FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2019 Thomas A. Kardish, President Ι Lauren Carr '00, Principal
Thank You As we look back on 2019, we're absolutely stunned by everything God has guided our Jems to accomplish this year. Make a gift today to allow Villa to continue to grow and lead our students to be the successful leaders of tomorrow. Give online or via Venmo @VillaJosephMarie. *Please put your full name in the Venmo notes.
Events As in past years, the many extracurricular events held at Villa provided some favorite memories for our students — and we hope for the entire Villa community too! From the Annual Spring Auction, Golf Outing, and Mother-Daughter Tea to the Thanksgiving Feast, 5K Color Run, and Christmas at Villa… From the Alumnae Reunion, Graduation, and Designer Handbag Bingo to Chicks with Sticks, the Ski Trip, and numerous Spirit Days… The list goes on and on. We hope that these events have provided you with memories to look back on for many years to come.
Surprise Special Event 2019 started off with quite an exciting event at Villa. Kelley Connor '19 used the power of social media to contact numerous Philadelphia Eagles players, resulting in online responses from BJ Bello, Jake Elliott, Dallas Goedert, Chandon Sullivan, and a surprise in-person visit to our school from Eagles running back and Superbowl LII champion, Corey Clement. Clement spoke to our students about his background, his dedication to the Eagles, the importance of education, and setting goals for yourself.
Accomplishments The many accomplishments of our current students would keep us reading for days, but to highlight just a few things, our students:
Service During the 2018-2019 school year, Villa girls logged 5,365 hours of service, contributing over $124,000 in economic value to the community. They served as close as Villa and Twining Village and as far as Bois de Laurence, Haiti, with a lot in between at Sarnelli, the Trenton Soup Kitchen, and the Franklin Institute, among others. Our students are continuing the tradition of service during this school year with just as much passion and joy. We are so proud of their efforts.
Alumnae We received many updates from Villa alumnae who excelled in academics and athletics, as well as those that reached professional and personal goals, and continued their service and volunteerism after graduating from Villa. Our alumnae:
Alumnae, please continue to send us your updates. We love hearing from you! www.vjmhs.org/alumnae/update
In the Classroom Again, to list all that our students have achieved in the classroom would keep us reading into 2021, but just to highlight a few things, our students…
To aid our students in their academic endeavors, our guidance department has held study skills workshops and coffee talks, hosted and provided information for many college visits, and made themselves available for our students in order to guide them to success both at Villa and beyond. This included our recent presentation by the Bucks County IU about Growth Mindset, which highlighted tools to handle stress and ways to engage in better academic strategies.
Athletics Villa athletic teams competed at the local, state and national levels, showcasing their talents, determination, and teamwork to excel both as groups and individually. With numerous AACA All-Stars and Bucks County Courier Times Golden Team players named from Villa, we are so proud of all of our athletes. New banners will be hung in the Villa gym in early 2020 showcasing Villa's many athletic accomplishments.
Strategic Planning and Villa's Capital Campaign Villa is in the final stages of setting a strategic plan with goals for our school for the next few years. The seven committees — Education, Finance and Facilities, Mission and Governance, Enrollment, Development, and Marketing — are now working together to finalize goals that will soon be shared with the Villa community. We're are excited for the future of Villa Joseph Marie.
In March 2019, Villa publicly announced our first capital campaign, Founded in Faith, Fulfilling the Mission. With a goal of $6 million, funds from this campaign will continue to create facilities that will represent the incredible promise and limitless potential of our young women. So far, $3.5 million has been raised in support of this campaign. Last year at this time, the Villa Performing Arts Center was just a dream. The framework was built, but there were no windows and nothing inside! Over the last four months, we've celebrated numerous events, as well as enjoyed many fabulous performances and presentations, in the PAC. The added security of double doors requiring swipe access at our front entrance, as well as added security cameras around campus, now feel like the norm, and we're excited for the upcoming STEAM expansion to begin in June 2020. Stay tuned for more to come!
A Year in Photos To view photos from the plethora of exciting 2019 happenings, please visit www.vjmhs.smugmug.com. (All proceeds from purchased photos and products benefit the students of VJM.)
Save the Dates
Important Links Prayer Intention Submission Form
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. Everyone, continue to share and post using the #AlwaysVilla for a chance to win again!
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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