned over the Thanksgiving Break (though extra credit or opportunities to get ahead may be available). We hope it is a time when academic concerns can be put aside, and the focus can be on the hearth. Please read my full Thanksgiving note here!

In Christ,

Dan Janeiro

All Things Gala

RAFFLE

Congratulations to Tanja Snodgrass on winning our first early bird raffle pull on November 15! All tickets purchased up until 11:59pm on November 14 were added to the early bird drawing on November 15 for $1,500. Our next early bird raffle pull is on on 12/15/21 with all tickets purchased by 2/14/21 @11:59PM. You, your family, and friends will not want to miss out on such a great prize! Click on the raffle link below for all the early bird raffle information you will need.

Raffle Tickets are $100 each. Click here to visit the raffle page. And you can also download and print additional flyers using this PDF file.

Don’t forget that there are raffle incentives! You can check out the raffle incentives for students and families to win a few bonus points and prizes!

Event Tickets

Our gala website is live so you can start purchasing tables, sponsorships, and individual event tickets. Find the website here!

AUCTION

Mrs. Nawas and the auction committee have launched their efforts and they would love everyone’s help in procuring items for the auction.

Simple, elegant, and successful is always the theme for our auction, and we are aiming for quality over quantity in our baskets! We suggest that families focus their efforts on items that have been successful at raising significant amounts in the past. Here are some examples:

  • Experiences; e.g., meals with priests or well-known people, tours, weekends away, etc.

  • Services and memberships

  • High-end purses and bags

  • Religious jewelry, prints, and other gifts

  • Salon gift cards with salon products

  • High-end spirits or wine

  • Sporting events tickets

  • Restaurant gift cards

  • To see the auction wish list, please visit the new silent auction Signup Genius.

If you would like to procure items, you will need the auction intake form as well as the partner letter to introduce businesses to our event and school. All items turned into the school (they should be turned in at the office, attention “Auction Committee”) must be accompanied by an intake form. For more information on how the committee accepts and organizes items into baskets, please review the intake form.

AD BOOK

Some businesses might also want to buy an ad in our ad book! Please use the ad price form to let them know of the costs. If you’re interested in the back cover act fast, because it sells quickly! You can purchase your ad spot here.

Coffee and Conversation with Mrs. Kim Roth

Our last Coffee and Conversation of the semester is on December 1 from 8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. in the Chesterton Room with the one and only, Mrs. Kim Roth! The subject of the discussion will be art during the time of G.K. Chesterton. Not only will you get to learn more about Chesterton through the lens of art, you may even get some useful drawing tips from the master herself...

Mrs. Roth is one of our founding teachers and has been with us since we first opened our doors. She is not only an incredible instructor of art, but an excellent fine artist herself and a well-versed art historian. You will not want to miss out on this exciting morning! Click here to RSVP.

If you can join us, it is also a great time to bring in any items you have secured for the silent auction!

Admissions Application Deadline and HSPT

We have a few important admissions dates and deadlines quickly approaching! Our first date is the HSPT, high school placement test, on December 4. This test is required as part of our application process. You can RSVP to take the HSPT here at Chesterton by: opening your application, filling out your student and parent survey, and paying the application fee of $35.00. There will be no walk-ins!  

Doors open at 8 a.m., and test begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. and goes till 11:45am. Students arriving after 8:30 a.m. will not be admitted to the test. There will be a reception for parents from 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Good luck to all our prospective students!

Our admissions application is due a bit earlier this year on December 17. We have many families considering Chesterton and we want to be sure that our returning families have the chance to apply! Please have your application submitted no later than December 17. We are praying always to the Holy Spirit to guide us in our admissions process!

Plus Portals Family Directory

Want to know how to list your information in the PlusPortals Directory? When you are in your PlusPortals account, click on your student/parent name (next to the Help button) to bring the dropbox down. Click "List my information in the school directory" and then click the boxes you'd like to list. Be sure to "Save Directory Settings". That's it! Please contact the office if you experience any difficulty in listing your information.

Christmas on the Prairie

At Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church in Homer Glen, IL the celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas, which occurs on December 6th each year, is a venerable tradition. Annunciation parish also has a special reverence for the natural prairie lands of Illinois.

In the spirit of the season of gift and joy, Annunciation parish would like to share the gifts of our St. Nicholas tradition and our prairie in our 6th Annual Christmas on the Prairie event. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about the true story of the original St. Nicholas and what Christmas on the prairie might have been like for the early settlers.

