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Now available: St. Gregory Hawks Twitter! Follow the Hawks @StGregorySchool
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March 9, 2010
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In this issue:
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Message from the Head of School
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Poetry Out Loud
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Science Olympiad
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Business Manager Transition
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The New Broadway
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Lights! Camera! Auction! a Success
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Mock Trial Regionals
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Nate Whitthorne qualifies for state National Geographic Geography Bee!
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Minds Alive! St. Gregory Leadership and Innovation Summer Program 2010
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College Counseling Corner
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Sports
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2010-2011 Major Events and Holiday Calendar
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Upcoming Events
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Message from the Head of School
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Jonathan E. Martin
Head of School
jmartin@stgregoryschool.org
www.stgregoryschool.org
www.21k12blog.net
Twitter:@JonathanEMartin
520-327-6395 |
Forgive the Tuesday publication: our Gala Event Friday threw us off schedule, but so much happened over the weekend we chose to report to you this Tuesday!
St. Gregory prides itself on serving and educating the whole child, and how brilliantly this month displays this. As you can see reading below, our students are competing, and succeeding, in state-wide and regional sports, Mock Trial, Poetry, and Science. Next weekend, our students head to Disneyland to compete in a Band and Choir Festival.
It is a joy to participate in this vibrant community, and as I always tell folks, my very favorite part of my job is seeing our students display their strengths in all the many ways in which they excel!
Go Hawks! |
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Stephanie McNerney Represents St. Gregory at Poetry Out Loud
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 Stefanie Mcnerney, a junior, represented St. Gregory at the state Poetry Out Loud tournament on Friday, March 5 at the Burton Barr Phoenix Public Library.
Twenty-three contestants from all over Arizona, representing thousands who had competed in school or district contests, spent five hours reciting two poems each before judges in the semi-finals. Eight finalists were selected and they repeated their two poems in the evening before a new panel of judges.
Then, a final four were selected, and each contestant recited a new memorized poem.
Steffi made it to the final four, a tremendous accomplishment given the level of competition and pressure. Well-done!
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This past Saturday, March 6, St. Gregory students with coaches Dr. Morris and Mr. Conner of the science department traveled to Glendale Community College to take part in the Science Olympiad. This marks the first time St. Gregory has participated in this competition. The competing team members were freshmen Jennie Bass, Isabella Catalano, Nathan Hancock, Gaby Igini, Derek Jobst , Mark Kissinger, and Misha Tentser, juniors Chase Gerwin and Andie Quinn, and seniors Jason Huo, Safatul Islam, Jacob Lifton, Amanda Liu, Eduoard Mattille, and Melanie Meyer. Along with sophomore Jaxon Rickel and seniors Diego Ortiz-Monasterio, Taryn Parsons, and Jayson Rickel, they have been preparing since fall to enter projects in an impressive twenty-one of twenty-six events.
Thirty-five teams from the state of Arizona competed on Saturday. Our St. Gregory team earned two first-place ribbons, in Anatomy/Physiology and Microbiology, and one second-place ribbon for “Write It, Do It”, as well as a number of ribbons ranging from fourth to twenty-first place. St. Gregory was honored to be chosen the “Rookie Team of the Year”, which came with a $100 prize.
The commitment of time, energy, and brain-power by this group over the school year has been nothing less than impressive. Congratulations, Olympians!
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Business Manager Transition: Thanks to Lee Lyndes, Welcome to Rick Belding
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Our appreciation goes to Lee Lyndes for his three years of service as St. Gregory's Business and Finance Manager. Mr. Lyndes has been a dedicated steward of the school, always deeply committed to its success. Having coming to Tucson three years ago to attend to family needs, he now has decided it is time to move to a new location for his next chapter. Good luck, Lee; we will miss you.
Replacing Mr. Lyndes at the end of this week will be Rick Belding. Mr. Belding is the former headmaster of Green Fields Country Day (1997-2005). He served as Business Manager at two other independent schools in Louisiana and Texas prior to that and was also Business Director for the National Association of Independent Schools. Most recently, he served as President of the Independent School Association of the Central States; he is also currently a member of the board of the National Business Officers Association (www.nboa.net) We are excited to welcome Mr. Belding to our St. Gregory team.
