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on technology and reading my dear parents and guardians although i have learned to use a smart board and have built some technology into my instruction i will right readily admit to being a dinosaur as a teacher and i am quite proud of that fact i belong to the old brother ivan corkery pound it into their unwilling heads philosophy of education while technology today has made the research paper almost obsolete since students now only have to type the topic into google and citeit.com does all their footnoting i am not convinced that technology has made them better students it certainly hasn t taught them how to spell and punctuate it is more of a struggle to encourage them to read because that takes work and doesn t provide instant gratification i read recently of a high school headmaster in massachusetts who sold the school s library because he thought books were obsolete i wept all that being said you can t run a modern high school without modern technology students wouldn t come and parents would think their children were not being properly prepared for the future i ll admit some truth to that and god knows mount saint joseph spends a fortune every year on technology my sister and i are both voracious readers which might account for the fact that we both became school teachers she however having taught in the public schools for thirty-seven years was able to retire at the age of fifty-seven we brothers are supposed to work until we drop i know that we both developed our love for reading from watching our father from the time dinner ended until he went to bed my father read rarely did he watch television having been trained during world war ii as an intelligence officer he could read in lightning fashion and remember everything that he read down to the footnotes loving books and reading as i do it is a constant regret to me that my students don t always share my enthusiasm they will tell me that they don t like to read because i have a tendency to assign the classics like return of the native and wuthering heights if you are going to read english literature you should certainly read those novels which are considered by scholars as the best the tradition has to offer i actually wish that the curriculum offered more time during which i could read to them some of the magnificent prose in english literature given their ipods and iphones they are used to listening and i suspect that if they heard the prose they might appreciate it more the best i can hope for is that some of them will recognize the beauty and be moved later in life to return to it and to develop a love for reading i occasionally hear from some of my old boys telling me that that is exactly what happened and that they reread in later life much of what i had taught them in high school of course that warms the cockles of this old teacher s heart please try to inculcate in your son a love for reading the more he reads the better will be his passive vocabulary the better his passive vocabulary the better he will do on the verbal section of the sat more importantly if he reads good literature he will come to appreciate the beauty of english prose english prose unfortunately has taken an almost fatal hit by texting and emails i received an email from one of the most brilliant boys i ever taught who is now a phd and it was riddled with grammatical errors when i pointed that out to him he told me that nobody worried about grammar in an email i do maybe possibly just perhaps your son will also develop a love for reading a gift that will stand him in good stead for the rest of his life if all of the above sounds like the curmudgeonly ravings of an old english teacher that s just what they are but this old english teacher isn t going down without a fight sincerely brother james m kelly c.f.x president

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dear parents students and friends of the mount it is college recommendation time in fact i am taking a short break from my list of letters to be written to take care of this newsletter these missives to college offices of admissions take many forms and i have watched colleagues of mine react very differently to the requests from our young men to commend them to one or more colleges we usually tell our students to begin to think about whom they would ask to do this sometime in junior year so that the students can be sure they are asking someone who will clearly write good things about them it is also sometimes difficult to know what sways a college counselor to make a favorable decision on a young man seeking admission what i do know from years of doing this is that we can t have canned letters that do not differentiate among students the form letter that leaves room for name changes is useless both to the university and to the applicant we also cannot give the school being applied to the impression that we are sending them the perfect specimen the absolute best young man we have ever experienced colleges know that s useless also when i am asked to write and i write a good number of letters i want to be sure i have something worthwhile to say that sets our young men apart if i have had them in class that helps if they are active in our community that helps too i also encourage some students to ask certain teachers whom i know have had them in class and could provide valuable information to an admissions office the letters that are difficult to write are those in which i must make a case for someone whose credentials lack the sort of substance that i know the college is seeking when i was first here at the mount i was a counselor for eight years and i had a great deal of experience with some colleges perhaps none more instructive than virginia tech i also knew them from my days at our lady of good counsel i found tech to be receptive open and easy to talk to about our young men i also found as our counselors today do that establishing a relationship with the schools our young men attend is key college admissions counselors from tech and other universities have told me that the letters give broader strokes to the picture painted by the rest of the information in the student s application so what is the point here it is important for our students to establish relationships built on trust with those of us who teach them so that we can