La Salle ParentNewsletter
For Parents and Friends of La Salle College Preparatory • Pasadena • California February 2019
Principal Ideas Hello! We have somehow already made it to February. January was a bit of a blur with so many activities taking place on campus and February, I think, will prove to be just as busy.
Courtney R. Kassakhian Principal
In January we celebrated the academic achievements of our students in the first semester. On January 22 we had our Academic Awards Assembly where we honored 219 students for achieving a first semester GPA of 4.0 or higher and acknowledged 20 students with the Academic Achievement Awards in recognition of their improving their GPA by 0.5 from the previous semester. We also inducted 58 students into the National Honor Society, 55 students into the California Scholarship Federation, 10 students into the Science National Honor Society, and 13 students into the Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica. Additionally, we recognized the service efforts of 10 students who volunteered their time, without being prompted, helping to re-shelve books and otherwise transition the Blakeslee Library to the Blakeslee Learning Commons.
Alcorn & Thomas Scholarships
St John Baptist de La Salle
Did You Know? La Salle was a wealthy priest who, in 1683, resigned his cononry, and gave his fortune to the poor to concentrate his efforts to forming the Christian Brothers.
The Awards Assembly was also our opportunity to present the Bob Alcorn Scholarship in Humanities and the Bob Thomas Scholarship in Math and Science. Named after highly regarded members of the La Salle faculty during the decade of the sixties, these awards are presented each year to junior students and include a $1,000 scholarship to be applied to their senior year tuition. This year the Bob Alcorn Scholarship in Humanities was awarded to Colby Stenzel and the Bob Thomas Scholarship in Math and Science was awarded to Kaiya Wilson. Congratulations to these two outstanding students on their achievements.
Course Catalogue
As I said, February will be busy here at La Salle, and part of that busy-ness will center around the course scheduling process. The 2019-2020 course catalogue has been published on our website; you can find it under the Principal continued on page 2
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Principal Ideas
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ACADEMICS tab. The course catalogue has all the information you and your student need in order to select courses for the upcoming school year, including prerequisites for honors and AP classes. These prerequisites are in place with the intention of setting students up for success. Additionally, some courses do require placement tests. Students will be informed of dates and times for placement exams via daily announcements, LTV and announcements on Schoology. Information will also go out in the weekly emails to parents.
New Courses for 2019-2020
I encourage you to look through the course catalogue carefully and especially pay attention to new course offerings. This year new courses include AP Computer Science A, Introduction to Abstract Algebra and Number Theory, and Sculpture 2. The Intro to Abstract Algebra course will be available to students who have already completed AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC courses. As crazy as it is to think we have students who complete both of those advanced math courses prior to senior year, we do. And so this new course will enable and challenge those students to continue their math education in their senior at La Salle rather than looking for a supplemental math class at a community college. As always, courses that actually run will depend on student interest, so it is important students think seriously of not only their first choices, but also their second choices as they fill out course request forms.
Scheduling Process
In order to demystify the course selection process to parents, we did have a Junior/ Freshman parent meeting in January and will have a meeting for sophomore parents on February 6. Thank you to the many freshman and junior parents who attended the January meeting. We had so many attendees we had to open the field for parking! We hope to have a similar turnout from our sophomore parents on February 6. As far as the students receiving information about the scheduling process, juniors will receive their course request forms on February 5; sophomores and freshmen will receive them on February 7. They should use these forms to help prepare them to input their course requests into Power School by March 8. Each student will meet with their academic advisor individually to review their course selections and make sure they are meeting all college and graduation requirements.
Graduation Parents Meeting
As our returning students prepare for next year here at La Salle, I know our seniors are looking forward to graduation and college. Parents of seniors are highly encouraged to come to a parent meeting reviewing all things graduation on February 6. A link to RSVP for this event has gone out in the regular Friday email blast since December. Please do RSVP and be sure to come to this meeting to learn more about prom, senior exams, grad nite, and graduation activities.
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Lasallian Catholic Assessment Process
February also brings the Lasallian Catholic Assessment Process (LCAP). Thank you to all the parents who participated in this important process by taking the survey that was emailed out to everyone at the beginning of January. I had the pleasure of serving on an LCAP team for La Salle High School in Yakima, WA and the surveys are an extremely important part of the assessment process. Please remember there is no school on February 22 to accommodate the in-service process that is part of the LCAP visit. I look forward to sharing the feedback from the team’s visit with all of you in an upcoming newsletter.
