Lee Spells Sr. Scholarship Benefit

by Principal Spells

When someone you love dies, you are left with memories that you hope will never fade. You want to remember that person for the good he did and you want to share this goodness with others. Lee E. Spells Sr. was a person who strongly believed in Catholic school education, had a passion for reading (especially books about ancient history), and would give freely to others even if it meant he had to do without.  What better way to do this than to establish a scholarship in his name for students at St. Ethelreda School who exhibit this same passion for reading. Join us as we celebrate his life and keep those very precious memories alive for all to see what an impact his legacy will have on the education of present and future students at St. Ethelreda School.

What: The 2nd Annual Lee Spells Sr. Scholarship Benefit
Why: All proceeds will provide scholarships to students who love to read
When: Saturday October 3, 2015 @ 7:00pm
Where: St. Ethelreda School

Please join us!

The full-size benefit flyer is here: spells_benefit_flyer2.jpg

2014 School End of Year Picnic

As students were entering the doorsteps of the school building, one could see the smiles on their faces and also could feel their joyous heartbeats.  People began to wonder what was going on?  Why is this day different from other days?  Oh, now I know!  It is May 29, the 'All School Annual Picnic Day!'

Tables were set, the grill was out for the hot dogs and hamburgers and the jumping jack and obstacle course equipment were set.  The picnic gadgets, food, drinks, etc., were all available.  Students waited patiently but eagerly in their classrooms for Mrs. Spells to declare the picnic open.  

At 8.45am, the P.A. was on and there came the Principal's voice ordering the teachers to send the students out, thereby officially declaring the picnic open.  As they went out of the door, the students shouted, "it is P-I-C-N-I-C  T-I-M-E!"

Parent volunteers were all outside at their watching points, each group receiving their set of students.  The students were all rejoicing, dancing, playing, eating and having fun. 

We thank our parents for their generous donations of food items, drinks and supplies.  This allowed everyone to have enough to eat and drink.  We thank Coach Moore and Mr. Davis for helping out with the cooking.  We thank also our parent volunteers who directed and watched the students as they played and those who served the food and drinks.

We thank  our faculty members for their hard work.  We are happy for the collaborative efforts and coordination which resulted in a successful and memorable picnic.

                               It was really joyous, memorable and awesome!

Santa(s) visit St. Ethelreda... and more!

Yesterday (Dec 18) was a very special day at St. Ethelreda School!

1. Santa(s) visit - St. Ethelreda was visited yesterday by many Santas with presents for all our students. It was very exciting! The presents were all donated by our visiting Santas and other volunteers. Thank you to all!

2. Generous Alum - St. Ethelreda alumnus Kevin Crawford made a generous donation to St. Ethelreda. What a wonderful Christmas present. Thank you, Kevin. Eagles Forever!

3. In the news - And to top it all off, NBC News was there to film it all, and our school was featured on the news.

www.nbcchicago.com/video/#!/news/local/Firefighter-Gives-Back-to-Chicago-School/236457571

Here's a photo set of pictures from this special day. Thanks to our librarian, Ms. Bruessel, for her duty as photographer.

www.flickr.com/photos/stethelreda/sets/72157638827431513/

Merry Christmas!

Congratulations Fr. Donald!

It was a beautiful bright day, a day the Lord made, and we were glad and rejoiced in it.  This day was October 21, 2012, when Fr. Donald Eruaga, MSP, was installed as Pastor of St. Kilian Catholic Parish.  All the faithful at this Parish were joyous and accorded him a warm reception after the celebration of the installation Mass.  Congratulatory messages from the parishioners rained down on him like rain-drops on the meadow. 

 The St. Ethelreda family was not left behind at this memorable occasion.  In their warm and friendly way, on Wednesday, October 24, St. Ethelreda faculty, staff and students congratulated Fr. Donald for this great mile stone in his priestly ministry in the United States.  Each class presented him with a congratulatory card expressing their sincere appreciation for all the good work he has been doing, especially for celebrating the Mass every Wednesday for us.  Fr. Donald shares his words of encouragement and wisdom that uplift our spirits every Wednesday. We are most grateful for him praying with and for us. 

Fr. Donald is a Catholic priest of the Missionary of St. Paul.   True to his priestly call and missionary spirit, he has worked not only in Nigeria, his home country, but also in Liberia, and is now here in the United States.

