October 31, 2011

Thanks to those parents and friends who have helped“Thank you to all the parents who came out and supported, with food and cheers! There is no way today would have gone as smooth as it did without you all. The team greatly appreciates it. It was a close and exciting race. It looks like we will be in second place for the league, we have league finals next week, and then CIF at Mt. Sac. Thank you everyone!!” --Isaac DeRobles, Coach – Cross Country – St. Michael’s Prep.

To the Cara and Porretta Families for hosting students over the weekend.
To the Aragon and Tin Vu Family for helping with carpools
To the Aragons and Bonellos for representing the school at the recent St. John the Baptist/St. Michael's Prep Information Night
To the Esser Family for hosting a Cake-and-Coffee Information Night at their home

Thanksgiving WeekendIf your student will be flying home for Thanksgiving weekend, please make your airline reservations now. St. Michael’s does not furnish transportation from the school to the airport so please contact a shuttle service and make arrangements for your son to be picked up at school and taken to the airport. Email a copy of the airline and shuttle reservations to Mrs. Christian before Nov. 15th.

School will be dismissed for the Thanksgiving weekend at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23rd.
Daylight Savings Ends Sunday, November 6th at 2:00 a.m.Don’t forget to turn your clocks back 1 hour

November High School Information EventsSt. Michael’s will be represented at the following high school information events. If you have a son or know someone who has a son entering 9th grade next year, we encourage you to attend one of these informative events.

November 3rd: St. Anne’s, 32451 Bear Brand Road, Laguna Niguel; 6:00 p.m.
November 5th: Open House at St. Michael’s Prep; 3:30 p.m.
November 15th: St. Cornelius, 3330 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach; 7:00 p.m.

Parent/Student Handbook: Chapter 3, Section 9
SECTION 9: GRADING SCALE
St. Michael’s uses the following schedule to record student’s academic achievement.

A+
98-100

B+
88-89

C+
78-79

D+
68-69

F
0-64No Credit
A
94-97

B
84-86

C
74-76

D
66-67

A-
90-93

B-
80-83

C-
70-73

D-
65

P (Passing): credit for having taken course; not included in the GPA.  NP (Not Passing): no credit for having taken course; not included in the GPA.I (Incomplete): must be completed within a determined period of time in order to receive a grade. If it is not completed in that time period, it becomes an “F.”
Make-up Grades: The student who has been ill is given the opportunity to make up his grades within a specified period of time. Each teacher states his/her policy at the beginning of the school year.Students suspended from class and/or school do not receive credit on any work due during the time of suspension.

Sports
Nov. 1st: Cross Country League Finals @ Irvine Regional Park; 1:00 p.m.
Nov. 4th: Football vs. Capo @ San Clemente; 7:00 p.m.

This Week’s Photos: Cross Country, Student/Academic Life

Birthdays This WeekOct. 31 Cristian Aguilar

Weekly Homily by Fr. John Henry HansonAmong other things, Fr. John Henry is the school’s College Counselor and teaches English
We have just heard our Lord say: “I have come to cast fire on the earth.” Immediately, we can all think of what it means to be “on fire” for something—to be driven or enthusiastic. Anyone can have this type of “fire.” Anyone can be a fan or an enthusiast. But we Christians are the only people in the world who carry the flame that our Lord is talking about. There is something or someone within us which places us in a position of power and responsibility toward the world. There is a “power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.” We share in “the fullness of God,” because Christ dwells in our hearts through faith.

Christ wills to set fire to the earth, but He wills to do it through us. Christians are not only the light of the world, we are also its fire. Jesus can say to us: You are the fire, the light, the heat, the warmth that moves men’s hearts to love God in a cold and hateful world. Such is the Christian vocation. But before Jesus can set fire to the earth, He must set fire to you and me.

What is this fire? We have to admit that the disciples of Christ are not always clear about what it is. On one occasion, the Apostles James and John were frustrated by the opposition of a Samaritan village. They did not want Jesus in their midst, and they did not want His Gospel. They ask the Lord, “Shall we call down fire from heaven to consume them?” And Jesus rebuked them: “You do not know what kind of spirit you have. For the Son of Man came not to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”

They were probably thinking of Elijah, who did call down fire from heaven to consume the holocaust which he had prepared on Mount Carmel to prove that Yahweh is God, not Baal. And all those present, who saw the fire come down, both Israelites and the worshippers of Baal, confessed with one voice, “The Lord is God, the Lord is God.” We want to accomplish that same end: to lead every man, woman, and child everywhere under the sun to confess with one voice that Jesus is Lord. We do not want to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.

