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Nashua Catholic
Regional Jr. H.S. Newsletter
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December Newsletter 2009
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From the Principal:
Dear Parents and Students,
As we make our way to the Christmas Holidays,
we have a number of important events of which we want you to be
aware. As previously announced, our Dec. 20 Field Trip to Concord for
7th Graders has been moved up to Dec. 4. Our 8th Graders will be
going to the Palace Theatre on Dec. 20 as previously scheduled.
On Dec. 6, NC will be hosting another Open
House for new students. This Sunday event was highly successful last
year and we hope this year's sunday event will be equally successful.
So, spread the good news about Nashua Catholic to family, friends and
neighbors alike and tell them about this special additional Open House!
On Dec. 8, the Music and Art Departments
will be co-sponsoring our annual Winter Arts Festival. Come and
support the fine efforts of our Music and Art students for an evening of
fun and entertainment from 6-8PM.
Parents are respectfully asked to please
adhere to our start times in the morning. Homeroom begins at
8AM. All students should be in homeroom at 8AM sharp to be present
for all homeroom activities. Our Cafe door will be locked at
8AM. So, students not in the building by then are late for
school.
For those interested, the Diocese of
Manchester has published the Catholic Schools Annual Report for
2008-2009. The report is available online and can be viewed at www.catholicnh.org
Parents are also reminded that Dec. 23 is
another Early Release day. Students will be dismissed for the
Christmas Break at 11:30AM.
Not to look too far ahead but, parents of
8th graders who intend to send their child to a Catholic High School, may
want to start thinking about applying for the Helen J. Horan
Scholarship. This 4 year scholarship is awarded to a deserving 8th
grader who intends to continue his/her education at any Catholic high
school of choice. All application materials can be found on the
school website.
On behalf of the Administration and
Faculty, I want to wish all parents, students and their families a very
Blessed Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
Peace,
Thomas Kelleher, Principal
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Student Spotlight:
NC First Lego Leaguers Shine!
The "Randomnators" - NC's First Lego Leaguq Team -
recently won First Place in the Robot Performance competition at the NH
State FFL Tournament Qualification Event held at Bishop Guertin High
School. In addition, the Randomnators also won the Champion's Award.
This award is presented to the event's overall winner and is based
on scores in four categories: robot performance, robot technical
design, project presentation and teamwork. Congrats Randomnator team
members Patrick Dowling, Saswat Bhattacharya, Mitchel
Nash, Peter Brooks, Neil Kovummal, and Philip McDuffee for their
pursuit of excellence and a job well done.
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Classical Studies
Club at NC!
Our newly formed
Classical Studies Club is
a go!!
The club's first meeting
is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 2:45 in room 401. This
exploratory club will delve into the art, culture, history and language of
Ancient Greece and Rome. BG National Honor Society students will
serve as student advisors and Mrs. Donna Brink will be a parent volunteer
supervisor. Mr. Dan Gioffre, classical studies teacher at BG, will
oversee the club and its activities. All students who are interested
in expanding their minds, acquiring new knowledge and academic skills are
invited to join. We hope this new club and experience for our
students will allow us to offer Latin again as part of our World Language
Curriculum starting next Fall.
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Winter Arts
Festival
The Winter Arts Festival featuring performances by Nashua Catholic's
Band and Chorus will be held on Tuesday, December 8 from 6-8PM. The
evening will also include an exhibit of artwork by 7th grade students
including pieces on self expression, drawing studies and visual
impressions. We hope you'll join us!
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Academic News:
From the Theology
Department:
Advent, a season of hopeful anticipation as we await the coming of our
savior! May the next coming weeks find you remembering the reason for the Christmas
season and drawing close to your faith by acts of prayer, charity, and
service. This year, the Nashua Catholic faculty and staff are revisiting
the theological and cardinal virtues for ongoing spiritual formation.
Studying the virtues of faith, hope, charity, justice, prudence, fortitude,
and temperance will imform, form, and transform our faculty and staff so
that we can continue to be positive role models and effective Catholic
educators for your children. This month we will focus on charity. Charity
is a theological virtue fused into our soul at baptism. St. Paul calls this
the greatest and most precious of all virtues. The Catechism of the
Catholic Church states that "charity is the virtue by which we love
God above all things and our neighbors as ourselves for the love of
God" (CCC. 1822). Charity inspires us to acts of joy, peace, and mercy
and helps us in promoting the Kingdom of God by practicing the spiritual
and corporal works of mercy. Please have a discussion at home with your child
about modeling the virtue of charity this month. Virtues are good acts that
must be practiced every day. The more our students practice good acts, the
more virtuos they will become! Pax vobiscum, Glenda McFadden
Corporal Works of
Mercy in Action!
