Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, our school as adopted the Singapore Math program as the core component of its math curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grades. We are one of the first schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago to implement the teaching curriculum. Singapore Math emphasizes problem-solving and model-drawing, with a focus on an in-depth understanding of the essential math skills recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The program inculcates mathematical concepts by moving from the concrete through the pictorial to the abstract representation of mathematical topics.

To help our school make this transition to this new curriculum we have entered into a partnership with Dr. Eileen Knight, professor of education at St. Xavier University, who is a leading expert on Singapore Math and elementary school mathematics education. Professor Knight has individually observed each classroom at the school and provided hands-on mentoring to each individual teacher. She also has conducted several workshops for the school faculty.

An article about our adoption of the Singapore Math Program was recently featured in the SouthtownStar newspaper.

Our school's atheletic program has recently begun a n "Junior Cougar" program. The Junior Cougars program is an introductory sports program available to all students in grades Pre-K through 3rd grade at our school or in Religious Education. The program is designed to expose students to all of our sports programs through four 5-week “minicamps” during the school year, starting with Basketball, Volleyball, and Cheerleading . The program takes place in the gym on most Saturdays from 4 to 5:15 PM. The students and their families are then invited to end each session with 5:30 Mass, which students attend as a group. We have been averaging over 30 students per Junior Cougar session, and we are grateful to our Athletic Association and to our parent volunteers for making this activity available to our primary grade students! (view photos)

The St. Christopher School 8th grade class was invited to participate in the 37th Annual Chemistry Career Conference held at the Museum of Science & Industry. During the Conference, our 8th graders participated in a chemistry "Jeopardy" game, interviewed men and women currently in chemistry careers and experienced a "weird science" demonstration. Our students had a blast learning about different kinds of chemical reactions, chemistry and other science-related jobs and how chemistry impacts their daily lives! (view photos)

St. Christopher Parish and School is blessed with the presence of Seminarian Geoffrey Andama. He is currently in his final year at the seminary before ordination and he will be ministering at St. Christopher for the 2011-12 school year. Seminiarian Andama is working all grades of our school (kindergarten through eighth) in their religion classes. He is working with the students to complete a special age-appropriate religion-themed project with each class in the school, in an effort to positively impact the religious formation of our students. We thank Seminarian Andama for his ministry to our student body.

On Saturday, October 1st, ten of our 7th and 8th graders participated in an Academic Bowl at Providence Catholic High School. Our students competed against 16 other schools in the areas of Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Geography, and Math. Two of our 8th graders received awards. Philip Powers received 1st place in Geography and Erin Ludwig received first place in Language Arts. Congratulations to 7th graders Mariana Vazquez, Nicko Banda, Angel Aguilera, Patrick Maloney, Elias Snyder and 8th graders Philip Powers, Katie Tieri, Stephanie Kohn, Bridget McDermott, and Erin Ludwig for all your hard work! (view photos)

School pioneers new Archdiocesan social studies curriculum
Posted: September 21, 2011

St. Christopher School is pioneering a new innovative social studies curriculum. This curriculum will be used for first through eighth grade classes, and was developed by the social sciences curriculum committee of the Office of Catholic Education at Archdiocese of Chicago. Our junior high social studies teacher, Mr. Greg Laurinaitis, was a key member of this curriculum committee, and spent many long hours at the Archdiocesan Office of Catholic Education with other committee members, conceptualizing and designing this pioneering program.

The program is based on inquiry-based learning concepts, where students are expected to take an active role in their learning and develop experimental and analytical skills, rather than simply memorizing information from a book. This curriculum examines five topics per grade level, spending 6-8 weeks per topic. The objective is to obtain a deep, comprehensive understanding of key concepts in the social sciences, rather than attempting to cover many topics at a superficial level.

St. Christopher School is among the first schools in the entire archdiocese to begin implementation of this cutting-edge social studies program, thanks to the key role Mr. Laurinaitis has played in helping our school’s education staff transition to the new curriculum. This program will benefit our school children by teaching them critical reasoning skills needed for success in higher education and beyond. (view photo)

School back in session
Posted: September 16, 2011

St. Christopher School is back in session for the 2011-12 school year. Our first day of school was on Monday, August 22. The school year began with an all-school assembly in the gym, where our principal, Mr. Johnson, welcomed our students back and outlined his expectations for the school year. We are excited to report our school enrollment has increased by 13 students compared to the start of school last year! This enrollment increase is a remarkable accomplishment in light of the current difficult economic conditions. This growth of our school would not be possible without the faithful and continuous support of our alumni and our entire parish family. If you want to see some of the great things happening at St. Christopher School, please feel free to visit our school web site at www.stchrisschool.org, or drop in the school during regular school hours. (view photos of 1st day of school)

