February Lantern 2017

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LANTERN Presentation High School Parent Newsletter | February 2017

Performing Arts

By Jim Houle | Performing Arts Director

Dance Team The competition season for the Presentation Dance Team is now underway! So far, the team has already danced in its first two competitions of the school year: the West Coast Elite Competition held Jan. 21 at Presentation and a competition at Homestead High School.

Next, the team competes at Monta Vista High School on Feb. 11, at Lincoln High School on Feb. 18, and at Cupertino High School on Feb. 25. Come out and support the team!

Another Musical Success Congratulations to director Heather Kenyon ’05 and the cast and crew of our winter musical, Footloose. Audiences who ventured out for night of entertainment were not disappointed by this high-energy musical. Special thanks to the hardworking student-actors and technicians who worked tirelessly to bring this show to life, as well as our TADA! volunteers who supported this production in countless ways. Thanks to all for a great show.

The Dance Department offers middle schoolers the opportunity to dance with our national championship-winning Dance Team and perform in the Spring Dance Concert. Our middle school workshop is open to students in grades 6-8. The fee for the entire workshop is $50.

• Classes: March 21, 28; April 4, 11, 25; May 2 (4-6 p.m.)

• Dress Rehearsal: May 9 (5:30-6:30 p.m.)

• Performances: May 10-12 (5 p.m. call time, 7 p.m. performance) For more information, email Sara Fugate at sfugate@presentationhs.org.

Choir A Long Strange Trip The student cast of our spring play, The Odyssey, are hard at work learning lines and creating exciting swordfight choreography in anticipation of accompanying Odysseus on his perilous journey.

Performances of this theatrical classic are March 11-19. Tickets are currently on sale online: www.presentationhs.org/boxoffice.

This original piece of theater will include multi-media, puppetry, shadow illusions and much more!

I.T.S. presents Musical Snip-ITS On Feb. 8 and 9 at 7 p.m., senior I.T.S. officers Raziel Santos, Ankitha Neelavar, Mai Lwin Hannah Franchetti and Ashley Stevens will direct a large cast in an evening of fully-realized musical numbers in a production they are calling “Not Your Grandmother’s Snip-ITS.” Get ready for numbers from Avenue Q, Rent, The Book of Mormon and, well, you get the idea! At just five dollars per ticket, this is a great night out for audiences with short attention spans! Don’t miss this event, which is totally produced and directed by our students. See you at the theater!

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The Lantern | February 2017

By Gabriella Gomez '17 | Bella Voce PR Representative The choir has been incredibly busy in the past month, starting off the new year with festivals and preparing for this month’s California All-State Music Educators Conference. Bella Voce held its winter retreat in early January, spending the day learning new pieces of music for its spring repertoire. Bella Voce will perform several of those new songs this March alongside the Seattle Girls Choir and the British Columbia Girls Choir during a trip to Seattle, Vancouver and San Francisco.

In January, special guest clinician Dr. Jefferey Benson (Director of Choral Activities at San Jose State University) visited Presentation to work with Bella Voce, giving constructive feedback and tips on improving its repertoire. Later that month, Bella Voce attended the Santa Clara University High School Choral Festival. There, the choir participated in workshops with Dr. Scott Hanna-Weir and performed alongside several other choirs in the beautiful Mission Santa Clara.

Parent Board

By Joel Dibble | Parent Board President | jcdibble17@gmail.com The Parent Board, along with the Presentation community, recently celebrated the truly fabulous life of one of the school’s most dedicated, hardworking members. Longtime events coordinator and Parent Board moderator, Jane Jeziorski, passed away on Dec. 15 after a battle with cancer. In addition to being the driving force behind so many Pres events for the last 26 years, she raised thousands of dollars in support student scholarships and school programs.

Attendance Office Here are some friendly reminders from the Attendance Office: If your daughter is absent or late: • If your daughter is going to be coming to school late or not at all, please call the Attendance Office at (408) 266-1060 no later than 9 a.m.

• Your daughter is considered absent if she arrives after 8 a.m. (unless she has a free period) and will need a parent note when she checks into the Attendance Office.

• All absences require a written note signed by the parent the day she returns to school. Faxes and emails are not accepted.