Academic Decathlon
Other February events include the annual Academic Decathlon event. Our team will complete the two day competition on February 2. La Salle will have 36 decathletes compete in this event under the guidance of Coach John Erb. If years past are any indication, I should have news of many medals to share with you in next month’s newsletter.
John Erb Acaemic Decathlon Coach and Moderator
2019-2020 Calendar Review
Lastly, although we have just begun the second semester, we are well into planning the 2019-2020 school year. The first day of school for the 2019-2020 school year will be Thursday, August 15. The first semester will end on Friday, December 20 and the second semester will begin on Tuesday, January 7. The last day of school for all students will be Thursday, May 28 and graduation will take place on May 29. Please keep these dates in mind as you plan any vacations or trips for the upcoming year.
I hope all of you have a wonderful February.
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Parent Association Report Happy New Year La Salle Families!
Cherry Agapito P’18,’20 Parent Association President
I hope everyone had a nice and relaxing Christmas holiday. As we move into the new year, I’m looking forward to what 2019 brings. This is the time many start their new year resolutions and set goals for what they would like to see happen during the year. Many set exercise goals, career goals, or of course, the obligatory weight loss goals. Others create vision boards, which are tangible representations of what you see for yourself. Vision boards help you to focus your attention on what you want; thus, when you give your attention to what you want, you attract those things into your life. For me, setting goals and focusing my attention on what I wanted to attract was a shift towards a positive mindset. However, it wasn’t only my mindset that shifted, but it was also my words. We all know how powerful words can be. Rather than saying I can’t do something or telling someone not to do something, I started with ‘Remember to… wash your hands,’ or ‘I can’t do it...YET’. The power of YET and how I shift my words really sets the tone for my day and that carries forward to my daily interactions with others. We all have visions and goals for ourselves and of course for our children. It’s our ‘We can do it’ mindset that will get us there. As always, thank you for all your help and dedication in ensuring all our Parent Association and Booster events are a success. No-Cost Fundraiser: Please sign-up for the No-Cost Fundraisers through Ralph’s, Amazon Smile and eScrip+Benefit. It’s an easy donation for something we already do and there’s no cost to you. Please see the flyer attached to this newsletter. I hope to see you at our next Parent Association meeting on Tuesday, February 12th at 6:30pm in the Blakeslee Learning Commons. Food and drinks will be served by our Hospitality Chairs, Lisa Tromba P’22 and Sheri Muro P’22. Attending a Parent Association meeting and a Booster meeting will count as one hour of service for each. Parent Hours: Remember to log your service hours and sign-up for upcoming events on Track it Forward. Please remove yourself from the sign-up if you are unable to attend an event. This will give others the opportunity to volunteer instead. There are many volunteer opportunities from now until May, to complete your service hours. If you have any questions about the hours or the Track it Forward site, please send an email to Anna Sariol P’21 at lasallecollegeprep.volunteer@gmail.com.
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February 2019
Alumni Association College Scholarship
Class of 2020 Application and Information www.lancernetwork.com/AlumniScholar All members of the Class of 2020 are invited to apply for this $1,500 Alumni College Scholarship sponsored by the La Salle Alumni Association. Application deadline is
Wednesday, February 6th at 5:00pm. Questions about the Alumni Scholarship should be directed to the Alumni Office at 626.696.4362 or alumni@lasallehs.org.
COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP
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February 2019
La Salle Matters Forbes published a fascinating article entitled: The Case for Empathy (and why leaders should care) The author not only makes a compelling case for “why leaders should care” but also nails what I consider to be the cause of our current national malaise:
Dr. Richard Gray President
With the prominence of cable news and social media, we often retreat to our “tribes” and only get news from sources whose coverage reaffirms our own worldview. This type of confirmation bias — the tendency to look for information that aligns with our preexisting beliefs — often results in automatically dismissing or having contempt for the thoughts and opinions of those with whom we disagree. The reason for this is simple: The very act of listening to differing viewpoints can cause discomfort because it forces us to question what we believe to be true.
