July/August 2019 Parent Newsletter

The Amat Lancer Parent Newsletter

Volume 35 Issue 7

www.bishopamat.org

Dates to Remember: JULY 15

16 19 29

29

31

2019-2020 Parent Acknowledgement/Agree ment Forms Available Online New Parent Orientation 6:30 p.m. Library Last Day of Summer School College Essay Writing Bootcamp (through August 1) 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Library Gym Floor Closed for Refurbishment (Through August 9) 2019-2020 Class Schedule and Booklist Available for Pick-up, 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

AUGUST 4 NO BINGO 10 Parent Association Used Book Sale 8:00 a.m.

– 11:00 a.m.

Mills Uniform Sale; Student Store / Athletic

Booster Sale 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

14 Counselors Available to Correct Grade 9

Schedules 400 wing 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

15 9th Grade Orientation Day 1 – 7:55 a.m. –

12:30 p.m.

Counselors Available to Correct Grade 10-12

Schedules 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

16 9th Grade Orientation Day 2 – 7:55 a.m. –

12:30 p.m.

19 First Day of School – All Students- Special 7

Period Full – 2:45 p.m. Dismissal

Athletic Booster Barbeque – 6:00 p.m.

26 Virtus© Protecting God’s Children Training

5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Library 27 Back to School Night 6:00 p.m.

28 Last Day for Class Schedule Corrections

July-August 2019

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE With this summer edition of the Parent Newsletter, I welcome all moms and dads of both transfer students and our incoming 9th graders, the class of 2023! The Amat Lancer monthly newsletter offers a brief overview of upcoming events taking place on campus. In combination with the school website and the weekly telephone/email message sent out on Sunday evenings during the school year, I hope these resources will enable you to easily stay informed as a Bishop Amat Parent.

Parents new to the school who were not able to attend the New Parent Orientation meeting in June are encouraged to come to a second orientation opportunity on Tuesday, July 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the school library.

For all parents, this edition of the newsletter contains important information specific to the events on campus during the final days of summer as well as the first few weeks of the new school year. Please be sure to review the contents of each article, with special attention to the class schedule pick-up process described on the following page.

Our annual Used Book Sale hosted by the Bishop Amat Parent Association will take place on Saturday, August 10 from 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. Enclosed in this edition of the newsletter is the 2019-2020 Obsolete Booklist. Titles included on this list will no longer be used for courses during the upcoming school year; parents should therefore avoid purchasing these discontinued textbooks from anyone attempting to sell them at the used book sale. The Mills Company and the campus Student Store will also be open on August 10 for parents to make last minute uniform, PE clothing, and sweatshirt purchases before classes begin on Thursday, August 15/16 (ninth graders) and Monday, August 19 for all students in grades 10-12.

Lastly, at the end of the 2018-2019 school year, Mr. Randy Dimmitt retired from the classroom after 33 years of dedicated service to the students of Bishop Amat. Mr. Dimmitt held a number of positions on our campus, including Activities Director, Athletic Director and Coach; however, his influence was greatest on the thousands of students to whom he taught English over his storied career. I know alumni parents of current Lancers will join me and the entire school community in wishing Mr. Dimmitt and his wife Janet many years of health and happiness. We are grateful to him for his dedication to the Bishop Amat Family and Catholic education.

May God bless all members of the Bishop Amat Family as we prepare ourselves for a successful 2019-2020 school year!

2019-2020 INFORMATION PACKETS AND CLASS SCHEDULE PICK-UP PROCESS Beginning Wednesday, July 31, the 20192020 student schedules will be available for pick-up on campus. In order to receive students' class schedules, both the July and August tuition payments must be paid. Additionally, three required forms available online must be read, printed, signed and submitted at the time schedules are picked up on campus. (Parents of senior students must print and complete two additional forms). Finally, parents will need to verify and, if necessary, correct the Communication Form when picking up schedules.

• Saturday, August 10 - Used Book Sale / Student Store Purchases / Mills Uniforms on Campus • Thursday, August 15 and Friday, August 16 -

9th Grade Orientation - 7:55 a.m. - 12:40 p.m.

• Monday, August 19 - Classes Begin for All

Students - 7:55 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.

