Dear Xavier Family, September is upon us. How quickly we fall back into the routine of school days and weekends, of waking up in darkness and driving home in fading sunlight. Every time a new school year begins, it gives us the chance to reflect on what we hope to accomplish this year and on the characteristics, skills and ideas we most want to engender in our young people. To that end, the faculty has spent the past year creating the brand new Profile of a Xavier Graduate, nine goal statements which describe what we hope for in our young people upon their departure from the Xavier community. This year, I would like to regularly feature these goals so that you, our parents and benefactors, know the vision we have in mind as we educate these young people every day. This month, I would like to begin with one of my favorites from the list: A Xavier graduate commits joyfully to helping those in need and to making a positive difference in the world. In this Issue: September 2018 Volume #379 Academic News... 02 Campus Ministry... 04 Driver s Ed... 03 Homecoming... 02 Orchestra... 06 Upcoming Events... 12 St. Francis Xavier High School 1600 W. Prospect Avenue Appleton, WI 54914 920-733-6632 Fax: 920-735-1787 www.xaviercatholicschools.org To what do we commit joyfully? I am sure we can all think of commitments that we have made reluctantly, maybe half-heartedly. Joy is the product of the quiet confidence that what is being undertaken is good and righteous. Ask a Xavier student who has helped at a nursing home or hospital about that moment when the student truly impacts a person in need and quite likely, you ll hear a description of joy. We know when we are doing the work that God created us to do. It conditions us to do more, to be observant of the world around us in order to identify those in need, and to find joy in the honor of serving. Just a few weeks ago, I was contacted just before noon by a staff member from one of our Appleton parishes. A parishioner with some physical limitations was being moved from her home and had no way of accomplishing the task of moving her possessions. Members of the parish had volunteered to cover the logistics and the transportation, but they had no one to do the lifting and actual moving. They were wondering if Xavier might have some young people who could help. There was only one complication the move needed to take place that very same day and we had just a couple of hours to find volunteers. In truth, I was skeptical. There are no students milling around the school in late morning on a hot July day. My best chance, I thought, was to e-mail our upperclassmen with a desperate plea and hope that a couple of them might read their school e-mail and be willing to cancel their plans to help someone in need. By the time I left school that afternoon, two young Xavier men had answered the call. The work was done joyfully and a person in need was served. A parishioner called me the next day to describe how impressed he was with those young ambassadors of Xavier service, even going so far as to suggest that he would be happy to hire them if they were ever interested in his industry! Everything that we do here at Xavier is in pursuit of the Kingdom of God, both in this life and the next. The education we provide, spiritual journey we walk with the young people, and habit of service that we seek to develop in each student are undertaken to help our students make a positive difference in the world. If we are successful, they emerge as servant leaders with willing hearts and joyful spirits. What an amazing tribute to Xavier! For God s Greater Glory, Xavier High School is a proud member of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic School System, and has been accredited by AdvanceED (formerly the North Central Association) since 1970. Mike Mauthe
Page 2 SCRIP NEWS & Hours Academic News Monday thru Friday 7:30am 12:00p Additionally on Wednesday 2:30pm 4:00pm Scrip is delivered every afternoon to each campus. If you need to change your pick up location for the new school year, contact Roy Clark at 920-702-5510, email him at rclark@xaviercatholicschools.org, or next time you are in the scrip office, let him know. If you would like your child to pick up your scrip order, then please fill out an authorization slip and return it to your school office. The authorization slip is available on the Xavier website or at any school office. Remember, it is never too late to start purchasing scrip in order to help with your tuition and other school costs. Reminder: The Scrip office will be closed on Friday, September 28 for Teacher Inservice. Parent-Teacher Conferences Grades are accessible on PowerSchool. If you misplaced your password please contact the office. These grades indicate the student s current