If your daughter needs to leave early: In the rare instance when your daughter needs to leave school for an appointment, please send her to the Attendance Office before school begins with a note from you stating the reason she needs to leave school and the time of her dismissal. She will be given an early dismissal notice from the Attendance Secretary. When she returns to school from the appointment she must check back into school with the Attendance Office.

For further information, please review the detailed attendance policy in your daughter’s academic planner. If you have any other questions, please contact the Attendance Office at (408) 266-1060 or by email at cfurtado@presentationhs.org.

One of Jane’s favorite events was the annual Crab Feed, and with a tip of the hat to her, this year we will be throwing a marvelous Mardi Gras party on Feb. 11. I’d like to thank the tireless parent volunteers who have been coming out in force to help make this year’s Crab Feed spectacular! From working weekdays and weeknights covered in glitter and paint, to all who will sacrifice a precious Saturday to prep food, hang decorations, herd student volunteers and then return Sunday morning to clean it all up, thank you!

Each year, Parent Board sets out to raise funds through special events, such as Crab Feed, to cover items not covered by tuition.

Last year, we were able to fund several special requests from teachers, clubs and sporting teams.

One item always at the top of our wish list is scholarship. This year, the Parent Board provided funds to help two deserving upper-class students expand their scholastic reach by taking more challenging courses and signing up for extracurricular activities.

Parent Board couldn’t fulfill these special requests without the dedication of Presentation parents, past and present. Together with generous hearts, talent and boundless energy we have been able to make Presentation an extraordinary place.

If you are still on the fence, now is the time to join the Presentation volunteer crew. I guarantee you will have a great time, and more importantly, you will leave with a heart fuller than you would have ever imagined.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Joel Dibble

Tuition: Upcoming Tuition and Financial Aid Deadlines February Feb. 6: Financial aid applications due to FACTS Please note: late or incomplete applications will result in less or no financial aid awarded to qualified families.

March Financial aid decisions mailed April April 3: Tuition contracts emailed April 10: Tuition contracts due May May 1: $1,500 tuition deposit (applied to tuition) for returning students and $50 Smart Tuition fee due August Aug. 1: First tuition payment and fees (planner, tech, yearbook & senior) due Please note the following change in the tuition payment method for 2017-2018. All tuition payments will be made through Smart Tuition

by EFT withdrawal from a checking, savings or credit card account.

Mail-in payments will no longer be an option. www.presentationhs.org 3

College Counseling

Counseling

As I sit in my office listening to the excited discussions taking place just outside my door, I often hear seniors ask one another a familiar set of questions. “Where did you apply? Did you hear back from any colleges? Did you hear who was denied?”

Before students resumed classes, the Presentation faculty began the semester in service. As part of our two-day faculty retreat, we had the opportunity to volunteer at a variety of nonprofit organizations throughout San Jose. I was among the group of faculty members who spent time with residents of a skilled nursing facility.

By MaryLynne Rodriguez

Oftentimes, the inquiries are purely innocent conversation starters.

However, the student on the receiving end of the question may feel singled out or that her privacy in the process is being compromised.

Recently, the College Counseling Department sent the following communication to the seniors to ensure your daughters are aware and feel secure and confident as they move forward in their personal journeys this semester: Winter is a time of waiting. Most of you have submitted the majority of your college applications and will begin receiving results (desired and undesired) from February to April. For those of you who have applied early to a college, most have received a decision. Acceptances, denials, deferrals and waitlists are natural and consistent parts of the College Admissions process for 90 percent of you.

There may be a few of you who received 100 percent positive news, while others may have received 100 percent negative results. Be mindful. Be aware.

Deciding with whom to share these personal results is entirely up to you. Some only choose to tell their closest friends. Others choose only tell their families.

Remember, not everyone is comfortable sharing information about their latest acceptances or denials, or which colleges they did or did not apply to. Please celebrate one another’s accomplishments, but only when and if that information is openly shared with you.

Be mindful. Be aware. Be respectful of each other’s right to privacy with their college admissions journey.

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The Lantern | February 2017

By MaryLynne Rodriguez

As I reflect on that morning, one moment in particular stands out to me for its simplicity and purity. The residents played a game where they gently tapped balloons back and forth to one another. For 15 minutes, the noise of the outside world seemed to quiet and the trials and tribulations of life seemed to fade away. The residents smiled as the red, purple, green and yellow balloons floated through the air to one another. I was struck by how such a simple action could create peace in the moment. Then and there, I was inspired to not wait another moment to find my own personal “balloons” within my life.

