Principal's Corner
We certainly have had our challenges this spring with the weather and the busyness of the school year. Despite all of these challenges the students continue to be resilient and are accomplishing wonderful things both personally and collectively. I hope you have been able to stay plugged into the events happening at school through the website. Jim Christie, our webmaster, and the entire faculty have made a concerted effort to invite you into the life of the school by posting the many news items, both big and small, that occur during the course of an STA school day.
We have worked diligently this year to develop a method that will allow efficient and secure grade communication with parents. Discussions have been held among the faculty as to the most productive way to do that. We are presently exploring options with a delivery system called EdLine. EdLine is a commonly used online portal that allows our teachers to upload progress reports and allows our families to log-in and see how their students are doing! It is secure and allows you to keep apprised of your own child's progress in the classroom in a timely fashion. We presently have a number of teachers who are using EdLine as a pilot program. Next year, depending on the feedback of our teachers and parents in the pilot program, we will make some form of transition from the existing method to the full use of web notification for grades. The school will produce a summary report card at the end of the year that will be mailed directly to you.
Our Aquinas Fund continues to grow. We have had many generous donations. I have a suggestion for you to consider. Today, in the world of on-line banking and electronic transfers I would like to suggest that this can be a way to support St. Thomas in a manageable way. Most people, and I number myself in this category, have difficulty making an on-the-spot donation. Perhaps donating a little at a time is more manageable for you. You may set up an electronic transfer of a nominal amount each month to be automatically sent to St. Thomas in your name; or you might simply add St. Thomas as one of those monthly commitments that you make. It may be hard to come up with a large amount at one time but $10-$25 a month (or whatever amount you identify) may be manageable and easy. Our Aquinas Fund works in favor of every student. It helps us fund our commitments of financial aid; pay for capital improvements; and provide funds for the school endowment. These are very important to sustaining the future of the school. I thank those who have participated this year and I encourage each family to help us reach our goal according to your means. Thank you very much.
God bless you,
Jeffrey A. Quinn
May Parent e-notes
Upcoming Events and News
Important Dates
- May 18- Principal's Coffee 8:15 AM
- May 19- Campus Ministry Lock-in
- May 21-French/Spanish National Honor Society Induction 8:10 AM
- May 22, 23, 24 SAB Speeches
- May 25- Senior Class Retreat
- May 25- Coffeehouse 7:00pm
- May 28- Memorial Day, No School
- May 29- Drama Awards Banquet 6:00 PM
- May 30- Late Start
- May 30- Spring Concert 7:00 PM
- May 31- STA Art Show 2:30-4:30 PM
- June 1- Senior Classes end
- June 8- Baccalaureate Mass and Senior Awards 6:00pm
- June 10- Graduation 12:00pm
- June 12-13 Class of 2011 Orientation 7:00pm
- June 16- Reunion Day
- Mass 10:30 all St. Thomas families welcome
- Softball Tournament 12:00
- Reunion evening gatherings various locations and times
Class of 2011 Orientation II St. Thomas would like, once again, to invite members of the Class of 2011 and their parents to the second part of our Orientation program. Families may choose either June 12 or June 13. Both presentations will begin at 7:00 and should last just over an hour. The program will include presentations focus on Student Life from academics, athletics and beyond. We look forward to starting the summer with our newest Saints
Parking and Stickers Sophomores are not permitted to drive to school until Monday, June 11. Until that date, every parking space at St. Thomas is taken. Beginning June 4 sophomores and juniors will be able to register vehicles and receive parking stickers for the 2007-2008 school year. Sophomores will be able to use these '07-'08 permits from June 11 until the end of the school year. Please note that cars which were registered for the current year must be re-registered. This sticker is required to permit use of the school parking facilities. Note: Stickers cost $50 per vehicle and are non-transferable. Thank you for your support and cooperation.
Senior Parents Reminder that permission slips for senior activities are over-due. Please contact Mr. Quimby with questions. Key reminder: Attendance is mandatory through June 10 for all seniors.
