August 29, 2008

Dear Parents/Guardians & Friends:

2008-2009 Handbook
The new Parent Handbook is online at fishercatholic.org.  There are some changes in the book from last year, particularly in our Substance Abuse policies and in the uniform.  Parents will not receive a paper copy of the Handbook unless requested in writing to the school office.

This form was due today.  If you have not yet sent that to the office please send it in on Tuesday.  There is a copy on-line if you have misplaced yours. Failure to return this important item will result in a student being disenrolled from school.  Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Guidance  Attachment
Please see the wonderful and informative newsletter from Mrs. Kirby, our Guidance Counselor.  She plans to have a page on our Forget-Me-Not almost every week to keep you informed.  Thanks, Mrs. Kirby!

Fisherpalooza Radio is on the Air!
Thanks to Frank Smith of Smith Funeral Home we now have our own weekly radio show, named in honor of Mr. Ben Thimmes’ annual Battle of the Bands here at school.  Our show, Fisherpalooza Radio, airs every Thursday at 3:15pm on 90.9 FM.  It can also be heard on wcofm.com on the internet, and soon you will be able to listen to it on our website!

This past week juniors Liz Nixon and Justin Beck, along with senior Matt Roberts, talked about happenings at the school.  Look for this program to grow as we learn the ins and outs of radio production. 

We are looking for an additional sponsor for the show at a fairly nominal cost.  If you or your business would be interested, please let me know.

Sweet Corn Festival in Progress- Go Eat!
Please take some time to go out to the Millersport Sweet Corn Festival this weekend and support our Athletic Association booth.  This is a crucial fund raiser for our teams.  Thanks!
 
Mandatory Parent Substance Abuse Meeting
The Advisory Board of Fisher Catholic has ratified a new Substance Abuse Policy which is in effect for this school year (It can be found in the handbook).  As part of this new policy, which has been put together through a hard working Student Wellness Committee through out the course of the summer, all parents are required to attend a one hour workshop on issues of drugs and alcohol on an annual basis.  The dates for this year’s workshop (parents only need to attend one) are Sunday, October 19 and Thursday, October 23, both beginning at 7pm.  Both parents must attend, although not necessarily together.  Please mark your calendars and plan on attending one of these meetings.

The Parent Drug and Alcohol Pledge sheet was mailed yesterday to all families.  We hope that 100% of our families will sign it and return it to school so that parents can feel comfortable working with each other in this important effort.

Family Directories
Please note that we would like to include parent email addresses in our directory this year.  If you wish to have this included please put it on your form or call the school office so that we may include it.

Quiz Team Tryouts
All students are encouraged to try out for our renowned Quiz Team.  Tryouts will be held on Thursday, September 4 from 2:45-3:15 in Room 108 and will continue each Thursday for three weeks. 

Thanks to Brent Burley and Stand Schorr
Our thanks to Mr. Brent Burley and Mr. Stan Schorr (’71) who donated hours and hours of time to hook up our new Smart Boards and Projectors for 5 of our classrooms.  They spent many evenings and weekends in August giving of their time in this project which enhances the learning experience for our students.  Thanks also to Dawn, Brent’s wife and Stan’s daughter and Brent and Dawn’s children, who accompanied them to school to help!!

Family Notes
Congratulations to alumna, past parent, future parent, Foundation and Finance Boards member, Linda Sheridan, who was honored on Wednesday night at the Lancaster Country Club as the Athena Award Winner for 2008.  This prestigious award, given by the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the Robert D. McGraw Family, is given each year to a woman in the community who has used her leadership skills to better the community.  This is certainly true or Linda Sheridan who has done so much for our community as well as the community at large.   Congratulations, Linda!!!

Mrs. Holloway had kneed surgery this week but is doing well and expected back on Tuesday.  We wish her continued luck this weekend with her recovery.

Principal Observations
Last year, you may recall that Fisher went through an Accreditation Process which is mandated by the State of Ohio every five years.  During that process, our school was visited by a team of professional educators who looked carefully over our operation to make sure that we are meeting all State standards and regulations.

In addition to making sure that our school is compliant, we had to give the Accreditation Team two improvement goals to work on beginning this year and continuing for the next four years.    I am please to announce that this summer William V. Fisher Catholic High School was officially deemed to be 100% compliant and our goals were accepted.

I want to take today’s writing to discuss the goals that your faculty has for your children over the next few years.  I want you to know about them because we will be measuring the success of our endeavors and you, as parents, should be a part of that measurement.  If we are successful in implementing these goals, individual students, as well as the school overall should improve by marked degrees.

The first goal that we have committed to here at Fisher is to increase the critical thinking skills of all of our students.  It is no secret that these skills lead to greater success both in high school and in college.  Critical thinking skills are crucial for every academic discipline and also help individuals to be more successful in their careers.  If you are familiar with Bloom’s Taxonomy, which outlines the steps for learning and thinking critically, the use of this guide will be used by every teacher in every subject.  Parents should expect that their children should be given assignments, projects and tests that call for them not simply to memorize information but to gain knowledge, apply that knowledge across a broad spectrum and internalize it so that they retain more information and a understanding of how to use that information.

The second goal involves our Catholicity.  We are going to take the next four years to increase an appreciation for the Culture of Life that our Church teaches as fundamental to our human existence.  In a society that accepts, and sometimes glorifies, a culture of violence and death, we want our students to appreciate the remarkable life that God has given all of us and the world.  Each year, we will focus on a different aspect of life.  This year it is the unborn and children.  Next year it will be adolescents.  The following year will be adults; finally senior citizens.

This culture of life examination and celebration will not be covered simply in Religion class.  Every class, from English to math to art should be finding “teachable moments” to share this culture of life with our students. 

The emphasis on these two goals will not detract from the courses of study required by the State and the Diocese but should, instead, enhance that experience and make better learners and better people out of all of our students.

I am very excited about the implementation of these goals and am proud of our faculty for its willingness to undertake that implementation.  They are ambitious goals, but I think that you will find that each year, over the next four years, the quality of the educational experience at Fisher Catholic will increase because of them.  I invite your input and your involvement with helping to measure our success in these goals as well as our educational program in general.  It is only by working together that we can make our students great life-long learners and builders of His Kingdom.

Thanks for all that you do for your children and our school.

Jim Silcott
President/Principal

	Guidance Newsletter 8/29