Miss O'Brien's
Theology class will be "friending" a cancer patient for the
remainder of the year! Candace Moore is a 13 year old being treated at the
Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock for cancer of the muscles. This
is a rare childhood form of cancer. The class is thrilled to be apart of
her life and is looking forward to help in any way they can! Updates will
be provided as the year continues! If you wish to help please contact Miss
O'Brien!
From the English
Department :
The Writers Club
has begun meeting on Tuesdays from 2:45 until 3:30. Any students (or
parents) who have a sincere interest in writing are welcome. The club
is lead by Mrs. Philion and meets in her room - Room 403. Literature
students in 7th and 8th grade are studying short stories, myths, fables,
and folktales. The 8th graders are studying "A Christmas
Carol" and looking forward to attending the performance in
Manchester. The 7th graders are reading the short stories that will
be performed in Concord on December 4. We would like to wish all of
you a happy, peaceful, and blessed holiday season.
From the History
Department:
The History
Department will be holding the annual Geography Bee on the 21st and 22nd of
December, with the run-off to be held on the 23rd. This is a fun way
to end the week as everyone is getting ready to celebrate the
holidays. All students will be participating in this bee.
In addition, the
8th grade will be starting their long-term project on Monday the 7th,
finishing it on January 7, 2010. Please speak with your student to
get all of the information.
Have a wonderful
holiday season.
Mrs. Sevigny
Ms. O'Brien
Mr. Abercrombie
Mr. Westwood
From the
Mathematics Department:
Congratulations to our first group of school wide winners from November's
Catholic Math League. On the Math 7 test, we congratulate in first place
John Deschenes, second place Michael Nash and third place Kurt Rockstrom.
On the Prealgebra test, first place goes to Sarah Smythe, second place to
Marie Bonin, Molly McCabe, Emily Murphy and Alison Hoffer and third place
goes to Mitchell Hullihen, Shefali Mangtani and Udhay Vijay. Finally, on
the Algebra 1 test first place goes to Anji Radakrishnan, second place to
Stacie Cornell and Joanna Song and third place goes to Saswat Bhattacharya.
Nice job all! Next test date is December 16th.
Mathcounts Club is BACK!!
Our Mathcounts club is back and promises to be better than ever! Thanks to
our 7th grade dad, Mr. Yemme, who has agreed to be the coach for this team.
He is fortunate to have the assistance of two "experienced" 8th
grade dads, Mr. Hebert and Mr. Radakrishnan. If you love a mathematical
challenge, come and check out this club. Meetings will be held on Friday
afternoons from 2:30 until 3:30 during the months of December, January and
part of February. Team competition is in early February where we are sure
our students will once again shine! Anyone may sign up with Mrs. Parolin to
be part of the club. The first meeting will be held on December 4th.
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High School Recommendations!
Parents of our 8th
Graders are reminded that high school recommendation forms must be turned
into the main office asap! Deadlines are approaching and faculty and administrators
need adequate time to properly complete recommendation forms for your
child. Recommendations play a key role in the admissions process to
many area private secondary schools.
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Steve Granata Wows
Student Body
Steve Granata, a nationally
known school assembly speaker, recently wowed the student body at Nashua
Catholic by incorporating his mesmerizing basketball skills
into a captivating and exciting presentation that addressed such important
issues as building self esteem, self confidence, cultivating a
positive work ethic, the importance of family and the ability to
see the handiwork of God in all those in whom we come in
contact.
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Educational
Outfitters / CustomLogo Outfitters
14A Broad St.,
Nashua - (603)880-3800
http://www.eo-ne.com
December Sale -
Now through 12/31/09!
10% OFF on all
uniform basics (shirts, pants, shorts, jackets, skirts, skorts, jumpers,
sweaters)!
15% OFF on all
shoes!
Also: 40% OFF on
Jersey Knit Polo's in Selected Colors only, while supplies last!
