Volume 14 * Issue 01 * April, 2014

President Angeline Trudell

Miracle Blossoms Campaign Update

Since its inception in 2007, the goal of the Miracle Blossoms Campaign has been to complete the campus and retire all debt associated with construction. We continue to be successful and our numbers grow steadily each year thanks to the generosity of Serra parents, alumni families, faculty and staff, friends of Serra and major benefactors. Of course, as we have always said, it WILL take 100% participation from all Serra Catholic School families at some meaningful level to reach our goal. I am proud to report, however, that our Generations Fund appeal, which is comprised of donations from our newest families that have joined Serra in the last 3 years, accounts for nearly $1.2 million of our success.

Here is where we currently stand:

Campaign Goal: $30,000,000

Amount Raised to Date: $15,018,268

Amount Raised Since January 2014: $197,084 (26% of our 2013/2014 Goal)

It is never too late to make a gift or pledge. If you have already been in for a presentation, click here to revisit the pledge agreement. If you haven't been in for a presentation, please answer the call and come in. We are anxious to share with you the future of the Serra Catholic School campus.

What does a successful Miracle Blossoms Campaign mean?

The completion of our campus with the building of our Chapel
A permanent home for the Preschool and Administration Wing
Tuition rates that are affordable with nominal annual increases

We look forward to continuing to share our success, and wish to thank those families who have given to the campaign this fiscal year! Your support is invaluable to Serra's future.

If you have questions regarding the campaign or your participation in it, please contact me at (949) 888-1990 ext.171 or email gkerley@serraschool.org.

Gina Kerley

Advancement Director

Annual Fund

This year the 2013-14 Annual Fund, among other important items, will help support Teacher Professional Development. According to Critical Goal #5 as outlined in the WCEA Accreditation Self Study and Report of Findings, "a significant amount of teacher professional development will be funded to allow teachers to implement student-centered, problem-based learning opportunities to enhance the learning experience and improve student achievement for all learners." This is of utmost importance with the advancement of Serra Catholic School's curriculum to include the adoption of the Common Core State Standards in all available subjects as well as the full implementation of the 1:1 Technology program in the Fall of 2014.

Examples of our training initiatives include on-site professional development courses offered by Apple for iPad teacher training, Catapult Learning and the Google Education Summit to be held in August.

The second year of our Founder's Circle level of giving is ahead of pace which will make reaching our goals that much easier. This level of donor (those families or individuals who give $1995 or more to the Annual Fund) will enjoy an exclusive donor appreciation wine dinner personally planned and catered by Dave Hanna and Executive Chef of Hanna's Prime Steak Restaurant, Sean Reynolds and his catering staff, on May 22, 2014. It will be a beautiful evening overlooking the "holy ground" of our future chapel on the Serra Catholic School campus.

To date we have raised over $75,000 and hope to finish out the year well over our $100,000 goal. If you are interested in donating to this year's Annual Fund

Donate HERE!

Remember, every dollar donated to the Annual Fund directly enhances the educational journey of every Serra Catholic School student!

Seasons logo

Our Inaugural Tuition Assistance Luncheon, "For Everything there is a Season - A Luncheon to Support Catholic Education for Those in Need" began a new tradition during Catholic Schools Week on Sunday, January 26, 2014. This event was designed to raise money not only for Serra Catholic School students in need but also for the students of the Marian Alliance of Schools comprised of the School of Our Lady, Saint Anne School and St. Joseph School, all located in Santa Ana.

The event was truly a compilation of the many gifts, talents, and treasures of all involved in order to serve a segment of our communities who find themselves in need of assistance. As reflected in the words of our speakers that afternoon this event was a vehicle of selfless giving; sacrifice; paying our time, talent, and treasures forward while stressing the importance of Catholic education in the lives of our children and those yet to come. Even Serra Catholic School alumni helped by greeting guests and assisting them in the Giving Garden. Net proceeds for the luncheon were over $80,000 dollars; an amazing statement of the commitment of the Serra Community to helping others.

We hope that you will be able to join us next year on Sunday, January 25th for the 2nd Annual Seasons Tuition Assistance Luncheon. Click here to view the slide show of this lovely event.

serra logo

MORE TUITION ASSISTANCE NEWS

Alumni Give Back to Tuition Assistance Too!

Dante and Dina Saccacio continue to carry out their family passion for Serra Catholic School's Tuition Assistance program by encouraging Serra Catholic School alumni to donate a dollar for every year since they graduated from Serra to the tuition assistance fund. Many have responded positively and they continue to challenge their fellow classmates to help make a difference in the lives of those who need our assistance to ensure that they can have/continue their Catholic education here at Serra.

Serra Alumni - Dante and Dina Saccacio

Another Successful Grandparents and

Special Friends Day

For the 10th year, Serra Catholic School opened its doors to the Grandparents and Special Friends of our students in order to enjoy a "day in the life" of a Serra student. The morning began with a lovely continental breakfast buffet followed by a beautiful prayer service kicked off by the Middle School Choir. The SerraVision broadcast was streamed live into the event so both the children in their classrooms and our guests in the Student Activity Center were united in prayer. Monique Hastings, Chapel Chairman for the Miracle Blossoms Campaign, previewed the final piece of the Serra Catholic School campus - our chapel . Special guest speakers, Annette and Charles Walker, currently both Grandparents and Parents at Serra, spoke to the nearly 700 guests about their commitment to Catholic education and the importance of planting the seed of faith in our children's lives as early as possible. After the prayer service ended, guests had the opportunity to go to their student's classrooms and participate in activities with them as well as tour key areas of the campus such as the library, technology lab, and the Math and Reading Center.

The day was beautiful and all guests thoroughly enjoyed their time visiting Serra. We look forward to hosting our grandparents and special friends next year on Friday, March 6th, 2015.

Four Generations of the Walker/Ollenburger Family

SAVE THE DATE - WILLS AND TRUST SEMINAR

SERRA CATHOLIC

INVITES YOU TO JOIN US

IN CONJUCTION WITH THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE

FOR WILLS AND TRUSTS WEEK PLANNED GIVING SEMINAR

MAY 19, 2014

SERRA CATHOLIC SCHOOL LIBRARY

7:00-9:00 PM

Admission is Free Refreshments will be served

Reservations are not necessary but welcome.

To make reservations or for information, please call 714.282.4208 or email plannedgiving@orangecatholicfoundation.org.

Alumni Updates

Congratulations Ryan Kilander, Class of 2010, was accepted as a preferred walk-on to play football at Notre Dame in South Bend, IN!

Special Thanks

Thank you to the following students for volunteering at the Inaugural Tuition Assistance Luncheon as greeters and for providing help in the Giving Garden:

Representing Santa Margarita Catholic High School: Natalie and Elisa Torossian, Mikey Shiraishi, Nicole Demirbey, Dante and Dina Saccacio

Representing JSerra Catholic High School: Catherine Hendrick and Jessica & Seraphim Himes

Representing Mater Dei High School: Courtney Hayes

If you are interested in being on our list of active alumni volunteers, please email your contact information to: advancement@serraschool.org.