March 2007 Printer Friendly Version
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March 2007 Printer Friendly Version |
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Inaugural Issue We have launched ourselves into a different world with this first edition of the Parent E-Bulletin that we will use to inform and remind you about important events and other noteworthy items. I know for some, this might mean a different routine. Like anything new it will take a period of adjustment but I know you will find it to be a very efficient way to keep up to date. From our point of view, it reduces time and cost and it provides us a way to keep you current on different items and news that is important for you to know. For those of you, like myself, who wish to hold what they are reading, I invite you to print this bulletin for your use. Remember to stay current with news of our students on our website front page! Winter Vacation The most overriding question I have heard these past two weeks is why STA does not follow the rest of the NH schools in our February vacation. This is a great question because I would prefer to have the liberty to be in sync with the rest of the state. We are charged with following the same school vacation weeks as the Dover school system. This makes sense but the larger number of our student body (and teachers) comes from towns other than Dover which causes much difficulty in planning family time. Somehow the weeks were placed on a different schedule a few years ago but as you will note in next year's calendar we will finally be taking the week with the rest of NH. Financial Aid Those who are planning to apply for financial aid are reminded that time is of the essence. If you think you may qualify for financial aid please request a package from Pat Krupsky, in my office. She can help you with the details. Whereas we make effort to apply more funding to financial aid it is difficult to meet the needs of late applicants. Decisions on financial aid can be expected during the latter half of April. Coffee Chat I was pleased by the turn out of parents who chose to attend our first principal's coffee on February 1st. It gave me an opportunity to respond to questions or concerns of parents and to share some of the vision of the school. There is much of which we can be proud in our school but nevertheless there are challenges to meet. The safety of our students is always a concern to us at St. Thomas. I again urge that we work together to provide the level of supervision for our kids that will provide positive experiences for each of them. That is a challenge in today's culture. The subject of space was also raised as a concern which gave me the opportunity to explain the initial steps of our campus master plan. The first element of that plan is to execute a total revamping of the campus grounds to provide safe vehicle movement and to set the stage for further phases as time goes on. I will have more to say regarding Phase 1 in the near future. Financing and permitting are taking place as I write and the timing and details will be offered in later editions. It is sometimes difficult to meet with large numbers of parents in a forum such as this because of busy schedules; however we will be trying further chats in the future. I hope you will be able to come at another time.
God bless you, Jeffrey A. Quinn |
2007-2008 Calendar Published: For a copy of the 2007-2008 STA School calendar, click here. STA Financial Aid: Last call! If you have any questions or wish to request an application for the 2007-2008 school year, please contact Patty Krupsky. Applications must be submitted as soon as possible. Now is the time for the Class of 2011 to get started. Please make your requests. Junior Speeches: All 11th Grade students are currently at work on the Junior Speech Project, a joint effort by the English and Social Studies Department. Each student chooses a topic related to American culture and writes a speech to be delivered during classes on March 27 and 28. Over the next few weeks, students will research the topic and create a persuasive speech on some key aspect of it, and then work on delivery of the speech through practice in and out of class. Parents of juniors can expect to listen to the speech a few times (or maybe more!) at home as their sons and daughters get ready for this event. The highest scoring speeches will be presented before the entire school community in the Junior Speech Competition. Parents are welcome to attend the event which will take place on April 3 at 8:10 a.m.
