p. 1

september 2010 on coachable boys my dear parents and guardians one of my late spring rituals is the signing of diplomas since mr fitz and i sign the diplomas in blue ink with fountain pens it is a task which has to be approached very carefully because my handwriting is deplorable and i am easily distracted i do the diplomas in batches of fifty mr fitz just sits down and goes through the whole lot at once after signing a batch one morning i came out of my office and encountered a boy whose diploma i had just signed i said to him i just signed your diploma when you were a sophomore i wouldn t have given a plug nickel that you would ever graduate from this school he laughed and replied i didn t think i would graduate either but i am coachable i have always been coachable it was a perfect metaphor for him since he was a varsity athlete in two sports over the two years between his sophomore and senior year i watched him grow and change when i saw his name appear on the list for the voluntary senior retreat i knew that the mount had won that battle not as many boys as usual signed up for the senior retreat but he was one of them as a sophomore he would have fled as far as he could from any retreat he was more interested then in being a lacrosse and hockey stud but he listened and learned your son is coachable and he s watching and learning and listening even when he seems to be paying not the least bit of attention to you your job is to make sure you are coaching him in the right direction and that what he learns from you will set him on the path to maturity and manhood it is an awesome responsibility that you as parents and we as teachers have of course this is a theme i have repeated frequently over the years i know from my own life the problem of giving poor example to the boys when they have pushed me beyond patience it has happened less frequently as i have grown older and wiser but it still happens remember that a quick and sincere apology is the best route to take when you have lost all patience that s good coaching and now a note on last month s newsletter on brother matthias brother conal owens eighty-one years old and sixtyfour years a xaverian brother and my first headmaster called me after he read the letter on brother matthias to tell me that as a fourteen-year-old boy at our juniorate in the early 1940s he had lived with brother matthias in those days boys could enter the xaverian brothers at the age of fourteen to complete their high school training before they went on to the novitiate brother conal was one of those boys he said that in his old age brother matthias lived at the juniorate and did the laundry by hand for the aspirants and brothers stationed there there were probably fifty or sixty boys and brothers at the juniorate at the time and in an old washtub brother matthias did their laundry and washed their sheets brother conal remembers him as the huge man of legend but as a gentle man whose only goal was to give to his brothers a very humble service no wonder he had such a moral authority over boys now like brother ryken the founder of the xaverian brothers let s march on in faith into this new school year sincerely brother james m kelly c.f.x president

[close]

