The Amat Lancer Parent Newsletter
Volume 33 Issue 6
www.bishopamat.org
Dates to Remember:
February 2018
February 1 Last day to buy Mother Son Dance Tickets 1 & 2 Sadie Hawkins Presale Tickets Available 2 Basketball Youth Spirit Night 7 p.m., Evening of Theatre, PAB, 7 p.m. 3 Evening of Theatre, PAB, 7 p.m. 5 Minimum Day – 12:40 dismissal 6 9th grade Registration begins 8 Counselors & Coffee, 8 a.m., Carroll Center 10 Class of 2022 – Make up Entrance Exam, 8 a.m. 12 No School – Faculty Retreat 13 Special Minimum, 12:55 p.m. dismissal, Jostens Family Night Ring Orders, 5:30 p.m. 14 Ash Wednesday Mass 11:30 a.m., Carroll Center 19 President’s Day – No School 20 Minimum Day, 12:40 Dismissal 21 Freshman Registration due, Jr. Parent College Information, Brutocao Library, 7:00 p.m. 22 Last Day to purchase Sadie Hawkins Tickets 23 End of grading period 24 Catholic Charities Footprints Walk, 8:30 a.m. 26 Kairos 74 leaves 27 10th grade Registration begins, 9th, 11th, 12th grades 12:40 p.m. dismissal 28 Progress Reports mailed and available online
In addition to making course selections, there is also a financial component to the re-registration process. The $300 Registration Fee-Part I must be paid in the Front Office or online in order to reserve a student’s place for the 2018-2019 school year. Please refer to the registration deadlines listed in the Counseling Department section of the newsletter. The next Counselors and Coffee scheduled for February 8 provides parents with a great opportunity to learn more about the re-registration process. Please plan to attend if your schedule permits.
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE As evidenced by the contents of this edition of the newsletter, with the arrival of February we on campus begin the balancing act of keeping up with a very busy spring calendar while looking ahead to preparations for the upcoming school year.
All parents are encouraged to attend our General Parent Meeting on Wednesday, February 7 wherein Dr. Jerry Weichman, clinical psychologist and noted adolescent specialist, will lead a discussion on the topic of parenting teens in a social/multi-media and technology-driven world. Due to the nature of the agenda, parents are asked not to bring their student(s) or younger siblings to the meeting. Parents in attendance will receive one volunteer hour per family. For planning purposes, parents planning to attend are asked to RSVP via the following link: https://www.surveymonkey. com/r/ParentFebMtg.
Re-registration season for the 2018-2019 academic year begins on February 6 when our current ninth grade students receive information from their counselors regarding the course registration process. Over the next two months, our academic counselors will meet individually with each student in grades 9, 10 and 11 to assist with making 20182019 course determinations. Dads and moms are very much part of this process! Students are expected to discuss their course plan with a parent and obtain an approval signature prior to submitting academic paperwork to the counselor.
This time of year offers our students a number of opportunities to participate in a variety of Christian Service activities. Thank you so much to those parents who facilitated their student’s involvement in Shoes that Fit drive and/or the provision of a hot meal to our community’s homeless that took place in January at St. John Vianney Parish. All are asked to mark their calendars for Saturday, February 24 in which our school will once again host the annual Catholic Charities Footprints event which directly benefits needy families residing in the San Gabriel Valley. All students, parents, and members of the Bishop Amat Family are encouraged to participate. For more details, please see the article found in the Christian Service section of this edition of the newsletter.
