March Parent eNotes

Upcoming Events and News

Important Dates

  • Tuesday, March 25- Junior Interdisciplinary Speeches
  • Wednesday, March 26- Junior Interdisciplinary Speeches
  • Wednesday, March 26- Last Blast Meeting for Senior Parents
  • Saturday, March 29- Auction Dinner Gala
  • Wednesday, April 2- Late Start
  • Friday, April 4- 3rd Quarter Ends
  • Tuesday, April 8- Class of 2012 Orientation I 7:00pm
  • Wednesday, April 9- Financial Aid Award Analysis 7:00pm
  • Friday, April 11- Principal's Coffee 8:15-9:00am
  • Saturday, April 12- ACT @ STA 8:00am
  • Wednesday, April 16- Late Start
  • Thursday, April 17- Spring Musical 7:30pm
  • Friday, April 18- Spring Musical 7:30pm
  • Saturday, April 19- Spring Musical 7:30pm
  • Monday, April 21- Spring Recess begins
  • Monday, April 28- Classes Resume
  • Tuesday, April 29- Senior Parent Graduation Meeting 7:00pm
  • Saturday, May 3- STA Spring Campus Clean-up and Gardening Day

Financial Aid for 2008-2009: Last Call The process to apply for financial aid for the 2008-2009 school year is in process. Financial aid packages are still available. Please contact Patty Krupsky for a package or information. The deadline to apply is March 30.

Cinderella Project Mrs. Burridge met with the junior and senior girls in mid-March to explain that STA is again participating in the Cinderella Project, which is a great way to clear closet space while also helping New Hampshire girls find something to wear for their proms. If you have gently used prom style dresses that you would like to donate, STA will be collecting them from March 31 through April 4. Dresses are taken to the Cinderella Project's headquarters and then taken via their "mobile boutique" throughout the state. For more information, contact Mrs. Burridge.

Last Blast Parents- We will be starting Last Blast preparations soon. Last Blast is the STA graduation event, and much help is needed to make it a special occasion for our grads. The seniors will be starting a T-shirt design contest beginning April 7th ending April 11th for the last blast t-shirt. The design should include: Last Blast, June 8th, STA . (The shirt color is Navy Blue) The contest is open only to Seniors. Anyone having questions should see Mrs. Burridge. We will start meetings to include Senior parents, who signed up in November, for duties at Last Blast. The first meeting will be March 26th at 7:00 pm for those parents who signed up to be all night chaperones. I will be sending out an e-mail to those parents who signed up previously. Those parents who have not previously signed up, and may want to be included are asked to call Mrs. Burridge before the meeting on the 26th.

Spring Musical Mark your calendars for a joyous musical extravaganza, set to appear on the STA stage this spring. Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" is set on board a luxury ocean liner traveling from New York to England during the glamorous era of the 1930's. The cast includes a wide array of passengers -- night club singers, British noblemen, gangsters-disguised-as-ministers, and, of course, the inevitable love triangle; musical numbers include "I Get a Kick out of You," "You're the Top" and many more. Students have been dancing and singing their way through rehearsals since December, and will be all fired up and ready to show on April 17, 18 and 19 at 7:30pm. Tickets will be $5.00, free for children under 7; family tickets (parents and children) are $20.00. Don't miss it!

Adult Tour-July, 2009 Mme. Chamberlain, French Teacher at STA, will be offering a trip to France instead of Greece, Turkey and Italy on July 1-11. There was not enough interest in the previous tour. The trip is entitled "A Wine Tasting Tour of France." We will begin in Paris and then travel throughout the country to the most well-known wine making cities. If you would like more info regarding this trip, please contact Mary Chamberlain.

Art News If you get a chance to stop by the Dover Library this month, swing into the Children's Room and take a look at some art created by STA students! In other art news, STA student Peter Schwaegerle was honored by having a work of art chosen as a piece of All State Art! Peter's work will be on display in Concord and he receives many special awards and accolades as a result of this prestigious honor.

Advancement

All That Jazz, Annual Gala Auction & Dinner The items are all logged in and we're very excited about seeing you at the event on March 29th! PLEASE get your reply cards back to school or register to attend online.

If you're like most people, and the reply card is sitting on your counter, now is the time to send it in! If you know with whom you plan on sitting, please note it on the card. If you're not sure who is going, simply indicate your town and year of your student, and we'll make sure you sit with others with whom you may share something in common.

This year, we're excited to announce that our very own St. Thomas Jazz Choir will perform for us just before dinner!

Please plan on attending. You'll be glad you did!

CAST (Community Association of St. Thomas)Thank you to all who attended the 1st annual CAST Forum, held March 7 following the Parent-Teacher meetings. We were pleased that so many of you were able to stay. The panel presenters shared very valuable information on the financing of our school and need for our annual fund. The money raised by the Aquinas Fund is necessary in order to meet the expenses of our annual operating budget. Tuition alone is not sufficient to balance the budget. Mr. Quinn updated the group on the campus construction work taking place which will dramatically affect the entrance/exit and traffic patterns when students return to campus in the fall. We also heard the updates on the status of the search for the new principal.

