DEAR PARENTS,

As we reflect upon the joys and promises of rebirth the Christmas season brings, your daughters are among our many blessings. The enthusiasm, intelligence, and curiosity they bring to the St. Teresa's campus each day is inspiring and heartwarming. Thank you for sharing their exceptional gifts with the faculty and staff of St. Teresa's Academy.

Classes will resume on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. Planning is underway for the implementation of an Interim Week, which will take place in 2019. 
  
It is our hope that everyone in our STA community will remember the legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet to love their dear neighbor without distinction.

Have a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year,

Nan Bone
President		 Barbara McCormick
Academic Principal		 Dr. Liz Baker
Student Affairs Principal 

Uniform Update
Starting January 3, STA-monogrammed fleece jackets, raincoats and three-quarter zips (white, gray and black) may be worn between classes, as needed, and in classrooms (all are available from the STA Star Shop). All other coats/jackets or STA sweatshirts may be worn in between classes and in morning/afternoon advisory, but must be removed once seated in a classroom. No Non-STA sweatshirts may be worn as coats or jackets.

Dates to Remember:
Dec. 2
Star Shop Christmas Sale
Dec. 7 Parent-Daughter Mass & Adoration
Dec. 8 All School Mass - Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Dec. 12 Kendra Scott & Vineyard Vines Plaza Shopping Events
Dec. 12 Christmas Concert
Dec. 13 Senior Class Mass
Dec. 14, 15, 18 & 19 Final Exams
Dec. 20-Jan. 2 Christmas Break
Jan. 3 Classes Resume
Jan. 6 High School Placement Test (HSPT)
Jan. 11 Parent-Daughter Mass & Adoration
Jan. 15 Martin Luther King Day - No Classes
Jan. 17 Junior Class Mass
Jan. 24 Sophomore Class Mass
Jan. 25 Junior Parent College Information Night
Jan. 27  Parents Winter Social
Jan 29-Feb. 2 Catholic Schools Week
UPCOMING EVENTS

BIG SONIA is Coming to KC!
The week of December 1-7, you will have the chance to experience BIG SONIA, a documentary featuring Sonia Warshawski, a 91-year old Kansas City native and Holocaust survivor. BIG SONIA explores what it means to be a survivor and how intergenerational trauma impacts families and generations. All STA students have enjoyed a special screening of this inspiring story.

BIG SONIA will be shown for one week only at the Glenwood Fine Arts Theatre, located at 3707 W. 95th St., Overland Park, KS. Mrs. Warshawski and the filmmakers are scheduled to make special appearances at select shows opening weekend. Tell your family and friends! To purchase your tickets, please click here.


STA Christmas Concert
Tuesday, December 12, 7:00 p.m.
M&A Auditorium
Reception to follow.


Save the Date for Shopping
Shop for a cause on Tuesday, December 12, at two retailers on the Country Club Plaza. Kendra Scott and Vineyard Vines will give 20% of their proceeds back to St. Teresa's Academy. What a great way to make a dent in your Christmas shopping, while helping STA! Details are as follows:

Kendra Scott: 5-7:00 p.m.
412 Nichols Rd.

Vineyard Vines: 5-8:00 p.m.
4700 Broadway St.


High School Placement Test (HSPT) for 8th Grade Students
Saturday, January 6
8:30 a.m. (arrive at Donnelly Hall by 8:15 a.m.)
Calculators are not permitted. 
Walk-in test takers are welcome. Walk-in students should bring a $20 testing fee. If your daughter needs any special accommodations for the test, please contact the Office of Admissions prior to the test day.

Testing will be followed by a complimentary pizza lunch, and the day will end at 12:30 p.m.

Students may pre-register by downloading the  Application for Admission  (which contains the Placement Test registration). Return the form to the Admissions Office. Call 816-501-0035 for more information.


Yearbook Senior Tributes
Order forms will be available for senior parents who want to purchase a senior tribute in this year's Teresian yearbook beginning the second week of January. Please keep an eye out for an email at that time with more information. If you have any questions, please contact yearbook adviser Brad Lewis.


