September 2014 Parent Newsletter

ParentNewsletter The La Salle

FOR PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL • PASADENA • CALIFORNIA • SEPTEMBER 2014

Principal Ideas was most appreciated. Gathering the information this way will actually increase our accuracy and reliability. We intend this to be a summer feature each year so now that you’ve done it once…you’ll be ready for it next summer.

Welcome Too!

Learn•Serve•Lead

Another school year has begun at the corner of East Sierra Madre Boulevard and Michillinda Avenue. La Salle High School is well underway having completed our first full week of classes. The teachers, staff and students have all gotten off to a great start this year!

Say Good-bye to Paper Forms

I wish to thank all of the parents for your assistance in helping us transition away from beginning-of-the-year paper forms to our digital collection of information. Your timely assistance in responding to the InfoSnap materials is and

This summer we welcomed some talented and well educated individuals to our school community. In the last issue of the La Salle ParentNewsletter, I mentioned our new Associate Principal for Academic Life, Mr. Edgar Salmingo, Jr. Also joining him are: Ms. Elizabeth Meerson, who will be part of our English and World Languages Departments. In addition to her teaching duties she will also serve as the Director of Activities. She taught previously at Bishop Conaty – Our Lady of Loretto in Los Angeles for the past three years. Mr. Patrick Higgins has moved from Pearland, Texas having just obtained his M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame University. His recent work was in a parish directing Young Adult and Family ministry programs.

Ms. Tiare Tuitama is well known for coaching our Women’s and Men’s Volleyball programs and is now an instructor in our Physical Education/Health Department.

Mr. Randy Katz who has been coaching and working with our football program is Continued on page 2

The words of St. John Baptist de La Salle to the first Brothers "Children need the light of watchful guides to lead them on the path of salvation."

Saint John Baptist de La Salle

Patron Saint of Teachers, c.1703 Meditations in Time of Retreat 5 PAGE 1

ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

Principal Ideas Continued from page 1

our new Facilities Manager and will be overseeing our maintenance and janitorial staff along with managing our school calendar.

Ms. Tara Milton is joining our Institutional Advancement Office in the capacity of Coordinator. She is the parent of a junior student Reilly and 9th grader Hallie.

On Tuesday of this week, Mrs. Kathy Sanchez-Fitzgerald became our new school Receptionist /Attendance Officer. She is the welcoming face and friendly voice that will greet visitors at the front door of the school and on the phone. She also will be working closely with the Dean to account for the whereabouts of all of the students. She is married and has a son and daughter in high school.

Please Take Note FOUR IMPORTANT ITEMS

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Some gentle and informative reminders: 1. Please make sure we have your accurate email address(es).

2. The school calendar can always be accessed on our school website.

3. This monthly La Salle ParentNewsletter you are reading should be a regular resource of information for you and your family. Every effort is made to give you timely and good meaningful “stuff.” If you are not receiving the newsletter regularly, please contact Mr. John Blackstock, our Communications Director, and he will see that you do.

4. Our grading periods move quickly so I never pass up an opportunity to remind students and parents to avail themselves of PowerSchool. This tool is accessible around the clock and can help answer many questions about a student’s progress. I do offer a few tips (based upon my experience) when questions arise regarding grades. First, your son/daughter is the first one to question. They most likely will have the answer(s). Second, after you have spoken with your student and your question is still not answered, then contact the teacher directly either by

email or phone. Teachers should respond to you within one school day (usually within 24 hours – weekend time exempt).

Should you not get the required timely response then contact our new Associate Principal for Academic Life – Mr. Edgar Salmingo. The sooner we can address issues and concerns, the quicker we can return our focus to the instruction and learning mode.

Parent Orientation

On the evening of August 19, PALS along with many other volunteers hosted an outstanding orientation program for parents who are new to this school community. It was designed to be informative and helpful for our new network of parents. I was again impressed by the tremendous amount of organization and pride our current parents displayed as they welcomed a new batch of “recruits” to their ranks. I can attest to the importance of involving parents in what we do as a Lasallian educational community and I welcome your participation. As this school year moves forward, I hope I have the opportunity to meet many of our new families (and returning ones) as we work together in educating your gift from God.

Back-to-School Night

Last week, we hosted our annual Backto-School Night and our Senior Parent College Meeting. Both activities generated a great deal of participation and information sharing. Thank you to all the parents who attended these events.

Should you have any follow-up questions or concerns I invite you to contact the appropriate educator here at school. It is always my hope that we can provide you the necessary support and resources for making the experience for your student here at La Salle the BEST!

Brother Christopher Brady, FSC Principal

ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

From the Parent Association

Here We Go

... a new School for some and a new School Year for many

In our seven previous years here at La Salle, my wife Ginny and I have always considered that our boys Vinny and Frank were lucky to have been accepted and enrolled at La Salle for their high school years.

