Weekly announcements to help parents and students stay informed about important news and events.
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Congrats to Prisms on their "Refractions" event last Thursday, October 25. During the event students and faculty came together to share beautiful poetry, prose, music and art.
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Dear Parents and Students:
It has been a sad week for the United States of America, as a country and a people in terms of the violence, racism, and anti-Semitism displayed in three separate acts of horrific violence. As the parent of a five year old, my wife and I cannot watch the news with my youngest daughter present, because she is so scared when she hears words and accounts of gunshots, murder, and overall mayhem. As much as I would just like to look the other way and watch my Sunday NFL football game and my Indianapolis Colts, I cannot turn my attention from what is happening in our beloved country at this time - we are literally killing our society with this senseless violence often articulated and espoused by citizens who espouse racist and Anti-Semitic thinking.
I reflect on these events and often ask myself: how is this violence and ugliness forming and shaping the teens of our high schools and homes - I also have a 13 year old in my house. What do we say to them? What do we teach them that will share a different response rooted in the Catholic but universal truth: that
every individual is a child of God created in the image and likeness of God and therefore:
- There is no possibility for a person of faith or good will to espouse any thinking such as racism and anti-Semitism that contradict the very essence of the sacred and human dignity of every person. These are sinful acts.
- All people, Christian or not, must boldly denounce the acts of violence demonstrated this week and call upon our leaders to forcefully speak out against such acts of violence.
- Here at SJND, we must be laser clear in denouncing all forms of racism, bigotry, offensive language that hurts LGBTQ people, or anti-Semitism. All forms of hate must be vocally and visually denounced.
Talk is cheap. It is easy to write these words in a weekly column and move on to the next task. As an educator and Principal, I must challenge myself: what must I do to make a change? What must I do to make sure that our beloved SJND, a Catholic college preparatory school, is preparing our teens not only for college, but for the challenges that we all experienced this week?
This week both
SJND and St. Joseph Elementary School will celebrate the beautiful Mass of All Saints together in the Kelly Gym on Thursday morning
. As Father George reminds us always, we are “one family” - we are called upon to be the saints of our time. The Gospel Reading for the Mass of All Saints is Matthew’s Beatitudes: “Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Pray for our young people that they do not lose hope in us adults who have gone astray.
As always, thank you, parents, for your support and understanding.
Go Pilots! Holy Mary, Mother of God, St. Joseph and All of the Saints, pray for us and our country at this time of need.
Mr. Jennings
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Upcoming Events & Deadlines
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- Spring Musical Auditions: Friday, November 2
- Financial Aid Night for Senior Families: Monday, November 5, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
- RSVP here
- Proud to Be a Pilot Week: November 5-November 9
- Winter Festival of the Arts: Wednesday, November 28, 7:00 p.m.
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- Winter Sports Tryouts: Times and locations for Winter Sports Tryouts are as follows:
- Women’s Basketball: Monday, October 29-Wednesday October 31, 3:00-5:00 p.m. in the Kelly Gym
- Men's Basketball: Monday, October 29-Wednesday, October 31, 5:00-7:00 p.m. in the Kelly Gym
- Women's Soccer: Monday, November 5-Wednesday, November 7, 3:15-5:00 p.m. at College of Alameda
Should your son or daughter make a Winter Sports team, there will be a
mandatory athlete and parent meeting
on the following dates/times:
- Men's Basketball: Tuesday, November 6, 6:30 p.m. in Room 42
- Women’s Basketball: Wednesday, November 7, 6:30 p.m. in Room 42
- Women’s Soccer: Thursday, November 8, 6:30 p.m. in Room 42
- Seniors and Families: Mark your calendars for Financial Aid Night on Monday, November 5, 7:00-8:30 p.m. in Notre Dame Hall. Ms. Yee and a representative from Dominican University of California will review the financial aid application process. Topics include: an overview of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), financial aid terminology, federal and state opportunities, and tips and recommendations. At least one parent or guardian should attend. Students are welcome. Please RSVP today!
- Winter Festival of the Arts: Join us for an evening of art, theater and music at the annual Winter Festival of the Arts on Wednesday, November 28, 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the Kelly Gymnasium. This free event will feature performances by SJND students in Band, Musical Theater, Art and the choral group One Voice. The gym will be transformed into a vibrant performance space which includes an art gallery of student work and a large stage for the musicians and art slide show. The evening show follows a daytime school-wide assembly with vocal and instrumental music performances of numerous music genres and styles and an art slide show, featuring works from the traditional and digital media classes. We look forward to seeing you there!
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- Final Exam Schedule Announced:
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IMPORTANT: No student may miss semester exams due to a family vacation or other unexcused absence. A student may request to reschedule a final exam only for a medical emergency verified by a doctor's note, or an extraordinary family emergency such as a death in the family. All other requests to reschedule final exams will be denied. If a student misses a final exam due to an unexcused absence, the student will receive academic consequences on the exam as well as disciplinary consequences (Student/Parent Handbook, Pg. 15).
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- Counseling:
- As we enter the month of November, seniors should be aware of their upcoming deadlines, especially for Early Action/Early Decision, CSU and UC applications. Please reach out to the counselors if you need assistance. Ms. Yee has added workshops for collaboration and after school for seniors to work on their applications. They may access the sign-up spreadsheet in Naviance.
- Ms. Yee and Ms. Sabia will be off campus this Friday to attend training at UC Berkeley to read freshmen applications for Cal’s incoming freshmen class.
- Matching Gifts: You can double or triple your gift to the Fund for SJND! Many employers sponsor matching gift program and will match charitable contributions made by their employees. Click here to see if your company participates, complete your company form and we’ll do the rest.
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- Read the latest news from St. Joseph Basilica! View the parish newsletter here.
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