Spring 2006
Dear Parents,
I do believe the sun is shining and we may have an actual spring in San Francisco. We have five weeks until final exams and the end of another academic year.
On Friday and Saturday, May 12th and 13th, SI will send a team of parents, students and counselors to Stanford University to attend the third annual Stressed Out Students Conference (SOS).
With a rise in recent years in the number of students seeking mental health services, an increase in cheating behavior in school, and students’ consistent worry about academic achievement, Stanford School of Education is bringing the community together to address and counter problems associated with academic stress.
Our team will attend workshops all day Saturday on School Reform, Improving Curriculum and Assessment, Parenting Adolescent Academic Stress, College Admissions, Promoting Student Voices, Creating a Culture of Academic Integrity, to name a few. We will then meet to investigate ways to reduce stress in our school. We have been assigned a “coach” from Stanford to provide guidance as our team implements strategies learned at the conference and follow up with us next academic school year.
I will keep you posted on the outcomes we develop. I don’t think we will be canceling final exams to reduce stress, but there are a number of areas in the fast-paced culture that is SI that we might address.
Sincerely,
Charlie Dullea
Principal
FINAL EXAMINATIONS
Final Examinations are calendared for May 30, 31, and June 1. As stated in the Parent/Student Handbook, "No student may miss calendared examinations due to family travel and/or vacation plans. No exceptions to this policy will be granted.” Parent cooperation is appreciated in this matter. Grades will be mailed out around June 10.
PLAN AHEAD!
Please note the dates for final exams next December. Final exams for Fall Semester 2006 will be held Thursday and Friday, December 14 and 15, AND Monday and Tuesday, December 18 and 19. Christmas vacation will begin on Wednesday, December 20. Students are required to take exams during these scheduled times. Please do not make any Christmas travel plans that would require students to miss final exams.
AWARDS ASSEMBLY
The school's annual Awards Assembly will take place on Friday, May 26. At that time, students who have excelled in academics and in extracurricular activities will be recognized before the entire school community. The students will be addressed at this assembly by the Salutatorian for the Class of 2006. Senior parents are welcome to attend.
ACADEMIC DEFICIENCIES
Students who have encountered significant difficulties during this academic year, i.e., grades of “D” or “F”, should prepare now to remedy the situation. Students contemplating attending summer school as a way of addressing academic deficiencies should pursue summer school applications immediately as such programs frequently fill early. As you know, a grade of “D” in a course may affect a student’s eligibility for the University of California and California State Colleges and Universities. Although it is not required, we strongly recommend that any grade(s) of “D” be remediated if your child intends to submit an application to these schools.
Students who receive a semester grade of “F” are required to repeat the course during the summer, receive a passing grade, and submit the grade to the school registrar in order to re-enroll at St. Ignatius the following school year. Please contact your child’s counselor for more help.
SPECIAL NOTE FOR SENIORS WITH SEMESTER F’S
Please be aware that seniors with a semester grade of “F” do not receive a diploma at graduation. The “F” must be remediated before a diploma can be granted. Seniors: make sure there are no F’s looming in the future!
SCHEDULING
Class schedules indicating courses for next year will be mailed to returning students on July 15. The form for requesting a schedule change will be included. Please note that all requests for schedule changes will be handled by mail via the official form. Schedule change requests are NOT accepted by phone or email. The materials mailed with the schedule will have detailed instructions.
Class schedules will be mailed to incoming Freshmen on August 9. Counselors and Department Chairs will be on campus August 20 to handle any incoming freshman schedule questions. No incoming freshman schedule change requests will be considered or discussed until that date. Incoming freshmen are encouraged to come on campus on August 20 if they have any questions about their schedules. School personnel will not be available before August 20 to process incoming freshman schedule questions.
In August, the schedules of returning students will be also be available online at www.siprep.org/reports, using the Student ID and PIN. The ID and PIN were mailed with Spring Midterm report cards in the letter regarding updating the Student Contact Information.
