October 4, 2017 | Volume 10, Issue 12
RCSS News & Events
BLESSED MARIE-ROSE
The charism of Blessed Marie-Rose. . . Her vision. . .
Our mission.
Rose Week…
Our celebration of the vision
& commitment to the mission
Just as Blessed Marie-Rose was responsive to the needs of her time in choosing to educate girls in rural Quebec, so too, the Sisters have constantly responded to the evolving needs of their time with some Sisters moving out of the traditional classrooms to parish ministry, hospice work, spritiual and outreach centers and organizations that advocate for and work directly with the poor here and in third world countries. At Ramona, as well as at the other high schools sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Names, we share a common Catholic faith tradition and SNJM mission and charism, embodied those key values. We are
- Stewards of Education: Our mission is rooted in the full development of the human person. Our school identifies, cultivates, and celebrates the talents, abilities and potential of each person: students, staff, faculty, alumnae, trustees/directors, and parents.
- Stewards of Faith: We are educators in the faith, and we embrace as guide, inspiration, and strength the person and names of Jesus and Mary. Faith formation is a distinguishing characteristic of our school. We believe that God is good, and we honor God's goodness by creating welcoming place for people to explore and express their faith.
- Stewards of Justice: We commit ourselves to justice and service for others. Grounded in Christ's teachings and motivated by love and compassion, the school community commits time, energy, and resources to the pursuit of right relationships of equality, justice, and solidarity.
- Stewards of Leadership: Sound governance and operational practices are steeped in the mission and values of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. With the mission as a guiding light, the school strategically plans and operates with the goal of financial stability, program excellence, viability, and future vitality.
PARENT GROUP MEETING - MONDAY, OCTOBER 16
All Ramona parents are welcome to the Ramona Parent Group Meeting on Monday, October 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the Faculty Staff Dining Room.
Mr. Brian Kays, Director of Innovation and Technology Integration, will lead us on a tour of Ramona's amazing new MakerDen, a makerspace where students may develop their design, innovation, and creation skills using an array of equipment.
We will also take a group photo and beginning planning our second annual January Campus Improvement Project and BBQ. The meeting will conclude at 6:30 p.m., in time for ninth grade parents to attend their mandatory Counseling/Social Media meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Holy Family Room.
BLESSED MARIE-ROSE AWARD RECIPIENT ANNOUNCED
Congratulations to senior Paulina Sanchez who is this year's recipient of the Blessed Marie-Rose Award for her extraordinary commitment to social justice and advocacy. Paulina has volunteered many hours caring for children at Children's Hospital, LA. She has also galvanized the Ramona community to think about and act in support of issues relating to women. Described by Ms. Mansell as a person who "likes to think and ask questions," Paulina truly lives the compassionate, action-oriented call of Marie-Rose Durocher: "to go forth, cast fire, and liberate life!"
RAMONA SOPHOMORE PURSUES GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD AND INSPIRES OTHERS TO GET INVOLVED
Olivia Virgen '20 is currently pursuing her Girl Scout Gold Award and is working with the Cardinal Manning Center, a homeless shelter in Los Angeles. She is planning to refurbish a meeting room where visitors meet with the homeless men that live in the shelter. After hosting a toiletries drive at her elementary school, St. Felícitas and Perpetua, she also hosted the recent sock drive at Ramona where she was able to collect over 400 pairs of socks. She is planning to host another sock drive at Sts. Felicitas & Perpetua. Proceeds of all collections will go directly to the homeless.
Because her project has been approved and will soon be completed, she has applied and was accepted as a member of the Tournament of Roses Troop and will be walking in the 2018 Rose Parade.
Olivia shared "Homelessness is something you see everywhere. After taking a trip to Los Angeles, I was impacted by the amount of people living on the streets and wondered how they ended up there. I chose to work with The Cardinal Manning Center with the hope of making an impact towards the homelessness problem."
Congratulations to homeroom 9-3 that collected 76 pairs of socks and earned a delicious prize for their effort. Thank you to all who participated. We appreciate the time and dedication that Olivia has put forth for this project and are very proud of Olivia and our community for opening their hearts to those in need.
