Newsletter Sept.

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree. (Matthew 13:31-33)

The 2006-2007 school year is off and running. Our faculty and staff are energized and ready to provide your children with the best possible learning and spiritual experience we can give them. We will, of course, need your cooperation and support throughout the year.

Parents Night is scheduled for September 13 (6:00-8:30 PM). This is an opportunity for parents to experience their child’s schedule. We promise to put you through your paces. Be ready! No quizzes or tests will be given.

Our first school dance is scheduled for September 29 (6:00 – 9:00 PM). This dance is open only to NC students. No guests are allowed. Appropriate dress is also required. If there is any inappropriate dress, activity or behavior, parents will be called immediately to come and pick up their child. The school may also take appropriate disciplinary action if necessary. Also note that our dances are teacher chaperoned. Students will not be allowed to leave the dance before 9:00 PM unless a parent comes into the dance to get their child. We asked that parents pick up their children promptly at 9:00 PM.

September 30 is the date for our Annual Great Cow Maneuver and Country Fair. Information about this date was sent home in recent mailings and student packets. This is a major fundraising event for our catholic schools in the area. Please participate in this worthy fundraising cause.

We recently received a health advisory from the State of New Hampshire’s Office of Community & Public Health on Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV). This was a standard advisory sent to all schools throughout the state recommending some common sense steps to take to reduce the risk of EEE and WNV to those living in NH. For more information you can call 1-866-273-6453 or visit the website at www.dhhs.state.nh.us

The New England Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges is sending a visiting team to our school on Sunday, October 1 through Wednesday October 4. The purpose of this visit is for accreditation. The Administration, faculty and staff have been going through a rigorous Self-Study process in preparation for this visit. I have to emphasize to parents and students that the accreditation process is in no way punitive. The process involves self-study, reflection, an honest assessment of strengths and weaknesses and may result in the visiting team making recommendations for growth and improvement. It will be a positive experience for all of us who are concerned with the continued growth and success of Nashua Catholic. We are holding a reception for the visiting team on Sunday, October 1 at 4:00 PM. Any parent who wishes to attend the reception and provide valuable input to the visiting team is invited to attend. Please contact the school if you are interested.

Admissions Corner

We have just stepped into a new school year and have already been asked about 2007-2008! It‘s such a joy to receive these calls! Many of them are prompted by our Nashua Catholic families so we would like to share some of our admission’s time table with you. We try to settle our current classes first in September. Our primary list of applicants starts October 1, 2006 for next year. This will insure that all families interested in NC will be notified about our Open House on November 29^th, Step-Up Day on January 26^thand asked to set up an interview at a convenient time. We appreciate the fact that you are sharing your Nashua Catholic experience with family and friends. Thank you for helping us to grow.

New School Chaplain: Please welcome Father Agapit Jean as our new school chaplain. We are absolutely delighted that Father Aggie is joining our Nashua Catholic family! Father Aggie is the pastor of St. John Neumann Parish in Merrimack and will be leading us in monthly liturgies and joining our students in class every now and then. We are grateful for the many gifts and talents he will bring to our Nashua Catholic community.

Book Club: There are two scheduled book discussions planned for this year. On Tuesday, November 7, 6:30- 8:00 PM all faculty, staff, parents, and friends of Nashua Catholic are invited to discuss the book, Clare: Her Spirituality Revealed in Her Letters by Claire Marie Ledoux. Please order your book from any bookstore or book website using the ISBN number 0-86716-368-2. St. Anthony Messenger Press is the publisher. Saint Clare mirrors the brilliant insights of St. Francis of Assisi, guiding us through an in depth view of humankind and Christ.

The second book club discussion is planned for March 7, 2007 at 6:30 PM. The book of choice for this night is 101 Questions and Answers on Vatican II, by Maureen Sullivan. For ordering purposes, the ISBN number is 0-8091-4133-7. The book is published by Paulist Press. The title speaks for itself. There are many Catholics who do not know much about this council or the resulting change that it brought to the Church. This book will bring everything into focus and show us that this council is a piece of history that still lives and inspires Catholics around the world.

If you are interested in joining the discussions, please email Mrs. McFadden at gmcfaddennc@yahoo.com.

During the month of September, the Prayer and Service Club will be gathering used summer clothing and flip-flops for school children in Ghana, South Africa. Mrs. Brennan’s daughter, Kathleen was a volunteer for GLONA this past summer in Ghana. She saw first hand the poverty of these school children and thought Nashua Catholic could help. GLONA provides free literacy and numeric education to children and young adults who have been unable to attend formal school. Please send in any summer clothing or flip flops that may be of use for any child ranging in ages 6-18. Have your child drop them off in room 306 with Mrs. McFadden. Within the next few weeks, look for pictures of our new friends in Ghana on the theology bulletin board near the theology classes. Please consider contributing to this very worthy cause.

Parents! Please be sure your child’s name is on or in their Carry Bag containing their after school sports gear.

Nashua Catholic will be hosting a Protecting God’s Children workshop on September 14, 2006 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM. If you are interested in attending this workshop please contact the school at 882-7011 or email pat.brittan@comcast.net.

The Diocese of Manchester requires all volunteers to go through the Protecting God’s Children Safe Environment Program. Call or email to sign up for the workshop if you are planning to volunteer at the school. If you are a new volunteer at the school and have attended a workshop at another location please email the information to me.

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