Resurrection Weekly Update #17
The Way to Stay in Touch with All Things Res: 1/22 - 1/26
What's Happening at Res This Week?
Daily Breakdown
Monday January 22nd - White Day
- Start of Natural Helpers Week
Tuesday January 23rd - Red Day
- Activity 2 Schedule
- Class of 2022 Welcome Dinner in Cafe: 6 - 7 pm
Wednesday January 24th - White Day
- Mother Celine Field Trip to Loyola: 11:30 departure from classes
- Faculty PD in Library/Theater: 12:50 - 3:10 pm
- 12:50-12:55 Prayer
- 12:55-1:10 Sr. Donna Update on Course
1:10-1:20 Rick UbD Update
1:20-2:45 Tam and Student Services showing of Angst with discussion
Thursday January 25th - Red Day
- Special Schedule for special movie viewing of Angst
- Academic Council in Board Room: 3:15 - 4 pm
Friday January 26th - White Day
- Career Day #2
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Monday January 29th - Red Day
- Catholic Schools Week
- Liturgy Schedule and Seating Chart
Tuesday January 30th - White Day
- Activity 3 Schedule
Wednesday January 31st - Red Day
- Faculty PD in Library: 2:10 - 3:10 pm
Thursday February 1st - White Day
- V-Show: 7 - 8 pm in the Theater
Friday February 2nd - Red Day
- Winter Pep Rally in the Gym: 2 - 3 pm: Wed Schedule (No period 7)
Shoutouts!
Outstanding happenings around the building:
1. Josephine Montanile for engaging her students in the understanding of ATP production using Quizlet Live.
2. Cathy Blondin and Go Green for their continual encouragement to the Res community to keep recycling.
3. Meredith Rogers for organizing the College 101 program and encouraging juniors to sign up.
4. Departments for the planning being done to prepare for our upcoming 7th Grade Shadow Day.
5. Alisa Martorano and Laura Dennis for our first Alumnae speaker event of the year.
6.Tam Bernardin, Sheri Damery and Mary Bridich for all of their efforts with Angst!
Instruction & Technology Updates
"Soft Skills" = Life Skills
When some hear the term "soft skills", they may interpret them as less important skills. Research indicates that this couldn't be farther from the truth. Google famously started off using a hiring algorithm to search out elite computer scientist with an emphasis on things like STEM skills. In 2013, Google tested its hiring hypothesis and discovered that among seven top characteristics of successful Google employees, STEM expertise came in last. If you are curious what the top six skills are, here is a list:
Being a good coach, communicating and listening well, possessing insights into others, having empathy towards others, critical thinker/problem solver and being able to make connections across complex ideas.
The recognition that these "soft skills" were crucially important to employee and company success led Google to revise its hiring practice to include humanities majors and artists.
In education, we commonly refer to the four, or sometimes six C's (collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity, content and confidence) as being essential tools in the development of a 21st century student. This week, consider how you foster the development of these broad skills in your own classroom. These skills can be developed absent technology but in many cases can be amplified by an effective integration of technology into your classroom. Ultimately, if we can partner our students discovery of their God-given talents with the six C's, we will have provided them with a solid foundation for success in college and beyond.
What To Do When You're Absent -- UPDATED!
1. Email, text or call Kristine -- 312-485-6223.
2. If it is after 8AM and Kristine has not confirmed your absence, call the Main Office and speak to someone.
3. Email your Curriculum Coordinator and Kristine. Your email should include the following information:
- the class periods needing coverage (keep in mind special schedules)
- lesson plans and any instructions the substitute may need regarding class procedures or where to find materials for the class
- any supervisory duties needing coverage (e.g., lunch supervision, club moderator on an activity day)
New Faces at Res This Semester
- Alex Dimayuga is completing his student teaching under the guidance of Karen Groszek,
- Pauline Plaza is completing her clinical observations with Sam Toomey.
One returning face is Jessica Davis who will be leading Sr. Mary Ann's classes while she is in Bangalore, India. (Sr. Mary Ann will be serving as a delegate for the US Province at the General Assembly for the School Sisters of St. Francis.) Jessica successfully completed her student teaching here at Res last semester under the guidance of Noreen Maluchnik and Amy Martin. Congratulations to Jessica on passing her edTPA!
Spiritual Reflections - The Teacher's Rosary
THE TEACHER’S ROSARY
When other words fail us, the Rosary can offer a framework for our thoughts or perhaps even a sort of scaffolding to which we can tie our thoughts when everything else seems to be coming adrift. Although I have gathered these reflections under the heading of The Teacher’s Rosary, they are general enough to cross over into any sphere of work or life.
Even if the prospect of praying the respective decades of ‘Hail Mary’s’ one after the other leaves you cold, you might derive some benefit from exploring these mysteries as part of your own prayer. After all, the word ‘mystery’ has more to do with opening windows than solving puzzles. For example, some of these reflections could form part of an exercise in Lectio Divina.
