Starting the School Year

Summer Reading assignment

Please click here for information on summer reading assignments for all students.

Tablet Pick Up Days

Class of 2024

Mandatory tablet pick up for incoming freshmen and parents will be held July 30, 31, Aug. 4, 5, and 10 in the Library. Students must register for one session ( click here to register), and be accompanied by their legal guardian.

The sessions will address the following:

Students will receive more in-depth tablet training during freshman orientation. Please contact Mr. Andy Ey, Director of Technology, at  [email protected].

Classes of 2021, 2022, 2023

If have not picked up your tablet yet, please contact Mr. Ey at [email protected].

Elective course adjustments

The requirements for social distancing have necessitated some adjustments to student schedules for electives. Many elective classes are not able to split into multiple rooms, and unfortunately, these constraints will reduce the number of students able to take a particular course, especially some of the art classes. Time and consideration have been given to all student schedule adjustments with priority given to seniors. Please note that any adjustments affect only elective courses, not core courses. Contact Mr. Rosenbaum at [email protected] with any questions after schedules are sent in August.

Transportation

Parking permits for 2020-21

McNicholas will accept parking registration forms with payment beginning August 1 for seniors only. Applications from underclassmen will be accepted beginning Aug. 24. Students may park in the Paradise or lower lots on a first-come first-served basis until the second full week of school. Click here for more information.

Bus Transportation

Please click here for information on Forest Hills, New Richmond, and Cincinnati Public bus options.

Please note: The Milford school district will not offer busing to McNicholas this year. After conducting the state approved official timing for McNicholas, the Ohio Department of Education and the Milford Board of Education found McNicholas to exceed the 30-minute rule per state requirements. Please contact Judson Philips at 575-1563 with questions.

Uniform Polo and Spirit Wear Options

Around the beginning of August, McNick will launch some exciting new visual ways to express its mission and spirit. In the fall you will begin to see clothing available with the new look – spirit wear as well as uniform shirts. As we phase in the new look, it will be fine for students to continue to wear the current uniform polo for this school year and next school year. We would like all students to wear uniform polos with the new look beginning in 2022-23. Similarly, during the school day students may wear sweatshirts with the school logo purchased from current stock in the Rocket Shop and/or through McNicholas athletics, clubs or programs during the 2020-21 fall season through 2021-22. Last year the school announced a plan to discontinue hoodie sweatshirts. That plan has been withdrawn: it’s fine for students to continue to wear McNick hoodies during school days. We’re alerting you to the upcoming change in look so that you can make informed shopping decisions. You might prefer to buy the current Rocket Shop stock (at a discount as we try to move older stock) or to wait and buy items with the new look. Members of the Class of 2024 will need to buy at least one current uniform polo because uniform shirts with the new look are not yet available. Thank you for your consideration of these special circumstances.

Rocket Shop Back to School Sale

Thursday August 6—2-8 p.m.

Freshmen/transfers families only for priority on uniform shirts

Saturday August 8—8 a.m.-2 p.m. 

Open to all families. 

Watch for more information on deep discounts on spirit wear and procedures for safe shopping. Contact Nikki Waterman at [email protected] or Marilyn Melcher at [email protected] .

McNicholas High School partners with Schoolbelles for new uniform options

McNicholas High School is proud to announce a new partnership with the uniform supplier Schoolbelles. Schoolbelles, which operates a retail store at 5718 Harrison Ave. in Western Hills, has been serving numerous schools in the Tri-state area since 1957.  Please click here for ordering and sizing information.

Back-to-school and sports forms

Parents of returning students should log in to Final Forms and complete their forms for the 2020-21 school year. Parents of freshmen and new students received an email from Final Forms and should complete and sign the forms. When students pick up their tablets, there will be an email waiting for them in their inbox directing students to sign and complete their forms.  Forms for all students must be completed and electronically signed by parents and students no later than the first day of school. You can click here to review and follow the directions  to fill out your forms. If you run into problems with Final Forms, click the  Use Support  button at the bottom of any Final Forms page and submit an email inquiry. If you need help from McNicholas, please contact Susan Rohlfs at  [email protected] .

Class of 2024 Orientation

McNicholas High School welcomes the Class of 2024 to Freshmen Orientation on Wednesday, August 19, and Thursday, August 20. While all activities follow health and safety guidelines and requirements outlined in the Launch Manual, freshmen will have this opportunity to get a good sense of expectations and procedures to start high school successfully!

