4313 Madison St. Hyattsville, Maryland Main: Fax:

Transcription

1 Madison St. Hyattsville, Maryland Main: Fax: Calendar October 2017 October 2 Coat Drive Begins October 4 Flu Vaccinations Ring Measurements October 5 Ring Measurements Walk-a-Thon October 6 Grades Updated October 9 No Classes - Columbus Day School & Offices Closed October 10 Full Uniform Required October 11 Standardized Testing for 9th, 10th & 11th Senior Pictures No Classes Seniors Continued pg 4 Inside this issue: DPO, Academic, Music 2 Testing, Flu, Veracross 2 Counseling, SAT 3 Discipline, Bus Info 3 Progress and Grades Student progress will be updated through Veracross. Every student has a Veracross account. Questions concerning student progress should be directed to the teacher first. See the website for contact information. Grades will be published for parents to view on Friday, October 6. Seniors with more than 3 failing grades at the end of the first semester will be required to withdraw from DeMatha at the conclusion of the semester. Any questions regarding this policy should be directed to Mrs. Maureen Ritz. Weather Related Information DeMatha follows Prince George s County for delayed openings of one or two hours and school closings only. In cases of an early dismissal for Prince George s County schools, DeMatha will make an independent decision. Please listen to WTOP FM, News Channel 8, check the website or be attentive to parentalert s. Bus transportation updates are found on the website and through parentalert s. Volume 10, Issue 3 Welcome Back! I love the rhythm of the school year. The beginning is filled with ceremony and preparation for the work we will do together. I am particularly excited to learn about some of our new electives which range from Smart Phone Photography to the History of Terrorism and from African American Studies to Foundations of Engineering. Giving students a broad-base of knowledge through the liberal arts and allowing them to begin to explore specialized interests makes us a stronger community. As we continue to think about What Binds Us Together we recognize the places where we all intersect - our pursuit of truth, our commitment to service, the practice of our faith - and we get a chance to celebrate the individual gifts of faculty and students as they pursue their interests and develop their own expertise. Go Stags! Visitors Daniel J. McMahon, Ph.D., Principal All visitors to the school must report to the Main Office to sign in and receive a visitor pass. Thank you for your cooperation. Full Uniform Required Tuesday, October 10 CMO, Attendance 4 Veracross s: Get the latest communications from DeMatha via . For details, check the website under Parents - Veracross Information. United Way #8392 CFC #89951 Maryland Charity Campaign # SAT CEEB #210660

