Dear St. Francis Families and Friends,
Spring has sprung and with Easter behind us we have quickly jumped into the celebration season. For many, it is a time for celebrating first communions, confirmations, Mother’s Day, and graduations. There is anxiety and excitement about moving on to the 9th grade or college as well as a mad dash to do well in class and on AP tests. For athletes, it is a time to PR in track and swimming or shoot your lowest score in golf; or, even hit a homerun in softball or baseball. I can also share that Mr. Dewig and his cast and crew presented three remarkable performances of the “The Music Man” musical this last weekend – April 26th-28th. All three nights were at capacity and all of us were again impressed with our students and Mr. Dewig. Thank you to the students as well as the parents who are part of the VAPA Booster’s team, as well as Mrs. Nicole Dewig for managing a great event. You helped with the setup, take down, selling of food, selling of raffle tickets, and basically ensured all had a great experience.
And now an update from the diocese: Bishop Richard Garcia recently expressed that he has not been feeling well and decided to clear his calendar to take time to rest. During this time, we have been able to assist him in seeing several doctors in order to provide him with needed medical attention.
Spring has sprung and with Easter behind us we have quickly jumped into the celebration season. For many, it is a time for celebrating first communions, confirmations, Mother’s Day, and graduations. There is anxiety and excitement about moving on to the 9th grade or college as well as a mad dash to do well in class and on AP tests. For athletes, it is a time to PR in track and swimming or shoot your lowest score in golf; or, even hit a homerun in softball or baseball. I can also share that Mr. Dewig and his cast and crew presented three remarkable performances of the “The Music Man” musical this last weekend – April 26th-28th. All three nights were at capacity and all of us were again impressed with our students and Mr. Dewig. Thank you to the students as well as the parents who are part of the VAPA Booster’s team, as well as Mrs. Nicole Dewig for managing a great event. You helped with the setup, take down, selling of food, selling of raffle tickets, and basically ensured all had a great experience.
And now an update from the diocese: Bishop Richard Garcia recently expressed that he has not been feeling well and decided to clear his calendar to take time to rest. During this time, we have been able to assist him in seeing several doctors in order to provide him with needed medical attention.
It was confirmed just this past Friday that Bishop Garcia has the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. Members of his family have been with him since April 10, 2018. Together with a few members of the staff, we are being attentive to his needs and care, while seeking excellent medical care and advice.
No further decisions have been made, but in the interim, Fr. Peter Crivello (VG) will do his best going forward to lead us through this process. I ask that you pray for Bishop Garcia, his family, his staff and our entire diocese. At the same time, please respect his privacy. In this time of adjustment, please refrain from calling him, but rather, we encourage you to send him a note or a card with the promise of your support and prayers. Please send it addressed as follows:
Bishop Richard Garcia
c/o Diocese of Monterey
P.O. Box 2048
Monterey, CA 93942
At this time I would like to thank and congratulate our two valedictorians – Ms. Chloe Deleissegues and Ms. Emily Dowd. They worked very hard and the Academic Council recognized their individual and combined efforts. They recommended them both for valedictorian status and I completely agreed. They both are very eloquent and will represent their class very well at Graduation this year. We have also secured Mr. Marc Monte, local philanthropist and supporter of Salesian education, to be our keynote speaker. He and his parents established the Monte Foundation to support local projects like Dominican Hospital, Cabrillo College, SC Public Libraries, and both Salesian schools. We are also honoring Mr. Monte and his foundation at the 2018 Burgundy & Gray. Mr. Monte will be speaking at a general student assembly on May 4th if you are free to attend. He will speak about servant leadership and service. The assembly is at 8 AM.
May 17th is our awards ceremony right after school and all are invited. If your child is being given an award, Ms. Colleen Eagleson will be sending him/her a letter of invitation. On May 18th, all of you are invited to attend our morning liturgy to celebrate our Salesian Marian Day. Immediately following we will recognize the Campus Youth Ministry Team Members and Animas for their year of service.
This week, May 4th, we will host our 6th annual Spring Open House, but this year it will be tailored to 6th-8th graders at a “Glow in the Dark Dance Party”while their parents attend a light dinner and informational meeting. Please share this information with your family and friends.
After the spring musical this last weekend, we have back-to-back events occurring – the 5th annual Concert on the Green on May 11th and the Junior/Senior Prom May 12th. We look forward to our students responsibly participating in the prom.
Ms. Marie Marheineke and Ms. Neri Madrigal are following up on over 100 resident and international applicants to grades 9-12 for next year in an effort to sustain and grow the school. Historically, the school has seen 70% of the resident applicants and about 55% of the international applicants be accepted and attend our great school. Consequently, we are following up with each potential new or transfer student with our trademark “Tiffany’s/ Nordstrom’s” customer service. All students, parents, faculty, and staff need to be thanked, as each of you plays an integral role in this effort. Again, thank you. Both ladies are also very pregnant and will be out in the coming months to deliver and take care of their new babies. Ms. Nicole Dewig will be stepping in to cover for Neri as Registrar and Secretary; Ms. Haydee Lemus will be stepping in for Marie to do international/local admissions as well as work as our 9th grade Academic Counselor.
On June 4th we will have the BAC setup with tables and bleachers for students to share or sell their books and uniforms. We will have MerryMart here for uniform purchases/orders as well as Sharkwear available for sale. The primary focus of our June 4th get together is to welcome incoming 9th students and parents along with transfer students. It will be the first new Orientation for the 2018-2019 school year. It will be an ice cream social for incoming students and our own ambassadors as well as an orientation for new parents. This allows us to introduce all of the unique opportunities, services, and programs available for all students. This year’s freshmen parent reps are working with Marie and me to address new-parent questions/concerns. This way, we start out communicating clearly and often to our new families/students. We will also host challenge tests for Geometry, Biology, and Spanish prior to the meeting. And, we will host a football meeting prior to our orientation, and we will discuss bingo and the annual fund.
Thank you for all of your patience and support while I was in China for two weeks. It was very productive as I met with international middle schools, students, families, and education service agents to ensure we are meeting international student needs and the right students are applying to/graduating from St. Francis.
As you’ve heard me many times, our goal is to continue to demonstrate great outcomes for all young people who choose St. Francis High School as their home during their high school years. We hope we continue to meet student needs, challenge and support them, as well as provide the necessary communication and resources for the parents/host families.
We are grateful for your leadership and support in this endeavor. God bless and GO SHARKS!
Yours in Christ,
Mr. Patrick Lee
President and Principal