Our own fire, our own passionate intensity, cannot accomplish this. Unless we are moved by the Spirit of Christ, unless we allow His power to work within us, we will not attract anyone to Him. And everyone needs Him, even those who already have Him. As Christians, we have just become more aware of our need.

Our culture is full of people who feel unloved and rejected. It is full of people who are trying to draw attention to themselves in every possible way—body piercing, tattoos, dressing in ways that say: I don’t care about me; no one cares about me. People are willing to undergo a fair amount of physical pain and public humiliation just to be noticed. They may not even understand why they are doing it, but they feel compelled to by a fundamentally good desire: to be considered worthy of attention and of love. They have never received love as something free and unmerited. They have no experience of Jesus.

They want to feel within themselves a flame that only we, as Christians, possess. Or, in the words of St Josemaria Escriva, the “children of God bear the only flame that can light up the paths of the earth for souls.” If you cannot give what you do not have, then no one can share Christ except one who burns with His love. It is easy to look at the world and surrender our hope. What’s the point? Why evangelize? No one understands our vocabulary; no one is interested.

It is as St Augustine once said, “Evils abound, and God [permits] that evils should abound. The times are evil, the times are troubled, that is what people say. We ourselves are the times. Let us live good lives, and the times are good. Whatever we are like, that is what the times are like” (Sermon 80, 8). Maybe it is enough to say: Love Christ and Christ will be loved. Share the Gospel, and it will be shared.

If the world is cold and hateful toward God and the Gospel of His Son, it should not be because we refused to let our light shine before men. We are the light of the world because we bear Christ. And if marriages are bad, families are bad, communities are bad; if the world is bad, it is because the light of Christ has no place in men’s hearts—beginning with my own. And that is where the fire must be enkindled first, if we would share in Christ’s mission to set the earth afire with love.

In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced without written permission of the author.
Prayer Requests● Mrs. Marge DeClue, past parent-league president, who has declining health.
● Mrs. Maria Ferrucci who suffers with a health problem.
● Mrs. Rosemary Manly, grandmother of Christopher Manly ’06, who has been hospitalized with cardiac difficulties.
● Those who are in the armed forces.
● St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.

October 23, 2011

Thanks to those parents and friends who have helped:

● Mr. Rudy Aguilar who took photos at last Friday’s football game and burned a CD for the school.
● The following families for hosting students this weekend: Lee, Saglietto, Schardt and Schoenfeld.

● Christian Aguilar and Jacob Portka, who accompanied Fr. Victor to a high school fair to promote St. Michael’s.

First Quarter Oral Exams
This week the students will be taking their first quarter oral exams. Students are encouraged to study, and parents are encouraged to pray!

Volunteer Opportunity:

Volunteers are needed to help with Tuesday’s home cross country meet starting at 1:30 pm. Leave a phone message with Fr. Alphonsus is you are able to help. (949) 858-0222 extension 208

College Application Workshop - Sunday, October 23rd Place: mobile classroom. Time: 7:00 p.m.
Although parents of each grade level are invited, the information will naturally be more relevant to the parents of seniors and juniors--i.e., to those closer and closest to graduation. The presentation itself should last about 30 minutes, with time left for questions and answers.

The content of the presentation will NOT cover "how to" fill out a college application, but how parents can help their sons prepare to apply. In sum, parents can assist their sons by helping them to meet testing and application deadlines, as well as by helping to fill out applications for financial aid. Information will also be provided as to how parents may help their sons choose a college/university that will respect and foster Catholic faith and morals.