Grandparents' Day Festitivies
Posted: April 10, 2011

Grandparents' Day was held on Thursday, March 16, in conjunction with Spirit Week. The festivities began with the grandparents and friends of the school attending the weekly all-school Mass, where our students sat with their grandparents and other special people in their lives. After Mass, everyone was invited to a reception in our school gym, courtesy of our Mothers' Club. Our visitors then had the opportunity to tour the school, see the students' classrooms and meet our teachers. We thank all of our guests for taking the time to visit with us and see the great things happening in our school. (view photos)

Midlothian Mayor visits First Grade
Posted: April 10, 2011

The first grade class recently invited the Mayor of Midlothian, Terry Stephens, to come for a visit and talk with the class. Mrs. Craven's first graders have been studying about community helpers. The children learned what a mayor does and how he helps a community. The students also learned that Mr. Stephens is another type of community helper, a teacher. The students enjoyed the visit, especially Mayor Stephens' granddaughter, Kathryn, who is a student in the class. Our first graders would like to thanks Mayor Stephens for taking the time to visit us! (view photos)

School Valentine's Day Parties
Posted: February 12, 2011

The school held their annual Valentine's Day parties for kindergarten through 5th grade. The students had a great time exchanging treats and playing some fun games. Thanks to all of our parent volunteers who helped to make these parties possible. (view photos)

Inaugural Junior High Drama Festival
Posted: December 30, 2010

The inaugural St. Christopher School Drama Festival was held on Tuesday, Nov. 30th, in the school gym. Throughout the first semester, our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders have been working hard and practicing for this event. Each grade prepared and presented their own mini-play during the Festival. The plays were written as entertainment for the primary and middle school grades. Our junior high students did a wonderful job, and we are proud of their accomplishments! (view photos)

4th Grade Travels the World
Posted: November 28, 2010

The fourth grade class is taking a tour of the United States without leaving the classroom. This year each student has sent out requests for travelogs from their family or friends who either live out of state or are traveling. So far we have heard from 9 states and 2 countries. We hope to hear from all 50 states! There is much excitement in our classroom whenever we receive a postcard from a new state. Whenever we receive a new postcard, we locate the location of the state or country on our classroom maps, and we discuss some important facts about this region. If you are planning to travel, please send us a postcard! We would love to hear from you and the places you have visited. Please address the postcard to - St. Christopher School - 4th Grade, 14611 S. Keeler Ave., Midlothian, IL 60445. (view photos)

Science Fair Competition
Posted: May 3, 2010

St. Christopher School held a Science Fair competition on Thursday, April 29. The tension was high in the morning at the science fair competition and judging. Twelve outside judges, including science professionals, educational professionals from other schools, and members of the community listened to presentations from our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students and quizzed them on their understanding of the project and their grasp of the scientific method. (view photos from the judging)

In the evening, the school hosted a science fair open house which, in addition to junior high projects, also featured class science fair projects for kindergarten through third grade. Fourth and fifth graders showed their creativity and innovation at an invention fair, where they displayed their projects. (view photos from the open house)

The "Big Cheer" was held on Friday, February 19, 2010. The Big Cheer is tradionally held during the 8th grade boys’ last home basketball game. This is the last time the 8th grade boys will play at home and also the last time the 8th grade girls will cheer for them. For several months, all of the cheer squads (4 – 8 grades) have been practicing a dance and cheer routine for the half time of this game. Many alumni and their parents attended the event to cheer on the team and the girls. Also, we were honored by some special guests, including many teachers and also our pastoral staff, including Fr. Mark, Fr. Laurent, Deacon Smith, and Mrs. Lassandrello. The gym was decorated by the 8th grade parents. The half-time dance and cheer routine was truly spectacular!!! Thanks to all whose dedication and hard work made this wonderful event possible! (view photos)

Pajamas Day for needy children
Posted: February 2, 2010

On Friday, January 29th, the school had a pajamas day. Students who wore pajamas donated either a pair of new pajamas, a new book, or $2. All items were donated to the pajama program, which benefits needy children who are awaiting adoption. This collection was sponsored by the Girl Scouts. Thanks for all who supported this worthy cause. (view photos)

Spanish program second semester update
Posted: January 19, 2010

The school Spanish program is off and running again in the second semester. For second semester, students in kindergarten and first, second, third and eighth grade recieve weekly Spanish classes. Our Spanish program is run under the able instruction of Ms. Maricela Carrillo. Buena suerte en tus estudios, estudiantes!

