Friday Forget-Me-Nots August 27, 2010
Dear Parents/Guardians & Friends:
Please plan on coming to school on Monday, August 30 at 7pm for Meet the Teachers’ Night. You will have an opportunity to go through your student’s schedule, meet his or her teachers and get a copy of the course syllabus for each class. This is an invaluable way to get started in the essential communication process between you and the teachers.
If you have not yet attended the mandatory Athletic meeting please plan on coming early that night at 6:30 for our final makeup meeting. At least one parent and all athletes must attend this pre-season meeting per OHSAA regulations in order to participate in athletics during any season this year.
Our major fund raiser for all athletic teams as well as the band, the choral music program and the drama department is underway. All students who are participating in any of these activities or are planning to participate at any time this year, are required to see a minimum of $200 of raffle tickets by September 14. Students will more than one student in school are only asked to sell $200 per family. The tickets are $5 or 5 tickets for $20. The grand prize drawing is Five Thousand Dollars to be drawn at the Homecoming football game on Saturday, September 25. Remember that if the holder of the winning ticket is present at the game at the time of the drawing the prize is increased to Six Thousand dollars.
Students are encouraged to sell more than the minimum and all students, whether or not they are participating in a sport or activity are asked to sell raffle tickets.
Students selling $300 in raffle tickets or more (or $100 for those not participating in a sport or activity) will be allowed in casual dress from the day after they turn their money in through September 24. Students selling $360 in raffle tickets or more (or $160 for those not participating in a sport of activity) will receive relaxed shoe policy for the school year. These prizes are also per family with no added amount needed.
Extra tickets are available at the school office or in Miss Henry’s room.
It is hoped that everyone will get behind this raffle drive so that we can continue to eliminate the multitude of small fund raisers that are usually needed to run our athletic and extracurricular programs, none of which are funded by tuition dollars.
Although the magazine drive is not taking place this year, families who wish to renew magazines bought through the magazine drive will still have an opportunity to renew through Fisher Catholic and we will continue to benefit with a profit. Students will be given postcards to take home for any renewals and/or new subscriptions in mid-September. This program is completely voluntary but if you wish to keep receiving your magazines please renew through us!!
The Peer Advocates Club along with Student Council is planning on holding tailgating for students during a variety of fall sporting events. The calendar of events is as follows:
Sept. 4th-5pm (Football & Band)
Sept. 11th-5pm ( Boys Soccer & Golf)
Sept. 16th-5pm (Girls Soccer & Cross Country)
Sept. 21st-3:30 @ Rising Park (Girls Tennis and Cheerleaders)
Sept. 30th- 5pm (Volleyball)
Oct. 16th-5pm (Football & Band)
All tailgates are in the parking lot of Fisher except for Tennis. I would like all of the teams to support one another. Students are to bring a desert and donate a twelve pack of pop. Parents welcomed.
If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering in the cafeteria for the upcoming school year please call the school office at 654-1231 or Michele Poston at 503-5681. Thank you!
It's that time of year again. The 2010 Millersport Sweet Corn Festival is right around the corner. Once again, we need your help running the Fisher Catholic Booth. Last year was a great year and we look forward to contributing even more money toward Fisher Catholic Athletics. But, we cannot do this without your help. Many of you have already signed up for a shift or two and I thank you for that. We still have plenty of slots open. We need help on the following days:
Thursday 9/2:
Early 4:30-8pm
Late 7-11pm
Friday 9/3:
Early 4:30-8pm
Mid 5:30-10pm
Saturday 9/4:
Early 10:30-2:30
Afternoon 12-4pm
Late afternoon 2-6pm
Evening 5-10pm
Please check the schedule and if you can work, send me an email at timothy.craine@gfs.com and I will add you to the list.
The Fisher Catholic Athletic Association has a wonderful group of parent members and team liasons and a parent willing to be second in command to help. What all of these wonderful people need is someone to step forward and lead this group. Much of the organization for the fall has already been done. Please contact Jim Silcott or Cathy Henry if you might be willing to assume leadership for this very important organization.
A reminder that you can purchase an athletic pass that will allow you entrance into all home athletic events for the entire year by paying one time. Prices are:
Couple’s Pass $125
Single Adult Pass $75
Junior Irish Pass $25
College/Under 21 $25
It should be noted that senior citizens 65 and over are always free for home events!
The old adage is that you pray like everything depends on God and work like everything depends on you. When I last wrote to you in May I asked you to keep Fisher Catholic in your prayers. Since then the faculty, staff, coaches and administration have been working hard to start the new school year off well. I think the combination of hard work and prayers have both been helpful to us as I report to you on the state of Fisher Catholic as we begin our year.
As we wrapped up the books on the 2010 fiscal year which ended June 30 I am happy to report that we finished the year in the black. This is a huge accomplishment. It should be noted that although we run on a tight budget here we are one of the few high schools in the Diocese carrying no debt! We continue to use money from our Mary Botta Fund for wise capital improvements that will actually save us money in the long run. All of the funds promised to us from our Foundation ($70,000) are being used, once again, for tuition assistance and scholarships for deserving students. This year’s projected budget forcasts us remaining in the black again for fiscal year 2011 and to continue to work on improving the quality of our education and our facilities.
For this year, anyway, the State of Ohio restored the cuts that they made to private schools last year. It is important to note that the State clearly remains in financial crisis so where that funding will go after next year continues to be a mystery. By cutting the fixed costs we have traditionally spent with State dollars we will be in much better shape in the future than we were twelve months ago if the State takes funding away again.
