MCCHS FRIDAY FOCUS
94th Edition: November 30, 2018
Pilgrims on the Way of Truth
Welcome to December!
Please check out last week's newsletter: MCCHS Friday Focus: November 23, 2018
We are repeating any timely articles or announcements in this edition for your convenience!
We had our first official SNOW DAY this Monday which extended our Thanksgiving break a little! We hope that everyone was able to use that "Bonus" day to rest and relax after the holiday. Later this past week, we came to school to find some rooms a little more chilly than other areas in the building, so we called our service team and they were able to identify, repair, and get our thermostats up to normal by the lunch periods!
We are excited to open our doors tomorrow to the Class of 2023, as they take their Placement Exams! Please pray for these wonderful students as they pass this great milestone!
Best of luck to our athletes who are competing this weekend, home and away. Also - a special shout-out to the dedicated members of our Gavel team, as they participate in the annual Midwest JSA Fall State Convention in Madison's capitol building this entire weekend!
WEEK AT-A-GLANCE December 1 - 7 , 2018
8:15 am: Freshman Placement Exam (Door #1 Entrance)
9:00 am: Musical Dance, Set Building, Costume Prep in Auditorium/Theatre Commons
2:00 pm: Boys So Basketball vs Sandwich
3:30 pm: Boys Var Basketball vs Sandwich
7:45 am: Daily Mass in Chapel
4th - 6th pds: Confessions in Chapel
PLEASE NOTE: MUSICAL PARTICIPATION MEETING HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL DECEMBER 11, 7PM!
Tuesday, December 4 , 2018 - LATE START
9:20 am: Daily Mass offered in Chapel
9:40 am: Warning Bell
9:45 am: 1st Period Begins
7:45 am: Daily Mass offered in Chapel
4th - 6th pds: Adoration in Chapel
2:30 pm: Confession in Chapel
7:00 pm: FIne Arts Boosters meeting in the Annex
7:45 am: Daily Mass in Chapel
2:30 pm: Confession in Chapel
Thursday, December 6, 2018 - St. Nicholas Day celebration during all lunches!
4th - 6th pds: Adoration during all lunches in Chapel
2:35 pm - 3:35 pm: Detention in Room 147
Check out our detailed Athletic Calendar for all practice times, team dinners, and "Away" games for this week!
For a detailed calendar of all MCCHS Clubs & Organizations meetings and events, please see our Clubs & Organizations Website!
Hurricane Day - THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for making Hurricane Day a big success! Whether you sported your spirit wear, donated, shared what Marian means to you, or prayed for our community, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. With your help and support, we raised $9,256 (and counting)! YOU have helped ensure that the tradition of a Marian Central Catholic education remains strong!
St. Nick's Day Treat & Contest! December 6th!
LOOKING FOR PHOTOS FROM HOMECOMING DANCE!
Please email your photos to kgallagher@marian.com
Thank you!
March for Life! January 16-20, 2019
Juniors and Seniors are also welcome to ADD this very important event in addition to their grade-level spiritual retreat!
Please see Father Twenty or CLICK HERE for all the registration information!
Important Information about Vaping - PLEASE READ!
We ask that ALL families have on-going discussions with your students about the dangers of vaping. Many students believe that it's "not as bad as smoking" - but as studies are finding, there IS permanent damage that happens. Please see these reliable sources for more information, including illustrations of the devices:
CDC Quick Facts of E-Cigarettes
Parent Tip Sheet: Talk with your Teen
PLEASE CHECK YOUR STUDENT'S PERSONAL BELONGINGS: We have found vape devices, cartridges, vape chargers, empty packages, etc. in the following:
- Backpacks (check all pockets)
- Wallets
- Pencil Cases
- Photo ID Holder
- Cell Phone cases
- Purses
- Cars: glove-compartments, under seats (mostly empty packages)
MANY device components look like jump-drives. Devices are as small as a pencil. We are including a few photos below. Most "juice" or cartridges are offered in "flavors" such as mango, apple, peppermint - so trust your sense of smell with anything that you suspect. A pen or jump-drive should not smell!
