Academy newsletter 12/14/07

Hi everyone:  Exam week is upon us!  On Monday and Tuesday teachers will be reviewing with the students to help them prepare for the semester exam.  We will also give the boys some general information on preparing for exams and some general tips for effective studying.  Also, Mrs. Chambers, our Learning Specialist, will be here on Monday and Tuesday to offer individual help and teachers are available after school.  On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday the students can leave after they have completed their last exam for the day.  On Friday, however, we will have a Christmas party for the guys in the Academy hallway and classrooms.  Heidi Wenner, mother of Logan in 8^th grade, is organizing it and if you are sending something in next Friday feel free to drop it off in my office. The Christmas Band Concert will be held this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel.  Academy students will be performing along with members of the high school band.  Unfortunately, the Christmas Choral Concert had to be cancelled due to the weather last Sunday, however, all the groups (including the Academy chorus) have recorded their music on a cd and each chorus member will receive a copy on Monday.  Additional copies can be purchase for $5.00. We will also take some time on Tuesday to have the guys clean out their lockers.  So, if there’s some clothing you haven’t seen in a while, it may be coming home Tuesday afternoon. Thanks to everyone who supported our Christmas collection.  Scott Kumor and Neil Butler, aidied by Milicent Carter and Nancy Kumor, did the shopping for the 7^th grade family and Tony Calamunci, Cody Brown, and Max Rectenwald, aided by Erin Brown, did the shopping for the 8^th grade family.  The packages were delivered the next day to the grateful families.   Enjoy the weekend.   

Academy Newsletter 12/3/07

:  This is our last chance to bring in money for our mission collection.  The 7^th grade has been given the task of collecting money to buy Christmas presents for a family of five—four children, ages 15, 14, 13, and 6, and their mother-while the 8^th grade has been assigned a family of three-children ages 4 and 2 and their mother.  With the money they collect, the students will go shopping after school on Tuesday, December 11 at Target at Spring Meadows.  Parents are welcome to come along to provide some shopping guidance.  Let me know if you’re interested in helping. This past Thursday and Friday some of the boys had the opportunity to serve at the Helping Hands Soup Kitchen.  As always, the boys did a great job helping and represented themselves, their families, and their school in a way we can all be proud of.  On Wednesday, December 12 we will take 12 students to work on a painting project at the Padua Center, an old central city building that is being converted into a resource and tutoring center for area children. Tuesday the Academy students will each spend about 90 minutes working on a unique activity with the Big Brothers.  A group from Michigan Learning (www.michiganlearning.org) will lead the guys in a Lego race car building project.  It should be a fun cooperative learning project. Friday is the Pro Football Hall of Fame trip.  We need everyone to be here by 8:00 a.m. so we can leave on time.  We will stop at a McDonald’s in Canton for lunch.  Students may dress down, although they wear a SJJ shirt or sweartshirt. As always, we have numerous activities coming up so I thought I would list a few important dates below so you can make sure your calendar is set:             Saturday, December 8 Lego Robotics competition at Toledo Technology Academy  8:00 a.m.             Sunday, December 9  Christmas Choral Concert including Academy chorus  2:00 p.m. in theater                        Wednesday, December 12  mass for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe             Sunday, December 16    Christmas Band Concert including Academy Band   2:00 p.m. in chapel             Saturday, January 12     Power of the Pen  8:30 a.m.  Perrysburg High School             Saturday, February 2      MathCounts competition      8:30 a.m.  UT/MUO main campus             Saturday, March 1         Science Olympiad—OSU Lima branch             Tuesday, April 15-Friday, April 18            7^th grade Space Camp trip Basketball season is in full swing now with six teams representing the Academy.  Schedules can be found at www.cyss.org. Follow the CYO link and you will also find weekly standings.   Finally, here is the semester exam schedule: Wednesday, December 19—English  8:25-9:55 a.m.        Social Studies  10:10-11:40 a.m. Thursday, December 20—Math  8:25-9:55 a.m.                Foreign Language 10:10-11:40 a.m. (there is no exam for exploratory students)Friday, December 21—Science  8:25-9:55 a.m.                Theology  10:10-11:40 a.m.              Students may leave as soon as they have completed their last exam each day. Have a great week.