make them stand out from the pack when we are called upon to recommend them this can t happen beginning in the first semester of senior year the portfolio of information that most colleges receive about our students contains statistical information from the first six semesters of the eight total that they spend with us so yes freshman year is much more important than senior year a pattern needs to develop in a student s history a pattern that speaks of improvement dedication effort challenge and involvement this does not begin in the senior year as i tell students from time to time everything you do everything and everything you don t do goes into the mix as colleges make their decisions they need to make the mix crystal clear so the college takes notice as i ve been writing this fall i notice that it is easy to differentiate easy to speak substantively and a pleasure to point out strengths that are present as well as limitations that fail to dominate i see the letters and the request to write them as an extension of our mission to establish enduring personal relationships built on trust and a deep faith in the individual who with god s help will make a difference for good in our world these are your sons whenever i am asked i tell anyone who wants to know that they are the very best thing about this place along with the men and women who teach them help us get them ready as brother asks get them reading most of all get them started early before it is indeed too late the letters i m writing this month are about contributors young men who understand what we are about men who will in my humble opinion make our world a better place god will help them for sure we need to join god in caring for them the best we can peace barry j fitzpatrick principal special notice the asbestos hazard emergency response act ahera was enacted to develop comprehensive regulations to address asbestos problems in public and private schools these regulations require most schools to inspect for asbestos develop asbestos management plans that address asbestos hazards in school buildings and implement response actions in a timely manner our program for fulfilling these responsibilities is outlined in our asbestos management plan this plan contains information on our inspections response actions and the periodic surveillance and re-inspection activities that are planned or are in progress you can review this plan at msj 4403 frederick avenue baltimore maryland within five working days of receiving our management plan or about planned or in-progress asbestos related activities please contact dave adams 410-644-3300 ext 334 with any questions or concerns.

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mr david norton assistant principal director of studies parent-teacher conferences will be held on thursday november 11 from 1:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m or 6:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m by appointment only appointments are scheduled in ten minute intervals when contacting us please let us know if you prefer the afternoon or evening time frame and the names of all the teachers you would like to see if you would like to meet with your son s teachers you can make an appointment by using one of the following options on tuesday november 9 or wednesday november 10 1 2 3 call the studies office 410-644-3300 between the hours of 9:00 a.m and 12:00 p.m or 1:00 p.m and 3:00 p.m please leave a message and return telephone number if you don t speak to someone directly fax your requested appointments to 410-646-6221 indicating each teacher s name and course title please indicate a telephone number where we can reach you to confirm your appointment times e-mail to dot@admin.msjnet.edu your request for appointments please indicate a telephone number where we can reach you to confirm your appointment times appointment times are limited to ten minutes per teacher we will phone fax or e-mail you within twenty-four hours to confirm your appointment times please be aware that we may need to change your appointment times to accommodate everyone arrangements for conferences will not be accepted on thursday november 11 second marking period please be sure to check grades on line at www.edline.net throughout the second marking period teachers will be posting assignments and grades on a regular basis midterm exams midterm exams will be given before christmas vacation exam dates are december 14 15 16 and 17 students should keep old tests quizzes and notes to help prepare for the midterm exams the exam counts as 10 of the total final grade msj depaul and ryken programs mr clay bonham director of mount ministries as the weather begins to turn we too should turn our hearts to consider those who will be facing a harsh winter under difficult circumstances one such community is my brother s keeper during culture of life week in october one of our themes was poverty and assisting my brother s keeper one of the ways we encouraged our students to help was to bring in food items for making lunches which we do every thursday after school in the cafeteria check the msj web site under student life and then click on campus ministry for the items needed to carry out this worthwhile project any support you can provide will be appreciated speaking of helping the poor our annual holiday food drive will take place monday november 15 -wednesday november 24 students will receive information about the food drive during their religion class also x-act our social justice service club will be sponsoring its annual hunger fast on friday november 19 and saturday november 20 the depaul parent meetings are scheduled on the following dates in the group presentation room at 7:00 p.m monday december 6 the ryken parent meetings are scheduled on the following dates in room 12 tuesday november 16 6:00 p.m monday december 6 6:30 p.m if you have any questions or concerns e-mail ms stearns kstearns@admin.msjnet.edu or call 410-644-3300 ext 259 spaghetti dinner sunday november 14 4:00 p.m ­ 7:00 p.m $10.00 per person children under three are free msj cafeteria sponsored by the mothers club and the msj x-act club tickets available at msj business office deadline for purchase is wednesday november 10 proceeds benefit my brother s keeper for more information contact michelle rosata 410-461-6380 or by e-mail mrosata@comcast.net.

