Holy Trinity Catholic School Newsletter

Principal: Dr. Ch arl es Terry —Assistant Principal: Nicol e No verini

Principal’s News
Dec. 18, 2009
The signs are unmistakable; the Christmas season is upon us and it’s time to cele-
brate the birth of Jesus Christ! Holy Trinity Catholic
School
Christmas recess begins today at 3:15 pm. Please remember that students are ex- 108 South Linden
pected to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days during the Christmas Recess. Their Street
Westmont, IL 60559
completed Mass Cards will be collected when we return on January 4th.
Phone:
630-971-0184
Please take time to read about the preliminary data from the Diocesan Survey in- Fax:
cluded at the end of this newsletter. Overall, our school scored very high, even ex- 630-971-1175
ceeding Diocesan standards in many areas. It also points us to areas in which we can
improve. We are pleased to share this good news with our school families and the
entire parish in the near future.

Please mark your calendar for Sunday, January 31th. We are once again holding a
special Open House that day for parishioners, parents and prospective students to
kick off Catholic Schools Week. The theme Celebrate Service captures one aspect of
our mission. We will be in school on that day from 8 am to 2:00 pm. WE’RE ON THE WEB!

www.holytrinitywestmont.org
/school
Thank you for all that you have done to make our success possible. The faculty and
I extend our very Best Wishes to you and your family for a blessed Christmas. We
look forward to working with you and your children in 2010!! Mark Your
Calendar:
Jan. 4— Classes Resume

Jan. 11—1st Communion

Dressing For The Weather Student Drop Off Parent Meeting 7:00 PM

We cannot stress enough that your chil-
dren must be dressed properly for our
Chicago weather. We have had many stu-
dents complain that they are cold and do
not have warm enough clothes on. Don’t
forget that the students go across the
street for P.E. classes as well. Thank you
for your cooperation.
Faculty and staff have noticed some par- Jan. 13—Graduation Pic-
tures
ents dropping their children off before
7:40 A.M. We ask that you do not drop Jan. 14—PSO Open Meeting
8:30 AM (School Library)
them off that early as weather does play
Jan. 18—Martin Luther
a factor in this as well as the staff needs
King,Jr. Day NO SCHOOL
to get prepared for the day. Extended
Jan. 19—Market Day
care is available to you if you need it. Pickup 6:00 PM 3rd Grade
helps
Graduation Pictures
Lifetouch will be at Holy Trinity on Wednesday, January
13, 2010 to take 8th Grade GRADUATION Pictures.
Four poses will be taken. Two will be taken wearing the
cap & gown, and two will be taken wearing dress clothes.
Please impress on your children how important it is for
them to dress appropriately and bring their smiles!
School Release Forms
Recently several parents have contacted us about
their children’s name and/or picture being omitted
in the Holy Trinity Newsletters. We use the re-
lease forms that parents signed in the beginning of
the year as guides for the newsletters as well as
yearbooks, technology, etc. As an added note, our
newsletters are on the internet. If you would like
any of your child’s information changed, we ask that
you stop in the office to amend the forms. We will
not be able to take any requests over the phone.
Thank you for your cooperation. We love to show all
the accomplishments that our students put forth!

Athletic News
Holy Trinity Basketball games started out just a couple of weeks ago. We started off slow and are now rising
to the competition. Each of the athletes have been working hard at the practices and putting in their best
effort at the Basketball Games. Come on out to see for yourselves!!! Our next home game is today, Friday,
December 18, 2009. The 7th grade girls play at 5:30 PM and the 7th grade boys play at 7:30 PM. Check the
Holy Trinity Website for the complete Basketball schedule. Show some Holy Trinity Pride by roaring for the
Tigers at Christ the King School in Lombard.

Dinner Dance
Volunteers are needed to assist at the dinner dance on February 12, 2010.
(1) To work the cashier table from 8:30 PM to Midnight;
(2) To work as gaming dealers from 8:30 PM to Midnight;
(3) To sell event tickets after the masses at church;
(4) To assist in setting up at The Carlisle the morning of February 12, 2010;
(5) To assist the various committees (decorations/silent auction)
If you can offer a few hours of your time to this worthwhile event benefiting our children, please contact
Margie Donnell at mdonnell@vaneklaw.com or (312) 823-3263.
We are also in need of volunteers to assist in solicitation of gifts/donations and services to be auctioned off
at the event. If you or someone you know has a time share/tickets to sports games or upcoming concerts/or
any other gift or service they are willing to donate and which could be auctioned off at the live or silent auc-
tion, please contact Margie Donnell at mdonnell@vaneklaw.com or (312) 823-3263.
 Holy Trinity Survey Results (Part 1)
There were 101 parent surveys completed out of a possible157 that were sent
out in early Fall (64%). This was one of the higher return rates in the Diocese
of Joliet. All 7th and 8th grade students were surveyed as well as the entire
school staff. We will be analyzing and sharing the data over the next three
months as the sheer volume of information (over 150 pages) is overwhelming.
However, here are some preliminary snapshots of the data from the surveys:

Top Five Parent Survey Items

1. The School is a safe place (100%)
2. Our school buildings and grounds are clean and well kept (100%)
3. Adequate security is provided at our school (96%)
4. There are sufficient opportunities to be involved in the school (94%)
5. I would be proud to show our facility to prospective parents (91%)

Top Seven Student Survey Items

1. I feel safe on school grounds (100%)
2. I feel safe traveling to and from school (97%)
3. I have friends at school (97%)
4. Teachers in my school are good Catholic role models (97%)
5. I am respected by my teachers (95%)
6. I feel comfortable participating in class (95%)
7. Using technology makes learning interesting (95%)

Top 6 Staff Survey Items

1. I feel safe on school grounds (91%)
2. Our school has a caring climate (91%)
3. Students are safe on school grounds (87%)
4. Our students are learning appropriate technology skills (87%)
5. Our students benefit from technology (87%)
6. Ongoing professional development is extremely important (83%)
Some preliminary areas that were identified in our survey in need of attention:

 Helping students with special needs

 Improving Athletic/Playground Facilities (Gym)
 Technology & Science: There are perception gaps that need to be
addressed with better communication
 We need to determine a consistent approach to deal with the occasional
instances of bullying
 Tuition: Can we do more to reduce costs?

In the area of curriculum and programs, very high marks were given by
parents to the following instructional areas:

 Religion Instruction 4.48/5

 Math 4.38/5
 Language Arts 4.32/5
 Social Studies 4.01/5
 Foreign Language 3.95/5
 Music 3.95/5

The only curricular/program area receiving a low grade was extracurricular

activities. On the other hand, Holy Trinity scored significantly higher than
the rest of the Diocesan Schools in Foreign Language and Mathematics
instruction.

Regarding Overall Satisfaction, our parents responded very positively as

detailed below:

 I would recommend this school to a friend moving into the area (85%)

 This school is doing a good job preparing my child academically (92%)

 This school educates the whole child (body, mind, & spirit) (92%)

As previously stated, the sheer volume of data requires a thoughtful analysis

on the part of the entire faculty. This takes time in addition to our daily
responsibilities. We will share additional findings with you in future
newsletters. However, all in all these results are very good indeed!
 Students of the Month:

Congratulations to our November Students of the Month. They

are: Paige Grimm, Marc Mohama, Heather Sledzinski, Ellie Kaiser,
Krista Birutis, Margaret Schmitz, Kawita Michareune, John Paul
Leagogo, Colin Buenvenida, and Ariadne Abrusci