BIRTHDAY CARD ART CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The Enrollment Office "Celebrating birthdays with friends we've never met" Birthday Card Art Contest has officially come to an end with the announcement of this years winners: Congratulations to junior Madelyn Williams and Seniors Angela Reyes-Gomez, Blanca Sanchez, Josephine Vargas, and Stephanie Varghese. Congratulations! The winning designs have been printed and will be sent to prospective students when their special day arrives. Please contact Mrs. Fernandez (vfernandez@ramonaconvent.org) if you know of a prospective Tiger that should be on our birthday list!
WHO WANTS TO WIN BEATS HEADPHONES?
During Rose Week there will be a Raffle for a BeatsSolo3 wireless headphones Special Edition Silver. Tickets are $1.00 per ticket or 6 tickets for $5.00. Tickets will be on sale at break (on Alumnae Drive in front of the library) and lunch (in the lunch areas). The last day to buy raffle tickets is tomorrow, October 5.
The drawing will be held at the end of lunch on Thursday, October 5. The money raised will support the upgrading of our sound system for the gym.
LAST CHANCE TO RESERVE A YEARBOOK MEMORY PAGE
Memory pages are a great way to celebrate your daughter and her achievements and are available to students in ALL grades. Three full-color size options are available. This is a reminder that the deadline to reserve a Memory/Recognition Pages in the 2018 Yearbook is Friday, October 13th. Click here to download an order form. Please contact Mrs. Fernandez (vfernandez@ramonaconvent.org) if you have any additional questions.
UPDATES FROM THE OFFICE OF ENROLLMENT & PUBLIC RELATIONS
TELL A FRIEND!
This event is open to girls in grades 6, 7, & 8.
Collaboratively engage in active learning and enjoy games, music, food, and fun!
Saturday, October 28, 2017
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
R.S.V.P. Required
Don't wait to R.S.V.P because this event WILL fill up and registration will close soon.
Click here to reserve a spot at Tiger Play Day
The fun begins in the Holy Family Room where guests will participate in a Pep Rally and get to know what Ramona spirit is all about. They will then meet our faculty and student leaders during a science activity in the Marie Rose Science Center, an art activity in our Art Studio, and a sports activity in the Gym. the fun doesn't stop because guests will then enjoy a DJ and In-N-Out lunch before saying farewell to their new friends!
SAVE THE DATE - OPEN HOUSE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18 from noon - 3:00 p.m.
HIGHLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR, LAWYER, AND ALUMNA, KAREN KAO '77, SET TO VISIT RAMONA
Karen Kao '77 will be traveling from the Netherlands to join us on Thursday, October 19th to speak to classes about her fascinating life journey and her passion for the written word.
With the recent publication of her highly acclaimed debut novel, The Dancing Girl & the Turtle (2017), Karen Kao has come full circle. According to Ms. Kao, her love of writing and poetry was set into motion at Ramona. She went on to study English at UC Irvine, where one of her teachers, Charles Wright (U.S. Poet Laureate 2014-2015) inspired her to become a writer; and, her friend, Yusef Komunyakaa (Pulitzer Prize winning poet), published her poetry.
Following her father's advice, Ms. Kao earned a law degree and practiced law in Washington, D.C. She fell in love, married a Dutch man, and moved to Holland; where she immersed herself in the culture, learned the language, and returned to school to obtain her Dutch law degree! Karen eventually became a partner and head of the corporate law department at an Amsterdam-based law firm. Her area of expertise was cross-border mergers and acquisitions, a field of law that requires hard-nosed negotiating skills and an ability to survive on very little sleep. In 2011, she ended her 25 year stint as a high ranking lawyer and embarked upon a third career: a return to her love of writing and the stories she heard as a child about Old Shanghai."-inkstonepress.com
The Dancing Girl & the Turtle , is a powerful and thought-provoking novel set in Shanghai, China (1929 to 1954). "Song Anyi is a rebellious young woman determined to live on her own terms. She's stymied by the old-fashioned ways of her brother Kang, the illicit desires of her cousin Cho, and the war with the Japanese. There is violence in this novel, just as there is violence in the lives of more women than we'd like to think. Some of it is self-inflicted; very little is deserved. Anyi is the voice of every woman denied a place at the table and every girl whose shame led her to self-harm."-- Karen Kao, http://inkstonepress.com/karen-kao-published-works/
Order your copy now from Amazon or your local bookseller!