Fr. Donald with Presch. Room 8

Fr. Donald with Presch. Room 1

 





Fr. Donald with Kindergarten

Fr. Donald with 1st Grade











Fr. Donald with 2nd Grade

Fr. Donald with 3rd Grade














Fr. Donald with 4th Grade

Fr. Donald with 5th Grade









Fr. Donald with 6th Grade

Fr. Donald with 7th Grade

 

Fr. Donald with 8th Grade

Fr. Donald with Faculty and Staff

Fr. Donald, we are happy and are proud to have you as our St. Ethelreda Chaplain. May you continue to enrich us with the Word of God as we pray for you for a fruitful ministry at St. Ethelreda School, St. Kilian Parish, the Archdiocese of Chicago, and the United States as a whole.

Once again, Congratulations and thank you!

Lend A Shoulder Day

It was once again the Big Shoulders "Lend a Shoulder Day." Thursday, November 3, was the big day. As early as 8.00 am, some members of the Big Shoulder started arriving at the school for this fun-like and exciting annual event. This year's event marked the 12th anniversary of the "Lend a Shoulder Day". Here at St. Ethelreda, the event was well observed. The students and staff warmly welcomed their guests with a heart-warming song, "Grateful".











The Big Shoulders' members engaged in different activities with the students to mark the event. These activities include; reading, using an interative whiteboard and computers, creating a science and art projects, book fair visitation, etc. It was an exciting and fascinating experience for all!










The mission of the Big Shoulders Fund is to provide support to the Catholic schools in the neediest areas of inner city Chicago. They have offered scholarships to many students, donated instructional equipment and materials to needy schools, and also engaged in the schools' facility improvement.

Yes! we are grateful to the Big Shoulders' Fund for continuously carrying some of our disadvantaged students' financial burden on their 'big shoulders'.

Noadiyah Wins 1st Place in Bud Billiken Essay Competition!

Congratulations to Noadiyah J., who took the top prize in the essay competition of the Bud Billiken King and Queen Contest.

Even though Noadiyah didn't become Bud Billiken Queen, she reigned supreme as the 1st place winner for her essay on growing vegetables. Noadiyah was presented her award at the King and Queen Coronation ceremony on August 7th at the Museum of Science and Industry in front of her proud family and Principal Spells.

This Saturday, Noadiyah will represent St. Ethelreda School on the Royal Court float in the 2011 Bud Billiken Parade. You can watch the parade on WLS-TV Channel 7 or WGN Channel 9 starting at 10:00 am.

St. Ethelreda will be watching!

Farewell Father Thadeo!

St. Ethelreda students and faculty paid tribute to Father Thadeo after a beautiful May Crowning mass on Wednesday, May 12th. Father Thadeo celebrated mass for the last time at St. Ethelreda prior to assuming a new position in the Archdiocese.

Students gave him heartfelt thank you banners, flowers and hugs, and he also received a St. Ethelreda t-shirt which was presented to him by Principal Spells.

Before starting his new job, Father Thadeo will be leaving to visit his family in his native Tanzania. Although Father Thadeo was only with us for a short time, he'll always be a special part of the St. Ethelreda family.

Thank you Father Thadeo…we love you and miss you already!

Happy Grandparents Day!

It was a day of song and celebration for the beloved grandparents of St. Ethelreda students on May 20th. From a rousing country western line dance to a soulful serenade of “My Grandparents” to the tune of the Temptations' hit My Girl, the grandparents were treated to several loving tributes from their grandchildren.

After enjoying the rousing entertainment and spending quality time with their grandchildren, the grandparents were treated to a nice lunch and even nicer memories of a very special day planned in their honor.

Congratulations. . . and Thank you Sr. Caroline. . .!

As St. Ethelreda congratulates Sr. Caroline on her one year anniversary since she joined the school's staff, she has this to say:

My Journey So Far at St. Ethelreda

As I read through the congratulatory and thank you cards, tears of joy rolled down my cheeks.

It all started Wednesday morning, the 4th of April, 2011. After Mass I went back to the office to continue with my day's work when the Principal, Mrs. Denise Spells, sent for me and I went to meet her at the Harold Washington Hall.

As I opened the door, I saw all the teachers and the students standing, smiling, and waving their hands to the rhythm of the song they were singing "For she's a Jolly Good Se-cre-tary. . ." I opened my eyes and mouth in amazement as the Principal and everyone shouted, "Congratulations on your one year anniversary as the School Secretary!" and "Thank you Sr. Caroline for the work you are doing for us"!