p. 2

dear parents students and friends of the mount i was reading the new york times book review section last month and the reviewer caught both my eye and my mood when she said that for those of you who stop reading after the first paragraph let me tell you this book is a classic and a very good read she of course got me to stop reading but also to consider buying the book so here goes for many of you this will be the last hard copy of the president s newsletter that you will receive as we will go to a completely online version starting in october 2010 we will also rely on electronic communication for reporting grades to you i say many of you because i realize that some of you do not have internet access while others may still ask to receive a hard copy those of you who wish to receive a hard copy of the president s newsletter or of your son s report card must request that no later than tuesday september 14 2010 your request should be made via telephone 410-644-3300 ext 321 e-mail dimbach@admin.msjnet.edu or in writing to my secretary mrs darlene imbach all parents will automatically receive an electronic version of the next newsletter on october 1st if you do not please contact mrs mary wiedel director of parent relations so that she can update your email information i realize this is a significant change in the manner of our monthly communication with you and i know there will be an adjustment period with most of our communication this year being electronic it will be imperative that you will have given us accurate contact information please check to see if that indeed has taken place communication is an eternal source of dissatisfaction even when we think we are being quite good at it i think of the last two years meetings with senior parents where i was certain that i had answered all of their questions about end of the year activities only to get a multitude of phone calls about the very same topics in mid-may sometimes though we get it right so right that the message could not possibly be garbled such was the case this past week as this community and so many of its members responded to the all too early death of one of our moms mrs beth szczybor first of all it was the receptiveness of beth s family her husband paul daughter catherine and sons james 09 and joseph 13 their faith in a loving god modeled so well by beth over the years has come to be a shining example of family at its very best not without sorrow or pain or difficulty but filled with the spirit of god in every way they know how without anything more than an announcement i marveled as our coaches teachers and parents along with our young men present and of the past few years paid their respects to a woman we all loved and who clearly loved us the whole week i was reminded of a prayer i had read years ago imagining beth saying these words and i close this month with this part of it i also leave you a solemn promise that after i am home in the bosom of god i will still be present whenever and wherever you call on me my energy will be drawn to you by the magnet we call our love whenever you are in need call me i will come to you with my arms full of wisdom and light to open up your blocked paths to untangle your knots and to be your avenue to god so many of you have been my avenue to god over the years and i cannot begin to thank you enough though still quite knotted you have untangled many a knot of mine with your frankness your warmth and your prayerful support as we start our school year let us continue to pray for one another knowing we have at least one more intercessor guiding our way and unblocking our path to god peace barry j fitzpatrick principal please remember in your prayers our deceased tyler gainer `94 beth szczybor mother of james szczybor `09 and sophomore joseph szczybor frank burgess `66 uncle of junior jeff evans albert kapusinski father of faculty member george kapusinski please remember in your prayers our sick brother james kelly c.f.x judith kraft faculty member tim kabara faculty member joanne morgan faculty member marie flynn former faculty member judy whitehill mother of faculty member rachel richmond john bohn friend of brother james eileen bednar mother of tim bednar `05 matt bednar `08 and sophomore jason bednar clare scholand sr joan keating sr catherine nusslein mother elias and fr edward ward friends of the xaverian brothers kevin palacorolla `75 tom isabella `94 john deboy `93 zach reina son of tony reina `89 larry krug friend of staff member cindy drenner sue mcclure friend of staff member sarah peightel marty atkinson `62 mary ann fiery mother-in-law of faculty member kevin shearer and grandmother of freshman brian shearer joe dukert `47 brother roger demon c.f.x ed ewers `58 kevin palacorolla `75 mark sprucebank `81 richard cernak `47 michael gray `85 don potter `55 jane kirby wife of john kirby `76 and mother of john kirby `05 john rafferty father of faculty member mary wiedel.

[close]

p. 3

important financial matters mr paul triplett athletic director september marks the end of summer practice and the beginning of the fall sports season listed below are the home opening events for our fall sports teams along with other information about the athletic department come out this fall and support our teams sports information line the athletic department has a sports information line that has up-to-date information about the day s events in case of inclement weather information will be updated throughout the day most changes and cancellations will be posted after 12:00 noon the phone number for the sports information line is 410-644-3300 ext 345 parents and guardians need to understand that the school enforces rigorously all of its financial policies you will find these policies outlined in the enrollment agreement which you signed to register your son for the school year and in the mount book a student whose tuition and fees are not current will not be allowed to start the school year additionally the school reserves the right to suspend any student from classes and withhold final exams grade reports and/or transcripts if tuition and fees are not current at any time during the school year if you have any questions or concerns regarding finances please contact mr sapienza our business manager at 410-646-6215 thank you for your cooperation in these matters brother james kelly c.f.x msj web page the mount saint joseph web page www.msjnet.edu will also have sports related information the athletic page will have general information sport schedules and game results the athletic page also has a travel guide with directions to different schools and links to the soccer wrestling lacrosse ice hockey and baseball web pages daily announcements will also be posted on the athletic page of the web site these will include any sports related announcements made to the students during the school day you will also find forms for physicals emergency information forms and travel permission slips attention parents of seniors senior class portraits will be taken by appointment on monday october 11 tuesday october 12 thursday october 14 and friday october 15 from 8:00 a.m ­ 2:00 p.m appointment times will be mailed to your home by lifetouch prestige portraits our designated photographer only the senior portraits taken by lifetouch will be used in the yearbook as well as the senior class composite if you have any additional questions regarding the senior portraits please visit the web site at prestigeportraits.com or e-mail anwers@lifetouch.com home opening day events football saturday september 4 vs mcnamara 10:30 am towson university i-95 kickoff classics i -95 kick-off classic ­ advance tickets on sale now tickets for all games are available now for $11.00 at http i95kickoffclassic.com cross country saturday september 4 st mary s invitational 9:00 am attention juniors jenkins and jostens our two junior ring companies will be at mount saint joseph on monday september 20 and tuesday september 21 2010 between 10:00 a.m 1:00 p.m they will be in the cafeteria to take measurements and orders more detailed information will be distributed in homeroom soccer tuesday september 7 vs eastern tech 4:00 pm water polo thursday september 16 vs mcdonogh 4:30 pm volleyball monday september 20 vs st paul s 5:30 pm jimmy k 5-k a run in the park sunday september 26 2010 9:00 a.m patapsco state park tire park for more information contact russ keagle 410-869-9057 jeanne deboy 410-579-1716 kelly dees www.charmcityrun.com bookstore news reloadable gift cards we will load a gift card for any amount gift cards can be used for store purchases only please contact toni donovan for more details new items arriving daily tdonovan@admin.msjnet.edu