We have enjoyed attending many liturgies, varsity and JV football games, soccer, volleyball, and baseball games, plays, Back-to-School Nights and special events. We truly can see this campus is alive with the motto - “Enter to Learn - Leave to Serve” as it has been engrained in the students that have graduated during the last few decades.

The 2014-15 school year has already started with a few meetings and Parent Association orientation. Plan on attending our monthly Parent Association meetings which Meeting are held on the second Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm fin the Blakeslee Library. Refreshments will be served. In one hour you will receive all the Tuesday, September information that your student may have (accidentally) forgotten to tell you, as 6:30pm well as updating all that is happening on campus. Our meeting is followed by the Blakeslee Library individual Booster meetings.

The featured presentation for the September meeting concerns how the iPad will facilitate and augment the learning process for our students.

The Parent Association Executive Board is stocked with great volunteer parents: Marianne Wright P’16, Vice-President; Jackie Samartin P’15, and Treasurer Angela Beddawi P’18, Secretary.

For our new Freshmen and Transfer families, we send a "special welcome" to you as you join the La Salle family and become part of our community. Be sure to extend a hand to meet the wonderful people that make our “village” so great.

Last week, the New Parent Orientation, organized by Christine Marez P’14, P’18 welcomed those new to our community. She did an outstanding job and we thank her and the committee.

The Crystal Ball, chaired by Ellen Radle P’17 and Lisa Rico P’17, is set for Friday, May 8, 2015 at the Langham Hotel. They welcome your help as they plan for a HUGE night of "fun-raising," dancing, dining and celebration! To kick-off the Crystal Ball fun, our fall Gift Gathering Party will be held on Saturday evening September, 20 in the Dining Hall.

We are looking forward to a fun-filled year with your support for the myriad of events that our parents and students participate in during the year. I challenge you to get involved now with a Booster group that fits your interests (Please note: you may join more than one Booster group).

It is my wish for all of you to have a great backto-school season. Have a healthy and happy new school year.

Go Lancers!

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Tony Delgatto P’12, P’15 President Parent Association PAGE 3

ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

La Salle Matters

The National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) offer a terse, but metaphorically intriguing definition of strategic planning:

Strategic planning is the formalized set of activities that requires a person to pick his or her head up from the desk and look around at the world, at trends, and at one’s own organization as a whole.

I like this definition as it illustrates, for me, the real challenge for any organization in thinking about its future - one has to get out from under the gritty day-to-day business of operating a school and take a close, hard look at the world within which it operates. In 2001, La Salle published its first strategic plan. It launched eight ambitious goals for meeting the School’s challenging future. They can be viewed on the School’s website here: http://www.lasallehs.org/s/639/2col.aspx?sid=639&gid=1&pgid=359&cid=710

Let's get our heads off the desk

With the relocation of Baseball and Softball to Arcadia County Park (Goal #7: Aggressively pursue creative opportunities to resolve existing facilities limitations and which will maximize the delivery of the curricular and co-curricular program), I am pleased to report that we have - finally - completed all eight goals. So, it is time to begin another round of strategic planning. The timing could not be more appropriate. The “baby boom” in the Greater Pasadena Area has gone “bust” (at least for the next eight years), the lingering effects of the Great Recession continue to impact the ability of middle income families to afford private school tuition and financial aid at La Salle (and other private schools) has gone “through the roof.” Clearly, it is time for us to “get our heads off the desk” and look at the world around us.

To that end, I have engaged Shea Consulting Services to facilitate a new round of strategic planning here at La Salle (they performed the same function in 2001).

Between now and the end of February, they will be interviewing various constituent groups, survey the School community and facilitate a two-day workshop which will produce a new round of goals. At the same time, we will begin the first year of a two-year process of re-accreditation by the Western Catholic Educational Association and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WCEA/WASC). This may seem like a lot to absorb; but the two processes actually reinforce each other. Strategic Planning provides a road map for the future which WCEA/WASC expects to be included as a part of the Action Plan that will be submitted to them. Both processes will produce a fair-amount of “navel gazing;” but, as the NACUBO definition of strategic planning makes clear, if we do not do it, we end up leaving our head on the desk, never quite aware of what’s going on around us.

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ParentNewsletter

I am excited about this endeavor as it pushes us to take a good, hard look at our strengths and challenges and to develop a plan for embracing the School’s future. And, we are well-positioned to do this: despite the stumbling economy, we continue to enroll a full complement of Mission-appropriate students, our graduates go off to appropriately challenging colleges, our Catholic and Lasallian identity is well-regarded in the community and we offer distinctive programs like the four-year Visual and Performing Arts which attract a wide variety of talented students. Furthermore, we know the challenges we face: a declining population of families who can afford private school tuition, a rapidly increasing need for financial aid and, as the largest private high school in the Greater Pasadena Area, heightened competition with other, more expensive - and smaller - independent schools, for wellprepared graduates of private elementary schools.

