Friday Focus Newsletter
346th Issue - November 14, 2025
From the Desk of Benji Winkelman
As we finish this week at Marian, I’m reminded of what a gift it is to be part of this community—one built on faith, learning, and the daily growth of our young people. Every day in our hallways, classrooms, and activities, we catch glimpses of God’s grace in action: in the way students support one another, in the dedication of our teachers, and in the steady encouragement from our families.
Life moves fast, and sometimes it’s easy to miss the small moments where Christ is quietly present. Our Catholic tradition encourages us to slow down and notice those moments—both the ordinary and the extraordinary. Saint Paul tells us, “Let all that you do be done in love,” and that’s at the heart of what we hope for our students. Each one is created by God with unique gifts, and this week we celebrate those gifts—no matter how big or small. Let’s cheer our students on as they learn, grow, question, and discover the purpose God has placed within them. As a community of families, teachers, coaches and staff, let’s keep walking alongside them with patience, guidance, and love.
Thank you for being such an important part of Marian. May God watch over and bless all our families in the week ahead.
Sincerely,
Benji Winkelman
PARENT CONFERENCES
Parents are invited to participate in Parent-Teacher Conferences on the dates listed below. Please do not feel obligated to schedule a conference if your student is progressing well.
The portal to schedule conferences will close on Monday, November 17th at noon.
Monday, November 24, 2025 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
OR
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm
Please click here to create an account and schedule conferences.
There are no classes Monday, November 24th through Friday, November 28th. For additional details, please click the document below.
PREACT 8/9 & PREACT RESULTS HAVE ARRIVED!
Mr. Fearn and Mrs. Hilton will be busy next week delivering and explaining PreACT results to our freshmen, sophomores and juniors during Advisory. All students who tested in October will receive their paper score reports and test booklets by Friday, November 21. We encourage parents to review and discuss the score reports with their students. The results help identify students' academic performance thus far - identifying strengths and areas for improvement. Score reports also help students to start or continue to make more concrete plans for the future and help with setting academic goals. Finally, the results provide a predicted ACT score and an indication of whether your student is on target for success in college.
This booklet helps students and parents understand and use PreACT results:
2025-2026 Using Your PreACT or PreACT 8/9 Results
Please contact Mrs. Hilton (khilton@marian.com, 815-338-4220, ext. 121) for freshman or juniors and Mr. Fearn (afearn@marian.com, 815-338-4220, ext. 122) for sophomores if you have any questions regarding the PreACT results.
ACT – REQUIRED FOR ALL JUNIORS
To give our students the best opportunities for college admissions and scholarships and to provide valuable data to improve instruction at Marian Central, we will be having our juniors take the ACT (paper-and-pencil format) during the school day on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. The test will begin at 8:00am and end by approximately 10:30 am at which time juniors will return to their regularly scheduled classes for the remainder of the school day. The Enhanced ACT consists of 3 sections: English, Math and Reading. The students will also be taking the Writing and Science portions of the exam. Scores will be available from 2-8 weeks after testing and will be college reportable for students who wish to submit their scores to any of the colleges and/or universities that they plan to apply to senior year.
Additional information about the ACT, including free test preparation options can be found here. Also, the PreACT results from the October test can be useful (and free) to prep for the ACT. Score reports indicate student answers to each test question and correct answers. Students can look up these questions in the test booklets and see where they went wrong and what types of questions they need to work on to improve scores once they take the ACT.
If your student receives testing accommodations through a formal ISP at Marian Central, Mr. Taylor will contact you and your students to apply for accommodations on the ACT. Applications for accommodations will be submitted before we leave for winter break in December.
No registration is necessary for juniors for the April 21, 2026 school day ACT test.
Please contact Mrs. Hilton (khilton@marian.com or 815-338-4220, ext. 121) if you have any questions regarding the ACT.
SUMMER LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE OPPORTUNITY FOR SOPHOMORES
The sophomores will be receiving information next week regarding a summer leadership conference opportunity available only for sophomores through an application process. Marian Central chooses two students each year to send to The Hugh O'Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership conference. HOBY brings sophomores from all over the state of Illinois together for a weekend in June on a college campus to gain experience with developing leadership skills. Students have the opportunity to hear motivational speakers, be involved in team building activities, and to participate in service projects. All sophomores are welcome to apply by getting an application from the Guidance Office. Marian chooses 2 sophomores to attend the conference and pays the registration fee. The application deadline is Friday, December 5. To find out more about the conference, please click this link:
HOBY State Leadership Conference
Please contact Mr. Fearn (afearn@marian.com, 815-3638-4220, ext. 122) if you have any questions regarding HOBY.
TUITION PAYMENTS
First semester statements have been mailed out and will include unpaid fees (sports, AP classes, tech, etc) for the 2025-2026 school year. Per the Marian Tuition & Handbook contract everyone signed at the beginning of the school year, if a student's tuition is not paid in half by December, they will not be able to take their final exams. Please make sure to submit payment at your earliest convenience. Questions regarding tuition balance can be sent to: mfabian@marian.com.
SCHOOL PICTURES ARE ONLINE
Check your email for a message from Higher Focus Photography with a link to your student's school pictures! Order by November 18 to take advantage of special savings - including FREE Shipping to the school! If you didn’t receive the email or need help accessing your photos, please contact: service@higherfocusphotography.com. (Be sure to include your student's name and mention Marian too.)
2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION IS NOW OPEN!
APPLICATION DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 21, 2025
- Complete FACTS Grant and Aid Assessment online with all necessary financial documents, including the 2024 tax return and 2024 W2s, by November 21, 2025!
https://www.marian.com/tuition-and-financial-aid/
Simple Steps to Apply for Financial Aid Online
1. Choose “Sign In” or “Create a username and password”
2. Then click on the Start Application Link
3. Select the appropriate school year (2026-2027)
4. Complete the steps as prompted (be sure to upload required 2024 tax documents
after submitting application).
All families must apply by November 21, 2025, for tuition assistance for the 2026-2027 school year.
Award letters will be sent in January 2026.
EXAM EXEMPTIONS - SEMESTER 2
Seniors
Seniors who would like to be exempt from Semester 2 exams, the process starts soon. Please review the form below to make sure you understand what you will need to accomplish regarding academics, discipline and attendance over the third and fourth quarters in order to be exempt from your second semester exams.
Senior Exam Exemption Information 2025-26
AP Classes
All students (grades 9-12) who are enrolled in, paid the fee for, and eventually take the College Board test for any AP class have the option to be exempt from taking their end of semester 2 final exam for that class. Please review the form below to make sure that you understand the guidelines.
COLLEGE VISITS NEXT WEEK
All juniors and seniors may attend these visits. Students must receive permission from their teachers to attend each visit and must sign up for all visits in SCOIR.
Tuesday 11/18: University of Illinois-Chicago-1st Period, Minneapolis College of Art & Design (Virtual)-10th Period