In facility enhancement the parking lot was repaved, thanks in large part to a generous grant from Bishop Campbell and the Diocese of Columbus. Please thank him if you happen to talk to him! Ryan Shea, a senior student here, assembled multiple donations and lots of volunteer help to put together a prayer and stations of the cross meditative garden in what was formerly known as the senior court as his Eagle Scout project. It is beautiful! The Music Room is the fifth Classroom of the Future donated by generous benefactors from the Bid O’Luck Auction but named for alumnus and former teacher Ben Thimmes. It will serve the needs of our band and growing choral music departments nicely with new shelving, new risers, a new floor, new lighting, a smart board and projector.
Alumni Hall has a new set of bleachers salvaged from the old Fairfield Union High School thanks in large part to alumnus Tony Vogel who has been assembling them with a team of volunteers. This will be very helpful when we have events and games in Alumni, especially the biddy ball basketball program.
The lockers in our main hallways were refurbished and repainted along with the walls, which give our halls a fresh and clean new look to start the year. Special thanks to our maintenance staff: Patrick Wood, Pat Simcox and Roger Miller for all of their hard work this year in making the place shine. Thanks also to Coach John Young who plays a major part in cutting out athletic fields. If it takes a village to raise a child it takes a small city to keep a building and its grounds looking good!
On the academic end we have new offerings in the arts for our students this year and we continue to offer a full range of classes for every level of high school student. Considering the size of our school, the breadth and depth of our academic offerings is a huge testimony to the willingness on the part of our hard working faculty to serve the needs of all our students. We welcome three new faculty members to our ranks: Mr. Bart Krieger in science, Mr. Brandon Keller in English and Mrs. Linda Hensley as our Special Education Tutor all bring good experience to their jobs as well as Masters Degrees.
After three years of dips in enrollment out enrollment is actually up slightly from last school year, (250 up from 249 last year) but nonetheless an important trend for us! While our numbers are still down from where they were in the previous decade, in an analysis of enrollment over the last sixty years the average enrollment for St. Mary/Bishop Fenwick/Fisher is 271 show that we are not far off those average numbers (the lowest enrollment during that time is 190 in 1950 and the highest is 369 in 1963).
We continue to draw large numbers into our athletic teams, especially given the size of our school, and we look to be competitive in every sport and vie for league titles in a number of them. Our league, the Mid-State League continues to examine our membership with an eye towards re-alignment and/or expansion. This is being done to help balance the sizes of the schools with which we compete as well as taking into account geographic proximity and naturally rivalries.
We are continuing the work of our Vision team started last year with putting in to action the comprehensive strategic plan for the long term viability and success of our school in these five areas: Catholic regional unity, alumni relations, facilities and grounds, marketing and development, optimal enrollment and finances. Volunteers are still needed for those committees which will be working closely with the School Advisory Board.
Special thanks to our Student Governors who ran our first day of school wonderfully. Our House System, which is beginning its third year, continues to increase student leadership, ownership and school spirit. Please encourage your children to run for Student Council this year to join Josh Jones, Joe Szablewski, Caitlin Albert, Liz Siemer, Olivia Reade and Patrick Walsh in this important student activity.
The bottom line is that Fisher Catholic is a thriving Christ filled school with wonderful students, parents, faculty and staff. We are poised this year to continue to educate our students with the best practices of our day and the time honored traditions and excellence that have always been the hallmark of Catholic education. We do offer “an exceptional preparation for life”. Let’s all continue to work together and pray together for our continued success!
Jim Silcott
| Date | Event | |
| Monday | Aug. 30 | Schedule 4- Monday Matters & Houses Meet Tornado Drill Final Athletic Make-up Meeting- 6:30pm Meet the Teachers Night- 7pm |
| Tuesday | Aug. 31 | Regular Schedule Student Council Meeting- First Period |
| Wednesday | Sept. 1 | Regular Schedule Lockdown Drill |
| Thursday | Sept. 2 | Regular Schedule |
| Friday | Sept. 3 | Schedule 5- All School Liturgy 9:50am All are welcome! |
| Monday | Sept. 6 | No School- Labor Day |
| Tuesday | Sept. 7 | Regular Schedule |
| Wednesday | Sept. 8 | Regular Schedule |
| Thursday | Sept. 9 | Odd Period Day |
| Friday | Sept. 10 | Even Period Day |
| Monday | Sept. 13 | Schedule 3- Monday Matters Assembly |
| Tuesday | Sept. 14 | Regular Schedule Student Council Meeting- Second Period Fire Drill |
| Wednesday | Sept. 15 | Regular Schedule Community Cares Day for Juniors & Seniors |
| Thursday | Sept. 16 | Odd Period Day |
| Friday | Sept. 17 | Even Period Day Interims Coming Home Today |
| Monday | Sept. 20 | Homecoming Week Schedule 4- Monday Matters & Houses Meet |
| Tuesday | Sept. 21 | Regular Schedule |
| Wednesday | Sept. 22 | Regular Schedule |
| Thursday | Sept. 23 | Regular Schedule House of Cork Mass & Lunch- Fifth Periods |
| Friday | Sept. 24 | Schedule 6- Pep Rally 2:15 |
| Saturday | Sept. 25 | Homecoming Game 7:30pm Raffle Draw |
| Sunday | Sept. 26 | Homecoming Dance in Alumni Hall 8-11pm |