St. Raymond School Celebrates Catholic Schools Week January 31st - February 5th

As a prelude to Catholic Schools Week January 31st to February 5th, St. Raymond School junior high students were busy over Christmas break participating in community service projects organized by school faculty and parent volunteers. With a focus on “Community Service,” St. Raymond 8th Graders spent the morning of December 21st caroling to seniors at Manorcare of Arlington Heights. While there, they also made Christmas cards and presented them to the residents. The 7th Grade students’ service theme is “Hunger” and they volunteered their time at Northwest Compass in Mount Prospect. Northwest Compass provides emergency services, education, and empowerment for area people who are vulnerable or in crisis. On two different days, groups of students worked together to pack food care packages for the program. The 6th Grade class meanwhile adopted “Literacy” as their service theme. They created homemade ornaments related to their favorite books. After decorating a Christmas tree with the ornaments at Summit of Uptown – Park Ridge Retirement Center, the students sang Christmas carols to residents. “St. Raymond School focuses on the whole child,” said Mary Eileen Ward, St. Raymond School principal. “We develop not only their academic ability but foster their growth in faith as well. At St. Raymond, a big part of faith development centers around the amount of service we give back to our community and beyond. All grade levels support a service project throughout the year to ensure we all understand why we give back to our community.” As St. Raymond School prepares for its Open House Sunday January 31st, Ward noted that the school’s curriculum has been enhanced through the integration of technology in each classroom. She also said that St. Raymond’s English Language Arts Program has been updated towards meeting the benchmarks of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Ward said that the school’s curriculum has become much more rigorous to meet Archdiocesan benchmarks as well. “St. Raymond School is not just a parish school, it is a family,” said Ward. “We all care about one another and are there to support each other.” Catholic Schools Week at St. Raymond begins at all Masses the weekend of January 30th - 31st with an Open House following the Sunday 9:30 a.m. Mass. St. Raymond School will be open for prospective and current families to receive a tour, meet teachers, and visit classrooms. There will also be hospitality in the cafeteria and a used uniform sale in the faculty lounge. In addition to the Sunday Open House which will run from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., there will be 7th and 8th Grade Parent Appreciation Breakfast on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Student Appreciation Day will be celebrated with a Cultural Arts event entitled “Too Funny Magic Show.” Thursday features Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day. There will be no school that Friday. National 2009 Blue Ribbon School Saint Raymond School, as a parish elementary school (Pre-K though 8), is an integral part of the Faith Community of Saint Raymond de Penafort in Mount Prospect, Illinois. As Christian educators, Saint Raymond School encourages its young people to pursue excellence to their greatest level in faith, academics, and service. For more information, call 847-253-8555 or visit: wall.st-raymond.org/school.