Newsletter from Our Principal

Dear Wildcat Families,

I hope that you had a blessed and lovely Easter. It was a wonderful weekend of faith and fellowship and a blessing to have a full church and see so many families during Holy Week at the beautiful liturgies. The parish Easter Egg Hunt was a hit on Saturday and attended by many of our families.

As we mourn the passing of Pope Francis, the Diocese of Joliet will be hosting a Mass Remembering our Holy Father, Pope Francis, at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Parish and School tonight at 7:00 PM. Here are the details for the Mass: 

Celebrant: Auxiliary Bishop Dennis E. Spies

Concelebrant: Fr. Richard Smith

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Jubilee Year Reconciliation 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Mass 7:00 PM

 The mass will be livestreamed if you are interested in taking part in the Mass virtually. View the livestream here: https://www.youtube.com/live/6pKg9H-R4Sc

Classes have been praying an Our Father, Hail Mary, and a Glory Be during these days of mourning in honor of Pope Francis.

As you know, Earth Day was on Tuesday. We rejoiced in God’s truth, beauty, and goodness in many ways. Some classes read about Earth Day and talked about being good stewards of God’s creation as well as learned about recycling. Some planted seeds. Our youngest learners are delighting in God’s creation as they learn about life cycles. Our preschool students are carefully monitoring chicken eggs and are anxiously awaiting the day that they will hatch, and our prekindergarten and kindergarten classes recently received their caterpillars. Other classes cleaned the church and school grounds. 

Today our fifth grade class received a visit from a Winfield Police Department officer as part of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) program for a presentation about alcohol abuse. He brought goggles which helps simulate the effects of impaired vision and impaired cognitive decision making while under the influence of alcohol. This engaging simulation made quite an impact with our fifth grade students and is another reason that we feel fortunate to continue our partnership with the Winfield Police Department to offer DARE at SJB.

It’s hard to believe that it’s already time for the end-of-year i-Ready Diagnostic in K-8. This is an important benchmark for understanding your child’s progress and growth over the course of the year, which is why it’s so important that they try their best. As with our previous Diagnostic administrations, there are some critical steps we need to take to make sure students are fully prepared and ready to try their best.

Here are a few things you can do to help support your child:

As always, make sure they get a good night’s rest before taking the Diagnostic!

Talk to your child about why the last Diagnostic is important. You can say things like:

The last Diagnostic helps you find out how much progress you’ve made over the course of this school year.

 It allows your teacher and I to celebrate your accomplishments!

Try your best, and do not rush—but don’t spend too much time on a question either.

 Let them know you’re excited to celebrate their progress.

As always, please reach out if you have any questions. The window for the i-Ready Diagnostic opens on Monday, April 28. Teachers are also working with your children to ensure that they do their best on the Diagnostic. 

Don’t forget to get your tickets for our upcoming SJB production of Into the Woods. As I have previously shared, the cast and crew are working incredibly hard! The stage is transforming before our eyes with fantastic sets which will become the backdrops for this production. The performances take place on Friday, May 16 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, May 17 at 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Purchase Into the Woods Tickets Here

Recently, I was asked if we had a new uniform company. Yes, in case you missed it in a previous newsletter, School Uniforms by Tommy Hilfiger has been selected as an approved uniform provider for St. John the Baptist Catholic School families! Visit www.globalschoolwear.com to find our school store using school code STJO76. Please see the flyer in the attachments for more information. Kindly note that the plaid for the girls’ jumpers and skorts will not be ready until summer. We are fortunate to continue with the same plaid that we currently use-- the company needs time to put it into production. Once these items are available to order, I will let you know.

With summer approaching, it is not too early to think about how to prevent the summer slide for your children. There are many options available. Summer reading programs at the public libraries are always helpful in motivating children to read and nourish a love for reading. There are also a variety of camps in the area. Please see the flyer from St. Francis in the attachments. If you are looking for a tutor for your child this summer, several teachers will be offering tutoring services. Please see the attached form for more information. Completed forms should be returned to your child’s teacher and the teacher(s) you are interested in working with your child this summer will contact you. 

This is a reminder that we will be celebrating Arbor Day with the Village of Winfield tomorrow by walking to the Riverwalk Park, which is next to the Fire Station. Weather permitting, the dedication will take place at 10:00 AM. Our preschool classes, kindergarten, first, second, third, and fourth grade classes will be singing a song as part of the ceremony. The police will assist in helping us cross Winfield Road. All are welcome to attend. Public parking is available on the first floor of the new parking deck. 

Our panoramic picture will be taken tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 PM in the gym. Students should wear the following shirt colors:

Preschool (3’s) - pink

Prekindergarten (4’s) - red

Kindergarten - black

1st grade - purple

2nd grade - green

3rd grade - white

4th grade - blue

5th grade – D.A.R.E. Shirt

6th grade - yellow

7th grade - orange

8th grade - Class of 2025 t shirt

If purchasing a picture, please make checks payable to Lifetouch and return in the envelope which was sent home.

That’s all for now! I hope to see moms and sons at the gaming event on Sunday afternoon in our gym. If you need information, please contact mariubulyk@gmail.com. Have a great weekend and be sure to check out the attachment from MomCo. Raffle tickets are being sold after all Masses this weekend in the narthex. Tickets are $1 each, 6 tickets for $5, or 15 tickets for $10. Prizes would be treasured Mother’s Day gifts.

God bless,

Joanne Policht