December 16, 2020 Dear Parent/Guardian, This is the third week of Advent. As the Christmas countdown draws us ever closer to the big day, the general mood and priorities of people can tend to grow slightly frantic and frenzied, perhaps almost panicked at times. With lists to fulfill, stores to visit, and relatives to invite, our minds might be busily buzzing with any number of things. But this is the time when it is so essential to think about what we are doing and why. This week, the Advent wreath candle represents joy, and our emphasis is on what joy is and how it inspires us to spread the great news to others. This week our candle is pink, in honor of the shepherds who heard the good news of Christ’s birth from the angels and ran to visit Him and share the word. Why pink? According to some customs, priests would give out a pink rose during Lent to lighten the mood during the somber season. So as we go through this week, we ponder lives of joy and celebration. To liven things up, consider adding a few extra fun activities to your lives. Whatever you do, remember that it celebrates Christ, and the season of joyous proclamation. EnJOY! On Friday, December 18 th at 3:00 pm we will begin our Christmas break. This has been quite a year for all of us. On behalf of Fr. Aloy, Fr. Tom, the faculty and staff we wish you a Blessed Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year. We hope that you are able to safely spend time with your family whether in person or virtually. We are scheduled to return to classes on Monday, January 4 th . As announced earlier by the Archdiocese and the Office of Catholic Schools we will continue classes remotely for the health and safety of everyone. If you are traveling over the Christmas holiday we do hope that you are back home by Jan. 4 th so that these two weeks of remote classes will serve as a quarantine period. May I remind you that it is imperative that if your child is exposed to a COVID positive person, is symptomatic, or has tested positive for COVID-19 that you contact me immediately. I am obligated to report all cases to the Archdiocese and the Chicago Department of Public Health. I appreciate your understanding, support, and cooperation as we continue to work together as a family taking care of each other always. Thank you: Thank you to the Santa’s FSA elves who spread the Christmas spirit around the school when they came in and decorated the classroom doors to surprise the teachers and
Transcript
December 16, 2020 Dear Parent/Guardian,
This is the third week of Advent. As the Christmas countdown draws us ever closer to
the big day, the general mood and priorities of people can tend to grow slightly frantic
and frenzied, perhaps almost panicked at times. With lists to fulfill, stores to visit, and
relatives to invite, our minds might be busily buzzing with any number of things. But this
is the time when it is so essential to think about what we are doing and why. This week,
the Advent wreath candle represents joy, and our emphasis is on what joy is and how it
inspires us to spread the great news to others. This week our candle is pink, in honor of
the shepherds who heard the good news of Christ’s birth from the angels and ran to visit
Him and share the word. Why pink? According to some customs, priests would give out
a pink rose during Lent to lighten the mood during the somber season. So as we go
through this week, we ponder lives of joy and celebration. To liven things up, consider
adding a few extra fun activities to your lives. Whatever you do, remember that it
celebrates Christ, and the season of joyous proclamation. EnJOY!
On Friday, December 18th at 3:00 pm we will begin our Christmas break. This has been
quite a year for all of us. On behalf of Fr. Aloy, Fr. Tom, the faculty and staff we wish
you a Blessed Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year. We hope that you are able
to safely spend time with your family whether in person or virtually. We are scheduled to
return to classes on Monday, January 4th. As announced earlier by the Archdiocese and
the Office of Catholic Schools we will continue classes remotely for the health and
safety of everyone. If you are traveling over the Christmas holiday we do hope that you
are back home by Jan. 4th so that these two weeks of remote classes will serve as a
quarantine period. May I remind you that it is imperative that if your child is exposed to a
COVID positive person, is symptomatic, or has tested positive for COVID-19 that you
contact me immediately. I am obligated to report all cases to the Archdiocese and the
Chicago Department of Public Health. I appreciate your understanding, support, and
cooperation as we continue to work together as a family taking care of each other
always.