Every class, accompanied by their teacher, presented me with a congratulatory and thank you presents, expressing their joy and happiness. This awesome surprise and experience left me speechless!

Working at St. Ethelreda School is like working in a family business or company. The Principal, Mrs. Denise Spells, is a super-hero-mother to the students and a humane CEO to the employees. The teaching staff are wonderful teachers, teaching and caring for the students as theirs, the non-teaching staff are like computer chips that are invisible but carry out indispensable jobs in the background.

The students are like little flowers planted in ones home garden that blossom every morning, glittering with their different colors and giving joy to the heart. St. Ethelreda School is called the "Family School" and that undoubtedly is what it is.

I thank God who has brought me here to be part of this wonderful family. I thank the Principal and the staff for their encouragement and support. I thank the students for challenging me with their simplicity and innocence.
I thank everyone for your sincere love and graciousness. Let us with God's grace and strength continue to work together to help our little ones, the students, to lay strong foundations for reaching their full potentials.

Dr. Seuss Day Was A-OKAY!

The magical world of Dr. Seuss’ beloved classics came to life as students and teachers celebrated National Dr. Seuss Day on March 15th. Ms. Briana Holland led the charge to bring Dr. Seuss Day to St. Ethelreda for the first time.

From dressing up to reading stories to playing Green Eggs and Ham Tic-Tac-Toe, St. Ethelreda School was transformed into a page right out of a Dr. Seuss book:

Preschool
Mrs. Clair whipped up some delicious green eggs and ham for the four-year-olds…and they liked them!

Kindergarten
Thing 1 and Cat in the Hat, also known as Mrs. Griffin and Mrs. Boatman, kept the kindergarteners busy with many fun projects including a Grinch “Do Not Disturb” style sign and Green Eggs and Ham activity book.

First Grade
First graders adorned in Cat in the Hat hats listened intently while Ms. Holland read them Yertle the Turtle.

Second Grade
Sister Sheena and Mrs. Davis' second grade class made their own whimsical hats and read I Can Read With My Eyes Shut.




This year's Dr. Seuss Day was loads of fun for everyone!

Catholic Schools Week: Better Late Than Never!

This year’s Catholic Schools Week got off to great start but was cut short due to the blizzard of 2011. The celebration resumed a week later and fun was had by all!

The festivities began with a Bring Your Parent to School contest which gave the class with the most visitors a pizza party. Sixth grader Christopher’s mom Monica was one of our first visitors. Antiquetta, an alumna from the Class of 2005 who’s studying to become an elementary school teacher also liked observing her cousin's Jada's class and reflecting on her days as a St. Ethelreda student.

Some of the activities included Share a Day with Your Student, Spirit Day, “Are You Smarter Than Your First – Eighth Grader?” and more:

Bible Stories: First Grade
First graders chose a Bible story, memorized it and recited it to the entire class…and 16 visitors! The class also won the Bring Your Parent to School contest.

Story Time / Flash Card Game: Second Grade
Class of 2002 alum Danysha visited her cousin Shaun and read to his class and played a brainstorm game. “I really enjoyed it,” she said afterwards.

50 States in Rhyme Sing-a-Long / Sparkle Game: Third Grade Map Making Exercise: Fourth Grade
Mom Teyonye did double duty in two of daughter Heavyn’s classes. She also visited son Trayonne’s seventh grade room.

Are You Smarter Than Your Fifth Grader? / Penny for Your Thoughts: Fifth Grade
Fifth grader Danny’s Aunt Kimberly who’s also an alumna from the Class of 1980 took on the “Are You Smarter Than Your Fifth Grader?” challenge…and won!

Thank you to everybody who participated this year!

Kindergarten Marks 100th Day of School

Our kindergarten students reached a big milestone on February 8, 2011…the 100th day of school! Mrs. Griffin and Mrs. Boatman commemorated the occasion with a 100th themed celebration. Each student received a 100 day certificate and a birthday-style hat. Students also filled out a 100 number chart with Cheerios and made a wacky 100 wish.

The year started with the children tracking the days on a 100 wall chart which also taught them how to count to 100. All of the 100 day activities were compiled into a book that each student received as a keepsake of their special day.

Open House

We invite the entire St. Ethelreda family to our Open House Extravaganza 2 this Sunday April 25, 2010.

Open House Flier

Be a VIP at the Open House this Sunday!