ACADEMIC AWARDS will be given on Tuesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Garaventa Center.  We will honor students in Grades 9 – 12 for academic excellence in courses offered at Carondelet.  You will receive an invitation in the mail if your daughter is receiving an award.

FINAL EXAMS are scheduled for Seniors on May 19, 20 and 21.  (Seniors will be dismissed on these days AFTER announcements).  Freshman, Sophomore and Junior FINAL EXAMS will take place on June 3, 4, 5. 

FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE SENIORS

FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE JUNIORS, SOPHOMORES and FRESHMEN

The scheduling process for 2009 – 2010 is nearly complete.  We have checked prerequisites and graduation requirements.  We have obtained departmental and deans’ recommendations and have determined course availability.    Schedules will be sent out during the second week of June with directions on requesting any changes, summer reading lists and purchasing textbooks.  Please follow all procedures carefully.  Final assignments will be based on space availability as determined by the administration, graduation requirements, and course prerequisites.  At the request of the administration or deans, students may be scheduled only on the Carondelet campus.

Report cards will be sent out during the second week of June.  Students will be able to see their final grades as well as final exam grades on PowerSchool by June 9 at 9:00 a.m.

Students who will be enrolling in summer school classes, either to remediate grades or complete prerequisites for desired courses, MUST have prior permission from their academic advisor in order for credit to appear on their transcript.  Summer school is required for make up of any “F” grades earned during the school year.  If this is a possibility, please enroll in summer school now. Students who earn “D” grades may wish to retake courses in summer school as Colleges and Universities will not accept “D” grades in entrance required courses.   Local public schools offer limited summer school courses in many areas and are not required to accept private school students for enrollment.  DVC, LMC and a variety of online courses (as outlined in the student planner) are options to fulfill summer school.  Please ask your daughter to see her advisor if she needs assistance with summer school registration.

1. Body Piercing – Pierced jewelry is allowed only in the ears. Please do not allow your daughter to come to school with her eyebrows, nose or other body parts pierced. Your daughter will not be permitted to class if she attends school with these body ornaments.
    
2. Parking structure - There have been some close calls within the parking structure. Please do not drop off or pick up your daughter in the parking structure at any time during the school day.
    
3. Warm weather – Your daughters must stay in their uniforms while school is in session. This includes while they are taking classes at De La Salle. The teachers from DLS have commented on the girls’ attire and their uniform attire, or lack thereof, while on the DLS campus.
    
4. Cell phones – Please do NOT call or text message your daughters during the school day on their cell phones. Students must have written permission signed by a parent/guardian to leave campus. This must be submitted to Mrs. Menconi in the Attendance Office BEFORE leaving campus. Mrs. Menconi will issue an official pass to leave. Students may be put on probation if they leave without a pass from the Attendance Office.
    
5. Driving in the neighborhood - Please slow down when driving in the neighborhood. We understand that your daughter wants to be on time for class but this should not be at the risk for someone to get hurt.  If your daughter is late, have her come to the Attendance Office to check in.
    
6. De La Salle - DLS has requested that you do not pick up your daughter on their campus. Carondelet and De La Salle do the best job possible to relieve the traffic congestion. Please be patient when picking up your child or pick them up at a later time when the traffic is not as busy.

Thanks for your support.

Julie Perry and Stephanie Majoy
Deans of Students
Carondelet High School

Many thanks go out to Rosanna Gastello for chairing a wonderful Father/Daughter Liturgy on March 8th! Our daughters were able to share some special time bonding with the most important men in their lives during a spirit filled morning.

Grad Night is Just Around the Corner, But You Still Have Time to Earn 2008–2009 PIP Hours!

Volunteers are needed to help ensure this night is a success. Please consider donating your time and talent to this exciting event. Volunteer forms are available in the school office. If you have any questions or would like more information about volunteering, please contact CHS co-chairs Mary V. Atkins or Luisa Carnathan at chsdlsgradnight09@yahoo.com and please put “volunteer” in the subject line.

We are also in need of gift card donations in small amounts like $5 or $10 for places like Starbucks, Borders, gas stations, etc. You may place your gift cards or donations in an envelope marked “Grad Night Gift Card Donation” and drop it by the Main office. If you have questions about donations, please contact Dorothy Kennon at chsdlsgradnight09@yahoo.com and please put “donation” in the subject line.

News and Notes

Watch for reminders, updates and reservation announcements on the CHS website Parents' Association Page. If you would like to be a part of the planning and preparation for any of our events, please contact the chairperson. A listing of our board members and committee chairs can be accessed on the web page.

Watch for information next month on openings for our Parents' Association Board and Committees! Start thinking about being a part of this fun-filled, dedicated and wonderful group of parents! It’s a great way to support CHS and develop long-lasting friendships!