[close]

p. 4

spotlight on faculty and staff mr robert peace director of staff formation mr david norton director of studies any changes to the student schedules must be completed within two cycles of the school calendar before a student can switch or drop a class he must have written permission from his teacher counselor and parents students should check with me before initiating this process a copy of each student transcript and an emergency contact form were mailed home in august any corrections to the transcript or emergency form should be directed to the studies office parents are asked to send in the completed student handbook consent form for the mount book this form should have been returned to the homeroom teacher before the end of the first week of school notice to parents and students regarding edline if you activated your edline account last school year your screen name and password are still active if you have forgotten either the screen name or password go to the edline site and select the option to have them emailed to you the edline web address is www.edline.net if you did not activate your account last year or do not have an account activation code one will be mailed to you by the first week of september please email questions about accessing the edline site to mrs jeri buster msj network administrator jbuster@admin.msjnet.edu in the august newsletter we said good-bye to departing faculty and welcomed new faculty to the mount we also bid farewell to cameron ailiff of our depaul program several people have joined our community since the last newsletter was published ms louis crook and mr john jordon join our custodial staff mrs kathy kafarakis is the new coordinator of the depaul testing center mr patrick martel `04 is our newest faculty member in the depaul center mrs danielle peragine will be assisting mrs donovan in the msj bookstore mr david slafkosky will be a guidance counselor and the new head lacrosse coach several of our community members celebrated weddings and welcomed children into their families ryan foti ed schultheis and rick peters were married this summer ms brandy fefel married this summer and became mrs brandy darcey congratulations to brion townshend on the birth of his son carter to erin van bavel on the birth of her son alex to brandy and phil campbell on the birth of their son jack we wish the best for all these families during this 2010-2011 school year our focus will be on the value of trust to have trust means to have faith in ourselves and in our neighbors even when we do not know them well this value gives us a foundation of love and respect that enables us to be truthful and supportive of one another in good and in difficult times volunteer substitutes needed one of the most significant experiences for your sons at the mount is their time spent on retreats an integral part of that retreat experience is the interaction between our young men and the faculty and staff who accompany them that leaves us with classes to cover and we are asking for volunteer substitute assistance for the 2010-2011 school year we greatly appreciate your presence and assistance if you are available to take part in this important service and ministry if you are interested in helping and willing to make a commitment to this important service of substitution please attend the meeting on wednesday september 8 at 9:30 am in the development conference room mr robert peace director of staff formation rpeace@admin.msjnet.edu 410-644-3300 x 224 don t miss the opportunity to meet the faculty on the following back to school nights freshman parents wednesday september 15 7:00 p.m in the auditorium sophomore junior senior parents tuesday september 21 7:00 p.m in the auditorium bonjour quebec french-canada spring 2011 tour a spring-break 2011 trip to french canada is planned for msj students and their parents with departure on thursday april 14 2011 this seven day french-language-rich trip with netc educational travel includes visits to montreal quebec city and a final whale watching cruise for detailed itinerary information and to sign-up on-line to take the trip go to www.educationaltravel.com username bonjourquebec password 2011 or contact dr elizabeth pease at the sat prep classes for the october and november sat tests will start on monday september 20 classes in verbal and math skills are from 7:15 a.m -7:55 a.m the cost is $100.00 if you would like a registration/info form please e-mail mr b mcdivitt bmcdivitt@admin.msjnet.edu or mr holden jholden @admin.msjnet.edu or call them at 410-644-3300 if you have any questions epease@admin.msjnet.edu