Regardless of one’s political perspective, I think we can all agree that, in the public square, voters have retreated to the “tribe” which reinforces their particular world-view and avoid encounters which threaten that perspective. Whether it is Fox News or MSNBC, there is a lot of shouting going on. As I’ve noted in this space and elsewhere – when everyone is shouting, no one is listening. Psychology Today provides a useful definition of empathy that has relevance to what drives our national malaise:
Empathy is the experience of understanding another person’s thoughts, feelings, and condition from his or her point of view, rather than from one’s own. Empathy facilitates prosocial or helping behaviors that come from within, rather than being forced, so that people behave in a more compassionate manner. By any reasonable measure, I think it is safe to say that our political culture is seriously deficient in empathy. Don’t get me wrong – there are a wide variety of religious, social and cultural institutions which provide ample evidence that empathy is alive and well across the country. But the national political scene not only lacks empathy, it behaves as if the concept itself is meaningless. I suppose, at some level, it was ever thus – political discourse is, at the end of the day, about winning or losing. Still, our
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national story is filled with historic compromises between opposing political perspectives. The fact that, today, both political parties view compromise as a sign of weakness suggests (to me) that our country has lost its way with respect to its founding principles – one of which is the preservation and protection of the dignity of each citizen. This is where empathic behavior has fallen down at the national level. When our politicians are no longer concerned about understanding the other’s perspective; when prosocial behaviors are viewed as problematic to the accomplishment of one’s objectives; when compassion is understood as weakness – we have lost our way. I recognize that the current national malaise has reared its ugly head before. What worries me, now, is that the instantaneous transmission of non-empathic political behavior offers the potential for far more deleterious consequences than those moments that occurred before the rise of digital media.
When everyone is shouting, no one is listening.
I worry about this because I know that the core values of this Lasallian school can be eroded by the competing messages of a too easily accessed social media platform. I worry that the hard work our dedicated faculty devote to encouraging the students entrusted to our care with respect to the development of a balanced view of competing political perspectives will be compromised by the latest on-line rant (check the ugly tone of the Comments section with respect to any controversial opinion). And, especially, I worry that the most important purpose of a Lasallian school – the nurturing of empathy – will be weakened by the hourly onslaught of online messages which dismiss the importance of understanding the other person’s thoughts, feelings and perspectives. My concern is summed up by this observation from the Forbes article:
A true understanding of another person’s motives and intentions, whether in the workplace or socially, cannot occur without listening to and actually hearing the concerns and opinions of those with whom we interact. My La Salle colleagues are committed to this approach. Here’s hoping they will be successful.
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February 2019
Catholic Schools Week Since 1974, National Catholic Schools Week is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. It starts the last Sunday in January and runs all week. The theme for the National Catholic Schools Week 2019 is “Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.” La Salle students and faculty spend the week in service at Ability First, Union Station in Pasadena, Hope Garden in Sylmar, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row in Los Angeles, Project Angel Food in Hollywood, Santa Teresita Manor in Duarte, Baby 2 Baby, and St. Francis Center in Los Angeles. Through these events, La Salle and all other Catholic Schools, focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our church, our communities and our nation.
Catholic School Week A week of service for the entire La Salle Community
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February 2019
Ben Buys New Lancers' Football Coach
Ben Buys
La Salle Varsity Football Head Coach
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Ben Buys has been hired to head the La Salle football program. Buys brings a wealth of collegiate football experience to La Salle while spending the last nine years on the coaching staff at Azusa Pacific University. During his long tenure at APU, Coach Buys was the run game coordinator, running backs coach, team chaplain, and camp director. Under his leadership, the football program produced several all-conference running backs going back to 2010. Buys spent a very successful football playing career at APU as a running back and holds spots on the all-time records list. He was also a member of four national championship track teams at APU as a triple jumper. “During our search for a new head football coach; our vision was to find a man who emulated the core values of La Salle, without sacrificing a competitive edge,” said Marc Hernandez, La Salle College Preparatory’s Director of Athletics. “I am proud to announce we have found our coach and leader in Ben Buys. His vision and expertise will shape our football program and community for years to come." Courtney Kassakhian, Principal of La Salle College Preparatory, shares the same enthusiasm as Hernandez. “We are delighted to have Coach Buys join the Lancer Family. His experience as a coach and player will enable him to lead our football program into an exciting future.” “My family and I are extremely excited about stepping into the La Salle community to lead the football program,” said Coach Buys. “It is a perfect fit with the core values of a program I want to lead that emphasizes the growth of young men in all areas of life while pursuing competitive excellence. Throughout the interview process, I was continually impressed by the unified vision and support of the school administration and stakeholders and believe that we can build something special here. I am grateful for my years at Azusa Pacific University and the players, coaches, and administrators who have helped form me into the leader I am today. The future is bright for the Lancers and I firmly believe the best days are ahead!” Two former colleagues at Azusa Pacific University are equally excited for Buys. Victor Santa Cruz, Head Coach, notes that “Ben is a leader and has an incredible work ethic.” NFL Hall of Famer and Offensive Line Coach at APU, Jackie Slater says “Ben’s ability to be meticulous in every detail will make an immediate impact.” Buys graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a bachelor’s degree in youth ministry, and he earned a master’s degree from APU in physical education. He and his wife, Carlie, have two young sons, Truman and Tate.