Thank you:
Thank you to the Santa’s FSA elves who spread the Christmas spirit around the school
when they came in and decorated the classroom doors to surprise the teachers and
students. It was a wonderful surprise! Santa’s elves were Mrs. Alba Moncada, Mrs.
Valdovinos, Mrs. Scarpelli and Gia, Mrs. Mooney, Mrs. Allen and Shannon, Mrs. Haro,
Mrs. Holinka, Mrs. Isaacson, Mrs. Hench and Mr. & Mrs. Kilroy.
Teacher Christmas Fund: EXTENDED!!!
Donations will be accepted until Thursday, December 16th by 8:00 am. Thank you to
everyone who has generously donated to the fund.
Special visitor:
Be on the lookout for a special visitor coming to St. Hilary at dismissal on Friday. Don’t
forget your cameras or cell phone;)
Tax Credit Scholarship (TCS):
On August 31, 2017 Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law the “Invest in Kids Act,” a
comprehensive education funding bill for Illinois. The law includes a provision for tax
credit scholarships, which provide strong incentives for donors to support non-public
school scholarships for low-income students in the state. This legislation represents a
major step forward that will help create more equity in school funding throughout Illinois,
and for the first time provide real school choice for students and their families. A number
of our families benefited from this scholarship opportunity over the past three years and
we hope that more families will benefit again for the 2021-2022 school year. The 2
SGOs that the Archdiocese works with are Empower Illinois and Big Shoulders Fund.
In today’s envelope there is a flyer with information, dates, and links for the application
process.
Last night the Big Shoulders Fund hosted a practice application virtual session. They
are also having a sneak peak of the application with assistance/practice of the
application process from Dec. 15th – Dec. 20th only. Check out the Application Sneak
Peek here: PRACTICE APPLICATION
Tax Credit Scholarship (TCS) Donors:
These scholarships are made possible by generous donors who are committed and
dedicated to Catholic education and are often restricted to specific schools as requested
by the donors. The Archdiocese helps sponsor a very special 2 to 1 matching program
for a limited time, until the outside funds run out. In addition, each donor will receive
75% of their donation in tax credits on their 2021 taxes. The more donations that are
made to St. Hilary, the more St. Hilary students we can help. Last year we received just
over $45,000.00 in donations, we are so grateful for these funds, this allowed 8 children
to receive financial support for their tuition. Sadly, 54 students remained on the waiting
list and did not receive scholarships. While some of these children were able to stay at
St. Hilary with financial assistance, others were not able to continue with us.
Wishing you and your family a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Healthy New Year!
The 2020Annual
Christmas Fundhas been
EXTENDED!If you have already made your donation to the Annual
Christmas Fund, THANK YOU! If not, please consider making adonation. Again, there is no limit as to the amount you can give.Any donation would be appreciated. We also encourage you to
have your child(ren) write notes to his/her teachers, tellingthem that you donated to the Christmas Fund. It’s a terrific wayto show your support to our wonderful faculty and staff here at
St. Hilary School.
ST. HILARY CHRISTMAS FUND
Enclosed is our donation of $ ____________________ for thefaculty and staff of St. Hilary School.
You may enclose cash, money order, or a personal checkpayable to St. Hilary School. Please return to the School Office, no
later than Thursday, December 17th at 8:00 a.m.
Safe Operating & Infection Protocols
We have received several questions about new quarantine guidelines from the Centers
Dear Catholic School Families, Dec. 11, 2020
I hope you are healthy and well as we begin the joyous season of Advent.
We are amid preparations for the two-week transition to virtual learning in early January.
The Office of Catholic Schools (OCS) remains committed to helping each school provide
high-quality virtual learning during this time. Your school’s principal and teachers should
be communicating with you about specific schedules and processes during the virtual
learning period. It is my hope that this time allows those who wish to travel for Christmas
Break to do so, safely. However, it is extremely important that each family be back home
by Jan. 4 for the start of virtual learning. This will allow students to quarantine ahead of
the start of in-person classes on Jan. 19.
