THE GREEN & GOLD GAZETTE

April 2010

St. Bonaventure High School

3167 Telegraph Road Ventura, CA 93003

www.saintbonaventure.com

Office: 805-648-6836 Fax: 805-648-4903

Office Hours: 7:30 - 4:00 A Catholic education is an advantage for life!

Mr. Marc Groff

Principal

Mrs. Tina Castro Vice-Principal

A Message from Mr. Groff

THE GREEN & GOLD GAZETTE

The April edition of the Gazette will bring in the last quarter of the school year. Fiesta, prom, graduation activities, Golf Tournament, final exams and summer vacation (for the students). As the school year winds down, let us continue to work in partnership to help the students reach their full potential. New Science Lab- A generous (anonymous) donor has agreed to finance the renovation of one of our Science labs (room 601). Needless to say, we are extremely excited about the project. The labs are forty six years old and are in need of work. Our dream is that other donors will step up and help us renovate the Chemistry and Physics labs over the next couple of years. The project will be completed this summer. More details to come. Sportsmanship- Thank you to the parents and supporters of St. Bonaventure athletics who cheer and support our athletes (at games) in a positive, respectful manner. We should only be cheering for our teams, not against other teams, or officials. Trust me, your students are watching (and lis-tening) and you are a model for the type of behavior that is viewed as acceptable or not. Morning Drop Off- Families who use the Assumption parking lot directly in front of OLA School are being asked not to drop off high school students there unless they are also dropping off OLA students. OLA begins school at 8:00 am and too many cars pulling in near 8:00 is causing grid-lock. Thank you ! Re-registration- By the time you receive this you should have re-registered your son/daughter for next year. If you need academic assistance, please call one of the counselors (after Easter break). If you are not returning next year, please notify the school officially. The registration fee of $375.00 is also due now (invoices were mailed home several weeks ago). Christian Service Awards- Congratulations to seniors Sarah Dufresne and Stephanie Torres for receiving a much deserved Christian Service Award for their countless, selfless hours of Christian service. They received their awards at a mass at the cathedral hosted by Cardinal Mahony. Mrs. Kathy Mack was one of only seven teachers in the entire Archdiocese to receive an award for her many hours of support of the Christian service programs here at St. Bonaventure. Congrats Kathy !! Class of 2014- The new freshmen class has landed. One hundred eighty five acceptance letters were mailed in March with registration nights being held recently. Welcome Class of 2014. NASSP-Your principal attended the National Association of Secondary School Principals conven-tion in Phoenix, AZ during the month of March. As part of my professional development plan, I attend seminars, conventions and participate in additional class work to “keep up” with educational trends, network with other educators and hopefully bring back fresh ideas that will help teachers and students be the best they can be. I just thought you might like to know. Happy Easter and God Bless, Mr. Groff

ST. BONAVENTURE HIGH SCHOOL ANNOUNCES SPRING PLAY AUDITIONS

Spring Play 2010

Project Fame An original script by Russell Stoll

(2005 SBHS alumni & UCLA grad)

Music by Queen, U2, Eagles, and other artists What is the price tag of fame? What would you do to achieve your deepest desires? In the framework

of America’s Got Talent, American Idol and Project Runway, the story follows contestants and the people who love them as they are tempted by the promise of instant fame, talent and riches.

Roles include: 6-8 contestants, Paula, Randy, Simon and Brian Seacrest characters, stage manager, dance troupe for the show and families and friends of contestants.

Rehearsals: M/T/W: 3-5:30 until April 12, then 3-6

Pre tech: April 26-30 Tech: May 3,4

Performances: May 5,6, 8 & May 13, 14, 15

Fundraising / Parent Volunteer Hours

Please mark your calendars for these important fundraising/community events: Sunday, May 2nd – Fiesta Monday, June 7th – Golf Tournament

43rd Annual Fiesta Planning: The fiesta planning committee met March 15th to facilitate the organization necessary for this year’s event to be a fun-filled fundraiser. Families who have expressed interest in helping with specific tasks will be contacted in the next few weeks by chairpersons of sub-committees. Raffle – Tickets and information regarding this year’s fiesta raffle are being sent home with students March 22nd. The raffle is generates approximately 70% of profits for fiesta. It is our design to make this year’s raffle at least as successful as last year in order to generate funds for much needed renovation and repair of our forty-six year old facility. We’re asking every family to do their part to support these efforts. Anyone interested in being part of the planning commit-tee can contact Sheri Salazar at nina1sas@netzero.com, or Yvonne Rockwell at yvonne@royalstaffing.com. Families who have pre-viously indicated an interest in being involved with the fiesta on their volunteer check list (submitted at registration) will be con-tacted soon by chairpersons of sub-committees. Look for information regarding this year’s fiesta raffle, coming soon. Interested in volunteering? Contact Maria Castells: lmcastells@verizon.net