SUMMER READING PROGRAM
The reading list for Summer 2006 will be enclosed with the semester report cards and will be posted on the website. Please check with your students on their progress with the books assigned for their summer reading. Students are tested on this material immediately upon their return to school in August.
BOOKSTORE
(For additional information, see the Bookstore page of the SI website at www.siprep.org.)
BOOK BUYBACK
Plan now to sell back those used textbooks. This will help offset the cost of books for next year! During the last two days of finals, stations will be available in the Gym Lobby to accommodate students who wish to sell back their books. Students simply bring their books to one of these stations, fill out a Buyback Form, and drop off their books. No waiting in line! Checks will be mailed directly to the students' home addresses by mid-August.
The list of books eligible for buyback will be posted in May on the Bookstore page of www.siprep.org.
BUYBACK HOURS:
| Wednesday, May 31: | 10:00 AM-1:30 PM |
| Thursday, June 1: | 9:45 AM-3:00 PM |
PURCHASE BOOKS FOR FALL 2006: All students are encouraged to avoid the rush during Orientation and Registration week by purchasing their books early! Class schedules will be mailed to returning students before the August 3 Early-Bird Pickup & Pay day. Incoming freshman class schedules will be mailed before summer sales hours begin on August 14.
PICKUP & PAY - EXPRESS PURCHASES DURING SUMMER HOURS Once students have received their class schedules, they will have the opportunity to pre-order their books via our Pickup & Pay system to speed through the book-buying process. For a small fee, the books will be pre-selected and bundled for fast pickup. More details will be issued with the class schedules.
SUMMER BOOKSTORE HOURS:
| Early-Bird Pickup & Pay ONLY (for Sophomores/Juniors/Seniors) | |
| Thursday, August 3: | Noon – 6:00 PM |
| Remaining days for ALL students: for Pickup & Pay or Browsing: | |
| Monday, August 14: | 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM |
| Tuesday, August 15: | 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM |
| Monday, August 21: | 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| Tuesday, August 22: | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM |
| Wednesday, August 23: | 11:30 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Thursday, August 24: | 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM |
Additional hours will be available on Friday, August 25 before school, at lunch periods, and after school. Regular hours resume the following week.
ONLINE PURCHASE OF ENGLISH PAPERBACK FICTION
Paperback fiction and vocabulary workbooks for Fall 2006 English classes will be sold online at www.MySchoolBookstore.com and shipped directly to you. Complete instructions will be included with the class schedules.
IMPORTANT DATES
Please note the following dates for the start of Academic Year 2006-2007.
Freshman Orientation and Registration: Wednesday August 23.
Sophomore Registration: Thursday, August 24, 1:30 PM.
Junior Registration: Thursday, August 24, 11:00 AM
Senior Registration: Thursday, August 24, 8:30 AM
First Day of Classes: Friday, August 25.
DETAILS CONCERNING THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE SENT HOME IN THE SUMMER MAILING FROM THE DEAN'S OFFICE.
Returning students at St. Ignatius will be considered registered for School Year 2006-2007 upon completion of the following two steps by June 1, 2006.
| Seniors | $520.00 |
| Juniors | $500.00 |
| Sophomores | $500.00 |
Make check payable to St. Ignatius College Prep and indicate student name on check. Please e-mail Terry Dillon, Controller, at tdillon@siprep.org, with questions.
Please also note:
If your son or daughter will not be returning to St. Ignatius, please contact Br. Douglas Draper, S.J., Dean of Students, at ddraper@siprep.org.
All returning students must complete the registration process by June 1, 2006. Students who have not completed the process will not be registered for the 2006-2007 Academic Year.
Thank you for your cooperation with the registration process. We look forward to another successful year in 2006-2007.
FINANCIAL AID LETTERS FOR RETURNING STUDENTS
Financial Aid letters for returning students will be sent on May 1. Thank you for your patience during this time. Please contact the office if you have applied and do not receive a letter.
CYO TRANSPORTATION
Registration for the CYO bus for 2006-2007 will be available on the website beginning May 15 and closing on June 15. The cost of the bus will be $430 for one way ride per semester and $810 for a round trip per semester. You will be given the option of paying for either the first semester or the entire year. If you do sign up for the full year, you may change at semester and receive a refund for the second semester. Please contact Teresa Garret at tgarrett@siprep.org with any questions.