It is worth noting that since last spring, when all schools were initially required to pivot to
remote learning, the OCS supported our schools with continuous improvement in the
planning and delivery of remote instruction. Our Academics team working constantly on
curating the best available resources for our schools. And through weekly principal
discussion sessions, monthly academic advisory meetings and professional development
opportunities for all educators and staff, our focus has remained on helping our schools
and teachers deliver quality learning both in person and remotely.
We’ve all come a long way since the start of the pandemic and, with your help the quality
of our remote instruction is no exception!
Yours in Christ,
Jim Rigg, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Catholic Schools
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As you may know, the CDC is now allowing
10-day quarantines (instead of 14 days) for individuals who have been exposed to a
COVID-19 positive person or have traveled to hotspot states. The quarantine period can
be reduced to 7 days if the individual receives a negative COVID-19 test result. While
this guidance is helpful, the CDC makes it clear that state and local health authorities can
implement more restrictive quarantine guidelines. To date, the Illinois and local city and
county health departments have not changed their 14-day quarantine requirements.
Therefore, we are maintaining the 14-day quarantine. If this changes, we will be certain
to inform all principals.
#SchoolHero
Our #SchoolHero campaign continues! If you aren’t following our social media
channels, learn more about the most recently honored heroes and
follow Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see we’re celebrating:
Irene Vasquez, 7th grade teacher at St. John Vianney School
Sylvia Ortega, School Secretary at St. Bede School
Christopher Butz, Social Studies teacher and School Compliance Coordinator at
St. Bartholomew School
Cathy Lillig, 4th grade teacher at St. Catherine Laboure School
Frank Ochoa, Spanish Teacher and Technology Coordinator at St. Cletus School
Paula Somers, Business Manager at St. Alexander School
Ursula Kunath, 6th grade teacher at St. Robert Bellarmine School
Julie Martin, moderator and 2nd grade teacher at Cardinal Joseph Bernardin
School
Joe Accardi, Mission Advancement Officer at St. Benedict Preparatory School
You need to apply for tax credit scholarships through a scholarship granting organization (SGO), which
distributes the scholarships. The Archdiocese of Chicago is working with two SGOs: Empower Illinois and
Big Shoulders Fund SGO.
Who is eligible?
K-12 students with limited financial resources and income up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level,
are eligible to receive tax credit scholarships, subject to the availability of funds. Returning tax credit
scholarship recipients, can make up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level.
Empower Illinois Application Process and Key Dates
The Empower Illinois tax credit scholarship application is a two-step process:
Step 1: On Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 6:30 p.m., you will have access to a brief reservation form
on Empower Illinois’ website – EmpowerIllinois.org.
Step 2: Beginning on or about Friday, January 15, 2021, you may complete the full scholarship
application through the Empower Illinois online student portal.
For more information, visit EmpowerIllinois.org.
Big Shoulders Fund Application Process and Key Date
The Big Shoulders Fund SGO application will be a two-step process this year. Step-one will open on
Tuesday, January 12 at 8 a.m. CT. In the first step, applicants will complete the online application with all
household and student information and receive their date-time stamp.
After January 15, Big Shoulders Fund will reach out to a limited number of applicants, via email,
requesting applicants to complete step-two of the process by submitting documentation to verify
income and residence.
More information and an application how-to guide can be found on Big Shoulders Fund’s
website bigshouldersfundsgo.org.
What is a tax credit scholarship?Tax Credit Scholarships cover up to 100 percent of tuition and fees for the 2021/22 school year. Students from low-income households can qualify for tax credit scholarships if their family income is less than $72,900. More than 9,000 students qualified for a scholarship last year and 6,300 were left waiting without one.
Cut tax liability Individuals and corporations may receive a credit for their Illinois state taxes equal to 75 percent of donation.
Triple your impactDonate to a school or all archdiocese schools between Dec. 1 and Feb. 28, 2021, and, thanks to a few generous donors, your donation will be matched and maximized threefold! Limitations apply.