20th Annual Golf Tournament Planning: Planning efforts for this year’s tournament are well under way. The “save the date” card has been mailed to previous golfers and sponsors and was included in the last edition of the Gazette. The sign-up flyer is being mailed the first week of April and this form and the sponsorship form is included in this edition of the Gazette and posted on the school website. Anyone interested in joining the tournament planning committee can contact Lou Torres at tprobie@verizon.net or Patrick Piccininno at Patrick.Piccininno@uniform.aramark.com, this year’s co-chairpersons.

Scrip News: Just a reminder, gift cards are available throughout the year. They are great for birthday gifts, thank you gifts, or a meal out. Arco, Chevron, and Shell gas cards are usually available without pre-ordering, as well as Albertsons, Vons, and Smart and Final gift cards. Come by the scrip center on campus (located at the school store across from the Library/Media Center), send in an order form with your student, or call us at 648-6836 x126.

SHOP TO EARN IS HERE! It’s easy to use… just go to our web page: saintbonaventure.com and you will see on the right side of the page the Shop to Earn Program icon. Click on this title and you will go to an explanation of how Shop to Earn produces income for SBHS. Click on “Start Shopping” and you are at the “Shop to Earn St. Bonaventure Mall”. You have a choice of over 1,400 re-tailers. You can explore the coupons before you shop, set up an account that makes buying from your favorite stores quick and easy, view the retail list to see what percentage of your purchase is coming back to our school, or look to see who is a “green” merchant. If you, your family, friends, neighbors, or alumni ever buy online, this is a simple and easy way to give back to SBHS. The prices from the merchants are the same as if you had gone directly to their online store. NO ADDED COST TO YOU. So, please log on and take a look. If you have questions or comments you can call the scrip office at SBHS 805-648-6836x126.

School Outreach Efforts: On Wednesday, February 24th, St. Bonaventure students and staff hosted an afternoon educational experi-ence for neighboring Catholic School students titled “The Next Step on the Road to Success”. This experience was enjoyed by 110 students from Holy Cross, Our Lady of the Assumption, Sacred Heart, St. Mary Magdalen and St. Sebastian eighth grade students. The experience included introductory and team-building activities hosted by the Campus Ministry core team, lunch and the opportu-nity to enjoy hands-on, engaging educational activities (Geometry, English Literature, Chemistry and Drama). After benefitting from a taste of what high school will be like and having the opportunity to get to meet students from other schools, student feedback was exceptionally positive and recommended this activity be repeated in future years.

ALUMNI NEWS: New Alumni Web Page! The long awaited alumni page to our school website was launched March 1st. Alumni can access this page by going to the front page of the school website and clicking on the alumni button. Initially, this new page will allow alumni to enter information into the new alumni database for the purpose of receiving the school’s monthly newsletter and communications regarding regular school and special alumni events. Down the line, the intention is the enable this site to function as a networking site, whereby alumni can authorize other alumni to access their contact information. Spread the word. Our goal is to make this effort the cornerstone of building a functional alumni association.

Volunteer Hours: If you have submitted a form and your student’s name is not listed, or if you believe your total of volunteer hours are not correct, please contact Mr. Huntley at extension 107. A list of families who turn in their forms after March 18th will be in-cluded in next month’s edition of the Gazette. It is important that families submit their Parent Service Activity Check Off sheet as soon as hours have been completed so that the school’s records are up to date. These forms are due no later than May 15th. Invoices will be sent home mid-May at the rate of $10 per unworked hour. FYI: In addition to numerous school activities, the remaining fundraisers (Fiesta and Golf Tournament) are still looking for volunteers.

Parent Volunteer Hours To date 94 families have turned in completed Parent Service Activity Check Off sheets to account for required service hours (last updated 3/12/10). A reminder to all parents – each family is required to offer a minimum of twenty-five (25) hours of service to the school for the 2008-09 school year. Families who prefer can opt out of the requirement by paying $250. It is the responsibility of each family to record their volunteer hours using the "2008-09 Family Volunteer Service Record Sheet" and submit the form to the school office. Copies of this form can be picked up in the main office.

