Marist High School
April 2014
Family Newsletter
Stay current with Marist news and events
Letter from the Principal

Dear Marist Families:

 

I'd like to thank all of you for your congratulations and well wishes on my appointment as Head of School effective July 1.  To better your understanding of the role:  all of the business of the school will now be handled by my office.  That means that in addition to supervising the academic, spiritual, and student life programs, the Advancement Office which includes finance, grant writing, fundraising, etc. as well as facilities, will also fall under my purview.  

 

Although the title comes with many new responsibilities, I know that Marist is blessed with an amazing team of administrators, faculty, and staff.  Their dedication to Marist and their commitment to your sons/daughters are what sparks the family spirit at Marist and what energizes me.  They are the personal touch that creates this "home away from home" that your children and you have come to cherish.


The teacher's work has begun in earnest regarding our Middle States reaccreditation process that I addressed in last month's newsletter.  They are currently working on creating the evaluation process for the twelve standards.  This includes helping to design the surveys you and the students will be completing in early May.  I will be introducing the entire student body to the process at Tuesday's year level assemblies.

 

As many of you know I recently returned from Rome where I spent a week working with the New Marist in Mission Commission in the final stages of our planning for the Nairobi Assembly this September.   If you'd like to read more about that, here's a link you can go to:  http://www.champagnat.org/400.php?a=10a.

 

Although we are only half way through Lent, our spring break and Easter will be behind us by the time you receive my next newsletter.  Our in-school Easter celebration will be part of "Mind, Body, Spirit Day" scheduled for Tuesday, April 29.  On that day, Freshmen and Sophomores will be taking the Aspire and the Plan, their annual standardized test that anticipates the ACT; the Juniors will be preparing for the college application process, and the Seniors will be preparing for college life (MIND).  We will then celebrate Mass together (SPIRIT).  And some physical activity, currently in the design stage, will be held outdoors (BODY).  Please consider joining us for part of that day!  I'll publish details in an e-mail blast closer to the date.

 

Our second service day of the year will take place on Friday, April 11 from 8:00 - 11:30.  Our spring break will begin after that early dismissal.  On behalf of the Marist faculty and staff, I wish you and yours the joy of the risen Christ.


Sincerely,
 

 

Ms. Miesnik

Academic News

Study Hall begins on Monday, April 7 at 2:40.  Any student who failed two or more subjects in the third quarter is required to attend.  A letter was sent describing the rules, purpose, and cost of this mandatory program. Encourage your son/daughter to do well so that summer school can be avoided.  Remember, tutoring is available in the LMC Monday-Thursday from 2:40-3:40 PM.

Scheduling has been discussed with the juniors and sophomores. Guidance Councilors will be talk to each student individually to put a schedule together for all students this month. Remember:  STUDENTS ARE SCHEDULED IN THE ORDER OF REGISTRATION.  So register early if your child expects a seat in a specific course.

Standardized Testing: Standardized Testing for freshmen and sophomores will take place on Thursday, April 29. This program of testing is helpful in two ways: (1) it helps identify a student's strengths and weaknesses and (2) the testing enables us to evaluate our academic program at Marist. Please make sure your son/daughter has adequate rest the night before, eats a nutritious breakfast, and comes to school on time. Good luck to all our freshmen and sophomores! Read more about this day called Mind, Body, Spirit Day! 

Year Level Assemblies takes place on Tuesday, April 1.  First and Second Honors Certificates are distributed. Principal List Certificates are distributed during the Principal's Breakfast. 

Year-End Failures: Students who fail three or more subjects at the end of the year cannot return to Marist High School for the next academic year. A student who fails one or two subjects for the year must attend Marist summer school. Please encourage your son/daughter to improve in a subject if he/she is currently failing. 

Campus Ministry News

Retreats: So many of our students have visited "Esopus" this year on retreat...and the enthusiasm for the Marist Brother Retreat Center continues. The kids call it "home" and it always gives them an opportunity to see God's generosity in nature, quiet moments to reflect and community skills to be learned. It helps that they like the food and being deep in the woods is an adventure for them!   As we write, 3 more of our kids are there enjoying an Encounter.

The response to the Junior Retreat was terrific. Following their beautiful Leadership Ceremony, 32 students departed for Esopus and attended the program that night and during their day off! -- The theme was "Leadership" as we continue to prepare our juniors to be next year's Senior Leaders. They reflected on the gifts and talents that God has given them and on how they have changed since 9th grade. They were, as usual, cooperative and enthusiastic and it's a pleasure to take them out. We are very proud of our Juniors!! Many thanks to Ms E., Mr. Carbone and Mr. Power for their generous donation of time and talent.