GIVE TOCATHOLIC EDUCATION
Did you know that the Invest in Kids Act helps children from low-income households in Illinois access scholarships that cover up to 100 percent of a Catholic school’s tuition? Thousands of students are gaining knowledge and building on their faith in Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools thanks to this program. Your support during these challenging times would help educate the next generation in Catholic students while building on a brighter future for all.
HOW IT WORKS We use $10K in this example, but any amount is needed.
DONATE $10,000After following the step-by-step guide, a taxpayer can donate $10,000 to Empower Illinois, the Scholarship Granting Organization working with the Archdiocese. Designate the archdiocese’s Catholic schools or a specific group of schools as beneficiary.
TAX REWARD CAN EQUAL $7,500You are eligible to claim a $7,500 tax credit on your state taxes -75 percent of your gift! This has the potential to eliminate your 2020 tax liability.
MATCHING ANGELS: Your $10,000 gift becomes $30,000 in student scholarships Each dollar you give between Dec. 1 and Feb. 28, 2021, will be matched 2 for 1 by a handful of generous donors, tripling the scholarship amount and making a bigger impact on students who need your help. Limitations apply.
Bring Light to Dark Times
Illuminate a pathway to success for our childrenBack to school has taken on new meaning in 2020, as many families, their students and their teachers have struggled to bring certainty into a young person’s life during a time fraught with uncertainty as a global pandemic has left so many people struggling.
Families hit hardest by the COVID-19 economy have struggled to continue their children’s Catholic education and put food on the table. Your donation to the Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship program enables those children to receive quality, faith-based education in a loving and supportive environment.
Catholic schools have long set the standard for faith, excellence in education and service to society. They have provided spiritual growth and instruction to students, in order for them to rise up from economic struggles and, in turn, contribute back to our community. Your donation is an investment that keeps our schools open and guarantees that our future generations will be afforded a quality Catholic education.
Invest in kids now: 3 easy steps1 REGISTER
This helpful guide from Empower Illinois will walk you through the process of obtaining a donor account. You will need the primary taxpayer’s SSN and one of the following: IL Driver’s License #, Il State ID #, or Adjusted Gross Income from the prior year’s return.
2 RESERVEReserve your tax credit with the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR). Refer to this list of eligible schools to determine where your school of choice is located and designate Empower Illinois as your Scholarship Granting Organization. You will receive your Contribution Authorization Certificate (CAC) via email. Once you have your CAC, you are ready to donate.
3 DONATE Once you receive confirmation of your tax credit and your CAC from IDOR, you have up to 60 days to donate to Empower Illinois. For more help, refer to page 7 of this step-by-step guide.
THANK YOU!These three simple steps make a difference in a child’s life and will have a long-lasting, positive impact on our community because you have invested in Catholic education. Do not delay. Mark your calendar! This opportunity will not last.
For more information please contact the TCS hotline at 312.534.2617 or [email protected], or visit archchicago.org/tcs.
EMPOWER ILLINOIS Scholarship Granting Organization Tax Credit ScholarshipsAPPLICATION PROCESS AND KEY DATES
STEP 1 On Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m., you may access the reservation form on the Empower Illinois website. The reservation form requires the following information:• Parent name• Contact information – address, phone number, email
address• Child(ren) name(s) include all children for whom you
would like to apply for a scholarship
At 7 p.m., you will submit the reservation form. Your submission timestamps your reservation.
This is a critical step as your timestamp matters and may impact your chances of receiving a scholarship. You will want to submit this form right at 7 p.m. Minutes matter.
STEP 2 Beginning on or about Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, you must complete the full scholarship application through the Empower Illinois online student portal. You will receive instructions via email about setting up your student portal after your reservation has been completed (step 1). Empower Illinois will begin awarding scholarships on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. Scholarship awards are subject to the availability of funds at your school of choice. We recommend you submit your application before Monday, Jan. 27 to increase your chances of receiving a scholarship.