The residents’ reaction to the balloons reminded me of how we often forget about what we have right in front of us, especially with so many of the world’s challenges just a click or tap away. As an adult I struggle to disengage at times, so I can only imagine how difficult a task this is for our young women at Presentation. With PSAT scores, standardized testing, Powerschool, and college on the horizon— along with the daily challenges of adolescence—I empathize with their struggles to find peace and serenity day to day.

And yet, it is essential that our students learn and practice mindfulness—the act of focusing one’s awareness on the present moment.

At Presentation, we incorporate mindfulness in a variety of ways— from the Student Wellness program to yoga classes and beyond.

As educators, we are beginning to see the positive results from letting go of the tensions that burden our mind, body, and spirit, and focusing on the happiness we may be blind to as a result of the outer influences that plague our society.

With practice techniques and online guided meditations a click away, it is time to begin actively looking for the “balloons” in our own lives, so we can be the models of mindful living our young women need and in fact, deserve.

Campus Ministry

Community Involvement

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." -Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, 20th Century Jesuit Priest

"Agape, the love of each one of us for the other, from the closest to the furthest, is in fact the only way that Jesus has given us to find the way of salvation."

-Pope Francis

Campus Ministry is eager to support your daughter in her call to walk with God and deepen her spirituality. To that end, we look forward to many masses and prayer experiences this semester, as well as leading freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors on six retreats.

To practice the love that Pope Francis references, Presentation students will travel to a variety of communities during immersion trips this semester. They will be challenged to interact with people whose lives, values and social status may be drastically different than their own. Yet, through this interaction, they discover those differences are not so great as they may have seemed. Through immersion and solidarity, our students truly become sisters with the marginalized and the forgotten.

By Claire Hansen

Led by the Campus Ministry core team and campus ministers, the first retreat of the semester took place on Jan. 30 at the Presentation Retreat Center in Los Gatos. 100 peer ministers reflected on the theme “You are Known and You are Loved” which was based on the Woman at the Well passage from the Gospel of John.

Our second freshman retreat of the school year will be held on Feb. 10 at the Presentation Retreat Center in Los Gatos. The theme is “Growing in the Good Soil,”which is based on the Parable of the Sower. Our core team, peer ministers and faculty will lead the girls in this day of reflection and community building.

We will soon begin recruiting rising sophomores, juniors and seniors for next year’s peer ministry team. Students of all faith traditions are welcome to join peer ministry, which is designed to deepen the spiritual experience of its members as well as that of the school. At our once-a-month meetings during open collaboration periods, students are invited and empowered to develop and share their unique gifts and faith interests through prayer, small group sharing, retreats, and participation in various forms of ministry. Please encourage your daughter to apply!

Feel free to contact chansen@presentationhs.org with any questions.

By Lindsay Swoboda

During February break, students will provide food and other basic necessities to people experiencing homelessness on Skid Row in Los Angeles. They will also teach English to recent immigrants who are trying to better the lives of their families.

At the time time, another group of students will be at L’Arche in Tacoma, Washington creating relationships with people who have developmental disabilities.

Locally, students will travel to San Francisco in March to learn more about urban poverty, with particular emphasis on how the rapidly-changing city is—or is not—considering the needs of all of its residents. In April, students will travel to Nogales, Arizona and Mexico to learn about immigration and border issues. Across the country, another group of students will work with Nazareth Farm to fix dilapidated houses in one of the most impoverished areas of West Virginia. Finally, during the summer, students will travel to Nicaragua—the second-poorest country in the western hemisphere—to build a house for a rural family in need.

While each of our trips are very different, they all have one thing in common: building relationships. We are looking forward to a semester where we put Pope Francis' words into action and fully live out agape. www.presentationhs.org 5

Panther Pride Presentation students continue to shine! Check out the accomplishments of our programs and teams this past month: Speech and Debate The Speech and Debate team continues to rack up wins and trophies in what has become one of the most successful years in the team’s history.

