BROTHERS OF THE SACRED HEART: On September 30, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart will observe the 199th anniversary of their founding when the first 10 Brothers took their final vows in Lyon, France. This is a special day in the history of the Brothers and we are privileged to share the occasion with them. In addition, this year’s celebration of Foundation Day kicks off a year-long celebration of the Bicentennial Year commemoration that will take place on September 30, 2021, recognizing the founding 200 years prior. To commemorate the yearlong bicentennial celebration, the Provincial Council has distributed prayer cards to all of the Brothers schools in the United States, asking for the schools to pray in solidarity with one another as we celebrate this momentous occasion. The prayer card is shown below. I invite everyone in our school community to keep in prayer the Brothers and their schools during this special year. Catholic High School is still in the planning stages of this year’s celebration that will take place on September 30.

SPECIAL SCHEDULES:

Thursday, September 3: Test Prep Schedule. Dismissal at 2:54 p.m. Monday, September 7: Labor Day holiday. No school for students.

Tuesday, September 8: Faculty & Staff Professional Development. No school for students.

Thursday, September 10: Test Prep Schedule. Dismissal at 2:54 p.m.

Tuesday, September 15: Test Prep Schedule. Dismissal at 2:54 p.m. Thursday, September 17: Student Mentoring Schedule. Dismissal at 2:54 p.m.

Friday, September 18: Student Mentoring Schedule. Dismissal at 2:54

Wednesday, September 30: Foundation Day Celebration. Dismissal at 2:54

A/B CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER: Please see the September calendar at the end of the newsletter for the A/B days schedule. MOVING FORWARD WITH PLANNING: In spite of a pandemic, a tropical storm, and a hurricane, the beginning of the school year is going well. Students and teachers are adjusting to the health and safety procedures in place throughout the school, as well as the technology we are using to keep students engaged when

CHS Calendar

working from home. There are challenges, but overall, I am appreciative of the response of our students, faculty, and parents, as we all try to find our way during this difficult time in our world. I cannot say enough about our students and their compliance with wearing masks, staying physically distant to the maximum extent possible, and using sanitizer frequently throughout the day. I am also grateful to our faculty for working through all of the challenges associated with this school year thus far. The implementation of our hybrid schedule has served CHS well in familiarizing students and faculty with our safety protocols, and guaranteed the distance in our classrooms and outdoor areas for students to safely learn, congregate, and socialize. The numbers of students and faculty on campus who either have tested positive for COVID or who are in quarantine have stayed low and we are grateful. Even with the positive start and the success of the hybrid schedule, it is in the best interest of our students to return to classes on campus on a daily basis. The administration of CHS is continuously planning for a safe return for all of our students to campus, following the guidelines identified in the Strong Start document by the Department of Education. As of this date, it is the intent of Catholic High School to have all students return to campus under one of the following circumstances, depending on which occurs first:

1. The State of Louisiana moves into Phase III 2. The opening of the new CHS Student Center, including a new cafeteria, classrooms, and outdoor gathering spaces on October 15 (the end of the first quarter).

Once it is determined which of the two scenarios will go into effect, CHS will have two school days in advance of the full return to campus in which all students will attend school virtually from home so that the campus can be re-set with the appropriate number of desks in classrooms. As soon as the direction becomes clear, I will communicate all relevant information to both students and parents. We do realize that there will still be families who are more comfortable with their son attending school 100% virtually. We are still offering this as an option for those families and will communicate more once we know of the exact return date to campus.

Until that time, the following information concerning September schedules is based on the current A/B hybrid schedule. SPECIAL SCHEDULES AND VIRTUAL STUDENTS: There are some special schedules during September that will have an impact on students working virtually from home those days. Please read the following information carefully. Standardized Test Prep Days: On September 3, 10, 15, and 24, we will be on the standardized test prep schedule. Please see the schedule below. These dates were chosen so that they alternate between A and B days, giving students the opportunity to experience test prep days both on campus and virtually. Students at home on test prep days will participate in the session by remaining in the Zoom class associated with their 3rd period class. All students must participate in test prep days and attendance will be kept.

Period Begin End

1 7:30 8:14

2 8:20 9:04

Announcements 9:10 9:12

3 9:12 9:56

Test Prep 9:56 10:44

4 10:50 11:34

5 11:40 12:24

6 12:30 1:14

7 1:20 2:04

8 2:10 2:54

All students have received an individualized email from Mrs. Kessler explaining the exact procedures for the test prep session, along with what each student will be doing during that time. Please ensure that your son has read the email thoroughly so that he will know what is expected of him during these sessions. Students on campus during test prep days must have ear buds or headphones to use during the sessions so that they can access videos and screen casts as part of their test prep instruction. Standardized tests are very important for your son and very important for our school. While test scores do not drive instruction, they do help determine the course of action for your son’s academic success. Each of your son’s teachers receives the results of his tests and uses these scores to determine what skills he needs in order to be prepared for college. Mrs. Kessler also uses the

results to individualize future test preparation classes for your son.

