NOTRE DAME—BISHOP GIBBONS SCHOOL 2600 Albany Street Schenectady, NY 12304 (518) 393-3131 Fax (518) 370-3817 November 2014 Dear Parents/Guardians, It has been an exciting month at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons. Our Golden Gallop was a huge success. We raised more than $24,000! Congratulations to our top fundraisers Robert Ciembronewicz and Sarah DelVecchio. Robert raised nearly $1,100 and Sarah raised over $700! I would also like to thank the staff who volunteered themselves for the dunk tank during our homecoming game. The $610 raised from the dunk tank went towards the Golden Gallop. I want to thank our families, staff and especially our students for helping us surpass our goal Members of the senior class have taken great initiatives this year. Anne Riley and Dan Asselin have entered ND-BG into the Hunger Games food drive, a competition with 9 other local schools to see who can collect the most food. The school who brings in the most food by weight will win a trip to Flight, the Albany Trampoline Park, and a private screening of the new Hunger Games movie. This competition serves a great cause and helps to feed the hungry. Our students want to show the other schools what the ND-BG community is capable of. Last month, Mrs. Oppelt, Ms. DeMarco, and a group of seniors put on a very successful haunted house. We were happy to welcome students from our surrounding elementary schools to come and participate with us. We had over 100 people attend this event. It was a fun night filled with games, pumpkin painting and of course a very scary haunted house. Thank you to all the teachers that made this night possible. Congratulations are also in order for Linda Neidl for receiving the New York State English Council's Teacher of Excellence Award. The award is given to educators who inspire excellence in their students. This is a huge accomplishment and the recognition is well deserved. Congratulations Mrs. Neidl! Speaking of excellent educators, on November 28th at The Glen Sanders Mansion, we will be celebrating 47 years of outstanding teaching at Dr. Paul O’Brien’s retirement party. All are welcome to attend. Please contact Christine Baseel for details. One final “thank you” goes to the class of 1974. They have made a generous donation to the school. We are still in the process of evaluating which initiative to use the money for and will update you when it’s allocated. Finally I would like to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Peter Fusco Principal 2 Daylight Savings—Turn your clocks back! 4 Faculty Meeting 3:00-4:00pm 5 Fall Musical “White Christmas” Matinee 10am (partner schools and senior citizens); 6-8 Fall Musical “White Christmas” 7pm 7- First Quarter Ends 11 Veterans Day- NO SCHOOL 15 Scholarship Exam—8:30-11:30 am Winter sports begin on November 10th for the following: ~Boys Modified, JV, and Varsity Basketball ~Girls Modified, and Varsity Basketball ~Indoor Track ~Cheerleading ~Bowling 19 Make-up School Photos and Parent/Teacher Conferences 6-8pm 24 Department Chair Meeting 25 Junior Ring Ceremony & Thanksgiving Mass 1:30pm @ St. Paul’s 26-28 Thanksgiving Recess—NO SCHOOL 28 Dr. O’Brien Retirement Dinner 6pm Please refer to the athletics calendar on our website for the specific sport and level. Page 2 Spelling Bee Students in Grades 6-8 will soon be taking part in class Spelling Bees. Winners from each grade level will take part in the ND-BG Spelling Bee which will be held in the library on Wed. Dec.3, 2014 during Period 4. The winner will represent ND-BG at the Regional Spelling Bee which will take place at Proctor’s Theater on Feb.24, 2015 at 5PM. JUNIOR RING CEREMONY On Tuesday, November 25th our school will be honoring our junior students at their Ring Ceremony during our Thanksgiving Liturgy at 1:30pm @ St. Paul the Apostle Church. During that Mass the juniors will be receiving a school ring or pin as a symbol of Golden Knight solidarity, kinship and eternal interconnectedness with all ND-BG students and graduates. Please join us as we pray for our junior students. A special invitation is extended to the parents/guardians of our juniors being honored. Any Questions Please contact Dan Pepe Campus Minister [email protected] A Christmas Carol PARENT CONFERENCES This year parent conferences will be held on Wednesday November 19th from 6:00pm until 8:00 pm in the gym. Appointments are not necessary. Conferences should be kept to approximately 10 minutes. If more time is required, please schedule an individual conference with the teacher for a later date. FROM THE BUSINESS OFFICE At this point all tuition accounts should be current. Tuition accounts that are not current will result in report cards being held for the first marking period. Please note lack of communication concerning delinquent accounts will result in students’ not attending classes. Please contact Mrs. Audino for tuition information. Students in Grades 9 and 10 will travel to the Theater Institute at Sage in Troy on Thursday, Dec.4 to see a live performance of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Letters and accompanying permission slips have been sent by e-mail to the parents of all students in Grades 9 and 10 and the students also received copies in English class. Both the money and the permission slip need to be returned to Miss Quinn by Wed. Nov.12. If any parent did not receive the information, please contact Miss Quinn at 393 3131X205 or [email protected]. Business Office (518) 393-3131 ext 103 ND-BG SPIRIT STORE + Our school store has many items for the students to buy. We have t-shirts, hoodies and fleece blankets with our school logo. We also have some school supplies such as notebooks, colored pencils and 1 inch binders all for $1. (In case a student needs something through the year) The store is open during school hours by just calling ahead. Thank you for your continued support of our school. + Don’t forget daylight savings on Sunday November 2nd! Turn your clocks back one hour and enjoy the extra hour of sleep on Saturday night! Page 3 MAGAZINE DRIVE It’s November, the month before Christmas! Time to buy those magazine subscriptions for your Christmas gifts! Simply go to: Sophomore