Weekly Update
March 25, 2020   
From the President's Office

Dear Families,

Even in the midst of such change and uncertainty, the mission of Bishop Blanchet High School continues to move us forward. I see this in the creative ways our teachers are bringing their lessons to life online. I see this in the generous support of our virtual auction and our collections for St. Vincent de Paul Seattle/King County and Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos. I see this as we continue to enroll transfer and international students for next year. Even though these extraordinary days call us to be physically distanced, our school community and spirit bind us together.

Principal Procopio will continue his weekly correspondence to students and families on Fridays, and the BBHS Weekly Update will be sent out each Wednesday to keep you as informed as possible. Please know our faculty and staff are here for you at any time if questions or concerns arise. 
 
Today is the Feast of the Annunciation which marks 9 months until Christmas day. On this day, a young woman named Mary said yes to an uncertain future. Mary's commitment in the face of so much uncertainty brought Christ into the world. May we use this day to reflect on the bravery of Mary and recall how God works through challenging times to bring grace and new life to the world.

Blessings,

Tony DeSapio
President
adesapio@bishopblanchet.org
 
Brave Venture Auction


Please check out our Silent Items Online Auction. There are some great items to bid on!  The auction will close on Sunday, March 29 at 10:00 p.m.


Please consider donating to our Fund A Need: The Ernie Rose Performing Arts Center Lobby Update. This 
link 
provides more information about the exciting upgrades planned.

Note to winning bidders: All gift certificates will be mailed to you. All tangible items will not be shipped and must be picked up at BBHS. Items can be picked up after school is back in session, we will communicate the pick up details when we know them.  

If you work for a company that matches nonprofit contributions, Fund a Need donations (and all amounts above item value) are 100% tax deductible and qualify for a corporate matching gift. If you have questions please contact Stephanie Gravenkemper at  sgravenkemper@bishopblanchet.org. Thank you in advance for requesting a matching gift from your employer!

Sheryl Welch
Events Manager
swelch@bishopblanchet.org

From the Campus Ministry Office

NUESTROS PEQUEÑOS HERMANOS
Since 2011, Bishop Blanchet has partnered with Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) to provide housing, education and medical care to orphaned children from countries in Central and South America.  

BBHS currently sponsors 11 students in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Peru. Our cost for these sponsorships is approximately $4,000. Typically these funds are raised during a Tradition Week competition.  Without being in school, there's still a way to help!  

Please consider making a gift to support our Pequeños. A donation of any size lets our sponsored children know that we haven't forgotten about them during this challenging time. To donate, please visit the BBHS online auction and search for item number 2371. T hank you!


Manon Cypher
Service Coordinator
mcypher@bishopblanchet.org

From the Activities Office

STUDENT LIFE
On Monday,  March 23 , we launched a new, all-school, Google Classroom to foster community engagement and connection between students, faculty and staff. Content encourages fun, competition, wellness and self-care. Each day of the week is assigned a theme with accompanying activities. There are varying formats for engagement each week. Some days will be passive (view content), others will encourage action (exercise, trivia, surveys), and others will invite interaction (share and view responses from others). Please encourage your students to check their BBHS email regularly, to join the Google Classroom and to participate in the activities.

Daily themes are:
  • Mindful Monday
  • Trivia Tuesday
  • Wellness Wednesday
  • Throwback Thursday
  • Feel Good Friday
Chuck Bocian
Vice Principal of Student Activities
cbocian@bishopblanchet.org

From the Athletic Department

BRAVE ALUM EARNS ALL CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
Congratulations to Humboldt State University senior guard Molly Dixon, BBHS Class of 2016 Alum, for earning All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Honorable Mention. Molly averaged 10.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. She started in all 28 games this season and averaged 33.2 minutes per game. Congratulations Molly!


Sean Gaskill
Athletic Director
sgaskill@bishopblanchet.org

From the Counseling Center
 
MANAGING ANXIETY DURING THE CORONAVIRUS NEW NORMAL 
From the UW's Forefront Center
  1. Set up regular phone or FaceTime calls with people you are close to; show them gratitude for the important role they play in your life. 
  2. Check in regularly with how those you are concerned about are feeling; let them know you care about them.
  3. Connect with those you are living with: make time to do projects, watch movies, go for walks, etc. Don't go stir-crazy. Forgive and have patience with each other.
  4. Pick up a new hobby or focus on a home project you've been putting off. 
  5. If you're a pet owner, SMOTHER YOUR ANIMALS WITH LOVE. (And if you're video-conferencing, go ahead and share them with your screen from time to time.)
  6. Avoid unhealthy coping strategies. Some coping strategies are not healthy during a time of stress: make good choices! 
  7. Exercise! The gym is closed (along with sports), but home workout routines with bodyweight exercises are more accessible than ever online. If you prefer walking, now is a great time to get those steps in.
  8. Set routines for yourself and those you live with. Help your student find ways to keep up with school work and to connect with friends online.
  9. Opportunities to give. Many people have significant hardship as a result of these sudden drastic changes, and people are organizing support via social media. There's also large-scale philanthropic fundraising to support those in greatest need.
  10. Focus on what you can control: Don't buy up all the toilet paper (assuming there's any to be found), but make sure you have groceries to get you through a couple of weeks and follow Public Health instructions on hand washing, sanitizing surfaces and social distancing to protect yourselves and your loved ones.
JUNIORS - COLLEGE CONFERENCES
Despite distance learning, college conferences for Juniors and their parents will still take place between March and May via Google Meet videoconferencing, as needed. Juniors will receive updated signup instructions soon from their counselor. 

Parents and guardians are invited to these meetings: please speak with your juniors and have your student sign up for a time that works for your family. The goal of this meeting is to discuss the student's plan for their college search and application process, regardless of where they may be along this journey.  In the meeting, please be ready to discuss some of these topics:
  • possible majors or career interest areas
  • priorities for the college search (locations, majors, cost, size, etc.)
  • standardized testing plans and results
  • potential list of colleges
  • using Naviance in the college search process
  • one or two possibilities for teacher recommendations
Online Resources for Juniors:
SENIORS - SCHOLARSHIP OFFER LETTERS
As your senior receives scholarship offers from colleges, please email a copy of all scholarship offer letters to Ms. Moehring in the Counseling Center at jmoehring@bishopblanchet.org so we can recognize their achievement in the end of the year programming. 

COUNSELING DEPARTMENT AVAILABILITY
Our counselors are available via email and Google Meet (videoconferencing) if students have questions, concerns or just need a little help.

Student Last Name A-E: Meghan MacIntyre - mmacintyre@bishopblanchet.org
Student Last Name F-La: Erin Camden - ecamden@bishopblanchet.org
Student Last Name Le-Ri: Stephen Russell - srussell@bishopblanchet.org
Student Last Name Ro-Z: Heather Rabe - hrabe@bishopblanchet.org
International Students: Janah Valenzuela - jvalenzuela@bishopblanchet.org
Counselor: LouElla McGaughey - lmcgaughey@bishopblanchet.org
Counseling Administrative Assistant - Janice Moehring - jmoehring@bishopblanchet.org



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