Welcome to the eleventh edition of
Panther Press
,
a biweekly electronic newsletter sent to families and friends of
San Joaquin Memorial High School
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To the community of San Joaquin Memorial High School,
You may have heard by now that San Joaquin Memorial High School is in the process of partnering with a consulting firm to evaluate all aspects of the school, focusing on how we can capitalize on our existing strengths and identify opportunities to secure the brightest future possible. Our goal is to prepare a Strategic Plan for San Joaquin Memorial to guide us in securing our desired future over the course of the next several years. We are pleased to be receiving the services of Catholic School Management, a division of Christian Brothers Services, and a highly regarded Catholic school consulting organization that supports the educational ministry of the Catholic Church on a world-wide basis. Since 1973, CSM has worked in more than one hundred dioceses and with over three thousand schools.
The CSM planning process is based on the
National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools
(www.catholicschoolstandards.org). Most importantly, we have chosen CSM because they insist that planning be a participative and collaborative process for a community, reflective of the many voices and perspectives that make us unique among Catholic schools. As part of the planning process, a wide range of aspects of the school will be evaluated including mission and faith community affairs; administrative, academic and student affairs; and our marketing, communication, enrollment, and advancement programs.
Some of you may receive requests to participate in an online survey as part of the planning process. We thank in advance all who will add their voice by completing a survey. In addition, a team from CSM will be on-site our campus February 18 & 19. You may receive a request to be a part of a focus group meeting on these dates to provide even greater input into this important and valuable assessment process. Please know that your attendance is greatly appreciated.
I will continue to keep you updated with regard to the planning process, and I hope you will join the San Joaquin Memorial community in welcoming the CSM team in a few short weeks.
In faith,
Michael C. Burke
Head of School
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Quinn captures Boys 16s tennis title
Story and photo contributions by Manuela Davies, USTA
Sophomore Ethan Quinn landed like a hurricane at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Campus in Orlando, Florida in January and didn’t look back. Quinn dominated a field of 128 players without the loss of a set, winning his first USTA gold ball at the Winter Nationals for the Boys 16s title.
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Popular club finds joy in all things historical
Students at Memorial with a special love of history are in luck! The National History Honors Society (NHHS), a very active club on campus, explores history outside of the classroom through fun activities such as Cinema Nights, field trips and History Jeopardy tournaments.
"This club was founded by two students from the Class of 2019, Elliott Nerenberg and Kayvon Sadeghi, in the fall of 2017,” said faculty member Ed Borges “and then affiliated itself with the national organization, The National History Club. In its first full year of 2019-2020, NHHS had 70+ active members and this year the club has 60+ active members.”
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Poetry Out Loud
Last week, six SJM students participated in Poetry Out Loud, a competition that encourages students to learn about poetry through memorization and recitation. The competition also helps students master public speaking skills while learning about literature. The six SJM students competed against each other on campus to see who would move on to compete at the county-wide competition. Senior, Isabella Garcia placed first, Senior, Ivan Manriquez second and Sophomore, Megan McCraw third. “We are very proud of their hard work to memorize and deliver beautiful poems with flair and heart,” says Ms. Carlie Frye. Frye a teacher at SJM also coordinates the students for the competition.
At the county-wide competition Garcia, Manriquez and McCraw will go up against the top three competitors from Washington Union high school for a chance to compete at the state competition in Sacramento. Junior, LaReina Torres, Sophomore, Spencer Douangpouxay and Junior, Nate Rivera will also be competing at the county-wide event for consolation prizes.
The county-wide competition takes place on Thursday, January 23 at BitWise South Stadium from 7-8 pm.
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Students selected to study abroad this summer
Five SJM students are getting the opportunity of a lifetime to study abroad this summer. Through the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), four lucky students will be studying in Ferrara, Italy and one will be studying in Berlin, Germany. According to representatives with CIEE, this is the first time in its history that they awarded five scholarships to a new partnership school.
While abroad, the students will take language classes but will also have the opportunity to experience many cultural activities such as learning to cook local cuisine, enjoying theater productions, and visiting historical sites. The students will also have the unique opportunity to live with host families and be further immersed in typical family life culture and traditions.
