Northwest Catholic High School



8carol@.

Help Wanted: Parents’ Nights at the NWC Phonathons

We know: No one loves a phonathon … but they are critically important to our fundraising. The contributions pledged during our annual Northwest Catholic Fund phonathon represent a significant portion of the total raised each year by the Advancement Office. Won’t you help? No experience needed; we’ll train you (and feed you dinner). Besides helping the school, this is a great way to meet other parents. Volunteer for our special calling nights for current parents -- Sun., Oct. 26 and Mon., Oct. 27 – by contacting Jane Leary in Advancement (jleary@).

Be on the lookout for …

… information the students may soon receive about some new activities this year. We hope to add a chapter of The Squires (the young men’s division of the Knights of Columbus). We’re also looking to add a season of Unified Sports in the spring. And, we’re encouraging students to join the CT Youth Forum and ACE (an architectural/construction/engineering club).

Wampanoag Drive and the Golden Rule

Here’s a special request made out of respect to our neighbors on Wampanoag Drive. Please, as you drive up the street (especially in the morning), be considerate and let the residents get out of their driveways. Like you, these folks are also trying to get to school and to work. Just treat them the way you’d like to be treated! Remember, Wampanoag Drive is a town road – just like the streets that we all live on -- and is not a driveway for Northwest Catholic. And, please remember that we are NOT PERMITTED TO TURN LEFT onto Main Street between 7:30 and 8am and 2-2:30pm. Sheep Hill Drive remains a more accessible option for people to drop off and pick up students.

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Mark Your Calendars

for the 25th Annual

Saturday Night Live –

The 25th Anniversary Edition!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

6:30pm–12:00am

Please join us for a “sparkling” evening of entertainment that celebrates the community that is

Northwest Catholic families and friends.

[pic] Comedy Club: Come and by mystified by our Comedic Hypnotist! This room is always one of the biggest highlights of the evening.

• Gospel Choir: An annual favorite, the Gospel Choir is back with new voices to enliven your spirits.

• New this year! The Bistro Café (serving bread bowls with an assortment of soups); Studio 29 (a dance club); and the Jazz Club (featuring a jazz band).

[pic] Irish Pub: Back for its 25th year! Order up some Irish brews while listening to the best of traditional Celtic music.

[pic] International Food Court: You’ll have a hard time choosing among the delicious cuisines -- Italian, Chinese, BBQ, and Caribbean, to name just a few. How about an international beer to complement your meal?

[pic] Starlight Café: Sweet tooth? A visit (or two) to the Starlight Café will help to satisfy it … choose from a tantalizing selection of cakes, pies and pastries. Come relax and enjoy!

[pic] Silent Auction – with a Silver Twist! Don’t miss the chance to bid on the treasures that are the hallmark of the SNL Silent Auction: Exotic trips, tickets to plays or sporting events, theme baskets, gift certificates -- and this year, a table with everything silver (jewelry, frames, serving pieces, etc.), all in honor of SNL’s 25th Anniversary).

• Pep Shop: An all-new selection of NWC merchandise! Something for everyone in the family – a great way to show your school spirit. How about Christmas gifts? Cross some names off your list and support NWC in the process.

• Sports Bar: Relive some of the latest and greatest moments in Northwest Catholic sports as they are replayed on the big screen!

• Casa de Vino: Drop in to the NWC House of Wine and allow our hosts to present this year’s array of fine wines.

[pic] Margarita & Martini Bar: Whether you are in the mood for a taste from South of the Border or a sophisticated martini, we’ve got you covered.

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Of course we want you all to come share in the fun of Saturday Night Live, but we could also use your help.

Volunteer to work an hour or two –

It’s part of the fun of SNL!!

New to Northwest Catholic? New to Saturday Night Live? No matter … come and help for a couple of hours that night, and you’re sure to meet new friends. Contact Camille Kilgore (ccrsck@) to volunteer.  Here are some other ways to help:

❖ Donate goods and services to the Silent Auction! Tickets to a ballgame or show, time at a vacation home, pieces of art, and handcrafted items are always very popular, but gifts of time and talent are equally enjoyed -- what service can you provide? Homemade pies for Thanksgiving, Christmas gift wrapping, a brunch or dinner that you “cater,” private lessons in cooking, sewing, sailing, or fishing? How about your own inventive take on our “silver auction” table, filled only with silver things, in honor of the 25th anniversary of SNL? Submit the attached SNL Donation Form or complete it on-line (, click on Parents, then SNL) – the key thing right now is not the delivery of the item, but the commitment of what’s coming. Contributions are due in the Advancement Office by Friday, Nov. 7. For more information or to volunteer to help, contact Maribeth Mortillaro (658-7577 or MortillaroJ@).

