From the Administration
Principal's Message

Featured Stories
SJND to Offer Engineering Class
Race and Culture Panel Explores Compelling Issues
Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams are Top Seeds

Parent Articles/Upcoming Events
AASA Raises Awareness on Campus
Student Life News
Parent Association News
From the Director of Studies
“Fame, The Musical” Opens March 19
SJND Choir Performs at Cathedral
PRISMS Winners
SJND Students Visit Washington, D.C.
Drivers Education Classes Begin March 13

Principal's Message

Parent Survey

Thanks to those of you who have taken time to respond to our online parent survey. The survey is now closed. Your responses will give us important information about how we can continue to provide you with excellent service and maintain the strong academic program we have. The information will be reviewed closely by the school’s leadership team and then handed out to the appropriate directors and department chairs for their follow up.

Strategic Plan

The school is making excellent progress on its strategic planning process. Six months into the process, we have created a working draft that the school’s leadership team is in the process of reviewing and grooming for final review and approval by the Board of Trustees. We anticipate that we will be able to meet our deadline of a May completion of the plan and a June approval by the Board of Trustees. I have been impressed by the diligence and hard work of our Strategic Planning Committee, a group of school staff and volunteers who have reached out to a wide array of school stakeholders to arrive at a strategic plan.

Science Fair

SJND is looking forward to hosting the Diocese of Oakland’s Science Fair this year on March 6. Over 25 elementary schools in the diocese and over 140 students will participate in this annual event. The science exhibits will be open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. I invite you to come by the Kelly Gymnasium and view the projects from our diocese’s best and brightest science students!

SJND to Offer Engineering Class

Students have the opportunity to explore engineering now that SJND has added “Foundations of Engineering” to its curriculum.

The class, which is approved as a college prep level math class by the University of California, will be an opportunity for students to try something new.

“On top of being a math class, it’s going to be a career exploration class,” says Jessica Kim, who will be teaching the class. “It’s not going to be your traditional math class.”

Foundations of Engineering will focus on the math and technology of engineering, in addition to the science. And that’s what sets it apart from the few other engineering classes at Bay Area diocesan high schools. Moreau offers engineering, but it is purely science-based, Kim said.

About 30 students have expressed interest or signed up for Foundations of Engineering, which is primarily for sophomores, juniors and seniors and will be offered in the spring. There is a selective process to being accepted, with students required to have a B or higher in any level of Algebra II. (SJND currently offers three levels of Algebra II.)

The one-semester class counts as a math elective, like pre-calculus or calculus.

Kim is already planning a field trip for the engineering class to Stanford University’s engineering department. Each student also will be able to develop a major research project as part of the class.

“It’s important to have classes like this,” says Kim. “Any way we can get students interested in fields related to math is important.”

Race and Culture Panel Explores Compelling Issues

There were poignant stories, some that SJND’s students clearly couldn’t imagine happening, at a Race and Culture Panel in Doug Evan’s Justice and Peace classes this month.

Principal Simon Chiu talked about witnessing as a child more than a half-dozen armed robberies of his parents’ store in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. He also described what it felt like to be one of the only Asian students at his grade school.

“At an early age, I was made aware I was different,” he said. “That was made clear to me on an almost daily basis.”

Jimmy Macalinao, the school’s campus minister, told stories about how he experienced martial law in his native Phillipines. “There was no freedom of expression,” he recalled, describing how he joined protestors and was accused of being a Communist. “I was one of those who faced the tanks,” he said. “I was fired on with a fire hose.”

Christina Cory, whose parents emigrated to Los Angeles from Mexico, talked about her upbringing with a mother and father who wouldn’t speak Spanish in front of her because they feared she wouldn’t be able to get a job if she spoke Spanish.

And Kwasi Reed, Dean of Students, recalled growing up in Compton, near Los Angeles, and feeling sheltered from neighborhood violence while he attended Catholic grade school. By high school, however, he had switched schools several times and saw a good friend shot and killed.

“Then, I started going to funerals, once or twice a year,” said Reed. “I kept coming up with thoughts like, ‘I’m not going to live past 25.’”

Students in the class were riveted by the stories the panel shared, and moderator Breanna Decker ‘10 said she appreciated how candid the teachers and administrators were.

“We really don’t get to see the teachers on that level,” she said. “You just have a lot more respect for them.”

The students and the faculty members noted that SJND’s campus feels set apart from some of the issues that the speakers raised.

“Mr. Chiu is the principal of a very diverse high school here,” added Breanna. “You’d never know that happened to him. Here, we don’t see that.”

Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams are Top Seeds

 

 

SJND was in the unique position of having both of its basketball teams expected to win the Div. V North Coast Section championships. NCS playoffs began Feb. 24, and the NorCal playoffs begin March 9 for both teams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senior Geena Serles and 6’4” Carmen Lockhart, a junior, were both named athletes to watch by the Bay Area Newspaper Group. On the men’s team, 6’10” Brendan Keane and Jacari Whitfield, both juniors, were featured in the NCS coverage and named athletes to watch in the playoffs. Go Pilots!

 

 

 

AASA Raises Awareness on Campus

Members of the African American Student Association are raising awareness of their organization by wearing new AASA sweatshirts, and they organized a popular assembly for Black History Month.

The assembly included a creative reenactment of the defiance of Rosa Parks and a stirring recitation of the words of Nobel Peace Laureate Nelson Mandela.

“It’s put on by students, for students,” said Kwasi Reed, Dean of Students and moderator of the AASA. “It was about letting the students express the theme of resilience to their peers.”

Nkeiruka Umeh is a senior who helped organize the assembly. “I felt that the assembly was successful in bringing to light some of the contributions made to society by African Americans,” she said. “I was certainly proud to see how well we did and how warmly the student body received our efforts.”

Student Life News

Class of 2010 Wins Spirit Week Trophy

Congratulations to the seniors on their victory for Spirit Week points. The 2010 Pirates sealed their win with the floating house from the movie “Up,” and with Andrew Snyder stepping into the leading role from “Avatar.” Gym decorations were from different movie genres, with the seniors choosing animated movies and the juniors picking comedies. The sophomores took on science fiction and the freshman elected movie musicals. The judges were dazzled by dances and skits from each grade for the parades. This year’s night rally had six different talent acts and a performance from the cast of the spring show, “Fame, The Musical.” Thanks to everyone who helped, including students, teachers, and parents. Spirit week 2010 was amazing.

Frosh Soph Pre-Prom

The Frosh Soph Pre-Prom is March 13. This year’s event will be at Point Marina Vista. Mrs. Cory and Ms. Stone are helping the class councils to put the last details on this event. Guests from other schools are welcome if a guest pass is completed. The dance is a dressy dress event, with shirts, slacks and ties required for the boys, and dresses or skirts for the girls. This is not an event to wear the latest club outfit. While it is difficult to find dresses that are modest, please take the extra steps to make sure everyone is dressed appropriately. Shoes are required for the entire evening. No flip flops.

We Need Parent Volunteers for Pre-Prom

Parents of freshmen and sophomores: If your son or daughter is making plans to attend the upcoming Pre-Prom, March 13 from 7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m., the division moderators, Ms. Stone and Ms. Cory are asking for your assistance with the dance. We need parents during the day to decorate, and before and near the end of the dance to chaperone. If you are available please contact Ms. Stone at kstone@sjnd.org or Ms. Cory at ccory@sjnd.org. Thank you in advance.

Noon – 2 p.m. Set up and decorations

6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. Food set up and dance chaperone

10 p.m. – 11 p.m. Dance chaperone and cleanup

Christian Service Hours Due

Christian Service hours are due March 5 by the end of the school day. All students have a commitment to complete their service hours. Students who do not complete their hours or fail to submit the correct paperwork verifying the hours will be ineligible for all co-curricular activities. This includes ALL athletics, performing arts, student leadership, and dances. Every family received a letter in December explaining the hours required and the deadlines. We know our students are really living our mission when they are helping in the community. Thank you to all who reach out to the needy in our community.

Parent Association News

Save the Date:

Parent Association Meeting Tuesday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m.with guest Julie Berry, SJND Director of Admissions

Parent Education Night on teen health Tuesday, April 13.

From the Director of Studies

Semester Failures

All students who earned a semester failure (“F”) on their report card in January, regardless of the class, MUST clear that failure before returning to SJND in the fall. The school’s policy is stated in the Parent-Student Handbook.

All semester “F” grades must be made up through attendance at a recognized summer school, community college, or university extension program. Work from private tutors is not acceptable; nor may the work be postponed until a later date. If your student earned a failing grade for the first semester, they must begin to make plans now to enroll in a class over the summer to clear that grade. Options to do this may be discussed with the student’s counselor. Both the student’s counselor and the assistant principal for academics must sign application forms issued by the local community colleges. The student must first obtain permission because not all courses taken in a summer setting are considered valid to meet our graduation requirements.

