Friday Focus Newsletter
371st Issue - August 21, 2026
From the Desk of Mrs. Debbie Cunico
I am so happy to be starting another school year here at Marian Central Catholic! We are excited to be welcoming in the Class of 2030 and new transfer students as well as seeing our returning students walking through the halls again!
The entire faculty is primed and ready for a great school year. To prepare, our faculty participated in inservice days August 10 & 11, getting to know our new Head of School, Mr. Schutte, and our Spiritual Director, Fr. Patrick, focusing on developing this year’s professional development goals, policies and procedures, and even AI. All academic departments are continuously updating and improving the quality of instruction and student engagement in order to ensure that the education that we deliver is of high-quality and rigor. More specifically, our teachers are working on developing and honing lesson plans that provide students with a variety of approaches to their learning so that students construct their own knowledge, develop critical thinking skills, and become real world problem solvers.
In addition to our continuous improvement with the existing curriculum, we are very excited to be adding some new dual credit classes, in conjunction with McHenry County College, in addition to our existing “DC” courses. These include Comparative Literature & Composition, Business Communications, Intro to Entrepreneurship, Principles of Management, and General Statistics. I am currently working on an informational piece about Dual Credit that will be pushed out to all of you in an upcoming Friday Focus, and then it will be on the Marian website for your reference. It will contain everything you need to know about Dual Credit!
On another important note, in order to ensure that your student has a successful year here at Marian, here are a couple pieces of valuable information. By now, all parents/guardians should have received an email instructing how you can log into the Parent Portal. When you log in you will find that you have real-time access to your students’ grades and attendance records. Our suggestion is that you check it once a week…rather than daily, as the grades change periodically, but more typically only once per week by teachers. If you have concerns or questions about grades or any other classroom issue, please always go to the teacher first, as they have the most direct knowledge about what is going on in the classroom and their specific classroom policies and procedures. You can find teacher contact information and webpages on the Marian website at www.marian.com under “Faculty,” then “Faculty & Staff".
Students who find themselves struggling in any classes have several resources to assist them. These include utilizing their teachers’ Google Classroom or OneNote platform, Advisory study hall time & Academic Advisory pull-outs, or signing up for NHS tutors through the Guidance office. The Guidance Counselors, the Academic Resource Department, Father Patrick, and the entire Administrative team are also there to assist students with any issues! We are proud to work as a team to provide your students with what they need to succeed socially, emotionally, spiritually, and academically.
Finally, please be sure to read the information below on our annual Back to School Night, coming up Wednesday, August 26 at 7pm. We look forward to seeing you at Marian Central Catholic as you walk through your students’ daily schedule, meet the teachers and converse with Administration.
As I said earlier, I am very excited about this school year, stepping into the classrooms to see students grow and learn, and become self-sufficient individuals that we know they can be! Please know that my door is always open for your students and all of you.
Prayers for an amazing school year!
Mrs. Cunico
Dean of Academics & Professional Development
Spring Break 2027 Informational Meeting
An informational meeting for all interested students and parents will be held on Wednesday, August 26 at 6:30 pm in Room 116. If you attended either the 3/12/26 or 3/25/26 meetings, you do not need to attend this one.
This educational opportunity is organized by Dr. Pinnau, Mr. Palak and Ms. Hess.