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the parents corner mrs mary wiedel director of parent relations mr paul triplett athletic director november marks the end of the fall season and the start of the winter sports season the fall championship dates and sites are as follows volleyball championships boys latin cross country championships oregon ridge soccer championships umbc water polo ­ eastern prep championships the hill pottstown pa october 29 november 3 november 6 november 7 last month i wrote about the numbers of new faces that we encounter every year here at the mount it can be a little overwhelming for the new student to establish his comfort level on campus as well for you as his parent to sense a connection to the school community students and parents alike may need some encouragement to get involved so how can your son and you feel more acclimated to the mount there is an incredible array of activities for students and parents that encompass athletics and extracurricular activities it only takes a few moments to realize all that happens weekly at the mount as we know in this society the answers are only a few clicks away so simply log onto our school web site www.msjnet.edu and you will find all types of information under the student tab and the parent tab for students click on the club listing www.msjnet.edu/clubs_activities for parents/guardians click on both the mothers club www.msjnet.edu/mothers_club and the fathers club www.msjnet.edu/fathers_club also click on the athletics tab to see all that the mount has to offer for any sports fan every team needs fan support and you don t even have to know any of the players the sport schedule details the time of the events the competition and the location of the games spend some time navigating through each of these web site pages to see the events that interest you it only takes a few minutes to gain all types of pertinent information so as a family you can jump into the happenings on campus here s a tip for parents/guardians if your son does not seem to realize the importance of participating in extracurricular activities while in high school ask him this question where do you think you would want to go to college once he names a few colleges sit down together and go to those schools websites google them next pull up the current applications for those colleges and let him see the types of things that he will be asked to list as his involvement in high school that goes beyond his course grades colleges are looking for well rounded individuals so now is the time for your son to begin building his high school resume and in the meantime he will have great fun and his will build strong friendships with other mount students winter sports information information regarding winter sports tryouts can be heard daily during the homeroom announcements or by calling the athletic office wednesday november 3 is the official start date for winter sports tryout dates will also be posted on the msj web site under athletic announcements all students are reminded they must have a current physical on file in the nurse s office for the 20102011 school year and be in good academic standing to tryout for a winter sport uniform collection parents and students are reminded that at the conclusion of the fall sports season all clean uniforms and equipment must be returned to brother charles in the equipment room your son will be given a date and time to return his equipment equipment return will take place after school so please make arrangements for transportation on that day students may not give their equipment to another player to return winter sportsmanship meetings the winter sportsmanship meetings for students participating in winter sports and their parents will be held thursday november 18 in the auditorium thursday november 18 indoor track wrestling swimming basketball 6:00 p.m 6:00 p.m 7:00 p.m 7:00 p.m attention juniors final payment for rings purchased from jenkins or jostens is due in the business office by friday november 19 the ring ceremony will take place on sunday december 19 at 6:00 p.m at saint joseph s monastery if you have any questions please contact mrs meyer 410-644-3300 ski trip this year s ski trip to seven springs is scheduled for january 21 23 2011 the trip includes a three day lift ticket package two nights lodging two all-you-can-eatbreakfasts a chartered bus ride and discounts on skiing and snowboarding rentals and lessons the ski club will begin to organize the trip and schedule meetings this month if you are interested in making the trip a christmas gift e-mail mr greg mcdivitt gmcdivitt@admin.msjnet.edu msj drama club proudly announces its fall production frankenstein november 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m november 14 at 2:00 p.m tickets are $8.00 and will be available through the business office or at the door.

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upcoming dates from the office of admissions mr chuck belzner director of guidance open house reminder to senior parents as we continue the process of college admissions please note the senior bulletin which contains information regarding college visits s.a.t s scholarships and more the bulletin along with scholarships information can be found on our website and naviance click on academics and then guidance seniors please be aware of the following due dates regarding your college applications applications due on november 15 were due to mrs mnkande by october 18 applications due on december 1 must be turned into mrs mnkande no later than november 2 applications due on december 15 and january 1 must be turned into mrs mnkande no later than november 30 applications due on january 15 must be turned into mrs mnkande no later than january 3 any applications turned in after these dates are not guaranteed to be processed to meet the deadlines in your search for financial aid visit fastweb on the internet at www.fastweb.com for the largest free scholarship search on wednesday november 3 at 7:00 p.m in the group presentation room the guidance department will sponsor a college financial aid workshop parents of college-bound seniors are encouraged to attend on friday november 5 the guidance department will sponsor a career day for sophomores and juniors students are to report to their homeroom in uniform no later than 8:00 a.m the day will include a