Star Parents Association Parent Winter Social
Saturday, January 27
Look for your email invitation with complete details coming soon.




All ST A parents are invited to join the newly formed Parent Book Club. The first selected book is titled,  Some of My Best Friends are Black   by Tanner Colby. The chosen book offers a profoundly honest portrait of race in America. In a book that is part reportage, part history, part social commentary, Tanner Colby explores why the civil rights movement ultimately produced such little true integration in schools, neighborhoods, offices, and churches - the very places where social change needed to unfold. 

The Club will meet February 26 and March 5 (choose one date) for a discussion of the book moderated by Michelle Wimes, STA Board President and Director of Professional Development and Inclusion at a Kansas City law firm, and Mary Shortino, STA alumna and Youth Services Information Specialist at the Johnson County Library. 

If you'd like to purchase a copy of Some of My Best Friends are Black, STA will be placing an order through the Johnson County Library. Books are available for $8.00/book thanks to a generous 50% discount offered by the Library. Order your book by January 12 by clicking here.


Father-Daughter Dinner and Dance
Sunday, February 11
More information to follow.
WELLNESS TIPS FOR TEENS

Watch this column for helpful tips and information on challenging topics facing teenagers and their parents.

Click here for this month's topic:  Suicide Prevention
Light Their Way Auction Deemed a Winner!
Under the twinkling lights of the Goppert Center Gymnasium, enthusiastic bidding, eating, and mingling were the stars of the night! 

Highlights of the spectacular  Light Their Way  Auction include:
  • A beautifully transformed gymnasium that showed no signs of the construction surrounding it.
  • A record-breaking bidding war for an adorable, grateful puppy.
  • A sea of raised paddles to support the call to Fund-A-Future, which directly benefits students with financial need.
  • The great humor and talent of Matt Schloegel, who kindly agreed to step in as Master of Ceremonies for the evening.
The success of the Light Their Way Auction would not be possible without the dedicated volunteers, sponsors, donors, and supporters giving so generously to STA. Special appreciation goes out to our Auction Co-Chairs Beth & Brian Madden and Diane & Rob Wilmot for their generous and enduring support.

Fund-a-Future, Change a Life
You may still donate to the Fund-a-Future fund! Your gift will directly benefit students qualifying for financial need. Depending on where the need exists, funds may be applied toward tuition, registration, comprehensive/technology fees, or even graduation or lunch expenses. Your 100% tax-deductible donation at any giving level will help ensure the college-preparatory Catholic education that STA provides will be available to all students to help ensure their bright futures.

To Fund-a-Future and change a student's life, please click here.

Be the Light Candles Available for Purchase
Makes a perfect Christmas gift for your STA student, alumna, or supporter!  While supplies last! Be the Light (Matthew 5:14) candles sparkle within a votive imprinted with the Academy crest, and will fill your home with a fresh, crisp scent. These candles were created just for STA by 5B & Co. Candlemakers in Brookside. If purchased electronically, please pick up your candle in the front office of Donnelly Hall. $30/Candle

Click here to purchase now!

If you haven't registered with Bidpal, to donate or purchase, please click here (click "Sign In" in the upper right-hand corner of your screen to begin).
Financial Aid & Scholarships 
St. Teresa's Academy works with FAIR (Financial Aid Independent Review, Inc.) for financial aid assessment. R eturning students must apply for FAIR between February 1 to March 2, 2018. More details will be forthcoming. Note: the access code to FAIR is 184 and the password is sta184. The preferred deadline for incoming freshman families applying for financial aid is December 15, 2017.

In addition, St. Teresa's offers many scholarships in the following categories: 1) academic and financial need (to be eligible for financial need scholarships, a FAIR application must be completed by March 2, 2018); 2) service; and 3) spirit and leadership. Scholarship applications for returning students are available on January 16, 2018, and will be due on Friday, February 16, 2018. More information and details will be coming soon. 