• Upon receiving schedules, if there is an error,

counselors will be available the following days

and times to make corrections: • Wednesday, August 14: 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. to

correct 9th grade schedules • Thursday, August 15: 8:00 - 11:00 a.m. to cor

THE PROCESS

July 19 • Hit & Hustle Football Camp (Grades 3-8) 3:00-7:00 p.m.

July 19-21 • Elite Girls Youth Basketball Camp 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

July 16 - 18 • Softball Camp 2 (Grade 6-12) 9:00 a.m.

-12:00 p.m.

July 23 - Aug 1 • Girls & Boys Premier Soccer Camp (Grades 6-12) & (Grades 2-6) Mon - Thurs 9:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m. - Cost $300

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT NEWS

1.

ALL FAMILIES: Go to the school website (bishopamat.org) and click on the article 2019-2020 Forms and Student Schedules found under the Latest News section of the homepage.

All parents are required to download and read the file entitled PARENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and AGREEMENTS. This document is comprised of descriptions of ten school policies/procedures that all parents must review and acknowledge prior to the STUDENT STORE HOURS new school year.

2.

ALL FAMILIES: Print the four documents in July 31 – August 7 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. the file named 2019-2020 PRINT THESE. These are August 10 – Saturday Sale Day – 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. the only forms you will need to print, complete, and bring with you to pick up your student's class schedule beginning Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

NINTH GRADE ORIENTATION 3.

SENIOR FAMILIES ONLY: Two additional forms must be printed, completed and brought to Orientation days for all freshman students will take campus when picking up your student's schedule. place on Thursday, August 15 and Friday, August 16 Please click on 2019-2020 SENIOR PARENTS PRINT from 7:55 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. each day. Students will THESE. meet their teachers, review academic expectations, and be introduced to our school’s campus ministry, 4.

Beginning Wednesday, July 31, bring completed counseling, and activities programs. All students will forms to campus between 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. to be served lunch on Friday. Thursday’s schedule will receive class schedules and book lists. Verification of include attending Mass with our faculty/staff. We look correct family contact information (mailing address, forward to the Class of 2023 joining us for these two telephone numbers, and email address) will be required very informative orientation days! when picking up schedules.

REMINDERS: • July/August tuition payments must be received

prior to student schedules being released.

STUDENT SERVICES Parents are asked to review the Dress and Grooming Code section in the Lancer Life or refer to our school website under the tab “Current Students & Parents” before making all uniform selections. All parents are kindly asked to ensure that their student owns the required uniform items before the start of the school year. This includes our formal Mass attire items for all students, as well as our liturgical/assembly attire items for female students only. For your convenience, please refer to the flyers included in the student information packets that are distributed on campus at the time student schedules are released. These flyers provide specifics about our Mills uniform items, our school Mass days and our Liturgical Services/Assembly days.

Parents are reminded that, Mills, our uniform provider will be on campus on Saturday, August 10, from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm in the dining and dance rooms of the Carroll Center.

Parents are asked to review the policies related to Attendance, Tardy and Early Dismissals found in our Lancer Life. School begins at 7:55 a.m. every morning and will conclude at 2:45 p.m. on Mondays and 2:35 p.m Tuesday - Friday p.m. Parents and students should understand the importance of having regular and prompt attendance. Additionally, parents are reminded to include their student’s name and ID number on all correspondence with the Attendance Office.

Parents are reminded that the student parking lot is strictly off-limits before and immediately after school.

In the morning, parents are asked to not drive into the student lot to drop off students. After school, parents are asked to not drive into the student lot to pick up students until after the cones have been removed and the Security Officer allows admittance. We kindly ask that parents follow the directions given by the parking attendant in the mornings and the Security Officer in the afternoons. Please also be mindful of and courteous to the families in our surrounding neighborhood.

On another note, the beginning of the school year can be pretty hectic in the morning for drop-offs. This fall, we are expecting to begin construction of our new Performing Arts Center on the corner of Orange and Fairgrove. This will make drop-offs even more congested, at least for the first couple of weeks of school. Please be sure to allow yourselves plenty of

time to arrive to school on time. With a 7:55 a.m. start time, it is highly recommended that you drop your student off well before the start of school to allow time for congestion or delays and still give your student time to go to his/her locker and get to class on time.

FROM THE STUDIES OFFICE Summer School 2019 Grades The summer session concludes on Friday, July 19. Parents who have students attending summer classes are reminded to check the summer school bulletin for the abridged schedule on the last day of classes. Final summer school grades will be mailed to all homes of summer school students the afternoon of July 19.

