IMPORTANT DATES & UPCOMING EVENTS
March 17th No School- Happy St. Patrick’s Day
March 18th No School- Region 1 In-service for Staff
March 23rd 7th & 8th Grade Confirmation at St. Mark’s Church at 7:00pm
March 30th SMS Fundraiser at Double A’s - see attached flyer
March 31st Day of Grace Adoration Procession to Bradley University
April 2nd 1st Communion Meeting 9:00am
April 7th Early Dismissal/Spirit Day 12:30 Dismissal
April 8th & 9th The Lion King Musical
April 14th No School - Holy Thursday
April 15th-24th Easter/Spring Break
April 25th School Resumes/ Feast of St Mark- ALL school Mass @ 2:00 pm
April 29th Spalding Application is due- CHECK OUT BELOW for MORE INFO
April 30th Art Fair Open House at 5:30-7:00pm
ATTACHMENTS & FLYERS
REPORT CARDS & TESTING
Report cards will be sent out via email on Friday, March 18th. The link for the report card will only be valid for two weeks.
ARK testing (Required Diocesan Religion Assessment) will begin March 21st. Students in 2nd - 8th grade will take the ARK test during their Religion classes. The test is approximately 45 minutes.
AUCTION NEWS
Wow! What an auction! It was so great to be back in person to kickoff the school's 125th anniversary celebration. We are so grateful to so many people for making the night a success--donors, volunteers, school staff, contributors, those who attended the auction, those who prayed for its success. Thank you! Thank you!
Our goal this year was to raise funds to create an updated playground and outdoor learning space for our students. Check out our video we shared the evening of the auction:
Video link: https://drive.google.com/.../1hhfsONnVGj5B4TD7U7Q.../view…
You have one last opportunity to participate in this year's auction! The Principal's Project and a limited number of online items will remain open until Friday, March 18, 5 pm. Be sure to check out the fun sign up parties under Featured Items at the link below.
https://saintmark.schoolauction.net/makingourmark/catalog
Again, from the bottom of our hearts…THANK YOU for supporting our students who will one day go out and MAKE THEIR MARK ON the WORLD and do great things!
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS
Next Wednesday night our 8th graders will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at 7:00PM here at St. Mark’s Church. We are excited to welcome our new Bishop Lou Tylka for the Mass. Please be sure to keep all of our students and their catechists in your prayers for this very special day.
STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS
ATHLETICS
We are currently looking for coaches to help with our Track Program this year. We are not co-oping this year or participating in the Sectional/ State IESA finals. We are looking to build our program and participate in a few meets and some practices for this school year. Please contact the school office, if you have any interest in volunteering some time to help out!
REGISTRATION FOR THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR
School families currently enrolled in St. Mark School must re-enroll annually for the next academic year and that (registration) process is now open. See below for more detailed information regarding tuition assistance.
To complete the enrollment packet:
· Log into your ParentsWeb Account. (District code: SM-IL)
· Select Apply/Enroll and then Enrollment/Re-enrollment (on the left side of the screen)
· Click on the “Click here to open Online Enrollment”
· You will be redirected to your enrollment packet, at that time select Start Application.
Feedback will be provided throughout the process to help you complete the enrollment packet. A yellow caution sign will appear in the menu next to forms that are missing required information. If a form contains all required information, a green check mark will appear next to the form's menu item.
You do not have to do anything in FACTS in your financial account unless you want to change your bank/credit card information. All your existing 2021-2022 tuition fee/payment plans will roll-over. If any changes need to be made with your payment plan, please contact the office, at 676-7131. The 2022-2023 school year tuition payments will start in July. Depending on the date you choose it will either come out from your account on 5th or the 20th of the month.
FACTS has a one-time fee of $45.00 for a 12-installment payment plan and $20.00 for a 1 or 2 installment plan. This fee is billed and collected by FACTS. You will have an option as to when this amount will be pulled from your account.
After you have completed the enrollment packet, Submit Enrollment Packet and Make Payment form will appear. Please follow the instructions that will be provided to submit the enrollment packet along with the St. Mark enrollment fee payment is now $75.
PND SHADOW VISITS
Eighth grade students are invited to experience a day in the life of a PND student by scheduling a shadow visit. Shadow visitors will have a chance to explore the PND campus, attend classes and lunch, and learn more about the activities that PND offers. Please visit https://my.peorianotredame.com... to schedule your visit.