Saturday, December 2, from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. in Windmoor Center, classrooms A & B. Special merchandise will be debuting at the Christmas Sale, plus you'll receive 10% off every $100 you spend. Find lots of great Christmas gift ideas for your daughter. Coffee and hot cocoa provided by Star Cups!
BUSINESS OFFICE
Tuition and fees must be current through November in order for your daughter to receive her final second semester schedule (these are distributed via advisory in early December). In order for your daughter to return for second semester, anyone with a delinquent account must meet with the Finance Committee for approval. PowerSchool will be inactivated for delinquent accounts.

ACADEMICS

PowerSchool
PowerSchool will be down for maintenance from Tuesday, January 2, through Monday, January 8, 2018. Your daughter's first semester report card will be emailed to you through School Messenger the week of January 2, 2018. The grade reports will be prepared in a secured document. You will need to use your daughter's student number as the password to open the document. This information is located in the Student or Parent Portal on the "Grades and Attendance" page in the upper left hand corner. The student number is not found on the PowerSchool Parent or Student app. If you have any problems, please contact  Kathy Walters.

Semester Exams
Please  click here to view the  Fall 2017 exam schedule.  Fall exams are scheduled for  December 14, 15, 18 and 19.  Please mark your calendars with the exam dates corresponding with your classes.

In preparing for semester exams, the faculty and administration have outlined the provided schedule, assessing students by discipline. Students with more than three exams on a given day will need to meet with their teachers to schedule a future test date, time, and location.  If students are not testing, they may study silently in the library or auditorium while on campus. Students are encouraged to bring a lunch if they plan to eat between morning and afternoon finals.

Journalism Awards Presented
At the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention held in November 2017 in Dallas, Helen Wheatley ('17) earned an Honorable Mention in the Newsmagazine Cover Design category for the Dart's election issue last October.  Linden O'Brien-Williams and Alex Davis (both '17) also earned an Honorable Mention in the Story of the Year in Diversity category with their look into special education. Click here to read their award-winning work.



STEAM

STA Students Competed in MECA Challenge
Seventeen STA students competed in the MECA Challenge at the Linda Hall Library on the UMKC campus. The  MECA  "Most Entrepreneurial Community in America" Challenge, a program of the Kansas City Startup Foundation, is a one-day innovation competition that pushes students to build an entrepreneurial mindset, collaborate with Kansas City professionals and innovators, and create solutions for real-world problems.

Participants included students from STA, Rockhurst High School, and Wyandotte Kauffman Scholars. The Challenge was presented by Rich Leonard, the former regional (five state) director of FEMA, and supported by community partners Linda Hall Library and MRIGlobal.

The Challenge:  Emergency relief agencies often have difficulty relaying urgency to citizens affected by impeding natural disasters. Devise a comprehensive communication strategy that will inform and motive a diverse population to evacuate an area affected by impending floods.

The winning team included STA members Julia Kerrigan, Natalie Barber, and Annabelle Meloy. 




STEM/STEAM Certificate 
The STEM/STEAM Certificate was introduced last year. Currently, 15  students are pursuing a Certificate. Students may apply anytime in the spring semester of sophomore year or fall semester of junior year.  Requirements for the Certificate include:
  • 92. cumulative GPA at the time of application. 
Requirements below must be completed by  May 1 of senior year to receive designation at graduation and on the transcript. 
  • Course Requirements: 
    • Math - 4 credits, Science - 4 credits (biology, chemistry + physics or an AP level science course required for STEAM) (biology, chemistry & physics required for STEM) STEM/STEAM Electives - 2 credits (math, computer science, science, &/or digital medium courses). Courses will determine STEM Certificate or STEAM Certificate designation.
  • E-mentor (assigned in the junior year)
  • Membership in a STEM or STEAM-related club or extracurricular activity.
  • Three job shadow/STEM/STEAM-related professional events totaling 9 hours.
  • Ten hours of related volunteer experience (tutor in math hub, STEAM summer camps, KC STEM Alliance, etc.)
  • Maintain an online portfolio or Google Docs folder with STEM/STEAM-related projects, papers, PowerPoints, etc. 
  • Meet with assigned faculty mentor once per semester in junior and senior years. 
For more info and a link to the application,  click here  and scroll down to the STEAM Certificate Program. Questions - contact Debi Hudson.