STUDENT LAST NAME

STUDENT FIRST NAME

HOURS STUDENT LAST NAME

STUDENT FIRST NAME

HOURS

Ackerman Rebecca 3 Nunez Ryan 64

Alvarez Daniel 27 Olson Joshua 26

Anderson Jacob 35 Ondrejko Daniel John 26

Andresen Whitney 25 Owens Alyssa 25

Baida Joshua 36 Pena Andres 13.5

Becerra Philip & Veronica 26 Penny Cameron 27

Boales Conor & Jessica 35 Pettit Bridget 25+

Brock Taylor 14 Poteracke Breanna 24.5

Brown Kenedee 4 Riley Sean 28

Chandler Mallory 30 Rosales Nicolette 27.5

Conlson Anna 29.5 Rosario Michele 18

Dann Mary 28.5 Ruiz Janessa 28.5

Davis Dylan 26.2 Sacher Michael 0

Deverick Emily 25 Schimmel Kimberly 26.5

Diaz Reyna 25 Sgobassi Danny 27.5

DiGiglio Philip 32.5 Sinner Joey 15

Dolvick Brendan 40 Soderman Tyler 17.5

Dwyer Patrick 42 Sofer John 30

Fonseca Jaron 36 Souza Tieler 33

Gallimore Layne 31 Tamayo Noelle 0

Gaston Jayshan 38 Thompson Paul 48.5

Jefferson Jalen 25 Trad Justin 60

Magana Brian 69 Triana Jaecob 31

Maxwell Kaitlin 44.5 Vasquez Robert 19

McDaniel Dylan 22 Vasquez Jacob 25

Meade Michael 22 Weigel Patrick 25

Miller Tyler Jade 18.5 Weik Edison 25

Morger Trey 27 Young Hunter 35

Norton Dominique 0

The Wheel of Fortune

Simply spin the wheel and WIN a prize!

We need your donations of unopened items with a value of $5 or greater to

make this game a success.

Suggestions: gift cards to restaurants,

retailers, movies, gas, car washes, I-tune cards, hair and nail salons.

Electronics, tools, sporting goods, tickets to sporting events & family activities.

Please help support your school

with the Wheel of Fortune.

Send your donations to the school

to the attention of Mr. Huntley.

$10 donation value = 1 service hour

Baked Goods Needed for the Sweet Shop

All items MUST be individually wrapped! Any baked goods that include nuts MUST be

labeled with the type of nuts.

Service Hour Equivalency Guideline:

Frosted sheet cake or layer cake 1 hour

9 x 5 breads or cakes 1 hour

2 dozen home baked cookies 1 hour

2 dozen bar cookies or brownies (cut 3 x 3) 1 hour

2 dozen cupcakes 1 hour

Store bought items $10 = 1 hour

Please bring items to the school (room 801) on Saturday May 2nd between 9:00 a.m. and noon, or Sunday morning May 3rd. If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Basolo at

tbasolo@saintbonaventure.com or 648-6836 x201.

Message from the Dean of Curriculum

The Admissions Committee recently registered the future class of 2014! We are excited as they begin their journey. This year we are seeing an increase in students applying from our Catholic partner schools. The end of the third quarter was March 31st. Congratulations to our seniors who have been accepted to the colleges of their choice! Spring time will bring more acceptances and more information regarding Math and English placement test-ing, housing and orientation. Check your emails frequently for this information. Let Mr. Groff know which colleges have accepted you! We are proud of you! Registration packets have been distributed and course selection was due on March 31st. The registration fee is due April 1st. If you are still trying to make course selections for the fall, please contact your student’s academic counselor for help. As we near the end of the school year, we want to remind you of a few important reminders for your students: For juniors, this is a good time to take the SAT, SAT II or ACT. Refer to college board.com or act.org for test dates. For jun-iors and seniors, AP testing begins in May. Also, if you are a student-athlete looking to compete at the collegiate level, see Mrs. Quirk for NCAA information and application. If you are trying to decide what electives to take, you may want to consider Accounting in the fall. Here’s why.......If you are interested in an exciting career that will allow you to work in any industry, or field of interest, ACCOUNTING is for you. Accountants don’t just ‘crunch’ numbers! Accountants get involved with management of the business. Re-member that every business needs someone to do their accounting work. Consider working for one of the following or-ganizations:

Google (High tech, fast growing companies!) USC (Yeah! Universities need accountants too.) The Los Angeles Lakers (All sports teams need accountants.) The FBI or the CIA (Yes! They keep track of finances and do investigative, auditing work, looking for companies

or individuals who break the rules.) IN-N-OUT BURGER (Small companies too!) The Goo Goo Dolls (Rock bands and musical groups need accountants.) FedEx (International companies. Would you like to work in a foreign country?) PricewaterhouseCoopers (Certified public accounting firms.)