The largest travel squad ever (27 students) competed during the holiday break at the Southwest Championship at Arizona State University with a record number of students competing in both Speech and Debate elimination rounds. The highlight of the weekend was the freshman team of Chau Nguyen and Anusha Ghosh who advanced to the semi-final round of novice policy debate, finishing third among all novice policy teams at the tournament. Anusha was the champion and top speaker at the tournament while Chau took the second place speaker award.

Several Speech and Debate students have earned qualifying bids to the Tournament of Champions in Lexington, Kentucky in April. Aaarushi Sahejpal ’18 earned her qualifications in both extemporaneous speaking and congress. Talla Khelgati ’17 and Manush Mobarhan ’17 earned their third bid in public forum. Regina Ta ’19 qualified in original oratory and Samika Kikkeri ’17 qualified in extemporaneous speaking.

STEM Congrats to Rithu Paramesh ’20, the Math Contest winner in both December and January. Rithu has been the champion or co-champion of every Math Contest this school year!

Community Service A special shout-out goes to the Community Involvement December Service Star, Moira Campi ’18, for serving 10 hours at the San Jose Animal Care Center.

PAWS Dedicated to helping animals in need, the Presentation Animal Wellness Squad (PAWS) spent the first semester of the school year focused on fundraising and advocacy. In October, PAWS held the Howl-oween Bake Sale which raised more than $200 for the Silicon Valley Humane Society. In addition, PAWS members worked to educate the Presentation community about animal issues. During the fall, PAWS officers discussed why black cats and dogs are usually adopted in lower numbers; they also taught the Presentation community about how best to take care of pets during the holidays— especially when there are so many goodies lying around.

This semester, PAWS members are turning their attention to helping local shelters keep animals warm and clean during the winter. Please take a look in your closets and mark your calendars for our “Give Your Heart to the Animals” blanket drive on Feb. 14 and 15.

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The Lantern | February 2017

Math Department

By Nicole Ralston

The #1 question I’m sure most math teachers are asked is, “When am I ever going to use this in real life?” The most common response is “Everyday!” And truthfully, we all do. Just as we use words to express our thoughts and feelings, we use numbers to help quantify and make sense of the physical world. How many classes are you taking this semester? Six. How far is the basketball game from Pres?

12 miles at a bearing of 45°(also known as northwest). How long is it until the end of the school year? 147 days, including weekends and holidays (not that anyone is counting).

Math is a language, and when we are comfortable speaking it, we have more creative control over physical world, using our knowledge of numbers to build things like homes, cars, clothes, and computers.

What’s even more exciting is that math leads us to discover new meanings behind market trends, finance, social sciences, biology, physics, and the history of the universe. We’re so excited to offer such a wide variety of courses in our STEM curriculum that help students explore the world, and our math courses gives them the basic tools they need to do so.

This year, we are excited to offer new upper division math courses to help all our students reach their potential in math. We now offer both Statistics 1 and 2, as well as AP Calculus AB, in addition to the existing AP Calculus BC. The greater variety of upper division math courses in Statistics, Calculus and Computer Science has given all students the opportunity to find a math subject that sparks their interest and pursue it further, preparing them not only for college but their future careers. We look forward to another great semester of mathematical exploration!

Educational Technology

By Lisa Tripoli

This semester, Presentation teachers are testing the new Apple Classroom application. With Apple Classroom, teachers are able to perform a variety of actions on student iPads to guide learning: open an app, lock an app open, open a web page or ePub book, view the iPad screen, and airplay to the Apple TV. One teacher noted that she used Classroom as a way to check on her pace for instruction. She was able to use Classroom to view iPad screens and see student progress as she went through her lesson with them.

Additionally, Apple Classroom gives teachers the ability to lock a full class of iPads into a single app. We believe this will help students stay focused without the distraction of notifications and multitasking. In an NPR article titled, “Learning in the Age of Digital Distraction,” the author discusses the idea that we may all need to “re-train ourselves to become comfortable with sustaining our attention on a single goal and for young people, who may have never developed this skill, to learn the value and to appreciate the value and to even feel the value of sustained attention.” With Apple Classroom, teachers will be able to work towards this goal with their students and at the same time deepen the collaboration of learning with technology in the classroom.