And finally, on February 14, our school community will celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass at 11:15 a.m. in the Carroll Center. All parents are most welcome to join us as we begin our Lenten journey. God bless, Mr. Beck
FROM THE COUNSELING DEPARTMENT RE-REGISTRATION 2018-2019 The process of re-registering current students for the 2018-2019 school year has begun. Students in each grade level will be provided with information and forms required to complete the process according to the registration deadlines listed as follows: Class of 2021 – All Forms and Registration Fee Part I Due – February 21 Class of 2020 – All Forms and Registration Fee Part I Due – March 20 Class of 2019 – All Forms and Registration Fee Part I Due – April 25 Academic counselors will meet with students individually to discuss course selections and to ensure they meet the prerequisites for desired courses. Parents are expected to discuss course selections with their student(s) and add their signature to the course registration form prior to returning the form to the academic counselor. Additionally, parents must sign and return the Billing Information Form and submit payment of the $300 Registration Fee-Part I prior to their student submitting forms to the academic counselor. This fee is non-refundable as it represents a commitment for the student to return for the 2018-2019 school year. Payment may be made in the Front Office whereby a receipt will be provided. Students must present the receipt to their academic counselor verifying payment in order for course registration paperwork to be accepted. As a convenience, parents may elect to pay the Registration Fee-Part I via the school website using a credit card ($307.50). An email receipt will be generated which may be presented to the counselor as verification of payment. In May, counselors will provide all students with a confirmation of the courses for which they have registered. Finalized class schedules for the 2018-2019 school year will be available on August 1. COUNSELORS AND COFFEE On Thursday, February 8, counselors will be available from 8-9 a.m. in the Faculty Dining Room of the Carroll Center to provide information and answer questions about registration and scheduling for the 2018-2019 school year. Parents of all grade levels are invited to attend. JUNIOR PARENT COLLEGE INFORMATION MEETING Mr. Michael Scott, our College Counselor, will hold college information meetings for parents of junior students at the end of this month. The same presentation will be given in the Brutocao Library each of the following dates: Wednesday, February 21 7:00 p.m. Saturday, February 24 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, February 27 7:00 p.m.
AP EXAM FEE REDUCTIONS The 2018 Advanced Placement exam fee is $94.00 per exam. Students may request a $32.00 fee reduction based on income. A copy of the parent/guardian 2016 tax return showing gross adjusted income is required to be submitted to the testing coordinator, Ms. McCullough, by February 9. If you have questions, please contact Ms. McCullough at 626 962 2495 Ext. 7410. FROM THE STUDIES OFFICE 7 Week Grades The first 7-Week grading period concludes on February 23. Parents and students can access digital Progress Reports online starting March 1. Page 51 of Lancer Life demonstrates where to access digital copies of grades. Hard copy Progress Reports will also be mailed on February 28 to families that have selected the option for mailed report cards on the parent portal. The eligibility day for athletics and activities is on Monday, March 5. HONOR ROLL RECIPIENTS Congratulations to the many students who have received both First and Second honors due to their academic performance during the first semester of the 2017-2018 school year. These outstanding students’ names are posted on campus in order to further honor their achievements. Thank you to all of the parents and guardians for the role that you play in helping your students succeed. Keep up the good work! FROM THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE If your student is not feeling well during the school day, please remind him/her to go to the Infirmary or Attendance Office to call from the school phone instead of using their personal devices. This way, we know that the student is ill and will be better able to tend to their needs and check them out of school quickly when someone arrives to pick him/her up. FROM THE STUDENT SERVICES OFFICE Inclement / Cold Weather Policy As the cold and rainy days are upon us, we would like to remind parents and students about acceptable outerwear for the school day. In addition to Mills sweaters and vests, the ONLY sweatshirts that students are allowed to wear are Bishop Amat school/team sweatshirts. In very cold weather, students are allowed to wear a solid color coat/jacket over a Bishop Amat sweatshirt. The solid color coat/jacket should have no writing, emblems or designs of any kind and can only be worn if a Bishop Amat sweatshirt alone does not keep the student warm. Please refer to page 28 of the Lancer Life for more information.
