Messenger December 2014

Transcription

1 The Messenger December 2014 A monthly newsletter for the families of Archbishop Ryan High School Academy Road Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Principal s Perspective Mr. James Meredith A few weeks ago, as we were decorating the house for the Christmas season, I placed our Nativity scene, complete with the stable and all of the figurines, from the lowly shepherds to the Christ child. The whole scene was arranged meticulously on a coffee table at a prominent place in my living room. After we finished, I took a step back and admired the scene. I imagined that this is how things may have played out over 2,000 years ago. The scene was so beautiful, so serene, right down to the very last camel and the angel watching overhead. The tranquility was interrupted by my two year old daughter. She too was struck by the scene, struck by how it was right at eye level and how she could reach every blessed part of it. Nothing escaped her grasp. The attention to detail was disregarded as all of the figurines were piled into the corner of the stable. During the chaos, one of her older sisters told her about the Nativity scene. Later, she ran over with excitement holding the manager in her little hands and told me, This is baby Jesus. For me, this was a remarkable Advent moment. The childlike innocence of my daughter shined through when she excitedly discovered baby Jesus. The quiet anticipation of the Advent season is often overshadowed by the frenzied pace of the Christmas season. This busy time is all about balance and keeping focus. At Ryan we are using these Advent days to prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. We opened with our Ryan Family Christmas on Sunday outside of the Chapel with the Liturgy of the Word, followed by the tree lighting. Our talented student artists wrapped up the evening with a Christmas Concert and a Christmas Tableaux. On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, our students are invited to reconcile themselves with God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Our entire school community will gather next Tuesday, to share in Mass together as a Ryan Family. The spiritual side of the season is accented by some fun as well. Our students are invited to wear Christmas Sweaters on Friday, December 19 and Christmas Socks on Monday, December 22. The common areas of the school are decorated for Christmas and many classrooms are decorated as well. Rumor has it that the infamous Elf on the Shelf has been spotted in at least one classroom. Father Donia and the ministry team will conduct their annual holiday caroling tour on Saturday, taking two buses of students to share the sounds of the season. Other surprises are planned as well. Stay tuned for details. My prayer and hope for you and all who you hold dear is that you find the baby Jesus at your own pace. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2 From the Office of the President Mrs. Denise LePera My first five months as President have been exciting and challenging. Your sons and daughters continue to be the asset and certainly necessary to our success. It is their love for Ryan and their experiences that help sell the school and give donors a keen desire to invest in our beloved school. They are the energy and inspiration supporting us as we advance our mission. In our mission, excellence is the standard in all that we do at Ryan. It is not, however, merely excellence for its own sake. We challenge our students to pursue their potential to the fullest. Our faculty empower students to become contributing members of our Church by providing spiritual, social, and service opportunities for growth. It is with much excitement that I share with you that every recruitment event this fall has surpassed last year s numbers. Students continue to shadow with a Ryan student, and there are a few remaining admissions dates for the year. Please share with friends and family who may be considering Archbishop Ryan. Open House: February 22 12:30 3:00 pm A Closer Look: January 8 A Closer Look at English and Language pm Visitation Day: April 16-7th Grade Visitation Day The Ryan Fund kicked off in November - parent participation is a vote of confidence in the job our faculty, administration and staff are doing in the formation of your sons and daughters. We cannot survive without a successful campaign. The Ryan Fund allows us to provide tuition assistance, academic programs, faculty professional development. EITC Reminder In the simplest of terms, PA businesses can redirect their PA state taxes to scholarships at Archbishop Ryan. Imagine if our EITC dollars could match the documented need of our families! Please contact Rita Brouwer-Ancher at extension 286 or rbrouwerancher@archbishopryan.com if you know of companies who might be interested. Who wouldn t prefer to write a check to Archbishop Ryan rather than the Commonwealth of PA! Remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. But more importantly if you are on these social media outlets, you can significantly increase Ryan's social media by sharing and re- Tweeting our posts! My prayer for you this Christmas is that whatever burden or cross God has given you, that it will be lightened. One of my favorite Christmas reflections is Linus s response to Charlie Brown s question of whether anyone knows the true meaning of Christmas. With the pressures we put on ourselves, it is very easy to focus on presents, baking, wrapping and be completely distracted