Senior Week On Monday, June 4 the Class of 2007 will contribute more than 500 people-hours of service to the Diocesan camp system as they clean and ready camps Fatima and Bernadette for the summer. This valuable donation of time and energy means more scholarship assistance is available for worthy campers. The Senior class will celebrate at Canobie Lake Park on Tuesday, June 5, and will share a meal together at Senior Night festivities on Thursday, June 7. Baccalaureate and Awards Night is Friday, June 8, beginning at 6 pm, and Graduation begins promptly at noon Sunday, June 10. The Class of 2007 will gather for one last time in STA's chemical-free Last Blast celebration over the night of June 10.
Graduation Crowds A large number of family and relatives plan to attend our Graduation on June 10. Although graduation occurs under a tent on our field, we will have a shortage of parking and limitations on seating. Families requiring handicap accessibility for parking and approach to seating should contact Mr. Quimby as soon as possible. As always we want to make seating for family members a top priority. Important: Seating is first-come, first-served for all.
Summer Reading Planning is underway for our 2007 Summer Reading Program. This summer, every student will be required to read one book sponsored by one of the academic departments and connected to a particular course offered by that department. In addition, students may choose up to three books from the optional reading list of "teacher favorites" which can be used as extra credit in fall courses. The goal of our Summer Reading Program is to foster reading as a satisfying and enjoyable activity. Complete book lists will be distributed to students and available on the school web page in early June.
Performing Arts
Spring Coffeehouse The May Coffeehouse has become a traditional part of the senior farewell to St. Thomas, and this year's Coffeehouse promises to be a lively evening showcasing the many talents throughout our community. The house band is made up of seniors, and many students from all classes are already working on a wide variety of acts. On the evening of Friday, May 25, numerous performers, will sing, dance and entertain the night away. If the weather is fine, Coffeehouse will be held outdoors in the back parking lot, so bring your lawn chairs. The fun starts at 7 pm and will finish by 9:30. Come and enjoy!
Drama Awards Banquet The beauty of theater is the illusion, but being in a play always seems to end abruptly, as soon as the last performance ends and the stage is cleared. The annual Awards Banquet offers cast and crew an opportunity to come together to celebrate the accomplishments of the year and to enjoy a relaxed evening together. This year's banquet and awards ceremony will be held in the cafeteria starting at 6 pm on Tuesday, May 29. All students who participated in Les Miserables or Guys and Dolls are invited to attend with their families. This includes all members of the pit orchestra and tech crews as well as the cast! A dessert buffet is planned to conclude the event - please bring a treat to share if you can!
Music Notes
146 members of the STA community traveled to NYC April 24-28 for quite an adventure! All eight St. Thomas music groups performed in such famous venues as Battery Park, St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Devine. Students also put on two concerts for children of NYC Public School #101. Despite all of their buses breaking down and getting lost at some point during the trip as well as unbelievable headline-making traffic and construction delays in the city, all came home safe (and exhausted) after a whirlwind 5 days! Thank you to the many parents, teachers, administrators, and even alumni who visited us in NYC and watched the memorable performances.
Students got to see two Broadway shows, "Wicked" and "Beauty and the Beast" and they were privileged to attend two Broadway workshops as well. At one workshop, the kids got to play or sing for Broadway conductors. They even got helpful advice on what it would take to make it in NY as a musician. At the other workshop, everyone got to meet and ask questions of Broadway singer and actor, Logan Lipton, who played Boq in the production of "Wicked" the students had just seen the night before! On Thursday, April 26th St. Thomas students were also featured live as part of the CBS Morning Show audience! STA senior, Laura Frasier, even got interviewed by host Dave Price. With time to spend shopping in Times Square, on Fifth Avenue and in the Rockefeller center area, many fun meals at local theme restaurants and even a dinner/dance cruise in Manhattan Harbor, the trip was jam-packed and made memories for a lifetime. Mr. Robertson wishes to heartily thank the 21 adults who accompanied him and the students and made the trip enjoyable and safe for all.