APPLICATION MATERIALS
To apply, you need proof of Illinois residency, your adjusted gross income and a valid email address. Choose your most recent household and income documents from the same year to use throughout your application. We recommend securing these materials and scanning copies or taking photos of them now, so you have them on-hand when it is time to complete the application.
Proof of Illinois residence (one of the following for the household):• Federal Form 1040 with name and current address• Illinois driver’s license with current address• Illinois identification card (issued by the Secretary of
State) with current address• Utility bill with name and current address• Statement of benefits from WIC or SNAP with name
and current address• W-2 or 1099 with name and current address• Residential lease (current address) in the parent’s name
Proof of income:• Federal tax return, pages 1 and 2
If your federal tax return is not available to you, you can submit one of the following as proof of your household adjusted gross income:• W-2• 1099(s)• WIC or SNAP benefits statements• Year-end pay stub• Letter, on company letterhead, from employer(s)
BIG SHOULDERS FUND Scholarship Granting Organization Tax Credit ScholarshipsAPPLICATION PROCESS AND KEY DATES The Big Shoulders Fund SGO application will be a two-step process this year.
STEP 1Step 1 will open on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 8 a.m. In the first step, applicants must provide the following information in order to receive their date-time stamp:• Parent/guardian contact information• Number of household members• School district number in which you live• 2018 or 2019 federal adjusted gross income• Student name(s) and birth date(s)• Student gender(s) and race• Student grade(s) for 2020/21 school year• Name of private school you wish the student to
attend
Due to limited funding for this program, not all appli-cants will be asked to complete step 2. After Jan. 14, Big Shoulders Fund will email a limited number of applicants based on available donations, requesting applicants to complete step 2 of the process by submitting documentation to verify income and residence. More information and an application how-to guide can be found on Big Shoulders Fund’s website: bigshouldersfundsgo.org.
STEP 2Step 2 applicants will be asked to submit proof of residence and proof of income.
Proof of Illinois residence and current address (one of the following for the household):• Illinois driver’s license with current address• Illinois identification card (issued by the Secretary
of State) with current address• Utility bill with name and current address• Residential lease (current address) in the
parent’s name
Proof of income (for all adult household members):• Most recent federal 1040 tax return, pages 1 and 2• Sworn statement – If you did not file taxes,
Big Shoulders Fund requires that all adult household members complete and sign a sworn statement that your taxes were not filed and attach proof of income. This sworn statement can be found on Big Shoulders Fund’s website: bigshouldersfundsgo.org/apply.
For more information, visit bigshouldersfundsgo.org.
EMPOWER ILLINOIS Organización que otorga becasBecas de crédito tributarioPROCESO DE SOLICITUD Y FECHAS CLAVES
PASO 1 El miércoles, 15 de enero a las 6:30 p.m., usted puede acceder al formulario de reservación en el sitio web de Empower Illinois.El formulario de reservación requiere la siguiente información:• Nombre del padre/madre • Información de contacto – dirección, número de
teléfono, dirección de correo electrónico • Nombre(s) del(los) niño(s), incluya a todos los niños a
quienes les gustaría hacer la solicitud de una beca
A las 7 p.m. enviará el formulario de reservación. Su envío marca la hora de su reservación.
Este es un paso crucial ya que la hora marcada es importante y puede impactar sus posibilidades de recibir una beca. Usted querrá enviar este formulario justo a las 7 p.m. Los minutos importan.
PASO 2 A partir de o alrededor del viernes, 17 de enero de 2020, usted debe completar toda la solicitud de la beca a través del portal en línea de estudiantes de Empower Illinois. Recibirá instrucciones vía correo electrónico sobre cómo establecer su portal de estudiante después que su reservación ha sido completada (paso 1). Empower Illinois comenzará a otorgar becas el lunes, 27 de enero de 2020. Las becas están sujetas a la disponibilidad de fondos en la escuela de su elección. Recomendamos enviar su solicitud antes del lunes, 27 de enero para incrementar sus oportunidades de recibir una beca.
