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Weekly NCA Newsletter! 
March 4, 2020 - Issue 27
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Scholastic Book Fair

The spring bookfair is coming March 9-12! Starting today, you can sign up for eWallet, a way to give your K-8 student $$ to spend during their class visits without worrying about cash.
Because we have to run the middle school and primary campuses as separate Scholastic accounts, please make sure to select the correct link below and scroll down to the eWallet sign-up. If you have students on both campuses, please use both links to sign up your kids separately. *We could also use another volunteer or two for class visits on Tuesday afternoon at the primary campus. Check out SchoolSpeak to sign up! 
School News & Reminders
 

Service Hours: Remember that every family must complete 20 hours of service every year! All volunteer opportunities are posted on SchoolSpeak. Look often as new opportunities are added all the time! There are opportunities now listed that do NOT require VIRTUS training! All Service hours must be recorded in SchoolSpeak. Please see the quick link on the left side of the website. There are postings for Primary School recess volunteers on SchoolSpeak. 

Volunteers Needed for Saturday Playdate: We need parent volunteers, Saturday, March 7, 9-11:30 am to give preschool tours, set-up, clean-up, monitor, and assist children. Please sign-up on SchoolSpeak.

NCA Green Team: Green Team will be meeting this Saturday (3/7) at 2 PM at Uncommon Ground (1401 W Devon). Hope you can make it!"

Queen of Heart: Queen is still hiding!!  Come out and join in on the fun.  This week’s guest bartenders are Mrs. Kenny and Mrs. Deemant from Room 1.  It should be a great time.  The pot will be over $46,500!!  If you can’t make it on Saturday you can buy tickets ahead of time at the Double Bubble, The Sovereign, Edge of Sweetness and both school offices. You gotta play to win!!

 
Important Dates:

March 4: Professional Development Early Release-
MS Campus 1:50 Dismissal & PS Campus 2:10 Dismissal
ECP available at both campuses

March 5: Middle School Students are starting their day at the Primary Campus on Thursday, March 5.

March 6: NCAPO Meeting—Primary School lunchroom @ 8:15 AM
 
March 6: Trimester 2 Report Cards sent home

March 7: Cookie Decorating & Toddler Tunes Playdate- Primary School Lunchroom 10-11:30 AM

March 7: Green Team Meeting- 2 PM at Uncommon Ground

March 10: Lenten Reconciliation Primary School (3rd & 4th grade) 10:00 AM
St. Gertrude Church
           
March 12: ½ Day—Trimester 2
Conferences held at the Primary School from 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm
MS Campus 11:10 Dismissal & PS Campus 11:30 Dismissal
No ECP available- Scholastic Book Fair in Primary School Lunchroom
 
March 13: Professional Development Day--No School

March 17: Lenten Reconciliation Middle School 10:00 AM
St. Margaret Mary Church

March 17: Trinity Irish Dancers- Primary Campus

March 18: School Board Meeting—Primary School lunchroom @ 6:30 PM
 
March 26: Coffee w/ Principal & Parent Appreciation Breakfast- Colleti Hall 8:30-9:30 AM

March 28: Saturday, 9 am- NCA Green Team spring cleanup around the middle school. Come lend a hand cleaning up our community while earning some service hours!

March 30-April 3: Aspire Testing & April 6-9 Aspire Makeup Testing

 




 
 

The University of Chicago and 2020 Archdiocese Parent Survey
 

This is a reminder that the UC/2020 Arch Chicago Parent Survey is available for our parents to complete The survey window will close on March 20, 2020, so please plan to complete the parent survey accordingly.

Link for parents to take the survey: http://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/

Our parent response rate as of March 1 is 15%. Schools need to receive at least 20% of their parents to respond in order to receive a final report. I am hopeful our parents will take a few minutes to complete the survey so we can review the results. Your input will assist the administration and our school board in planning for the future.  Thank you for your attention to this important matter.  
Reading Week
 
We have had a delightful time celebrating NCA's Reading Week! Our students have enjoyed daily reading-themed activities in the classroom. Monday, the students brought their favorite book, shared a brief description, and had discussions with their classmates on why it was their favorite book. Tuesday, the students dressed up as their favorite book character, and today they're reading books throughout the day in a cozy setting. 
 
  • Monday: Bring your favorite book day
  • Tuesday: Dress up as your favorite character
  • Wednesday: Cozy Reading Day
  • Thursday: All-school Read with your Buddies Day
  • Friday: Read as a community
Please click the links below to review the STAMP newsletters.
Lend a hand cleaning up our community while earning service hours! NCA Green Team spring community cleaning will focus on the surrounding area of the Middle School.

2020 Wildcat Summer Camp- Around the World

NCA’s Wildcat Camp strives to provide a safe, engaging experience with a variety of recreational, educational, athletic, and fine arts programs at an affordable price. Wildcat Camp is for NCA students, children of parishioners at our NCA sponsoring parishes, and family and friends. Age-specific programs are available for children who are 3 yrs-old by June 1 through 8th grade.