I am confident that, through Strategic Planning and the WCEA/WASC accreditation process, La Salle will capitalize on its strengths and, just as we did in 2001, create a plan of action to effectively address the challenges we face.

Plus, as the Gospel author of Luke 4:28-29 quoting Jesus the ultimate strategic planner - made clear in his sermon to the multitudes: Suppose one of you wants to build a tower.

Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?

For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘this person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

I think this definition of strategic planning is even better than the one articulated by NACUBO…and it effectively captures La Salle’s prudential approach to the never-ending challenge of becoming a better school day by day.

SEPTEMBER 2014

La Salle High School

3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd.

Pasadena, California 91107-1996 • Telephone 626.351.8951 Facsimile 626.351.0275 www.lasallehs.org • The La Salle ParentNewsletter is published monthly except January and July

by La Salle High School of Pasadena, Incorporated

© 2014

• Editor, Designer John Blackstock ’67 Director of Communications Telephone: 626.696.4316 • email: jblackstock @ lasallehs . org

Richard Gray, Ph.D President

Transforming Lives Since 1680

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ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

From the Athletic Boosters

Fall into Lancer Athletics

SUPPORT LANCER ATHLETICS

School and sports at La Salle will just be getting started by the time this ParentNewsletter arrives so, for our new parents, welcome and for us veterans, here we go again wondering where the summer went! Well, if you have an athlete, you know where summer went. I am amazed at how our athletes learn to balance their studies and sports.

This ability will serve them well as they go through college and the rest of their lives.

This newsletter will bring you the highlights of our sports teams, as well as let you know about upcoming events. If there is anything you think would be of interest for a future issue of the ParentNewsletter, please contact me to discuss.

The Athletic Boosters have many opportunities for you to fulfill your volunteer hours. Even if your students may not be currently in a sport, we still would appreciate your help.

We always need volunteers for football games on Fridays, especially this year with all of the big games.

So come out for our Friday home games, meet other parents, support our kids, and enjoy the game!

Football Season VIP Packages

Athletic Boosters is also offering the following programs for the football season. They are a great way to support the teams and get some VIP treatment while at the games. Please contact me if you would like to purchase a Lancer Football VIP Package.

Platinum Package $1,000 Includes 2 field passes, 2 meals and a VIP parking pass for each home game. Also included are 2 Lancer stadium chairs, 2 La Salle shirts and 2 Lancer hats. This is for all home games. CIF playoff regulations require an entry fee, but all other advantages apply.

Gold Package $550 2 passes for reserved seating, 2 meals, parking for 1, (each home game). Also included are 2 Lancer stadium chairs, 2 La Salle shirts and 2 hats.

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Silver Package $450 2 passes for reserved seating, parking for 1 (each home game).

Blue Package $400 1 field pass, parking for 1 (each home game).

Red Package $300 1 pass for reserved seating, parking for 1 (each home game). Package includes La Salle Field Chair.

Check out our Athletic website for updated information.

This summer, we have been busy doing a few upgrades to our stadium. The top and bottom wooden walkways have been replaced with aluminum and a windscreen was added to the parking lot fence. The Boosters also thought it was time to help some of our fans having difficulty making it up and down stairs, so we added two platforms to the stands. The Athletic Boosters are always trying to enhance the La Salle experience for our children, parents and guests.

The Athletic Boosters are looking for people who want to be more involved in La Salle Boosters and Board, so please do not hesitate to contact me for more information at jdcina@ sbcglobal.net.

Welcome back for an exciting year in Lancer Athletics!

John D. Cina P'13, '14, '18 Athletic Boosters President

ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

Lancer Cross Country Training The La Salle Cross Country team spent the tail end of summer traveling to Mammoth Lakes to undergo eight days of high altitude training. The team is looking forward to a great season, which will kick-off on September 6 at the Mt. Sac Fastback Shoot out Meet.

Lancer Competitive Cheer Head Coach Gianna Henke '05 and Assistant Coach Lauren Palfrey '07, report that the Competitive Cheer team reached the final round at USA Nationals in Anaheim for the first time in school history. The Lancers qualified for Nationals at several regional competitions and accomplished something that no other La Salle Cheer team has done before by hitting a near perfect performance. They placed eighth overall in the very competitive Intermediate Division during their quest for the High School National Title.

EXCELLENCE ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL

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ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

22nd Annual Lancer Golf Tournament and Banquet Monday, October 13 • Glendora Country Club

Golf Trips are New This Year!