[close]

p. 5

campus ministry mr chuck belzner director of guidance mr clay bonham director of campus ministry there is nothing wrong with change if it is in the right direction and we in campus ministry believe that what winston churchill said is correct that we too are moving in the right direction some of those changes include hiring two new campus ministers changing locations and altering our retreat program this year the campus ministry staff consists of fr mike murphy `82 chaplain mr clay bonham director and we welcome two new members mary abdo mother of kevin 07 and brian 09 who joins us from st vincent palotti high school and rochelle hubbard mother of senior moses who joins us from seton keough we are excited to begin a new phase in the campus ministry program here at the mount the new campus ministry center is now located on the first floor of xavier hall in the old depaul center we are closer to the chapel and we have more meeting space prayer space and even some computers for the students we invite you to drop by anytime our retreat structure has also changed those familiar with the sophomore retreat which was a service day at our daily bread will now see that take place during the freshman year the sophomores will be participating in a new no bystanders program to combat prejudice and stereotyping they will spend one tuesday in october going with their class to the holocaust museum in washington dc and then have a follow-up retreat later that week the junior retreat will remain the same we can t change everything and because of its overwhelming popularity the senior retreat will be split into two retreats one last reminder we encourage all juniors who have not begun their required christian service hours to find appropriate service sites information and paperwork may be obtained from the msj website using the link christian service learning we thank you for your continued support and know that you are in our prayers and if you need to contact us please feel free to e-mail us the 2010-2011 sat program test calendar begins with a saturday october 9 2010 date the deadline for registration is friday september 10 2010 to register online go to www.collegeboard.com mount saint joseph will be a test center for the saturday november 6 2010 date the registration deadline for this test is friday october 8 2010 the first test date for the act assessment is saturday september 11 2010 the registration deadline for this test was august 6 2010 registration bulletins are available in the guidance center and main office career day 2010 mount saint joseph career day is scheduled for friday november 5 and we need your help to make it a success this event is an excellent opportunity for our students to explore career options by hearing from people in the field if you are interested in being a presenter at career day 2010 please contact kevin shearer in the guidance department by friday september 10 for further information and details he can be reached by e-mail kevin@admin.msjnet.edu or by telephone 410-644-3300 ext 351 please be sure to include all contact information in your correspondence including your name mailing address phone number and e-mail address welcome students and families new and old back to school can be a busy time for families but fortunately there are some things you can do now to make that transition easier first make sure your son s immunizations are current and ask your health care provider about other immunizations that might be recommended but not required such as the flu vaccine students new to the school must have a summer physical and immunization record on file in the nurse s office by the first day of school if your son has a chronic health condition food allergy or any type of health concern requiring special attention please contact me early on so we can put a plan in place now encourage your son to set up sleep and nutrition routines that most likely weren t in place over the summer reinforce good handwashing habits ­ one of the best ways to prevent illness if your son has a temperature of 100 degrees and/or vomiting you need to keep him home for twenty-four hours until free of symptoms substitute school nurses are needed throughout the school year requirements are a current rn license in the state of maryland as well as cpr training if interested please contact pam bezirdjian at pbezirdjian@admin.msjnet.edu campusministry@admin.msjnet.edu the american foundation for suicide prevention is sponsoring a community walk on saturday october 9 2010 the foundation helps to raise community awareness about mental health suicide prevention and erase the stigma surrounding mental health conditions the walk will help to raise money for research education and assistance for suicide survivors more information will be provided at the october mothers club meeting by donna curley the curley family lost their beloved colin in december 2006 colin was twenty two years old when he lost his battle with depression depression is a treatable illness if you or someone you love needs immediate help call 911 1-800-suicide or 1-800-273talk for more information or to register go to www.outofthedarkness.org

