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february 2012 brother james kelly cfx 1947 2011 whatever did not fit in with my plan did lie within the plan of god i have an ever deeper and firmer belief that nothing is merely an accident when seen in the light of god and that my whole life down to the smallest details has been marked out for me in the plan of divine providence and has a coherent meaning in god s all-seeing eyes saint elizabeth stein sister teresa benedicta a cruce ocd

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dear parents students and friends of the mount in navigating the waters known as the teen years it is really difficult for young men to determine the trust level in the relationships they develop and nurture in fact they re not always sure that they can have any trust at all in those from generations that precede them if you re their parents you have a particularly difficult role in establishing the parameters of this key relationship and you live with them being their parents brings with it enormous responsibility and while they occasionally do stop you in your tracks with an outburst of pure love it is not their strong suit and it is no use to point out to them that it is you who has gotten them to this point in their lives no use at all they don t see that as relevant they see themselves differently than you do and herein lies the crux ­ how to bridge the gap in self-perception at this critical time in their lives one of the things i find myself reminding young men over and over is the fact that their parents are their first and primary teachers no high school teacher can ever take that role away from a parent though i have witnessed the occasional failing effort in that regard i have also witnessed parents too numerous to count who do the best job possible in taking advantage of the teaching moments in their lives with their sons to impart lifelong lessons i recently attended the funeral mass of a dear friend whose son is the priest who presided at the liturgy in talking about his dad father lee told a college story from his pre-vocation days he said that once he moved away to school he rarely came home he didn t visit often at all and one moment on the family porch hit home and changed his outlook on so many things going on in his life his dad took him aside after a rare dinner together and he said you know lee when you were younger and something was wrong or you were hurt i could just pick you up and make everything better i can t do that now but that doesn t mean i wouldn t like to help father lee told all of us how that moment filled him with a unique understanding of his dad s love for him and it opened a window for him into the image of god as father i am blessed to see your sons grow up in so many ways i am surrounded by colleagues who strive to help them any way they can in that process i am stopped in my tracks all the time by the incredible goodness that resides in your son waiting to be shared last month i dropped a line to a young man on retreat he and i had sort of played talk tag trying to see how we could together help him with some of the stuff going on in his life right now in writing back this young man told me one thing loudly and clearly ­ he s listening i carry his letter with me every day to remind me how blessed i am genuine listening is such a gift for a teen especially when it leads to reflection and even change of behavior our job as i see it is to stay with them and not walk away when they re not listening as attractive as that option might be this young man s opening back to me has provided me with a window into the love he has for his family his incredible desire to do good and his determination to reach a goal others think is out of his reach his parents planted the seed and nurtured it well our job is to see to it that nothing gets in the way and that we join with his parents to nudge him further forward each day i pray for him every day asking god to help him and to help me as i relate to him without that prayer i m at a distinct disadvantage one of the signature characteristics of the mount is the care for establishing enduring personal relationships we are fortunate that arriving at our doors each day are a corps of young men who know exactly what that means because they have experienced that in their own families in taking good care of your boys the sacred responsibility we are entrusted with is to work with our parents for the good of our young men what a treat to be in on that every single day i am constantly reminding our guys to hug their moms tell their parents that they love them and thank them for what they do i never get tired of that and i am again stopped in my tracks with eyes glistening as i see example after example of these guys actually listening god is very good to me peace barry j fitzpatrick principal

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graduation tuxedos mr dave norton assistant principal director of studies first semester grades if you have a concern about your son s performance in a particular class you should contact the teacher via e-mail or set up an appointment to meet face-to-face with the teacher and your son at a time that is mutually convenient please be sure to do this if your son s grades indicates that improvement is needed for those students not finding success efforts must be made to change their method of study please check their grades on a regular basis through edline for those students with poor grades there should be regular contact with teachers through e-mail the studies office with the guidance department will continue to monitor students progress students who fail a class for the year will be required to attend summer school unless the class is not offered in the msj summer school program a representative from cy s of catonsville will be taking measurements for senior graduation tuxedos on wednesday february 1 and thursday february 2 from 9:00 a.m l:00 p.m in the cafeteria students should check the bulletin board in ryken hall for their appointment date and