• $1,000,000 Shoot out • $25,000 Hole-in-One • $5,000 Putt • Trip to St. Andrews Hole-in-One

Includes airfare, 6 nights lodging and green fees for two

• Trip to 2015 Masters Hole-in-One

Includes airfare, 5 nights lodging and passes to all 4 rounds

• Four-Person Scramble

A GREAT DAY FOR FUN FRIENDS AND FOURSOMES

• 11:00am Shotgun Start • Putting Contest Player Package Includes: Green Fee and Cart, Range Balls, Bag Tag, Complimentary Lunch on Course, Lancer Golf Gift, Complimentary Beverages on Course (Beer, Soda, Water), Foursome Picture, Delicious Banquet Dinner, Auction and Raffle

ALL LEVELS WELCOME Special Young Alumni (’00 -’14) Discount

For more information, please contact: Irene Santucci 626-696-4312 or san2c@lasallehs.org Proceeds to benefit La Salle’s Academic, Arts, Athletic, and Financial Aid Programs PAGE 8

ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

From the Crystal Ball Committee

The Crystal Ball “Defined” 16th Annual Crystal Ball and Gift Gathering Parties The Annual Crystal Ball, La Salle’s main fundraising event, will be held Friday, May 8, 2015 Save the date and plan to join us!

SAVE THESE DATES! Crystal Ball:

La Salle’s single largest annual fundraising event and one of La Salle’s most fun social events.

An evening spent enjoying friends and families of La Salle while dining, socializing and being swept up in the excitement of live and silent auction opportunities. This year’s Crystal Ball will be held Friday, May 8, 2015 at the Langham Huntington, Pasadena. This year’s theme is “Disco Fever.” The funds raised through the Crystal Ball enable La Salle to offer state-of-the-art programs in academics, visual and performing arts, athletics, tuition assistance, faculty and staff professional development, as well as technology and endowment.

Gift Gathering Parties:

Three fun social events held prior to the Crystal Ball; these parties provide a great opportunity for La Salle families and friends to get to know each other outside of the “academic halls,” while gathering items to be auctioned during the Crystal Ball.

“Gifts” Gathered at a Gift Gathering Party:

Admission to a Gift Gathering Party is the donation of an item to be incorporated into the silent or live auctions at the Crystal Ball. Invitations to each gift gathering party contain a list of suggested donation items. The “gifts” that are “gathered” at these parties are typically combined with other donations and put together in the form of gift baskets that are then available for auction during the Crystal Ball.

First Gift Gathering Party:

The first Gift Gathering Party is held early in the school year and is a great opportunity to welcome new families to La Salle. This year’s first gift gathering party will be held on Saturday, September 20, 2014.

Second Gift Gathering Party:

The second Gift Gathering Party is held during the holiday season and promises to inspire the holiday spirit in all families and friends who attend. This year’s Holiday Gift Gathering Party will be held on Saturday, December 6, 2014.

GREAT FUN WAYS TO SUPPORT LA SALLE

Third Gift Gathering Party:

The third Gift Gathering Party is usually held after the New Year. This party’s theme is “Gifts from the Heart” and, unlike the first two Gift Gathering Parties, the donations received at this party go directly to the San Miguel Scholarship Fund, La Salle’s scholarship program. This year’s “Gifts from the Heart” Gift Gathering Party will be held on Sunday, February 8, 2015.

Attendance – Crystal Ball and Gift Gathering Parties:

We would love to see as many of the La Salle community as possible at the Crystal Ball and at each of the Gift Gathering Parties! We understand that lives are busy, so we will welcome you to any of these events that you are able to attend! Attendance at any one of these events does not commit you to attending any other. Your attendance at any or all of these very fun events directly contributes to La Salle’s fundraising success and is greatly appreciated by all.

For more information, please contact event chair, Ellen Radle, at eradle@roadrunner.com

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ParentNewsletter

We're Back!

New Year Starts with 660 Happy Faces!

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SEPTEMBER 2014

ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER2014 2014 SEPTEMBER

To view more photos go to la salle home page Parent NewS downloads LINK FLICKR

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ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

From Guidance and Counseling

The First Day for Students and Parents

By Susan E. Keens, Ph.D. Clinical and School Psychologist, Department of Guidance and Counseling

We hope that this ParentNewsletter finds you well, and that your students are adjusting to the new school year. We welcome our new freshman students and parents and encourage you to become involved in the life and community of La Salle High School.

MILES TO GO BEGINS OCTOBER 20

The Miles To Go drug education speaker, Mr. Jonathan Scott, will speak to your freshman, sophomore and senior students this year. This program provides ongoing drug and alcohol education curriculum for your students. It is a sequential curriculum which begins in the freshman year and continues in the sophomore and senior year. Mr. Scott will here on Monday, October 20th, Tuesday, October 21st and Wednesday October 22nd.

The October sessions are the first in a two part curriculum for your students. Mr. Scott will return to La Salle High School on March 18th, 19th and 20th to complete the 2014-2015 drug and alcohol prevention education curriculum. Mr. Scott will speak at the Parent Education Series meeting on Tuesday evening, October 22nd at 7:00pm in the Blakeslee Library. During that time, he will discuss the information he provided to your students and answer your questions and concerns. Mr. Scott will also bring some of the parent information books which he and Ms. Townsend have co authored. One of the frequent parent dilemmas is addressed in their book, Where’s The Party?