For more information, please click the attachment.
Cookie Decorating & Toddler Tunes Playdate

All are welcomed to bring their children ages 2-5 to our Cookie Decorating & Toddler Tunes Playdate! It's a free and fun event with Edge of Sweetness!

Children will be able to be creative and decorate cookies while being instructed by Edge of Sweetness baker, and listening to all the favorite toddler tunes! 

On Saturday, March 7, 10- 11:30 AM!
Primary School Cafeteria
6216 N. Glenwood Ave
Chicago, IL 60660
Coffee with Principal & Parent Appreciation Breakfast

We value every parent that chooses to be part of our NCA community. We not only want to show you that we appreciate you but welcome your feedback and suggestions. So join Principal Huzenis for coffee and breakfast on Thursday, March 26, at the Middle School in Colletti Hall from 8:30-9:30 AM.

We encourage parents from both the Primary School and Middle School to attend. Primary School parents will have the opportunity to receive a tour of the Middle School after the event.  

Please click the link below to RSVP today!
https://forms.gle/GvUTPTTU5BerkiQa6
 
All February long, students have been focused on kindness. Middle school was given the task of noticing 100 random acts of kindness. It is amazing to see our kindness chart overflowing at the end of the month!
Third graders are practicing their multiplication “fact power” with games. The goal is to beat the calculator!
Our first-grade students studied famous African Americans all last month. They created books and wrote about all the interesting facts they learned.

Wildcat Athletics News

If you have any questions about our NCA Wildcat Athletics, please contact either our AD Dave Scholtes (dscholtes@ncaweb.org) or Assistant AD Seamus McGowan (smcgowan@ncaweb.org)

NCA Basketball Update March 2nd

Our 8th Grade Boys Lakefront team battled to the end to defeat St. Matthias 35-34 on Tuesday night. The biggest highlights came when the Krug brothers took multiple charges on defense and Michael Dooley came up big with 8 points from the bench. Our Wildcats were down at half and clawed our way back from a 23-12 deficit. A huge thank you goes to the NCA crowd that really helped carry the team’s momentum to the victory! These young boys couldn’t get past their next opponent in FXM.

Coach Goode and Coach Coomer had our 8th Grade Girls Lakefront team start the playoffs off on a positive start against St Clement. This was a very exciting game throughout with our Wildcats pulling away down the stretch. Our 8th graders were led by Antonia Zovko who was draining 3’s from all over the court. Also, Josie Biety had a great game and hit some pivotal free throws. These Wildcats advanced to the FINAL FOUR in the championship bracket but unfortunately lost to St Andrew's.

Our 7th Grade Boys Lakefront team took on top-seeded FXW. Our Wildcats really played their hearts out. They left nothing on the court but FXW ended up with the win. Mike Dooley and Will Clark really played well to lead the offense. Great job this year Coach Del and Coach Jill.

The 7th Grade Girls Lakefront team beat St Andrews and St Clements and advanced to the FINAL Four in the championship bracket. They faced off against Sacred Heart. They played hard but ultimately couldn’t hold on for the victory.

Early in the playoffs our NCA's 6th-grade girls impressive defense completely shut down St. Josaphat for an 8 - 2 victory. These young ladies then advanced to the consolation CHAMPIONSHIP. They ended their season in a thrilling way. The Wildcats were tied at 8-8 with only a few seconds remaining when Bridget Fulkerson grabs an offensive rebound and gets fouled. She makes one of the free throws to put the Wildcats ahead to seal the win.

 

The 6th and 4th-grade girls had a blast playing at halftime at the LU Women’s game. Coach Kenny called in a special assistant on coaching from Raven and Ro Krupa!

 

NCA Bitty Volleyball is BACK. Jr Volleyball is returning this Spring. More info is attached. Starting March 10th.

 

NCA Wildcat Knockout Tourney, Team Picture Day, and March Madness Viewing Party

Here are the details:

-March 22nd Sunday

-Middle School Gym

-3:30 approx start time following Team Photos

-$10 advance registration on SchoolSpeak

-$15 at the door

-All 4th graders – adults welcome (even younger if they want to play and can compete are welcome, but 3rd grade is usually the youngest)

-Everyone is guaranteed three rounds of Knockout plus the Free Throw Competition

-Pizza will be available and concessions will be open

-NCAA games will be streaming live (Elite 8 games)