progress at this time. Please print a copy of the grades and bring to parent-teacher conferences on Wednesday, October 3 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Conferences will be held in the commons/ gathering hall and time will be limited to 5 minutes. If you need a longer time please schedule an appointment with the teacher on a different day. Email Communication A great way to keep in close contact with teachers is through email. If you would like to send a teacher an email, just type the first initial of the first name followed by the last name and continue with @xaviercatholicschools.org (e.g. fpeter@xaviercatholicschools.org ). News & Notes is a periodical which is published monthly by Xavier High School, 1600 W. Prospect Avenue, Appleton, WI 54914 Xavier High School Homecoming 2018: September 30 - October 6 You ready, Hawks!?! Homecoming is just a month away, and we re excited to share this fun week with you - please plan to join us for as many of the events as you can! Not only are the Kick-off Pep Rally and Parade back, but we are excited to announce our inaugural Homecoming Fun Run/5K & Dog Walk on Saturday morning, October 6, open to anyone and everyone. A reminder that class float-building will be student- and parent-led, so feel free to start organizing and planning now. This is a great school spirit and camaraderie-building event! If you would like to host float-building, please contact Campus Activities Board (cab@xaviercatholicschools.org) as soon as possible so we can forward your information to all of your class families. Sunday, September 30 Homecoming Kick-Off Pep Rally in the Torchy Clark Gym 6:30pm Monday, October 1 Theme Dress-Up Day & Competition TBD (watch for more info!) Class Float-building 6-9pm Tuesday, October 2 Homecoming All-School Mass 10:30am Boys Soccer Home Game (JV @ 4:30, Varsity @ 6:30) Class Float-building 6-9pm Wednesday, October 3 Half-Day - 11:55am Dismissal Theme Dress-Up Day TBD Class Float-building (feel free to use the extra half-day time) Parent Teacher Conferences 4-7pm Class Float-building 6-9pm Thursday, October 4 Theme Dress-Up Day & Competition TBD (watch for more info!) Girls Volleyball Home Game (JV1 & JV2 @ 5:30, Varsity @ 7:00) Class Float-building 6-9pm Friday, October 5 Homecoming Parade 5pm Floats & entries line-up at 4:15 @ Pierce Park, concludes @ XHS Homecoming Tailgate 5:45-6:45 Hot Dog, Chips, & Soda $5 Homecoming Football Game 7pm vs FVL Halftime: Band Performance & Homecoming Court Introduction Saturday, October 6 Homecoming Fun Run, 5K & Dog Walk, 9am Choose from 1-, 2-, or 3.1-mile routes around the XHS neighborhood Homecoming Dance, 8pm-12am, Xavier Commons XHS students may bring one guest with a pass (see Mrs. Nelson or Mrs. Geenen) More information on Dress-Up Theme Days, Court candidates & voting, competitions (powder puff, dodgeball, etc) will be shared with students via the Campus Activities Board and student email.
News & Notes Page 3 Driver s Education Driver's training is offered by Driver's Education of the Fox Cities for students attending Xavier High School. The classroom sessions run two hours a day for 15 days, Monday thru Friday from 3:45-5:45 p.m. in a room designated by the high school office (Room 132 at this time). (Adjustments will be made to fit scheduled days off and half days, etc.) Sign-up packets with forms for parents can be obtained at the Counseling Suite from Mrs. Breuninger. The dates for the classroom sessions are as follows: Session #1 October 8-October 26, 2018 Class # 1258 Session #2 February 4-February 22, 2019 Session #3 April 23 May 14, 2019 If you have any questions, please contact Driver's Education at 731-2121. Website for information: driversedfoxcities.com Xavier Honor Society Tutoring If your student is looking for a tutor, the Xavier Honor Society offers free tutoring services. Please ask the instructor or email Kelli McGreevey, Honor Society Moderator, to request a tutor: kmcgreevey@xaviercatholicschools.org Math League All students that enjoy math problem solving are invited to join the Xavier Math League team as we compete at the Fox Valley Math League meets one Monday evening a month throughout the school year. Active members need to attend at least 3 meets and participate in the practices approximately twice a month after school throughout the year. Here is the schedule for this year: October 1 st at Freedom High School November 5 th at Fond du lac High School December 10 th at Menasha High School January 28 th at Kimberly High School (JV meet freshmen & sophomores only) February 11 th at Appleton East High School March 11 th at Oshkosh West High School A bus is provided to any meets outside of the Appleton area. Meets begin at 6:00 pm and finish at approximately 8:00 pm. Contact