The book addresses the importance of parent awareness, boundaries and discussions with your students about parties to which your students may be invited to attend. The importance of establishing family rules and guidelines about parties in the context of safety issues and any alcohol and drug use, is addressed. Miles To Go curriculum is based upon current research studies in the area of substance use and abuse. La Salle High School parents may put themselves on Miles to Go email, which provides articles and current updates about drug and alcohol research findings. Please remember to mark your calendars for the October 21st Parent Education Series this fall.

Please reschedule any non emergency medical and dental appointments for your student during the days that she or he is scheduled to attend the Miles to Go presentation this fall. The schedule can be found in your La Salle High School Handbook and Calendar.

I will end this column with a poem by Howard Nemerov that I think captures the hopes and dreams of all parents as their students return to school.

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ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

September, The First Day of School I My child and I hold hands on the way to school, And when I leave him at the first grade door He cries a little but is brave; he does Let go. My selfish tears remind me how I cried before that door a life ago.

I may have had a hard time letting go.

Each fall the children must endure together What every child also endures alone: Learning the alphabet, the integers, Three dozen bits and pieces of a stuff So arbitrary, so peremptory, That worlds invisible and visible Bow down before it, as in Joseph’s dream The sheaves bowed down and then the stars bowed down Before the dreaming of a little boy.

That dream got him such hatred of his brothers As cost the greater part of life to mend, And yet, great kindness came of it in the end.

II A school is where they grind the grain of thought, And grind the children who must mind the thought.

It may be those two grindings are but one, As from the alphabet come Shakespeare’s Plays, As from the integers comes Euler’s Law, As from the whole inseparably the lives, The shrunken lives that have not been set free By law or by poetic phantasy.

But may they be. My child has disappeared Behind the schoolroom door. And should I live To see his coming forth, a life away, I know my hope, but do not know its form Nor hope to know it. May the fathers he finds Among his teachers have a care for him More than his father could. How that will look I do not know, I do not need to know.

Even our tears belong to ritual.

But may great kindness come of it in the end.

From: Howard Nemerov. gnomes & occasions: Poems by Howard Nemerov.

University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1973.

La Salle families, please use the eScrip Online Mall for your gifts or regular shopping.

eScrip EASY WAY TO SUPPORTS THE LANCERS

Earn money for La Salle at absolutely no cost to you!

It is easy. Here is how: 1. Enroll with www.escrip.com 2. Click on the online Mall logo at: www.escrip.com 3. Shop at your favorite brand name stores and automatically donate to La SaIIe. 4. Download AutoEARN to earn contributions every time you shop without having to visit the Online Mall first!

Thank you!

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ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

From the College Counseling Center

College Center News

By M. Teresa Baldonado and Owen Hou ’90 College Counselors

College Admission Counselors are on the road visiting high schools and attending college fairs.

Around 70 college visits will take place at La Salle. You can find the up-to-date schedule for college visits and college information sessions on Family Connection under College Visits.

College Fair

All La Salle students are invited to attend the college fair held at Saint Francis High School on Monday, September 22 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. It is one of the largest fairs in the San Gabriel Valley with over 70 colleges present and attracts close to a thousand students each year. Plan to arrive early or carpool as parking will be scarce.

COLLEGE FAIR SEPTEMBER 22

College Tours

Visiting college campuses is a wonderful opportunity for our students to see a variety of campuses before they begin the college admissions process. This school year we will be offering the following tours: Greater Los Angeles College Tour Monday, September 22, 2014 UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton and Chapman University As of the time of printing, there are still spaces available for this tour. Please turn in completed registration forms and payment ($95) to Mr. Hou at your earliest convenience.

Future tours: February 13-14, 2015: UC Berkeley (Cal), Santa Clara University, UC Santa Cruz, Saint Mary’s College, Stanford University, and University of San Francisco; March 16: UC San Diego, University of San Diego, and San Diego State. More information on these two tours will be provided in the November and December newsletters.

In addition to the above tours, we will also have an East Coast tour for juniors during Easter Break. Tentative dates are Monday, April 6 through Saturday April 11. Additional information for these tours will be announced in the October ParentNewsletter.

If you have questions about any college tours, please feel free to contact either Ms. Baldonado or Mr. Hou '90.

News for Seniors and Parents

As requested in the August ParentNewsletter, senior students and parents should complete the College Planning Survey located on Naviance/Family Connection (both were due August 29).

The Parent College Planning Survey helps the College Counselor learn about your student from another point of view and is helpful when we write your student’s recommendation. If you do not have or misplaced your login to Naviance/Family Connection, please contact your student’s College Counselor. Also note that the individual senior college meeting will be sched­uled according to the receipt date of the student’s Senior College Planning Survey. In other words, first come, first served.