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 March 24th the MS band, US band, concert choir, and St. Gregory Strings will be performing "The New Broadway" featuring "Phantom of the Opera", "Beauty and the Beast", "Pirates of the Carribbean" and a return performance of "Equus". ("Equus" was performed in the fall and was such an outstanding success that we've brought it back for an even better performance). The evening will start at 6 p.m. with a pre-event light meal for concert-goers sponsored by the Fine Arts committee. Also, we will be selling raffle tickets for a drawing of a dinner out for two and a movie ticket package. Tickets are three dollars apiece, or two for five dollars. The drawing will be held that night.
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Lights! Camera! Auction! - A Gala Success!!!
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 Thanks to an Emmy-worthy cast of dedicated St. Gregory volunteers, Friday evening’s "Lights! Camera! Auction!" Gala was a smash. Searchlights swept over Skyline Country Club as more than175 guests happily pressed through student paparazzi and autograph hounds to walk the red carpet. Once inside, they enjoyed an evening of dining, music, dancing, and Hollywood entertainment – and a very successful silent auction - all to the financial benefit of St. Gregory’s tradition of excellence in education.
The fun, however, was priceless - all thanks to the extraordinary efforts of event Chairwoman/ “Producer,” Nancy Galdi, “Director,” St. Gregory Board President, Sarah Wille and a cast of volunteers starring Kathy Ross, Kathy Stern, Nancy Clark, Debby Kennedy, Stephanie Meigs, Shelly Silverman, Gabrielle Gonzales, Elizabeth Greenfeld, Carman Ryken, and assistance by Jen Port of the Development office.
So, many thanks to all – leaders, parent and staff volunteers, auction donors, friends and EVERYONE who attended and otherwise supported the event - for making LCA! a terrific box office success. Hooray for Hollywood – and St. Gregory!
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St. Gregory Mock Trial competed in Regionals on Saturday, March 6. Teams from southern Arizona spent the day at the Pima County Superior Courthouse competing for a chance to advance to the state competition in Phoenix. This year, two teams represented St. Gregory at the competition. The St. Gregory Blue members included Spencer Brodkey, David Reinthal, Zoë Womack, Yee Su, Coco Tirambulo, Tariq Samji, and timekeeper Stewart Bass. The St. Gregory White team consisted of Olivia Larsen, Michael Cornell, Alexander Sosnowski, Sarah Mann, Lauren Megaw, Athena Roesler, and timekeeper Lauren Stern. Both teams performed brilliantly and represented St. Gregory very well. We will know later in the week if either team is advancing to the state level of competition.
This year's case was The State of Arizona vs. Parker Plunkett; it involved a Phoenix light rail operator charged with manslaughter, negligent homicide, aggravated assault, and endangerment for his involvement in a fatal accident while, allegedly, text-messaging. Students began work on the case shortly after Thanksgiving break and practiced regularly until the competition. Both teams owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the attorneys who volunteered their time to assist this year. Both Lindsay St. John and Ryan Schmidt returned to assist the team in their preparation. This year, they were joined by Michael Jette of the Attorney General's office and Lee Blackman.
Kudos to all Mock Trial members, and many thanks to their coach, Mr. Dan Young.
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Nate Whitthorne qualifies for state National Geographic Geography Bee!
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Nate Whitthorne
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Sixth grader Nate Whitthorne, will participate in the state Geography Bee on Friday, April 9, 2010, at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 South Church Street, in Tucson. One winner from each state and territory will advance to the national competition, which will be held May 25 and 26 at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. The final round of the 2010 National Geographic Bee, featuring Alex Trebek, will air on the National Geographic Channel on May 26. Thank you, Mr Young, for your work in coordinating our St. Gregory Geography Bee. Congratulations and good luck, Nate!
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Minds Alive! St. Gregory Leadership and Innovation Summer Program 2010
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Your child will have an extraordinary brain-expanding, intellect-strengthening, skill-enhancing experience this summer in our engaging mini-courses designed for children going into 5th through 8th grade. Get ready for a summer of exploration, innovation, leadership, and fun, all in a welcoming environment with world-class instructors!