time the cost of the tuxedo rental is part of the senior fee students may rent black dress shoes for an additional cost of $10.00 checks for rental shoes should be made payable to cy s of catonsville senior class parents parents are invited to help plan the senior class post-prom party be a part of this memorable and safe event by attending a meeting on wednesday february 1 at 7:00 p.m in the cafeteria future meeting dates are set for wednesday march 7 and wednesday april 4 for more information contact ms stearns 410-644-3300 ext 259 or kstearns@admin.msjnet.edu course selections for the 2012-2013 school year during the month s of february and march students will be meeting with me to discuss course selections for the 2012-2013 school year assemblies are scheduled during the homeroom period as follows national honor society national honor society applications for current sophomores and juniors are available from mr breen the national honor society moderator in room 3 interested sophomores and juniors must have a cumulative gpa of at least 3.3 to apply completed applications will be due to mr breen in room 3 by monday february 6 2012 if you have any questions please contact mr ader mr breen or mr kauffman tuesday february 14 juniors tuesday february 28 sophomores friday march 2 freshmen during this time course description booklets and selection sheets will be distributed all options will be discussed during the assembly a separate letter to parents regarding course selections will be mailed from the studies office parents are encouraged to call the studies office if they have additional questions appointments can be made with me if the condition warrants completed course selection sheets should be returned to your son s guidance counselor by the following dates basket and bag bingo a basket and bag bingo featuring longaberger baskets and vera bradley bags will be held on sunday march 25 2012 at 2:00 p.m in the mount saint joseph high school cafeteria doors open at 1:00 p.m and an earlybird game will be held at 1:45 p.m the proceeds from this bingo will benefit my brother s keeper a community outreach center in irvington tickets for the bingo are $20.00 each tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by contacting kathy holden 301-490-7918 or kholden123@gmail.com monetary donation or business gift donations can be made by contacting mary hendricks 410-869-0243 juniors friday march 2 sophomores friday march 9 freshmen tuesday march 13

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science fair mr kraig loovis athletic director winter sports update the winter sports teams continue to play hard as they begin to wrap up their seasons the basketball team has a record of 20 ­ 4 with wins over glenelg country john carroll mcdonogh spalding and loyola the team also finished in third place in the leon brogden holiday tournament in wilmington nc the tier 1 ice hockey team currently has a record of 6 ­ 5 ­ 3 and is looking forward to its next games against loyola and gonzaga the varsity wrestling team has completed several tournaments growing in strength as they continue through the winter season the team currently has wins over calvert hall pallotti and gilman and are looking forward to the boys latin and loyola matches the swim team has a record of 2 ­ 2 with wins over severn and calvert hall they now look forward to the gilman meet and national catholics held at villanova university congratulations to the indoor track team for finishing as cochampions for the regular season coming up next for the team is the last track to philly held at georgetown prep the indoor track team also is very proud to announce that ian miles was named the athlete of the week in the baltimore sun this year s science fair will be held monday february 27 through thursday march 1 students will exhibit projects from environmental issues life science and physical science if you are currently working or studying the field of science or engineering and would like to participate as a judge on monday february 27 from 3:00 p.m 7:00 p.m please contact allison white at awhite@admin.msjnet.edu on thursday march 1 at 7:00 p.m in the auditorium we will have an awards ceremony and a guest speaker parents and friends are invited to attend a social will follow in the cafeteria it s bull oyster roast time again buy your bull oyster roast tickets today miaa championship events indoor track ice hockey wrestling swimming basketball friday february 3 pg sports complex friday february 10 piney orchard friday february 10 and saturday february 11 msj saturday february 11 mcdonogh sunday february 19 umbc tickets will not be sold at the door join the mount s alumni association for the finest food in town try your luck at the games of chance and place your bids on silent auction items inclement weather policy mount saint joseph high school follows the baltimore county public schools weather policy if mount saint joseph is closed because of inclement weather home sporting events for the day will be postponed for away games call the sports information line at 410-644-3300 ext 345 or check the athletic announcement website for details financial aid applications financial aid applications for the 2012-2013 school year are available in the business office if you would like to apply please have your son stop by for an application or apply on line at www.psas.org our internet access code is msj82 and our school code is 4682 applications are not mailed out only one application per family is required remember you must apply for financial aid each year applications with the proper paperwork must be postmarked by friday february 3 2012 we will not accept late applications saturday february 25 2012 6:00 p.m ­ 11:00 p.m tickets are $50 per person for tickets go to www.msjnet.edu/bullroast or call james poisal `03 410-646-4700 alumni association communion breakfast sunday march 11 2012 mass at 10:00 a.m in the marion burk knott fine arts center breakfast will follow in the cafeteria at 11:00 a.m call james poisal `03 410-646-4700 for ticket information.