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ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

Standardized Testing

Registration is open for the Fall SAT and ACT. If your student would like to take these standardized test(s) and has not registered yet, please do so as soon as possible. We encourage you to register online, for the SAT at www.col­legeboard.com, and for the ACT at www.act.org. If you prefer to register by paper, registration forms are available at the College Center.

SAT Test Date (Register By) October 11, 2014 (September 12) November 8, 2014 (October 9) December 6, 2014 (November 6) ACT Test Date (Register By) September 13, 2014 (August 8) October 25, 2014 (September 19) December 13, 2014 (November 7)

Fall SAT Prep Course

We are proud to partner with the Princeton Review for this school year. They will be offering two SAT prep courses a year, one for the fall and one for the spring. In addition, they will also be offering an ACT boot camp during the Christmas Holiday.

The fall course prepares students for the October 11 SAT. It starts with a practice test on Saturday, September 6 and runs to Wednesday, October 8. Classes are on Mondays and Wednesdays, with practice tests on Saturdays. Additional information, including a full course schedule and cost can be found on the Princeton Review website at www.princetonreview.com, first click on ‘SAT’ and then the link next to ‘Classroom Courses’.

NOTE DATES FOR SAT AND ACT

While the Classroom Course is usually 18 hours long, we were able to get the Princeton Review to add an additional six hours for no cost. Families can also receive a $100 discount with the promo code: HS100.

Mock SAT

The La Salle Parent Boosters will be offering a practice SAT exam with SAT Strategy Session.

This is a good opportunity for sophomores and juniors to become more familiar with the standardized test.

Mock SAT – Saturday, September 27 at 9:00am Mock ACT – Saturday, October 18 at 9:00am

The price for each mock test is $25 and $40 for both. The fee includes a follow-up Strategy Session workshop offered to both parents and students to review the test and answer any test-related questions. The SAT workshop will be held Thursday, October 2 and the ACT workshop will be held Thursday, October 23. Both will be held at 6:00pm in the Blakeslee Library.

To register, please submit a check to the College Center, made payable to La Salle High School.

NHS and Science NHS (SNHS) Registration

If your student is eligible for membership in the National Honor Society (NHS) and/or Science National Honor Society (SNHS), please remind him or her to register. The application deadline to register for both is Friday, September 5.

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ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

From the Academic Boosters

Welcome and Save the Date: Academic Booster Meeting

Tuesday, September 9, Blakeslee Library 7:30pm JOIN THE ACADEMIC BOOSTERS

Academic Booster meetings provide parents the opportunity to meet monthly with our Associate Principal for Academic Life to discuss school programs and curriculum updates. It is a great way to hear first-hand information regarding academics, ask questions and vote on teacher “Wish List” requests. We hope you will join us and contribute your time and ideas, helping La Salle continue to provide the highest academic standards for all students. We consider it a privilege to support our teachers and students in achieving their goals.

Academic Booster Activities: • Fund “Wish List” Request, Providing Curriculum Enhancement • Hospitality: Set-Up, Service and Clean-Up • Volunteer Opportunities: Join our “Cookie Club” Bakers and Earn Hours • Facilitates Uniform Buy Back and Used Uniform Sale • Supports Crystal Ball Fundraiser and Gift Giving Parties • Facilitates Parent Education Opportunities, Focusing on Relevant Topics Academic Booster meetings are hosted the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30pm, in the Blakeslee Library, immediately following your 6:30pm Parent Association meeting.

Join our team: We currently have open board and chair positions!

President: Shaya Akobian

Akobiankids3@gmail.com

Vice President: Dalila Luna

Dalila3223@gmail.com

Treasurer: Laura Cheung Lacheung@raytheon.com Secretary: Sheri Wedeen Wedeen@gmail.com Wish List: Emma Ayala Eayala003@yahoo.com Wish List: Josie Beringer

Yorkshire5@att.net

Cookie Club: Elena Tan Pelena1@sbcglobal.net

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Hospitality: Martha Rodriguez

Martha.rodriguez@fitzhunt.com

Hospitality: Amporo Villalpando

Amparoy5@ymail.com

ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

Mind the Mission

By Patrick Bonacci, AFSC, Vice President for Mission

In my role as Vice-President for Mission, I will periodically share with you information about specific school events and reflection material. An example of this is my thoughts on the beginning of the year retreat that all faculty, support staff and administrators attended at the Mater Dolorosa Retreat House the week prior to the opening of the school year. The facilitators for this retreat were Auxiliary Visitor Br. James Joost, FSC, who is also a past member of our faculty, and Ms. Heather Ruple, the Director of Lasallian Youth Programs. Both of these colleagues are part of the leadership structure from our District Office– the District of San Francisco and New Orleans. This District is one of four Christian Brother’s Districts that span our Region which includes the United States and parts of Canada. The themes/reflections for their presentations were: the role of authentic Vocation discernment for adults as well as students and an overview of recent changes that have occurred within the leadership structure of our District and the International Institute in Rome. As a point of reference, there are more than 18,000 students in Lasallian Schools within our District; some 72,000 students in schools within our Region; and nearly one million students in Lasallian schools across the world.