There is a Principal Coffee scheduled for Friday 11th in the Multi -Purpose Room at 8:15 a.m. This, too, is an open forum opportunity for dialogue with parents and school. We encourage you to attend.

CAST is developing a St. Thomas Landscaping Committee to assist in several upcoming special projects and to continue to exist for future maintenance and beautification of our campus. This Committee will be headed by Jeannie Garcia and we are seeking additional volunteers. We are hoping to get a fairly large group so that many hands will make light work. If you are interested in learning more please contact Jeannie at 603-269-4143 or garcia6@worldpath.net. There is a work day planned for Saturday, May 3, 2-4pm with a rain date of May 4, 2-4pm.

We hope to see you at the auction and future events this spring! We'll continue to keep you posted in this monthly enotes on ways you can volunteer so please look for updates. If you are interested in joining a CAST committee please contact either of us via email at kkgrondin@comcast.net or anniepickett@comcast.net.

Sincerely, Kim Grondin & Annie Pickett, CAST co-chairs

The Aquinas Fund

Aquinas Fund Karen Monaco, our Aquinas Fund Chairperson sends the following message:

I would like to thank the Aquinas Fund Team for the great efforts they have put forth so far this year in helping our annual fund reach its goal of $440,000. We are nearly half way to that goal with many phone calls being made to parents, alumni, and friends of STA, and with a few new parent home gatherings being held.

Thank you to all who have already pledged and sent in their gift. Your contributions are much needed, budgetary relieving funds to help with student enhancement programs, financial aid, teacher and staff salaries, campus improvements, and much more. If you have not already done so, please send in your donation via mail or on-line at the St. Thomas web site.

As we head into spring and lots of warm sunshine, let's pledge to fill the rays of light on our new banner hanging from the gym and reach our goal. To date we're 40% to goal with our fiscal year closing in 90 days (June 30).

Guidance

Course Selections Guidance Counselors for grades 9, 10 & 11 will be visiting classrooms starting March 24 to share information about course selections for next year. The course selection process is entirely online. An announcement will be made in early April indicating that students and parents may go online to view recommended courses and finalize selections. Instructions and deadlines will be provided at that time. Contact your student's counselor if you have questions.

Class of 2012 Incoming 9th graders are currently in their course selection process. The online Math Assessment should be completed by this time. Final course selections will be made at Orientation I on April 8.

SAT Registration Deadlines Tuesday, April 1 is the registration deadline for the May 3 SAT I & Subject Tests, STA is a test center. Monday, May 6 is the registration deadline for the June 2 SAT I & Subject Tests, STA is not a test center.

What are SAT II's (Subject Tests)? They are one-hour, subject-specific achievement tests. In addition to the SAT I, competitive colleges and universities sometimes require 2 SAT II tests. Testing typically takes place in May or June of junior year. Subject tests include literature, math, American history, science, and world languages. Other subject tests may be required for admission to specialized schools within a university; for example, physics may be required for engineering majors. Exceptional students may consider testing earlier than junior year. Students in Grades 9 and 10 who have completed biology or chemistry may take the SAT II in those subjects if they are among the highest achieving students in the course and their teacher recommends it. Students or parents with questions should contact their counselor. More details on the SAT Program, including sample questions, may be found in Guidance or on the College Board website at CollegeBoard.com.

ACT Registration Deadline Friday, May 9 is the registration deadline for the June 14 ACT. Register online at ACTStudent.org.

What is the ACT? The ACT is a test that measures your achievement in English, math, reading and science. The English section is 45 minutes and has 75 questions; the math section is 60 minutes and has 60 questions; the reading section is 35 minutes and has 40 questions; the science section is 35 minutes and has 40 questions. The writing section is optional. For more information on the ACT, please visit ACTStudent.org.

Information Workshop for Parents of Seniors Financial Aid Package Review will take place on Wednesday, April 9 at 7 pm in the library. It's not too late to apply for financial aid. Most financial aid deadlines fall in February and March. The key to meeting financial aid deadlines is to look for the priority deadline. The majority of colleges have two financial aid deadlines: a priority deadline (e.g., February 15) and a regular deadline (e.g. May 1). To improve your chances of receiving the best possible financial aid package, you need to meet the priority deadline.

Reminder to Junior Parents Destination College will be held at Southern NH University on Saturday, March 29.www.destinationcollege.org.

Scholarship Applications We have many local scholarship applications available in guidance. Seniors should see Mrs. Karwowski.

Summer 2008 Students currently in grades 9, 10 and 11 should check the Summer Opportunities binder in the guidance conference room to learn about summer opportunities that are coming in for adventure experiences, leadership development, enrichment in academic areas, and camp counselor jobs.

Congratulations! Congratulations to Briana Prager who has advanced to Finalist standing in the National Merit Scholarship competition!