The Joyful Mysteries
The Annunciation: On courtesy
The angel and the woman engage in a gracious conversation. No orders are given, but God’s plan is presented as a scenario which only the most shuttered soul could refuse. The courtesy of this encounter is arresting: Gabriel’s words stir life in the womb of the Virgin and she has shown herself worthy of the greeting ‘highly favoured’.
How do I express my ‘will’? Is it delivered as an ultimatum or an invitation? Am I aware of the power of words and my ability to build up or knock down by what I say and how I say it?
The Visitation: On cooperation
The helping hand extended to Elizabeth is itself a lesson in cooperation. Mary was not sent for but took the initiative; she comes not so much as a helper but as a sharer in joy since Elizabeth had also been touched by the grace of God who had (taken away her shame). Both women are cooperators with God and each other. In a very real sense what Mary does for Elizabeth is not as important as what Elizabeth does for Mary: her greeting confirms what the angel had spoken – she had indeed become the Mother of the Lord.
How ready am I to help others, especially if it makes demands which are beyond the call of duty or contract? Do I take the initiative in offering help to someone who might be slow to ask? By the same token, do I graciously accept support when it is offered to me? Remember that faith is confirmed (or strengthened) in charity.
The Nativity: On difficult births
Beneath the sentimentality which so often attends our recreations of the Nativity story lies a deeply unsentimental truth: God is born into a world of shadows in which shepherds and kings offer us glimpses into the lives of the poor and unregarded or the rich and insecure. In the midst sits Mary who contemplates the raising of the lowly and the fall of the mighty. There too lies the child who is the cause of all this: a new life already overshadowed by the threat of death.
It is important to acknowledge that all births and beginnings carry an element of risk. The risk may lie in our hopes being too fragile or our designs too rigid. Sometimes the struggle comes from the opposition of others who, Herod-like, feel threatened by change or any initiative which is not their own.
The Presentation: On the wisdom of experience
Mary and Joseph encounter Anna and Simeon: the young meet the old in God’s house and something beautiful is exchanged not so much advice as a blessing. Of course the blessing words are also hard-edged, sharp like the sword which will pierce Mary’s soul. Yet here too Mary shows herself to be a woman of reflection, pondering these words and feeling their weight.
The advice of our elders is often a mixed blessing. There can be times when ‘advice’ is merely criticism in thin disguise. But there are times when we should listen to the wisdom of experience, that sense of proportion one acquires simply by being around long enough. Those words of Simeon in particular prove to be a mystery to Mary but she resists the temptation to ignore a message that is hard to bear or grasp. Do I jettison what I find it hard to understand or accept?
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple: On respecting space
Mary and Joseph’s reactions are refreshingly unrestrained: there is that mix of anger, relief and love which any parent would recognise. Perhaps for the first time, Jesus is behaving in a way that is marking him out as an individual in his own right. He may not quite be ‘testing the limits of his freedom’ as children on the cusp of adolescence tend to do, but he is certainly showing a desire to communicate his inner world to those on the outside. This is a tentative step on the journey towards selfhood and a rehearsal for the Gospel.
The sword mentioned by Simeon makes a brief appearance in this passage. But it is the ‘cord’ binding mother and child which is being severed at this point. Mary must accept and respect her son’s need to flex his muscles and live a life which is not simply an extension of her own. Difficult, apparently thoughtless behaviour is not the end of the world and more often than not the beginning of a new one. Knowing when and how to create respectful spaces for this growth is a grace. As C. Day Lewis has expressed it: ‘Selfhood begins with a walking away, and love is proved ‘in the letting go.’
Student Services!
- Mary and Sheri have started to meet with freshman as a second semester check in.
- The counselors, along with Tam, are also finalizing plans for the Angst presentations next week. Please be aware there will be an altered schedule Thursday, January 25th to accommodate the movie viewing during seminars.
- An update on schedule changes, after this Monday, students can no longer add classes.
- College 101, a class for juniors learning about the college application process, starts next week. It will be held during seminar periods for 7 weeks. About 40 juniors have signed up to participate
- Scholarships and acceptances keep rolling in for seniors. Thanks to all the teachers that are submitting letters to scholarship organizations.
- Kristine and Meredith will be taking Mother Celine scholars to Loyola University this coming Wednesday
- The Saturday ACT Prep class starts February 10th for Juniors that have signed up
Happy Birthday!
Jeanette Saponaro - January 22nd
Briana O'Donnell - January 23rd
Eddie Kane - January 30th
About Us
Mission
Resurrection College Prep High School is a Catholic Christian community dedicated to the education of young women, and to the development of their God–given talents. Convinced of God’s unconditional love and nourished by the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, we are committed to the spiritual, ethical, intellectual, physical and social growth of our students.
Email: Resurrection@reshs.org
Website: www.reshs.org
Location: 7500 W Talcott Ave, Chicago, IL, United States
Phone: 773-775-6616
Facebook: www.facebook.com/reshs.chicago/
Twitter: @ResurrectionHS