Our students are an integral part of an exceptional global network of schools that are animated by the Christian Brothers and the spirit of Saint La Salle.

The ending segment of the opening day retreat was devoted to the VIRTUS -Keeping the Promise Alive- re-certification process. As you may know, all of the employees of La Salle High School participate in this Archdiocesan-mandated program in an effort to protect our students from all aspects of the tragedy of child abuse.

PRAYER FOR THE NEW YEAR

The following prayer was part of the prayer service used for the faculty and staff in-service. I share it with you for your reflection:

O Divine Teacher, Give us ears to listen to our students, eyes to see them as people of worth and dignity, hands that reach out to the m especially in time of need, mouths that communicate w i t h them, creativity in teaching that challenges them, a holy life that inspires them, hearts that love them, feet to go where they are, a sense of humor to b r i g h t en their day, firmness and constancy in correcting and admonishing them, peace to quiet their anxiousness, a humility that r e m ind s us of our great r esp o nsibility to the young men and w omen w e e d u c a t e .

Make us a companion to accompany them on their spiritual and educational j o u r ney .

I hope and pray that you have a fantastic New School Year!

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ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

The La Salle High School Academic, Arts, and Athletic Boosters Invite you to

Country Western Night BIG NIGHT FOR THE COWBOYS AND COWGIRLS

Crystal Ball Gift Gathering Party

Come “Belly-Up” to the bar, Enjoy some “Grub” provided by Stone Fire Grill and “Kick up your Spurs” with The La Salle High School Dance Team

Saturday, September 20, 2014 7:00pm. – 10:00pm.

La Salle High School Dining Hall

Admission to Country Western Night is a $25 Minimum Cash or Auction Item Donation per Person (see next page for preferred donations) RSVP by September 15th to Jacky Samartin 626.351.7578 or jsamartin@charter.net

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ParentNewsletter

A Gift Gathering List of Preferred Donations Cash or Check Gift Cards: Restaurants, Retail Stores, Movie Theaters, Spas, Salons, American Express, Visa, Master Card Tickets to: Sporting Events, Concerts, Theme Parks, Plays Vacation Condos/Homes or Time-Share Getaways, Golf Rounds, Snow Ski Passes, Fitness Memberships Gift Baskets

SEPTEMBER 2014

NOTE THESE DATES V

The thoughtful support of alumni, parents, grandparents and friends has helped sustain La Salle High School’s margin of excellence since 1956. The School acknowledges this generosity in a number of important ways.

The premier annual giving society is the President’s Circle, established in 2011, which includes gifts of $2,500 or more per fiscal year (July 1 thru June 30). The President’s Circle succeeds the Crystal Circle (gifts between $1,000 and $2,499) as La Salle’s preeminent annual gift society.

WE ARE ALWAYS THANKFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT

President’s Circle and Crystal Circle members are recognized on a donor wall in prominent display at the School and in the Annual Report.

A reception is held for each group in the fall:

V Crystal Circle Reception Sunday, September 7, 2014

V President’s Circle Reception Sunday, November 9, 2014

At whatever level you choose to support La Salle on an annual basis, your support is most warmly welcome.

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ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

The Obsequious Observer

By John Blackstock, The Editor

This summer, four students from La Salle were accepted into Camp CHLA (Children’s Hospital Los Angeles).

Only 500 applications are accepted and only 140 students are admitted into two one week camps. Students were chosen based on their completed online application, essay, and letters of recommendation. Campers were given scrubs and hospital IDs and worked each day from 8:00am to 4:30pm. Justin Zumal '15 and Madi Lanyi '15 participated in the June Camp and Sydney Flynn '16 and JoeAl Akobian '15 participated in

GOOD STUFF TO KNOW

the August Camp.

Camp CHLA gave these students a chance to explore exciting careers in the health care profession. Their daily activities included: observation of medical procedures as health care professionals care for patients. Participation in skills lab where they learned how to take vital signs, perform CPR and acquire other essential skills for the medical field. Exposure to different career paths by participating in presentations given by medical professionals in various specialties. Debriefing at the end of each day to reflect and share their experiences with other campers.

Lancers Stuff It

The Mighty Lancer football team stuffed, stamped and sealed 650 invitations to the fall Gift Gathering party. This generous effort on their part saved the school over $1,000 in mailing costs!