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depaul program news just a reminder to the parents of students in the depaul program that you are required to attend meetings scheduled during the year our next meeting will be held on monday february 6 at 7:00 p.m in the group presentation room if you have any questions or concerns contact ms stearns kstearns@admin.msjnet.edu or call 410-644-3300 ext 259 mr chuck belzner director of guidance please note the junior parents college night will be held wednesday february 8 at 7:00 p.m in the cafeteria this is an excellent opportunity to gain information regarding the college admissions process there will be a number of helpful resources available acceptances and scholarships sometimes colleges do not advise the guidance office of acceptances or rejections as soon as they are notified by the college seniors should inform mrs mnkande they should also advise of any scholarship monies they have been awarded please bring a copy of the acceptance letter and scholarship award letter to mrs mnkande this information is needed for the graduation awards assembly scholarship information can be accessed from the msj website at www.msjnet.edu/guidance financial aid materials for the academic year 2012 2013 for maryland residents may be viewed and downloaded on the maryland higher education commission s website www.mhec.state.md.us information about federal student aid including the 2012-2013 fafsa forms can be found at www.fafsa.ed.gov ryken program news a reminder to parents in the ryken program that you are required to attend meetings scheduled during the year our next meeting will be held on monday march 26 at 7:00 p.m we will meet in room 12 in xavier hall if you have any questions or concerns contact ms stearns kstearns@admin.msjnet.edu or call 410-644-3300 ext 259 selective service system if you are turning eighteen you are required by law to register with the selective service system if you fail to register you can be denied important opportunities such as student loans government jobs and a driver s license in most states it s easy and can be done online at www.sss.gov for more details see mrs mnkande mr clay bonham director of mount ministries as the third quarter begins we want to thank you for your support in our clothing donations and prayers at the dr martin luther king prayer service and the march for life in february we will be sending a group of students to participate in the mount 2000 event in service news beginning at the easter break sophomores will have an opportunity to get a jump on their forty hours of community service for their junior year current juniors will be able to begin to clock hours for their twenty hours of community service during their senior year information regarding community service will be presented during their religion classes update e-mail address changes with us it is extremely important that you contact us when you have an e-mail change either at home or work we use e-mail addresses to send out quarterly report cards as well as other important communications from the studies office and our broadcasts of general announcements and reminders send updates to mary wiedel director of parent relations mwiedel@admin.msjnet.edu please indicate your son s name and grade in all communications.

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february meeting the next fathers club general meeting for february has been changed and will be a joint meeting with the mothers club to be held on tuesday february 7 2012 at 7:30 p.m in the cafeteria our guest speaker will be jeni stepanek who will speak about peace love and raising boys come join your wives for this inspirational evening please join us for the valentine appreciation social on saturday february 11 from 8:00p.m midnight in the cafeteria bring your favorite wine glass for a special wine tasting table appetizers to share will be appreciated inclement weather policy if school is going to be cancelled because of weather conditions this fact will be announced over the radio stations the best source is station wbal 1090 on the am dial mount saint joseph will not be mentioned by name whenever baltimore county secondary schools cancel school because of snow conditions mount saint joseph will automatically be closed if baltimore county opens one or two hours late because of weather mount saint joseph will do likewise however if baltimore county opens more than two hours late mount saint joseph will open only two hours late if baltimore county is closed or on vacation we will follow howard county 65th annual father-son communion breakfast mount saint joseph high school sunday march 4 2012 10:00 a.m in the auditorium mark your calendars now for what promises to be a sellout father/son communion breakfast a hearty breakfast with a guest speaker will follow mass a mailing will be going out soon with ticket information the parents corner mrs mary wiedel director of parent relations the winter months at the mount are very busy despite the temperatures outside while the normal academics club activities and sporting events have continued in full swing we have had students take field trips to the naval academy to pennsylvania for our annual ski trip to d.c for the march for life to the trading floor at t rowe price for a lesson in finance to the google headquarters in new york city for computer science learning while some freshmen served at our daily bread ministry and some of our juniors attended their retreat in sparks md so as you can see this place is rarely quiet sometimes though you don t have to step off campus to have an extraordinary experience this happened for me at this year s martin luther king prayer service following uplifting music presented by the combined choirs of msj students and the young women of mount de sales academy we were treated to an incredible talk given by dr leon bass dr bass is a former high school principal and a veteran of world war ii he has dedicated much of his life