Mrs. Dumke with any questions. College Reps at Xavier High School Juniors and Seniors looking for the most up to date college visit listings should check Navance. Remember once you ve signed into Naviance/Family Connection, go the COLLEGES tab. College visits will be at the top on the right. That is also where you would be able to sign up in advance to attend a session. Remember to stop in student services to get a pass the day of visit. College Date Time University of WI- Madison Wed. Sept. 12 10:15 AM Cardinal Stritch University Marquette Thurs. Sept. 13 8:30 AM University Fri. Sept. 21 8:30 AM DePaul University Tues. Sept. 25 8;15 AM University of WI- Oshkosh Tues. Sept. 25 10:45 AM Cornell College Tues. Sept. 25 2:00 PM Illinois Wesleyan University Wed. Sept. 26 1:00 PM Creighton University Mon. Oct. 1 1:00 PM Michigan State University Tues. Oct. 2 8:30 AM Northern Michigan University Tues. Oct. 9 2:00 PM Butler University Thurs. Oct. 11 10:30 AM The University of Alabama Thurs. Oct. 11 12:00 PM University of Notre Dame Fri. Oct. 12 1:30 PM University of WI Milwaukee Mon. Oct. 15 10:50 AM University of Nebraska at Lincoln Thurs. Oct. 18 1:30 PM Loyola University Chicago Wed. Oct. 24 8:30 AM Ripon College Mon. Oct. 29 9:00 AM
Page 4 Campus Ministry Trips The March for Life pro-life rally will take place January 15-20, 2019. Information from the Diocese will be forthcoming! Stay tuned for information regarding the 2019 summer service trip location and dates! Eucharistic Adoration We will begin to have Eucharistic Adoration on first Fridays during the school year (beginning September 7). We are still in need of many parents to help us on these Fridays. We must have someone in the chapel every hour of the day on these Fridays. Please consider giving a half hour or an hour of your time so that we can offer this for our students. Eucharistic Adoration will begin after the 7:15 am Friday morning Mass and end at 3:00 pm. We will continue to offer Mass each Friday at 7:15 in the chapel please let us know if you have a Mass intention. Parents are always invited to join us! Freshman Retreat The freshman class will have their class retreat at Camp Tekawitha on Wednesday, September 5. All students are required to attend this fun day at camp! We will leave school after the first bell and will return around 5:00 pm. Students can dress casually (no tank tops or short shorts!) and must bring or order a lunch (no peanut butter, please!) and beverage. If you would like to swim during free time, please plan accordingly. Kairos Retreats Xavier High School We will be continuing an exciting OPTIONAL retreat experience for our juniors and seniors next year! This retreat experience is intended to be experienced in addition to the class retreats that all students will still be required to participate in. The Kairos retreat program began in the late 1960s and the Kairos retreat can be found at high schools and parishes across the country. Kairos is grounded in incarnation theology on the retreat, students truly experience Christ through prayer, liturgy, small- and l arge-group discussions and talks given by student and adult leaders. An atmosphere of trust and honesty is fostered by student leaders so as to allow participants to fully enter into the experience. We will have two opportunities for students to experience Kairos this year. Juniors and seniors will be able to attend November 30 December 2, 2018 or April 17-19, 2019. Permission forms are available in Campus Ministry and the cost will be $140 per student (retreats will be held at Mt. Tabor Retreat Center in Menasha). All students will be required to attend from the morning of the first day until evening of the final day. Interested in hearing more? Please contact Kelly Wilda at 882-6909 or kwilda@xaviercatholicschools.org Students are asked NOT to bring anything with peanuts, nuts, peanut butter, etc as a student has a severe nut allergy. COME AND SUPPORT YOUR CHILDREN THROUGH PRAYER! Praying for Your Children Every Month Parenting is the best of jobs and at times, the most difficult of jobs. One where we need God to guide us and a community to support us. This is an opportunity to join other parents and pray for our children. A time to ask God to make His presence a part of your children s life and work powerfully on their behalf. This is open to all parents, relatives and neighbors to pray together for any and all of your children. No need to sign up. Every third Tuesday during the school year from 6:30pm - 7:00pm in the Xavier Chapel. Any questions contact Ann McKnight: amcknight@xaviercatholicschools.org Weekly Mass St. Francis Xavier Chapel 7:15 am every Friday Rosary The rosary will be prayed each Thursday after school in the chapel. Parents are always invited to join us!