keynote address and three breakout sessions dismissal is 11:30 the cafeteria will offer breakfast as usual but no lunch will be served placement exam application deadline interviews for class of 2015 financial aid application deadline decision letters mailed class of 2015 registration sunday november 7 11:00 a.m ­ 2:00 p.m december 4 8:00 a.m noon january 7 2011 january 18 20 and january 24 january 27 2011 february 4 2011 february 15 2011 march 10 2011 if you have any questions regarding the admissions process please contact mr marc hoffman `97 by e-mail mhoffman@admin.msjnet.edu or by phone 410-646-6218 a note from the nurse s office mrs pam bezirdjian school nurse freshmen will have a field day on november 5 sponsored by campus ministry they also will report at 8:00 a.m however they will not be in uniform dismissal for freshmen also is 11:30 and again no lunch will be served seniors are encouraged to use this day for college visitations if a senior wishes to participate in career day since it was cancelled last year as a result of our winter weather he should see mr shearer by november 1 reminder to freshman parents on tuesday november 16 at 7:00 p.m a presentation regarding college admissions and the importance of your son s freshman year in that process will be held in the cafeteria the best way to prevent getting the flu is to get the vaccination if you or your son have not received a flu shot yet there is still time the cdc recommends everyone over the age of six months get vaccinated the 2010-2011 flu vaccine will protect against the h1n1 virus that caused so much illness last flu season another important vaccination for your son is the meningococcal vaccine mcv4 also known as menactra adolescents and college students are among those at increased risk for this fast-striking infection because meningococcal disease or bacterial meningitis can take the life of a child in just a single day or leave survivors with debilitating health problems prevention is the best medicine immunization may prevent up to 83 of cases occurring among teenagers and college students make sure your high school senior gets his meningococcal vaccination before going off to college if he hasn t already many colleges mandate incoming students be immunized against meningococcal disease talk to your son s healthcare provider today about the vaccine the american red cross will be here on friday november 19 from 8:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m in the auditorium for our first blood drive of the school year sponsored by the sadd club all parents faculty and staff are welcome to drop in or make a reservation to reserve a time please call mrs bezirdjian in the health suite at 410-644-3300 ext 354.

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november meeting the november general meeting will be held on monday november 8 at 7:30 p.m in the cafeteria our guest speaker will be mr blake henry a member of the religion department and msj head football coach volunteers are welcome and needed for existing committees and new events planned for the spring come to the next meeting for more details beef n beer night is back wednesday november 24 2010 7:00 p.m 11:00 p.m in the mount cafeteria call everyone while they are home for the thanksgiving holiday and plan to come back to the mount to enjoy some hot pit beef italian sausage ice cold beer and the company of those mount grads that you haven t seen in a while $25.00 per person for tickets go to www.msjnet.edu/beef&beer fall clean-up day come one come all to the fathers club clean-up on saturday november 6 from 8:00 a.m until noon bring your rakes shovels gloves and any other lawn tools we need your support to help make this a success and to keep mount saint joseph looking its best a free continental breakfast and lunch will be served to volunteer please contact mell o donnell 301-706-6860 thank you thanks to all mount dads and families who pitched in this year to support homecoming we are proud to be a part of this great gael tradition a special thanks to marlon bates who chaired this event our fathers club volunteers did a great job thank you to the fathers club for coming out six consecutive years to help make the jimmy k5k such a success thank you especially to greg morgan and charlie gilbert whose contribution dedication and hard work were invaluable from the jk5k planning committee the knighton and greer families alumni ice hockey game saturday december 18 2010 gardens ice house in laurel game time 4:00 p.m reception to follow join us for the 10th annual evening of great hockey and camaraderie continue one of the mount s newest ice hockey traditions call james poisal `03 in the development office 410-646-4700 for more details about registration bull oyster roast the fathers club annual bull and oyster roast is scheduled for sunday november 21 from 1:00 p.m to 6:00 p.m in the school cafeteria this event is open to the family and friends of msj tickets are $33 call mr bernd mcdivitt 410-644-3300 ext 272 or mr rich drgos 443-756-5297 if you are interested in tickets or reserving a table it s bull oyster roast time again think in advance buy your bull oyster roast tickets today tickets will not be sold at the door join the mount s alumni association for plenty of great food and fun saturday february 26 2011 6:00 p.m 11:00 p.m in the msj memorial gymnasium $50.00 per person no refunds get your group together and order your tickets today for tickets call james poisal `03 410-646-4700 or go to www.msjnet.edu/bullroast fall citrus fruit drive underway soon you will be able to order and reserve your supply of fresh florida navel oranges and grapefruit they are shipped directly from the growers in florida immediately upon harvest to guarantee freshness unfortunately tangerines will not be available this year tell your family friends and co-workers about this great fruit sale and they ll be glad you did it makes a great gift the proceeds will benefit programs at mount saint joseph order forms will be available on the msj web site www.msjnet.edu return the order forms and checks made payable to msj fathers club c/o mount saint joseph high school 4403 frederick avenue baltimore md 21229 attn mr b mcdivitt the deadline for fruit orders is thursday december 9 the date for the pick-up of the fruit is saturday december 18 from 9:00 a.m to noon in the lower parking lot at msj.