February 2019
Planned Giving in a New Tax Era Through the Planned Giving program at La Salle College Preparatory, donors and supporters can contribute to the School’s endowment through one of many Planned Giving Instruments. The new year brings with it the oft-dreaded tax return filing season, but at the same time it provides an opportunity to consider one’s financial support of our School. There have been major changes in the federal tax legislation, and there are still many ways to support our School financially in a tax favored manner to the donor. Remember, tax planning and financially supporting La Salle is not restricted to end of year transactions. In fact, such support can be more effective at this time of year when we spend extra time addressing tax and financial matters. Planned Gifts that are the most common in the work of Planned Giving include the following.
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The donation of appreciated securities (held over a year) (1) avoids capital gains tax, and (2) creates a tax deduction for the full value of the securities donated. These strategies have not changed under the new tax law. Now is an opportune time to review one’s portfolio if considering such a donation. This same strategy applies to appreciated real estate held over one year.
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Donor’s over 70 ½ can directly transfer up to $100,000 of one’s IRA to La Salle. Under the new law, many taxpayers will no longer be itemizing deductions, and this strategy allows the donor to avoid all income tax on the IRA withdrawal while still supporting our School.
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Naming La Salle as a beneficiary of one’s will, trust, estate, and/or life insurance policy allows the maintenance of his or her assets during life (in case of unexpected costs) and still provide support to our School.
Consultation with one’s tax advisor is suggested as part of the consideration of a Planned Gift, particularly with the impact of the federal tax legislation that is in effect for 2018 tax returns. These are some of the common examples of a Planned Gift to be considered. Evaluating these at a time when finances and taxes are being addressed with one’s advisor(s) can lead to more effective giving. Please review the Planned Giving articles in future publications of both the Parent Newsletter and Lancer Magazine for ongoing updates in the Planned Giving Program. IN SUMMARY La Salle College Preparatory can provide more information, both generically and specifically, regarding the benefits available through Planned Giving. For more information, please contact Jon Keates, the Vice-President for Institutional Advancement at 626.696.4344.
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February 2019 ""
Adopt-A-Family Christmas Party Our Adopt-A-Family Christmas Party, on December 16, celebrated a 20 year La Salle tradition. We host dozens of children and their families from Hillsides at this Christmas event. Our guests are treated to games, theatre sketches, music, bingo and lunch - topped off by a visit with Santa. Each family receives gifts specifically selected for that family. These gifts have been donated by students, board members, faculty and staff in each of their mentor classes.
Elves, Cameron Agapito '19 and Colby Stenzel '19 helped dozens of other students celebrate Adopt-A-Family with our many guests.
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Gifts from the Heart Please join us for the 11th annual
Gifts from the Heart
San Miguel Scholarship Social •
February 10, 2019
5:00 pm - 8:00 PM Hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Clarizio ’75, P’06 • Enjoy an evening with Eric Dickerson NFL Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Rams Legend • For reservations, please see the La Salle website at PARENTS Crystal Ball Gifts from the Heart
Los Angeles Rams legend, running back, Eric Dickerson, will speak at the Gifts from the Heart Scholarship Social.