News Page 4 & Notes Xavier High Page School 5 Xavier High School - Courts for Kids Trip to Los Miche, Republica Dominica * July 10-17 This summer, Xavier students and chaperones travelled to the remote Dajabon province of the Dominican Republic to help the people of Los Miche build their first-ever basketball/multi-purpose court. This was Xavier s second CFK mission trip, and the 16 XHS students represented theater, music, tennis, football, soccer, baseball, and basketball. Including the XHS team, Courts for Kids has now built 139 courts in 26 countries. The CFK trip to the Dominican Republic was a life-changing experience. Throughout the hard work and the extreme heat, our group bonded with each other and the locals. I was really surprised how nice and welcoming everyone was. Different families nvited us into their homes and happily made dinner for us each night. The concrete mixer we were working with frequently broke down and in that time we would play games, listen to music, dance, and practice all different kinds of handshakes with each other. It was so much fun it distracted us from all the work. - Courtney Vande Hey 21 When I got to the Dominican Republic, I didn t know what to think. I didn t think the locals would be willing to talk to us. I was so pleasantly surprised when we got to the church the first night, and there were people waiting up to greet us. I was shocked that they stayed up that late just to meet us. Their hospitality was immeasurable and the trip surpassed all expectations. - Tess Jankowski 21 Courts for Kids provided an amazing experience for me. In the Dominican Republic, there is a lot of poverty, but more importantly, there are incredible individuals who do good things every single day without recognition. The community we visited was extremely poor, yet they gave all they had to us. In five short days, I was able to connect with a guy my age. He had nothing and I had more, yet at the end of the day, it was a bond between two humans who were just trying to do right by God. Courts for Kids made the trip safe and fun, but also provided time for connections and friendships that will last a lifetime. - Bryan Geenen 18 If interested in a July 2019 Xavier/CFK trip, please contact Mrs. Geenen in Room 124 or kgeenen@xaviercatholicschools.org. www.courtsforkids.org * www.facebook.com/courtsforkids.
New Page & 6 Notes Xavier High School Page 5 ORCHESTRA Welcome new families to Xavier! We have a wonderful, growing, orchestra program here at Xavier. Highlights of our year include activities such as WSMA Solo and Ensemble as well as various concerts. We will be participating in the Marquette String festival again this year, a wonderful opportunity for the students to visit Marquette University and have a wonderful musical experience. If you have any questions about the program and what we have to offer, please feel free to contact me directly. Private lessons I believe that all students interested in getting the greatest possible enjoyment from their involvement in Xavier s orchestra should consider supplementing their classroom experience with private music lessons. While student s classroom experience at the high school level will focus on ensemble performance skills, involvement in a private lesson program provides additional assistance in further developing individual technique and solo performance skills. Please see me if you are interested in locating a private teacher in the area. 2018-2019 performance dates Wednesday October 17 8 th - 12 th Grade Fall Concert, 6:30pm, XMS Auditorium Thursday November 1 Marquette University String Festival, 1:30pm 7:30pm Friday December 7 Christmas Tour to surrounding schools, 11:30am 3:30pm Saturday January 26 Celebrate performance, 5-6:30pm, Expo Center Wednesday February 27 7 th - 12 th Grade Winter Concert, 6:30pm, XHS Fine Arts Theater Saturday March 2 District Solo and Ensemble (all day) Saturday April 27 State Solo and Ensemble, Oshkosh (only those receiving a 1* at District) Monday May 13 Fine Arts Awards Night, 6:30pm, XHS Commons Wednesday May 22 Spring Concert, 6:30pm, XHS Fine Arts Theater -Mrs. Laura Kenney, Orchestra Director, lkenney@xaviercatholicschools.org BAND Hello everyone! My name is Phillip Dobernig and I m the band director at Xavier High School. I m very excited to begin working with you all and believe we ve a great year in store for us. Please feel free to contact me if you ve ever any