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Dear Parents,
Welcome to the Viking e-Trumpet, your monthly e-mail NCHS information
source.
Do you know of any new parents or friends who have yet to sign-up
for this free e-newsletter? Tell them to sign up to receive this e-mail
so they too can get this monthly newsletter and other important campus
announcements. Also, if you would like a printed copy of the e-Trumpet,
you can pick one up in the Main office.
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Mardi Gras 2006
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STUDENT RAFFLE KICK OFF ~ Let the
competition begin! Students can win great prizes for
selling Mardi Gras Raffle tickets. Tickets are $10 each
and include a buy-one, get-one free coupon at Los
Vaqueros Restaurant. Sell to grandparents, aunts,
uncles, friends, and neighbors. Also, don’t forget you
can sell tickets at your parish raffle sales. Parish
sales begin this weekend. For more information on the
Raffle Sale or for information on parish sale dates,
contact Ana Melton at 817-478-1933 or Carol Leito
at 817-923-4854. Good Luck! Students, remember
sell just eight tickets to be eligible for some fantastic
prizes AND remember to put student name on the
stubs to get the proper credit for prizes.
Save The Date ~ Join us February 25, 2006
at the Ft. Worth Convention Center Ballroom for the
25th Annual Mardi Gras Dinner, Auction, and Dance.
Donate an item ~ Do you have something that would
be great for Mardi Gras? Would you like to be a
sponsor and be a part of the fun.
You can help now!
Make Mardi Gras extra special and reserve your
Krewe Table before they’re sold out. Krewe
tables are reserved seating for 10 and come with a
host of amenities including reserved seating for 10
people, a special 2006 NCHS commemorative gift, a
table host/hostess gift and photo of table guests. To
reserve your table, contact Table Chairperson Don
Phifer at 817 498-9103.
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Students Spotlight
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Junior spent three weeks in China ~
Four cities in seventeen days. Alexander Clingan, a
NCHS junior, traveled last June to China as an
ambassador with People to People. Beijing, Shanghai,
Xian and Hong Kong were the cities on the itinerary.
Trips to the Great Wall (see picture), Tiananmen
Square, the Forbidden City and the famous Terra
Cotta Warriors archeological site were highlights on
the journey.
Alex was a student ambassador, which meant he
represented American (and Texan) youth to the
youth and people of China. Opportunities to interact
with his Chinese counterparts came during visits to a
cooking school, a martial arts school and English
language classroom.
Junior gets ‘Anytown Experience’
~ Girl
Scout Renee Barton ’07 were selected as one of the
Circle T’s delegates to the 2005 Tarrant-area
Anytown USA Residential Youth Leadership Program.
Held in Midlothian and sponsored by the National
Conference for Community and Justice, Anytown
helps young people explore issues of racial and
cultural understanding and prepare for community
leadership roles.
Santa ‘Calls’
~ Nolan Catholic’s senior
divisional council took the opportunity during the
holiday season to raise money for the senior class gift
to the school. Letters were sent home to the parents
of preschoolers and kindergarteners at St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton Catholic School and St. John the Apostle
Catholic School soliciting a special phone call from
either Santa Claus or Mrs. Claus. The returned letter
included a list of their child’s Christmas wishes, along
with their strengths and weaknesses from the year.
Later, when Mr. or Mrs. Claus called, the preschoolers
were amazed that Santa knew what he/she wanted
and how naughty or nice they had been. Many kids
asked questions about flying reindeer or the North
Pole. One three-year-old even requested Santa’s
callback number – in case he thought of something
he had “forgotten to mention.” Overall, the fundraiser
was a great success bringing holiday cheer to both
the NCHS students and the little ones.
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Campus Announcements
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Weight rooms gets $24K Facelift ~ The
Viking Club is proud to announce the completion of
the equipment upgrades (
pictured) to the
weight room as well as renovations for a new weight
room (
formerly boys locker room under the
gym.) The resources are a direct result from the
efforts of the caring community members involved in
the Viking Club. The two weight rooms can now be
used
simultaneously and scheduling will be
easier now that there are two places available for
indoor training. More from the
Viking Club
Teacher Receives Diocesan Appointment ~
Theology teacher, Mr. Mark Rist has been named to
the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth’s Diocesan
Catechetical Commission. The commission is
an “advisory group to assist the Bishop and his staff
in addressing the catechetical implications and
connections for all ages and households, in all
parishes, schools and all other ministries as well as
formulating recommendations for policy, guidelines,
etc.”
www.fwdioc.org
Junior High Drama ~ Nolan Catholic Junior
High School presents "Among Friends and Clutter," a
serio-comedy in one act by Lindsay Price. Tuesday,
February 7, 7pm.
New Faces ~ The school community family
just grew by sixteen new students this semester.
These students come from various locations in and
out of state including two more from Louisiana and
even one from the U.K. The faculty/staff and
students have done a tremendous job in welcoming
these new students into their respective classes.
New Faces (pt.2) ~ NCHS also added a new
teacher, Mrs. Sophia Garcia, who teaches 7th grade
Life Science and 12th grade Anatomy & Physiology.