On May 25th all students will attend the Transition Liturgy at Holy Name Church at 9:00 a.m. Parents are always welcome.
RETREATS
All freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are asked to sign up online by Friday, May 12th for next year’s retreat opportunities. From the school home page, students can click on Campus Ministry and find a link to the sign-up page. Information has also been e-mailed to students’ SI e-mail accounts.
Juniors may wish to take advantage of the Kairos retreat offered June 6-9, 2006. If you are involved in several sports or activities and have a lot of potential conflicts, why not go on Kairos in June?
InSIgnis
Applicants are asked to mark the dates for required meetings and workshops. If you have any conflicts, please see Ms. Vanderpol as soon as possible.
IMMERSION
Immersion trips will be returning this summer to Costa Rica, Tijuana, San Francisco, Tacoma, East LA, Sacramento and Salinas. This year we will also go to New Orleans to help with the Katrina relief. There will be 66 students going on 8 trips. Sophomore Parents: please note that students must finish their core hours of Christian Service in order to apply to the Immersion Program in their Junior year. Applications will be available in November 2006 for immersion trips in 2007.
SENIORS (Class of 2007) - On August 1st the Counselor Questionnaire will be mailed home, to be completed by Senior Registration Day, August 24th. The questionnaire is an essential part of the college application process. Counselor recommendations cannot be written without a Counselor Questionnaire on file.
'MyRoad'
The Counseling Department has continued to utilize a college and career planning resource called 'MyRoad' this semester to help students investigate more about colleges, college majors and possible future careers. The web site www.MyRoad.com provides an opportunity for students to learn more about themselves, research colleges and career options and keep track of their thoughts and goals as well as course work and standardized tests. Students have individual passwords so that their progress can be recorded for their own reference as part of a personal plan. Their MyRoad username and password is now the same as their username password for College Board.
If you are interested in reading some of the material on MyRoad, you can access it without a password. Articles on pertinent college and career topics, interviews with a range of professionals and students, and descriptions of college programs are all available to you on www.MyRoad.com.
The Counseling Department is encouraging all students and parents to continue to use MyRoad this summer as it is a valuable resource as you navigate the college process.
FAMILY CONNECTION
In addition, this year the counselors introduced to the junior students Family Connection, which is a web-based program used to keep counselors and students connected and informed throughout the college admission process. We mailed a letter home to junior parents in January with the Spring Semester Counselor Letter explaining Family Connection in detail. Briefly, this is a comprehensive program that provides students with the opportunity to research colleges, compare their GPA/Standardized test scores with admission decisions of former SI students (since 2002) as they make their college application choices. Family Connection also allows students to keep track of college visits at SI and communicate with their counselor with ease.
To help make the registration process run smoothly, our students were asked to choose from at least two different registration workshops held throughout February in our computer labs or in the counseling center. Each counselor offered workshops to their own students. As of March 1st, most of our students are registered and have a username and password to access the site on the web. If you are a junior parent, please ask your son/daughter if they have registered and then ask them to show you the site. If they aren’t registered, have them see their counselor!!
The link to Family Connection is located on the SI Counseling Website. We put it there to make it easier for anyone who no longer has the information we provided during registration. We encourage the junior students to utilize Family Connection over the summer as they research their college choices.
HEALTH EDUCATION: Year at a Glance
Dear Parents,
I would like to review the year by highlighting what took place on some of our ‘meeting days’ as well as other events throughout the year. Our freshmen had the pleasure of learning about how to approach high school dances. Senior students from the ‘C’ is for Cookie club were able to speak to the freshmen about this on a meeting day in October. Another new group called SESS (Students Evaluating Sticky Situations) have taken the opportunity to enlighten the freshmen to help them make good choices when they’re with their friends.
