FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019 Thomas A. Kardish, President Ι Lauren Carr '00, Principal
Student Spotlight Robotics Congratulations to our Robotics team, who won the Design Award at HGP's competition this past weekend. Both the Varsity and JV teams will be moving on to States, and the Varsity team also qualified for Nationals. Congratulations, and best of luck as you continue on to the next level of competition!
Halloween The 2019 Halloween Parade was certainly one to remember! Some highlights: Wizard of Oz, Coco, Stranger Things, IT, and even Mario Kart and The Game Of Life. Special shout out to Student Council for organizing the event and for every single homeroom's enthusiasm and spirit! The judges had a pretty tough job picking winners. Thanks to all involved for a fun day. Happy Halloween! (Shown here: Villa administration dressed as the Addams Family.)
In the Classroom English 1 Mrs. Wisniewski's English 1 class show off their masks from the annual mask project. Students create symbolic masks to capture the characterization of important characters from the short stories they read in class.
Honors Advanced Mathematical Studies Probability = (What the problem is specifically asking) divided by (the total possibilities) The students in Mrs. Carr's class are doing a BABY POOL probability showdown. The items they selected were due date (Probability= 1/30), weight (probability = 1/80) , and height (Probability = 1/15). This is for bragging rights on their end — but will also show that if it was an actual lottery, the more people who select the same day/choice, the more they need to split the pot of winnings. Students were also given the answers to general questions, such as due date, parents' weights and heights, etc., in order to make better educated guesses.
Event Spotlight
Annual Fund 2019-2020 Raised $23,728 (8.6%) of Our Goal of $275,000
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!
A special thank you to our students and families that participated in our in-school Annual Fund challenge. We raised an additional 3% of our goal just this week!
Athletics News & Notes Becky Flynn Hensel '99, Athletic Director | VJMAthletics@vjmhs.org Winter sport athletes, MARK YOUR CALENDARS! For those interested in playing a WINTER sport, please check the Athletics webpage for information related to tryouts and what is needed from each athlete to be deemed eligible to participate. One of the requirements is attendance at the Concussion Education and Orientation presentation scheduled for Thursday, November 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the PAC — please mark your calendars! If you have any questions, please contact Athletic Director Becky Flynn Hensel at VJMAthletics@vjmhs.org.
Rowing Villa Rowing competed at the Head of the Schuylkill this past weekend. Posting finishes of 20th (of 48) for the Varsity 8, and 23rd (of 56) for the second 8. The other entries did not race due to weather conditions on Sunday. The 2 boats that did race posted strong finishes and are looking forward to the final races of the fall season. The varsity squad will race this Sunday at the Hidden River Chase in Philadelphia.
Sailing Sunday morning was dreary but the skies cleared for an amazing day of sailing. The team sailed 12 races and are holding onto their second-place status in the Main Line Sailing Scholastic Association. The final regatta and awards banquet is on Sunday, November 3.
Spring sailing begins in March. If interested contact Mackenzie, Devin or Dillan Smith, Lisa Malloy Smith or Becky Flynn Hensel.
Soccer The Jems won their 10th consecutive District One Championship with a 5-0 win over Strath Haven. Way to go! They return to action on Tuesday in the first round of the PIAA Championship Playoffs. Location and opponent TBD.
Villa Soccer in the news: Villa Joseph Marie ends Pottsgrove's deepest District 1-3A run in semifinals
Alumnae News & Notes Mary Beth Walinskas '96, Alumnae Relations Coordinator | mwalinskas@vjmhs.org Alumnae Week In celebration of Alumnae week, the Alumnae Association distributed cookies to the students on Wednesday. On hand to help was Alumnae Association Leadership Team Member, Renee Kitchenman McGovern '02 and her daughter Claire. Claire even helped with announcements by wishing good luck to the soccer team! A future Villa Jem, maybe? Thanks to Renee and Claire and the rest of the Alumnae Association for sharing their Villa spirit and delicious cookies in celebration of Alumnae Week!
Mentor Program Through Villa's Mentor Program, we strive to help our students gain valuable real-world experience by fostering mentor relationships with our Alumnae. Alumnae, would you like to share your success story with a current student interested in your field of study? Students, would you like to be matched with an alumna mentor? Both alumnae and students can sign up for the Mentor Program here.
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!
Calling All Local Vendors! The Villa Vendor Fair, sponsored by the Villa Alumnae Association, will be held on Sunday, December 8, 2019, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year, the Vendor Fair will be set up in the beautiful lobby of Villa's brand new Performing Arts Center. It will be held in conjunction with Brunch with Santa and our Christmas at Maria celebration, just steps away in the exquisitely decorated 1860 mansion. (More information to come about the Christmas celebrations.)
Do you know someone that may be interested in being a vendor at this event? Please visit www.vjmhs.org/alumnae/vendorfair to register as a vendor.