St. Christopher School helps feed the needy
Posted: December 9, 2009

Recognizing that the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry was dangerously low, our Student Council organized a food drive. The food drive featured a contest to see which classroom could collect the largest number of food items. Congratulations to our 8th graders, who brought in 236 food items. The entire school collected 1,220 food items. Thanks to all who demonstrated the Gospel values of feeding the poor and taking care of the needy.

St. Christopher School launches new school web site
Posted: October 11, 2009

We are proud to announce that our school has a new, completely redesigned web site, located at www.stchrisschool.org. The new site is packed with current school news and information to help our current school families and prospective families learn about our school and keep in touch with what is happening at the school. School homework assignments and grades are available online for our school families. All school memos and parent correspondence and newsletters are available online. The site also features pictures from various school events

This is a great way for alumni to keep in touch with our school. So check out the site and check out all of the great things that are happening at St. Christopher School!

School initiates new positive discipline program
Posted: October 5, 2009

With the start of the new school year, St. Christopher School has initiated implementation of the Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) Program. PBIS is a school-wide plan designed to address the behavioral and discipline systems needed for successful learning and social development of all students. This program provides rewards for student who model proper bahavior, both individually and as a class. All students are encouraged to display Christian behavior by respecting themselves, their fellow students, and their school. We are excited about this program and the positive impact it will have on our educational staff and stuents.

Preschool Graduation
Posted: May 26, 2009

Preschool graduation for our 4-year-old preschoolers was held on Wednesday, April 20th, at 12:30 pm in the church. The preschoolers began the ceremony with the prayer and the greeting song with which they begin each school day. Each preschooler approached the microphone and told the audience what was his or her favorite preschool memory, as well as what he or she would like to be when they grow up. After another song, the big moment arrived when Principal Johnson awarded a diploma to each graduate. After the big event, a reception was held in the Franciscan Room, courtesy of Mother's Club.

We would like to thank Principal Johnson, Mrs. Strelczyk, and Mrs. Murphy for all of their hard work and efforts with the preschoolers in provided such a solid foundation to the elementary school education.

First Holy Communion
Posted: May 26, 2009

Our second grade students made their First Holy Communion on Sunday, April 26. They had a beautiful and warm day to celebrate this important sacrament. The ceremony featured student readers and was a wonderful testement to the abilities and talents of our young students. Congratulations to all!

May Crowning
Posted: May 26, 2009

May Crowning was held at on Sunday, May 3, after the 9:30 am Mass. Jennifer from the eighth grade graduation class had the honor of crowning Our Blessed Mother. The remainder of the eighth grade class and the second grade class served as Mary's court. The Mass was also a school family Mass, and we thank all of the school families who came out for the occasion.

Februrary School News
Posted: February 15, 2009

The school's mentoring program is in full swing. Our 8th grade mentors are doing a great job with their pals in primary and have been reinforcing math skills with them and bringing them to Mass each week. This program helps install responsibility and Christian values in our older students, while helping our primary student learn new skills.

Our school's new reading series has also helped us to accommodate all of our students' needs and to assess their progress weekly. Each week a student is given a test which allows the teacher automatic results, those results allow the teacher to determine whether they should either challenge the student more or reassess their instruction to students to help the students better understand the material. Our mathematics curriculum has greatly benefited from the guidance of Dr. Jay Cuneen, who as been assisting our teachers during the second semester to help us further improve our students' math skills and test scores.

Catholic Schools Week 2009
Posted: January 22, 2009

An exciting week of activities is planned for this year's Catholic Schools Week. The week kicks of on Saturday, January 24, with a special 5:30 liturgy celebrated by Bishop Gustavo. On Monday, January 26th (9:30-11am and 1:00-2:00pm) and Tuesday, January 27th (9-10:30am and 12:30-2:00pm) there will be Open Houses in the school. Wednesday, January 28th, bring Grandparents' Day.

Thursday, January 29th, is Teacher Appreciation Day, where the students show their appreciation for all of the hard work and dedication of the St. Chris faculty. Finally, Friday, January 30th is Student Apprecation Day, where the school shows their appreciation to our school children in the best possible way, by giving them the day off of school!

