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LANTERN Presentation High School Parent Newsletter | August 2016
Dear Parents, It is official! Summer vacation is rapidly coming to an end, and we are getting ready for the start of a new school year. Welcome back! Let me update you on a few things at Pres. Thanks to the generosity of our auction guests and the Parent Board, we were able to remodel six classrooms this summer. They were painted, installed with new flooring and equipped with new furniture (similar to the 200 Building); the overall atmosphere is much improved—classroom configuration will be much more mobile, comfortable and simply brighter. I know the students will welcome the new environment. Room 101 is now a state-of-the art Mac lab which will most definitely enhance our digital arts program. We welcome some new faces to our faculty and staff: Lisa Brunolli is our new Vice Principal of Student Services (assuming the duties of Susan Mikacich). She comes to us with 12 years of experience in secondary administration, and is eager to make Pres her new home. Also, new to our staff are: Grace Lee (Visual/Digital Arts), Patrick Lorenzo (College Counselling), Shawn Matson (Speech and Debate), Jessica Pasa (French) and Lisa Tripoli (Technology). In addition, the Class of 2020 will be joining our community during Freshman Orientation on August 11 and 12. I hope to see you often in 2016-17! Until then, take care and enjoy the last few days of summer!!
What's Inside DEPARTMENTS Attendance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . College Counseling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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ATHLETICS Athletics/Home Games Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT Auction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back-to-School Balloons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Donors in Plaid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mother-Daughter Mass & Breakfast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Senior Photo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Student Directory Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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AUGUST CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Mary Miller ’72 Principal
Attendance Reminders As we start the new school year, here are a few things to remember: Emergency Card/Dismissal: Please make sure you have filled out and completed all necessary forms and information contained in the online summer mailling, especially the emergency card/dismissal portion. This must be completed and submitted before your student starts school. Attendance Procedure Reminders: If your daughter is not coming to school or will arrive late, please call the Attendance Office at (408) 266-1060 no later than 9 a.m. For safety reasons, it is very important for us to hear from you no later than 9 a.m. All absences require a written note signed by a parent the day your daughter returns to school. Faxes and emails are not accepted. Your daughter is considered absent if she arrives after 8 a.m. and will need a parent note (unless she has a free period). In the rare instance when your daughter needs to leave school early for an appointment, send her to the Attendance Office before school with a note from you stating the reason she needs to leave school and the time of the dismissal. She will be given an early dismissal notice and will be able to leave class at that designated time. Your daughter may carry in her backpack the following items: Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, Midol, Tums, and throat lozenges. If she requires prescription medication, the Attendance Office needs to be informed if she carries the medicine in her backpack. If your daughter has severe allergies and requires an Epi-Pen, Benadryl, etc, please inform Ms. Furtado at (408) 266-1060 or cfurtado@presentationhs.org so we can keep an extra for her at school. If your daughter is sick at school, she must go to the Attendance Office. Ms. Furtado will call her parents when necessary. We thank you for complying with our policies. We value your daughter’s well-being and safety. It’s going to be a great school year! if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Furtado at cfurtado@presentationhs.org.
Donors in Plaid Class Dues For the third year in a row, Presentation is continuing its Donors in Plaid program. Each student is asked to turn in $20 to her homeroom by Monday, Aug. 25. These class dues accumulate into a fund to be used for class activities and to purchase a senior gift for the school. Each senior class has two options for the senior gift: partially funding a student on financial aid for the following school year or supporting the non-tuition scholarship fund.
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The Lantern | August 2016
Donors in Plaid replaces class level candy sale fundraisers in homeroom. Students will still participate in the annual Magazine Drive, Holiday Drives for Sacred Heart Community Service and the Mission Drive for the Sisters of the Presentation. Thank you for your support of this special program. For more information, please email Kristin Schneider: kschneider@presentationhs.org.
College Counseling The beginning of a new and exciting school year has arrived. The month of August can be incredibly busy with new classes, teachers, and schedules to adjust to, as well as the start of the college application process for seniors. August holds a promise and hope for what the school year will hold. There is a certain feeling of optimism in the hallways as we arrive back to welcome each other at our very first liturgy of the year. My hope and wish for each of our students is that they maintain this positive perspective, even when it proves to be most challenging. Undoubtedly, the application process will bring challenges, surprises and disappointment. As you approach this year with your senior, we encourage you to remind her “Where you go is not who you’ll be.” Our “First Five” college application model is now in its second year. As part of this process, we ask all students to create a list of five colleges that are (1) academic matches, (2) social fits, (3) financially feasible, (4) offer her major(s) of interest, and (5) are placed she would be excited to attend. We find a strong and sound list of colleges that fit this criteria helps students feel confident as they move forward with the application process. Beginning in August, we will offer mandatory collaboration periods and individual meetings for seniors. The individual meetings will cover a variety of topics including: • Verification of “First Five” college list • Confirmation of planned standardized testing dates (if applicable) • College Essay and Supplemental Essay brainstorm and proofing • Creation of personal deadlines and timeline for college and financial aid applications • Identification of teachers for letters of recommendation Communication will be essential as you progress through the fall application season. We recommend you and your daughter plan weekly family conversations regarding her progress. We find these weekly meetings promote open and positive communication while cutting down on tension and stress, making the application process a more enjoyable rite of passage. The College Counseling Department is here to support your family’s application process. Therefore, we welcome any questions or concerns that arise. We are in partnership with you, and look forward to this new and exciting year together.