The freshman class also witnessed an award-winning health education program sponsored by Kaiser Permanente called Secrets. Secrets is a ‘live’ theatre production which educates youth on the topic of HIV and AIDS. This production was viewed by the entire Student Body last year and each year the freshmen will have the opportunity to see it in order to be ‘up to speed’ with the rest of the school.
A new online alcohol education program called AlcoholEdu for High School was introduced to the freshmen. For the first time, high schools around the country are combating underage drinking with this online program designed specifically for today’s youth. AlcoholEdu for High School is a web-based prevention program that engages ninth-grade students with fact-and skills-based content and proven prevention techniques. It helps students manage the mixed messages they get in a culture that too often encourages, rather than discourages, underage drinking.
In the fall, a member of every family attended a mandatory parent meeting regarding stress and the various ways it influences the life of our students. Joe Connolly from goodparents, inc. presented three workshops on ‘Life in the Fast Lane.’ Mr. Connolly gave useful tips for parents to use to help their teens cope with stress and peer pressure without resorting to controlled substances or destructive behavior. He also gave parents advice on how to help teens make good decisions for themselves.
Mr. Connolly returned during January and February to present a class for parents entitled ‘3 Steps to Parenting Teens,’ which was well-received by almost 50 parents. This award- winning program gives parents the skills and tools needed to help their teens through the challenges of teen life and provides the foundation for a successful future. Mr. Connolly hopes to provide the class again each semester next year.
At the end of March, SI in conjunction with the S.F.P.D., S.F.F.D., and the California Highway Patrol staged a program entitled ‘Every 15 Minutes.’ The intent of the two-day program is to graphically illustrate to students all of the intricacies which take place before, during, and after a DUI crash occurs. Hopefully by now, you’ve probably spoken to your sons and daughters about this program which literally stunned them into reflecting upon and changing their behavior to live with competence, conscience, and compassion.
Late in April, a workshop for parents entitled ‘Creating Safe and Sacred Places’was held. Before Archbishop Levada left for his new position in Rome, he asked that all parents attend this workshop developed for prevention and education concerning sexual abuse.
Midway through May, a faculty and student team consisting of eight members will be attending a two-day conference entitled ‘SOS – Stressed-Out Students: Helping to Improve Health, School Engagement, and Academic Integrity’. The conference represents a collaborative effort between the School of Education at Stanford, the California Endowment, and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. Now in its third year, with over twenty-five participating schools, the SOS program addresses the growing concern that adolescents are often compromising their mental and physical health, personal values, and commitment to learning as they try to contend with the pressure for high achievement in U.S. schools. After the conference, the SOS Team will return to SI with strategies and an action plan for AY 2006 – 2007.
The Peer Assistance Program continues to build momentum! Eighteen students were trained in the fall and spring to be available to their peers. These students have worked hard to make themselves known to the greater student body and to make students feel welcome in our peer assistance room.
As a caring group of educators, the St. Ignatius Faculty will continue to talk with students about stress, alcohol and other drugs. We will continue to promote and enforce a "Drug Free" campus. We will enforce policy to ensure the safety of all students. In addition to all the academic reasons for your child’s being here, SI is committed to efforts that provide your student(s) with a balanced social, emotional, and physical education. Student health and wellness is as important to us as the "core" curriculum!
Sincerely,
Michael Thomas
BACCALAUREATE MASS & GRADUATION
Tickets for both events will be distributed to Seniors at the first graduation practice on Wednesday, May 31st. Six tickets will be given for the Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral on Thursday, June 1st at 7:30 P.M. Four tickets are allocated for the Graduation ceremony at St. Ignatius Church on Saturday, June 3rd at 10:30 A.M. Families who have requested additional Baccalaureate tickets will receive them by mail in mid-May.
THANK YOU TO THE GENEROUS MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2006 WHO HAVE GONE BEYOND OUR GRADUATION REQUIREMENT TO ACT FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE!