CELEBRATE HISPANIC HERITAGE AT YOUR RAMONA LIBRARY
Students shown above display some of the diverse titles in the Library collection that discuss Hispanic history/ culture/ achievements; have Hispanic characters; or are written by Hispanic authors.
National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans of Hispanic/ Latino descent.
The observation, which began on Sept. 15 to commemorate the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, started as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968. In 1988, the observation was expanded to 30 days. The term Hispanic or Latino, refers to Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.
Stop by your Ramona Library to learn more, and join your friends in the Legion of Literary Ladies (Book Club) in honoring the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society!
UPDATES FROM THE GUIDANCE & COLLEGE COUNSELING DEPARTMENT
UPCOMING 9TH AND 10TH GRADE COLLEGE VISITS
Next week, our 9th grade class will be visiting Cal State Fullerton and Chapman University on Monday, October 9. Our 10th grade class will be going to Chapman University and UC Irvine on Thursday, October 12. Each student received a permission slip on Monday. The permission slips are due no later than the end of day on Thursday, October 5 to Ms. Tappan. On the day of the visits, each student needs to be at school no later than 7:20 a.m. - the buses will be leaving promptly at 7:30 a.m. and returning no later than 3 p.m. The students are required to wear dress uniform. There is an option to purchase lunch on campus in the university dining hall or to bring a lunch on the bus. Please feel free to reach out to Ms. Tappan (ktappan@ramonaconvent.org) with any questions.
NEW INFORMATION FOR JUNIOR PARENTS
This week, Mr. Chavarria met with all of the juniors. During the meetings, there were discussions about college advice, current stress levels, goal setting and showcasing yourself. These topics will be an ongoing conversation throughout the year. Please encourage your daughters to schedule a time to meet with Mr. Chavarria to discuss any of the aforementioned. And parents, do not hesitate to contact him with any questions - achavarria@ramonaconvent.org.
COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVE VISITS AT RAMONA: IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO START LEARNING ABOUT ALL YOUR COLLEGE OPTIONS!
The college season is underway and Mr. Chavarria and Ms. Tappan encourage all students to attend college representative visits to Ramona. It's an important opportunity to come and learn what each college has to offer, often times these schools have wonderful scholarships and special programs that may entice students to apply. Attending these presentations is the only way to learn and take advantage of what each college has to offer. We encourage all grade levels to attend. It's never too early to learn about the college process.
Students are shown above with a representative from the University of La Verne. Please join us for one or all of the next college rep visits.
Monday, October 16 - Regis University
Tuesday, October 17 - Pitzer
Wednesday, October 18 - University of Rochester
Thursday, October 19 - Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame Indiana
VOTE FOR BOSCO TECH
Our friends at Bosco Tech were recently informed that they have been selected as finalists in the Framer's Insurance Dream Big contest. Let's help them win $100,000! Click here to watch the video and vote.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Thursday, October 5th
Students may come dressed like their future occupation and pay $2.00
Proceeds will go to the SNJM's ministry in Lesotho
Volleyball v. Bishop Conaty
Tennis at St. Joseph's
Friday, October 6th
Students may come dressed in a floral print shirt/outfit or
wear the colors red, pink, or white
Saturday, October 7th
Volleyball (Varsity) at Gabrielino Tournament
Monday, October 9th
Seniors leave for KAIROS Retreat
Freshman College Tour
Tuesday, October 10th
KAIROS – Day 2
Tennis v. Pomona Catholic
Wednesday, October 11th
KAIROS – Day 3
PSAT Testing
Dismissal for all students at 11:30
Cross Country at Crystal Springs
Thursday, October 12th
Senior return from KAIROS
JV Volleyball at Gabrielino Tournament
Cross Country at Eaton Canyon
Tennis at Bishop Montgomery
End of the First Quarter
Friday, October 13th
No Classes for Students
Offices will be open regular hours
Plan Rehearsal 9:00-4:00
Sincerely,
Sr. Kathleen Callaway, SNJM, President
Ms. Mary E. Mansell, Principal
MISSION STATEMENT
Ramona Convent, a welcoming and inclusive Catholic college-preparatory high school sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, graduates young women characterized by academic excellence and spiritual depth, open to the wisdom of other cultures and prepared to lead and serve in an evolving, interdependent world.
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RAMONA CONVENT SECONDARY SCHOOL
1701 West Ramona Road • Alhambra, CA 91803 • (626) 282-4151