to being a teacher a school administrator and a speaker fighting racism wherever it exists it is difficult to convey just how inspiring his talk was to the large group in attendance you could hear a pin drop during the forty minutes he spoke he shared his life journey throughout his service in wwii and the following years of schooling and teaching these years were peppered with multiple incidences of discrimination he struggled to overcome feelings of anger when some people conveyed that he was not good enough to eat drink or sleep in the same places that white folks did dr bass learned that for him the only way to deal with this pain was by loving others as a child he learned this approach through lessons from his parents then in his adult life he embraced the teachings of dr king who stressed that nonviolence was the best way to answer those who discriminated against others throughout his talk dr bass sprinkled his sharing with great pearls of wisdom for our young men he stressed that no one should ever be made to feel that they are not good enough to accomplish anything that they try to achieve for those of us in attendance dr bass was inspiring father-son golf tournament polish up those clubs for the annual msj fathers club family-son golf tournament to be held at the compass pointe golf course on friday april 13 2012 this event is for golfers and duffers of all skill levels and provides a day of fun and camaraderie for our st joe family golf a wonderful lunch buffet and a great time are par for the course signup for this event will occur in february look for more information in the fathers club section of the msj web site questions regarding this event can be directed to patrick nussear tournament coordinator 410-247-1502 or pjayen@comcast.net hope to see you there fathers club raffle drawing wednesday april 4 2012 name address phone your son s name and homeroom number of tickets you are requesting tickets are $10.00 1st prize is $1,000.00 2nd prize is $600.00 3rd prize is $300.00 4th prize is $200.00 and 5th prize is $100.00 please return this form to mrs sexton in the studies office or mr bernd mcdivitt in room 209 or mail to mr bernd mcdivitt at mount saint joseph.

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february meeting our next meeting will be tuesday february 7 at 7:30 p.m our meeting will be a joint meeting with the fathers club our guest speaker is jeni stapenek an award-winning speaker writer and noted advocate for personal and world peace as well as for children s and families needs and rights in health and education she is the author of the ny times bestselling book messenger the legacy of mattie j.t stepanek and heartsongs ms stapenek s inspirational message about aspects of life including parenting and spirituality have been carried by various media outlets she will be speaking about raising sons with love and peace fashion show the mothers club will host its 46th annual fashion show entitled fusion integrating arts athletics and aesthetics on sunday april 22 2012 from 1:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m at the bwi airport marriott tickets are now on sale for $50 per person contact pat randall 410-566-6561 or patrandall57@verizon.net for event tickets as well as 50/50 ticket information donations for the silent auction and gift and gourmet baskets can be dropped off at school marked mothers club/fashion show/attn mary wiedel or brought to our next meeting we are also seeking ads for our program as well as vendors who would like to exhibit on the day of the show for information contact tonya robinson 410-9710191 or trobinson@safeandsound.org our next fashion show meeting is wednesday february 15 note change of date at 7:00 p.m in the cafeteria please consider joining us as we continue to plan this popular event all proceeds benefit the mount saint joseph scholarship fund my brother s keeper mbk community outreach with the cold weather mbk could use new adult size tube socks and gently used or new sweaters for men and women in sizes l xl and xxl other items always needed and appreciated are #10 cans of vegetables large trash bags 33 and 55 gallon paper napkins plastic cups and heavy duty paper plates plastic forks paper towels deodorant toothpaste toothbrushes bar soap lotion shampoo travel size toiletries and forever stamps donations may be brought to the mothers club meetings or may also be dropped off at msj attention mary wiedel mbk to benefit mbk we have for sale in the msj store our custom-designed st joseph medals based on the st joseph statue on campus these make great gifts for graduation confirmation and keepsakes we also have our wonderful msj mugs thank you for your helping hands and hearts for others in need to learn more or help support mbk please contact chris childres 410-465-6059 sharon campbell 410-418-8821 or jackie pellegrino 410-379-6577 valentine s social saturday february 11 8:00 p.m midnight msj cafeteria the fathers club has invited the mothers club to join them for a valentine s social for the msj parents the event is free and there are no tickets needed the fathers club will provide beverages beer wine and soda feel free to bring an appetizer or dessert to share alumni moms news please contact joanne waeltermann at jwaelterma@aol.com for more details the wine and cheese party will precede the mothers club meeting tuesday march 6 at 6:00 p.m please respond to pat randall or me if you can attend and what you can bring the alumni run phonathon is scheduled for monday february 27 dialing for dollars is not as hard as you may think dinner and training precede the phoning the mothers club raised $29,000 last year the top fundraiser fashion show reservation ticket order form $50.00 per person name telephone number address number of tickets total amount enclosed please make checks payable to mount saint joseph mothers club send your payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope to pat randall 1016 lyndhurst street baltimore md 21229.

