MCCHS FRIDAY FOCUS

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

Doesn’t it seem easier than ever before to spend the night tossing and turning, having a sleepless night and waking up just as exhausted as when you retired? For me, this can happen every time I decide to stop and listen to the news before going to bed as I get an ear full of trouble. Therefore, I have decided to give myself a choice before going to bed, either an ear full of trouble or a mind full of peace.

The chief struggle in gaining mental peace is the effort and focus one must make in revamping our thinking to a more relaxed attitude. One that fully accepts God’s gift of peace. Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” This seems to indicate that to be happier and healthier there may need to be a renewing of our minds, that is, a change in the pattern of our thoughts, healthier thoughts. Maybe it’s as simple as feeding our minds with peaceful thoughts. Maybe to have a mind full of peace we merely fill it full of peace and add a strong desire to talk peacefully.

Once our thoughts and words are more peaceful, we can look at what Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said about peace. Works of love are always works of peace. Whenever you share love with others, you’ll notice the peace that comes to you and to them. When there is peace, there is God – that is how God touches our lives and shows His love for us by pouring peace and joy into our hearts. Her prayer on peace will forever be in the hearts and minds of those of us who walk the halls of Marian Central Catholic High School:

Lead me from death to life,

From falsehood to truth.

Lead me from despair to hope,

From fear to truth.

Lead me from hate to love,

From war to peace.

Let peace fill our hearts,

Our world, our universe

Peace peace peace.

Please click here to view the updated covid guidance that was emailed to all families on January 11th.

NEW!

All students (9th - 12th grade) enrolled in Advanced Placement classes have the opportunity to opt out of taking their semester 2 final exam!

Since Marian requires all AP students to take the AP College Board exam, typically testing the first two weeks of May, Marian has decided to allow these students to choose to be exempt from taking their end of semester 2 final exam for that class.

Students who qualify will have at least a minimum grade of 87% by May 13 AND have taken the AP College Board test.

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

**Please note that a student can still choose to take the final exam even if they qualify for the exemption if they think that it will improve their semester 2 grade.

We are pleased to share our lists of students who achieved honor roll status for the first semester of this year. Congratulations to these students on this achievement!

Principal's List - Semester 1 - 2021-22

High Honors - Semester 1 - 2021-22

Honors - Semester 1 - 2021-22

This year we would like to offer our seniors the opportunity to attend the Kairos retreat. Information was emailed to all senior families earlier this week. If your senior is interested in attending this retreat, spaces are still available on a first come, first served basis. A signed permission slip and payment is due no later than Thursday, January 20th. Please click here for additional information.

Every year, Marian Central Catholic High School serves as a test center for the ACT in April. This year, the test date will be Saturday, April 2nd, 2022. Please note that this date does fall during our spring break. Also know that while we serve as a test center, we are not able to reserve seats for our Marian Central students. If you are interested in signing up for the April 2nd ACT (or the February 12th, June 11th or July 16th at other locations), please register on the ACT Registration website. For the April 2nd test here, be sure to use our test center code: 174990. And our school code is: 144475.

As our junior class prepares to take the ACT this spring, I wanted to share two opportunities with you that are free and could provide some additional assistance in preparing for the exam.

• We will be providing a free practice ACT here at Marian Central Catholic on Friday, March 11th. This is a half day for students, so the practice exam will be from 12:30pm – 4:00pm in the library. Space is limited to the first 30 students who sign up.

• ·Revolution Prep, a test prep and academic success company, will be offering a free two-hour virtual presentation exclusively for our students called ACT 101 Strategy Session. This will be held on Sunday, March 6th from 4:00pm – 6:00pm.

Students can sign up for one or both opportunities through the Revolution Prep website. The Revolution Prep website will have links to additional free practice tests as well as some group test prep sessions, which come with a fee.

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Wochner, College Counselor, at 815-338-4220 x120 or swochner@marian.com.

Due to a rise in Covid-19 numbers, thus out of safety for our students, families, and presenters, we have made the decision to change the date for our College Information Night.

Freshmen, sophomore, and junior students and their families are asked to save the date for our College Information Night. This year the event will be held on Thursday, February 24th. The formal program will run from 6:30 – 8:30pm, with check in and a brief “Meet the Reps” beginning at 6:00pm.

College Information Night will include presentations from college admission professionals from various types of colleges and universities around the United States. Sessions include Finding Your Fit, Applying to Colleges 101, as well as Testing and When to Submit. A formal agenda will be posted on our Guidance website soon.

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Wochner, College Counselor, at 815-338-4220 x120 or swochner@marian.com.

Right to Life McHenry County is hosting a Candlelight Vigil and Call to Action to recognize the National Sanctity of Human Life Day. The event will take place on January 22nd at the Woodstock Square.

Please click here for additional information.