School Pictures
St. Michael’s would like to offer our parents a copy of the student photos the school has purchased at no charge. These photos have been posted on our school webpage. They will be available until Thanksgiving. You may save your son’s photo to your computer or print your son’s photo from this site at no cost to you or you may contact our school photographer, Mr. Rick Belcher if you prefer to purchase alternate photos from his expanded collection. To view your son’s free photo from the school’s webpage, open the following link: http://stmichaelsprep.org/images/large/

To view or to order from the expanded collection of photos from Rick Belcher Photography, open the following link: http://www.seeyourphotos.net/syp/proofing.html?photographer_id=20060516 Once open, click on SMA then on Students 2011 You will see alternate poses from those which the school has purchased. Mr. Belcher may be reached by email at: Rick@rickbelcherphotographt.com

News from the Deans
In order to help prepare our students for the adult world, St. Michael’s has set a number of financial fines for violation of school standards. These fines include, but are not limited to: lost textbooks and other items: $1 per item; not wearing or having a bathrobe as one goes to or from the shower: $100; misuse of phones $10 (second time); $50 and confiscated for 18 weeks (third time); misuse of other electronics (computers, iPods, etc.) $50 and confiscated for 18 weeks (first time).

The monies collected are given to the school’s mission efforts, which are the international charity, Aid to the Church in Need, and the girls orphanage run by the Rosarian Dominican Sisters in the Philippines.
Misuse of phones and electronics are the most common fines. Parents can help their sons by talking to them about meeting their responsibilities for the common good of the school community as well as by checking their sons’ cell use times to verify that the phone is used only during the approved time window: 2:05 pm to 7 pm.

Fines are paid in cash or check . All expenses associated with the school must be paid before a student sits for his quarterly examinations.

October High School Information Events
St. Michael’s will be represented at the following high school information events. If you have a son or know someone who has a son entering 9th grade next year, we encourage you to attend one of these informative events.

● October 23rd: Rush Park Auditorium, 3021 Blume Drive, Los Alamitos; 3:00 p.m.
● October 25th: Mayfield Junior School, 405 S Euclid Ave., Pasadena; 7:00 p.m.● October 27th: St. Mary’s School, 7 Pursuit, Aliso Viejo; 6:00 p.m.

Parent/Student Handbook: Chapter 3, Section 8
SECTION 8: TESTING AND GRADING
Evaluating student progress is a primary responsibility of the school. It is a task that invites a variety of evaluation methods. The primary purpose of evaluation is to determine the extent to which a student mastered the course standards. This level of achievement is determined through a systematic process. Grades can diagnose, motivate, and/or recognize excellence.
Prior to the quarterly and semester examinations a special schedule is issued. Oral exams conclude the first and third quarters. The exam is conducted by the teachers in that discipline area and carries a weight of approximately 10% of the quarter grade. Oral exams provide the students the chance of thinking and speaking “under pressure.” This skill is very important in effective communication, logical thinking, and all forms of public speaking. Oral exams also provide another medium through which student progress is effectively assessed.

The special Semester Test Schedule comes at the end of the second and fourth quarters. The semester exam is a scheduled 90 minute block of time. The semester exam tests the student’s ability to synthesize large quantities of materials. These examinations comprise 20% of a student’s grade for the semester. All students sit for these important exams.

A student whose achievement is not satisfactory (“C-,” “D,” “F” or has dropped more than one letter grade from the last grading period) receives a Progress Report. Such progress reports are sent collated from the online grading program at approximately the midpoint of every academic quarter. Any student who receives an unsatisfactory Progress Report is placed on the Weekly Progress Report list and remains with a weekly Progress Report until the next formal evaluation period. The goal is to alert the student in academic difficulty so that he may improve his study habits and seek help from the available sources on campus. At these times, parental support is also an effective means to assist their son in his renewed academic focus.

Academic grades are certificates of achievement. They are not a system of rewards and punishment for conduct. Grading “on a curve” is not statistically valid in small classrooms. It is neither a customary nor encouraged practice at St. Michael’s.

Sports
● Tuesday, Oct. 25: Cross Country League Cluster at STM on our home course; over 120 runners are expected. First race begins at 2:45 p.m. Parent Volunteers are needed starting at 1:30 pm.

● Friday, Oct. 28: Football @ Avalon (all day). Parents may pick up students at the Long Beach Downtown Landing at 10:00 p.m. or at school Saturday morning.

This Week’s Photos: Academic life

Weekly Homily by Fr. Sebastian Walshe
Among other things, Fr. Sebastian teaches Philosophy in the abbey seminary.