Please encourage your son to take these tests seriously and be proactive in analyzing his scores. You should see an increase in his individual subject area scores from year to year. We view standardized testing as one more opportunity to partner with you in your son’s education. Student Mentoring Program: Catholic High School has worked for the last year to prepare for the Student Mentoring Program, which begins on September 17. The Student Mentoring Program puts a faculty/staff member with a group of 10-12 students from various grade levels, serving as the mentor of that group for the students’ entire time at CHS. The mentor will meet monthly with the group during a dedicated time in the school day. This program is designed to give students one more adult on campus who will know him personally and have someone to share concerns with, other than his regular teachers, moderators, coaches, or counselors. Until all students return to campus, the Student Mentoring schedule will be repeated on two consecutive days so that the mentor can meet personally on campus with the students in his/her group. Students working virtually from home on that day have that time free. On September 17 and 18, the Student Mentoring Program will be introduced through a virtual presentation to students on campus each day, followed by the mentoring group meeting. See the schedule below for September 17 and 18. Students not on campus each day will have the mentoring block of time as a free period. Students who are in quarantine or who are 100% virtual will be contacted by their mentor to set up a time to have a Zoom meeting.

Period Begin End

1 7:30 8:14

2 8:20 9:04

Announcements 9:10 9:12

3 9:12 9:56

Mentoring Meeting 10:02 10:44

4 10:50 11:34

5 11:40 12:24

6 12:30 1:14

7 1:20 2:04

8 2:10 2:54

LABOR DAY WARNING: This holiday is one that typically involves social gatherings, vacations for family and friends, as well as other activities that bring people in close proximity. I am asking all families to please be cautious in your choice of activities, as well as supervising the activities of your sons, so that our students are not potentially exposed to others who may be positive for COVID-19. I have been tremendously relieved that the beginning of school has gone so well, with low incidents of positive cases among our students. Please do not jeopardize the health and safety of our entire school community by allowing your son to gather in groups without the safety protocols that have become part of daily life. To do so will almost certainly mean that more students will be out of school due to exposure and/or quarantine. SOCIAL MEDIA WARNING: Since school has started, many high schools in Baton Rouge, including Catholic High School and St. Joseph’s Academy, have seen instances of students creating social media accounts encouraging students to post rumors, gossip, and inappropriate comments about other students. This is a complete violation of the behavioral expectations for CHS students and any student who creates such accounts will receive consequences. As always, CHS asks parents to frequently check their son’s cell phone for any content that is questionable. We must work together to help our students make good decisions. COURSE FEES: The fee for students enrolled in our Band courses is typically $185.00, as indicated on page 53 of the 2020-2021 Student Handbook . However, due to the limitation of band activities this semester, the band fee for this school year will be $50. The fee for Advanced Placement courses is $95.00. All course fees are billed with your regular tuition payment or are billed on October 15, with the exception of freshmen taking the AP U.S. Government and Politics test. Freshmen parents will be billed in February for this test.

SENIOR EXAMS AND EXEMPTIONS: Only seniors may be exempt from final exams so it is important for seniors to begin the school year with an end goal in mind, including exemption from final exams. The exemption policy for seniors is as follows: for full year courses, a student who has a first semester A, and a third and fourth quarter A, is exempt from the final exam. In addition, seniors can be exempt from their semester senior religion course exam in either semester. Students

must have an A for the first quarter and an A going into the final exam of the given semester religion course.

Out of fairness to students, a student who qualifies to be exempt from an exam should know by the beginning of “dead days” that he is exempt from the exam. Mid-term exams are December 15-18. December 14 is classified as a “dead day,” which means that no assessments are due and no tests, quizzes or homework are to be given. Seniors in first semester senior religion classes should know no later than Wednesday, December 9 if they are exempt from the exam.

STANDARDIZED TESTING: 8th, 9th, and 10th Grades: All students in grades 8 through 10 will take the ACT Aspire tests on October 19 and 20. Note: This is a date change from our originally published calendar. All 8th, 9th, and 10th grade students, must take these tests on the CHS campus during these two days – including students who are 100% virtual. Students must attend both days of testing. Students will take reading and science on Monday, October 19 and English and math on Tuesday, October 20. The number of students will be small in each classroom, so that physical distancing between students is guaranteed. 8th,9th, and 10th, grade students do not attend school on October 14, with the exception of those students participating in the PSAT. Regular classes are not held during testing days. 11th Grade Students: On October 14, all students in 11th grade will take the PSAT/NMSQT which is used to determine National Merit and National Achievement Semifinalists. A select group of 9th and 10th grade students who qualify will also take the PSAT. All students must take this test on campus, including virtual students. 11th grade students do not attend school on October 19 and 20. Regular classes are not held during testing days. 12th Grade Students: The majority of seniors will take the ACT at school on October 20. CHS added this testing date in response to the cancellation of the April 2020 ACT date and the shortage of testing sites during the summer.