The Fort Worth native has her B.A. in Biology from
Texas A&M University and M.A. in Science Education
from UT-Arlington.
First impressions of
NCHS: “Both the students and faculty seem
happy to be a part of Nolan Catholic. They realize
what a great opportunity they have to be able to
study/work in an environment that not only supports
but encourages their love of Christ and his mother
Mary.”
On integrating her faith in teaching:
Because Biology is the study of life, I often have the
opportunity to reinforce the importance of respecting
all God's creations. I also allow the students to ask
tough questions about Science vs. Religion. Sophia is
married to Pete and they have an adorable
seventeen-month old son, Augustin.
New Faces (pt.3) ~ NCHS welcomes Fr. Jim
Bartlett, S.M. Fr. Jim joins us this semester after
completing a spiritual sabbatical year. While here at
Nolan Catholic, he will serve the community as
sacramental chaplain. He is also available for pastoral
counseling. During his 47 years with the Marianists
(37 as a priest), Fr. Jim has served in a number of
places, including Dublin, Ireland. While in Europe, he
took in the alpine scenery while hitch-hiking across
Austria. He enjoys living in community with other
Marianists, and the opportunity to touch people’s
lives with God’s love.
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Mass with Father Oscar
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Join us for Mass with Fr. Oscar Vasquez, S.M. (NCHS
Principal 1997-2002) Sunday, January 22, 2006
celebrating
The Feast of Blessed William Joseph
Chaminade.
The
service begins at 9:00 am in the Hartnett Arena
followed by a pancake breakfast in the commons.
Proceeds of the breakfast to benefit the choir’s
Carnegie Hall 2006 Spring Trip.
Pancake
breakfast
prices are: Adults - $5.00 each & Children 12 and
under $3.00,
E-mail dianemills@sbc
global.net
to reserve your breakfast today!
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Athletics
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2nd Championship, 2nd Proclamation
~ The
Nolan Catholic Varsity Football Team will be receiving
our second consecutive Proclamation from the Fort
Worth City Council and Mayor on Tuesday, January
24 at 10am for winning the State Championship.
developing
‘Flyers’ to Honor Vikings ~
Nolan Catholic Night at
the Ft. Worth Flyers
is set for Jan.26 at
the Ft. Worth Convention Center.
Tickets
are $8 and $10 Lets make it a "Blue Out Night" since
our state champion football team will be honored at
half-time. Contact
Mary
Ellen Byrnes for ticket information.
Records from the Viking Winter
teams:<
br>
Girls Basketball ~ Overall (21-9), District (2-2)
Boys Basketball ~ Overall (25-3), District (3-1)
Girls Soccer ~ Overall (14-6-2), District (4-2-1)
Boys Soccer ~ Overall (15-5-0), District (3-0-0)
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Schedule Changes in 2006-2007
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The Nolan Catholic administration has approved a
recommended change to the daily schedule for the
2006-2007 academic year that will allow students to
earn 8 credits per year rather than only 7.
After the
academic council and administration researched and
considered various options, this new schedule was
presented at the November school board meeting and
ultimately adopted. The school day will begin at the
same time as this year, 7:45 AM, but will end fifteen
minutes later, at 3:10 PM.
The following are some of the opportunities for
students and advantages for the school.
The 8-Class Schedule...
Allows students to complete the increased
graduation requirements and still have room for
electives
Allows students pursuing Honors Diploma to take
at least three years of Foreign Language and still
have room for a fourth year of math and other
electives
Allows students to take more than just the
required course of study in areas of interest (such as
Dance, Band, Choir, Art, Drama, Journalism, Computer
coursework, etc.) without having to take summer
school
Encourages students to enhance their transcript
with additional courses that interest them
Allows students to obtain their P.E. credit
requirement during the school day through P.E. class,
Personal Fitness, Training, Dance, Band, etc.
Allows students needing academic support to take
Learning Lab or Study Skills class every year as
needed
Allows for possible future increases in state
requirements for graduation which are imminent in the
areas of Math and/or Foreign Language.
Opens summer school for
remediation
rather than required courses for graduation
Allows the school to maintain our strong AP
Programs (Many AP courses are electives
)
Will help the school maintain and enhance the
Fine Arts Program and elective offerings
Allows Nolan Catholic to continue offering the
Recommended Plan Diploma
for all students
(The Recommended Plan Diploma a is required of
students to be eligible for State Financial Aid to
college
)
Will increase the effectiveness of faculty while
decreasing the class sizes
This spring, the administration will review and decide on additional
practical details in order to insure a smooth transition for
students and faculty members.
Outsourcing Bookstore Operations ~ Another
adjustment that next year’s students and parents
need to be aware of is that fact the NCHS will
outsouce the Bookstore Operations. What does this
mean to you? It will offer an on-line purchasing
option for families, along with having books shipped
directly to your homes. What it means to the school?
This will allow the resources previously required to
manage a $300,000 book inventory to be redirected
to Nolan Catholic’s primary focus of educating
students. This includes cash flow, man hours, and
physical space. Watch for more details to come as
we prepare for these changes.
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