200 CLUB SERVICE HOURS(as of April 24, 2006)
Miguel Arenas |
Miranda Herrera Kirk Hilken Gabriel Ho Chris Hoffman Daniela Howard Amanda Ibisate Sean-Paul Jacobson Kaitlyn Johnson Robert Kelly Kristina Kirchgessner Lauren Kushner Laurel Lang Serene Lau Ashton Lee Ashton Leone Matthew Lew Stephen Li Robert Loftus Erik Loos Stephen Lopez Jaclyn Los Banos Kelly Lundy Siobhan Lynagh-Shannon Alison Lynch Felicia Ma Deborah Magsaysay Arek Malinowski Maria Martin Brittany Mauer Laura Maxwell Michael McQuiller Camila Mize Bef Mulugeta Dria Murphy Samuel Nelsen Nicholas O'Connell Catherine O'Mahoney Lauren Ogawa Allison Paver |
Jessica Perry Lauren Quach Ciara Quinlan Ian Randolph Christina Reggio Alexandra Reider Loretta Roddy Katherine Roessler Nicholas Roessler Ava Rosen Alexander Safronov Jared Salin Michael Santa Maria Maureen Schembri Emily Simpson Maya Simpson Paulina Singhapok William Stewart Sinks Taylor Smith Mira Stern Caroline Stone Misha Sundukovskiy Hillary Sy Ryan Taylor Kirsten Tiedje Stephanie Toman Celsa Tonelli Clare Toney Zoe Unruh David Uy Dominic Valentini Michelle Vinnicombe Scott Wardell Aaron Wu Robert Yam Kevin Yip Katrina Yupangco Elizabeth Zellerbach Paul Zmuda |
INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS STILL ACHIEVING THEIR SERVICE REQUIREMENT, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE CLASS OF 2007
Soon the Class of 2007 will be SENIORS!!! This means that the graduation requirement of service is due no later than August 24, 2006, registration day for next year.
Please take note of all the important dates coming up. If you have questions, please contact the Christian Service Center. Students who fail to complete this important requirement by the due date will be accountable to certain consequences, including a hold on student records and extra-curricular probation. Our hope is never to implement the consequences, and so we hope to work with all students who still need to accomplish their service activity.
Key Dates for Spring Semester:
May 24-Summer Core Registration Due Date (for students wishing to do summer service in conjunction with a reflection journal) Extensions for core registration and journal may be given if requested and approved by CSP office staff before this date. For office hours, see calendar on-line; appointments with staff are available in advance. (http://www.siprep.org/christian_service/Summer2004CoreRegistrationProcess.htm)
Two very helpful pages on the SI website provide support to junior students and their parents. We encourage you to browse our SI pages and, if you have questions, please let us know.
How fast this school year has gone! We are in the process of wrapping up another school year and planning for the next. It is amazing how much goes on at the Prep, especially these last few weeks. Graduation is just around the corner!!! The class of 2006 has shown great leadership and pride in all they have accomplished this year. Any questions regarding graduation can be answered by the Deans’ Office, ext. 243.
The magazine drive will return in the fall. As you know, this is the only student fundraiser we have. Please hold on to your renewals and we will be happy to renew them in September. We are using a new vendor this time, so look for some exciting changes and incentives for our students.
The key dates for next year are listed under the 2006 – 2007 School Calendar link on the web page. Please refer to that site when verifying dates for vacations, college visits, etc. Once again, thanks for your commitment to your children and for your wonderful support of all of our activities.
SPRING CHORAL CONCERT– Mrs. Janet Sablinsky
SI Choral Music is pleased to announce the Spring Choral Concert, to be held in Bannan Theater on Wednesday & Thursday, May 10th and 11th at 7 P.M. Tickets may be purchased at lunch in the Band Room or via the SI Fine Arts Website; all tickets are $6.00.
Our singers will be presenting a wide variety of choral music from the last two centuries of classical and popular music, including Cole Porter's "In the Still of the Night," a Choral Medley from the Broadway musical Chicago, the ageless "If Ever I Would Leave You" from Camelot, and Nick Strimple's beautiful composition based on "Psalm 133." There will be solos, duets and even a sextet on the program, besides our 3 octave English Handbells. We hope you will be able to join us in this celebration of song.