questions. UPCOMING EVENTS FOR THE YEAR Upcoming events for the entire year in band at Xavier have been posted on the Xavier Band Google Calendar that can be accessed from the Concert Band, Wind Ensemble and Marching Band Power School pages. These pages are accessible from the teacher webpage links on the Xavier home site. BIG UPCOMING EVENTS Wednesday, September 5 th Marching band rehearsal 6:30p 7:30p Friday, September 7 th Home Football Game Pep band call 6:00p Wednesday, September 19 th Marching band rehearsal 6:30p 7:30p Friday, September 21 st Home Football Game Pep band call 6:00p Wednesday, September 26 th Marching band rehearsal 6:30p 7:30p Sunday, September 30 th Pep Rally Time TBD MUSICIAN/ATHLETES, PLEASE NOTE - All marching band practices and performances are scheduled around athletic events and practices as much as possible, both in the summer and throughout the year. Occasionally there are unavoidable scheduling conflicts and I am always happy to communicate with the coach of any fall sport and with our athletic director to work out a compromise. All of us want our students to benefit from the arts and from athletics! As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me! Phillip Dobernig pdobernig@xaviercatholicschools.org (920) 882-6915
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News & Notes Page 11 Who: Anyone interested in getting involved with Celebrate What: Celebrate Volunteer Meeting Where: Xavier High School When: Tuesday, September 11 at Noon Why: Because many hands make light work If you want to get involved, meet people, have fun, and make an impact, please join us for our first Celebrate volunteer meeting on Tuesday, September 11 th at noon at Xavier High School (enter the main school doors, sign in, and we ll have someone there to greet and direct you). Children not in school are always welcome at the meetings. If you have questions or want to know more about Celebrate prior to the meeting, please contact Lisa Pfaff (735-9380 or lpfaff@xaviercatholicschools.org). Come check out the meeting or just come for the chocolate (there is always chocolate), either way, we hope to see you! More about Celebrate: It is the System s largest, single event fund-raiser featuring a dinner, auction, raffles and more. Last January Celebrate raised over $300,000! In order to surpass last year s amount, we need your help. More about volunteering: do what you like there is literally something for everyone: putting silent auction baskets together, organizing school donations, doing data entry, procuring auction items, coordinating raffles, or simply providing input, just to name a few. There are things that can be done without attending meetings and on your own time day or night.
Page 12 Xavier High School Upcoming Events September 7 Eucharistic Adoration September 12 Booster Club Meeting September 19 All School Mass September 28 No School - Teacher Inservice September 30 Homecoming Pep Rally October 2 Homecoming Mass October 3 Half Day of Classes October 3 Parent-Teacher Conferences (4-8pm) October 4 Party at the PAC for sophomores October 5 Homecoming Parade and Tailgate October 6 Homecoming Dance October 10 Booster Club Meeting October 10 Fall Choral Concert October 17 Fall Orchestra Concert October 26 Children s Halloween Party & Children s Theatre Show October 29 Xavier Preview Night November 1 All Saints Day Mass November 2 No School 7 th Grade Day November 5 Speaker Jason Evert November 8-17 Fall Musical The Addams Family November 9 Ethel Moehring Help Your Neighbor Day November 15 Sophomore Retreat November 16 Half Day Grandparents Day November 20 Appleton Christmas Parade November 21 Half Day Thanksgiving Break Begins November 30 Kairos V Retreat Begins TXW Prayer The TXW (The Xavier Way) Prayer is a special prayer written for our school that we recite each week. Lord, May all that I do this day be rooted in love and mercy, that I might love You and love others as perfectly as You love me. I ask for the courage to act responsibly and honestly in all that I say and do and set an example for others to follow. Give me eyes to see those in need around me and the heart to act in a way that is pleasing to You. I want to be the best version of me that I can and bring honor and glory to You. Amen. All prayers at Xavier end with the leader saying St. Francis Xavier and we respond PRAY FOR US. Then the leader will say Live, Jesus, in our hearts and we respond FOREVER.