December - Saint Mary's Catholic High School

DECEMBER 2005
Report Card Night
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
From the Guidance Department
On October 12, at the All School Test Day, Saint
Mary’s students took a test that is geared to their specific grade
level, one of a series of tests taken by a student in the freshman,
sophomore, and junior years. Freshmen take the EXPLORER
test, sophomores take the PLAN test, and juniors take the PSAT
test. These test results either have been, or will be, mailed home
to parents. The freshman test results have been received and
have been mailed home. The sophomore and junior test results
are expected to be in our office before Christmas and be mailed
home to parents shortly thereafter. Test results are accompanied
by an interpretation of the results. Individual student
conferences will begin taking place between students and
Academic Advisers. These test scores are a springboard for a
variety of discussions: career choice, college choice, and help to
set educational goals.
During the second quarter Mr. DiBianco and Ms.
Hollerbach have been in the classroom presenting information
to freshmen and sophomores about being on track for
college/universities. During the second semester the freshmen
will be taking the COPS career inventory, which matches a
student’s interests with careers that the students might explore.
Students will use this information to write a career research
paper in their English classes. A copy of this paper is kept in a
student’s file, to be used later to compare a student’s view of
options and opportunities as a freshman with views at a later
date. Meanwhile, Sr. Linda has finished the individual student
appointments with juniors, which focused on college options,
areas of study, and understanding their transcripts. Sr. Linda
also escorted 30 juniors to the FOCUS program at ASU on
November 30, 2005. Mr. Johansen has been busy working with
seniors, writing letters of recommendation, filling out the school
reports that accompany a senior’s applications to colleges, and
meeting with individual students to discuss their college
choices. Mrs. O’Connor continues to run her weekly groups and
meet with students on an individual basis.
College Financial Aid Night
Invitation to Senior Parents
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
On the same evening as Report Card
Night, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, the
senior parents will be able to hear a
presentation about financial aid and
the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (“FAFSA”), the
cornerstone of all college financial
assistance. This presentation will be
given by an ASU financial aid
representative. Bring your questions
about how to find the most financial
aid possible for your student.
First semester report cards may be picked up in the Gymnasium
on Wednesday, January 11, 2006, starting at 4:00 pm. Teachers
and staff will be available in the Gymnasium until 7:00 pm for
parents who would like to speak with teachers about a student’s
progress. We urge every parent to attend.
Weighted Grading System Implemented
At the time of distribution of first quarter report cards,
we were still refining the computer program to implement the
change to a weighted grading system. That task was
subsequently completed and an honor roll, using the weighted
grading system, was prepared and made available at our front
office. We appreciate the patience of parents as we worked
through this transition.
We will post revised class ranks soon after first
semester grades are finalized. This should be done shortly after
the Report Card Night on January 11. [Class rank is only revised
after each semester, not after each quarter; quarter grades do not
change either cumulative GPA or class rank.]
Open House Welcomes New Families
On November 20, Saint Mary’s opened its campus to
hundreds of families exploring high school options for their
children. We extend our thanks to those families who ventured
out on a gorgeous Sunday to share part of their day with us.
Our Gymnasium was filled with representatives of each
sport and each club, as well as parent organizations, the
development office, a financial aid spokesperson, and our
school board. Our Library was the site of presentations on the
half hour, with opening prayer by our Campus Minister,
Michael Garibaldi, a talk by our Student Body President,
Jonathan Ciani, and a major presentation by our Principal, Mark
Mauro; the finale was a four minute slide show on Saint Mary’s,
with an emphasis on its students and the traditions of the school.
Our teachers and counselors staffed booths in classrooms
located on the first floor of Nevin Hall.
Our goal was to make Saint Mary’s as transparent as
possible to our visitors. Our effort was to assure that any
question from any parent be answered by someone with
knowledge of the subject involved, and that who we are, and
what we represent, be accurately communicated to our visitors.
An Open House requires the cooperation and active
participation of many people, beginning with a Saturday campus
cleanup effort by parents, students, and staff. Thanks to all for
taking the time to pick up brooms and mops to put the finishing
touches on a job well done by our maintenance staff. The
campus looked beautiful.
A great thank you also goes to the students who
contributed their Sunday to staff so many positions throughout
the campus. A key part of our effort was to allow our students to
speak for themselves about their high school experience. As
always, our students are our strongest advocates and supporters.