It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Here at St. Francis we have so much to be thankful for!

Our Fall Fashion Show – Luncheon at Tiffany’s, held this past Sunday was one of the best – with a record crowd of over 500 people. A huge THANK YOU to this year’s chairs Carrie Howe and Anne Roberts and all of their committees for all of the hard work they put into making this such a wonderful afternoon. Also, a special thank you to Mary Fitzgerald and Donna Burke for coming up with the theme and decorations – it was truly spectacular.

The planning of our next big event “Taking Chances for St. Francis” is well underway. Please watch your mail this coming week for more detailed information. Also, we can still use plenty of help to make this a success – join us for our next planning meeting on Monday, December 3rd at 7:00 in the Library.

Remember that our annual Teachers Christmas Fund is underway. During this special time of remembering family and friends, it’s important to take a moment to remember the teachers and staff of St. Francis High School who nurture our students every day. Please consider giving to this – it is a great way to say “Thank You and Merry Christmas” for all that they do. You may give a cash donation in any amount you choose. The donations are then divided equally among the teachers and auxiliary teaching staff. After the donations are received, the Parents’ Organization creates a card with the names of the participating families. Dollar amounts are not mentioned. We need to receive all donations by Friday, December 7th to allow time for processing and distribution. Questions – contact Marianne Hale 630-587-1079.

Also, at this time of giving and receiving, the students and staff of St. Francis adopt needy families and also support the Reach for the Moon Holiday Giving Program (a foundation which collects items for children living in poverty and who have very little). This year the Parents’ Organization would like to “pitch-in” by helping to wrap the presents for the adopted families and to make donations to the Reach for the Moon foundation. Please join us at our next PO meeting on Wednesday, November 28th at 7:00 p.m. in the Teachers Lounge. We will provide food and spirits, all we ask is that you come with wrapping paper, scissors and tape and join us for an evening of giving and receiving! Also, if you would like to bring an unwrapped toy it would truly be appreciated.

Thank you so much for all your support and may God Bless you and your family as we celebrate Thanksgiving and prepare for the Christmas season!

Sue Ferraro

St. Francis has been busy reaching out to our community and beyond. We have three Peacebuilding projects this year, initiated and organized by three senior students.   This past quarter we have volunteered to run after school recreation and tutoring at our neighbors, Marion Park and hosted a Halloween party with them,  volunteered at Friends for Therapeutic Equine Activities on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and gone to Faith and Fellowship to visit and plan a Thanksgiving party for Partners and pre-schoolers.  The students, football team and staff also worked to feed the hungry all over the world by packing meals for Feed My Starving Children, as well as worked at the Northern Illinois Food bank. That's just a few of the things we know about!  Our students and staff are out there sharing the gospel in deed!

This coming month Religion classes will be helping with Target Senior Day, the Culinary Club will be baking cookies for hospice, students will be serving at 'Share the Spirit' with People's Resource Center and providing Christmas presents for 20 families through Catholic Charities' Adopt A Family.

Thank you for the many ways you reach out to others in and beyond our community. May God Bless you during this Advent season.

Faith and Fellowship - St. Francis students traveled to
St. Catherine & St. Lucy Catholic Church in Oak Park to participate
in a spiritual outreach to those suffering from mental illness.

St. Francis students, led by senior Kelsey Fox, hosted
a Halloween Party at SFHS for our neighbors at Marion Park

Looking for more? The Pastoral Ministry office has many service opportunities posted which are available for everyone. Some are specific for the Christmas Holiday Season and some are ongoing opportunities.

Advent Prayer Services

Advent Prayer services will take place on Weds. mornings during Advent, 7:00am in the Chapel and led by the Student Ministry Teams. All are welcome to join us.

Festive Pines 2007
The Executive Board is again sponsoring the festive pines for the adopted families. 
Executive Board will buy Christmas Trees (about 2-3 feet tall) to be decorated by individual groups i.e.. clubs, homerooms, classrooms, departments.  The trees will then be displayed throughout the school to create a more festive atmosphere.  Then, on December 14th the trees will be presented as gifts to our adopted families.

The St. Francis Girls' Volleyball Teams will be sponsoring the annual toy drive for distribution through the "Reach for the Moon" foundation.  This foundation, founded by two St. Francis alumni, Jeff '85 & Shelly Sensale '86 Bruss, works to provide the basic needs such as food, medical and dental care, and clothes for local children in need. This will be the sixth year the St. Francis Community had been a major contributor  to their Christmas Toy Drive. Favorite toys are sports balls, coloring books, dolls, ect.  No toy is too small or too large.  Thank you for your generosity. All donations must be brought to St. Francis by Monday, December 10th in care of Peg Kopec.