Parent Portal and General Reminders Parents who regularly monitor their child’s academic progress contribute substantially to better grades earned by their sons and daughters. In order to help parents monitor their child’s academic progress, Bishop Amat High School utilizes online grades. Through the use of the Parent Portal each parent can review his or her child’s grades on a daily basis. Parent Portal access codes remain in effect as long as the parent has a child at Bishop Amat High School. Step-by-step instructions and a diagram of how to access the Parent Portal are included in Lancer Life. Incidentally, your child will also have access to the same grade and assignment information through his or her Student Portal.

In addition to checking grades throughout the semester parents can access an electronic official Progress Report at the end of each grading period. Only final semester grades earned appear on the student’s official academic transcript. Final semester grades are mailed to parents in December and June. Parent/Teacher conferences are conducted in October and March, at the conclusion of the first grading periods of each semester. This provides an opportunity for parents and teachers to meet and discuss the student’s academic progress. Parents who have questions or concerns regarding their student’s academic progress are urged to initiate communicate with teachers via email. Email addresses for all faculty members are listed in Lancer Life, the parent-student handbook.

TEXTBOOK PURCHASES The Edtech online bookstore will open for purchases beginning Thursday, August 1. Edtech is the only guaranteed source for textbook purchases; however, at their discretion parents may purchase textbooks from other sources such as the Parent Association’s Used Book Sale on Saturday, August 10 and/or from other online booksellers. Prior to making a purchase from any source other than Edtech, parents are advised to be sure to verify the correct title, edition, etc. by referring to the ISBN number designated on the student’s booklist. Some textbooks used in courses last school year will no longer be used during 2019- 2020. These titles are printed on the obsolete booklist, enclosed in this edition of the newsletter and accessible on the school website under Latest News. Please do not purchase titles designated as obsolete for the upcoming school year.

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT Back to School Night is scheduled for Tuesday, August 27 at 6:00 p.m. This event is designed to provide students the opportunity to follow their student’s class schedule and to meet their student’s teachers.

Students will provide their parents with a copy of their class schedule in advance of Back to School Night. Parents will begin the evening with a general welcome/overview in the Carroll Center. At 6:30 p.m., parents will transition to walking through each of their student’s classes. Teachers will share specifics concerning course requirements, supplies needed, major assignments, class policies and other useful information. All parents are encouraged to attend Back to School Night as it is an excellent way to begin the academic year! Just prior to Back to School Night, the Parent Association will host a used uniform exchange/ sale in the covered lunch area from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Gently used uniform items may be purchased and/or exchanged as needed.

NEW PARENT MEETING On Tuesday, July 16 there will be a second opportunity for parents to attend our New Parent Orientation.

This meeting offers a repeat of the information presented previously in June. Topics discussed include: communication with teachers; student dress code and behavioral expectations; attendance office procedures; volunteer information and use of the online parent portal. Access codes for the online portal will also be available for new parents at this meeting. The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the school library.

New parents who were unable to come to the June orientation meeting are encouraged to attend.

PARENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES During the school year, there are number of ways in which parents can fulfill required volunteer hours. A few specialized opportunities exist as follows: 1. Infirmary Attendant – if you are interested in assisting in this capacity, please call extension 5876 or stop by the Attendance Office to check our sign-up calendar. A medical background is not required, although parent-nurses are absolutely most welcome to volunteer.

2. Substitute Teacher – during select periods of the school year when there are a higher number of teachers absent from classes (ie: overnight retreat weeks), parents who have teaching experience are asked to assist with supervising classes. If you feel you may be qualified to assist in this area, please contact Ms. Vasquez, Assistant Principal at extension 7451.

3. Parking Lot Monitor – assistance will be needed in helping with before/after school monitoring of the faculty/student parking lots to ensure smooth traffic flow and to maintain safety protocols on the part of our student drivers. If your availability permits either before or after school assistance, please contact Mrs. Salcedo, Assistant Principal at extension 7453.

As with all parent volunteers, Virtus/Protecting God’s Children certification is required by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The next Virtus certification session will be held on campus on Monday, August 26 at 5:00 p.m. in the school library. Certification remains valid for four years and applies to all schools and parishes in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.