College Immersion Day at The College of Saint Rose On Thursday October 23, 2014, Mr. Honsinger and Mrs. Yourno took a group of sophomore Level II Spanish students to The College of Saint Rose. The purpose of the trip was twofold: a guidance portion in which students took a guided tour of the campus and acquired a sense of college life, and a Spanish portion in which students had the opportunity to attend and actively participate in a college-level Spanish class. This was Mr. Honsinger and Mrs.Yourno’s fifth student trip to the college. YOU’RE INVITED www.APmags.com and click “I’d like to shop and support…” Enter our school online code, which is NDBGKNIGHTS Enter the student’s first and last name Click “Start Shopping” and begin browsing hundreds of magazines For all the friends of ND-BG, if you wish to support the school but don’t have a particular student in mind, simply type “no” in “Participant’s First Name” and “student” in “Participant’s Last Name.” 50% of every purchase made comes directly to ND-BG. For those parents/guardians who seriously wish to pay down their fundraising commitment, on the home page click “I’m a parent/guardian or student” for quick instructions in sending an e-blast or creating links to FACEBOOK and other social media. That way, the people you contact will land on the student’s own page, eliminating the need to enter our online code and student name. TO A RETIREMENT PARTY for DR. PAUL O’BRIEN at GLEN SANDERS MANSION One Glen Avenue, Scotia, NY 12302 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2014 6p.m. Cocktail Hour 7 p.m. Dinner Any questions contact Christine Baseel @ 393-3131 ext 107 or [email protected]. RSVP’s can be mailed to: Attn: Christine Baseel, 2600 Albany Street, Schenectady, NY 12304 WHITE CHRISTMAS AT NOTRE DAME-BISHOP GIBBONS The Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons Fall Drama group is proud to announce our 2014 musical production, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, which will be performed on the ND-BG stage from November 5th through the 8th and features forty of our students, grades 6-12, onstage, and a supporting crew of twenty backstage. The production is a cooperative effort involving many parents, faculty and alums (Michael Purcell, ’74, music director; Darryl Scott, 2014 drums; Janelle Irwin and Rebecca Scorzella, choreographers, both 2014). Tickets will be on sale for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances, which begin at 7pm. Ticket prices are $12. for reserved seating and $10. for general seating. Tickets may be purchased at the door, or by contacting Mrs. Thibault at 393-3131, extension 111. There will also be a free performance for small children and senior citizens on Wednesday, the 5th, at 10am. Page 4 Notre Dame – Bishop Gibbons Scholarship is for incoming Scholarship Letter for 8th Grade Parents 6th and 9th graders Exam Registration Form Due November 7th October 23, 2014 Dear Parents and Guardians, As your child is in their graduating year from Catholic elementary school, I congratulate your commitment to faith-filled education. In considering the next step for your child, we hope you are exploring the Catholic secondary schools in the Diocese of Albany. Student Name: Each of the schools in our diocese provides the opportunity for a quality education within a faith-filled environment. Research has demonstrated that making an investment in Catholic education will yield life-long dividends for your child. I am confident that you would not be disappointed in your choice of a Catholic secondary school. City _________________________ The four diocesan Catholic high schools are: Location Where You Will Be Taking the Exam: ___________________________________________________ Home Address: __________________________________________________ State ______ Zip Code ___ Telephone: (____)_______________________ Current School: ___________________________________________________ Bishop Maginn High School (Albany) – ____ Academy of the Holy Names ____ LaSalle Institute www.bishopmaginn.org ____ Bishop Maginn High School ____ ND-BG ____ Saratoga Central Catholic High School Catholic Central High School (Troy) – www.cchstroy.org ____ CCHS ____ Christian Brothers Academy Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School (Schenectady) – www.nd-bg.org Saratoga Central Catholic High School (Saratoga Springs) Please Indicate up to Three School(s) You Would Like to Receive Your Exam Results. If You Choose More than One Please Desig– www.saratogacentralcatholic.org nate Rank Order Using 1, 2 and, if necessary, 3: Please take a few moments to discover the wonderful opportunities these schools have to offer by visiting their websites or contacting the school for Open House information. Our four diocesan high schools and the three private Catholic high schools have agreed to coordinate placement testing for all incoming students. On Saturday, November 15, 2014, students should take the placement test at any of the four diocesan high schools or three private schools. Enclosed is a registration form that we ask you to complete, sign and send to the location where your child will take the exam. The form may also be brought to the testing site on the day of the test. You may choose up to three schools you would like to receive the test results for admission purposes. Contact information for each of the schools can be found on the back of the form. I am grateful for your interest in one of the Catholic high schools in our diocese for the next phase of your child’s education. Be assured that we are committed to working with you to ensure the success of your child’s education. Sincerely, Michael E. Pizzingrillo, MSEd., PD Superintendent of Schools ____ ____ ____ ____ Academy of the Holy Names ____ LaSalle Institute Bishop Maginn High School ____ ND-BG HS CC H S ____Saratoga Central Catholic High School Christian Brothers Academy I give permission for my child’s test scores to be sent to these schools. Parent Signature: ____________________________________________ Please return this form to the location where the student intends to take the exam. Registration forms should be submitted one week prior to the testing date.