Fall Festival
Posted: November 12, 2008

The First Annual St. Chris Fall Festival was held on Saturday, November 1, 2008, from 5 - 11 pm. The Festival features a huge range of activities for the entire family. The children enjoyed an ourdoor treasure hunt and a scarecrow-making contest. Unit D was transformed into a frightening haunted house, complete with witches, scary music, smoke, and more. The adults relaxed in the gym and cafeteria, watching the hotly-contested chili-making contest and enjoying food, music and dancing.

A big thanks goes out to all who worked so hard to making this event possible, and we are looking forward to it again next year!

School Improvements
Posted: September 8, 2008

The St. Christopher Buildings and Maintenance Staff was very busy this summer, making a number of improvements and enhancements to our school and parish buildings and grounds. Most of the classrooms were painted and a number of the rooms were re-carpeted as well. In addition, the gym floor was stripped and re-waxed. A brand-new handicapped washroom was added to the school cafeteria. New stainless steel firedoors were added to the south entrance of the school. In the area next to the main entrance of the school, a beautiful statue of Jesus with children was added and the area landscaped. Finally, the north portion of the parking lot was resurfaced and striped. Thanks to all whose generousity to the school helped us to keep our facilities in good shape.

St. Chris School receives Archdiocesan Grant
Posted: September 8, 2008

St. Christopher School recently received an Archdiocese of Chicago Transitional Grant. This grant is renewable for a total of three years, and is designed to help St. Christopher grow the school and its programs and resources. We are very thankful to Fr. Mark, Principal Johnson, and everyone else who helped to insure that our school has a bright and viable future!

St. Chris Vacation Bible School
Posted: July 26, 2008

TFrom June 16th to June 20th, St Christopher hosted a Vacation Bible School for children from grades kindergarten through fourth grade. The theme was “Celebrating God’s Creation”. As part of the school, the children set up an exhibit in Unit D that depicted their version of "God's Creation". A big thanks to all who worked so hard to make this wonderful event possible.

End of School Festivities
Posted: May 31, 2008

The last day of school is Thursday June 5, 2008. Many exciting activities are planned for the end of school. School Awards will be presented on Thursday, June 5th at 10:50am in the gymnasium. Awards will be given for honor roll as well as perfect attendance.

The end-of-year Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 4 at 9am in Church

Our students will celebrate the end of the year with a picnic on Thursday, June 5 in the afternoon. There will be food and games. The Mother's Club has planned activities and a special guest for the picnic. Thanks to Mother's Club and the volunteers for their time and energy for providing this experience for our children. Report cards will be distributed at the end of the picnic before dismissal.

Students win VFW Contest
Posted: May 31, 2008

Recently the local Veterans of Foriegn War held their annual Americanism Contest. A number of our students participated, and we had three winners! Congratulations to Eric, Sarah and Megan who all took first place in the essay contest for their grade level. Each received a 1st place ribbon and a ten dollar bill for their entries and each was sent on in the contest downstate.

St. Christopher School Band
Posted: April 2, 2008

On March 1, 2008, students from the St. Christopher School Band competed in the Annual Archdiocese Solo Band Contest, which was held at Cardinal Joseph Bernardin School in Orland Park. The school band is directed by Mr. Rallis. A number of students from our school received awards for their performances. These awards will be presented to them at the St. Christopher Band Spring Concert, to be held in May. Congratulations to all of our students who did so well in this competition!

Students support our troops
Posted: March 28, 2008

The school children are supporting a drive for the troops overseas. During the year, the fourth grade class began writing letters to a unit overseas. One of the students had his "Uncle Donnie" stationed in Afghanistan, and the students corresponded with him and his unit. As a result of this correspondence and in an effort to support our troops, each class was assigned to bring in one or two products specified by troops overseas. These items were boxed and sent overseas. All of these items will hopefully make these troop’s time overseas a little more bearable until they can get back home.

Lent 2008 Operation Rice Bowl
Posted: February 9, 2008

As part of their activities for Lent, the entire school is participating in the "Operation Rice Bowl" program, run by Catholic Relief Service. The goal of Operation Rice Bowl is to help fund development projects designed to increase food security in developing nations. Students are donation change throughout the month to help this worthy charity.

Catholic Schools Week Wrap-up
Posted: February 9, 2008

It is hard to believe that another Catholic Schools Week has come and gone. This year, as part of Catholic Schools Week, two separate game shows were conducted for the school children. Students could participate in either "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?" or "Deal or No Deal!" The 5th graders overcame all challengers in the "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?" contest. Students won some prizes in "Deal or No Deal", but no one could win the top "Million Dollar" prize.