This past week Norbertines throughout the world celebrated the feast of Blessed Jacob Kern, a Norbertine Priest of the Abbey of Geras in Vienna, Austria.

From a very young age, Blessed Jacob experienced a call from God, and at the age of 14 he made a private vow of perpetual chastity. His central spiritual trait was a profound devotion to the Eucharist, and even when he was enlisted as a soldier in the Austrian army, he continued his daily Eucharistic Adoration in the scant free time he had. It was on one of these occasions that Jacob experienced a deep desire to offer himself as a sacrifice – an offer which God promptly accepted. Within a short time he was wounded in battle when a bullet pierced his lung. He would never fully recover, and in a subsequent surgery, he had to have some ribs removed using only local anesthesia.

When he was discharged from the army, Blessed Jacob joined the seminary and was ordained a priest.

After hearing about a Norbertine priest who became a leader in the schismatic Czech National church, Blessed Jacob decided to join the Norbertine order as an act of reparation. He suffered greatly, and eventually would have to undergo another painful surgery. As the surgery began he received our Lord in Holy Communion for the last time, and shortly thereafter, he returned his pure spirit to God.

It is a principle of the moral life that we become like that which we love. And the more intense our love, the more we become like the object of our love. Blessed Jacob loved Jesus in the Eucharist profoundly, and consequently became a living image of the Eucharist and an example for every priest.

Like the Eucharist, he became a living sacrifice, conformed to Christ crucified, even to the point of being pierced through the side.

Like the Eucharist, he became a cause and sacrament of the unity and communion of the Church. And just as God had taken a rib from the side of Adam to form his wife Eve, and just as the Church was born from the side of Christ on the Cross, so too did God accept a rib from the side of Blessed Jacob for the sake of building up his bride the Church.

Friends in Christ, to be a Christian is to love the Eucharist above all things: for the Eucharist is Christ. Jesus said: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. He who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of Me. Jesus also said: “I am the living Bread come down from heaven.” Therefore, we must love this living Bread above all things, even those who are dearest to us. St. John Vianney once said: “The worthy reception of Holy Communion amounts to more than all good works,” for it is Christ himself who works in us.

Jesus came to cast a fire upon the earth, and how He is anguished until it is set ablaze. That fire is the Eucharist, and we are the earth into which it is cast. Today open not only your lips, but also your hearts to receive this fire. Beg the Lord to kindle within you the intense, transforming fire of His love so that you will hunger for Him in the Eucharist more and more and thereby be transformed into His image. Blessed Jacob Kern, pray for us.

In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced without written permission of the author.

Prayer Requests
● Mrs. Marge DeClue, past parent-league president, who has declining health.
● Mrs. Maria Ferrucci who suffers with a health problem.
● Mrs. Rosemary Manly, grandmother of Christopher Manly ’06, who has been hospitalized with cardiac difficulties.
● Those who are in the armed forces.
● St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
● For the repose of the souls of our dearly departed:
Mr. Kinh Nguyen, grandfather of student Jacob Nguyen
Mrs. Ethel Wright, grandmother of Fr. Patrick Foutts

October 16, 2011

Thanks to those parents and friends who have helped
For hosting students over the weekend: The Hierro Family; the Schardt Family
For providing photos of a school event: Mrs. Amy Cara
For hosting a Cake-and-Coffee Info Night at their home: the Cara Family
For taking pictures at the football game: Mr. Rudy Aguilar

Parent Meeting, Sunday, October 16th; 7:30 p.m.

Agenda: Talk by Fr. Gabriel
The meeting will begin in the student dining room; it will conclude in the abbey church for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and the opportunity for confession.


First Quarter Oral Exams
The students will be taking their first quarter oral exams next week, Monday, October 24 thru Friday, October 28.

October High School Information Events
St. Michael’s will be represented at the following high school information events. If you have a child or know someone who has a child who will be entering 9th grade or above next year, we encourage you to attend one of these informative events.

October 17th: St. Mark’s Lutheran, 2323 Las Lomitas Drive, Hacienda Heights; 6:30 p.m.
October 18th: St. Catherine’s Military Academy, 215 N Harbor Blvd., Anaheim; 6:00 p.m.October 23rd: Rush Park Auditorium, 3021 Blume Drive, Los Alamitos; 3:00 p.m.