Community Service: "Lean on Me!" On April 11th the whole school will be giving service, as we did in November. Marist will devote the day to the call of the Gospel to serve the community. Juniors will once again protect the environment with a beach clean-up at Bayonne Park. Freshmen will sort food at the Community Food Bank in Hillside, an amazing agency that is responsible for getting food to so many homes in NJ. Sophomores will help at school, painting, gardening and doing some very-needed fix-up projects. Seniors will visit various community sites, churches, nursing homes and other service agencies, helping in whatever was needed.  One interesting spot which we visited in the fall is happy to have us back.  Historic Harsimus cemetery in Jersey City is a veritable history lesson, with artifacts and Veterans graves dating back to the War of 1812. Our seniors rake, clean monuments and enjoy a bit of time-travel while helping a good cause.   Permission slips for all projects will be distributed in homeroom and are available on Google Drive.

Protecting God's Children: The Archdiocese requires that all students in our schools receive instruction in protecting themselves from predators and abuse. By the end of March all of our students received this instruction, with special emphasis on boundaries and how predators approach vulnerable kids. The instruction involves learning to recognize dangerous situations and how to protect oneself.

More service to the Community:  Our kids are spending Lent collecting Jeans for Teens.  Any new or gently-used Jeans will be donated to Covenant House, a home for teens who have been living on the streets. Collection sites are at Campus Ministry and Ms Gonzalez's room. The collection will end on Friday April 11. 

 

Guidance News

Junior Parents' Night: On Wednesday, April 9th, the Guidance Department will be hosting a Junior Parents night to help parents begin to understand the college planning process.  At the meeting you will learn all that we offer in the form of support for the college process, hear about some new policies to help the process run smoothly, and be able to ask questions or make suggestions.  We very much want to work WITH you throughout this process, so please join us at 6:30 PM for this informative night. 

May SAT's:  April 4th is the deadline to register for the May 3rd SAT's.  We encourage the Junior class to consider taking this sitting as well as the June 7th if they want a head start on the college process.  While the May sitting is not administered at Marist, there are plenty of sites nearby that will be offering the test.  The best way to prepare is to practice, practice, practice.  Use the free resources at www.collegeboard.org  or see your Guidance Counselor for other tools.

Guidance Tips for the Spring Break: Students have been encouraged to use this break to not only rest, but to get their work in order.  This is a great time to start preparing for Finals-they're just around the corner-review notes, catch up on reading, re-read those sections that may be a bit more difficult, get ahead on end of year projects.  Let's finish this year strong!!!

College Visits:  Junior Parents!!!!  Your students have received a list of local colleges who will be hosting their Spring Open Houses in the coming months.  Please consider taking advantage of these events to get your students acquainted with the schools they're interested in, and making their interest known.  Face-to-face connections with schools can make a BIG difference in getting into the school of your choice.  Also, consider taking advantage of upcoming days off to set up an individual visit or being a student-for-a-day at college.  Contact your student's counselor for more details. 

Summer Programs:  Now is the time to investigate summer opportunities and have your son/daughter enroll.  All counselors are working with students to apply to programs.  Some are competitive, some have costs attached.  Get started looking for a meaningful way for your son/daughter to spend their summer vacation.

College Acceptance Statistics:

  • Total Number of Seniors: 94
  • Number of students who have been accepted by one or more colleges/universities to date: 53  
  • Total amount of scholarship/awards, grants, financial aid offered so far:  $2,988,972
Please note, these numbers are contingent upon students submitting their acceptance and reward letters to the Guidance Department.  If your son/daughter has not yet turned in their information, please have them do so ASAP.  We would like to publicly congratulate them on the morning announcements for this great accomplishment! Many of the schools will be sending out the Award Letters on April 1st, so be looking for those in the mail!!!
Other News

 Volunteers will be helping at the Special Olympics Basketball Event on Saturday 4/5/14 from 12:00-2:00. The event takes place at school #40 on Gates Avenue in Jersey City.

Easter Vacation extends through Monday, April 22. Classes resume on Tuesday, April 22.  Enjoy the rest of your vacation! 

Activity Period is scheduled for Wednesday, April 23. Ask your son/daughter if he/she has enjoyed Activity Period thus far.

Faculty Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 1 at 1:15 p.m.  Students will be dismissed at 1:00 p.m.  Know where your son/daughter is!

 

  

Dress Down for Athletics: As you may have noticed, our monthly dress down day supports some of our costly school activities.  This month, dress down on Wednesday April 2 and donate $1.00 to defray the cost of our Athletic Program which benefits so many of our students.