[close]

p. 6

welcome new and present moms the mount saint joseph mothers club would like to extend a warm welcome to mothers of mount students especially the mothers of freshmen and transfer students our regular meetings are held the first tuesday of each month beginning october 5 at 7:30 p.m in the cafeteria although it is not necessary to attend every meeting to be a member of the mothers club attending makes for great fun food laughter and fellowship with other moms who share the same experiences of raising boys we extend a warm welcome to all moms including moms of alumni mothers club annual welcome tea is on sunday september 12 2010 at 2:00 p.m in the cafeteria this event is an opportunity to welcome all the new moms to our msj community and to re-connect with moms of current mount students the school cafeteria is totally transformed into a beautiful oasis full with color and charm that can only be done in the saint joe fashion the mothers club is such an integral part of the school community we offer several volunteer opportunities through committees that assist with enriching the activities at the school so join us for an afternoon of fun and conversation as we kick off the beginning of another momentous year at the mount we look forward to seeing you mother-son communion breakfast join us for the mother-son communion breakfast scheduled for sunday september 26 and sunday october 10 mothers and grandmothers of all faiths are welcome take advantage of this opportune time to create some bonding time with your son mass begins at 10:00 a.m in the marion burk knott fine arts center breakfast follows in the cafeteria tickets are $20.00 per person and may be purchased at the mothers club welcome tea or at back-to-school nights a form is provided below to order tickets by mail you won t want to miss this event as it usually sells out for more information please contact kim bathurst by e-mail klbathurst@aol.com or call 410-519-9816 or contact jean rogers by e-mail stokes280@verizon.net or call 410-766-8522 operation mount the ad book mount saint joseph s version of the one book features commercial and personal ads sold by the students and their parents this is the mothers club s biggest fundraiser letters of explanation will be sent out in the beginning of september and will include contracts to copy and forms to solicit ads student kick-off assemblies will also be held in the beginning of september many volunteers are needed for various positions please contact jean rogers at stokes@280@verizon.net with any questions or if you can donate some time my brother s keeper mbk community outreach mbk is located at 4207 frederick avenue baltimore md 21229 to make donations or volunteer some time please contact mbk at 410-644-3194 or www.mybrotherskeeperbaltimore.org for more info or to arrange alternate drop-off please contact lois dodd spottedtiger@earthlink.net or 410-744-2193 items of particular need frozen hamburgers hot dogs meatballs casseroles #10 cans of vegetables large cans of tuna fish paper plates napkins paper towels large trash bags 33 gal and 55 gal cleaning supplies 409 bathroom cleaner forever stamps and socks school supplies for the irvington community children pens pencils erasers loose leaf paper crayons glue etc when you are cleaning out your closets this fall consider making donations to collins thrift store in irvington 211 collins avenue baltimore 21229 410 242-8111 mothers club membership form name address email phone son s name class year i am interested in volunteering for check as many as you like ad book basket bingo fashion show membership outreach hospitality ways and means faculty special events student special events newsletter/publicity please complete and return this form in an envelope marked mothers club membership to the msj business office with your $5.00 membership fee checks payable to msj mothers club mother-son communion breakfast ticket order form sunday september 26 2010 or sunday october 10 2010 mother s name telephone son s name year date preferred sunday september 26 2010 or sunday october 10 2010 please circle only one date i would like to order tickets at $20.00 per ticket i have enclosed special accommodations wheelchair parking etc please make checks payable to msj mothers club and forward payment and form along with a self-addressed stamped envelope to jean rogers 110 foxwell bend road glen burnie md 21061 or mount saint joseph high school 4403 frederick avenue baltimore maryland 21229 attn communion breakfast please note that tables seat twelve people if you wish to sit together as a group of twelve please order all tickets for your group on one form.