WE WOULD RATHER YOU FIND THESE ITEMS THAN HAVE US FIND THEM! Please refer to our Student Handbook's consequence policy, if such devices are found in a student's possession (within the school, or in a car parked in our lot - all are subject to inspection and search on our property!)
from the 2018-2019 MCCHS Student Handbook (page 61)
TOBACCO/NICOTINE PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE (Offenses accumulate throughout school year)
1st Offense One-day suspension; a Saturday detention; parent notification; refused participation in all co-curricular activities for a minimum of one calendar month; dismissed from any student government or any other leadership position for the remainder of the school year.
2nd Offense Three-day suspension; parent notification; refused participation in all co-curricular activities for a minimum of one calendar month; enrollment in and completion of a Marian approved tobacco use education program to be paid for by the family.
3rd Offense Board of Discipline
e-Cigarette device/device components are ILLEGAL to possess if student is under 18. We CAN and HAVE had Woodstock Police issue citations to students who violate this law, which comes with court appearances and fines.
PLEASE NOTE, TOO, THAT MANY VAPE DEVICES CAN ALSO ACCOMMODATE CANNABIS OIL. If any devices are suspected to contain this substance, we do call the Woodstock Police to investigate.
We will continue to provide you with as much information about this epidemic. It is not just affecting our school population - but across the nation. Students as young as early middle-school have reported vaping!
We must send a consistent, unified message that this is dangerous. Our kids deserve to be safe and healthy every day! Please watch future newsletters for more information!
Typical "JUUL" Device
Different Devices - and Relative Size
Containers of Vaping "Juice"
College Counselor's Corner
Sometimes, a writer needs to take a break and let others do the talking. That’s what I’m going to do for two of the next four installments of the “College Counselor’s Corner.”
These next four posts will focus on the theme of college majors and major selection. Here are some fun statistics, courtesy of the University of Cincinnati’s Center for Exploratory Studies, about college students and their academic plans:
- 80% of college-bound students are undecided about their major selection
- 50% of college-bound students who enter college with declared majors switch majors. Many do so 2-3 times during their college careers
- Up to 75% of all college students change their major at least once
Choosing a major is a hot topic in my conversations with students and their families. Yet, I feel like it often takes a back seat to other concerns like admission and financial aid. It’s important, to be sure. But I always remind students and families that college is a time for self-discovery; a time when students identify their strengths and passions and find meaningful and realistic ways to link both. Students are often surprised to learn that a student who majors in Chemistry could teach English as a Second Language in Korea, that an English major could become a Psychotherapist, or that a Broadcast/Electronic Communications major could wind up as the first full-time College Counselor in Marian Central Catholic High School’s history.
The first installment of this four-part series is a story that I’ve held on to for years, looking for an opportune time to share it. It came from the Spring 2014 edition of a newsletter published at St. Norbert College by that school’s Program of Faith, Learning, and Vocation. The story in question was written by an author named Will Weaver. At the time I saw this story, Weaver was teaching creative writing and literature at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in English, then headed to California and the Stanford Writing Program. He completed his M.A. in Creative Writing at Stanford, focusing on short stories, the genre that launched his career as a writer. His short story collections and novels have earned the praise of reviewers from coast-to-coast.
I’ll let Weaver’s story stand on its own as the “meat and potatoes” of this week’s post. Next week, I’ll offer a reflection on Weaver’s story and how it so perfectly articulates the anxiety so many of our young people feel these days when considering their lives after high school.
The full text of the story can be found at: https://goo.gl/M43QBJ
Qapla’!
Jim Stamatakos
College Counselor
815-338-4220 x120
Register your 6th - 8th Grader for our 9th Annual RISE UP Leadership Development Conference!
Calling all 6th - 8th Graders!
WALK-INs WELCOME!!!
Unlock your LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL by attending our annual Rise Up! Conference at Marian Central!
WHAT: 9th Annual Rise Up! Leadership Development Conference
WHERE: Marian Central Catholic High School
HOST: MCCHS National Honor Society
WHEN: Saturday, December 8, 2018 from 9am - 3pm
DETAILS: Lunch provided
Past participants have gone on to become some of Marian Central's most influential, successful student leaders! Come make new friends who share a passion to make a difference in the world, and learn immediately applicable leadership skills to take back to your middle schools!
LATE REGISTRATION is welcome (t-shirt may not be guaranteed)
$10.00 per student
(checks payable to Marian Central Catholic High, please note "Rise Up!" in memo area!)
Email riseup.marian@gmail.com with registration form, or any questions!
DOWNLOAD the 2018 Rise Up Registration Form and bring your friends with you for an amazing, informative day!