Parents, grab your hat and boots, enjoy some grub and come belly up to the bar at "County Western Night" on Saturday, September 20, from 7:00 to 10:00pm in the Dining Hall. Your attendance supports all of the students here at La Salle. Admission is a $25 minimum donation per person. Delicious food and drink are included. Plus, parents will recieve one serve hour for attending the event.

Excellence in all we do "I am not remotely interested in just being good. We are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence."

Vince Lombardi PAGE 20

ParentNewsletter

SEPTEMBER 2014

City of Pasadena and La Salle Parking Laws The following rules and guidelines have been established by the administration and the Pasadena Police Department for the safety of your children.

Parents may drop off students in front of school and by driving into the school parking lot on Sierra Madre Boulevard.

Enter the parking lot using the second gate west of the gym and exit as indicated. The City has provided an additional dropoff zone going south on Michillinda Avenue, just north of the School’s driveway. This is for immediate drop-off only and is indicated as such. Both La Salle and the City are very concerned by the ongoing double, (and at times, triple) parking by parents during drop-off on Sierra Madre Boulevard. This is not only illegal, but extremely unsafe. The City will continue to enforce a no-left-turn policy for northbound Michillinda Avenue traffic onto Canfield Road and Landfair Road, as well as a no-right-turn policy for southbound traffic on Michillinda Avenue onto Canfield and Landfair. This policy is in effect from 7:00am to 8:00am, Monday through Friday.

Parents are also reminded that there is absolutely no student drop-off in the lower faculty parking lot. This creates a very dangerous back-up of cars in the oncoming traffic lanes.

The School also reminds our driving students that they should not park their cars on residential streets such as Canfield Road. The School will continue to work with the City in providing a process for safe and efficient drop-off of students. Parents should make use of the Sierra Madre Boulevard lot to pick up students at the end of the school day.

We expect our parents and students to adhere to these policies and regulations. They will be enforced by the Pasadena Police Department.

Contact Mr. Brandon Birr, Dean of Students at 626.696.4360 if you have any concerns about these procedures.

MUST READ FOR ALL PARENTS

Attendance Hotline 626.696.4406

A parent or guardian must call before 9:00am the day of the absence to notify the School if a student will be absent or tardy, or if the student needs to leave school early for an appointment. Please state student's name, date, time, and reason for the absence.

On return to School, the student must stop by the reception desk prior to 8:00am with a note from the parents or guardians stating the reason for the absence.

Notification of any planned absences, (college visits, etc.), must be in writing prior to the absence, given to the attendance office and approved by Mr. Birr, Dean of Students.

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SEPTEMBER 2014

Check your School calendar for event times and dates

SEPTEMBER Highlights September 1 Labor Day School Holiday

LANCER WELCOME DANCE SEPTEMBER 6

ACADEMIC AWARDS SEPTEMBER 11

GIFT GATHERING PARTY SEPTEMBER 20

Parent Teacher Meetings October 2

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September 5 Rally Schedule NHS, SNHS Applications Due FOOTBALL @ Pasadena High School Varsity 7:00pm Pasadena HS Field September 6 Lancer Welcome Dance 8:00-11:00pm Dining Hall September 6, 13, 20, 27 Saturday Princeton Review SAT Prep Class 12:45 - 3:45pm Campus September 9 Parent Association Meeting 6:30pm Blakeslee Library

September 11 Special Schedule Dress Uniforms Academic Awards 9:15am Dining Hall September 12 FOOTBALL vs Bishop Diego Varsity 7:00pm Kohorst Field September 18 Cafe Bibliotheque 2:30pm Blakeslee Library September 19 FOOTBALL @ Maranatha H.S. Varsity 7:00pm Maranatha Field September 20 Saturday Gift Gathering Party 7:00-10:00pm Dining Hall

September 22 Student Holiday Regional Faith Formation Day Greater Los Angeles College Tour

September 26 Dollar Dress Day FOOTBALL vs. Duarte H. S. Varsity 7:00pm Kohorst Field October 2 Special Schedule Dismissal 12:15pm Parent Teacher Conferences 12:45 - 2:30pm 4:30 - 6:00pm Campus October 13 Monday Lancer Golf Tournament and Banquet 11:00am Shotgun Start Glendora Country Club

Parent Boosters Meetings 7:30pm Campus Locations

From the Blakeslee Library

Volunteer Opportunities

The Blakeslee Library is in need of after-school monitor volunteers each school day afternoon from 3:00-5:00pm. This is a good way to fulfill your Parent Volunteer Hours obligation. Also, donations of snacks and drinks are appreciated for the Café Bibliothèque events in the Library. Café Bibliothèque will take place on September 18, October 23, November 13 and December 4. In 2015 Café Bibliothèque will be on January 15, February 19, March 19, and April 23. Please call Delia Swanner at 626.696.4313 or Janet Hagen at 626.696.4332 to volunteer or sign up.