12th grade students do not attend school on October 14 and October 19.

Test times will be posted in the October Newsletter. Please see page 45 of the 2020-2021 Student Handbook for additional testing information. Results of these tests

will be given to you later in the school year through your son. Please contact our testing coordinator, Ms. Shelley Vance: svance@catholichigh.org if you have any questions.

CELLULAR TELEPHONES: The school recognizes the convenience, logistical, and safety advantages of cellular phones. A student may have a cell phone in his possession while on campus, but it must remain turned off and be kept stowed away throughout the academic day (7:24 a.m. until 2:54 p.m.). Before 7:24 a.m. and after 2:54 p.m., a cell phone may be used only outside of buildings. Students are not allowed to use their cell phone inside of the buildings. Violations of this policy may result in confiscation of the cell phone and/or other corrective action. Confiscated cell phones are subject to search by the assistant principal for discipline. Please see the Student Handbook for further policies regarding cell phones. If a student needs to make a phone call during the academic day, it must be made through the assistant principal's office or main office.

STUDENT CHECK-OUT PROCEDURES: It is important to remember that school attendance is a priority and students should only check out in the event of illness or for appointments that absolutely cannot be scheduled after school hours. Parents should make every effort to schedule appointments that do not take students out during the school day.

On those rare occasions when a student does need to check out, he should bring a note the morning of the appointment. The attendance secretary will give the student a note to leave class at the designated time and report to the assistant principals’ office to sign out.

If an unforeseen and necessary circumstance occurs and a student must check out and he did not know about it, parents must call the school in advance. This situation should only occur in the rarest of circumstances. Please do not just show up at school to check a student out. It is also important to remember that not all absences are excused and consequences may be given to a student in those circumstances. Please consult the Student Handbook for further details. Important Note: Students attending class virtually for whatever reason, must follow the same procedures for not being in class, which is the same as checking out of school. We are having more instances of students emailing a teacher from home to say that he is not in class that day for whatever reason, or that he is late or needs to leave early. This is different than if a student emails a teacher to say that he is having technology

issues – that is a separate issue. A parent is the only person who can notify the school that a student is not in class virtually and give a reason, in exactly the same way that a student would be absent from class on campus. Parents should call the school office at 383-0397 by 7:30 a.m. that day to notify the school that their son will not be in class. Thank you for your help in this important matter.

STUDENTS ON CAMPUS: The 2020-2021 Student Handbook (page 24) addresses when students may and may not leave campus: “From the time he arrives until the end of his last scheduled class period, a student must remain on campus. The assistant principal for discipline is the only person who can give a student permission to leave campus or to enter a restricted area.” Students having 8th period unassigned may leave school following their 7th period class and return later to participate in extracurricular activities. However, students are not allowed to linger in the parking lots. Students with 1st period unassigned are allowed to arrive to school in time for 2nd period. Special schedule days should be noted so that unassigned 1st period students are not late for school.

In addition, once a student leaves the CHS campus, Catholic High School is no longer responsible for a student’s safety. Students who walk in the neighborhood to get dropped off or meet a ride are no longer under our supervision and are responsible for their own safety. We highly discourage such action because of the volume of traffic on neighborhood streets after school and ask that parents not engage in such dangerous behavior. We encourage all rides to use the carpool lines. They move quickly once school is dismissed and are the safest point of drop-off and pick-up for your son.

STUDENTS AFTER SCHOOL: As a continuation of our protocols to reduce the number of students congregating after school, I continue to ask that parents to pick-up their son as soon as possible at the conclusion of the school day. Students waiting for rides will be dispersed throughout campus so I ask that parents call their son on his cell phone once they get into the carpool line and near the area where he will be picked up so he can make his way there. We will not allow a large number of students to congregate in the pick-up areas at one time to wait for rides. If he doesn’t answer, please keep calling him so that the carpool line does not get backed up. Thank you for your cooperation. Because of extracurricular activities or carpool arrangements, we do realize that some students are not

picked up until after 6 p.m. Students who stay on campus after school occasionally walk to area merchants between the end of school and the start of practice or pickup time. Because their academic day has ended, students are free to do so. The school is unable to provide any sort of supervision of a student once he leaves the campus. If you are uncomfortable with your son leaving campus after school, please discuss this matter with him.

