Basketball celebration, Easter break, Appalachia

Next Tuesday, April 3 we will celebrate the basketball season that just concluded with a get together in the Commons beginning at 6:30 p.m. We will provide the main dish, drinks, and the utensils, but we are asking 7th grade families to bring a salad and 8th grade families to bring a dessert. On Monday we’ll ask the players if theyr’re coming and how many from the family will be attending. The evening is a chance for the coaches to say a few words about their season and for us to thank the coaches for their time and all their work with the boys.

A reminder: teachers are after school each day to provide any extra help the students may need. Mr. Szynkowski was here yesterday until 5:30 p.m., but no one came for help. Mr. Nichols is here today and Mr. Carroll usually stays on Tuesdays. Help is available any time-encourage your son to ask for help if he needs it.

A few students have been coming to school wihout their Academy tie. We will rent a tie or $1.00 a day, but if a tie(s) has been lost new ties can be purchased for $25.00 each-our cost.

Tomorrow eleven teachers and administrators from a Catholic school in Cleveland will be visiting the Academy for the day to learn more about our program. Students will act as tour guides and will meet in small groups to share their Academy experiences.

Mark your calendars now–we will hold another 7th and 8th grade dance on Saturday, April 21. Almost 1000 kids attended our last dance, so we’ll need plenty of help from parents. Please let me know if you’re able to help out.

Our Easter break begins next Thursday, April 5. We return to school on Monday, April 16. On our last day before the break, Wednesday, April 4 we will have a late start-9:45 a.m.- and we will present the Stations of the Cross devotion recalling the last events in Jesus’ life.

The tennis and track teams are underway. Thanks to Tom Brell, tennis coach, and Mike McDonald, track coach, for working woth our students.

Finally, six 8th grade students will accompany Mr. Butler, Mr. Skeldon and six high school students to Appalachia to do service work over the Easter break. Thanks to all the students who volunteered to go on this trip and to Mr. Butler for leading the group on this important mission.

Movies, rockets, and a free day

57 out of 57! Every student who was in school yesterday remebered to bring in their permission slip to go see “The Ultimate Gift.” So we know they can do it when it really matters to them. The movie was excellent and we are doing follow-up discussions in classes over the next two days. Please ask your son about the movie, ask them what lessons the main character learned and how he changed from the beginning to the end of the movie. If you have a chance to see the movie, I highly recommend it. Visit the website, www.theultimategift.com, for more information.A reminder: if you still have car raffle tickets at home, please return them as soon as possible. We need to account for all raffle tickets.

Yesterday, the 8th grade students had a pizza lunch with their Big Brothers and made bottle rockets with them. We’ll have a rocket launching contest next week to see whose rocket stays airborne the longest. Look for pictures on the website soon.

To celebrate the state championship won by the hockey team there will be no school on Monday, March 26.

Congratulations to the 7th grade basketball team coached by MIke Perriatt and Jeff Fretti for winning the CYO championship last night.  It was a great season for all our teams and we’ll schedule a year-end celebration soon.

Report Cards, Raffle tickets, and free days

It was quite a weekend for SJJ–the high school hockey team won the state championship on Sunday after winning in the semi-finals on Saturday. The varsity basketball team won the district championship on Saturday and now advance to the regional round this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for that game are going on sale this afternoon. Congratulations also goes out to our basketball teams who have all completed their CYO seasons (except for on e7th grade team that had their game rescheduled and wilol play for a championship next Monday evening at St. Joseph School in Sylvania). Plans are being made for a season ending celebration for all teams here at school. We’ll let you know when a date is determined.

3rd quarter report cards are being mailed home tomorrow. Please call or e-mail if you have any questions. I’ll be meeting with some students to review their progress and help set some goals for the 4th quarter. If you did not have the opportunity to attend a student-led conference with your son you can do so at any time. We felt they were very beneficial and successful for both parents and students.

Car raffle tickets-both sold and unsold-must be returned by Friday, March 16. The raffle will be held on Sunday, March 18. Some extra incentive-50% of each ticket sold–$10.00- will go to the student’s fundraising account to diminish the cost of class trips. BY the way none of us on the staff here have been asked to buy a ticket–I would like to buy one from the first student who asks me. Thanks for your efforts in selling the tickets and returning them by Friday.

To celebrate the hockey championship there will be no school on Monday, March 26. There is school, however, on Friday, March 23.

End of the third quarter

Today marks the end of the third quarter. Starting Monday, 7th grade students who are not in Chinese class will switch from Latin to German. Mrs. Barb Trimble, chairman of the Foreign Language department, will teach the class. Also, beginning on Monday Mrs. Trempe will work with ½ of the 7th grade class on Lego Robotics for ½ of the fourth quarter. The other ½ will work on a study skills class in the Academy and both classes will switch half way through the quarter.

Next Wednesday, March 7 the 8th grade will travel to the observatory at Lourdes College for a one hour program. Permission slips will be sent home on Monday.

This week we tested @ 90 students who are applying for 7th grade next year. W’re very pleased with the level of interest and appreciate the positive comments you pass on to friends and neighbors about the Academy. We have also had several people ask if we can accept any new students into 8th grade–we cannot accept new students for the 8th grade class unless someone doesn’t return next year, and we certainly hope everyone is planning on returning!

Last Tuesday and Wednesday we took six students each day to help serve lunch at the Helping Hands Soup Kitchen. The boys did a great job and helped serve over 250 meals each day. If your son was one of those who went please take a couple of minutes to ask him about the experience and reflect on what he observed and how he felt.

Tomorrow Mr. Nichols and a team of students will participate in the Science Olympiad at the Lima branch of Ohio State University. We’ll give you a report on the competition in the next mailing.

As basketball season begins to wind down spring sports are starting up. The first tennis practice will be Wednesday after school at Shadow Valley Tennis Club right behind the school. Everyone is welcome to play–no experience necessary!

A note from the bookstore: next fall the bookstore will open in a new, bigger location with all new merchandise. To prepare for the move everything must go. All items are on sale for 25% off from now until April 20. The bookstore is open each day from 10:45 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

A final note: please return car raffle tickets, if you have not done so already, by the end of next week. Thanks for your efforts in selling the tickets.