Crusader Connection; December 5, 2019

Poetry Out Loud- Save the Date On Friday, December 6th at 1:00 PM, Lancaster Catholic poets will take the Old Main Auditorium Stage for the Poetry Out Loud competition. All are welcome! Please check-in at the Main Office.

Judges this year include English Department Chair from Millersville University and LCHS past champions Skyler Gibbon and Bronte Spidaliere. Members of the Guitar Ensemble will provide entertainment.

Lancaster Catholic’s champion will go on to compete in regionals at The Ware Center in January.

Reigning champion Cassandra Peris will be defending her title along with 25 other competitors.

For more information about Poetry Out Loud, click here!

Upcoming Events Poetry Out Loud Breakfast with Santa

December 6

December 7

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass

Advent of Beethoven Concert

Christmas Break Early Dismissal

December 12

December 13

December 20

Flexible Instruction Days – “Snow Days” For the 2019-20 school year the Pennsylvania Department of Education, in turn the Diocese of Harrisburg’s Department of Education, has approved the use of Flexible Instruction Days for weather related closures.

The only limit set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education is that a school can only use Flexible Instruction Days for 5 closures, either due to inclement weather or an emergence situation.

Lancaster Catholic will be instituting Flexible Instruction Days this year. Parents and students need to be aware of the guidelines for these days. Please take the time to link to the guidelines (below) for the day. Included in the guidelines are the student submission deadline; illness policy and times for teacher availability throughout the day.

Parents and student must treat the Flexible Instruction Day as a school day.

“Attendance” for the day will be based on assignment submission. To avoid losing holiday vacation days and adding days at the end in June, students must complete and submit the assignments by the deadlines. We must report the attendance for the day to the PDE and the Diocese. If the majority of our students do not complete and submit their assignments, we will NOT be able to count the day as a school calendar day.

When you get the morning call that the school will be closed it will include the alert that it will be a Flexible Instruction Day along with if it is an “A” or “B” day. The alert will also be included on the website.

Click here for complete guidelines.

Volunteer Opportunities Volunteers are needed for the 2019-20 winter sports season.

Help is needed in the following areas: ticket sales, ticket takers/door security, concessions and game clock management!

Click here to sign up to volunteer!

Volunteer today!

School Counseling Corner For Sophomores and Juniors only PSAT scores will be released online next week: • Log in to or create a College Board account online. PSAT/NMSQT scores will be released online December 11, 2019. Log in to your College Board account to see scores and test performance feedback.

• Get free, personalized SAT practice. The PSAT/NMSQT is great preparation for the SAT®. Your score unlocks free, personalized practice through Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy®. Visit satpractice.org, create an account, and link your College Board and Khan Academy accounts for a plan based on your test results.

CTC Applications for 2020-21 Mrs. Taormina is offering assistance to students to complete their CTC Online Applications during the following Crusader Periods: • Thursday, December 5, 2019 Crusader Period 1 • Friday, December 6, 2019, Crusader Period 1 and Crusader Period 2 • Wednesday, December 11, 2019, Crusader Period 1 Please email Mrs. Taormina to attend any of these sessions, a pass will be given to your homeroom teacher. You may switch your lunch period to attend a session. All sessions will be held in Mrs. Swisher’s homeroom. Please bring your chrome book.

Attention all Seniors!

Have you completed your college applications yet? No transcripts or supporting materials will be sent over the Christmas Break so please make sure you have been in touch with your School Counselor and your applications are submitted before December 20, 2019 if you want them to be processed by your school of choice by January 1, 2020. Don’t forget about completing your FAFSA applications as well!

Students and families who are grieving Pathways Center for Grief and Loss through Hospice and Community Care offers Coping Kids & Teens programs to assist in supporting families through the holidays.

Please contact (717) 391-2413 or (800) 924-7610 to register for a program or schedule an appointment.

Annual Fund Dress Down Day If you donated during Phonathon or at any point this school year to the Lancaster Catholic Annual Fund, your child qualifies for a dress down day on Monday, December 9th.

If you would like your Crusader to dress down that day, send in your donation to the Advancement Office for the Lancaster Catholic Annual Fund! Donations can also be made online at www.lchsyes.org/givenow/

Annual Fund Dress Down Day 12-9-19

Toys for Tots This week began our 2019 Toys for Tots campaign!

Please encourage your child to donate for this worthy cause. Collections will be every Tuesday and Thursday up to and including December 17th.

The homeroom which donates the greatest number of toys will enjoy a pizza lunch. Second and third place will be treated to cookies during homeroom.

Remember, $5.00 equals 1 toy.

Varsity Club’s goal is 575 toys!

Dress Code Update Parents, in September we sent out communication regarding the LCHS dress code and our intended efforts to increase accountability and compliance this year. With the formation of a committee specifically tasked with promulgating expectations, we have seen improvement.

There have been daily dress code checks, as well as individual conversations with students, and many warnings about addressing any issues.

This message is to inform you that a deadline of January 6 th has been set for any issues to be corrected. (i.e. improper skirt length, non-uniform pants, incorrect dress shoes). After this date, any dress code violation is subject to detention without a warning.

Please contact the Vice Principal, Adrienne Howe with specific questions. Thank you!

Class Raffle Baskets With the Christmas Season approaching quickly, Lancaster Catholic would humbly ask that you take a minute and consider giving back to Catholic High and support the Class Raffle Baskets.

Proceeds from the Class Raffle Baskets benefit every program and every student at LCHS! We wish to see 100% participation from every LCHS family. There are gift amounts as low as $5. Even the smallest of donations can help support your child’s class.

Each class has been assigned 2 themes.

Senior Baskets: Happy Hour & It’s a Mystery Junior Baskets: Gift Cards Galore & Oh, Those Summer Nights!

Sophomore Baskets: Road Trip & Crusader Tailgate!

Freshman Baskets: Hostess with the Mostest! & All Around the World As we have done in the past, we will once again be holding an online raffle featuring the themed baskets donated by each class. The proceeds generated from the raffle are incorporated into the total dollars raised from the annual Purple & Gold Gala. Though the date of the 2020 Gala is April 25th, we have decided to try to maximize the visibility of the raffle by promoting it at winter sporting events for the month of January. Winners will be selected on January 31, 2020, the final day of National Catholic Schools Week.

The donation should be sent to school with your student. Each homeroom will be collecting items that will be turned into the Advancement Office. The Senior basket does request wine which must be delivered by someone 21 or older to either the Main Office or the Advancement Office. Please make sure all donations are marked with your name, your student’s name and grade and the basket for which they are intended.

As an incentive, the names of all parents contributing to the baskets will go into a drawing for 2 tickets to the 6th Annual Purple & Gold Gala. The names of all Freshman and Sophomore students participating will be entered to win a 2019-20 Yearbook, Juniors and Seniors will be entered to win 2 tickets to Prom.

All donations must be returned to school by Christmas break, Friday, December 20th. Baskets will be assembled the week after Christmas break and the raffle will go-live by January 10th.

J&J Service Solutions, LLC Lancaster County Motors Lancaster Maternal-Fetal Medicine Lancaster Red Rose Credit Union Pennsylvania Truck Centers, Inc. Performance Roofing Associates, Inc.

Prestige Color, Inc. St. Anne’s Retirement Community Thrivent Financial Two Dudes Painting Company Weaver Associates Inc.