It’s hard to believe, but another Holiday Season is rapidly approaching. During this special time of remembering family and friends, it’s important to take a moment to remember the teachers and staff of
St. Francis High School who nurture our students every day. The Parents’ Organization would like to offer you a gift idea to help make this Christmas Season special.

For the 8th year in a row, the Parents’ Organization is pleased to sponsor the Teachers’ Christmas Gift Fund. This is a convenient way to show your appreciation to your student’s teachers and the staff of SFHS. You may give a cash donation in any amount you choose. The donations are then divided equally among the teachers and auxiliary teaching staff (i.e. Administration, Development, Guidance, etc.) After the donations are received, the Parents’ Organization creates a card with the names of the participating families. Dollar amounts are not mentioned. These cash gifts are then distributed before the Christmas vacation begins on December 21st.

Please note that this program is completely optional and is offered as a service to those who wish to participate. Participation is strictly voluntary and confidential. The goal of this program is to assist our families in showing their appreciation for our teaching staff. If you are interested, please fill out the form below and return it to St. Francis in an envelope marked “Teachers’ Christmas Gift Fund” Attention: Marianne Hale. We need all donations by Friday, December 7th in order to allow time for processing and distribution.

Please make checks payable to SFHS. Questions?-contact Marianne Hale /630-587-1079/ datahale@aol.com

Thank you for your consideration.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8th ANNUAL
TEACHERS’ CHRISTMAS GIFT FUND

Exact name to
be printed on card:____________________________________

           Amount $______________ Check_____________ Cash_____________

Please make checks payable to: SFHS
Deadline: Friday, December 7, 2007
Please mark your envelope “Teachers’ Christmas Fund”
Attention: Marianne Hale

__________ Yes, I would like to contribute an extra $5.00 for the end of the year Teacher Appreciation Lunch and Gift.
(this will be the only request for this event. Only one check is necessary)

Link to printable version of this letter

Attention Future Spartans:

The Entrance Exam for the incoming Class of 2012 will be given at St. Francis on Saturday, January 12, 2008. Applications can be found on the admissions page of our website. The registration form, $30 testing fee and 7 th grade report cards are due by Monday, January 7. For more information contact Meg Olsen
at 630-668-5800 ext. 120.

One-Third of High School Seniors Say They Drive While Impaired

Below is an abstract taken from the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The findings conclude that impaired driving by youth remains a serious problem and should be taken seriously by parents of teens.

Below are statistics from a survey that was done by the Illinois Youth Survey at St. Francis in spring of 2006. Our students mirror the national statistics. Unfortunately, this is a problem that crosses all levels of socio-economic, demographic, race/ethnicity and family structure boundaries and we are not immune.

In 2006 sophomores at St. Francis were surveyed and 35% of our 10th grade students and 56% of our seniors had used alcohol at least once in the past 30 days.

“Large numbers of American adolescents are putting themselves and others at great risk by driving while under the influence of illicit drugs or alcohol, according to a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 2006, 30 percent of high school seniors reported driving after drinking heavily or using drugs, or riding in a car whose driver had been drinking heavily or using drugs, at least once in the prior two weeks. These findings are based on data obtained from the Monitoring the Future study, in which nationally representative samples of high school seniors have been surveyed annually since 1975. The data analysis is published in the November issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.” Link to article

One of our toughest challenges is to help our students avoid the perils of alcohol and drug use. Here are some tips to keep them safe at parties.

When the party is at your house:
Limit party attendance. Do not allow the “open party” situation.
Set a time for the party to end.
Designate “off limits” rooms in your house.
Remove any family liquor from accessible areas.
Invite other adults to help chaperone.
Be visible.
Occasionally check on food and drinks. Monitor your yard.
No leaving the party and then returning.
Open cans and containers cannot be brought to the party.
Backpacks and coats must be left at the door.
Never allow anyone that you suspect is under the influence to drive.
If unwanted guests refuse to leave don’t hesitate to call the police.

When the party is elsewhere:
CALL the host parent, offer to send snacks, get assurance that they will be present and that alcohol or drugs will not be permitted.
Know how your child will get to and from the party.
Verify any plans to stay overnight with the host parent. Be wary of impromptu sleepovers.
Establish firm clear rules against driving under the influence or riding with someone who is under the influence.
BE AWAKE when your child come home or have him\her awaken you to assess whether your child has been using drugs or alcohol.

(Source NASN, Illinois Youth Survey 2006)

Donna Hoscheit RN

St. Francis Parents’ Organization Thanks
All those who helped with
 “Luncheon at Tiffany’s”

Special thanks to this year’s chairs Carrie Howe and Anne Roberts for a great job! Also, a special thank you to Mary Fitzgerald and Donna Burke, the decorations co-chairs! The event couldn't have been pulled together without the help of all of their hardworking committees! Thanks to all involved!