Merry Christmas!

I had a teacher say to me today, “I can’t believe that Christmas Eve is next Wednesday!”  Neither can I!  Time has passed so quickly and we have enjoyed some great activities leading up to the holidays.

 

 

National Honor Society Induction

 On November 18, 55 members of the Junior and Senior class were inducted into the National Honor Society.  To be eligible for membership, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.6 or better and exhibit the four characteristics of Character, Scholarship, Leadership and Service.  After the ceremony, all were treated to refreshments provided by the Home and School Association.

 

Thanksgiving Pie Baking

 

While I am really not a baker, I have learned that you do not need to bake to enjoy the Pie Baking evening held on the Monday before Thanksgiving here at Mercy.  This year we provided nearly 300 pumpkin and apple pies to the needy of greater Middletown.  What I truly enjoy about this evening is seeing alumnae return and families come to know each other while we are peeling and mixing!  Thank you to everyone who helped to make the evening such a success!

Radio City Music Hall

One of the activities that our Sophomores look forward to each year is their field trip to New York City to see the Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall.  Four coach busses pulled out of the Mercy parking lot at 6:45 a.m. and by all reports, it was a great day!

 

Christmas is Coming!

The signs of the holiday season can be seen throughout the hallways.  The Christmas themed class hallway competition has resulted in some festive walls.  All four grade levels did a wonderful job!

 

Another sign of the holiday was the “Ugly Christmas Sweater” competition:

 

Charitable Giving:

The Mercy community can be depended upon to remember those less fortunate during the Christmas season.  Many collections occurred throughout the month of December.  Toiletries, over 150 coats and 245 Pajamas along with monetary donations have been gathered and given to organizations working with those in need.  We can be proud of the clubs and honor societies that organized these drives and we had some fun in the process!

 

Upcoming Events

·         Return from Christmas Break on Monday, January 5^th.

·         This Break is a good time for students to organize their coursework and begin to prepare for their midterm exams which will occur January 12 – 16.

·         Report Card Night – January 28 from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.

 

May you have a very Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year!  And if you would like a real treat, click below to hear our Chamber Choir sing a carol taped during our Prince of Peace Pajama day!

 Chamber Choir

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Principal's Blog

October 8, 2014

 

 

Autumn Has Begun

What a beautiful Autumn we have been having!  We have had great days for participating in and viewing sporting events and look forward to those outside activities to come!  Our days inside have been quite busy as well!

Mini Class Night

On September 18 we welcomed all parents to come and follow their daughter’s schedule.  Sr. Patricia McCarthy, CND shared her insights and humor with us all.  Many parents have shared how they enjoyed experiencing what their daughter’s day must be like as she moves from teacher to teacher.  Microsoft was also here displaying tablets and laptops with the required and recommended components for student devices at Mercy.

Mrs. Jennifer Crutchfield, Director of Library and Media Services with Lina Fazzino, Library Assistant.
 

Mercy Day Celebration

On September 24, 1827, Catherine McAuley opened the first House of Mercy on Baggot Street in Dublin, Ireland.  Mercy International Center  Each year on September 24th, the Sisters of Mercy celebrate that founding event.  This year at Mercy High School we gathered for prayer and to learn about the Mission Trip to York, PA that a number of our students participated in this past summer.  We ended the day by sharing tea and special teapot cookies made for the occasion.

Walk-a-Thon Kick Off!

Preparations have begun for Walk-A-Thon 2014.  On Friday, October 3^rd our Walk-A-Thon kick off assembly took place.  Congratulations to the Student Council Officers and the Class Executive Boards for doing such a great job organizing the assembly and building school spirit.  Thank you to our talented Faculty who never stop amazing us with their varied gifts and talents!

 

Upcoming Events:

Progress Reports will be posted online today, October 8, after 5 p.m.  Watch for the e-mail notification from Sr. Peggy.

Pink Day – Thursday, October 9 will be PINK day in support of the Fight Against Cancer.  Students can wear pink shirts, knee socks or headbands for a $3.00 fee.

Faculty Inservice Day – There will be no school on Friday, October 10 as the faculty will be attending the Mercy Secondary Education Conference in Providence, RI.  There is also no school on Monday, October 13 for Columbus Day.