CAMPUS DELIVERIES TO STUDENTS Parents are reminded that the school offices are not equipped to store or deliver lunches to students. While we understand that this may sometimes be unavoidable, please make every effort to have your student remember to bring lunch in the morning. In addition, per school policy, the school does not accept any food, balloons, flowers or other items delivered to the school in celebration of a birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day or other special day. We thank you, in advance, for your understanding and cooperation INFIRMARY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Parent Volunteers are needed to work in the Infirmary. If you are Virtus trained and are willing to help, please call the Attendance Office (ext. 5876) to sign up for the Infirmary. FROM THE ACTIVITIES OFFICE JOSTENS ON CAMPUS A Jostens representative will visit with all sophomores on Wednesday, February 6 to provide them with information regarding class rings. We will also host a Jostens Family Ring Night on Tuesday, February 13 at 5:30 p.m. in the library. At this event, a Jostens representative will be available to meet directly with parents to provide information, answer questions and to take orders for class rings. Jostens will also be on campus during lunch to take orders from students on Wednesday, February 14, Thursday, February 15 and Wednesday, February 28. MOTHER SON DANCE The annual Mother-Son Dance will take place on Saturday, February 10 in the Carroll Center. Tickets are $80 per couple. The ticket price includes an Italian buffet dinner and an ice cream bar. Pictures and check-in will begin at 7:00 p.m. The last day to purchase tickets online is TODAY, Thursday, February 1. SADIE HAWKINS DANCE The Sadie Hawkins Dance will take place on Saturday, March 3 at Knott’s Berry Farm. This dance is only open to current Bishop Amat students. Pre-sale price tickets at $55 per couple will be sold on campus during lunch on Thursday, February 1 and Friday, February 2. Regular price tickets at $65 per couple will be sold online from Monday, February 5 through Thursday, February 22. All students will need to read, sign and submit a Student-Parent Agreement Form which will be available electronically at the time of the online ticket purchase.
FROM CAMPUS MINISTRY / CHRISTIAN SERVICE FEED THE HOMELESS
Last Jan. 24, 2018, Bishop Amat High School, served dinner to more than 250 the homeless persons at St. John Vianney Church in Hacienda Heights. To support this worthy cause, the Amat family raised more than $ 800 to buy additional food and drinks while the English Department collected hygiene items that were distributed to the homeless on that night. School president, Msgr. Aidan Carroll led this activity together with the Christian Service Moderator Mr. Kasilag, Amat students and faculty. FOOTPRINTS On February 24, 2018, Bishop Amat High School will host the Catholic Charities “Footprints” poverty awareness walk at the Msgr. Keifer Stadium from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon and this event is open to all. This activity will raise pledges of PRAYER and/or FUNDS by walking or running around the track and doing other fun activities. Pledges raised will benefit people in need in the San Gabriel Region.
YEARBOOK INFORMATION SENIOR ADS/DEDICATION
The final payment for senior ads is past due as of Thursday, February 1st. Please, contact the Yearbook Office at Yearbook@bishopamat.org to check your balance. Payments can be made in the Front Office. All photos and messages were due in November. If you have not turned in all your materials, please email the Yearbook office immediately. FROM THE TUITION OFFICE Important Notice Regarding Prom Please be advised that students with delinquent tuition accounts will not be permitted to attend the Junior/Senior Prom on April 27, 2018. There are no exceptions made to this policy. Students who have past due accounts will not be permitted to purchase a Prom Bid or attend Prom as a guest of another student. As Prom season approaches, all parents are urged to please be mindful of this policy. Please contact Ms. Oswald, Director of Finance, at extension 7444 if you have any questions. FROM THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE Class of 2022 Entrance Exam Bishop Amat High School will administer the Entrance Examination for current 8th graders applying for the 20182019 school year. The exam will take place on Saturday, February 10, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Please share this date with family and friends who may have an 8th grader interested in attending Bishop Amat in the Fall. As we always say, our parents are the best ambassadors and we appreciate your assistance in our recruitment efforts! Applications for admission are available on the school website and in the Front Office. The application/test fee is $90.