Snacks are available for purchase in the Union every day after school until approximately 3:15 and our library is open until 4 p.m. Please encourage your son to make use of these resources rather than leave campus. ACADEMIC CONVOCATION: Our Academic Convocation scheduled for Monday, September 29 has been postponed due to current restrictions on large gatherings. We hope to hold this event later in the fall in the new Student Center.

At this convocation, we honor students who had a weighted cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher at the end of the 2019-2020 school year at CHS. Each young man being honored will receive a certificate and a pin recognizing his achievement. Also recognized are students who placed on the National Latin Exam, AP Scholars, and students being recognized as National Merit Semifinalists and Commended students. Catholic High School Foundation scholarships will be awarded as well.

Parents of qualifying students will receive a letter of invitation by September 15. If you do not receive a letter and feel your son should be included, please contact Events Coordinator Tracy Ducote at tducote@catholichigh.org. Details about the rescheduled event will be sent to students and parents as they are finalized.

DUPLICATE MAILINGS: Information addressed and mailed home to students are sent to the address in our database designated as the student’s primary address. We do make an effort to send information to parents who do not reside with their son(s). If you are currently not receiving mailings and would like such information to be sent to you as well, please email Stephanie Potter, registrar, at spotter@catholichigh.org. CHS MEN'S CLUB: The signature event of the CHS Men’s Club, the 85th Annual Stag Barbecue, which is usually held in August, is being postponed to Saturday, October 17, 2020, and will be a take-out dinner. Save the date, and look for more details to come. Please click on the

membership link below to join the Men’s Club if you haven’t become a member yet. You can check out our other scheduled events by clicking the Men’s Club link below. Any questions can be directed to CHS Men’s Club President Jeffrey Hotard ’85 at jhotard@catholichigh.org.

MOTHERS’ CLUB (From Joanie Montelaro, President): Our CHS Mothers' Club hosted the annual Back-to-School Faculty Appreciation Luncheon on August 7th. It looked a little different this year, but the love and appreciation was as strong as ever. Each teacher, faculty, cafeteria and custodial staff member was treated to a nice lunch and a gift card. A huge thank you to our event chair, Jennifer Pennington Nola, and her co-chair, Anna Enright Stuckey, for being creative and organizing every detail to make it happen this year. Thanks also to Megan Kyle Canty, Caroline Hiatt Ross, Danielle Brock Mensman and Lindsey Kleinpeter Stelly for being there to help out and host. Finally, a shout out to ALL the awesomely generous moms (and dads) who donated gift cards to present to each attendee.

REMINDER....car raffle tickets are now on sale! We have some great sales incentives planned for students (and moms). Be on the lookout for a follow up email in your inbox with details and your sons' link for access to ticket sales.

If you have not joined CHS Mothers' Club yet, it is not too late - click the link below to join. Mothers' Club is a great way to connect with other CHS moms, get involved, enjoy grade-level gatherings and other great activities. Join today and share your time, talent and treasures at any level you are willing and able.

2020-2021 PARENT APPEAL (From Jamie Segar ’90, Director of Advancement): We welcome our students and families back to campus! As we welcome you and your family back to campus, we prayerfully ask you to consider leaving your legacy by making a financial commitment to The Fund for Catholic

High School. When you give a gift, you help us maintain our exceptional academic programs, continue campus facility enhancements, technology upgrades, and much more. Additionally, any donation will help us in our ongoing efforts to ensure safety measures are taken to keep our students healthy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We ask you to consider donating “The GAP” if it is within your means. (The GAP is the difference between the price of tuition and the actual cost of educating each student. For the 2020-2021 school year, that amount is $2,210) If you are unable to donate The GAP, please consider supporting at whatever amount is appropriate for your family. Every gift matters.

Information regarding our 2020-2021 Parents Appeal Pledge Drive hits mailboxes in the next few days. Please be on the lookout and read this information carefully to learn more.

Please consider giving a gift or making a pledge during this year’s Pledge Drive (which is going on now through October 9 – the final day of the first quarter for the academic year). Upon completion of the Pledge Drive, CHS volunteers will reach out to anyone who has not yet made a tax-deductible contribution, so give your gift TODAY. Thank you for your support!

Gifts and pledges can be made online by using the link below. NON - DISCRIMINATORY POLICY: Catholic High School, Inc., is a Louisiana corporation doing business as Catholic High School. Catholic High School admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on any national, ethnic or religious basis in administration of the school’s education policies, financial-assistance programs, athletics or any other school-administered activities.

Men's Club Men's Club

Membership

Mothers' Club

Registration Mothers’ Club

Giving

September 2020 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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Test Prep 3 Schedule

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Foundation 30 Day Celebration

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