THE GREEN & GOLD GAZETTE January 2017

Principal’s Message Dear Parents In the mood for a little humor? This short story could be described as “being on the outside looking in”. One day a man came home from work to find everything in total disorder. The children were still in their pajamas, playing outside in the drizzling rain; they were filthy dirty. As he entered the house, he found a complete mess. Dirty dishes on the sink and table, dog food spilled on the floor, food scraps dotted throughout the kitchen. Passing the family room, he noticed there were toys and clothing thrown randomly on the furniture and carpet. Concerned that his wife might be ill or something might have happened to her, he headed up the stairs to look for her, carefully stepping over toys and avoiding the food smudges on the wall. He reached the bedroom and found his wife lounging in bed still in her pajamas, reading a book. She looked up at him, smiled and asked how his day had gone. Bewildered, he asked, “What happened here today?” Smiling, his wife replied, “You know when you come home from work every day and ask me what I did today?” “Yes,” he replied. “Well, today I didn’t do it,” she replied.

When we are on the “inside looking out” parenting can be a very serious matter – if we allow it to be. If we are able to take ourselves less seriously, we can feel better in mind and body and create more fond memories for our family and ourselves. Humor can help break a negative mood between us and our children. When we issue angry commands, children of all ages tend to dig in their toes and resist; this benefits no one. Humor can help us find a lighter side of working together to create harmony within our family. To have a sense of humor is to have the ability to see the bigger picture of life including its contradictions and difficulties. A brief paraphrase of the Creation Story in the Book of Genesis might go something like this: “After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. God told them not to eat the forbidden fruit; but they did.” The moral from the story might be that if God had trouble raising children, what makes us think it will be easy for us? P.S. God’s punishment for Adam and Eve was that they should have children of their own! There is a vast amount of research to support the value of smiling, of lightening up, laughing more often. A smile is an effective way to connect with people in a positive way and, what’s more, it improves our appearance. Research also tells us that children, who grow up with humor and laughter, are more resilient under stress and illness. Children detest sarcasm being directed at them but love to be part of a good joke, a good prank and especially love to be around happy parents. Of course, if humor abandons us completely, we can always take the advice on the back of the Advil packet: “Take two tablets.” “Keep out of reach of children.” “Lord, help us to be open-minded and happy in our own way; guide our parenting to lead our children to be happy in their own way. Amen.” Peace and Best Wishes,

Marc Groff Mr. Marc Groff Principal

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 Mr. Marc Groff, Principal Mrs. Tina Castro, Vice-Principal

Message from the Dean of Curriculum HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you have all had a restful and enjoyable Christmas Holiday! Faculty and Staff had a very nice break and are recharged to return! For me, personally, this is where my job at SBHS gets exciting. We are starting to hear where our seniors have been accepted. Many students are beginning to receive notification of their acceptances, grants and scholarships. Seeing them prepare for that next journey is an awesome experience, and these last 3 ½ years have gone by very fast! We all are extremely proud of our students and their accomplishments! PSAT and PSAT 8/9 results are in and available to view through College Board. Your student’s counselor will be visiting classrooms to go over the test results with the students. We will also host an info night for students and parents. (TBA) The PSAT results are a great learning tool for the student for many reasons. It provides the student with information such as how competitive they are with all students, throughout the U.S., taking that same test. These are the same students that will be competing against our students for a spot at the college of their choice. Math and English teachers are also analyzing this data to check the progress of their students. This is a good resource for our faculty as it influences our lesson plans and assessments, and also validates student placement in their courses. As always, check the school website to keep current with the latest. Mrs. Christina Castro ‘86 Vice Principal, Dean of Curriculum

Around Campus

Christmas Karaoke with Jessica Gomez and Zachary Meade

Counseling Center News PSAT SCORES There will be a scores back and general college information night for 9th, 10th and 11th grades this month. Stay tuned for details! (Counselors will also be visiting classes during the month of January to give students an explanation of their scores). Comprehensive SAT Class @ St. Bonaventure Juniors, don’t miss this opportunity to jump start your SAT Prep! St. Bonaventure High School, in conjunction with local SAT/ACT Prep Experts Tried & True Tutoring, is hosting a comprehensive, 20-hour SAT class to help our students maximize their SAT score on test day. This class is perfect for students planning on taking the March 14th, May 2nd, or June 6th SAT exam. Dates TBA! SAT/ACT REGISTRATION DATES: Juniors should begin taking the SAT/ACT in the spring. SAT

ACT

January 21 – Register by January 03 March 11 – Register by February 10 May 6 - Register by April 7 June 3 – Register by May 9

February 11 – Register by January 13 April 8 – Register by March 3 June 10 - Register by May 5

Please read the Prepping for College Newsletter for information on: ♦ Resources for College Planning ♦ FAFSA & Financial Aid for Seniors ♦ College Application Follow Up ♦ Transcripts ♦ College Financial Aid Night ♦ Ventura College Information & Dates

Outreach News Saint Bonaventure High School will be hosting an Open House on Sunday, January 8th at 1 p.m. for prospective students and families. SBHS student ambassadors and staff will be providing guided tours of the campus and answering questions. Applications for the 2017-2018 school year are currently being accepted. Parents can register in the school office or online at www.saintbonaventure.com. Questions regarding freshman admissions can be directed to Mr. Palomares at [email protected] and admissions to all other grades can be directed to Mrs. Castro at [email protected].

Important Admissions Dates ♦ ♦ ♦

January 8th, 1:00-3:00 pm: Open House II January 21st, 7:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.: High School Placement Test Mailed March 3rd: Admissions Notices for 9th Graders

January 2017 Sun

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New Year’s Day

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NO SCHOOL Christmas Vacation 9

Open House 1:00-3:00

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NO SCHOOL Christmas Vacation

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Faculty Meeting

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SAT High School Placement Test Einstein, Wine & Brew

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Winter Rally

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Late Mass Schedule

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