[close]

p. 7

the parents corner mrs mary wiedel director of parent relations welcome back picnic and september meeting monday september 13 2010 at 7:00 p.m with freshman fathers as special guests the officers of the fathers club want to extend an invitation to all msj fathers for this fun event to kickoff the new school year we would like returning fathers to help us welcome our special guests freshman dads please join us in the cafeteria at 7:00 p.m for a picnic with plenty of free food and drink please don t miss this event this meeting is the perfect opportunity to meet other msj fathers and renew acquaintances already made you can register if you have not already done so if you cannot make it to the picnic please join us for our usual meeting at 7:30 p.m this will be our first general membership meeting of the year please come to learn what s new with the fathers club the fathers club meets the second monday of each month the meetings are held in the school cafeteria at 7:30 p.m mark your calendars and come out and join the fun fall activities please consider volunteering for one or more of the following fathers club activities fall clean-up day bull and oyster roast citrus fruit drive saturday november 6 sunday november 21 saturday december 18 welcome to the new school year we would like to especially welcome those of you who are new to the mount community one of our goals at the mount is communication with our parents and our students we want the students to make the most of this year academically and socially communication with the entire family will help in this undertaking here are the numerous methods we utilize to accomplish this goal the school s website www.msjnet.edu this is the quickest and easiest way to find information day or night the website can be accessed from anywhere in the world via the internet you can find much of the following information on the site daily announcements not only are they posted online but your son hears them daily during homeroom or can view a powerpoint announcement slideshow on the four flat screens in the cafeteria e-mail directory and the campus phone directory listing of all administrators faculty and staff members under the parent tab use either method to contact us or leave messages day night/weekend athletic announcements specific to the day s and week s events and also any changes because of weather conditions are listed on the web or call 410-644-3300 ext 645 for the daily sports recording president-principal s monthly newsletter the monthly newsletter is posted on the first of each month on the website and contains information specific to the activities for the month and updates for any calendar changes that you should reference for the month ahead grades and report cards you and your son will be supplied with log-in ids to access edline so you both can check his homework assignments and grades report cards will be sent four times a year dates are listed on the school calendar and monthly newsletter e-mail broadcast system this service provides parents access to receive broadcasts via their home and/or work e-mail addresses about important reminders and happenings at the mount emergency notification system in addition we use a system to alert you via phone and/or text messages when an emergency occurs or if there is a weather-related closing please make sure you have filled out and returned the emergency notification forms don t forget to contact us if your information changes over the course of the school year if we send out a communication via the broadcast or by regular mail it is imperative that you read the information carefully if a response is required to meet a deadline please do so in a timely fashion and as always remember you may call me 410-644-3300 ext 373 or email me mwiedel@admin.msjnet.edu if you have any questions regarding the use of these communication tools as the director of parent relations i will be happy to assist you if you are interested in helping out please e-mail greg morgan greg.morgan@msn.com or call 410-744-1696 or sign up at the monthly meetings bull and oyster roast sunday november 21 tickets available now call rich drgos 443-756-0288 athens and aegean island cruise june 10-21 2011 for more information visit www.explorica.com and enter tour center id meyer-5383 or contact mrs meyer by e-mail jmeyer@admin.msjnet.edu.

[close]