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please remember in your prayers our deceased virginia hartley grandmother of senior brent hartley albert charles reymann grandfather of junior colin reymann and justin reymann `06 dennis hasson and john boyers grandfathers of freshman matt hasson mary helen broache grandmother of senior cody broache and sophomore aaron broache marilyn hall mother-in-law of faculty member cheryl hall louis mancusso uncle of junior patrick o connell milton kowalewski `59 carmela rinaldi grandmother of senior david falvo and marc falvo `09 sherry drenner friend of staff member cindy drenner theodore leach father of colin leach `08 james rice friend of senior terrance gardiner lemuel umstead father of sophomore corey umstead and russell umstead `09 leroy fangmeyer sr friend of barry fitzpatrick please remember in your prayers our sick tim kabara and joanne morgan faculty members carolyn belzner mother of faculty member chuck belzner vernon morgan husband of faculty member joanne morgan marie flynn and christine mitchell former faculty members sue mcclure friend of staff member sarah peightel michelle rucker mother of marion rucker `11 eileen bednar mother of junior jason bednar fr james keegan ruth grondon sr joan keating mother elias and fr edward ward friends of the xaverian brothers brother roger demon c.f.x christopher burdette `87 edward judy `64 lou goode `83 fred napfel `55 edward latchford `65 anthony miller `64 latoya wise and cyril thames grandchildren of staff member pearl thames donna gorman mother of kevin gorman `09 sharhonda tynes sister of joe tynes `11 lucas mcwilliams brother of sophomore adam mcwilliams nanci weaver armstrong friend of staff member dale wolters donald herbert `50 andrew tippett `51 madeline smith daughter of pete smith `95 donald fiery father-in-law of faculty member kevin shearer cathy mead mother of senior kevin mead and brian mead `10 tina and michael molloy family of faculty member mary abdo joe jamiszewski and bill christenson uncles of freshman luke jamiszewski rita o connell grandmother of sophomore patrick o connell joanne fieschko sister of faculty member mary wiedel rebecca meise mother of sophomore jacob meise thomas cunningham father of junior michael cunningham frank sapienza grandfather of senior christian sapienza and father of cfo chris sapienza stephen skipper father of junior justin skipper sue bassler mother of matt bassler `04 and michael bassler `06 michael ballenger uncle of sophomore andrew brown paul jacob grandfather of sophomore sean curley fr jack collopy friend of faculty member chuck belzner ann chickowicz grandmother of freshman zack jones jeremy cugle nephew of staff member cathy steffe robert hill grandfather of devin hurley `10 and sophomore liam hurley terry hergan former staff member cathy zohdi msj board member and mother of senior jacob zohdi mike whittles and janet destasio faculty members at archbishop spalding nickie mack daughter of staff member tina brown linda hendrix grandmother of sophomore tristan hyde paul mullineaux uncle of senior david groleau and freshman christopher groleau gail sanders friend of senior chase crane tori carney friend of juniors john bilenki and sophomore jonathan cupps rick seyfried father of sophomore ed seyfried mary frances crocetti sister of staff member jean schmidt john hain sr and john hain jr grandfather and father of freshman john hain margaret rynn grandmother of senior tim sylvester.

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