Fashion Show 2017: Let Yourself Blossom

Athletics

We are mere months away from the big show, and now’s your chance to get involved! This is the 51st anniversary of the Presentation Fashion Show. With your help it can be a recordbreaker, raising much-needed funds for the Endowment for Financial Aid. Buy a Tribute Ad: Sponsor your daughter’s middle school, neighborhood, club or sports team photo in the Fashion Show program. Suggested donation is $20 per individual in the photo, but any amount is truly appreciated, and the more sponsor dollars per group – the larger the club/team photo in the program!

Help Fulfill the Wish List: Donations are needed to help fill the benefit raffle packages. Golf certificates, sporting event tickets, electronic gadgets, spa or vacation retreats, restaurant gift cards and even airline miles are needed. Cash donations also help!

Advertise Your Business: Align your business with Presentation when you advertise in the Fashion Show program. More than 1,500 attendees will see your ad and know you support our girls in plaid.

Join the Let Yourself Blossom Crew: Volunteer before, during and after the April 7th show. Behind-the-scenes assistance is especially needed in backstage dressing.

Visit www.presentationhs.org/fashionshow for complete details. If you have specific questions, please contact Let Yourself Blossom Chair Sue Greene at suegreene23@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for your support!

Visit www.presentationhs.org/fashionshow to volunteer or advertise.

By Stacey Mallison | Athletic Director

Greetings, Panther supporters!

The basketball team had a great pre-season! Their efforts and successes in the pre-season earned them a berth into the CCS tournament. One pre-season highlight was traveling to the West Coast Jamboree and winning the Zircon division. The team now faces fierce competition in the WCAL season.

On Jan. 13, our basketball players honored our amazing faculty and staff at our third annual Faculty Appreciation Game. As is tradition, each student-athlete picked a teacher to be honored by name before tip-off. We are very blessed to have an incredible group of teachers educating our student-athletes. We thank you, Presentation teachers, for your hard work!

The varsity soccer team is having a great season so far, including a big 5-2 win over Valley Christian; each of the five goals were scored by a different player. The soccer program also hosted its annual alumnae game and barbecue on Dec. 31. It was great to see so many alumnae back on the pitch!

Spring sports tryouts are already underway. If your daughter plans to participate in a spring sport, she must turn in the Athletic Participation Packet. For more information about the packet, please contact Athletic Trainer Heather Terbeek: hterbeek@presentationhs.org. Tryout information and the packet are both posted on the Athletics section of the Presentation website. If your daughter is playing a spring sport, a parent must attend our Spring Sports Parents Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Miller Athletic Complex.

Lastly, we are selling PantherWear on campus once again!

Proceeds from these sales benefit our student-athletes. For more information, visit the Booster Club page of the Presentation website.

Go Panthers!

Varsity Home Games Soccer Wednesday, Feb. 1 vs. St. Ignatius College Prep | 3:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 8 vs. Valley Christian | 3:15 p.m.

Basketball Tuesday, Feb. 7 vs. St. Francis High School | 7:30 p.m. www.presentationhs.org 7

February 2017 SUNDAY

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MONDAY

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LAMP Meeting, 7-9 p.m., Jenvey House

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TUESDAY

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Spring Sports Parents Meeting, 7-9 p.m., Miller Athletic Complex

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THURSDAY

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8

Board Mtg., 9 Booster 10 7-9 p.m., Library

Vintage '62, 6-9 p.m., St. Claire Club

Parent Board Meeting, 7-8:30 p.m., Library

Joint College Night for Soph. Parents, 7 p.m., Bellarmine

TADA!, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Reception Room

Snip-ITS, 7-9 p.m., Valenzuela Theater

Math & Science Colloquium, 7-8:30 p.m., Center

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22 Winter Break

4 11 Crab Feed, 6:30-11 p.m., Miller Athletic Complex

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Speech and Debate Parent Judging Night, 6-8 p.m., Library

23 Winter Break

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SATURDAY

Snip-ITS, 7-9 p.m., Valenzuela Theater

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Fashion Show Committee Meeting, 7-9 p.m., Library

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FRIDAY

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Golf Tournament Committee Meeting, 6-8 p.m., Library

Winter Break

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WEDNESDAY

Winter Break

Winter Break

28 Board of Trustees Meeting, 3:30-5 p.m., Library

For complete calendar visit www.presentationhs.org/calendar

FEBRUARY 2017 Presentation High School The Lantern 2281 Plummer Avenue San Jose, CA 95125