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Thank you to everyone who participated and came out to support our United Football teams during our Homecoming celebrations and games. The Homecoming 2018 Festivities started with an all-school Pep Rally on Friday, September 14th. Our Cadence choir led the students in the National Anthem. There was a great show of support with the cheerleaders leading the crowd of students and parents in some familiar cheers. The football players from St. Isaac’s and Our Lady of Peace were announced and even the school mascot made an appearance to support the players. The entire United Family shared in the Celebration of Homecoming as the United Football Teams (both JV and Varsity) beat Immaculate Conception on Sunday, September 16th at Hinsdale South High School. Please come on out and cheer on our United Teams in their upcoming games on Sunday, October 7th at Benet Academy. The Junior Varsity game begins at 10:00 a.m. and the Varsity game begins at 11:30 p.m. On Saturday, September 29th, St. Isaac’s Cross Country team competed in their final race of the season - the Suburban Parochial League Conference Championship Meet at Lewis University. Each grade level race had more than 100 runners competing from over 29 Catholic schools. The 6th grade boys team finished an impressive 4th place and the 5th grade boys team finished in 6th place. Top individual performances earning ribbons at the meet include: Finn R. winning the 6th Grade Boys 1.5 mile race with a time of 9:05.4; Jack T. finished in 8th place in the 5th Grade Boys 1 mile race with a time of 6:32; and Erin J. finished 25th in the 5th Grade Girls 1 mile race with a time of 7:26. Christian K. ran a personal best of 13:02 placing 19th in the 7th Grade Boys 2 mile race.
A special congratulations to 6th grade, Finn R., who was the Cross Country SPL Conference Champion for the second consecutive year. All of the SIJ students on the team trained hard and improved their racing times throughout the season. And, they had a lot of fun! We had a record number of participants this year and would like to build on that for next year. Please consider joining the SIJ Cross Country team next fall! SIJ had a SUPER sized successful raffle with over $101,430 in ticket sales! Bravo Superhero’s, you all came together to make this happen.
Here are the impressive stats: * 10,143 tickets sold * Over 700 prizes awarded * 123 students qualified for a Casual Dress Day Raffle Winners: $2500 -- Roberta Sharp $1000 -- The Hoveke Family $500 -- John Calfa Ranking Ticket Sellers 1 – Audrey W. – 400 2 – Sarah D. – 223 3 – JoJo C. – 214 4 – Luke S. – 150 5 – Emma M. - 137 6 – Tony D. - 121 7 – Matthew K. - 103 8 – Grace B. - 96 9 – Grant L. - 94 10 – Dominic D. - 90 Top Selling Class -- Mr. Maurer’s with 855 tickets A special thanks to our raffle co-chairs: Mrs. Jaclyn Cantore, Mrs. Megan Noell, Mrs. Sarah Johnson, and Mrs. Amity Comiskey on a job well done! The school children began Monday, September 10th with Praise and Worship Music and Adoration at the Fall Faith Rally. Father Arty and Deacon Randy Waring led the children in grades K-8 in a Eucharistic Procession from the church into the gym where they sang, prayed, and listened to the witness of Deacon Randy, one of two newly ordained permanent deacons at SIJ. In the classrooms the eighth graders led the Faith Families in a lesson about the importance of the Mass and explored where Mass was attended over the summer....all over the world and closer to home. The Faith Families (groups of students from grades K-8) placed stickers on maps to show the different places where Mass was attended over the summer. Everyone met in the church at the end of the event to repose the Blessed Sacrament and sing Praise and Worship Music before going back to class. What a blessed way to begin the school year in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament!
 St. Isaac Jogues participated in the statewide Letters about Literature competition. Each year, students submit letters to a favorite author connecting to a character or story which has impacted them. 31 students were recognized in the 2018 competition with Honorable Mention or Semi-Finalist designations. Congratulations to Sophia Y., Kacey H., Megan M., Audrey W., Abigail G., Hayden S., Katie L., Willa G., Emma G., Megan T., Mia Y., Jessica V., Tatum B., Peyton M., Dominic K., Elyssa C., Caroline C., Penelope G., Lindsey D., Tessa G., Elle T., Claire D., Will F., Holden A., Raphael A., Sarah G., Mallory T., Emma G., Jacqueline L., Maddie M. and Jonathan S.