Women Today Leading Tomorrow: A Women's Symposium Save the Date for February 22, 2020
Do you know someone that may be interested in speaking at Villa's upcoming Women's Symposium? Visit www.vjmhs.org/WTLT for a Speaker Application form by November 15, 2019.
Founded in Faith. Fulfilling the Mission Update: Phase One: Performing Arts Center - COMPLETE Interested in learning more or care to schedule a tour of our new Performing Arts Center? Contact Jennifer McDonald at 215.357.8810 x124 or jmcdonald@vjmhs.org. ---- Phase Two: STEAM Hallway and Media Center Sneak peak above! Blueprints are almost complete, and construction is set to begin in the summer of 2020 on a 21st-century STEAM hallway, complete with robotics, computer, and innovation labs, a sound booth, recording studio, and media center, in addition to renovated classrooms. ---- While Villa's Annual Fund and Auction support the yearly operations of the school, Founded in Faith. Fulfilling the Mission, the Campaign to support the Villa's facilities expansion, is an investment in Villa's future. We are looking for partners to join us in our vision to create an environment where young women can explore who God is calling them to be. Already, $3.4 million has been raised from 88 donors. Please consider how YOU can partner with Villa to assure an exemplary Catholic secondary education for future generations of Jems.
Guidance News & Notes Anne Perez, Director of Guidance | aperez@vjmhs.org Upcoming College Visits at Villa Please check Naviance for specific times.
Mon., Nov. 4: Manor College, Gwynedd Mercy University Wed., Nov. 6: Stevens Institute of Technology, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, California University of Pennsylvania Thurs., Nov. 7: Hood College, Sacred Heart University, Merrimack College
Interested in Science? Scholarship Opportunity!
Mission & Ministry News & Notes Stephanie McCarthy, Director of Mission & Ministry | smccarthy@vjmhs.org Senior Retreat The October Senior Retreat took place last week. This was a time of prayer, reflection, fun, and sisterly bonding for half of our senior class!
Blood Drive The Red Cross Blood Drive will take place on Wednesday, November 6, from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the gym. We have a few slots for parents! Email Emily Borell '20 at emily.borell@vjmhs.com if you are interested in donating.
As the holidays approach... CSC will be collecting turkey's for Sarnelli House. Typically a few families donate their "free" grocery store turkey. If you have a turkey you would like to donate please contact Mrs. McCarthy smccarthy@vjmhs.org. We need about 8 turkeys for the holiday season.
Parents' Guild News & Notes Connie Whalen, President | vjmparentsguild@vjmhs.org Campus Store If you have not yet picked up your Fall Special Orders, please stop by the Campus Store. The store is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays during all lunch periods -- 10:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Class of 2023: For anyone who missed the sale, we do have some extra pieces in the store. Stop by before they sell out! Also, new JEM magnets are now on sale in the store. Come pick one up for your favorite JEM's vehicle!
School News & Notes Marissa Brown, Dean of Students | mbrown@vjmhs.org
National English Honor Society Juniors and Seniors who are interested in gaining membership into the National English Honor Society, please pick up a survey from Mrs. Wisniewski. You can also print out the application from Villa's website here. Surveys are due November 8th.
Save the Date: Barnes and Noble Book Fair Villa will hold its third annual Barnes and Noble book fair on Monday, December 2, from 6-9 p.m. at the Barnes and Noble in Neshaminy Mall. There will be music, singing, poetry readings, games, and much more. There will also be delicious snacks and blue and gold frappacinos from Starbucks. More information will follow, but be sure to mark that date now! You can get a head start on your holiday shopping. We hope to see you there!
Save the Date: Ski Trip The Annual Ski Trip to Jack Frost will be held on December 19. More information to follow in the coming weeks.
Important Links
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTEST Parents, share your photos with us! If you post photos from Villa events, sports, and activities — or share about upcoming events like our Open House — on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn, please use our new hashtag #AlwaysVilla. Anyone (parent, student, alumna, friend, etc.) that uses our #AlwaysVilla will automatically be entered into a monthly drawing to win a $20 gift certificate to the school store. One entry per post per platform. No limit on entries — share, share, share, and help us spread the word about our great school! Winners will be messaged privately on social media and announced publicly each month in This Week at Villa. Our first #AlwaysVilla random winner was announced last week. You could be next. Keep sharing and using #AlwaysVilla!
(Note: The Facebook account entitled "Villa Joseph Marie High School" is not an official account and is not managed by Villa). School Calendar Fri, Nov 1 Holiday
PD Day for Staff
Designer Handbag Bingo: 7 p.m., Gym
Sat, Nov 2
Sun, Nov 3 Mon, Nov 4 Tues, Nov 5 Day 6-4, Special Schedule
Shakespeare Performance: 10 a.m., PAC Wed, Nov 6 Day 1
Blood Drive: 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Gym
Thurs, Nov 7 Day 2
Winter Athletics Meeting: 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m., PAC
Fri, Nov 8 Day 3 Sat, Nov 9 Sun, Nov 10 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!
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