Just a reminder for next year, Mrs. Valle will be the Sophomore Counselor, Mrs. Lajoie will be the Freshmen and Junior Counselor, and Mr. Hahn and Mrs. Quirk will be the Senior Counselors. Frequently during the school year, the counselors are asked for test taking tips. I recently found a great article from Col-legeboard.com, filled with test taking strategies that I thought would be helpful for our students.

Handling Test Stress- Practical Tips to Help Your Child

In high school, your child's life is a whirlwind of tests, from midterms and finals to the PSAT/NMSQT® and SAT® tests. With all this experience, it may seem like taking tests should be a breeze for your child. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. Pressure to get high marks can increase a student's anxiety over grades, and make tests a nerve-wracking ex-perience.

Good Stress and Bad Stress Some stress before a test can actually be helpful. Just as stress at a job can push you to work harder, test stress can motivate students to put forth their best effort. However, too much anxiety can weaken stu-dents' confidence. The anxiety that students feel when faced with an exam can create a kind of noise or static in their minds. Unless they're able to relax, that noise can block their ability to recall important information. It can also impair their comprehension and reasoning, which makes problem-solving very difficult. As a result, students may receive grades that don't really reflect their hard work and abilities. Continued next page

Message from the Dean of Curriculum

continued from previous page Tips for Calming Test-Time Jitters If your child gets nervous before tests for classes, encourage her to try the follow-ing tips and strategies for keeping anxiety down and energy up for the next big exam.

Before the Test

Don't cram: Studying like crazy the night before an exam can leave your child exhausted and more stressed out than before, so20encourage her to study in small doses over several days. Take practice tests: Knowing the format and style of a test can keep anxiety at bay, so have your child take practice exams if they're available. Get a good night's sleep: Lack of sleep contributes heavily to anxiety. Be sure your child goes to bed early the night before an exam. Eat a healthy breakfast: Blood sugar is at its lowest in the morning. In order for your child to think and problem-solve effectively, she needs a good breakfast. Exercise: Encourage your child to engage in physical activity before the test to reduce body tension. For example, take a brisk walk or jog. Come early and prepared: By arriving to the test early and with the right supplies (e.g., No.2 pencils, calculator), your child can avoid stressing out about small details. This will allow her to focus on the task at hand.

During the Test

Preview the exam and budget time: By previewing the test, your child can avoid any unexpected surprises (and anxi-ety). It will also give her the opportunity to budget her time so she doesn't spend too long on any one section. Jot notes: Jotting down brief notes right away can help your child feel less anxious about forgetting important facts or key information. Read all directions: Some students are so anxious to get the test over with that they fail to r ead the directions. Answer easy questions first: Getting the easier questions out of the way allows your child to focus her energy and time on the harder questions. Rephrase difficult questions: Putting difficult questions in her own words can help your child slow down and really think about the problem. But your child should be careful not to change the questions' meanings when re-writing them. Organize thoughts before writing: Your child should organize her responses to short-answer and essay questions be-fore diving in. Having a plan will help her feel confident while she's writing. Think positively: Negative thoughts during a test (e.g., "I'm going to fail") can destroy your child's confidence. Encour-age her to override negative thoughts with positive ones (e.g., "I studied hard and I know my facts. I'll do great on this test.") Relax: If your child starts to feel stress during a test, she should try quick relaxation techniques, such as:

Taking deep breaths, and letting out tension with each exhale Tensing muscles for 5 seconds and releasing, repeating three times Visualizing a peaceful and relaxing setting

Keep in mind that using the tips above won't necessarily keep anxiety away completely. However, practicing these techniques can give your child the right skills to manage test stress when it does happen. With academic questions and concerns please call the Curriculum Office (x105). God Bless, Mrs. Christina Castro Vice Principal, Dean of Curriculum

Counseling Office News

The 2010 Boys’ State Representative from SBHS is junior Daniel Alvarez. The first alternate is Mitchell Fanning. Other candidates were Esteban Almazan, Philip Becerra, Andrew Frantela, and Tanner Souza. The Boys’ State Conference is from June 19-26 at Cal State University in Sacramento, CA. Boys’ State teaches our youth the duties, rights, and responsibilities of American citizenship. The qualities required of a Boys State candidate are: strong academic record, extra-curricular activities, community activities, leadership, and fine character with good values, integrity, positive demeanor, and an interest in government. Nineteen students will be participating in the Ventura county Science fair in April. Projects categories include engineering, computers, chemistry and microbiology. The awards night and public viewing of the projects is on April 15, 6:30 to 8:00pm in the Anacapa Hall at Seaside park. The advanced chemistry class will be participating in the chemistry Olympiad on March 25. The competition is spon-sored by the American Chemical Society.

COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

Youth Scholarship Program California Alarm Asso./ESA $1,000 Scholarship Eligibility: Each student must have a father, mother, or legal guardian who is on active duty DEADLINE: April 5, 2010 www.CAAonline.org Rotary Club of Ojai Eligibility: Resident of Ojai, college acceptance, need financial aid, and good character. DEADLINE: April 2, 2010 National Association of Women in Construction www.nawicventuraoxnard.org/scholarship/html Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Mail to: Xi Kappa Omega Chapter-Scholarship Committee P.O. Box 7732 Oxnard, CA. 93031 Eligibility: African America Heritage, 2.75+ GPA DEADLINE: 4/9/10 Experimental Aircraft Association Contact Email: skivo@nwc.net DEADLINE: 5/1/10 Sunrise and East Ventura Optimist Clubs Two $ 1,000 Scholarships Complete application: 2-page essay, double-spaced, on “The Internet, Today’s Evolution or Tomorrow’s Menace”? and secure 3 letters of recommendation. DEADLINE: April 23, 2010. See Mr. Hahn in the Counseling Office for paper applications.

Summer Programs

Studio Art Centers International www.Saci-florence.edu Where: New York For: Studio classes, offered at all levels, include oil and fresco painting, drawing, illustration, etching, lithography, seri-graphy, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, digital multimedia, environmental design, graphic design, interior de-sign, book arts, batik. Engineering Innovation engineering-innovation@jhu.edu Where: Johns Hopkins University For: Engineering Carnegie Mellon www.cmu.edu/enrollment/pre-college Where: Pennsylvania For: Architecture, art, design, drama, music When: June 26- August 6 Earlham College Summer School www.earlham.edu/~eac Where: Richmond, IN For: 9th, 10th, or 11th grade students

California Lutheran University Summer Experience www.callutheran.edu/summerlaunch Where: Thousand Oaks, CA. Upcoming Dates and Deadlines SBHS School Code is 053650. SAT Date – June 5, Deadline to register is April 29 Visit www.collegeboard.com to register! ACT Date – June 12, Deadline to register is May 7 Visit www.actstudent.org to register!

College Readiness

Several studies have shown that students are arriving to college unprepared for the intellectual demands and expectations of postsecondary. They often need further development in critical thinking and problem solving. The following are key cognitive strategies necessary for college: Intellectual Openness: Student possesses a curiosity for deeper understanding, questions views of others when not sup-ported logically, accepts constructive criticism, and changes personal views if warranted by the evidence. Inquisitiveness: Student engages in active inquiry and dialogue about subject matter and research questions and seeks evidence to defend arguments, explanations or lines of reasoning. Analysis: Student identifies and evaluates data, material, and sources for quality of content, validity, credibility and relevance. Reasoning, Argumentation & Proof: Student constructs well-reasoned arguments or proofs to explain issues; utilizes recognized forms of reasoning to construct an argument and defend a point of view; accepts critiques of challenges and addressing them by providing logical explanations. Interpretation: Student analyzes conflicting descriptions of an issue to determine the strengths and flaws in each de-scription and any commonalities or distinctions between them. Precision & Accuracy: The student knows what type of precision is appropriate to the task and the subject area. Problem Solving: Student develops and applies multiple strategies to solve problems.

Counseling Office News

APRIL DATES TO REMEMBER

1 Registration Due

Faculty Inservice

NO SCHOOL

Easter Vacation

Holy Thursday

2

NO SCHOOL

Easter Vacation

Good Friday

3

4

Easter

5

EASTER VACATION

6

EASTER VACATION

7

EASTER VACATION

8

EASTER VACATION

9

EASTER VACATION

10

11

12

SCHOOL RESUMES

4th Quarter

Begins

13

14

15 16

17

18

19

20

21

Open House/Information

Night

Faculty Meeting

22

23

24

Creative Dance Concert

25

Creative Dance Concert

26

27 28

29 30

St. Bonaventure High School 3167 Telegraph Road Ventura, CA 93003

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

US Postage Paid

Oxnard, CA

Permit #318

SAVE THE DATE…

St. Bonaventure High School 20th Annual Golf Tournament

Monday, June 7th, 2010 Moorpark Country Club 11:00 a.m. Shotgun Start

Affordable Individual Entry Fee Corporate & Tee Sign Sponsorships Available

Information flyer coming soon!!!

For more information Contact Lou Torres at tprobie@verizon.net

or Patrick at Patrick.Piccininno@uniform.aramark.com