“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.” Mark 8
September 13, 2021
Dear Cardinal Newman Families,
We closed a wonderful third week on Friday. Last Monday four of our Middle School students returned from the National History Bee, where they had the opportunity to compete as well as visit our Nation’s Capital with their families. We’re grateful for Mr. Briody for organizing our participation. The House Program kicked off their competitions with whiffle ball and kick ball during ‘skinnies’ last week. This year we have organized our whole school into eight Houses, giving all students an opportunity to build ties across grades. Each of the eight Houses is named after a saint. We look forward to another enjoyable week of House competitions as we make our way through the tourney.
On Friday evening our football team faced off against Heathwood for their third game of the season. While we took a loss, we are proud of the players’ hard work. I want to thank all the fans who attended and cheered our team on.
The Week Ahead
Today we begin with an abbreviated schedule. All Black Day classes will meet. We will dismiss at 12:05 PM. There will be no Aftercare. Faculty will be meeting for professional development in the afternoon.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, we will hold this year’s first ‘Noon Day Concert’, a tradition we started last year. Some of our student musicians will perform during lunch in our Rotunda, sharing their talents with anyone who is there to listen. Students and staff are invited to come by. We often gather a small crowd.
Wednesday is again a Formal Attire day with a Chapel Mass schedule.
Progress Reports will be sent out on Monday, September 20th. These will include all grades through this coming Friday. While these are not grades of record, they will allow you to take your child’s academic pulse. I want to remind you that your child’s grades are always available on RenWeb.
Commons Time
Students who need additional help from teachers may meet at scheduled times before or after school. Everyone, however, has the opportunity to use their Commons time for extra help, which students typically have four times per week. This is thirty minutes of time between the first two blocks of the day. Most teachers are available for extra help during that time. We are safeguarding this time for academic help, allowing students greater freedom to participate in activities during skinnies and after school.
Mark your Calendars
Spirit Week begins on Monday, September 27th. Students will be able to dress down (for a fee) on four days that week. The week culminates with Homecoming on Friday, October 1st. The school day will end with a pep rally. We will host a tailgate at 6:30 PM that evening with grilled hot dogs. That night the football team takes on Ben Lippen. Please join us!
New Parents
We will host a social for all New Parents on the evening of October 14th at 7:00 PM. Please be sure to join us in the Media Center!
Afternoon Pick-up
Several have asked that we look into ways to make our Afternoon Pick-up more efficient. We are taking small steps. I will ask that all pull up to the end of the gym, moving forward in the traffic line as directed. This will help the flow of traffic. I will keep you informed of any further changes.
A Community Event
On Saturday, April 2nd, the PTO will be sponsoring this year’s central fundraising event, ‘Starry Night’. Please be sure to mark your calendar!
Our Mission
Below I have quoted the heart of our mission at Cardinal Newman. I want to share it as a reminder of the formation that we give our students here in our grounds. Our teachers work hard to bring the best to our students. Thank you for all your support of our common work.
We challenge our students to embrace truth, pursue academic excellence, act with integrity, lead courageously, work for justice, and engage in generous service. We are a community where every student is known, the dignity of all is appreciated, and apparent and potential gifts are developed in mind, body, and spirit.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I have attached a calendar of upcoming dates, which can be found at the link below.
The quote at the top of this email is from today’s Gospel. Christ reminds us that to do good, to be a great human person, to follow Him, will require great sacrifice and always putting God’s will before our own. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!
Christs Peace,