2 Page 2 Academic Awards Night Academic Awards Night is scheduled for Wednesday, April 25. All students who have been on the Honor Roll, Academic Dean s List, or Principal s List for three consecutive quarters (1st quarter, 1st semester and 3rd quarter) will be awarded lapel pins. In addition, special awards will be given to seniors graduating with honors (a cumulative 3.0 average) and with highest honors (a cumulative 3.8 average). Also receiving recognition will be students who have achieved excellence in a variety of other academic pursuits. Attendance is by invitation only. Instrumental Music Booster Gala Fundraiser Join us on Saturday, October 14, at 7:30 p.m., as four esteemed music directors and over two hundred young musicians will come together to form ten specialized ensembles performing popular, light musical pieces across three separate stages in the LT (SEAL) Brendan Looney 99 Convocation Center at the sixth annual Kaleidoscope Concert. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., enjoy hors d oeuvres, refreshments, and a cash bar while supporting the DeMatha Instrumental Music Program. Please see the website for tickets and further information. Yearbook Pictures Yearbook pictures will be taken on Thursday, October 12, for 9 th, 10 th, and 11 th grades. Information with order forms will be available in the main office and on our website. All students must be photographed for the yearbook and be in full uniform. Parent Matters The next DPO meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 17, from 7:00-8:00 p.m. in the Antler Room. Everyone is invited to attend. Please remember to donate gift cards to the Main Office for the "You're the Best" program. Standardized Testing - Wednesday, October 11 Testing is for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders only. Students must arrive by 8:30 a.m. in full uniform with two, #2 pencils. For the PSAT, all questions can be solved without a calculator, however, a calculator may be helpful. All scientific calculators are permitted. A four function calculator is acceptable but not recommended. Students may NOT use calculators that are on cell phones, tablets or pocket organizers. Testing will end at approximately 12:30 p.m. The cafeteria will be closed. No after school waiting room. Students should be in full winter uniform. Seniors - October 11: All seniors are REQUIRED to have a free picture takenfor the yearbook. Senior pictures will be taken from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the library. Photographers will supply the tux, cap and gown. Any senior who has not had a picture taken MUST make an appointment and have his picture taken this day. Contact Legacy Studios customercare@legacystudios.com or , to schedule your appointment. Seniors who have already had a picture taken do not have to report to school Yearbooks are in and have been distributed to students. DeMatha Matters will be posted monthly on our website and sent via . It will only be mailed home with the first quarter report card. Support through Giant Our sincere thanks to all who have supported us in the past and we hope you will continue to do so. Our NEW supporters should register at The DeMatha ID number is Those previously registered DO NOT need to register again. Thank you for your support! Course Policies & Veracross Faculty have been asked to post course policy sheets on their class website under the Resources tab in Veracross. Please notify the Principal s office if there is no course policy sheet posted. If you are having trouble accessing Veracross, please click Parents on the DeMatha website, and then select Veracross Information on the left. Cafeteria See the website under quick links for instructions on the optional cafeteria payment plan and weekly cafeteria specials. Flu Clinic - All Invited MedStar/Visiting Nurses Association will be at DeMatha on Wednesday, October 4, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. to administer our vaccine program. Parents, faculty, staff and students are welcomed to take advantage of this program. The cost is $35 - $40 depending on how many participate. You can get the vaccine for less cost but the reason for the higher cost is that a portion of this fee goes to provide vaccines to the poor who can not afford them. Preregister by calling

3 Page 3 Workplace Giving Bus Transportation Discipline Matters DeMatha will participate in the following campaigns: the United Way (#8392), Combined Federal Campaign (#89951), Maryland Charity Campaign (# ), DC Government's One Fund, America's Charities, and others. Contributions are tax deductible and donors are recognized in the DeMatha Annual Report. Call Mrs. McCart in the Advancement Office at for questions. College Board: ACT & SAT Information Register for the SAT online The SAT Test dates and registration deadlines for the year are as follows: CEEB# Test Date & Registration Deadline (Late registration is available) Oct. 7, 2017 Sept. 8, 2017 Nov. 4, 2017 Oct. 5, 2017 Dec. 2, 2017 Nov. 2, 2017 March 10, 2018 Feb. 9, 2018 May 5, 2018 April 6, 2018 June 2, 2018 May 3, 2018 DeMatha offers after-school SAT Prep courses throughout the year for $50 for the verbal course, $50 for the math course or $90 for both. Classes are limited to 25 students and seniors will be given preference. Registration forms are located in the Counseling Center and online. ACT Test Dates: Standardized Testing Day Regular bus pick up in the morning on Wednesday, October 11 - Standardized Testing. Departure time will be 20 minutes after testing at approximately 12:50 p.m. Parents are reminded to frequently visit the transportation page for schedule changes and updates. DeMatha operates bus routes servicing the following areas: 1) Annapolis-Bowie, 2) Dunkirk-Upper Marlboro, 3) Charles County - Ft. Washington, 4) Montgomery County, 5) Eastern Market, Spaulding Library - PM only, 6) St. John s/ Marlo/Eastern Market - AM only, 7) St. Peter s/waldorf, NEW 8) Howard County/Laurel, NEW. For updates, information regarding times, routes and costs, check our website under DeMatha Quicklinks/Bus Transportation. Call Mr. Tony DeStefano at or e- mail transportation@dematha.org for more information. Please respect the bus drivers as you would respect school staff. If a student is disciplined for an infraction, the parents shall still be responsible for payment of all fees for transportation services. No refunds will be given. Thank you for your cooperation. For billing questions: or ametz@dematha.org. For general questions and weather-related messages: For technology issues: ckeplinger@dematha.org. All routing/general information questions: Tony DeStefano or transportation@dematha.org Full uniform will be required on Tuesday, October 10. All students are expected to be wearing navy or maroon blazers, solid color dress shirts, dress gray or khaki DM pants, belt, socks, tie and specific dress shoes. Students are also required to be clean shaven. Facial hair is NOT permitted except neatly groomed mustaches. Students may not wait for rides on the front steps of the school or in the rear parking lot. Students may not leave school grounds and return to meet their rides. Failure of students to comply may result in a Saturday detention. Students who are not involved in an official school activity are required to leave the school by 3:15 p.m. on regular days and by 1:15 p.m. on early dismissal days. After-School Waiting Room Open from 3:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. in Rm. 202 on regular school days and from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on early dismissal days. There is no charge for this waiting room service. After-School Study Hall Study Hall is in the library from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., Monday - Thursday on regular school days. No books can be checked out at this time. Shuttle - College Park Metro Free shuttle service to the College Park Metro. Pick up at 7:45 a.m. and depart DM at 3:10 p.m. on regular school days. Delayed Opening days of two hours, pick up at 9:45 a.m. Early dismissal days, the shuttle departs at 1:05 p.m.