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For donations go to LSCB2019.givesmart.com
February 2019
Steve Goldstein 500 Basketball Victories Longtime social studies teacher and coach, Steve Goldstein, reached an elite coaching achievement with 500 basketball wins as a varsity head coach. Steve is currently the head coach at Rosemead High School where his girls varsity team finished the season 27-1 and are ranked #1 in Division 1AA and are headed for the CIF playoffs. (At press time Steve has 520 wins). Steve was the Lancers' boys varsity Head Coach from 1990 to 2012 where he compiled a record of 380-221 including seven League Championships! "I've coached a long time and to reach 500 wins as a head coach is a very gratifying milestone. However, the real pleasure is to have coached all of the great players who made this possible. As a coach you're only as good as your players and I was blessed with so many fine young men to work with at La Salle. I will always cherish the 22 years I spent as the Lancers Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach." His illustrious basketball coaching career started at Montclair Prep in 1981. Then he moved to head coach at Oak Park High School from 1985 to1990 and following La Salle, he was boys head coach at Monrovia High School from 2012 to 2015.
2011 Lancer Varsity Basketball Team
Steve is currently the boys golf coach at La Salle. In the past 14 years the Lancers have captured 10 League Crowns and set a school record of 42 straight match victories during that span. Steve was also La Salle’s Athletic Director from 1995 to 2000, coached football for seven years and was the Lancers Head Varsity Tennis Coach for three years.
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College Center News College Counselors Tam Ly, Owen Hou '90, P'21, Marcia Yu P'21
Seniors – Class of 2019 Transcripts with first semester senior grades were submitted to colleges on the Common Application. Other colleges may contact students requesting their 1st semester senior grades. If so, please contact your college counselor and we will send your transcripts as requested. Admissions Results Students, please update Naviance / My Colleges with your application results (acceptances, waitlists, and denials) as soon as you receive them. Scholarship Applications If you are interested in applying for private scholarships, this is the time to do so. Numerous private organizations (Elks, Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.) and companies (Target, Wal-Mart, JC Penney, Edison, Best Buy, etc.) offer scholarships. Please check your email regularly for scholarship opportunities and also the bulletin board outside the college center. Colleges you apply to may automatically consider you for some scholarships, but for others, you will need to apply directly, so check the scholarship section in their websites. You may also check Naviance under ‘Scholarship List’, www.fastweb.com as well as other scholarship websites. Please note that there are plenty of scholarship scams out there. Beware of having to pay any money, provide banking information, or your social security number to qualify. Juniors - Class of 2020 Thank you to the students who have completed the College Planning Survey for
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Juniors on Naviance by the January 31st deadline. These students have already met or will soon meet with their college counselors. In that meeting, students receive an Initial College Planning Report, which includes a list of prospective colleges they can start researching. Those who have not submitted the survey yet, please do so as soon as possible. Appointments are scheduled in the order that the survey is received and the sooner we meet with students the better. Advanced Placement (AP) Exams The AP exams will take place during the period of May 6 to May 17. Students taking AP exams have the opportunity to demonstrate their readiness for college level work. They may also earn college credits for AP courses successfully completed in high school. As noted in the La Salle Catalog, students enrolled in AP courses are required to take the AP Exam at the end of the semester. The exam fee is $94.00 per course and will be added to the student’s tuition in April. Detailed information will be provided to the students during classroom visits. If you have any questions after reviewing all the information, please contact Ms. Collette Salvatierra, AP Coordinator. Summer Programs While there are still quite a few months until summer, it will be here before you know it. Now is the time to start thinking about possible summer programs because many have application deadlines in the next few weeks. Many college repre-
February 2019
