Construction Corner

Construction Update

On opposite sides of Villa's front entrance, you'll find the school's 1956 date stone (school wall) and the newly added 2019 date stone (auditorium wall). The 2019 date stone will conceal a time capsule that we've filled with Villa memorabilia, such as a current school uniform, graduation tassel, school awards for academics and athletics, event t-shirts, and many copies of printed materials from the current school year. A flash drive that contained a digital slideshow, course selection guide, and school branding guide was also included. Let's hope that when the time capsule is opened, they'll know what a flash drive is!

Student Spotlight

Annual Fund 2018-2019

We are nearing our Annual Fund goal of $201,900! Will you help us?

Like most schools, tuition is the greatest source of income at Villa Joseph Marie. Tuition, however, covers only about 85% of the actual cost to send a student to our beloved school. With your help and support of the Annual Fund, Villa can:

• Keep tuition down, thereby allowing more deserving young women, regardless of their family's financial circumstances, the benefit of a strong, Catholic, single-sex education.
• Support the professional development and growth of our extraordinary faculty, ultimately strengthening the curriculum for every young woman.
• Provide athletics and extracurricular activities that support student growth outside the classroom.
• Maintain the school's facility and campus to provide an atmosphere where young women can find who God is calling them to be.

Please remember that every gift, regardless of size, assists Villa in covering the 15% gap in expenses left by tuition and is often unrestricted so it can be used wherever there is greatest need. Care to select where your donation is used? Make a donation today and choose where you feel most called to give!

Athletics News & Notes

Becky Flynn Hensel '99, Athletic Director | VJMAthletics@vjmhs.org

Rowing

Villa rowing competed at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta this past weekend. The Varsity 8 finished 16th of 33 entries. They progressed to the semi-final round, which is a great accomplishment for our program. The Junior 4 concluded their season finishing 21st of 59 entries. The Freshman 8 finished 19th -- a heart breaking 1 second from progressing to the semi-final round. Racing crews from all over the United States and Canada, the competition was fierce, but our girls were up to the challenge and gave everything they had. 

 

This weekend, the rowing season comes to a close with the National Championship Regatta in Nashport, Ohio. The Varsity 8 and Freshman 8 will be making the trip. Every boat that competes at this event had to qualify or earn an at large slot; this is the best of the best from across the country. Good luck, girls! 

 

Admissions News & Notes

Stephanie Gahagan, Director of Admissions | sgahagan@vjmhs.org

Alumnae News & Notes

Mary Beth Walinskas '96, Alumnae Relations Coordinator | mwalinskas@vjmhs.org

Calling all VJM Dramatic Society Alumnae

Join us on the stage of the new auditorium this Fall! The inaugural production will feature BOTH current students and alumnae in a musical cabaret performance! Please email Mrs. Melissa Holdren, Performing Arts Administrator, at mholdren@vjmhs.org for more information regarding convenient summer rehearsals, dates, times, and more.  We can't wait to see you shine on the new Villa stage of your dreams!

Development News & Notes

Jennifer Drayer-McDonald,  Director of Development | jmcdonald@vjmhs.org

Villa Scrip Program

Check out Villa's Scrip Program! Through ShopWithScrip.com, Villa offers gift cards to hundreds of retailers that provide a direct benefit to you and our school — a percentage of your purchases will be donated to Villa and an equal percentage will be applied to tuition for the following school year for your daughter or another student of your choosing. Click here to learn more! 

 

Guidance News & Notes

Anne Perez,  Director of Guidance | aperez@vjmhs.org

Summer Program at Temple University
Space is filling up! Upcoming deadlines:

• Temple College 101 - Deadline to enroll is June 3
• Women in STEM - Deadline to enroll is June 17

Health Careers Camp at UNE
The University of New England is pleased to present the University's second annual interprofessional Health Careers Exploration Camp, taking place August 3–5. Find more information about the camp by downloading this brochure. The deadline to apply for admission to the camp is June 14th.

 

Mission & Ministry News & Notes

Stephanie McCarthy, Director of Mission & Ministry | smccarthy@vjmhs.org

Service Hours
Villa students completed 5,365 hours of service this year. What an amazing accomplishment!

Villa's 5th Annual Book Drive is Here!

The book drive will run from May 20 – May 31, 2019. This year's book drive will support the nonprofit organization Books for Africa.

We will accept ALL of the following gently used books:

•      popular fiction and nonfiction reading books (soft and hard cover).

•      books that are 15 years old or newer.

•      primary, secondary, and college textbooks (soft and hard cover) with a 2002 or newer publish date.

•      reference books published in 2007 or later .

•      medical, nursing, IT, and law books with a 2007 or newer publish date.

•      Bibles or religious books

We CANNOT accept the following:

•      Magazines or journals of any kind, including academic journals.

•      Home decorating or wedding books.

•      Cookbooks.

•      Ethnocentric books, such as the biography of Abraham Lincoln or the history of Ohio.

•      Foreign language books except for French books. French novels and dictionaries are welcome.

•      American history or civics.

•      Music books for K–12.

•      Murder mysteries or anything with "kill," "die," "murder," etc. in the title.