4 Christian Service Hour Verification System Students are required to complete Christian service hours each year at DeMatha. All students who had re-registered by the end of April were sent a letter with information from Campus Ministry on the service hour requirements for the school year. Christian service hours can only be submitted by students via their DM accounts. Instructions, service opportunities and suggestions, and links to submit hours can be found on the Christian Service page on the DM website: DMChristianService All juniors and seniors need to work with organizations that have been pre-approved by the Campus Ministry Office and that fulfill their requirement. A pre-approved list is located on the website. Please do not complete projects without checking to see if they fulfill the requirement first!! For community service concerns, your son should visit the Campus Ministry Office or see pages in the Student Handbook. Please all questions about deadlines and opportunities to Mrs. Bright at ebright@dematha.org. Be sure to identify your son s graduation year in the . Coat Drive CMO s Annual Winter Coat Drive will begin on Monday, October 2, and continue until Friday, October 20. We are hoping to collect hundreds of new or slightly used winter coats. There will be a drop off box in the main lobby of the school and outside the chapel on the 3rd floor. Attendance Lost and Found: Lost and Found is located in the Attendance Office. We have incorporated strategic long weekends along with the holiday breaks. We hope you will use these weekends for college visits, medical appointments, etc. October 9 & October 27 November 10 November 22 - November 24 Thanksgiving Holiday December 22 - January 2 Christmas Holiday January 15 & January 16 January 26 February 19 March 26 - April 2 Easter Break May 28 Service Every February, the CMO runs a service trip for juniors and seniors to the Romero Center in Camden, NJ. The Romero Center is an outreach ministry that provides Catholic education and service retreat experiences in urban poverty. DeMatha partners with Elizabeth Seton High School to bring students together for a weekend of compassion, justice, education and fellowship. Sign ups for juniors and seniors interested in this trip will begin on October 18; applications can be picked up in the CMO. Contact Mrs. Erin Bright at ebright@dematha.org with any questions. Page 4 Calendar Continued from pg 1 October 12 Yearbook Pictures for 9th,10th,11th October 14 Kaleidoscope Music Concert October 17 Parent Organization Meeting October 20 End 1st Quarter Coat Drive Ends October 25 Middle School Science Teachers Workshop October 26 NHS Candidate Information Due October Urban Plunge Service Trip October 27 No Classes - HSPA Professional Day October 29 Hall of Fame Ceremony October 30 Grades Published October 31 Report Cards Distributed October Service Hours Due November 1 Winter Sports Physicals Due All Saints Day Mass November 2 Feast of All Souls Food Drive Begins Food Drive Tag Day REPORT ABSENCE DIRECTLY

5