You might wonder why, given the state of the economy, you are continuing to receive requests to make a donation to the Annual Appeal and support Visions of Christmas and the Golf Tournament.  The simple answer is that now, more than ever, the School needs to deliver to your daughters the programs and facilities that you have come to expect from a Carondelet education at a tuition level that is in the mid-range for Bay Area Catholic schools.  Supplementing tuition revenues with event and fund-raising income spreads the financial burden over the broader school community of alumnae and their parents, friends, charitable foundations and businesses, and allows those who have resources available to support CHS to receive some tax relief.

Even in a challenging economy, there are ways to support Carondelet with minimal impact on your pocketbook.  Using E-Scrip, SchoolPop (now known as One Cause) or Lucky/SaveMart’s SHARES card costs you nothing, but directs dollars to go to the school.  Searching the web using GoodSearch (www.GoodSearch.com) generates about a penny per search for CHS.  You can also encourage other family members and friends to use these programs on Carondelet’s behalf. 

If your employer provides a charitable matching gift program, you can double and sometimes triple whatever you can afford to give.  You can divide a gift into manageable installments by going to the school website, clicking on the “Donate Now” button, and setting up a secure recurring payment plan.  If you are already a regular United Way or workplace campaign donor, you can designate Carondelet as the recipient of all or a portion of your payroll deduction gifts.  You can donate that vehicle that has become a maintenance headache.  If you are employed by Chevron, the Chevron Humankind Program will provide Carondelet with a $500 grant if you complete your required 20 PIP hours (or $1,000 if you complete at least 40 hours).

For more information about any of these methods, please contact Pat Larsen, Director of Development at 686-5353 x150 or plarsen@carondeleths.org, or check out the Development section of the school website.

Academic Awards and Senior Scholarship Evening

We are pleased to announce that our annual Awards Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. You will receive an invitation in the mail if your daughter will be receiving an award. We kindly request that all families who receive an invitation, respond by returning the RSVP card included in the invitation. We are looking forward to this special event, when we honor students from 9th through 12th grades for their academic achievements in subject areas and for academic excellence with a cumulative 4.0 GPA.

Our graduating seniors will be recognized for their membership in the California Scholarship Federation as well as the National Honor Society, and for their civic achievements. Seniors will also be honored for the scholarships that they have been offered by the college that they will be attending.

These awards are meant to be a surprise. Please do not call the school to ask what award(s) your daughter will be receiving. School personnel do not have this information, or may not share it with you.

Students should remember to dress appropriately. Dressing properly shows respect for those students receiving hard-earned awards. Students should refrain from wearing flip- flops, very short skirts or dresses, or revealing outfits. Also, they should refrain from chewing gum.

We urge you to stay for the entire program. It is distracting and disrespectful to have members of the audience leaving while students are receiving awards or while presenters are speaking at the microphone. We look forward to seeing you at this special evening.
 

We realize that the economic crisis has touched most people in some way or another.  Families are cutting back on spending, many people have dealt with job loss, and some are struggling to keep their homes.  This has put a great deal of stress on parents as well as their teens.  Adults tend to get preoccupied with income, or lack of income, the monthly bills, and the family budget.  In trying to provide for their family, they may forget that tough times have an emotional as well as a financial impact on everyone in the family.

Teens typically experience the tough times secondhand through Mom and Dad.  They may or may not understand the emotions their parents feel.  They may need help in finding ways to cope and contribute in this new situation.

The key is for grownups to take an optimistic approach and to focus on what they have rather than what they don’t have.  Some tips include:

·                    Start by helping yourself first.  Eat right and get plenty of rest and exercise.  Encourage your teen to do the same.

·                    Communicate.  Share what’s happening and how you feel in an age-appropriate way with your teen.  Too much information may cause undue anxiety.  Listen and support others in your family.

·                    Work together to economize, conserve and utilize resources.   Turn off lights, TVs or other electronics not in use.  Take shorter showers, utilize leftovers, and eat more meals at home.  Review the costs of cable, phone, internet, newspaper, and magazine usage with the family.   Talk about family spending priorities. 

·                    Try to keep major changes to a minimum.  If that is unavoidable, teens need to be prepared.  Parents should talk to teens about the changes to give them time to adjust.

·                    Spend time together doing low-cost or no-cost activities like taking a walk, reading a book, playing cards or a board game, etc…..

·                    Remind your teen that you are working together as a family and they are not alone.

·                    Remember to have fun as a family.

Mary Ahern, MSW
Stacie Besagno, MS

ASB and Class Elections took place on April 1.  Congratulations to all the candidates elected to office.

Inductions took place on April 30, where the newly elected councils were sworn in and we said good bye to our current ASB, SLC, class councils, NHS and Peer Counselors.

The CIA “Cougars in Action”, which is comprised of the Spiritual Life Council, ASB Council and frosh, Soph, Junior and Senior Class councils, will have their annual Leadership Retreat on June 8, at San Damiano in Danville from 8:30-2:30 p.m.

2009-2010 ASB, SLC and Class Councils