• Slow down when driving near both campuses. 
• Do not park and get out of your vehicle in the drop off lane. 
• We are not allowed to help students get out of the car, so if you are using the drop-off lane the child must be able to get out the car on their own.
• Do not double park in any of the alleys or streets. At the Primary School Campus, do not double park on Glenwood. 
• Cross the street at designated crosswalks only.
• For the PC parking lot, enter on Glenwood and exit on the alley side.
• Do not park down the center of the PC parking lot until all the spots are filled.

About reading…

One of the favorite parts of my job as a Resource Teacher is talking with students about the books they are reading. I am so delighted when students are excited about a book. However, sometimes a student is not interested in reading, and it can be a challenge to know how to encourage them to read.  

When I was an elementary school student, I don't remember my parents checking to make sure I was reading books. Yet, I was always surrounded by the encouragement to read. My college professor's dad had a library of books filling the shelves in the living room. When I was doing my weekly dusting chores, dad's books seemed to be begging me to read, and I'd look over the book titles once again. In high school, I finally started working my way through many of those dusty old hardcover books. I have some of dad's books on my shelves today.  

There were many invitations to read in my home. I remember the magazines I would find arranged on the coffee table in the living room. I feel like I grew up with John and Caroline Kennedy because I saw their photos and read about them so many times in Life magazine. On Sunday morning, a newspaper was left at our front door, and my brothers and I had to wait our turn to read the comics. My friends sent me letters to read describing their summer vacations. I found new cookie recipes to read and learned how to make a pie. My mom was a piano teacher, so of course, I took lessons, too. I enjoyed singing the lyrics to songs performing over and over to anyone close enough to hear or for my pretend audience. I enjoyed these activities; I didn't know I was developing my reading fluency.  

As a kid, my hometown's one-room library was one of my favorite places. My weekly routine was to walk the three blocks to the library with my best friend, and I would carefully select three books to check out and read for the week. The biography books were my favorite. It was a small library with a limited selection, but the books I found on the shelves opened my world. (I also stopped for an ice cream cone before I carried my books back home.)   

As a Resource Teacher, I want to encourage students to read because they love to read. What is the pathway to reading success for each student? Parents, teachers, and resource teachers let's create a rich literacy environment that supports reading, so we don't need to check to make sure students are reading.   

The Resource Teacher

Carolyn Backis

We are introducing Ms. Terese Halm - NCA's new 5-8th-grade Religion teacher!
 

Miss Halm joins NCA this year as our new middle school religion teacher. She grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and has been in ministry for the past 7 years. She is currently completing an MA in Theology at the Augustine Institute, in Denver but online. She has a double major BA in Theology and Catechetics and a minor in philosophy from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.  

"I have been praying and trusting for whatever God has in store for me this year and my heart is bursting with joy and gratitude to be serving at the NCA this year. I cannot wait to get to know everyone, share the joy of the Gospel, and the fire of God's love and mercy!" -Miss Halm

As a teacher, Miss Halm must enjoy learning from her students and leading them closer to the heart of God the Father through Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Blessed Mother. 

"We are all called to be saints and are created to be fully alive in God's love. With so much going on in the world, our city, and in our lives we need brave and open souls who are receptive to God's love and from that overflow, flood the world with God's love and peace!" - Miss Halm

Fun Facts About Terese:

• She has been on seven mission trips but her favorite was serving in the miraculous baths in Lourdes, France. 

• She loves cheesy Bible jokes, puns, and memes.

• She is a very proud aunt of four nephews and two nieces, one of them due in October! 

• She loves traveling, running on the Lake Shore path, beaching, boating, and dancing. 

• She plays piano, violin, guitar and loves singing praise and worship music.

• She has run two marathons- one with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist! 

Renew My Church: Second Parish Conversation on Sunday, August 30

Our second Renew My Church meeting was Sunday, August 30. A link to the live-stream is available on Facebook and on YouTube. (Please note, there were a few questions that were difficult to hear. They were repeated a bit later in the broadcast. )

Here are documents from the meeting:

• Agenda
• RMC Edgewater Rogers Park Key Data Table
• RMC Parish Session 2 Powerpoint (images of scenarios begins on page 20)
• RMC Scenarios (written out - no images)
• Feedback form

We would like your feedback! Please fill this form out and send your responses to stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org or drop it off at the Rectory office. Click HERE for guidelines for visiting the Rectory. Additionally, these questions will be mailed to registered parishioners. 


The questions are:
Considering the scenarios presented to you at this session, please prayerfully consider your responses to these questions:

• Which scenario best addresses the particular needs of this grouping? Why? (e.g., makes geographic sense, address demographic and cultural needs or considers the socioeconomic factors of the area)
• Which scenario least addresses the particular needs of this grouping? Why? (e.g., difficulty traveling between sites or neglects the financial needs of the community)
• What do you consider the biggest potential challenge facing the implementation of these scenarios? (e.g., unrealistic demands on clergy or differences in the parish communities)

Back to School Drive

Helix N.L.K.S will be organizing a supply drive for the individuals and families served by N.L.K.S. on the Westside of Chicago. They're collecting supplies on Sep. 1 through Sep. 4 for distribution in the Austin neighborhood. They're looking for new or gently used school supplies, non-perishable food items, clothing, etc.

If you'd like to donate, please bring items to Helix Cafe at 6237 N Clark St.

Tuesday, Sept. 1 - Friday, Sept. 4,
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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