Parent/Student Handbook: Chapter 3, Section 6
SECTION 6: TECHNOLOGY USE POLICY
The Internet is a powerful learning tool when used properly. All data passing through network resources at St. Michael’s Prep are not private. The I.T. department and/or administrators reserve the right to inspect data and communications across network resources at St. Michael’s. It is within the rights of the school to monitor email or computer usage as it strives to maintain both the virtue and safety of the students, faculty, and staff.

Use of a computer and network system that is shared by many users imposes certain additional obligations. St. Michael’s Preparatory School makes it a violation to recklessly or maliciously interfere with the computer, network resources or data. The school also upholds that misappropriation of data or copyrighted materials may constitute theft.
Internet access is available in the library when there is adult supervision. Academic use of the internet always has precedence to recreational use. Recreational use of the Internet is limited to recreation periods and only for those students not on study detention.

St. Michael’s computer abuse policy applies to all students, faculty, and staff. The use of computers or network systems in no way exempts any member of the school community from the normal requirements of ethical or legal behavior.
Student violations may result in (but not be limited to) suspension of privileges. All on-campus computers are monitored to assure compliance with school policy.

The School works to ensure that students do not access or share Internet material which is inappropriate or offensive and instructs students in the proper and responsible use of the Internet. Yet, due to regular advances in technology and the multiple types of personal electronic devices which receive, store, show, and send data, the School cannot be held liable for the actions of students who deliberately contravene the school’s policies and guidelines.


Sports
Congratulations to our football team, who won their recent game. Their record is now 5-1 for the season.

This Week’s Photos: football; cross country


Weekly Homily by Fr. John Henry Hanson
Among other things, Fr. John Henry is the school’s College Counselor and teaches English.

“You are worth more than many sparrows.” Our Lord insists in the Gospels that God’s care for us is more particular and all-encompassing than we know. In the Sermon on the Mount we hear something similar to what we have just heard today: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” God does not love us in a merely general way, as an anonymous crowd, “trampling one another underfoot,” as the Gospel says. Of the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation, of the “great multitude which no man could number,” He knows the name of each; He numbers them. God is “involved” with us. The Incarnation itself is the ultimate sign of this: The word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

He took the initiative to become involved with men because we do not know how much we need a Savior. St Paul paints a frightening portrait of the human race before the coming of Christ: “We ourselves were once foolish… slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by men and hating one another; but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us.” The Lord Jesus took the risk of dwelling in the midst of a violent world as a meek and gentle Redeemer, so that we would get this message: You (fools, slaves, hateful men) can allow me to be born in a stable, persecute me, reject me, kill me, yet will I love you and save you. We often “love” motivated by some expected reward, flattery, convenience, etc., but that is not God’s way. His love is true and so it completely bypasses “the cunning of men, … [human] craftiness in deceitful wiles and lusts” and so loves even in the face of ingratitude and hostility.

Jesus came to us uninvited and in many cases was unwelcome. Why would He come to a place where his own would not receive him? God so loved the world that He gave His only son, but man does not so love God that we will give ourselves to Him unless we have a very firm sense of being loved, of being cared for. And maybe what is more to the point: seeing our need to be loved and cared for by God. St Thomas says that by Christ’s passion, “man knows thereby how much God loves him, and is thereby stirred to love Him in return.” That is really the point. The fact that we are “worth more than a host of sparrows” and loved in such a particular way that even the hairs of our head are accounted for--this fact should stir us to love God and neighbor in all of the small particulars of life.

Sometimes people smirk when they hear about how Catholics have patron saints for just about every area of human life. There are patrons of lost things, of those looking for a future spouse, of childbirth, of television, computers, cars, animals, etc. Every trade and occupation has its own patron. What is behind an attitude of mockery might be the idea that, after all, God is so “big” and we are so “small” and insignificant; how could He care so much about the little things that we barely think twice about? Or why would He concern Himself with blue-collar workers as much as with heads of state?

We have trouble seeing how God can care about these things because we don’t care about them as we should. Our Lord illustrates His teaching frequently by referring to little things and hidden things. He says that we must become like little children to enter His kingdom. Then He refers to seeds, yeast, hidden treasure, a pearl, broken pieces of bread in the multiplication of the loaves--“gather up the fragments that nothing may be lost”--and today, sparrows and the very hairs upon our head. His providence extends to everything; His salvation comes to us in a thousand largely unspectacular, unobtrusive, varied ways.