❖ Become an advertising partner! Parents, alumni and business friends are invited to become Room Sponsors or to place ads in the SNL Program (which will be given out to at least 600 people). Room sponsors have a banner outside their room with their name or company logo; recognition in the SNL program; and (new this year) an ad on the SNL web site! Room sponsor and advertising commitment forms are available on .

❖ Create (or buy) a beautiful and delectable dessert for the Starlight Café. Do you know of a bakery that makes beautiful desserts? Is your cheesecake the family favorite? We are looking for specialty desserts: cakes, pies, cheesecakes, or pastries. To contribute, contact Beth Cannone (jncannone@) or Anne Kelly (rkelly370@).

❖ Help us find “former SNL cast members!” Saturday Night Live is marking its 25th anniversary partly because of a great volunteer legacy … 25 years of Co-Chairs, Room Chairs, and myriad other helpers have pulled this magical night together. Do you know alumni parents who were part of SNL “back in the day?” Please contact Jane Leary (jleary@) to make sure they’re on the invite list for this year’s celebration!

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Volume XI – Number Two – October 2008

Michelle M. Murphy, Director of Communications

Mark Your Calendars!

• Next Parents’ Club meeting: Monday, Oct. 20, 7:00pm. “How to Pay for College.” Guest speaker: Financial advisor Charles Wareham. It’s never too early to start planning!

• Saturday Night Live: Saturday, Nov. 22 – the 25th Anniversary Edition! Everyone’s help is needed for the biggest and most important fundraiser of the year. Contact co-chairs Gail Riley (riley137@) or Carol Ciotto (8carol@) to help.

•

Minutes from the September Parents’ Club Meeting

Our first Parents’ Club meeting of the year began with our traditional (and well-attended) potluck supper. Parents’ Club co-chair Alan Lake offered a warm welcome to new and returning families, followed by a brief prayer by Mrs. Williamson.

In her principal’s report, Mrs. Williamson mentioned several technology upgrades, including web site enhancements, the introduction of Naviance (new Guidance Department software), and her new favorite: School Reach (automated phone message service). Other improvements include the renovation of two more classrooms (with SMART Boards), new trophy cases, and the transformation of the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms. The Professional Learning Community (PLC) program continues to move forward with success. The teachers’ first PLC meeting will be on Wednesday with all students dismissed early. In academic news, we have one National Merit Semifinalist.

We celebrated a schoolwide Mass recently, and Mass will continue to be offered every Tuesday in our chapel after school. Ongoing service opportunities include ConnectiKids tutoring, Catholic Worker House on Thursdays, monthly soup kitchen visits, and others as they arise. All Fall sports teams are working hard. Mrs. Williamson encourages us all to check the teams’ schedules and try to come out to cheer them on. Other extracurricular activities are just getting started. The freshman dance was very successful, with 85% of the class attending. The first schoolwide dance will be on September 19. Mrs. Williamson also said the school is working on a Master Plan for the buildings and grounds, and will seek input over the next month or so from various constituencies, including parents.

Other speakers at the meeting included Director of Constituent Relations Jane Leary (who spoke about phonathons, Grandparents’ Day, the golf tournament, and other Advancement areas in which parents can volunteer); Director of Communications Michelle Murphy (who demonstrated parent-friendly upgrades to the school web site); Saturday Night Live co-chair Gail Riley (who encouraged parent support of this important fundraiser); and Hospitality co-chair Cindy Gworek (who asked for help at three key school events). Details about these requests appear inside this issue of Parent Press.

The Northwest Catholic Community Welcomes…

Thomas J. Steen as Director of Advancement. Tom has 30 years of experience working in management and fundraising for the YMCA in Ohio, Florida, New York, and Connecticut. Responsible for a staff of three in the Advancement Office (Colby Thresher, Jane Leary, and Debra LeBel), Tom will be overseeing all fundraising, reunions, and other special events (such as Grandparents’ Day and the golf tournament). A graduate of Springfield College, Tom and his wife Tina have three children. They have lived in Simsbury for the past three years, where they belong to St. Mary’s Parish.

Wondering How to Pay for College?

Financial Advisor to Offer Insights at October Parents’ Club Meeting

With a shaky economy and skyrocketing college costs, all parents are facing the same dilemma: How in the world will we ever be able to pay for college? Come and get some ideas from financial advisor Charles Wareham, who will be the guest speaker at the October 20 meeting of the Parents’ Club (7pm).

Wareham, of Wareham and Associates in Hartford, has been a financial advisor since 1992. He specializes in college planning, retirement planning, estate planning, and investment portfolio design. He speaks regularly to Connecticut high school parents about college funding strategies.