Senior Photo On Friday, Aug. 19, all seniors will be asked to go to the amphitheater for the Senior Class photo. Formal uniform is required for the photo.
Community Involvement Welcome back to school! Community Involvement is excited to start another amazing year with our students. Before we update you on upcoming events, we would like to highlight the ten juniors who spent 10 days volunteering with Amigos for Christ and visiting schools in Nicaragua. While working with Amigos for Christ, our students helped build a new school that will educate students in preschool through high school. On their day off from construction, our students traveled to Somotillo to meet Sister Rachel and visit two lowincome schools supported by our Mission Drive donations. Our students are eager to share their experiences with the Presentation community through a series of educational and advocacy projects during Mission Drive 2017. This year, Community Involvement will offer a variety of fun and interesting service opportunities for students. Dozens of volunteer agencies will be on campus Sept. 2 during our annual Service Fair. Additionally, the Community Involvement Office (located in the south hall of the main building) is always available to help students find volunteer opportunities. If your daughter has questions or would like more information, please send her to Crystal Catalan, Assistant Director of Community Involvement: ccatalan@presentationhs.org. Presentation is offering several service immersion trips during the 2016-1027 school year: • Los Angeles: February Break • L’arche: February Break • Immigration Immersion with Bellarmine: Spring Break • Appalachia: Spring Break • Nicaragua: Summer Break If your daughter is a junior or senior interested in attending a service immersion trip, we invite you to join us for an open house on Sept. 8 from 6-7 p.m. in the library. There, you’ll be able to speak with students who have previously gone on immersion trips, ask program directors questions as well as view videos and photos from the trips. Students interested in attending a service immersion trip must attend a mandatory meeting on Sept. 6 at 12:30 p.m. in the Miller Athletic Complex. Applications for the trips will be released that day and must be completed by Sept. 20. We are looking forward to a great year of service with your daughters! www.presentationhs.org 3
Performing Arts Fun in the summer: Last month, our summer theater program, PresRep, presented two full-scale shows in five weeks. Our hardworking companies took audiences under the sea for the Disney classic The Little Mermaid and into the forest for Me and the Trees, an original family play written by Mr. Houle. Our popular summer camp is available to boys and girls ages 11-17. If you know a student who would enjoy PresRep, encourage him or her to enroll next year! Benefits of Performing Arts: Did you know that the number one human fear is fear of appearing in front of an audience? Did you also know that many CEOs credit their performing arts classes and experiences as integral to their confidence and creativity? Perhaps this is the year that your student participates in performing arts at Pres. We have two choirs, after-school dance classes, an improv comedy team and also a first-rate drama club, I.T.S., which is open to any student who wants to participate.
Who will be on the chorus line? Auditions for our fall musical, A Chorus Line, will take place at the start of the fall semester. Do encourage your student to give the stage a try at least once in during her four years at Pres. A Chorus Line runs Nov. 5-20. What would we do without TADA!? A special thank you must go out to our superb performing arts booster club, TADA! Last year, TADA! produced an entertaining show, Frank Sinatra: 100 Years, that raised substantial funds for us to upgrade our facilities and technical capacities. TADA! Members make their presence felt each weekend. Whether they are constructing sets and costumes or organizing parent volunteers, they ensure our high production values can and will continue. If you wish to participate in TADA!, click the link on the performing arts section of the Presentation website. See you at the theater!
Athletics Wow! It’s hard to believe how quickly the summer has gone by! I hope the past two months have been enjoyable and relaxing for you. As you all know, there is not much down time in the world of Panther Athletics! Our summer sports camps were highly successful. With 14 sports camps to choose from, current and future student-athletes were able to hone their skills and learn new techniques. The campers certainly kept our campus busy and exciting! Also exciting are two new additions to our roster of coaches for the 2016-2017 school year. Shiv Jagday is returning to Presentation to lead the field hockey program. Coach Shiv is a former USA and Canadian national field hockey coach with more than 35 years of experience. Our new cross country coach is Craig Lee, who has previously guided high school programs to state and league championships. We are looking forward to seeing our student-athletes compete during the upcoming school year. For most fall sports, tryouts begin Aug. 10. Make sure to check the Athletics homepage for tryout information. All student-athletes must complete and turn in the Athletic Participation Packet prior to trying out. You’ll find the packet under “Tryouts” in the Athletics section of the Pres website. Lastly, make sure your calendar is marked for our annual fundraiser on March 25, 2017. The third annual Game of Throws is sure to be a fun night. I hope to see you there! Be on the lookout for more information in the coming months. Go Panthers! Stacey Mallison Athletic Director smallison@presentationhs.org www.presentationhs.org 5
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First Day of School Opening Liturgy, Merry Mart PresWear 11:05 a.m., Miller Sales, 2:50 p.m., Marian Athletic Complex, Work Scholarship Parent Stuckey Student Center Mtg., 7 p.m., Miller Athletic Complex
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29 Auction Committee Meeting, 6-8 p.m., Library
Freshman Orientation, 8 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. Freshman Orientation, Transfer Student 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Orientation, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
School ID Photos
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Fall Sports Parent Meeting, 7 p.m., Miller Athletic Complex
Back to School Night, 6:30-9 p.m.
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31 For complete calendar visit www.presentationhs.org/calendar
AUGUST 2016 The Lantern | January 2016
Presentation High School The Lantern 2281 Plummer Avenue San Jose, CA 95125
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