Guys and Dolls (Spring Musical): Over 50 students are spending busy afternoons as they rehearse new dance steps, block scenes and learn songs for this year's spring musical, Guys and Dolls. Set against the background of Times Square, Guys and Dolls tells the story of a group of gamblers and the Save-a-Soul Mission's efforts to reform them, with all sorts of hilarious results. Songs include "Luck Be a Lady," and "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat." Guest director Kara Fitzgerald Russell ('99), has put together a wonderful cast and rehearsals are keeping everyone quite busy. Once again, the pit orchestra will be made up of talented student musicians, under the direction of Mr. Robertson. With Meghan McNamara as Sarah Brown, Collin McBride as Nathan Detroit, Lindsey Poisson as Adelaide and Tim Cilley as Sky Masterson, and a host of gangsters, dolls, missionaries and nightclub dancers, the show promises to be one of our best. As usual, Mrs. Marie Hardy is helping with choreography, and another alum, Dan Beaulieu ('01) is assisting with direction. Mrs. Collins is handling production elements, and number of other staff members are helping with set and costumes. Please contact Mrs. Collins (x1225) if you are interested in sewing, set construction or painting. And be sure to mark your calendar for April 19 - 21. This is one show you don't want to miss!
Congratulations to Grade 9 Counselor Meghan Granger and her husband Ryan who were blessed with the arrival of their first child, Will Patrick, on Saturday, February 24. Mrs. Granger is on maternity leave and will return April 30. The interim Grade 9 Counselor is Mrs. LeClair. Course Selections: Guidance Counselors for grades 9, 10, & 11 will be visiting classrooms during the week of March 19-23 to share information about course selections for next year. Students will bring home this information for discussion with parents. Please contact your student's counselor with questions. Parent signature is required on the course selection sheet which must be submitted by April 9. SAT Registration Deadlines: Thursday, March 29 is the registration deadline for the May 5 SAT I & Subject Tests and Friday, April 27 for the June 2 SAT I & Subject Tests. What are SAT II's? 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 www.collegeboard.com ACT Registration Deadlines: Friday, March 9 is the registration deadline for the April 14 ACT and Friday, May 4 is the registration deadline for the June 9 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: www.actstudent.org Information Workshop/Parents of Seniors: Financial Aid Package Review will take place on Wednesday, April 11 at 6:30 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... Where you'll find all the answers. This statewide college convention for high school juniors and parents sponsored by the NHHEAF Network will be held Saturday, March 17 at Plymouth State University. Students and parents can register online at www.destinationcollege.org. Scholarship Applications: We have many local scholarship applications available in guidance. Seniors should see Mrs. Kane. Summer of 2007: Students currently in grades 9, 10, and 11 should check with their guidance counselor to learn about summer opportunities that are coming in for adventure experiences, leadership development, enrichment in academic areas, and camp counselor jobs. Parenting - Healthy Adolescence: One of the best web resources available on all topics related to parenting adolescents may be found at TheAntiDrug.com. While the ultimate message is about keeping kids away from destructive decisions, it is an excellent resource for understanding the pressures on today's teens, along with parenting and communication tips. Congratulations to Tanya Rouleau who has advanced to Finalist standing in the National Merit Scholarship competition!
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 ONLY FOUR MONTHS LEFT! Yes, the end of the 2006-07 school year is only four months away and so is the end of this year's Aquinas Fund appeal. If you haven't made a commitment as yet, please do so soon. Your gift, large or small, does have an impact on what we provide for our students. Currently we are at 64% of our overall goal of $420,000. Our parents have their own participation and dollar goals to meet within this appeal and all of you can help in some way to make sure that these goals are met. So far the parent rate of participation is at 32% of our 100% participation rate and our parent donations are at 68% of our $225,000 goal. To learn more about giving to St. Thomas and to give online please click here. VOLUNTEER? We will be working hard to meet this year's Aquinas Fund goals. If you would like to be a volunteer in this year's appeal, please contact JoAnn Rohde in the Advancement Office. AUCTION! Lights! Camera! Auction! We hope you will plan to attend. Space if filling quickly. Please send your reply cards in by 3/15/07. If you prefer, you can register online at the auction web page. RAFFLE TICKETS! Your chance to win $2,500 CASH PRIZE. Tickets at $10 each or 3 for $25. You can purchase tickets at the main office or online at the auction web page. You do not need to be present to win. If you would like to help sell additional tickets to your friends and neighbors please let us know.
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