The patronage of the saints is not the only sign of God’s involvement in every
detail of our lives. Probably most people here are wearing some sacramental--a religious habit, a scapular, a miraculous medal--something that indicates that we belong to the Lord, to the Blessed Mother, to the care of a saint. What does this fact say about us and our lives? Or the fact that we wear these things practically twenty-four hours a day? These symbols, sacramentals—the cross, the rosary, holy medals, scapulars—are all signs that life is not easy. They are signs that we need God’s care and all kinds of heavenly help continuously. “Man’s life is a warfare upon earth,” says Job. And our Lord tells us: “In this world, you will have trouble.” We do not wear medals or the scapular for “fun,” even primarily to evangelize. It is first a sign to ourselves that we stand in need of salvation.



This life is not easy, but the Savior says “My yoke is easy; my burden is light.” When we think of the sparrows, the lilies of the field, and ourselves, we should become fearless in meeting the evils of this present life: “Do not be afraid,” and this is God’s command to us. He has earned the right to command us by loving us.


In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced without written permission of the author.

Prayer Requests
● Mrs. Marge DeClue, past parent-league president, who has declining health.
● Mrs. Ethel Wright, grandmother of Fr. Patrick Foutts, who has declining health.
● Those who are in the armed forces.
● St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them
For the repose of the soul of Mr. Chuck Todd, husband of the Assistant Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Mrs. Sally Todd

October 9, 2011

Thanks to those parents and friends who have helped
For hosting a student over the weekend: The Saglietto Family
For helping with carpools: The Pickett Family and the Portka Family
For preparing and serving a pregame meal to the football team: Mrs. Lenahan and Mrs. Park
For coming out and supporting our cross country and football teams

Parent Meeting, Next Sunday, October 16th; 7:30 p.m.
place: student dining room
key topics: a talk by Fr. Gabriel, Announcement & Explanations, Volunteer opportunities. Concludes in abbey church with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and the opportunity to go to confession.

PSAT Testing
On Wednesday, October 12, the freshmen, sophomores and juniors will be taking their PSAT’s during the morning hours. The seniors will be attending a talk (on campus) about applying to college. Afternoon and evening classes will meet as usual.

October High School Information Events St. Michael’s will be represented at the following high school information events. If you have a child or know someone who has a child who will be entering 9th grade or above next year, we encourage you to attend one of these informative events.

October 17th: St. Mark’s Lutheran, 2323 Las Lomitas Drive, Hacienda Heights; 6:30 p.m.
October 23rd: Rush Park Auditorium, 3021 Blume Drive, Los Alamitos; 3:00 p.m.

Thank you to those families who have volunteered to host a cake-and-coffee info night at their house!

Parent/Student Handbook: Chapter 3, Section 5

SECTION 5: PLAGIARISM, HOMEWORK COPYING, CHEATING
Plagiarism (taking ideas, writings, etc. from someone else and presenting them as one’s own) and homework copying are placed in the same category as test cheating. Any student using material copied from an Internet source under the guise of his own name is cheating. Students have a moral responsibility to themselves and others to work honestly. The consequences for cheating and/or plagiarism are progressive. For the first offence the student receives a “0” and a letter home. The second offence adds a conference with the parents and the loss during that academic year of all co-curricular and extra-curricular privileges and positions. The third offense is sufficient reason for expulsion from school. The record of these offenses accumulate throughout the years the student attends St. Michael’s. In addition to other means, the school does use commercially-available software designed to identify unreferenced sources in student work.
Sports
Congratulations to our cross country and football teams for a successful week!

Tuesday: XC League Cluster @ Mason Park; 2:00 p.m.
Friday: Football vs Southlands Christian @ STM; 3:00 p.m.

This Week’s Photos: St. Michael’s students volunteering at the Blind Children Center

Weekly Homily by Fr. Gabriel Stack
Among other things, Fr. Gabriel is the Headmaster and teaches Latin.