Please join us on Wednesday, May 30th for the annual spring concert, "Music Moves Us." You will hear music that moves you emotionally as well as music that just makes you want to get up and move! Some toe-tapping highlights include an a cappella version of Queen's "Crazy Little thing Called Love" by the men's chorus, Gershwin's "Fascinating Rhythm/I Got Rhythm" by the chorus, William Byrd's classic, "Ave Verum Corpus" by select choir, and band selections that will feature both our trumpet and percussion sections. The concert will conclude with a moving version of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" featuring our vocalists, concert band, and even strings! The audience will be encouraged to sing along for the final refrain. It should be a spectacular end to the year. Please join us at 7 PM in the STA gym.
Guidance
Progress Reports Please remember there are no conferences planned for the fourth quarter. Each of our teachers, however, is happy to discuss any concerns that you may have. Please contact them with questions. The 2007 Year-End Schedule is attached.
Final Assessment Schedule The final exam/alternative assessment and end of year schedules and policies are here and need to be understood and adhered to. Parent assistance is appreciated. Please download the pdfs and make them available to your students. End of year schedule and policies.
Class of 2007 Last day of classes for seniors will be Friday, June 1. All grades will be final on that day. Seniors have been given a Senior Plans handout that must be completed and returned to guidance ASAP. If your student received a merit scholarship to the college they plan to attend we must have a copy of the award letter in order to announce it at Senior Awards Night.
Class of 2008 Mrs. Karwowski will speak with junior English classes the week of May 29. Topics to be discussed include the common application, college essays, college visits and fall testing. Any junior considering ROTC scholarships, academy nominations or other summer opportunities must request recommendations and transcripts by June 8.
Class of 2009 Eleven members of the class were interviewed on May 7th and 8th to qualify for the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) that is sponsored by the Dover Rotary Club. Recipients of the award will receive a scholarship to attend the summer leadership camp held at Camp Hinds in Raymond, Maine June 24-27th.
Advanced Placement Exams AP students will complete their AP exams shortly. We are proud of them for this extra commitment to higher-level studies and we wish them high scores! AP courses are offered in ten subject areas.
2006 PSAT/NMSQT High Scorers Congratulations to the following high scorers: Patrice Comeau, Owen Derby, Katherine Foy, Ian Graham, Kristen Lamoureux, Kevin McNamara, Briana Prager, and Jessica Veilleux. More than one million students took the 2006 PSAT/NMSQT last October and these students were among the 50,000 highest scorers. They will be notified in September 2007 of their commended or semifinalist standing.
SAT Reminder SAT 1 and Subject Tests are Saturday, June 2. St. Thomas is not a test center. For the most accurate test location information please check on-line at www.collegeboard.com.
Summer Plans Parents or students in grades 9, 10 & 11 are encouraged to check the guidance page of the St. Thomas website for summer opportunities. Community service, academic programs, leadership camps, military-style adventure camps, and Boys/Girls State week are available.
Advancement
"If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to sleep with a mosquito."
No gift is too small to make a difference in this year's Aquinas Fund appeal. With a goal of 100% parent participation, each new gift raises our level of participation regardless of amount. If you haven't made your gift yet, please do so soon. We want you to be listed in our upcoming annual report with other parents who support St. Thomas. You can give on line through our website, send a check, or simply call the Advancement Office. This year's appeal ends on June 30.
Senior Gift I just want to personally thank the members of the senior class for participating in the Senior Gift Program. This year, led by senior members of the Student Advisory Board, the senior class raised $560 and had 38% of their class participate in the gift. Their gift, a brand new picnic table, will be presented to the School at Baccalaureate on June 8, 2007. Congratulations Class of 2007 and thank you. ~ Sarah Scheffer, Alumni Relations Director
Golf Committee Looking for Volunteers if you are interested in joining the planning committee for the September Golf Open please contact Sue Downey at sdowney@stalux.org.