Some of his topics will include:

• How to maximize your financial aid eligibility

• How to save for college tax free, and other opportunities created by the new tax law

• How to best use low-interest government loans

Creative strategies for funding college costs

• The four primary sources of college funding

• College investment strategies and current market outlook

Pep Shop News

When it comes to Northwest Catholic, do you wear your heart on your sleeve? Check out all the great new paraphernalia for sale this year at the NWC Pep Shop, which is located in the school cafeteria. The Pep Shop, managed by the parent-run Tomahawk Club, is generally open on the second and fourth Friday of every month, from 10:30am-12:30pm.

Pep Shop items will also be available at the Concession Stand at the Varsity home football games, when possible.

And, look for the Pep Shop display at Saturday Night Live on Nov. 22 – a great chance to pick up some Christmas gifts. And speaking of Christmas gifts … what could be better than a varsity jacket for the new varsity athlete in your family? To order, contact Diane McAndrews at 521-1140. Students must provide their Varsity Letter and a check ($175.00 for sizes S, M, and L; $185.00 for XXL; and $10.00 for each sport beyond the first one embroidered). Please contact Carol Ciotto at

8carol@ with any Pep Shop or Tomahawk Club questions.

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National Merit Scholarship Program Honors Nine Seniors

Nine outstanding seniors have been honored by the National Merit Scholarship Program for exceptional performance on the PSAT/NMSQTs taken in October 2007, when they were juniors.

Nicole Boucher, the daughter of James and Kristen Boucher of Hartford, was named a National Merit Semifinalist – one of the 16,000 highest-scoring students in the country, out of 1.5 million who took the exam. Seven students were named National Merit Commended students: Kristen Bachteler, daughter of James and Noreen Bachteler of West Hartford; Jessica DiFrancesco, daughter of Giuliano and Edith DiFrancesco of Avon; James Duncan, son of James and Susan Duncan of Bloomfield; Nicole Milewski, daughter of Steve and Cathy Milewski of Newington; Michael Murray, son of Paul and Kathleen Murray of Windsor; Emily Schwartz, daughter of Peter and Laurie Schwartz of West Hartford; and Katherine Ulrich, daughter of Kathleen Ulrich of West Hartford. And one student, Sarah Chambers, the daughter of Gregory Chambers of New Hartford and Marva Jones of West Hartford, was named a Semifinalist in the National Achievement Scholarship Program for Black Students.

Nicole Boucher and Sarah Chambers will now continue in the competition for possible designation as Finalists in their competitions and for one of the Merit Scholarships that will be awarded next spring.

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Health Notes from Marilyn Adamo, RN

This Fall at NWC’s Mortensen Theater…

… the line-up includes two promising productions from the Northwest Catholic Dramateurs:

• “Revolution ’08,” a clever and funny one-act play, will be performed on Friday, Oct. 10 at 7:30pm and on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 2pm. Written and directed by Kristin Tomaiuolo '10, it's about a girl who has a very interesting nightmare about school. Tickets are $3 (students and prospective students of Northwest Catholic are not charged admission).

• And on Dec. 5 and 6 (at 7:30pm) and Dec. 7 (2pm), students will perform “Murder on the Nile,” a classic Agatha Christie mystery. Auditions will be held in October.

Special Note: Our Family Pasta Suppers were so popular in the spring, we’ve decided to add one in the fall, too! The Drama and Music Departments will sponsor a fall Pasta Supper on Sat., Dec. 6. Dinner will be served from 5:15-6:45 pm. Dinner tickets are $8 (adults and students) and $5 (children under 12).  We’re also offering a special combination dinner/show ticket: $12 for adults, $9 for children under 12.

Tickets for the dinner must be purchased in advance and no later than Dec. 3, so we can plan for the right amount of food.  Tickets will be available in the school office from Nov. 24-Dec. 3.  To make this fundraiser a success, we need volunteers to run the dinner, along with donations of food and paper goods. Because the proceeds from this trip will be used to offset the Music Department's trip to Disney World, we ask that Music Department parents donate the goods and help run this dinner.  If you are able to help in any way, please contact Cindy Gworek (529-0005 or gworek@). Thanks in advance for your support of the Music and Drama departments!

School Web Site Becomes More Useful (and User-Friendly)

The Northwest Catholic web site () now includes two features – Calendar Manager and Athletics Manager – designed to make the site easier to use (and more useful, too).

 

To get to the new calendar, click on the “Calendar” box on the home page. You’ll find the activities and events from the school calendar combined with the dates and times of all NWC games (but not practices). You can customize it with your own preferences, and you can export it or synch it with your personal calendar on Outlook or Palm (use the icons on the upper-right-hand corner of the page; for help, click on the question mark).

 

For the new Athletics features, click on the “Athletics” tab on the home page, then click on “Teams and Schedules” or “Opponents and Directions” on the left. You’ll find a complete listing of all games or meets (varsity, junior varsity, freshman), plus locations and directions.

