Dear Friends and Parents,

I look forward to seeing everyone at our annual Christmas Program December 12th. Please bring your child to their classroom at 6:30 pm and then head over to the church to get your seats! The program begins at 7:00 pm. Students will be dismissed to parents from the church. They will not return to the school after the program. I ask in advance that all parents please exercise patience at the end of the program. Our number one priority during the dismissal will be the safety of the children. Students will remain in the pews with their teachers until a parent comes to pick them up at their pew. Dismissal is certain to take a while, however, a lost child would be terrible alternative.

I would like to take some time this week to answer some questions that I have been asked several times during the last week.

How are parents notified of a "snow day"?

If MCA has an emergency closing because of snow or ice, each family will be notified via a phone call from a room parent. I will generally make the decision to close school at 6:00 am. The room parent calling tree is then set in motion. The information is also posted to local television and radio stations. Please note: when school is closed due to weather, there is no extended day care, clubs, or sports practices.

Will my child go outside for recess in the snow?

Yes, if the temperature is above 15 degrees real or wind chill. We try to go outside for recess as many days as possible. During the winter the decision to go outside is made each day and is based upon temperature, wind chill and how much ice is present. Students are encouraged to bring full winter gear including boots and snow pants.

Which uniform does my child wear to school on days that they go to Church for a Mass or Service and have gym?

The faculty of MCA has decided on the following guideline: anytime students go to the church for a Mass or Service they should be in full dress uniform including their maroon sweaters.

Sincerely,

Shane Staszcuk,
Principal

Homelink apologizes for omitting students from MCA's Honor Roll and Principals List last week. Please join me in congratulating the following Middle School Students who received exceptional grades during the First Quarter.

8th Grade

Cooper Zajac-Second Honors & Principals List

7th Grade

Elizabeth Simon-First Honors & Principals List

Dancing With The Stars has been a phenomenon for 3 television seasons and there's not a water cooler in America that hasn't discussed it's dancers and their favorites since it's first airing. MCA is no different. Since their debut at the Cultural Center November 29, our student dancers have been the talk of the MCA halls! Can you Merengue? Can you Swing? Waltz? Tango? Salsa? These questions and more have come to many of our dancers. These 26 students worked for 10 weeks building teamwork, communication skills, personal character and self-esteem under the tutelage of "May I Have This Dance Company's, Dancing with Class". Five elementary schools with students in grades 4-6 from around the Chicagoland area joined together for a Dance-Off. Mount Carmel came out a winner bringing home a Silver Honorable Mention trophy. Be sure to stop by the office and ask to see our first "Dance" Trophy! Congratulations go to:

Merengue

Imani Snelling and Adam Kanyock
Toni Ambre and Robert Kennedy
Lamon Yolchiev and Matthew Gomez

Waltz

Amy Soria and Tony Gonzalez
Kara Jackson and Adam Kanyock
Eileen Holland and Ian Kidwell

Swing

Amy Hoke and John Tucci
Kristin Israel and Joey Bondi
Ola Borysiewicz and Yahn Gawrit

Tango

Taylor Simon and Matthew Gomez
Lucy Wolf and Yahn Gawrit

Salsa

Angela Pagalunan and Robert Kennedy
Mary Pat Bannan and Tony Gonzalez

A very special thank you goes out to MCA's Wild Card couple, Tony Gonzalez and Lucy Wolfe. After the individual competition, the Wild Card couple had to dance all of the dances with a different partner for each dance! Kudos to Lucy and Tony!

Thank you to teacher-sponsor Monika Johnsonand dance instructor Colleen MacDonald.

Lisa Hebert, President of MCA's parent association delivered on her promise to involve everyone at MCA this year by offering a Parents Thank You Tailgate in the school parking lot! The parents were thanked via a note from the Faculty, Staff & Administration and a quote from Meister Eckart: "If the only prayer you say in your life is "thank you," that would suffice." The students enjoyed a warm cup of hot cocoa on this school year's coldest morning so far!
So Lisa, Thank you for the Thank you!

Hoops Hoops and More Hoops! Last weekend MCA's 4th through 8th grades celebrated the opening of this year's basketball season! It was as though there wasn't even a break since last season as the teams were seemingly at the top of their game already. Athletic Director, Ian Van Cleaf, was in awe of the talent he witnessed over the weekend.

The accolades, however, go to the newest MCA Hoopsters, 4th grade boys! The 4th grade boys' basketball team, in their first attempt, came away with a 12 - 6 victory against St. Edward's this past Saturday. The offense was lead by the shooting of Brandon Lewis. Tony Gonzalez had several key offensive rebounds, which he put back up for points. The hustle of Alec Heilman and Bruce Casillas on the offensive end created many chances for the MCA WildCats. Defensively, Chase Nasser and Ian Kidwell played a smothering zone defense, with Alex "the glove" Villaseņor pressuring the opposing guards and causing many turnovers. Coach Ed Villaseņor said that he was very proud of the effort the boys made. Their next game is at noon on December 22, 2007 at St. Alphonsus.

For more information on every grades basketball schedule, be sure to click on the "Basketball" link under Quicklinks.

Gordon Tech High School is proud to announce that MCA alumni Monica Crable is being awarded Student of the Semester Award for excellence in Engineering Our Digital Future and Algebra II Honors.

Students' success at Gordon is a direct reflection on MCA's excellent preparation of students. Congratulations to Monica!

Family Mass has been a long tradition of Mount Carmel Academy and Our Lady Of Mount Carmel, beginning over a decade ago when some MCA parents and parishioners recognized how good it is for us to come together for prayer and community. Once a month during the school year, each class takes a turn hosting the 9:30a.m. Sunday Mass at the church and reception following in the MCA cafeteria. Please help the families listed below by offering to donate breakfast treats or your time. See you at Mass.

FAMILY MASS SCHEDULE 2007-2008
1/13/08 Seventh Grade - John and Brenda Miklaszewski
2/3/08 Second Grade - Ed and Andrea Villasenor
3/2/08 Fifth Grade - Lisa Hebert
4/6/08 First Grade - Flo Albarracin and Kate Mulligan
MAY Eighth Grade - Jacque Simon