Friday Focus Newsletter

Happy New Year! I pray you had a restful and joyful holiday break filled with time to recharge and connect with loved ones. As we return to school, I want to take a moment to thank you, our beloved Marian parents, for your continued partnership in supporting your child’s growth and well-being. It is a privilege to work alongside you as we guide our students toward success—academically, spiritually, and personally. Our running joke here in Guidance is that it “takes a Diocese” to raise our students and although we laugh about this, I genuinely believe it to be true.

As we settle into the new year and begin our spring semester, I wanted to take a moment to share some exciting upcoming events that we have planned for our students. We are currently working with the Development Department to welcome the incoming Class of 2029. Acceptance packets will be sent home soon, and our future Hurricanes will be choosing their classes for freshman year at the end of the month. Just as we look to bring in our new students, we are thrilled for the Class of 2025 who are busy planning for next steps after high school and making their final college admissions decisions. This can be an exciting, stressful time for our seniors filled with anticipation and a healthy dose of fear. Please encourage your students to lean on me and Mr. Wochner for support throughout second semester. Mr. Wochner is also putting the finishing touches on our annual College Information Night scheduled for next Tuesday, January 14 which is a program tailored to the needs of our junior class. Please check your email for more details about this important event. Finally, we round out the month by meeting with all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to get them ready for online course registration for the 2025-2026 school year which will begin on Friday, February 3.

On behalf of the entire Guidance Department, we wish you many moments of peace and sanity in the new year! I look forward to an exciting year ahead, and as always, I encourage you to reach out if there is anything we can do to assist you or your child. Together, let’s make this year a time of growth, resilience, and joy for all our students.

Mrs. Kelly Hilton

Director of Guidance

College Information Night, an in-person program, will take place on Tuesday, January 14th from 6:30pm - 8:30pm in the theatre, with a meet and greet with college reps from 6:00pm - 6:30pm.

This program is targeted to juniors and their families; however, it is also open to freshmen and sophomore families as well. Students are encouraged to attend as well.

Topics will include Finding Your Fit, Applying to Colleges, as well as Course Rigor and Test Optional. Presenters will include representatives from Loras College, Miami University, and Oklahoma State University, among others. Hope to see you there!

Seniors who would like to be exempt from Semester 2 exams, the process starts now. Please review the form below to make sure you understand what you will need to accomplish regarding academics, discipline and attendance over the next 2 quarters in order to be exempt from your second semester exams.

Senior Exam Exemption Form 2024-25

All students (grades 9-12) who are enrolled in, paid the fee for, and eventually take the College Board test for any AP class have the option to be exempt from taking their end of semester 2 final exam for that class. Students qualify by earning at least an 87% in the class by May 17 AND have taken the AP College Board test.

Please use the form below to submit your request to the main office no later than end of day Monday, May 16.

AP Exam Exemption Form 2024-25

It’s time to make your 2025-2026 Registration Fee payment.

The non-refundable registration fee is $325. However, if you submit payment before February 14, 2025, you receive a $75 discount making the amount due $250. Payment can be made by clicking here (a 4% fee will be applied) or by sending to the office. All returning students will register for courses online.

Incoming Freshmen will be receiving a registration packet in the mail. If you have any questions, please contact our Business Office.

As part of each student's academic journey, high school students in the Diocese of Rockford take the ARK assessments three times each year. Marian Central students will be participating in the second round of this year's ARK testing on the dates listed below. These tests will take place during the student’s regularly scheduled Theology class time.

*Please remember to charge your laptop and bring it to school.

Thursday, January 16th – Reading
Tuesday, January 21st – Math

Please click below for information on preparing for the assessments. Thank you for your continued support of this process.

Students - Are you interested in learning Sign Language? Would you be interested in learning with your peers through a club at Marian? Participants in this new club will have the opportunity to learn about Deaf Culture, sign language vocabulary, how to send and receive signs, and how to finger spell.

Students who are interested should stop in the office and let us know or email Mrs. DiSilvio at ldisilvio@marian.com.

Meetings will potentially be on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:50 – 3:30. Each student involved would need to purchase a book to participate. Not sure yet? Let us know you might be interested anyway.

Dear Marian Community,

For years, the "Marian Cares" program has been a cornerstone of our Key Club’s mission to serve those in need. In partnership with local food banks, we’ve worked to provide vital resources to families in our community. However, this year, as we reached out to our trusted food banks, we discovered that they are facing shortages like never before.

In response, we decided to pivot our efforts and host food drives within our school, aiming to fill the gap and ensure that no family goes without a meal. It’s a small shift with a big goal: to continue the work of Marian Cares by putting food on the table for those who need it most.

We understand that we are continually asking for non-perishable donations, but every item - no matter how small - makes a difference. A single can of food or a single bag of rice can be the difference between a family going hungry or having a meal to share.

We are so blessed to have a generous and compassionate Marian community, always willing to band together and help. Your kindness inspires us every day and reminds us of the power we have when we come together for a common cause. We ask that next time you attend a basketball game, you prayerfully consider bringing in any non-perishable food items to donate. There should be a ‘Key Club Food Donation’ box at the admissions table, and you could give any donations to anyone there. Additionally, if you cannot make a donation at a game, you can always send in food items with your child to school, who can then drop them off in Mrs. Bolman’s room.

Let’s continue to care, to give, and to lift up those who need us most. Thank you for being a part of this mission. Together, we can make a real difference.

God Bless,

Marian Central’s Key Club

Mr. Fearn presented ACT results to the juniors on Wednesday, December 11 and Friday, December 13. These are the results from the official ACT test that all juniors took here at Marian back in October. Each student received their official score report. We encourage you to ask them to share and discuss the results with you.

Marian Central is an official site for the national ACT test on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Our Guidance department strongly encourages all juniors to register to retake the ACT on that date at Marian as soon as possible. The deadline to register for the April ACT is Friday, February 28. ACT reports that over half (56%) of the students who retest improve their composite score. We want all of our students to achieve the best score they can in order to maximize both college admission opportunities as well as earn the highest merit scholarships possible.

Marian Central English and Math teachers will be doing some work with the juniors to help them prepare for the spring ACT. If your student could benefit from 1:1 support preparing for the test or just needs some additional resources, please check out the ACT website and the Guidance website for a variety of ACT test preparation options.

The Athletic Booster Club is excited to rock the night away with your headliner, Mike & Joe! Mike & Joe is a modern rock cover band widely regarded by its audiences, and peers as one of the best sounding cover bands in the nation.

With opener, Justin Wallace, a talented Johnsburg native, who is now sharing the stage with renowned artists like David Cook, winner of American Idol, and AGT’s very own Mitch Rossell, this concert is sure to be a good time.

Join us on Saturday, February 15 at The Vixen in McHenry at 7:00pm as we enjoy a night filled with music, food, energy, and good vibes – all to support a great cause. All proceeds go to the Athletic Booster Club, which helps support the needs of our athletic teams and student-athletes. Both general admission and VIP tickets are available!

We are asking each class to donate two themed baskets for Marian Central's Gala, which is our largest fundraising event for the school and is on April 5 at the Grand Geneva. Each grade's themed baskets, needs, and sign up are listed below. We hope that sending this out before the holidays will give families the opportunity to shop the holidays deals and also plenty of time to plan. Thank you for your generous support of Marian Central Catholic!

Freshman Class Baskets

Sophomore Class Baskets

Junior Class Baskets

Senior Class Baskets