Drop off your used books to ANY English teacher or at the main office. Please see Mrs. Wisniewski (bwisniewski@vjmhs.org) with any questions OR if you are in need of service hours. Last year we collected 2372 books! Please help us continue to support literacy around the world!

Litany for Mother Maria

The Archbishop of Chicago recently approved a new Litany for Mother Maria. Please join the Villa community in praying this litany as we continue to pray for Mother Maria's canonization.

Parents' Guild News & Notes

Anita Wagner, President | vjmparentsguild@vjmhs.org

Campus Store

Campus Store will be open for the last time this school year on Wednesday, May 29, from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.  Please stop by and see us in our temporary location (Room 211) to pick up a Villa tie for your Dad or Grandfather for Graduation or Father's Day, or to grab a water jug or bottle for your summer trips! Thank you for supporting Villa Campus Store!

 

School News & Notes

Marissa Brown, Dean of Student Affairs | mbrown@vjmhs.org

School Updates

Villa's Strategic Planning Committee met last week to refine our school's goals and plans for the future. Some topics on the agenda included the school's mission statement, curriculum review, enrollment, scholarships and financial aid, construction and renovations, alumnae relations, and marketing. We pledge to constantly evaluate and grow, in order to provide the very best opportunities for our girls. In the words of Mother Maria, "Always more, Always better, Always with love." To hear more about where Villa is today, our plans for the future, and how those plans will impact your daughters, please join us for the STATE OF THE SCHOOL ADDRESS on Tuesday, June 4 at 7:00 p.m. All parents (prospective, current, and former) and alumnae are invited! RSVP via the evite recently emailed to you or by emailing ajohnson@vjmhs.org.

Exam Week Transportation Information

The following districts will be providing early dismissal transportation for exam week:

• New Hope-Solebury

• Pennsbury

• Philadelphia

Students residing in all other school districts will need to obtain early dismissal transportation on these exam days.

Dismissal times:

• Tuesday, May 28 – 11:30 a.m.

• Wednesday, May 29 – 11:00 a.m.

• Thursday, May 30 – 11:00 a.m.

• Friday, May 31 – 12:30 p.m. 

Dress Down Days

Underclassmen: Dress down Tuesday, May 28 through Thursday, May 30.

*You must be in full uniform on Friday, May 31.

 

Babysitter Meet & Greet organized by St. Andrews Elizabeth Ministry

Tuesday, June 25, 2019 from 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Officer Greg Park on Congress St. Newtown

This is an informal opportunity for students interested in babysitting to meet families in need of babysitters to discuss location, availability, etc. Feel free to bring simple business cards or contact information to give out.  St. Andrews Elizabeth Ministry will not distribute your information to anyone not in attendance at the event. Contact Renee McGovern '02 at renee.mcgovern@gmail.com with any questions. 

Important Reminder for All Students and Parents

• Please follow all traffic patterns including, and most importantly, the 15 MPH speed restriction.

• Students should not be dropped off at the first stop sign because this backs up traffic. Please pull forward.

• Parents, please do not arrive to school for pickup until 2:50pm. Thank you!

 

Book Recommendations

The National English Honor Society has compiled a list to highlight Villa's current faculty & staff's favorite books. Enjoy reviewing their recommendations and reading any works that pique your interest! This week we'd like to highlight Mr. Phethean, Mrs. Portelli, Ms. Preedy, and Mrs. Quinn.

 

Mr. Phethean

1. The Road  By: Cormac McCarthy

2. Watchmen  By: David Allen Moore 

**Two favorite history books (I'm a history teacher! I can't not include these!):

1. The Things They Carried  By: Tim O'Brien 

2. A People's History of the United States  By: Howard Zinn 

 

Mrs. Portelli

Perfectly Yourself  By: Matthew Kelly

 

Ms. Preedy

*Fiction: 

1. The Hunger Games Trilogy  By: Suzanne Collins
2. Divergent Series  By: Veronica Roth
3. Harry Potter Series  By: J. K. Rowling
4. Coma  By: Robin Cook

*Nonfiction: 

Michael Phelps autobiography (really any biography) 

 

Mrs. Quinn

She's Come Undone  By: Wally Lamb

 

Click here to read why they chose these books and to see the full list of book recommendations from our faculty & staff.  

The Week Ahead

Important Links

• School Calendar
• Athletics Calendar
• Liturgy Calendar
• Prayer Intention Submission Form
• Download the FREE Villa Joseph Marie App for all Apple-based mobile devices:
  
  • Go to the App Store.
  • Search for Villa Joseph Marie.
  • Click Install.
  • Follow the prompts on screen.

 

Parents, share your photos with us! If you post photos from Villa events and activities on Facebook, please tag us at Villa Joseph Marie. Our Alumnae and fellow parents really enjoy seeing the many good things our Jems are up to! (Note: The Facebook account entitled "Villa Joseph Marie High School" is not an official account and is not managed by Villa). Photos also may be emailed to efranzzo@vjmhs.org

Please forward your submissions for This Week at Villa to Erica Franzzo '03 at efranzzo@vjmhs.org. Deadline for submissions is 12 p.m. on Wednesday. Submissions may be edited or omitted for space, clarity, or content at the sole discretion of the editor. We also welcome your questions, feedback, and suggestions. Thanks for reading This Week at Villa!