 

Best of all, you can now sign up to get reminders or updated information about games sent directly to you! Just click on the yellow bell icon that appears next to the events or teams you’re interested in and complete the very basic log-in information. You can get updates via e-mail, text message, or both.

 

Questions? Contact Michelle Murphy at mmurphy@.

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In the event of bad weather overnight, check the school web site () for a red “alert” box on the home page indicating whether school will open late or not at all. You may also listen for a separate announcement for Northwest Catholic on WTIC-AM 1080; WTIC-FM 96.5; WZMX-FM 93.7; WDRC-AM 1360 or WRCH-FM 100.5; or watch Channel 3 or Channel 30. Notices will also be posted on the following web sites: ; ; ; ; ; and . And, there will be a message on the school’s answering machine. We will NOT use the new SchoolReach phone message system if school is delayed or closed; that communication mode will be used only for early

dismissals. Early dismissal time is usually around

noon, and buses will run on early

dismissal days.

Now that fall has arrived and we are back in the routine of the school, please take a moment to review some policies from the Health Office. State of Connecticut Laws or standing orders from the West Hartford Non-Public School Director, Dr. Neil Stein, dictate most of these policies.

A licensed practitioner must prescribe all medications that a child takes at school, including over-the-counter medications such as cough syrups, allergy pills, etc. The school nurse is not allowed to accept a medication from a parent alone, with the exception of the pink Tylenol/Ibuprofen form that the parent may sign as it is a standing order from Dr. Stein. Tylenol and Ibuprofen are stocked in the Health Office and can be given as long as there is a signed pink form on file from the child’s parent. All prescription medication should be brought to the nurse’s office in the original pharmacy container with a permission form signed by the parent and the practitioner before it can be administered. It will save you time and insure that this regulation is met if you obtain an authorization form from the nurse (one was mailed this summer) and take it with you to the doctor. Your pharmacy will give you an extra container if the medication needs to be taken at school. If a medication is to be given twice a day, please give the first dose before your child leaves for school and the second dose in the evening at home. Likewise if a medication is to be given three times a day, please administer the first dose at home before school; the second dose can be administered when a child arrives home from school, and the third dose administered at home before bedtime.

To ensure the good health of all of our students, please keep students at home for at least 24 hours after illnesses that include vomiting or fever. Students who become ill at school need to be picked up within an hour of when you are notified.

A note from your child’s practitioner is required to excuse or re-admit a student to physical education programs when an injury is involved.

Please advise the nurse of any change in your child’s health, including new diagnoses, medication taken both at home and school, surgeries, fractures, communicable disease or any social or emotional issues. Students can be very sensitive to many life events that occur in families, and, while they are generally pretty resilient, these life events can affect a child’s health and well-being. Confidentiality is always respected but there are times when, with the parents’ permission, it is important to let a few key people know that there is a problem so we can make accommodations for the student.

Marilyn Adamo, the school nurse, is always happy to speak with parents and can be reached at x123. Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions.

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Weather or Not

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Please note:

Northwest Catholic usually follows what West Hartford does in terms of schools closings for weather; however, sometimes decisions are made just for NWC depending on weather conditions in the greater Hartford area.

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Reminders

Next Parents’ Club Meetings: Monday, October 20 @ 7:00pm

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Catholic Youth Spectacular ……………………… ………Oct. 4

One-Act Play…….…………………………………………….Oct. 10, 7:30pm, Oct. 12, 2pm

NO SCHOOL (Columbus Day) ……………………………Oct. 13

PSAT/PLAN tests administered (No school for seniors) … Oct. 15

Homecoming Football Game…………………………… ……Oct. 18, 10:45am

Homecoming Dance…………………………………………… Oct. 18, 8–11pm

NO SCHOOL (Archdiocesan In-Service Day) …………Oct. 22

Please visit for full calendar and sports schedules.

Northwest Catholic High School

29 Wampanoag Drive

West Hartford, CT 06117

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Non-profit Org.

U.S. Postage PAID

Hartford, CT

Permit No. 246

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To keep our new SNL web site () fresh and filled with great things, we’d love to know ASAP what you will be donating. We don’t even need the item yet – just the commitment! Complete a form (here or on-line at , click on Parents), send a photo if possible (to jleary@), and bring the item in to the Advancement Office by Nov.7. We want to be sure we acknowledge you (and your donation) properly in the program and on our bid sheets at the auction. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Northwest Catholic High School

Silent Auction Donation Form

Donor’s Name (as you wish it to appear in program): ________________________________

Acknowledgment should be sent to: ____________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________

City, ST Zip: ____________________________________________________________

Phone/E-Mail: ____________________________________________________________

Class Year (If Alum):___ Student Name/Grade (if Current Parent) ____________________

Yes or No: Photo of Donation Attached? ________ E-Mailed? ___________

Description of Donation ____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Value _______________________________

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