ASC: DRAGON BOAT RACES – Mrs. Grace Curcio
On Saturday, April 22nd, 19 members of SI’s Asian Students Coalition (ASC) participated in the 5th Annual Youth Dragon Boat Races, sponsored by the California Dragon Boat Association. Under the guidance of Coach Curtis Wong, these students practiced on six Sundays, then competed against schools with year-round teams. Despite these odds, and an under-staffed boat, our ASC battled a rough first heat to take 4th place in the semi-final round. The final race was the best surprise of the day. SI fought hard against the wind and, at the end of the day, our students earned a 2nd place finish in the novice division!
I am most proud, as always, of our students’ conduct. Coach Wong says he’s proud to be associated with such a hard-working, classy group. They represented SI impressively. Congratulations to the ASC Dragon Boat ‘Cats!
Dragon Boat Team Members:
|
Ron Alivia Melissa Bailey Courtney Chan Lisa Chan Stephen Dominguez Riza Inumerable Evan Kim Serene Lau Ben Lo Jarvis Mariategue |
Heather Mui Michelle Nguyen Jamie Rey Jon Rey Jason Tengco Eric Tom David Uy John Uy Priscilla Wong |
E-WASTE DRIVE: - Mr. Paul Totah
The efforts of the SI community paid off: 12,267 pounds of old computers, monitors, televisions, and other electronic devices were collected during the e-waste drive in April.
Instead of going into landfills, these old machines will be recycled into other useful items. For example, the firm that collected the monitors (HMR Group) will remove lead from the glass monitors, and recycling firms in Japan and Germany will turn the ground-up glass into bottles.
On behalf of Nature/Nexus coordinators Erin Hughes and Julienne Syme and Environmental Club leaders Shane Fallon and Alex Reider (all seniors), we thank you for supporting this important program.
JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE– Mrs. Mary McCarty
Junior Classical League took over 50 students to the State Convention.
182 Latin students took the National Latin Exam, and 112 won awards: 25 Gold Medals (Summa cum Laude), 26 Silver (Maxima cum Laude), 27 Magna Cum Laude, 34 cum Laude. This is the largest number taking, and placing, in the National Latin Exam in the past 4 years. Senior Jordan Knox won his fourth Gold medal.
A link to a list of all winners is at http://www.siprep.org/faculty/mmccarty/nlewinners.htm
TANZANIAN AIDS ORPHANS PROJECT - Mary Ahlbach, Project Coordinator
The SI Garage sale supporting the Tanzanian AIDS Orphans Project netted $4,200.
Thank you to all who donated. All the credit for the success of the sale goes to the students of the Social Justice Club (sale Chairpersons: Katherine Warren, Paul Zmuda, Jared Salin and Matt Terrizzi) and especially SI parents: Margaret and Dan Daly; Kirsten McCarthy, and Sue Dudum. Thank you for your heroic efforts!! A huge job well done!
STUDENT BODY OFFICERS FOR 2006-2007:
Congratulations to these new leaders of SI! Please give them your support.
| PRESIDENT: | Ramzi Dudum |
| VICE PRESIDENT: | Ben Lo |
| SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: | Kelly Conley |
| TREASURER: | Madeleine Moore |
| SECRETARY: | Jack Casey |
The following students were not elected but I congratulate them on putting their name forward: Becky Martinez, Joe Tursi, Clancy McCartney, Ryan Aguirre, Lisa Chan. It takes much courage to run for office.
2006 BOYS STATE - Paul Capitolo, S.J., Coordinator
The following Juniors will attend Boys State in Sacramento from June 18th through
June 24th.
|
Ryan Aguirre Haldavid Cope Christian Habelt |
David Kolenda Hunter Leese Fred Madigan |
John Stanley Danny Tate |
ST. IGNATIUS SUMMER PROGRAMS – Mrs. Barbara Talavan
Information about our summer programs and registration forms can be downloaded from our site at www.siprep.org/summer. There is still room available in all of our programs:
E-mail your questions to summerschool@siprep.org or call 415-731-7500 x 288 and leave a message.