Each year, our students have gone and caroled for the celebration, and it’s been a favorite Chesterton tradition. All our students are invited to come to enjoy the event and even do some singing. If you have any questions about joining in the singing, please talk with Mrs. P. Please let us know if you are coming here as it will help us prepare music. Please read below for more information on the day or click this link to go to their website.

This indoor/outdoor family event will take place on the Annunciation’s rolling ten acres of restored prairie on Saturday, December 4th from 2pm to 6pm.  

  • Discover the real story of St. Nicholas on the prairie paths

  • Frontier era Christmas crafts for children

  • Experience the mystical beauty of a Byzantine Church

  • Homemade Christmas bake sale items

  • Visit with St. Nicholas and get a ride on his horse drawn carriage

ILMEA Concert

A huge congratulations to our incredible musicians, Mary ‘22, Cassie ‘23, and Maria ‘25, for their beautiful performances at the ILMEA concert this past weekend. This weekend, Ms. Nicole Schaefer ‘25, will be playing the electric guitar at the ILMEA concert! Please say a prayer for her and wish her luck! If you would like to hear some of the music from our musically gifted ladies, stay tuned for a news post with links to their performances. Go Saints!

Update to the Last Week of School in December

As you know by now, Advent Lessons and Carols will be on the night of December 16, 2021. This is a change from our tradition of having it in the first week of December, but we know it will be a festive and joyous way to end the academic semester.

Given this departure from our usual December schedule, the school administration saw fit to reconsider our agenda for the week before Christmas break, and the new schedule is outlined below. Since our Lessons and Carols service will be later in the month, that will allow for time to wrap up other classes earlier, and it will mean that we can dismiss students for the break a day earlier. Please take a few moments to review the schedule and update your own calendars.

These changes are now reflected on the school calendar. 

Wednesday, December 15, 2021 - Normal School Schedule

  • This will be the last full day of classes, and the last day for assessments for first semester.

  • All-houses will be deep cleaning all of campus from 3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

  • Some students may need to leave early for a basketball game after school; we will make arrangements for them to help out with the cleaning during the day on Thursday, Dec. 16.

Thursday, December 16, 2021 – Last Day of School for Students

7:45 a.m. Building Open

8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

  • Convocation at 8:00 a.m. as usual

  • Christmas Breakfast for students; gift exchange and Christkindl celebration

  • Lessons and Carols Practice

11:30 am Mass

12:30 p.m. Dismissal of students for Christmas Break

 Friday, December 17, 2021

In-Service for Faculty and Staff

Lessons and Carols

Advent Lessons and Carols is one of the most beloved traditions we have all year. This year, it will be held at Sts. Peter and Paul in Naperville, beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 16, 2021. The students share what they have been working on in their choir class this semester with the entire school community. As such, it is an all-school required formal event for students, parents, and faculty, and there is a dress code appropriate for this service which is detailed below, and this performance is part of the student’s music grade for the semester.

Students are required to be in school on that day; please note the shortened schedule for the day: 8:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The arrival time for students is 5:15 p.m. and they should report to the parish hall (the red brick building next to the Church). Parents are invited and encouraged to attend mass at 5:15 p.m!

Choir Attire for Girls: Black floor-length formal dress purchased from www.stageaccents.com. The model numbers are #5269 Dahlia Girls or #8864 Dahlia Ladies black floor-length formal dress. Solid black dress flats. Dress should be hemmed to touch front toe of shoe. If questions, please ask before hemming. Mrs. Wrobel knows the appropriate uniform standards. Girls can wear a plain black formal wrap or shawl to keep warm before the singing begins, but during the performance they are not permitted.

Choir Attire for Boys: Black dress pants and suit coat, white dress shirt (not oxford) and solid black bow tie which can be purchased at school. Solid black dress socks (must be to mid-calf) and black dress shoes (polished and in good condition) must be worn. Some gentlemen choose to purchase a tuxedo package from Stage Accents (www.stageaccents.com); the package we recommend is the Premier Tuxedo Ensemble #ENSB and it is quite affordable. Patterns on the bow tie, pocket squares, and vests are not permitted.

Save the Date

11/11-13: Sophomore Play

11/15: First Early Bird Raffle Pull

11/16: University of Dallas Visit

11/22-26: Thanksgiving Break

12/01: Coffee and Conversation

12/10: CV Night - Christmas Movie and Pizza

12/13-16: Christkindl Week

12/16: Advent Lessons and Carols

1/4: All students return from the Christmas Break

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