In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul calls Jesus, “the power of God” and “the wisdom of God.” In this morning’s gospel, at the very moment Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit, He thanks His Father saying, “You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to the childlike.” What are we to understand? What does it mean to be childlike? It means at least three things.

Being childlike means TO BE TOTALLY IMMERSED IN THE PRESENT. A child does not have a past about which to feel guilty. A child knows nothing about the future and its demands. So children live in the present, in the real world, which is their only reality. That is why children can learn so quickly. Adult waste so much and time and energy regretting their past and worrying about their future, they overlook the only thing they do have – the present.

Being childlike means TO HAVE A SENSE OF WONDER. Nothing is dull or common place to a child; everything is new and exciting. Admittedly, children talk about their world in ways which sounds like an excerpt from Dr. Doolittle. Not only do animals talk but also, sunbeams, trees, and ocean waves. Yet, there is wonder and revelation in it all. Children want to know about everything. Their constant question is “why.”


Being childlike means TO EXPERIENCE THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE of parents which is not based on possessions or achievements. Children just want to be held. But we say how can I be childlike? I am an adult. I do have a past for which I feel guilty and a future about which I worry. The only wonder I have is the nagging question, how am I going to get through the day. And most days I feel unlovable even to myself.

Our faith makes it possible to be childlike. The stronger the faith, the larger the possibility. The example of Saint Theresa shows us that we can live in the present and in the Presence. Our faith assures us that each of us has the mercy of God for the past and the providence of God for the future. We can have a sense of wonder because faith ushers us into a wonderful world that is more mysterious and more engaging than the world of the senses. We have a sense of security based on the unconditional love of God because faith tells us that God loves each so much that if there were only one – for that one, the Father would still send His only Son without conditions.

God loves not only us. He love me; and not as I could be but as I am -- with all of my physical warts, psychological quirks, and spiritual idiosyncrasies. On this memorial of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, I encourage you to open your heart to Jesus by the power of the same Holy Spirit in whom He rejoices. You have a holy childhood to gain. For in the power of God and with the wisdom of God everything will speak of one thing – Jesus. And every single thing that you do will be your reply. “And I love you, too.”

In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced without written permission of the author.

Prayer Requests
● Mrs. Marge DeClue, past parent-league president, who has declining health.
● Those who are in the armed forces.
● St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them

For the repose of the soul of St. Michael’s alumnus, Peter Berghammer ’77.

October 2, 2011

Thanks to those parents and friends who have helped
*Making the Vantage Point Gala such a big success: Jorge & Rosario Ragni; Matthew & Vanessa Vu; Carl & Becky Johnson; Dominique Wetzel; Nghai & Elody Hand; Aldo & Maria Saglietto; Rafael & Maria Salazar; Andrew & Tracee Portka; John & Remini Esser; Bryan & Tanya Le; Charles & Toni Aeschliman; Peter & Jennifer Bonello; Cong & Jenny Nguyen; Jesus & Tina Gomez; Rudy & Rozanna Aguilar; Ed & Tracey Pickett; Aileen Aragon; Eric & Mercy Ejiaga; Paul & Cathy Porretta; Thomas & Tracy Giap; Blanca Galicia; Mort & Emee Howard; Seong Hee Park; Dave & Joanne Deaton; Huong & Bay Tran [sister Katie]; Tin & Teresa Vu; Ana Dabrowski
*Thanks also to all the families who brought food and drink to the football
game!


October High School Information Events
St. Michael’s will be represented at the following high school information events. If you have a child or know someone who has a child who will be entering 9th grade or above next year, we encourage you to attend one of these informative events.

*October 6th: Our Lady of Perpetual Help,10441 South Downey Ave., Downey; 7:00 p.m.
*October 17th: St. Mark’s Lutheran, 2323 Las Lomitas Drive, Hacienda Heights; 6:30 p.m.
*October 23rd: Rush Park Auditorium, 3021 Blume Drive, Los Alamitos; 3:00 p.m.

