On Tuesday, December 7th, Mrs. Martin's fifth grade classroom had a special visitor. Mr. Robert Deering graduated from St. Frances of Rome School in 1938 and, for the last few years, has come by for an annual visit to our school. Mr. Deering spoke to our students about what it was like attending St. Frances of Rome School and St. Ignatius High School before going on to serve in World War II. The fifth grade students had many good questions for Mr. Deering. If only a bottle of pop still cost a nickel!

The third grade has been preparing to celebrate the Mass of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This special feast celebrates God’s choice of Mary to be the mother of Jesus. God granted Mary no original sin from the moment of her conception. Today is the day that Mary began her growth as a baby inside of St. Anne. This feast is celebrated on December 8th and is a Holy Day of Obligation.

St. Frances of Rome students helped to feed the hungry this year. In the spirit of service, SFR students collected food for the Catholic Charities food pantry that distributes bags of groceries to many needy, local families. Catholic Charities was overwhelmed with the quantity of the food that our students delivered, which filled up their whole store room. ¡Juntos podemos! Together we can!

Ms. Kobeska's second grade classroom is getting excited about reading with the popular "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. Author Jeff Kinney started the series as an online blog which then became a popular novel series for young readers. The online version of "Wimpy Kid" is read by about 70,000 kids per day. The online version can be accessed here.

The SFR Home and School Association will sponsor Breakfast at Saint Nick’s Gift Shop on Sunday December 5, 2010. The Breakfast features all you can eat eggs, sausage and pancakes as well as a gift raffles, pictures with Santa and a bake sale. The Gift Shop gives children the opportunity to shop for reasonably-priced gifts for everyone on their Christmas list. Most gifts cost no more than $10 each. Santa and his helpers will be there for breakfast and to take photos with you.

The November, 2010 edition of The Faithful Steward planned giving newsletter has been posted. Look for it in the Alumni area of the website

On Friday, October 29, the students and staff of St. Frances of Rome School received a special visit from two deputies, Specialist Moerlien and Specialist Rhodes, from Cook County Sheriff's Police.  The deputies work in the canine unit and brought their police dogs for a special assembly.  They explained how the dogs are trained and the kind of work they do.  They also demonstrated how the dogs can locate drugs by smell and jump over fences and through windows.  As part of Red Ribbon Week, the deputies talked to our students about making good choices and avoiding drugs.

Thanks to both of the deputies for spending time with us.


Pictured: Specialist Moerlien and Specialist Rhodes (and friends)

Coupon books for Carson Pirie Scott stores are now on sale in the school office for only $5. They include incredible coupons that can be used on Saturday, November 13 starting at 6am. One of the coupons is for $10 off items $10 or more. What a deal for only $5! The best part is that St. Frances gets to keep all the money raised through the sale of these coupon books. Stop by the school office today to get your book! Thank you for your support.

You're invited to join us for the Cicero Catholic Schools Night Out!  We'll be gathering at Duffy's Tavern at 7513 Madison Street in Forest Park on Friday, October 8th for an evening of fun and fundraising for Our Lady of Charity and St. Frances of Rome Schools.  Tickets are $30 each and include draft beer, wine, well drinks, and pop from 5:00 - 8:00pm. Tickets will be available for purchase in the school office beginning Thursday, September 30th. Tickets can also be purchased at the door the evening of the event. For each ticket sold in the school office, families will be credited $15 toward their flex fundraising requirement.   Questions?  Please contact Mr. Martin or Tom Byrne.

Our principal, Mr. Martin was interviewed for the September 12th edition of the Catholic New World, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Mr. Martin talked about the importance of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in schools. Our students at St. Frances are benefitting from this approach to education, and our teachers enjoyed a special training day on the method before this school year began. See the whole story here.

Our pastor, principal, and teachers from Saint Frances of Rome and Our Lady of Charity Schools are running a 200 mile relay race from Madison to Chicago today and tomorrow. Please visit our blog to support them and cheer them on to victory.
http://www.sfr-school.org/weblog/relay/

Sacrament of Reconciliation
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Holy Thursday, April 1
7:00 p.m.: Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, bilingual, in church
8:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Annex 1
8:30 p.m.: Visit to 7 churches. Sign up in the Church office ($10 donation requested for bus).

Good Friday, April 2
12:00 p.m.: Living Stations, outdoors, bilingual, followed by Rosary in honor of Mary, the Sorrowful Mother, bilingual, in Church
3:00 p.m.: Celebration of the Lord’s Passion with Veneration of the Cross: English, in church.
6:00 p.m.: Celebration of the Lord’s Passion with Veneration of the Cross: Spanish, in church.

Holy Saturday, April 3
1:00 p.m.: Blessing of Easter Baskets in the Annex, 1st Floor
Note: no 5:00 p.m. Mass
8:00 p.m.: Easter Vigil Mass, bilingual

Easter Sunday, April 4
8:30 a.m. (Spanish), 10:30 a.m. (English), 12:30 p.m. (Spanish), 6:00 p.m. (Spanish)

Our annual Mardi Gras Gala Dinner Dance is just weeks away. Join us on Saturday, February 13 for this wonderful evening of Food, Music, Raffles, and Silent Auction. Tickets are just $30/person or $275 for a full table of ten.

Our goal this year is to raise $70,000 for St. Frances of Rome School.

For all the information, including sponsorship, ad book, and donations, visit our Mardi Gras website at http://www.sfr-school.org/mardigras.

"Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez" Let the Good Times Roll !