Wednesday, August 19

Arrive by 7:40 a.m. dressed in Class of 2024 T-shirts and uniform shorts or skirts—Senior Peer Mentors will greet freshmen in the courtyard. After a grand welcome in the main gym, freshmen will meet their Crew and adult and peer mentor leaders. The freshmen will walk through their schedules, meet each of their teachers, and set up lunch accounts in the café. Pizza lunch provided! Bring your best smiles for a class picture on the football field in the shape of a ’24, and the day will conclude at 1:30 p.m.

Thursday August 20

Arrive by 7:40 a.m. dressed in school uniforms—Freshmen will report to their Crew rooms with their mentors for donuts and juice! This morning, freshmen get to know their counselors, the McNick technology department, the theology department, and the directors of student life and curriculum. The day will end at 11:45 a.m. and will NOT include lunch.

Friday, August 21

First day of school

All students will need to be in their Crew rooms at 7:40 a.m.

Attention Class of 2021 Families--

Senior Photos

McNicholas High School has partnered with Prestige Photography for your senior pictures. For in-studio photography and session details,  please click here  to review and schedule your appointment. All senior portraits need to be taken by November 1, 2020 in order to be on the class composite and in the yearbook. Only photos taken by Prestige will be allowed in the yearbook.  Click here for more information .

Meningococcal vaccine

Students entering their senior year are required to have a second meningococcal vaccine. Please click here for more information.

Senior Sunrise—Friday, Aug. 28

Senior Sunrise is a senior event started by the Class of 2020 to kick off its senior year. On Friday, August 28, the Class of 2021 will continue the tradition! Seniors will be excused from the first half of their first bell class to gather in the stadium for socially-distanced bonding, breakfast, and fun. Click here to register for the breakfast and order a T-shirt by August 5. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact student council moderator Jennifer Tumser at [email protected] .

Parent School Day Volunteer Corps

We are considering launching a corps of parent volunteers to assist during school days. One service we have in mind is circulating through classroom corridors as an additional adult presence during class periods. Think of it as school walking rather than mall walking. Volunteers may sign up for regular or occasional shifts of any length. Our students are courteous and well-behaved. If you happened to notice any misbehavior, you would not be expected to intervene directly. Instead you would draw it to the attention of a nearby teacher. Parent volunteers will need to complete Virtus training. They will need to comply with COVID-19 precautions required for students, faculty, and staff members. A perk of volunteering is an insider’s experience of the McNick school day. For more information, please contact Dave Mueller at [email protected]. Thank you for considering this opportunity.  

News to know

Kairos retreats adapt with health and safety guidelines

McNicholas is pleased to be working with the Jesuit Retreat Center at Milford to develop and implement precautions to provide for a safe, healthy, and meaningful experience. We had retreat for a small group in mid-July, and will have another retreat in early August. The spirit of Kairos will be the focus and foundation as we spend time getting to know who we are, as God created us to be, and what that means for us in our relationships with family, friends and especially with God, and how we live our lives in light of that. We will have modifications, guidelines, and requirements in place for the foreseeable future to care for the health and safety of our students. Situations may change at any moment, and we will continue to update our guidelines as changes come.

Please know that if students or parents at all feel uncomfortable with attending a retreat at this time, even with health protocols and precautions in place at the retreat center, that is certainly understandable, and respected, and honored! Contact Mary Beth Sandmann at [email protected] if you have questions.

Library offers access to eBooks through Sora

The McNick Library recently started subscribing to an Overdrive eBook platform called Sora, which can be accessed by visiting  https://soraapp.com/library/amnhsoh . To log in, you will need your McNick library card number. Your card number is your student ID number. The default password to log in is 'rockets'. Once logged into Sora, you can link your public library by using your public library card for access to more titles. 

Women’s soccer car wash

The women’s soccer team will host a car wash on Saturday, July 25 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in McNick's parking lot. Donations go to McNick's women's soccer teams.

Rocket game day T-shirts and face buffs

Be a best-dressed Rocket fan with a soft T-shirt (unisex sizes XS-XXL) for $20 and a face buff/mask with a photo of Paradise from Light Up McNick for $10. Contact Karen Veeneman at [email protected] to place your order. Proceeds benefit the football program.