College Representatives On Campus This Week:
A representative from Whittier College will visit campus during lunch Tuesday, Oct. 4th

Parent/Student Handbook: Chapter 3, Section 4
SECTION 4: HOMEWORK
Homework assignments have clear and definite purposes. They are designed to meet one or more of the following aims:
*To provide the drill necessary for the mastery of the skill.
*To promote individual and cooperative study and preparation of the course materials.
*To stimulate creative intellectual activities on the part of the student through solving problems, composition work, etc.
Teachers give daily assignments. The typical student, working diligently, should be able to complete the daily assignment within 30-40 minutes per class. Within this time frame are reports, map work, projects done outside of class, etc. There are homework assignments over the weekend. Students working in more advanced classes do have more work required of them. Students should work on their long-range assignments (such as book reports, term papers, maps, compositions, and lab projects) systematically in order to have adequate time for their day-to-day assignments.

Written work should be neatly presented on standard 8½ × 11 white paper, (no pages torn out from spiral notebooks). Written work should normally be completed in pen of blue or black ink or produced on the computer. Written work should always be grammatically correct and have proper punctuation. Clearly title all work with the student’s name, date, and class. Accepting late work is at the discretion of the individual teacher. Correct English, written and oral, is insisted upon in every class by every teacher. An example is set in this matter by the teachers themselves.

After an absence, it is the student’s personal responsibility to see his teachers about making up all work he missed. It is the responsibility of the student to turn in all work and to request any exam on his own.

Sports
Oct. 4: XC League Cluster @ Avalon; 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 7: Fball vs Liberty @ Murdy Park; 7:00 p.m.

This Week’s Birthdays
10/3 Philomene Ragni
10/4 Louis Truong
10/8 Bryce Pickett

This Week’s Photos:
Cross country competing in the Irvine Invitational; college visit/outing

Weekly Homily by Fr. Brendan
Among other things, Fr. Brendan is the Assistant Dean and teaches American Literature.

“Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?”
Everyone is searching for something. There are over 200 million searches on Google per day. What should we search for. Some people are searching for the endless summer or for the American Dream, or for the perfect religious community.

How can we find what we are searching for? Do we need to travel the world, or set our hearts on some tropical beach or a beautiful woman on a tropical beach? There are many who go from place to place and from relationship to relationship in an endless search. It is important to know what to search for and how to find it.

In the 2nd chapter of the Gospel of John, as soon as Jesus calls his first disciples, he asks them “What are you looking for?” , What are you searching for? They respond by asking him; Where are you staying? Where are you going?
In today’s Gospel the apostles are still wondering where Jesus is going. “Master, we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way?”

The apostles without Christ are lost, all men without Christ are lost. Because Jesus is the way He is never lost. He knows where he is going; “I am going to the Father” to sit at the right hand of the Father.

Jesus is the way. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan the heavens were opened. St. John Chrysostom says that “at the baptism of Christ the gates of heaven were opened… and after He had vanquished the tyrant by the cross; since gates were no longer needed for a heaven which would never again be closed, the angels said, not “open the gates,” but “Take them away”(III q.39 a.6).

The truth is that our return to the Father is demanding. There are many trials and difficulties that we must endure along the way. Jesus, who said that his food was to do the will of his Father, and that the Father loves him because he always does what he asks of him, but Jesus also asked his Father to take the cup from him and cried out from the cross asking “Why he had abandoned him.”
But if we pass through the crucible of suffering we are destined for a life of glory. The glory of the only begotten son.

St. Thomas says the Father’s words at the baptism of Christ were not said for Him, because he was always united with the Father, but they were said for us. “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased”. On Mount Sinai Jesus was transfigured before the apostles and clothed in the glory of the Father “This is my beloved son, listen to him”. He was transfigured before them so that they would desire his glory and persevere in the faith after the crucifixion. The crucifixion removing the obstacle of sin that prevented us from returning to the Father, and the resurrection leading us to share in His glory. Dwelling with Christ at the right hand of the Father. Beloved sons of an all powerful, all loving Father.

There are some good young men here who will be leaving the Hilltop in just eight months. There will be many paths to choose from and many roads to follow, but there is only one way to eternal glory. But do not let your hearts be troubled Jesus has prepare a place for you. And if you are determined to follow Him, no matter how difficult the road or how many times you might fall along the way or stray from the truth, if you keep getting up and returning to Him you will reign with Him forever and ever. Amen.

In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced without written permission of the author.

Prayer Requests

● Mrs. Marge DeClue, past parent-league president, who has declining health.
● Those who are in the armed forces.
● St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them