Celebrating the Year of Mercy
On Tuesday, December 8th, the Church opened the Year of Mercy in response to the wishes and reflections of Pope Francis.  We invite all of you to become familiar with the Year of Mercy by watching this short Youtube reflection.
Please click here for video.

Michael shares: "My most powerful encounter with Jesus was during Confession. I shared my sins and struggles with the priest, and as he prayed over me, I saw myself at the foot of the cross. Christ looked down at me, spoke to me personally with love and forgiveness, offered his healing and asked me to repent and accept it. He invited me to live in love with him. That encounter changed my life. To know God, to experience his mercy so deeply that I still feel it - there's nothing else like it."
Encountering God's mercy is a beautiful, powerful experience. Are you open to allowing God to transform your life? As Pope Francis reminds us, God's mercy transformed the lives of Zacchaeus, Matthew, Mary Magdalene, Peter, the repentant thief, and so many more. You are no exception!
Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him. Show us your face and we will be saved. Amen. Click here to view A Guide to Confession,

Information will be posted on the school website and a Parent Announce Email and Text Message will be sent regarding any school closings or delayed openings.

Seton Theatre Company will proudly present "The Real Queens of Drama", a production written, performed and directed by the students. It's a play intended to share what it's like to be a teenage girl today. It is comprised of a series of skits highlighting various issues that any girl can relate to: peer pressure, bullying, stress, body image to name a few. Tickets are $5 and will be available for purchase before school and at all lunches in the Guidance Office starting Tuesday. Come out and support the Seton Theatre Company in its first production of the year!

LEAD and LAW - Jan. 26 at 6:30pm in the library.  All parents who wish their daughter to pursue a summer internship in LEAD or LAW must attend this meeting.

PHARMACY - Jan. 26 at 7:15 in the library.  All parents who wish their daughter to pursue an internship in Pharmacy must attend this meeting.

If you are interested in playing Lacrosse, there will be a mandatory meeting for all parents and athletes this Thursday, January 21 in the Brooks Center at 6:00 pm. Come meet our new Varsity Lacrosse Coach as well as discuss the upcoming costs for the season.

Roadrunners for the Cure is selling Candy Grams for Valentine's Day.  Candy Grams are $3.00 and can be purchased by students or parents from Mrs. Woodard in the Main Office.  If parents/guardians would like to purchase a candy gram send $3.00 to the Main Office with your name, and the name of the student (printed) and any message you would like to include.  Students will also sell Candy Grams during lunch and before school in the lobby.  Sales will start next Monday, January 26 and will run through Wednesday, February 10.  Candy Grams will be delivered to Advisories on February 12.  All proceeds from the sale of Candy Grams will go to Carly.

Prince George's County Government in Partnership with PGCC, MNCPPC, Department of Park and Recreation, Prince George's County Roundtable and the Chamber of Commerce are offering a Summer Youth Enrichment Program (SYEP) that will guarantee youth ages 15-19 a summer job.  Available jobs would be varied and have options with the Parks & Recreation, County Government, Chamber of Commerce or other opportunities.  The program would require the youth to attend 4 training sessions - the closest one to University Park would be at Northwestern High School offered between 1/23 & 5/14.  Specific dates on online.   If you are interested for your youth, check out the link below.  Registration can be done line by clicking here or you can call 301-546-1580 with questions.
 
http://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/sites/summeryouth/Pages/default.aspx

Please click hereto view cafeteria menu.

The Seton Theatre Company is in need of parent volunteers to help build and paint sets/props for our upcoming January production. We will be working on the projects over the holiday break. If you are handy with tools or a paint brush and would like to support our theater club, please email Jodie Johnson, the club moderator, at jjohnson@setonhs.org for more details. Any time you donate will count toward your volunteer hours. Thank you!
 

Please contact the ESHS PCO at pco.setonhs.org or visit the Parent Organization page located at www.setonhs.org > About Us for more PCO information or please click here.
 

1. The next Driver's Education class of the year will extend from January 25th through February 12th from 3 to 5:00 p.m. daily.
2. Six hours of driving will be scheduled independently with each student in addition to the above classroom time.
3. The course costs $340.00.  Tuition payments must be current in order for a student to enroll in the class.
4. The company we use is Arrive Alive Driving School, Inc., 104 Old Largo Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774, 301-350-9575

Make checks payable to Arrive Alive Driving School, Inc. Payment is due the first day of class.
Students must sign up in the Main Office by January 24th.
 

This scholarship is for High School seniors who want to major in Education and become a school teacher.   Please click here for full details and application form. More details are available on http://www.pgpsra.org/.

This year we can continue our year of gratitude by taking time to thank Mrs. Leeanna Burke for her steadfast, selfless, supportive service to Elizabeth Seton High School.  Mrs. Burke has made the decision to retire at the end of this year.  We all have been touched by the dedication and devotion that exemplifies her more than 30 years at Seton. She has done just about every job at Seton, whether in her job description or not, because she wants Seton to be a home to everyone who comes here and a place of joy and happiness.  There are no words to describe what she has done, but I am sure that she will be happy just to receive back the smile that she always gives to everyone else.
As we move into this year, Seton will be conducting a search for a Dean of Academics.  Applicants can be directed to About Us-Employment on our website.