sentatives speak about the importance of attending a summer program where a student can learn more about an area of interest or an academic discipline. The Westridge School Summer Opportunities Fair (on Saturday, February 2, from 10:00 to 3:00PM), The Summer Program Finder ( http://summerprogramfinder.com) and Teen Life (www.teenlife.com) are good places to start your research. San Diego College Tour On February 18th we will be visiting UC San Diego, University of San Diego and San Diego State University. Please make sure that your registered student arrives at La Salle at 6:00AM for a prompt departure. Bay Area College Tour The Bay Area College Tour on March 18-19th is now fully booked. We will be visiting UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, Saint Mary’s College, University of San Francisco, San Jose State University and Santa Clara University. For those who are already registered and have not done so already, please make sure to submit the $180.00 balance payment to Mrs. Yu by March 1st so that your student’s spot can be confirmed for the trip. February 9th ACT for all Juniors Reminder: All juniors are required and registered to take the ACT on Saturday, February 9th at La Salle. All juniors MUST bring the following: 1. Registration Ticket (students print out their ACT Registration Ticket from their actstudent.org | account). 2. Student ID or Driver’s Licence 3. #2 pencils 4. Approved calculator (their Calculator Policy can be found at http://www.act.org/content/dam/act/ unsecured/documents/ACT-calculator-policy.pdf 5. Snack (almonds are considered brain food!) College continued on page 18
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College continued from page 17
Students are expected to finish around 1:30pm and students with extended time are expected to finish around 2:30pm. Please remind your student to get plenty of sleep prior to the test and eat breakfast the morning of to give them energy for the 4+ hour exam. SAVE the DATE – College Forum for Freshman, Sophomore and Junior families La Salle’s College Forum will be held on Wednesday, April 3rd, at 6:00pm. As in the past, college admission representatives from many colleges will present important information to our families (see tentative sessions below). The College Forum is a great opportunity for students to learn about the college admission process and learn how to research and identify the right college for them. So please highlight the College Forum on your calendar. The following were the presentation topics from the 2018 College Forum. While a majority of presentations will stay the same, some presentations will be different. Please advise if there are any specific topics you would like to see presented. ● Getting in: Tips for Admission to Highly Selective Colleges ● Understanding the UC Admission ● Dollars and Sense ● Studying the Physical Sciences and Engineering ● College Admissions from the Colleges’ Point of View ● Making the Moment Count: College Visits! ● Getting a Liberal Arts Education on a State School Budget ● Standardized Testing Overview
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● College Quickstart: Naviance Overview ● From Stress to Success: Finding the Perfect College and How to Pay for It! ● Preparing for the Health-Related Careers ● The NCAA, the Student Athlete, and Admission ● The Arts: Application Process, Auditions & Portfolios ● Understanding the Business Major ● Successful Transition to College for Students with Learning Differences More detailed information will be published in the March ParentNewsletter. Mock SAT Revolution Prep is hosting a practice SAT on campus soon. Here are the dates and times: SAT Practice Test on February 23 Time: 9:00am to 1:00pm Donation: $20 What to bring: Calculator, pencils, water, and a snack Students can score their exams before they leave with the Revolution Prep phone app, so they may bring a smartphone. To register: Use this link https://www.revolutionprep.com/partners/2/ For questions or to schedule a free score report review, contact Jean Stroud, Revolution Prep Academic Advisor, at 818217-0951 or jean.stroud@revolutionprep.com. Note: The practice tests are intended for juniors to prepare for upcoming official ACT/ SAT exams but are open to interested sophomores.
February 2019
Arts Booster News & Events Coffee Coffee Coffee
 Arts Boosters will again be selling coffee at all arts events. This is an ongoing fund raiser to promote arts performances, shows and activities. We urge you to purchase some java to enjoy at home. A one pound bag sells for $12.00. Contact Jill Christopher (jcchristopher136@ gmail.com) or Carol Lee (clee@lasallehs.org) for further information.
School Wide Art show Spring is a great time to stroll through the displays of student art work. The School Wide Art Show is scheduled on March 31st in the newly appointed Blakeslee Learning Commons from 4:00 to 6:00pm. It is a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Music, Dance and Comedy are in the air! Spring Musical Set for March The annual spring musical will be opening March 16th. Stay tuned and read the ParentNewsletter for further info. This is always a wonderful event and we encourage you to attend one of 10 performances.
Arts Boosters Monthly Meeting Arts Boosters meet after the Parent Association meeting every second Tuesday of the month in the Linda M. Grinstead Theatre. We invite you to attend.
How to Locate Our Flickr Album
Simply... Open home page on the La Salle website Scroll down to the blue VIEW MORE NEWS & EVENTS bar in the center of the page Double click that bar, go to bottom of News & Events page See Click here to view Flickr Photo Album. You will go directly to the individual subject files, such as Homecoming, Halloween, Blakeslee Learning Commons and much, much more. Enjoy.