3 away from the spiritual.so this Christmas, may others be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas when they come into our presence. Linus Speech on The True Meaning of Christmas Source: Charlie Brown: Isn t there anyone, who knows what Christmas is all about?! Linus: Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about. Lights please? And there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them! And they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all my people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ, the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward men. That s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. Merry Christmas and a very Happy, Healthy New Year. As Tiny Tim said, God bless us. Everyone. From the School Minister Father John Donia Here we are in December, a month spent preparing in so many ways for Christmas. The season of Advent calls us to prepare and, more importantly, shows us how God prepared for the Redeemer to come. Like the potter from the reading for the first Sunday of Advent, God prepared Mary and Joseph. Mary s yes and Joseph s acceptance of his role as her husband began a sequence of events leading them to Bethlehem. God s preparation began centuries before. Kings, prophets, and thousands of ordinary people had said yes to God s plan long before Mary s yes. Jesus birth in Bethlehem, the stable, the star, and the shepherds were all part of a Divine plan. Have you ever recognized that God prepared you for what came next? Usually, this fact doesn't dawn on us until we are well into that next aspect of our life and we realize how God s hand has been working in the people and events we encountered. We, like all those before us, have a place in God s plan of salvation. We are constantly invited to add our yes to Mary s, to be attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and to enter fully into the task of building the kingdom. As we prepare to celebrate Christ s coming, let's prepare for Bethlehem experiences in our own lives so that Jesus, the Savior might be more clearly known and ever more deeply loved and worshiped in our hearts and in the hearts of our brothers and sisters. A Good Christmas Confession A good preparation for Christmas includes a good confession. In the sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus is at work forgiving, healing, restoring, rekindling, and making right whatever sin has adversely affected within people. Our students will receive the sacrament this week during their Theology classes. I pray that all in our community open the door to Jesus in the sacrament of Reconciliation and allow him to rekindle love, peace, and joy within them.

4 Christmas Caroling On Saturday, December 20, we will take part in our second annual Christmas Caroling Tour. Our group of more than 80 students will visit with and entertain the residents of Saint John Neumann Nursing Home, Saint Joseph s Villa, and Saint Joseph s Manor. Any student who has not signed up and who wishes to attend can stop by the ministry office for the necessary permission forms. Kairos Retreat The February Kairos retreat registration is ongoing. It is being conducted on a first come, first served basis until all spots have been filled. Please note that the Kairos retreat is open to members of the senior class only. For further information on Kairos, please go to the Ministry section of the Ryan website and click on the Kairos tab. Christian Service All students in grade 11 are required to complete 20 hours of Christian service this school year. Students have received a packet of information pertaining to the program. Parents and guardians are urged to look over the material (also available on the Ministry section of the Ryan website by clicking on the Christian Service tab). Questions about the Christian service requirements can be ed to me.

5 NATIONAL HONORS SOCIETY STUDENT OF THE MONTH OCTOBER NOVEMBER Patrick Stackhouse, 16 Kathleen McCauley, 17 DECEMBER AR STAR AWARD WINNER Robert Kientzy, 15 From the Office of Academic Affairs Mr. Joseph McFadden Comments and Failure Warnings will be on GradeConnect by the afternoon of Thursday, December 18. If your child is in danger of failing either the Second Quarter or the First Semester, they will receive the comment FAILURE WARNING. If your child receives that comment, they must print out the Warning and return the signed form to the Office of Academic Affairs Office by Wednesday, January 7, This week, all 9 th, 10 th, and 11 th grade students who took the PSAT received their results. I encourage you to review the results with your child and also examine the online access of their scores which gives detailed results of testing strength and weaknesses. This information is available on their scores. The test is a fairly accurate indicator of success on the SAT test so I encourage all families to examine the results of the test. Looking ahead, we wish all of our National Honor Society members best of luck and congratulate them as they will be inducted on Friday, January 9. Congratulations to moderator Ms. Sharonmarie Biasini and to NHS President Alexander Padayatil for their commitment to ensuring academic excellence and their service to Archbishop Ryan and its students.