B'nai B'rith International is pleased to announce a call for submissions for our scholarship contest, the Diverse Minds Writing Challenge. This innovative competition, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, asks high school students in your community to write and illustrate a children's book that tells a story of tolerance, diversity or inclusion.
Students currently enrolled in the 9th - 12th grades in DCPS, MCPS and PGCPS are eligible to participate. The first place-winning individual or team will receive a college scholarship of $5,000, and B'nai B'rith will professionally publish the winning submission - making the student a published author!  Submissions placing second and third will also receive scholarships. In addition, the teacher of the student(s) who place first will receive a $1,000 stipend and the school will receive a $500 grant. The submission deadline is March 18, 2016.
For more information and details please refer to the attached flyer and visit our website at www.bnaibrith.org/diverseminds. If you have any questions please call Laura Jesser on 323-308-0195 or diverseminds@bnaibrith.org. We are excited to continue bringing the Challenge to your area and look forward to a positive response from your community.
 

In keeping with our objective of empowering our girls, Seton Diamonds Club has secured Annapolis Defense and Security to conduct "Fight Like A Girl", a 2-part self defense workshop focused on teaching women and girls what they should pay attention to in their surroundings and relationships, as well as things they can do to protect themselves. In addition to the lecture, they will do a 2-hour demonstration class where instructors will teach maneuvers that can be used in the event of danger. We will break these sessions up into 2 separate days. The breakdown of the program is as follows:

Classroom Portion (Friday, January 29, 2016, 3-5pm):
(Approximately 2 hours)
Roommates & new friends
Dorm Life
Parking areas & common spaces
Social Settings
Red flags in unhealthy relationships
Date rape
Trusting your senses
Discussion of strikes, elbows, kicks and how to use your voice as a tool
 
Hands on Portion (Friday, February 5, 2016, 3-5pm):
(Approximately 2 hours)
Basic strikes
Basic knees
Basic elbows
Heel palm strikes
Reverse elbow strike
Weak & strong spots
Striking do's and don'ts
Car drills - trunk release, how to disable a light/signal when in a trunk, how to stop an abduction when you are in your car.
 
Here is a link to a news story done on the program:

http://annapolisdefense.com/women-only-fight-like-a-girl/

The cost per student is $55 (normally $125). Because we have a very large group this year and there is a limited student to instructor ratio, we will need to do this on a first come/first serve basis. Once slots are filled, the workshops will close. If you are interested in having your daughter participate, please print, sign and return the attached waiver and consent form along with payment (checks made out to ESHS; Diamonds Self-Defense in memo) no later than Friday, January 15. We must have both forms AND payment in order to secure your daughter's spot.

Thanks for all of your support,
Jodie Johnson, Club Moderator

Forms:
Seton Diamonds Self Defense Permission Form
Self Defense Waiver

Historic Prince George's County Rotary Club Foundation
2016 Post-Secondary Scholarships
SCHOLARSHIP TO BE AWARDED: One (1) Post-Secondary Scholarship of $2,500 to a high school senior.
Eligible applicants must reside within Prince George's County, be a graduating high school senior, and be enrolling in an accredited US college, university or technical school for 2016-2017. The HPGC Rotary Club Foundation Scholarship Committee will review all applications for qualified applicants. The front-runners will be interviewed by the Scholarship Committee prior to the final selection.
Scholarship funds will be sent to the academic institution of the winning scholar to cover tuition, room, board and books.
Please click here for full details and application form.
Please note the closing date for applications is January 20.

The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians (LAOH) invites students to participate in our annual Irish History Essay Contest.  The LOAH is a group of Roman Catholic women  dedicated to fostering Irish heritage and traditions as well as "making a difference" in the world through Catholic Action projects and charitable donations.  This essay contest provides students nationwide with an opportunity to polish their competitive essay-writing skills. Five national awards will be announced on March 31st 2016 and winning essay writers will receive cash prizes ranging from $100 to $1000.

The 2015 - 2016 topic is "The Involvement of Women in the 1916 Easter Rising."  The contest rules include:

Essays must be from high-school students
Essays should be between 750 and 1,500 words
Essays must be received by February 8, 2016
Detailed rules, writing guidelines, style requirements, submission instructions, and judging criteria are explained in the attached documents. I will forward all submissions to our National Historian for consideration on February 15, 2016.  
Please click here for Information and please click here for rules and instructions.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.ladiesaoh.com/.  If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Dorothy Reed at dreed@prattlibrary.org or 410-925-1800.

The  Seton Crew Team is campaigning on the "RallyMe" site for a much needed new/gently used boat. Please see below details of the site and how to donate.

The Seton Crew RallyMe fund raising site can be accessed at the link below:

https://www.rallyme.com/rallies/2307/roadrunners

For this type of fundraiser to be successful, everyone involved, both rowers and parents need to get the word out in every way possible.  There are several options for sharing the Rally via email and Social Media.  This should be shared early and often.  Don't limit yourself to who and how you share, friends, family, acquaintance's, co-workers  (if that's an option) complete strangers and even businesses.

Once on the site the Rally can be shared easily to several Social Media sites and email by simply using the "Share This Rally" buttons shown here in the red box.  Click the button logon and share away.

If you wish to receive text alerts from Seton then please text SETONHS to 84576. You will receive a confirmation text, please complete the requested details.

If you wish to refer to past issues of Parent and Student Announce please click here.