Short Sleeve Youth
Sizes: Regular $12.99 / NOW $7.79
Short Sleeve Adult
Sizes: Regular $15.99 / NOW $9.59
Long Sleeve Youth
Sizes: Regular $15.99 / NOW $9.59
Long Sleeve Adult
Sizes: Regular $18.99 / NOW $11.39
Remember: we carry
a full line of plaid accessories such as lunch boxes, backpacks, and hair
accessories which make great Christmas Stocking Stuffers!
Don't forget to
tell your friends that Educational Outfitters is now the Nashua Area's supplier
for Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Boy Scouts Uniforms, merchandise, and
books! We're glad to help out your troop with any of their needs!
See you soon,
Kerstin and Mike
You can always
visit us on-line at www.eo-ne.com
We are open 6 days
a week including until 8PM on Thursdays for the convenience of our
customers.
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Athletic News:
Our Winter
Sports teams have been picked. Boys and girls basketball play most Mondays
and Thursdays, first game begins at 3:30, second game follows right
after. Girls play first on Mondays, boys play first on Thursdays.
The wrestling program continues to flourish. We have 28 boys
wrestling at this time, with a good handful of 5th and 6th graders coming
from St. Christopher and Infant Jesus schools. We have home meets
this month on Dec 7th and 22nd. First match begins at 3:30.
A special ask! Our teams are in need of either safety equipment or
replacement uniforms. We need mats for the cheerleading team and
shirts for the softball team. If you are in a position or know
someone who might be able to help out please pass along our needs.
Thank you!
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Hearts to Hands
Service Club News
Don't Forget the Popcorn/Bake Sale Friday December 11th
Thanks to all people who baked/purchased/donated to our November sale. We
were VERY successful and look forward to another wonderful sale. Anyone
interested in sending in baked goods can do so. Mrs. Kirkwood is accepting
your delicious goodies Friday morning. We like our items to be individually
wrapped for sale during lunch. Thanks, as always, for your support!
Christmas Shopping for Needy Families
We will be shopping and wrapping for some needy families in the Nashua area
over the next few weeks. Thanks to all who will be asked to help in this
endeavour. See Mrs. Parolin for more details.
Nashua Pastoral Care Center Penny Pickers
Thanks to the following students for their help in the penny picking effort
in support of Nashua's Pastoral Care Center - Elizabeth Rossi, Sarah
Smythe, Katherine Mail and Emily Lennon gave up their time on a beautiful
November afternoon and helped in this effort.
Nashua Exchange Club
Thanks to the following students for their help in the annual Ski/Skate
Swap for the Exchange Club of Nashua - Emily Lennon, Alison Hoffer, Emily
Murphy and Alison Hebert. They were runners and helped in many ways to
assist club members in performing many functions during the very busy afternoon
during Thanksgiving weekend. Once again, our students made us proud!
Christmas Ornaments for Sale
The Hearts to Hands Service Club is selling Christmas ornaments once again
for $5 each. These beautiful handcrafted ornaments are on display on Mrs.
Kirkwood's tree in the lobby. What a great Christmas gift idea for your
student as a way to commemorate their time at Nashua Catholic. They are
available on a first come first served basis. Shop early - and thanks!
Hat and Mitten Drive
Our annual hat/mitten drive is ongoing. We are seeking new hats or mittens
- any size or style. These warm items adorn our foyer for the next few
weeks and then are donated to area agencies in need of warm clothing items.
Anyone who knows of an agency in need, please contact Mary Kirkwood. Our
last date for donations is December 16, 2009. Once again, our gratitude to
all who remember our organization during this busy holiday season!
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Development News:
Annual Father/Daughter Dance will take place on Saturday, January 16th,
7-10p, NC gym. Dads mark your calendars. Dancing all night,
with light refreshments being served, including world renowned NC
popcorn!!! Certainly an event you don't want to miss.
The Eighth Annual Fashion Show and Silent Auction is in full swing.
Model sign-ups will take place after the holidays. Don't fret you
haven't missed the fun! However, some committees are in hitting the
pavement as we speak, write. The Program Committee is seeking
organizations, companies or professional offices to take out ads in this
years play bill. We will send out a separate news item with all
pertinent information. The Silent Auction Committee is also seeking
items for the auction portion of the evening. Gift certificates,
sports memorabilia, tickets to special events, either concerts, plays or
sporting events all make great items. Jewelry and small theme baskets
also get great attention. You may connect with the following committee
members with any questions you may have.