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Juniors Colby Stenzel and Kaiya Wilson join Principal Kassakhian and President Gray after recieving the 2019 Alcorn and Thomas Scholarship awards.
Junior Scholarship Winners Bob Alcorn and Bob Thomas were highly regarded members of the La Salle faculty during the decade of the sixties. They had an enormous impact on the intellectual development of their students in the early years of the School. To honor the remarkable achievements of Bob Alcorn, the Class of 1962 has established a permanent scholarship to be awarded to a La Salle Junior at the time of the Spring Academic Awards Ceremony. They established as the criteria academic excellence in the fields in which Mr. Alcorn exercised such a profound influence: languages and language arts. The faculties of Social Studies, English, and Language Arts were asked to nominate candidates from each of their disciplines to be considered for this award. The scholarship is $1,000 to be applied to the student’s Senior year tuition. To honor the contributions of her late husband, Bob Thomas, Jayne Thomas established a math and science scholarship. Both women have been faithful attendees at this event and I want to acknowledge their presence at this time. It is a great honor for La Salle to demonstrate faith with the tradition of excellence established by Robert Alcorn and acknowledged by the Class of 1962 by presenting Colby Stenzel '20 for recognition as the 2019 Robert Alcorn Scholar. Colby’s academic accomplishments are not limited to the fields of English, Social Studies and World Languages. In fact, he has earned an “A” in every single subject (including four AP classes) each of the last five semesters with a GPA of 4.5 or better. In addition to his duties as a multi-year member of Class Council, Support Our Troops Leadership Team, Mock Trial, WSHS Investing Club, NHS, CSF, and Rho Kappa. Colby is faithful member of the Academic Decathlon team and he is an outstanding Student
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February 2019 Ambassador and Assistant Commissioner of Service on Student Life. In addition, he works with the Alumni Association as the first Alumni Heritage Scholarship recipient. Outside of La Salle, Colby is a Summer Reading volunteer at Monrovia Library and Youth Elder on the Session of Knox Presbyterian, he participated in a Mission Trip to Casa de Esperanza in Tijuana. He has also volunteered with Elizabeth House, a shelter for homeless pregnant women.
Matching Gifts
Like her fellow classmate, Kaiya Wilson ’20 has earned an A in every subject (including four AP classes) for each of the last five semesters with a better than 4.3 GPA. Kaiya is a faithful participant in the Performing Arts. In addition to membership in CSF, NHS, NSHS, she is frequently to be seen on the La Salle Stage, is a member of Chamber Choir, Music for the Masses, the Improv Club, Student life, Support Our Troops, LEAP, Science Outreach and is also a Student Ambassador. Outside of La Salle, Kaiya is involved in the Glendale Quilt Guild, and Acting Up which allows her to pursue her theater passions while helping others. In Acting Up she’s run songs with the kids in the program, read lines, run improv games, works the way.
Save the Date 2019 Grandparents Day April 17, 2019
If you are an employee of a matching gift company, we would love to work with you. This is an easy way to raise funds for La Salle. If you are not sure if your company participates, you can ask your employer or contact: Tara Morales at: tmorales@lasallehs.org or call 626.696.4381.
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February 2019
Please
Save the Date May 10, 2019 Noor
Pasadena
Potential Hazards of Vaping Parents; if you find your child is vaping please take this warning seriously. Please don’t be fooled into thinking that e-cigs are without risks or that they should now be able to vape to their heart’s content. Or that e-cigs they’re just plain healthy. First of all, nicotine is a drug and a powerfully habit-forming one at that, and recent studies suggests that even inhaling the drug via either conventional cigarettes or e-cigs may contribute to heart disease. Also there is evidence that e-cigs deliver some toxic stuff of their own such as formaldehyde (a known carcinogen), nitrosamines (linked to cancer) and lead (a neurotoxin). These levels of formaldehyde and metals have been found to be comparable to or higher than those found in conventional cigarettes. Silicate particles, which are a cause of lung disease, have also been found in e-cigarette vapors.