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november meeting like pizza then make sure you attend our monthly meeting on tuesday november 2 at 7:30 p.m in the cafeteria we will have pizza an exciting guest speaker and discuss up and coming events all moms are encouraged to attend use this time to make new friends laugh and share your experience with raising boys see you then basket bag bingo the big night is fast approaching for lovers of baskets and bags mark your calendars for basket bag bingo scheduled for saturday november 13 doors open at 5:00 p.m for early bird games and regular games begin at 6:00 p.m tickets are $20.00 each and usually go fast there will be raffles specials and seventeen regular games why not organize a group of friends for a fun-filled night for more information please contact sue curley 410-992-8456 or suecurley6@verizon.net or contact colette newton 443-668-7192 or thenewtons5@comcast.net tickets can be ordered using the form on the mothers club website or purchased at the next mothers club meeting proceeds help fund the senior post-prom party my brother s keeper mount saint joseph annual pasta dinner to benefit my brother s keeper is just around the corner on sunday november 14 from 4:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m tickets are $10.00 each all proceeds go directly to my brother s keeper which is the soup kitchen and outreach center located right down the street in irvington that the mount saint joseph community supports this dinner is a heartwarming event held each year so please consider joining us for this special evening this is a wonderful opportunity to have a great meal great conversation and catch up with old friends and make new ones the menu consists of fresh pasta homemade sauce salad bread and homemade dessert we also provide carry-out service interested in helping out volunteers are always welcome make a batch of sauce donate a dessert or volunteer your time during the event and make a new friend and share a laugh mount saint joe s finest young men will be serving and the mothers club parents and volunteers take care of the rest tickets are available for purchase at the business office or by mail we gladly take reservations for parties of six or more if you have any questions please contact michele rosata 410-461-6380 or mrosata@comcast.net operation mount we have completed another successful operation mount campaign contest results will be announced in early november after all the accounts are reconciled thanks to all those who have made contributions to this campaign a special thanks to our volunteers we could not have completed the book without you commissions will be given out in december and permission slips will be handed out in may for those who earned the hershey park trip the operation mount book will be proudly distributed in march holiday shopping fair the annual shopping fair will be held on tuesday december 7 from 6:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m in the msj cafeteria vendors are needed for vendor and/or additional information contact shyami murphy 410-489-2875 or shyami1@verizon.net please remember in your prayers our deceased edwin singer jr father of edwin singer iii `83 and grandfather of sophomore edwin singer sister katherine nusslein r.s.m ruth mister aunt of freshman robert mcguire bonnie seering grandmother of freshman graham seering maria murray grandmother of scott murray `05 harry dice grandfather of senior brendan sarver natalie wiltshire grandmother of faculty member adam kauffman crystal saxon cousin of sophomore brandon smith-saxon rev allen novotny sj please remember in your prayers our sick brother james kelly c.f.x judith kraft tim kabara joanne morgan and chuck belzner faculty members vernon morgan husband of faculty member joanne morgan eileen bednar mother of sophomore jason bednar clare scholand fr james keegan ruth grondon sr joan keating mother elias and fr edward ward friends of the xaverian brothers marie flynn former faculty member theresa benzing meyer edward gardner grandfather of sophomore joshua gardner george baker brother-in-law of staff member erin baker margaret barlow grandmother of senior joseph tynes chip harrison father of senior tighe harrison mimi dietrich mother of jonathan dietrich `93 and ryan dietrich `96 gunnar esiason cousin of freshman tristan hyde miriam parson grandmother of junior brady parson michael liberatore uncle of nick liberatore `89 brother roger demon c.f.x john deboy `93 larry krug friend of staff member cindy drenner sue mcclure friend of staff member sarah peightel christopher burdette `87 jake dahl brother of senior mike dahl martha lambdin sister of faculty member doug lambdin edward judy `64 lou goode `83 rev john williamson denise pointer mother of sophomore nathaniel pointer leo ader uncle of faculty member jason ader `03 richard cernak `47 kitty seifert mother of faculty member sharon morgan danielle cupps cousin of senior david cupps and freshman jonathan cupps bud scott father of nick scott `06 rose marie cowan mother-in-law of vice-principal dave norton fred napfel 55 meghan ross friend of senior daniel galka jason boyd sr father of senior jason boyd phil esserwein husband of faculty member susan esserwein jane kirby wife of john kirby `76 and mother of trey kirby `05 chris gorman uncle of freshman sean gorman.

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