2021 TAX DOCUMENTS
2021 Tax Documents for Tuition and Before/After Care are ready to be printed off in your FACTS Account. Hard copies of these documents are not sent home with your students. In order to print your tax documents please follow the instructions below. If you are looking for 2021 Church contributions, you will need to contact the parish office to receive that information. Login to FACTS SIS Parentsweb (formerly called Renweb Parentsweb)
2. Click on “Financial” on the left-hand side
3. Click on “Financial Home” on the right-hand side in the Financial Links box
4. Click on “View Details”
5. Click on “View Payment Summary” (please make sure that “2021” is the year selected)
6. To print off the tax information, click on the print icon at the top right corner
DEADLINES ARE APPROACHING FAST!!
DUE TO THE TIME THAT OUR SPRING BREAK TAKES PLACE, IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT ALL FAMILIES WHO MAY NEED HELP WITH ANY OF THE APPLICATIONS FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE CONTACT THE OFFICE NO LATER THAN APRIL 8TH TO ENSURE ENOUGH TIME TO COLLECT ANY DOCUMENTATION.
2022-2023 ST. MARK FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Financial assistance for St. Mark School Tuition is available from multiple sources for our K-8th grade students ONLY.
* All applications open in January and are due April 29th *
1. The Invest in Kids Empower Illinois Tax Credit Scholarship
2. The John Lancaster Spalding Scholarship Fund and
3. The Kremer Foundation
4. St. Mark Parish
5. Legacy Scholarship
*Note: All families requesting ANY financial aid must complete the FACTS Grant & Aid Application at
online.factsmgt.com/signin/42H08
1. The Invest in Kids Empower Illinois Tax Credit
The application for this scholarship is at empowerIllinois.org. Applicants must meet certain household
income criteria to be eligible. Application reservations opened on January 14, 2022. This is available only to K-8th grade students.
2. The John Lancaster Spalding Scholarship
This is an endowment fund established in honor of Archbishop Spalding, the first Bishop of Peoria.
Tuition assistance scholarship grants are available to students enrolled/intending to enroll in grades
Kindergarten through 12 in any Catholic school located in the Diocese of Peoria whose families are
members of a Catholic parish in the diocese.
https://cdop.org/why-choose-catholic-schools/financial-assistance/
3. The Kremer Foundation
This grant that is offered to St. Mark may have up to $1000 scholarships for St. Mark students entering
K-8th grade. Email Dr. Dillon at ndillon@saint-mark.net for more details on these opportunities.
4. St. Mark Parish Scholarship
Families must complete a FACTS Grant & Aid application and provide tax documents. You can submit a letter detailing additional assistance needed to be considered for assistance from St. Mark Parish. This letter and documentation can be dropped off to the school office in a sealed envelope marked Tuition Assistance Committee.
5. Legacy Scholarship (this for Pre-K students ONLY)
This newly approved incentive was approved by the Finance Council just this year. For families who have children in Pre-K AND any children in grades K-8th, a $1000 scholarship may be applied to your tuition. This scholarship is available for five day/full day students only.
Step by Step instructions for FACTS Grant & Aid Application
1. Complete the application
2. Upload your 2021 federal income tax return and supporting schedules
3. Upload your 2021 W-2 Wage & Tax Statements
4. Pay the application fee
5. Submit the application as soon as possible
Assistance with your FACTS Grant & Aid Application is available online or call Customer Service 866-441-4637.
All scholarship grants are issued for one school year. Families must reapply annually for
consideration. Families are encouraged to apply as early as possible to ensure ample time to
gather and submit any required documents. Assistance will be based on need and completing all the required steps.For new families who apply after the deadlines above, you may still apply for St. Mark Parish Scholarship, but funds may be limited or possibly unavailable.
*Note: If you are awarded the Empower Illinois Scholarship or the Spalding Scholarship, your
aid from St. Mark will be adjusted. If you receive the Empower Illinois Scholarship your Spalding
Scholarship will be rescinded.
TUITION ASSISTANCE WITH SCRIP
You can earn rebates for your SMS tuition by purchasing gift cards with our Scrip Fundraising Program. Create an account today and find gift cards for all of your favorite retailers- restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and more. We even have Scrip for local businesses! Use these cards for your daily purchases, and earn back year-round for your family’s tuition. Email Pat Nedza at saintmarkscrip@gmail.com with any questions.
PEORIA NOTRE DAME YOUTH BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL
It's time to register for baseball and softball! There are programs for tee-ball, House Baseball and House Softball. Register at ndyouthbaaseball.com. Registration ends April 1. Questions contact Michelle Baker at mushal@sbcglobal.net