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February 2019
Cadet Fencer Mikaela Avakian Featured in Macy’s Ad Junior Mikaela Avakian is a top-eight cadet (nationally ranked) fencer and is currently featured in a Macy's television commercial. She has been fencing for six years, and was a US National champion in 2015. Her favorite subject at La Salle is French. West Coast Fencing recently announced that Avakian won a Silver Medal from the 2018-19 fencing season’s first NAC meet that was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Mikaela Avakian '20
Mikaela fenced in both the DIV 1 Women’s Saber event then went on to fence in the Cadet Women’s Saber event. There, she fenced against 119 fencers and came out of pools with a respectable 4th seed. She stayed strong and focused in her first 5 direct elimination bouts, taking her 6th DE to the Finals stage! Both fencers going strong, the final bout went to “La Belle” (score of 14-14), and her opponent, Zoe Kim, managed the one last touch to take home the Gold and Mikaela with the Silver.
La Salle is proud of its students and what they accomplish on and off campus.
Be sure to check Mikaela out in this Macy’s Ad! https://www.facebook.com/USAFencing/videos/262907044342528/
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February 2019
Parents and Friends Enjoy the Crystal Ball Holiday Party A beautiful star-studded sky covered the Crystal Ball Christmas Party at the historic home of Carol and Mark Forbush on Friday, December 7. Their Altadena home welcomed nearly 100 La Salle parents and guests as they enjoyed delectable hors d’oeuvres and a fabulous dinner surrounded by the sound of traditional Christmas Carols from La Salle’s Christmas Choir conducted by Dr. Jude Lucas. Event chairs, were Cherry Agapito P’18,’20 and Patricia Robidoux P’21. Agapito, thanked the Forbushs for hosting the event and thanked the parents and friends for their generous support. The event was the second of three Crystal Ball Gift Gathering Parties leading up to the Crystal Ball itself on May 10, 2019 at Noor in Pasadena. See more photos on La Salle’s website at www.lasallehs.org. News and Events / Flicker.
Crystal Ball Christmas Party Chairs, Cherry Agapito, left and Patricia Robidoux, far right, with Ellen Radle, Assistant to the President.
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February 2019
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February 2019
February Highlights February 1 Liturgy Schedule Spirit Day - Red and Blue Dress National Catholic Schools Week, Prayer Service 9:15 - 10:15am Dining Hall February 5 Huntington Hospital Blood Drive 8:00am - 2:30pm Duffy Lewis Gymnasium February 6 Sophomore / Senior Winter Reception 6:30 - 8:00pm Dining Hall February 7 Presidential Scholars Reception 6:00pm - 8:30pm Altadena Town & Country Club February 9 Saturday Junior Class ACT Test 8:00am -1:00pm Campus-wide February 10 Sunday “Gifts From the Heart” San Miguel Scholarship Social 5:30 - 8:00pm Arcadia (See page 14 for more details)
February 12 Parent Association Meeting 6:30pm Blakeslee Learning Commons Parent Boosters Meetings 7:30pm Campus Locations February 14 Valentine's Day
February 15 Dollar Dress Day February 18 School Holiday Presidents’ Day San Diego College Tour February 22 Student Holiday Faculty and Staff Inservice February 23 Saturday Mock SAT 9:00am Blakeslee Learning Commons February 25-27 Senior Retreat, Wrightwood Depart 2/25 3:30pm Return: 2/27 4:30pm (approximately) February 27 Parent Education Night Cyber Education 6:00 - 7:00pm Dining Hall March 1 Rally Schedule Spring Rally 1:35pm Duffy Lewis Gymnasium Third Quarter Ends Offi cial Eligibility Grading Period March 6 Liturgy Schedule Dress Uniforms Ash Wednesday
3880 E. SIERRA MADRE BLVD. PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91107-1996 • TELEPHONE 626.351.8951 FACSIMILE 626.351.0275 WWW.LASALLEHS.ORG • LA SALLE PARENTNEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY EXCEPT JANUARY AND JULY BY LA SALLE COLLEGE PREPARATORY © 2019
• EDITOR, JOHN BLACKSTOCK ’67 DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS TELEPHONE: 626.696.4316 • EMAIL: JBLACKSTOCK@LASALLEHS.ORG
March 9 Saturday Class of 2023 Registration 9:00am -12:00pm Dining Hall Duffy Lewis Gymnasium
For game dates, times and locations go to lasallelancers.org
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LA SALLE COLLEGE PREPARATORY
Transforming Lives Since 1680