Any semester “D” grade earned must be cleared in summer school. Most “D” grades are not considered acceptable grades to colleges, even if the “D” grade is earned in the freshman year.  Students will not be permitted to advance to the next level of a class unless they have met the grade prerequisite for that class. Your student should check the course prerequisites in the SJND Academics Guidelines and Course Catalog and meet with their counselor for clarification if they have ANY semester “D’s” or “F’s.”

School Calendar for Next Year:

Work has begun on the calendar for the 2010-11 school year. While not yet complete, here are a few of the major dates:

                               

Student Orientation Grades 10, 11, 12	Aug. 13
Student Orientation Grade 9	Aug. 16
First Day of Classes	Aug. 18
Thanksgiving Holiday	Nov. 24-26
First Semester Exams	Dec. 13-16
Christmas Holiday	Dec. 17-Jan. 3
Second Semester Begins	Jan. 4
President’s Holiday	Feb. 18 and 21
St. Joseph Holiday	Mar. 18 and 21
Easter Holiday	Apr. 18 -25
Second Semester Exams	May 23-26
Baccalaureate Mass	May 27
Graduation	May 28

 

Please keep in mind the school’s policy regarding semester exams. No student may miss final exams due to a family vacation. A student may request to reschedule a final exam only for a medical emergency as verified by a doctor's note or an extraordinary family emergency such as a death in the family.  All other requests to reschedule final exams, such as a family vacation, will be denied. If a student misses a final exam due to an unexcused absence, the student will receive a ZERO on the exam.

“Fame, The Musical” Opens March 19

Rehearsals for “Fame, The Musical” are in full swing, and the show opens March 19. You won’t want to miss this lively stage production! We will be showcasing all of our dancers, singers, and musicians. Plus, students and alums are involved on stage and also in the behind-the-scenes work it takes to put on a show. For tickets or more information, contact Mrs. Kubicek at 995-9551 or at dkubicek@sjnd.org 

Click here to download a ticket order form.

Check us out on Twitter.

 

 

SJND Choir Performs at Cathedral

On Monday, Feb 22, the Department of Catholic Schools for the Oakland Diocese held a ceremony to present the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Award. This award is given to those who  best exemplify the spirit of the Catholic School in community-building and service. This year they honored St. Joseph parish member, Frederica von Stade and Armond Seishas, a member of the SJND Board of Trustees. SJND singers and a few SJND alums formed the choir that performed the music for this ceremony which was held at Christ the Light Cathedral. In attendance were Bishop Cordileone, Bishop Emeritus Cummins, Sr. Barbara Bray, and many friends and families of the recipients. SJND was honored to be asked to be a part of this celebration.

PRISMS Winners

The winners of this year's PRISMS literary contest are: Robin Levy ‘13 (English) with her poem, "Morning Glory," Nkeiruka Umeh ‘10 (Spanish) with her poem "Pánico," and Kelsey Johnson ‘11 (Art) with her scratchboard, "Eternal."Each received cash prizes.

SJND Students Visit Washington, D.C.

Seven students spent an exciting week in Washington D.C. in February, touring historic and cultural sites as they attempted to dodge one of the worst snow storms in history to hit the nation’s capital.

 As participants in the nationally known Close Up Foundation program, the group joined Greg Fonzeno, director of studies at SJND, on tours of the U.S. Capitol, the House and Senate Office Buildings, the Smithsonian Institution museums, the Supreme Court, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Holocaust Museum, and other memorials and monuments.

Tori Coleman ‘10, Kyle Collins ‘10, Brianna DeGrano ‘10, Nick DeGrano ‘12, Jonathan Dyer ‘11, Gabe Flores ‘10, and Devin Perez ‘10 also visited with Congressional representatives, senators, staffers, and members of the press corps and other government departments or agencies.

The students walked through snow to visit the memorials to fallen soldiers and statesmen at Arlington National Cemetery, including the grave sites of President John F. Kennedy, and his brothers Robert and Ted Kennedy. While they were there, they were able to observe the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Students also enjoyed a live theatre experience at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and a banquet and dance the final night.

Founded in 1971 the Close Up Foundation is a nonprofit organization that educates and inspires young people to become informed and engaged citizens. 

For information about how your student can attend the Close Up trip to Washington, D.C. next year, contact Mr. Fonzeno at gfonzeno@sjnd.org

Drivers Education Classes Begin March 13

Drivers education classes at SJND will be: March 13, 20, 27 and April 17. The new reduced cost is $60. Sign-ups begin on Monday, March 8. If you have any questions contact Mr. Williams at bwilliams@sjnd.org.