principal's newsletter
June, 2008
Dear Parents & Incoming Freshmen:
On behalf of all of us, we are excited to welcome the
parents and members of the Class of 2012 to Providence
Catholic. We hope that your next four years will be successful
and happy and that your experience at Providence will help
everyone to grow regardless of whether you are a student or an
adult. We are very grateful to you for choosing Providence
Catholic and we promise you that we will work very hard to
provide you with the best quality Catholic education available
anywhere in America. This quality Catholic education is based
upon the three Core Augustinian Values of truth, unity and
love. These three core values are expressed in our mission
statement. We ask that incoming freshmen and parents alike
review the mission statement when you receive your
Student/Parent Handbook in August. The belief in Christ’s
teachings and PCHS’s role in enhancing our understanding of His
teachings along with the overall educational environment is why
you have chosen Providence Catholic High School.
Each of us, but especially the freshmen, will be called
upon to “live and help live” as PCHS becomes part of your
personal life. “Live and help live” refers to each of us living
our personal lives to the best of our ability according to
Jesus’ teaching. It also refers to helping all those around us
to accomplish the same goal. The exhibition of courage,
commitment, and leadership will be expected on a daily basis in
all you do, not only at PCHS, but also in your neighborhoods.
The concept of leadership especially is a strong asset
of the current students at PCHS. There are many outside groups
that look to the PCHS community and its students as models
concerning appropriate leadership. This is a responsibility
that you accepted when you registered to become a member of the
PCHS family.
We hope all of you young men and women will enjoy the
summer, but at the same time you will keep your minds
academically active by reading and journaling. Your future is
very bright!!! The faculty, upperclassmen, and everyone at PCHS
look forward to your arrival in mid-August.
This letter has important information for you to prepare
for the beginning of the coming school year. Please read the
letter closely, make note of the dates and times required, and
feel free to contact the office if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Donald E. Sebestyen, Principal
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HEALTH FORMS
– Parents, please note that there are two places on the health
form that needs the physicians signature and one place for your
signature. In January 2008, the Illinois High School
Association’s Board of Directors approved a plan to implement
random testing for steroids and performance-enhancing dietary
supplements of teams and individuals qualifying for state finals
competition. Included with this mailer is a Consent to Random
Testing form that needs to be signed by the student athlete and
parent and returned with your sport physical form. Also, please
remember the Class of 2012 must have the diabetes screening
which is mandated by State law. Please remember, class
schedules will not be released until the health form is
completed and returned to the Dean’s Office.
FRESHMAN PICNIC
– Please mark your calendars for Saturday, August 9th,
2008 for the annual freshman picnic. The picnic will be from
12:00 PM to 3:00 PM. More information will follow. This is a
great opportunity to start the bonding process with the other
families in the Class of 2012 as well as faculty, staff, and
other PCHS families.
FRESHMAN ORIENTATION
– Orientation for all incoming freshmen will take place on
Thursday, August 21st, 2008. All incoming freshman
students will please report to the large gymnasium promptly at
7:55 AM. The day will conclude at approximately 2:30 PM.
During this time, freshmen will be fully oriented to Providence
and receive a warm welcome. Further information will be
forthcoming in our July newsletter regarding orientation. The
freshman welcome will take place on Friday, August 22nd,
2008. It will start at 7:55 AM and conclude at approximately
1:00 PM. This day will be part of becoming a member of the PCHS
family and will help to bring the freshmen together as a class.
The first full day of school is Monday, August 25th,
2008. Please note that the times for these days are tentative
and will be confirmed in my July orientation letter.
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REQUIRED FRESHMAN PARENT ORIENTATION
– All incoming freshman parents and the parents of transfer
students are required to attend a meeting on
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008. Every student must
be represented by at least one parent (father, mother, or
guardian) at this meeting. The meeting will begin promptly at
7:00 PM in the cafeteria. We expect your full
cooperation on this evening.
MEET THE TEACHER NIGHT
– Every year we schedule an evening for all parents to follow
their student’s schedule and briefly meet his/her classroom
teachers. During this evening, you are given the opportunity to
hear each teacher explain their class expectations. This fall,
Meet the Teacher Night, will begin at 7:00 PM on
Wednesday, September 10th. Please use
this night to begin a strong relationship with your child’s
teachers. Remember: all teachers at Providence are just a phone
call or e-mail away.
OFFICE HOURS
– From June 19th to August 1st
the office will be closed. Please leave any messages you may
have on the voice mail (815-485-2136); messages are checked
daily. The Main Office will reopen to the public on
Monday, August 4th from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM.
PLEASE NOTE:
We will be upgrading our phone system on June 23rd &
24th. Messages left on these days may be lost.
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BOOK LIST
– The book list is available on the Providence Catholic website.
This list includes the maximum asking price for used books and a
listing of all books which are being discontinued.
BOOK SALE
– The Book Sale will take place on Tuesday, August 12th
between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The student entrance at the east
end of the building (by the Science wing) will be the starting
location for the book sale. The east parking lot will be closed
starting at 10:00 PM on the 11th. There will be no
access to the east lot until 8:00 AM on the 12th.
More information concerning the starting process for the book
sale will be in the next newsletter.
PROVIDENCE CATHOLIC BUSING PROGRAM
– Please remember that the deadline for returning bus
contracts to Providence is June 15th,
2008.
DRESS CODE
– Enclosed is the dress code for the 2008-09 school year.
Please read it carefully and purchase clothing for the students
accordingly. All students must be in proper dress code at the
Freshmen Orientation on August 21st. We all need to
work together concerning the student dress code in order to
enhance the positive learning climate here at Providence
Catholic High School. Thank you for your cooperation.
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VOLUNTEERS
– Providence Catholic is successful because it is a strongly
religious school, has a competent, caring faculty and staff, and
because it has generous parents like yourself. There are many
opportunities for volunteer work throughout the coming school.
Please take advantage of these. Volunteering allows Providence
to do things that it cannot afford to do using paid workers. In
addition, it allows you to get to know other parents, especially
the parents of your children’s friends. Here is an example:
Bookstore Angels are needed to help Michelle Knazur,
Moira Olivetti, and Michelle Wojtkiewicz before school,
after school, and on orientation days. Some
parents volunteer an hour per week while others find the time to
help several days each month.
In addition, the Women’s Club and the Men’s Club will contact
you throughout the school year to inform you of various
fundraising events which require volunteers to make them
happen. If you are interested in any of these volunteer
options, please call Nancy Duffy in the Development Office on
extension 526.
FRESHMEN CHOIR
– We have changed the required freshmen course schedule to allow
vocal students to take a full year of choir. Beginning with the
2008-2009 school year, freshmen may postpone the P.E. class if
they are registering for a full year of choir. Please call Mrs.
Auld at 815-717-3180 if your student is interested.
ORIENTATION DAY:
We are looking forward to meeting all incoming freshmen on
Orientation Day, August 21st, 2008 All freshmen
parents are invited to attend one of our incoming freshman
parents’ Masses this summer which begin next week. The dates,
locations, and times were sent to you recently in a separate
mailing from the Pastoral Office. We will certainly see all
incoming freshman parents at the required parents meeting on
September 2nd. We hope that you feel welcome at
Providence and will soon count yourselves as part of the
Providence family. Speaking for our faculty and staff, I thank
you for entrusting and sharing your children’s education to us.
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