6 On a final note, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas celebration. If you are struggling with any last minute gifts or stocking stuffers for your child, a book, possibly Tattoos from the Heart, or an SAT Prep book always makes a wonderful present! From the Office of Student Affairs Mrs. Kathy Schafer Christmas is a wonderful time of the year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, family, and the tradition of giving gifts and sending Christmas cards. During this season of giving let us take time to slow down and enjoy the simple things. May the message of Christmas fill your home with joy and peace. Best wishes to you and your family for a blessed Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. Many wonderful and exciting events have been and are going on throughout the hallways of Archbishop Ryan! Congratulation to the Varsity Mathletes team! The team captured first place among 24 teams at this month's competition. Congratulations to the following who earned perfect scores: Tania Bobby, Kevin Brown, Shannon Calter, Tyler Hall, Robert Kientzy, Boyoung Kim, John Thackrah, Kyle Matthews, Jeremy Ren, and Primo Wang. Archbishop Ryan athletes to be honored by the Northeast Times! The Northeast Times has named the following members of the Ryan Family award winners: Jazmin Gonzalez - Catholic League Girls' Soccer Player of the Year Samir Bullock - Catholic League Football Player of the Year! Coach Ryan Haney - Girls' Soccer Coach of the Year Archbishop Ryan congratulates our Fall sports athletes who will be honored at the 29th Annual Northeast Sports Award Banquet! Shrek the Musical was a huge success for the Ryan community. Thank you to all who were a part, big or small, of the Fall Production. On Saturday, December 13 th 42 members of the cast, crew, and pit of Shrek had to opportunity to travel together to Little Flower, at their invitation, to be a part of the audience of their production of Shrek the Musical. EXCITING NEWS: Ryan s Spring production will be: Mary Poppins!

7 Sister Francis Antoinette, SSJ and her CSC students have been working during their lunch periods at the CSC Goodie Table selling snack items to raise money for Operation Santa Claus. It is the group s hope to be able to donate 150 children s gifts this Christmas season. We are AR! Wrestling Wins with First Shutout! Ryan 75 McDevitt 0. First shutout in team history. Wallace pin in 1:08 and Metzger 1:00 - Great win! Team is now 4-1. Congratulations Raiders! Ryan s Girls Basketball team will be participating in Basketball s Queen of Palms Tournament 12/29/ /31/2014 in Fort Myers, FL Good Luck to our Ragdolls!! Ryan s Winter Sports Program is well underway. Check out the Ryan website for games and times and the Athletic link for news and schedules. Winter student athletes received Transportation Permission Slips from their coaches. Please ask you son/daughter for this paper, sign and have him/her return the paper to Student Affairs. Junior and Senior boys received Prom Information papers. If you have not seen this paper please ask your son; sign and have him return the paper to the Office of Student Affairs - the paper was due on Friday, 12/12/14. Don t forget to check out the Weekly Announcements under the Student Life link. UP AND COMING EVENTS Barnes and Noble Book Fair - Looking for some last minute gift ideas? Neshaminy Mall s Barnes and Noble is the place to shop between December 15 and the 19 th. A percentage of your purchase, including on-line purchases, will go to Archbishop Ryan you must present a coupon at the time of your purchase for Ryan to receive the percentage. A flyer with coupons was distributed to each student on Thursday, December 11 th in homeroom. Coupons can also be found on the Ryan web-site Monday, 12/14 through 12/19. Thank you for all you do to support Archbishop Ryan. Parents Association meets monthly in the school s library check the Ryan calendar and Parents Association link for updates. Classes will resume Monday, January 5 th enjoy the Christmas break! Friday, January 9 - National Honors Society Induction Ceremony Mass will be celebrated for Ryan s NHS members, their families and the Ryan community; Induction ceremony will follow mass. Congratulations to our NHS students. All are welcome to attend! Wednesday, January 14 th Mr. Jerome O Connell, Guidance Director, and his staff will host a College Financial Aid Night from 7:00 to 9:00PM for Senior and Junior Parents; Sophomore and Freshman parents are also welcome to attend. Remember to stay in touch by checking out our new website and the school calendar. When severe winter weather strikes, please follow us on Twitter (@ARHS), check our Facebook status, visit our website, listen to KYW1060 Newsradio or receive our School Reach phone call for the latest AR Schedule Update!