Bob Boissonneault rbsnlt@ncrjhs.org
Christine Lachiusa (Fashion show chair) christine@lachiusa.net
Julie Parolin (Silent Auction) jparolin@ncrjhs.org
Kristine Reilly (Program) kristinereilly@comcast.net
Catholic Schools Night at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester.
Nashua Catholic will be participating in a great family night out.
The Manchester Monarchs Hockey team has once again offered special rates
for our school. This years date is Saturday, January 23rd. It
so happens to coincide with the start of Catholic Schools week, (January
25-29). Tickets are only $12 each. Call or email Mr B for more
information or to purchase tickets. Did we mention they make great
stocking stuffers!!!
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Admissions News:
INTERVIEWS/OPEN HOUSE for 6th Graders and Parents at NCRJHS
Nashua Catholic Open House
Sunday, December 6, 2009
12:30-2:00
Tours - Faculty Available
We ask our parents and friends to help us "call by name" all
those who may have interest in the values and academic level we try to
maintain here at Nashua Catholic.
Note: If you have a 6th grader in public school, please request an
application from Mrs. Kirkwood mkirkwood@ncrjhs.org - so your
student's name can be placed on our mailing list.
Our THIRD ANNUAL ADMISSIONS LEADS RAFFLE is now underway!
WIN $200 Toward NC Tuition!
*No tickets to buy!
*Recommend Nashua Catholic
*All Applications received between October 1, 2009 and April 30, 2010
listing you as the recommending family will earn you a NC Raffle ticket.
*No limits
This is NC's way of thanking you for being GREAT!
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After School
Reminders
A reminder to
parents to please discuss your child's after school schedule with
him/her. Students have many options after school: extra help,
silent study, sports, clubs, meetings, etc., but must be in SUPERVISED
areas/activities.
Students are always welcome to come to
Café/Extended Day before and after activities. Café/Extended Day
offers a safe, supervised place to catch up on homework, have a snack,
socialize, etc. With permission, students may call you/receive calls
to confirm transportation arrangements. This is especially helpful as
the winter (and dark skies) approach! Please continue to drive up
along the black fencing in front of the Cafeteria (Bartlett Avenue).
When we see your car, we will call out the make and model, and your student
may go out to meet you (if they are with us in Café). Please feel
free to call your child's cell phone when you arrive (especially when it is
dark out). Occasionally, the Extended Day (after 3:30pm) group makes
use of the gym for recreation time. We will frequently check outside
along the fence and announce cars.
Finally, as the winter approaches, please plan for alternate transportation
arrangements in cases of inclement weather when school needs to be closed
early. We want everyone (students, teachers and staff) to be able to
get home safely.
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Celebrations Menus
Please find the following
links for the Nashua Catholic menus and order form for Jan and Feb
2010.
If you have
questions regarding the menu, contact Tina in the cafeteria.
http://celebrationsmenu.com/pdf/NashCath/Jan10_menu.pdf
http://celebrationsmenu.com/pdf/NashCath/Feb10_menu.pdf
http://celebrationsmenu.com/pdf/NashCath/Jan10_form.pdf
Please note that
these menus are readily available from the website at any time for your
convenience.
Katherine Bennett
Celebrations
Distinctive Catering, Inc.
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Calendar:
December 2009
4 Play in Concord, NH - 7th Grade Field Trip
6 Open
House for New Students 12:30 -2:00
8 Mass
9:00 All are welcome!
8 Winter
Arts Festival 6-8 Cafeteria
16 Progress
Reports - sign and return
18 Play at the
Palace in Manchester - 8th Grade Class Field Trip
23 Early
Release 11:30
Merry Christmas!
January 2010
4 Welcome Back Nashua Catholic
11 Fashion Show
"Design the Cover" Art Contest starts - See Mrs. Ouellette or Mr.
"B"
16
Father/Daughter Dance 7:00-10:00
18 No School
22 No School
for 7th and 8th Grade. This is Step-Up Day for All 6th Grade Students
who have applied to Nashua Catholic for the 2010-2011 year.
23 Monarch's
Hockey Game 7:00 with special section for Nashua Catholic/ Catholic
Schools. Tickets at NC
25-29 Catholic Schools Week
28 Mass 9:00 All are welcome!
Qtr. 2 Report Cards Issued - Parent pick up or
note to office for student to take home.
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Peace and
Blessings,
Thomas Kelleher
Nashua Catholic Regional Jr. H.S.
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