 The Class of 2018 graduated from St. Isaac Jogues on Tuesday, May 29th. This year has been full of great memories, experiences, and talent. The year began and ended with a Faith Rally where all students come together for adoration and praise. In the fall, students began working on Science Fair projects. 10 students represented St. Isaac Jogues at the Illinois State Science Fair. In November, students attended Called By Name Vocation and Discipleship Conference. Over 40 schools from around the diocese met here at St. Isaac's to sing, pray, and learn about the Catholic faith and how God calls all of us to holiness. Also in the fall, students researched a saint in preparation for the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation in December. Throughout the year, students participated in a devotional retreat focused on The Most Holy Eucharist. In March, the students visited the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center to create deeper meaning for their Social Studies and Language Arts curriculum. Alexander H. represented St. Isaac Jogues in the National Geographic Bee State Competition in March, as well. The Spring Musical this year was Aladdin which starred many 8th grade students. This has been quite a talented crew!
On the evening of Thursday, March 8th the Preschool celebrated Donuts with Dad! All preschool dads or other important male figures were invited to join their preschooler for an evening of fun in their classroom. In preparation for the event, the preschoolers answered adorable questionnaires about their dads and made them paper ties. At the event, the students enjoyed donuts and were thrilled to show their dads around their classroom (and favorite centers!) To commemorate the event, the students decorated foam frames and then had their picture taken with their dads as a special keepsake. It was such a special memory for all!
In early April, the preschool celebrated the musical talents of our youngest learners! In Mrs. Brusa’s PreK3 classroom the students made movies of the plays Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Henny Penny, Pete the Cat, and The Three Little Pigs. Families were then invited to attend the red carpet premiere of these films followed by a short reception with their little superstars. On Monday, April 16th Mrs. Lewis and Ms. Quinn’s PreK4 classes performed the musical Three Nanny Goats Gruff in honor of Music Monday as part of Week of the Young Child through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Parent volunteers came in to assist the students in creating their own sets and masks. It was a wonderful morning celebrating our talented young ones and we are so proud of their hard work for this truly adorable annual tradition! In March, students in grades 3-8 traveled by bus to Aurora to volunteer at Feed My Starving Children (a Christian non-profit organization) committed to feeding God's children hungry in body and spirit. The student volunteers hand-pack meals specially formulated for malnourished children. Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) sends the meals to partners around the world where they are used to operate orphanages, schools, clinics, and feeding programs to break the cycle of poverty. FMSC food has reached nearly 70 countries.
With the help of teachers and parent volunteers, the students worked alongside their classmates and packed 453 boxes of food. This will feed 268 children for an entire year. Our students enjoyed singing to the music, having fun with their friends, and helping those in need. All the students agreed that it was a wonderful way to practice their faith by doing something for others. This service project has now become a tradition at St. Isaac's! For the first time in the history of the Cadence Show Choir, the group, comprised of 53 members in grades 6, 7, and 8 from St. Isaac Jogues traveled to California to compete at the Los Alamitos Xtravaganza Show Choir Competition on March 15th. Cadence proudly returned home as Grand Champions of the Middle School Mixed Division as well as with an elite recognition for Best Showmanship. As a special bonus while in California, the Cadence Show Choir performed on the Fantasyland Theatre Stage in Disneyland Park through the Disneyland Performing Arts Program.
Other highlights of the group’s 2017-18 season include winning Grand Champions, Best Vocals, and Best Choreography at the Crete-Monee Show Choir Spectacular and winning First Runner Up at the John Hersey Chicagoland Showcase. Several St. Isaac Jogues students received special awards at these competitions. Gavin D. won Best Male Vocalist at both Crete-Monee and Chicagoland competitions. Best performer awards went to Shannon S. at Chicagoland Showcase and Lily D. at Los Alamitos Xtravaganza. Congratulations to all the Cadence members! The Cadence Show Choir also performed a Christmas concert at Hinsdale South High School, and a Spring concert at Hinsdale Central High School. The Cadence Show Choir is honored to represent and have the support of the community at St. Isaac Jogues School.  Mrs. Boyle would like to thank everyone involved in making it possible for St. Isaac’s students to achieve another extremely successful year of academic and personal growth through the vehicle of science fair! A special thanks to the parents who served as judges at both the State and at Regional Science Fairs. The 7th and 8th grade students once again represented SIJ with poise, eloquence, and excellence. We are extremely proud of all our students. We are grateful for their diligence, perseverance, and commitment to working to their God given potential. The results were as follows:
Students earning Silver: Dominic K., Jack J., Lindsey D., Jackie L., Sarah G., Gabija S., Mallory T., and Michaela M. Students earning Gold: Raphael A., Viktoria S., Grace R., Mia Y., Caroline C., Emma G., Baileigh R., Elyssa C., Kelly N., Madelyn P., Elle T., Shannon S., Penelope G., Caroline K., and Heather W. Special Awards: (Rare- only 9 went to our whole region, we earned 6!) Top Ten of Papers: Penelope G., Grace R., and Viktoria S. Scientific Excellence: Gabija S. and Mallory T. Jay & Jeremy Hoffman Memorial Award: Penelope G. and Mia Y. Naval Science Award: Madelyn P. |