-All are welcome, this is not exclusive to NCA families (we usually get some friends/neighbors who join in too)
Have you been wondering what you can do at home to shrink your environmental footprint? We've got answers. Join us on March 11 from 6-8 PM at Uncommon Ground (1401 W Devon). We're bringing together a variety of vendors that can educate property owners on having a more eco-friendly home. Many of the resources will help save money and make your home more comfortable. A full list of vendors and RSVP in the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/greening-your-home-sustainability-fair-tickets-93819335157
All NCA families are invited to join Northside Chicago AYSO for a FREE Soccer Clinic on Sunday, March 8th, from 1:30 - 3:30 in the SMM Activity Center. Burn off some winter energy and learn some soccer skills.  See the flyer below for more details.
Lifeline Theatre is registering students for their summer drama camps, and offering a 15% early bird discount to NCA families who register before March 31st. (After that, NCA students can receive a 10% discount!)  Half and full-day camps are available for children ages 5-14. Campers hone their natural performing abilities and build confidence while gaining sound theatre training in a fun-filled atmosphere! Call 773-761-4477 x703 to register and claim a discount. For more information, contact Education Director Julie Ganey:  julie@lifelinetheatre.com.
On Friday, March 13th, the 48th Ward and Chicago Park District are hosting a Teen Takeover at the Broadway Armory, 5917 N Broadway, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

This free event is an opportunity for youth in our local schools to come together in a safe, fun, and positive way. Activities will include rollerskating, basketball, volleyball, games, and trapeze. You must fill out the attached waiver to participate in the activities.

Beginning this year, the Chicago Fire soccer team will be playing their games at Soldier Field. They are very excited to be in the city (they were playing in a suburb), and they're partnering with the 48th Ward to offer reduced rate tickets to their home opener on Saturday, March 21.

Please click the link (https://groupmatics.events/event/48thward) for tickets starting at $10.
The families of Northside Catholic Academy receive 20% off their bill at Uncommon Ground, an organic restaurant located in Edgewater at 1401 W Devon Ave. All you need is a valid discount card. You can pick up a discount card from our main office on either campus or download a copy by clicking the attachment.

St. Gertrude Religious Ed Teacher Needed

Have you been thinking of a way to give back or make connections at St. Gertrude? Consider becoming a catechist! Catechists teach Religious Education classes, which at St. Gertrude are offered to children in grades 1-8. Classes are taught on 

Sunday mornings from 9:00-10:15 am. Other catechists teach brief lessons of faith based on the Sunday readings in our Kids Word program. This takes place during the 10:30 am Masses in Church and is for children in grades K-4.

The goal of catechists is to share their faith and the lessons of God and Jesus by creating age-appropriate lessons, teach the traditions of the church, and build community with the families of their students. Catechists are usually not professional teachers, just willing parents and parishioners who enjoy kids and want to help them grow in a personal relationship with God, participate in the sacraments, and develop a mature conscience and integrate faith in all areas of their lives.

Candidates must either be Virtus-certified or willing to take training that educates participants on the signs of child sexual abuse, the methods, and means by which offenders commit abuse, how to prevent it, and submit to a background check. 

Interested in Being Catholic?
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process by which adults learn more about the Catholic Church. This free program begins on Sunday, September 8 after the 10:30 am Mass in the Ministry Center and meets until Pentecost.

Many people who begin RCIA are non-Catholics seeking to become Catholic or at least to explore whether Catholicism might be a good home. Those who complete the process and decide to become Catholic are initiated into the Church at the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday. Others who take RCIA are already Catholic but want a deeper understanding of their faith foundation.

The RCIA process does not ask those who have been baptized in another faith to give up their denominational experiences. Rather, the RCIA process seeks to add new colors and designs to their existing faith life tapestry. In addition to attending Mass, the RCIA process includes weekly gatherings of breaking open the Word of God, sharing our stories, and learning about our faith traditions.

For information about the RCIA process at St. Gertrude or to register for the program, contact Kevin Chears at kchears@stgertrudechicago.org or call the Rectory at 773.764.3621.
Volunteer Sign Up Directions
1. Go onto SchoolSpeak.com
2. Click on the Quick Link that says Volunteer
3. There you will see NCA’s volunteer opportunities.  All volunteer opportunities require Virtus Training unless otherwise noted.
4. Click on the sign up you want.  Find a spot to sign up!
5. Remember every Family needs 20 service hours!
Volunteer Requirements
1. Completion of form 7703
2. Completion of Online background screening (eApps database)
3. Completion of CANTS form (DCFS background screening – paper only – must be submitted annually)
4. Submission of a signed Code of Conduct form
5. Completion of the Virtus training (must pre-register online)
 All forms and other information regarding these requirements can be found on the NCA website under Volunteer. Thank you for working with us to ensure the safety of all children!
 
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Copyright © 2018 Northside Catholic Academy. All rights reserved.

Primary School Campus: 6216 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago, IL 60660
Phone: 773-743-6277  Fax: 773-743-6174

Middle School Campus: 7318 N. Oakley Ave., Chicago, IL 60645
Phone: 773-271-2008  Fax: 773-764-1095

www.northsidecatholic.org 
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