Your child can build a robot, cook with a self-designed solar oven, direct a play, create an animated movie, program a computer, delve into the mysteries of chemistry and electronics, explore the art of storytelling, revel in writing, solve problems, experience the high ropes course and so much more.
Your child will interact with some of St. Gregory School’s great teachers: Mr. Clashman, Ms. Bodden, Dr. Morris, Mr. Mossman, Mr. Decker, Mr. Conner, Mr. Owens, and Mr. Roberts.
We hope your child will join us starting in June!
The Summer Program will run for three two-week sessions. Your child may sign up for one class in the morning and/or one class in the afternoon.
- Session 1: Monday, June 7 - Friday, June 18
- Session 2: Monday, June 21 - Friday, July 2
- Session 3: Monday, July 5 - Friday, July 16
Minds Alive! St Gregory Leadership and Innovation Summer Program 2010 Registration Form.
Please complete one form per child.
Your child may sign up for one class in the morning and/or one class in the afternoon.
For more information contact Mary Babbitt at mbabbitt@stgregoryschool.org
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College Counseling Corner
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Dear Junior Parents,
I have met with your child to discuss his or her initial college ideas and standardized test options. The next step in this process is to have parents and students meet with me as a group. This is a chance for me to meet you, assess questions and concerns you might have regarding college selection and admission, and review initial college lists. These meetings will last 45 minutes to 1 hour. Please call or email me in the next two weeks to schedule a meeting.
Kate Schmidt
kschmidt@stgregoryschool.org
327-6395 X 224
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St. Gregory baseball had a solid showing in the Phoenix Country Day School Desert Classic tournament over the weekend, winning three of four games, with two of those wins coming over higher division teams.
The Hawks opened the tournament Friday with an 8-7 win over 2A Horizon Honors, coming back from a 6-1 deficit. After a 29-0 beat down by 3A conference Fountain Hills on Friday afternoon, the Hawks bounced back Saturday with a 15-3 win over Westwind Prep, another 2A team. In the final game Saturday, St. Gregory rallied again from an early 3-0 deficit to whip Mayer 7-3.
Senior Jayson Rickel and junior Adam Gonzales led the offense with five hits apiece over the weekend. Rickel had three doubles and a triple, while Gonzales had a double, a triple, and eight RBI's. Freshman Charles Awalt had five RBI's over the weekend and freshman Ethan Groff had two hits in the win over Westwind Prep.
Rickel and Gonzales handled most of the pitching duties, with Gonzales collecting two of the wins. Rickel had a win and a save.
The Hawks take their 4-2 record on the road to Valley Union on Tuesday and then have another road game at Pusch Ridge on Wednesday. The next home game is March 16 when Gila Bend visits.
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2010-2011 Holiday Calendar
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| August 9 -10 |
Sixth grade orientation |
| August 11 |
All-school orientation |
| August 12 |
First full day of classes |
| September 6 |
Labor Day holiday; no classes |
| September 9 |
Rosh Hashanah holiday; no classes |
| October 15 |
Faculty grading day;no classes |
| November 11 |
Veteran’s Day; no classes |
| November 24-26 |
Thanksgiving break |
| December 13-16 |
First Semester Assessments/exams Grade 7-12 |
| December 17 |
Faculty grading day;no classes |
Dec. 17 – Jan. 3
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Winter break for students |
| Dec. 18 - Jan. 2 |
Winter Break for faculty |
| January 4 |
Classes resume, begin second semester begins |
| January 17 |
Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday; no classes |
| February 24-25 |
Rodeo Break |
| March 11 |
Faculty work day; no classes |
| April 2 -10 |
Spring Break |
| April 2 |
Good Friday holiday; no classes |
| May 21 |
Commencement, 7:30 p.m. |
| May 23-26 |
Semester Assessments/exams Grade 7-12 |
| May 26 |
MS Move-Up Rehersal |
| May 27 |
MS Move-Up Ceremony |
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Upcoming Events
- 3/24 7:00 p.m. - Spring Concert
- 3/31 7:00 p.m. - Tony Wagner
For additional information about any of the events listed above or St. Gregory athletics, click here. For a printout of the 2009-10 Parent Calendar, click here. |
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St. Gregory College Preparatory School
3231 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson, Arizona 85712 - (520) 327-6395 - Fax (520) 327-8276
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