The partnership with the CIEE was introduced to SJM students this year by International Language teacher Emanuela De Rosa. Congratulations to the following study abroad scholarship recipients: Charlotte Burks, Kelly Lee, Tadeo Caberra, Luca Fanucchi and Gianna Triplett.
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Drama students deliver
SJM’s drama production Lost in Yonkers was a huge success. Students performed five shows in which they delivered tremendously. Thursday’s show included a pre- party which served as a fundraiser for the Drama Boosters Club. Congratulations to all of the drama students for their hard work and dedication to presenting a high quality production!
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CSW theme "Building Each other Up"
Catholic Schools Week is a long lived tradition at SJM. It is a time for our school community to reflect on the special privilege we are given to learn and to educate as a Catholic community. Each year SJM takes on a new theme that focuses on our community’s celebration. “Building Up Each Other” is this year’s theme.
Building Up Each Other is not limited to students building up other students, but also focuses on the importance of building up the community that surrounds the school. In celebration of CSW this year, SJM will host a donation drive that will benefit Central Valley Teen Challenge. Teen Challenge provides young men the opportunity to free themselves from addiction and other life-controlling issues through Christ-centered solutions.
SJM’s partnership with Teen Challenge gives us the opportunity to help the community while educating our students about drug abuse. SJM’s Service Club will spearhead the week long drive which will call for donations of underwear, socks and t-shirts for the young men that Teen Challenge helps. In addition to the drive, SJM will host activities all week for students including a Mass and luncheon. To stay up to date on this year’s CSW events, be sure to follow us on social media.
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Winter Sports Update
Winter sports are well underway and SJM wishes each of its teams the best of luck this season. Here is how every team is doing this season so far.
Girls Basketball: 10-8
The next game is on 1/24 at 6:30 pm. The Panthers will play an away game at Edison.
Girls Soccer: 11-10-1
The next game is on 1/24 at 3:00 pm. The Panthers will play an away game at Edison.
Boys Basketball: 15-6
The next game is on 1/24 at 6:30 pm. The Panthers will host Edison.
Boys Soccer: 10-7-3
The next game is on 1/24 at 5:00 pm. The Panthers will host Edison.
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SJM Scholarship Application
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Only 10 more day remaining!
Applications are now open.
Applications will be due February 1st no exceptions.
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Friday Jan. 24, 2020
Sophomore Class Mass @ 2:15 pm
Saturday Jan. 25, 2020
Texas Hold'em @ 5:30 pm
Saturday Jan. 25, 2020
Winter Formal Dance @ 7:30 pm
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Monday Jan. 27-31, 2020
Catholic Schools Week
February Feb. 3, 2020
Senior Parent Graduation Meeting @ 6pm
February Feb. 5, 2020
Prayer at the fountain @ 8:40 am
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2020 Senior Parent Graduation Informational Meeting
Feb. 3rd in the Media Center 6pm-7:45pm. All senior parents are encouraged to attend to receive an important graduation information booklet, sign up for various events for the senior class, and other updates and deadlines, etc. as we enter the last few months of this school year. Any questions, please email Kim Hodges at
khodges@sjmhs.org
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Join Us For the 75th Annual St. Patrick's Day Golf Tournament
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For more info please contact Shirley Boujikian at (559) 475-5831 or sboujikian@sjmhs.org
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Career Day
San Joaquin Memorial High School's Career Day will be taking place on
Friday, February 28, 2020
. If you are interested in sharing your career with our students, please fill out the participation form.
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Boosters Club
Boosters members take pride in raising money for our student-athletes through fun-filled, casual fundraisers - Holy Bowling in the fall; Crab Feed in February - concession sales and memberships.
For volunteer
opportunities and information, email sjmboostersclub@gmail.com.
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Alumni Contact Update
Panther Alums, even though your time here at Memorial has passed, this is still your home! Please stay connected with us so that you can be part of our exciting engagement opportunities such as our sporting event tailgates, alumni mixers and so much more! To stay connected
please
fill out this form
.
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