MATERIALES PARA LA SOLICITUD
Para hacer la solicitud, necesita una prueba de residencia en Illinois, sus ingresos ajustados y una dirección de correo electrónico válida. Elija los documentos más recientes de su hogar y de ingresos del mismo año para utilizarlos a lo largo de su solicitud. Recomendamos asegurar estos materiales y escanear copias o tomar fotos de ellos ahora, para que los tenga a mano cuando sea el momento de completar la solicitud.
Prueba de residencia en Illinois (uno de los siguientes porhogar):• Formulario federal 1040 con nombre y dirección actual • Licencia de conducir de Illinois con la dirección actual • Tarjeta de identificación de Illinois (emitida por la
Secretaría de Estado) con la dirección actual • Factura de servicio público con nombre y dirección actual • Declaración de beneficios de WIC o SNAP con nombre
y dirección actual• W-2 o 1099 con nombre y dirección actual • Contrato de alquiler residencial (dirección actual) en
nombre del padre/madre
Comprobante de Ingresos:• Declaración de impuestos federales, páginas 1 y 2
Si su declaración de impuesto federal no está disponible, puede presentar uno de los siguientes como prueba de ingreso ajustado de su hogar:• W-2 • 1099(s) • Declaraciones de beneficios de WIC o SNAP• Comprobante de sueldo de fin de año • Carta, en papel con membrete de la compañía, del(los)
empleador(res) indicando los salarios efectivos pagados
Para recibir más información, empowerillinois.org.
BIG SHOULDERS FUND Organización que otorga becas Becas de crédito tributario PROCESO DE SOLICITUD Y FECHAS CLAVESLa solicitud de Big Shoulders Fund SGO será un proceso de dos pasos este año.
PASO 1El paso 1 comenzará el martes, 14 de enero a las 8 a.m. En el primer paso, los solicitantes deben proveer la siguiente información para recibir su sello de marcación de fecha y hora:• Información de contacto del padre/madre/tutor • Número de miembros del hogar • Número del distrito escolar en el que vive • Ingreso ajustado federal de 2018 o 2019 • Nombre(s) del(los) estudiante(s) y fecha(s) de
nacimiento• Sexo y raza del estudiante • Grado del estudiante para el año escolar 2020/21• Nombre de la escuela privada a la que desea que
asista el estudiante
Debido a los fondos limitados de este programa, no se pedirá a todos los solicitantes que completen el paso 2. Después del 14 de enero, Big Shoulders Fund enviará un correo electrónico a un número limitado de solicitantes en base a las donaciones disponibles, pidiendo a los solicitantes que completen el paso 2 del proceso al enviar documentos para verificar los ingresos y la residencia. Más información y una guía sobre cómo hacer la solicitud se puede encontrar en el sitio web de Big Shoulders Fund: bigshouldersfundsgo.org.
PASO 2Paso 2 – Se pedirá a los solicitantes que envíen prueba de residencia y prueba de ingresos.
Prueba de residencia en Illinois y dirección actual (uno de los siguientes documentos por hogar):• Licencia de conducir de Illinois con dirección actual• Tarjeta de identificación de Illinois (emitida por la
Secretaría de Estado) con la dirección actual• Factura de servicios públicos con el nombre y la
dirección actual• Contrato de alquiler residencial (dirección actual)
en nombre del padre/madre
Prueba de ingreso (para todos los miembros adultos del hogar):• Declaración de impuesto federal 1040 más
reciente, páginas 1 y 2 • Declaración jurada – Si usted no presentó una
declaración de impuestos, Big Shoulders Fund requiere que todos los miembros adultos del hogar completen y firmen una declaración jurada que sus impuestos no fueron declarados y adjunte prueba de ingresos. Esta declaración jurada se puede encontrar en el sitio web de Big Shoulders Fund: bigshouldersfundsgo.org/apply.
For more information, visit bigshouldersfundsgo.org.