Arts Festival: Our 11th annual Arts Festival will take place on Friday, April 4, beginning at 6:30 PM. This festival is a celebration of our students' art, music, dance, drama and original writing. Plan to come and enjoy the talents of our students.  This year's theme is "Visionary Impressions."  Tickets are $5.00 at the door. 

Afghan Raffle:  Our very own Sr. Mary Agnes, who works in Guidance, has once again crocheted a beautiful afghan that she will be raffling off to benefit the school.  You may have seen it and bought a chance at the Parent-Teacher conference.  If not, look for her at the Academic Awards Banquet in May.  Buy a chance, help the school!  Drawing will take place on May 5. 

Junior Trip to Boston:  Mr. Carbone is organizing the annual trip for the Junior Class to Boston, MA for Saturday, April 12.  Cost will be $35, cash only.  Pick up your permission slip in the main office!


 

  

Registration: Don't forget to send in your re-registration form and fee.  The cost to re-register is $400 if you do so by May 15, then it goes up to $450.  Students are scheduled in the order in which they register, so do so early if your son/daughter is looking for a seat in a specific elective! 

Mind, Body, Spirit Day: Begun a few years ago, Marist now "celebrates" its theme of Mind, Body and Spirit each spring.  This year, the celebration will occur on Tuesday, April 29. 

  • Mind: Since the freshmen and sophomores will be testing in the morning, we've decided to schedule similar opportunities for the juniors and seniors. All juniors will be taught college search techniques.   Some seniors will be working on AP exam preparation; others on preparation for college. That will be in the morning!
  • Spirit:  After lunch, we will have our schoolwide celebration of Easter with a Mass, outside if weather permits.
  • Body:  Currently under design! 

Dismissal will be at the regular time.

Parents' Association News

Monthly Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 15 in the school cafeteria at 6:30 pm.  Many thanks to our new members who joined us in March!  Ms. Miesnik is hoping for 10 more new parents to attend this month's meeting and to sign up to become involved. 

Vendor Bazaar is scheduled for Saturday, April 12 from 9-3.  Come, browse, shop.  Better yet, volunteer to help.  Contact Marist Parent Association President Mark Lenzo at [email protected].


Casino Night: :  Saturday, May 3, 2014 doors open at 6pm & gaming starts at 6:30pm.  Admission $50 includes hot food and $50 gaming chips.  Cash bar for beer and wine.
11th Annual Arts Festival: Visionary Impressions
Taste of Bayonne
Athletic News

Baseball: This year our Baseball team comes into the season as heavy favorites in Hudson County Baseball. Last year's team finished 16-10. With seven out of the nine starters returning for the Royal Knights, it should be a great year. Opening Day April 1st - against St.Peter's Prep - at Veteran's Stadium, Bayonne. 7pm start. 

Softball: Coach Vargas looks to improve on her first season. Winning eight games  last year for the first time in tenyears, Coach Vargas' girls are ready to compete with anyone this year. The hard work and dedication put forth by the girls can lead the Lady Knights to their first winning season in a decade.  Opening Day April 1st against Snyder site: Hudson County Park/Bayonne 4pm start.

Outdoor Track:  The track team has shown steady growth over the past two years with Coach Cuevas. This spring the roster is full with 20 girls and 20 boys. This year's track team will compete in six track meets around The Tri- State area. 

Boys' Tennis: This year, our boys' Tennis team will be led by Coach Jeremy Kay. The boys return with five players from last year's team.  Royal Knights tennis team looks to challenge all teams. Opening Day April 1st against Snyder at Hudson County Park/Bayonne.

Go Marist Knights!!
Upcoming Events - April 2014
SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday
  

1

Year Level Assemblies

8:00 AM: Principal's Breakfast

1:00 PM Dismissal

2

Dress Down for Athletics

3

3:30 PM: 6th Grade Math Contest

7:00PM: Information Night

4

6:30 PM: Arts Festival

5

6

7

8

6:30 PM: Taste of Bayonne

9

 

6:30 PM: Junior Parents Night

10

11

 

Day of Service

 

12:00 PM Dismissal

12

 

Junior Trip to Boston

 

9:00 AM: Final Vendor Bazaar of the year

13

Palm Sunday

14

 

15

 

6:30 PM: Parents' Association Meeting

16

17

 

Holy Thursday

18

 

Good Friday

19
No Classes

20

Easter Sunday

21

 

No Classes

22

 

Classes resume

23

 

Activity Period - Schedule B

24

25

 

Spring Musical

26

 

Spring Musical

27

28

2:45 PM: CSP Meeting

29

Mind, Body, Spirit Day

30

 

 

 

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