A fifth grade boy and a seventh grade girls were selected as "Principal for a Day" participants, based on insightful essays that they wrote. Both of them spent a day with Mr. Johnson and learns what a principal's day really consists of.

The cultural fair entitled "A Passport to Culture" was held on Thursday of Catholic Schools Week. The fair featured such exhibits as an Italian Puppet Show by the 1st grade, a historical play on the invasion of Ethiopia by Italy by the 5th grade, and various food stations featuring the cusine of a number of countries. The 5th grade class spent the evening educating visitors about the malaria epidemic in Africa and collected donations for the "Nothing but Net" malaria abatement program. So far the 5th grade has raise over $700 to assist in this worthy venture.

Finally, Tuesday was "Pajamas Day" at the school. All students were allowed to wear their pajamas to school for that day.

A big thanks to all who helped make Catholic Schools Week such a memorable time!

Catholic Schools Week
Posted: January 17, 2008

Catholic Schools Week will be held the week of January 27, 2008. A variety of activities are scheduled to help our school and parish community celebrate the gift of Catholic education. The "Principal for a Day" contest will be held on Wednesday, January 30th. A cultural fair will be held on January 31st. This fair will focus on various cultures from around the world. Teacher Appreciation Day will be on Thursday, January 31.

In conjunction with Catholic School Week, several School Open Houses will be held. If you haven't seen the school in a while and are in the area, why don't you stop on by? The Open Houses will be held on Sunday, January 27th from 10am - 12pm, on Monday, January 28th, from 9:30am - 11am and from 1pm - 2pm, and on Tuesday, January 29 from 9am - 10:30am and from 12:30pm - 2pm (Preschool only).

Eighth Grade Confirmation
Posted: January 17, 2008

On Sunday, January 13th, the 8th-graders celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation at 1:00 pm in the church. Most Reverend Bishop John Manz was the celebrant. Thanks to all who helped make the day such a memorable occasion.

New School Newspaper
Posted: October 24, 2007

The St. Christopher School newspaper is ready for release. A contest was held to name the paper and the winning entry was "The Tattle Tale". The paper will include school news, sports news and entertainment information, as well as a raffle in each issue.

School Track-a-Thon
Posted: October 24, 2007

We had a beautiful day for the Track-A-Thon this year. The opening ceremonies began with a prayer from Fr. Mike. The whole school then made the first lap together lead by the banner contest winners. Everyone had a great day.

Preschool hits record enrollment!
Posted: September 8, 2007

The St. Christopher Preschool Program broke all records this year with an all-time high in its enrollment. Currently about 30 students are enrolled in the program.

As a result of this increase in enrollment, the preschool program now offers both a morning and an afternoon session for both three and four year olds. Additionally, a second certified teacher, Ms. Dain, now assists Mrs. McShea in running the program.

School Back in Session
Posted: September 8, 2007

The 2007-2008 school year is underway! School began on August 22, with a half-day of school for grades K - 8. The students enjoyed the many new improvements and enhancements made to our school facilities during the summer. The school hot-lunch program began its second year of operation the following day, on August 23.

School Open House for all school parents/guardians and students was held on Thursday, August 30. The Open House began with a prayer service in the Church, conducted by Fr. Mike, and followed with an open house in the school.

The first All-School Mass was held on Wednesday, September 5, at the 9:00 am Mass. All-School Masses are held every Wednesday during the school year.

School Improvements done in the Summer
Posted: August 11, 2007

A number of improvements are being done to the school and parish facilities this summer.

First, much work has been done to improve the parish grounds and landscaping. All the trees have been pruned. The section between Unit A and D at the school has been transformed into two wonderful new outdoor spaces. The first is "St. Joseph's Prayer Garden" which is a beautiful, quiet area for prayer and meditation. Additionally, a "Learning Garden" has been put into this area and this will be incorporated into our school curriculum.

A great deal of improvements have been made to our school buildings. Work has been done in the upstairs school boys and girls bathrooms.  New sinks and flooring have been installed, along with new drinking fountains in the hall.  Unit D has had outdoor painting completed. As part of ongoing maintenance, three classrooms have received new carpeting. Work is currently in progress to re-surface the parking lot and upgrade the gym kitchen. Within the next year we are planning to redo the gym bathrooms. Finally,  two outside fire doors on the school (Doors 202 and 205) have been replaced.

If you ever are in the area, please stop by and visit our school to see the new improvements!