COLLEGE COUNSELING

Parents of the Class of 2021
PreACT scores and test books will be returned prior to spring break during freshman seminar. We will also discuss tips for college planning.

Parents of the Class of 2020
Practice ACT scores were mailed home on November 10. Families are strongly encouraged to keep this information and use it as a test prep tool. Original test books were returned to students through advisory on November 15. ACT testing should begin in the winter of junior year - details to follow in the future. Sophomores attended an ACT workshop on November 29 during their activity period as a follow up to the practice ACT.  If a student noted an email on their answer sheet, they should receive an email on December 5-10 with information on how to access their PSAT scores online. PSAT test books will be returned to sophomores through advisory prior to the end of the semester. Detailed information will be shared with sophomore parents once PSAT scores arrive.  Mark your calendar: Sophomore College Planning Night (students and parents) will be Tuesday, March 20, at 7:00 p.m.  (This is a new date!)
 
Parents of the Class of 2019
Junior Parent College Information Night is Thursday, January 25, at 5:30 p.m. in the M&A Auditorium.  Parents will be given their registration code and information for Naviance. This is an online tool that allows you to search colleges and track applications. We will discuss calendar planning, college visits, ACT and SAT, hot topics in college admissions, and helpful hints for parents as you navigate the college process.

Practice ACT scores were mailed home on November 10. Families are strongly encouraged to keep this information and use it as a test prep tool. Original test books were returned to students through advisory on November 15. ACT testing should begin this winter/spring. Juniors attended an ACT workshop on November 29 during their activity period as a follow up to the practice ACT. Please note, the registration deadline for the February 10 ACT is January 12; go to  www.actstudent.org  to register. When registering, look for St. Teresa's as Saint Teresa's (school code is 261700). The ACT/SAT registration process was shared with juniors at their October class meeting and in a follow-up email.  PSAT scores  - If a student noted an email on their PSAT answer sheet, they should receive an email December 5-10 with instructions to access their scores online. Test books will be returned to junior through advisory prior to the end of the semester. Detailed information will be shared with junior parents once PSAT scores arrive. 
 
Parents of the Class of 2018 
To date, we have submitted over 650 applications to colleges and universities nationwide. Congratulations to those who have received acceptances and scholarship offers. Please see your detailed College Planning News for more information on scholarships, deadlines, enrollment details, and much more.

SCHOOL COUNSELING

Freshman and Sophomore Parents
Please join members of the Counseling Department for an informational meeting about course planning and registration on Thursday, February 8, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the M&A Auditorium. We will discuss courses, the registration process and timeline, as well as AP and college dual-enrollment courses.

Study tips to remind your daughter:
  • Avoid Cramming! Start preparing far enough in advance so that you are able to identify any areas you do not understand and  can get the help you need well in advance.
  • Consider creating a study group with classmates to compare your class notes, listen to and discuss concepts in a new way, and help motivate and encourage yourself in the studying process.
  • When studying, ask yourself what questions are likely to be asked and answer them by using ideas from lectures, textbooks, and handouts.
  • Get plenty of sleep, especially the night before the exam. Staying up late studying the night before the exam will hurt more than help.
  • Eat a healthy meal before the exam. Avoid processed foods, soft drinks, and sugar.
  • Have all the materials you will need for the test gathered together the night before the exam and try to arrive at the test location early so that you can relax and mentally prepare.
STAR PARENTS ASSOCIATION


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ATHLETICS

November marked the end of successful fall athletic season for STA and the beginning of a promising winter season. Read more by clicking below.