 

Junior Ring Ceremony:  On Tuesday, October 14^th at 7:00 p.m. we will welcome Bishop Cote as he joins us for the Junior Ring Ceremony.  This is a very special evening for our Junior class.  The Mass and ceremony will be followed by a reception in the cafeteria.  On Saturday, October 18 the Junior Ring Dance will take place from 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

 

Walk-A-Thon:   We have begun to collect donations for our Annual Walk-a-Thon.  Please read the following letter from Sr. Mary concerning this very important fundraiser:  Walk-A-Thon
The Walk-a-Thon will take place on Friday, November 7.

Yellow Rose Auction:  The auction is set to take place on Saturday, October 25^th and it promises to be another fun evening!  Tickets for the event and more information can be found here: 

Yellow Rose Auction

Grandparents Day:  This year Grandparents Day will be held in the fall.  Please let your daughter’s grandparents know that “their Mercy Day” will be held on Wednesday, November 5^th.  This is a wonderful day for our students and their grandparents!  The day begins with breakfast in the multipurpose room followed by a prayer service in the auditorium.  Grandparents will have the opportunity to tour the school if they wish.  It is very important that each grandparent who is planning to attend register by Friday, October 31^st. Grandparents Registration

 

Open House:  Please spread the word that our Open House will take place on Sunday, November 2nd from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  Many of your daughters will be volunteering to help with that day so thank you in advance for your support!

 

Be well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  

Principal's Blog  

September 18, 2014

Happy New Year!

I know it's not January 1st but for those connected to schools, the new year really seems to begin in September!  We have had a wonderful beginning of this new school year and are looking forward to the many opportunities for growth that will come.

Orientation Week

 The week of August 25th saw many happy faces as students were reunited with friends they hadn't seen for a number of weeks!  As each class arrived, new screams of joy could be heard with stories of trips, summer jobs and anticipation of new courses.

The Freshwomen arrived on Thursday, August 28, and were warmly greeted by the Senior Class of 2015.  Joining the Seniors were their Junior Big Sisters, ready to help them with lockers and the following of schedules.

Opening of School Mass and Pin Ceremony 

On Friday September 5^th, Bishop Cote presided over the Opening of School Mass and Freshwomen Pin Ceremony.  We are always very happy to greet Bishop Cote as he helps us to welcome our year.  The Freshwomen were given their Mercy pins by their Junior sisters and were officially welcomed into the Mercy community.  That afternoon we all celebrated our new beginnings with a field day which brought together all four levels with friendly advisor group competition.

Activity and Service Fairs

During the week of September  8^th our Activity and Service Fairs were open to allow students to review the many clubs and activities available to them as well as service opportunities.  Our Mercy students are very generous with their time and talents and I know many will benefit from their efforts.

Mercy Cross Country Invitational

The week of September 8^th also saw the beginning of athletic competitions in the state of Connecticut!  Tuesday, September 9^th was the Mercy Cross Country Invitational.  It was a perfect September day to be out and enjoying the competition. Our Tigers had a first place team finish to begin the season strongly.  All of our teams have begun well and I look forward to seeing some great games.  The schedule of games can be found at:  Team Schedules

Academics

Classes are going well as we welcome new faculty members:  Ms. Kathleen Durbois, Social Studies; Ms. Jennifer Crutchfield, Library Media Center Director; Ms. Kelly Brookhart, School Counselor. 

Students have been enthusiastic and are attentive to their new course loads as they work to balance already busy lives!

AP Biology Students

Upcoming Events:

• Mini-Class Night:  Thursday, September 18, 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.-  Parents are invited to follow their daughter’s schedule and meet all teachers.  We are fortunate to have Sr. Patricia McCarthy, CND as our featured speaker. Microsoft will have laptops/tablets on display and will be available to answer questions.

• Progress Reports:  The first Progress Report of the first quarter will be posted on Monday, September 22^nd after 5 p.m.   Sr. Peggy O’Neill, registrar, will e-mail parents when reports are available for viewing.

• Magazine Drive:  We are currently in the midst of our annual magazine drive.  Please check with your daughter if you have not yet seen the ordering materials.  It is a great opportunity to renew some of your favorite magazines and support Mercy High School at the same time.

• Mercy Day, September 24:  On Wednesday, September 24 we will celebrate Mercy Day with a special prayer service and refreshments.  A special schedule will be posted for that day.

Be well.

Mercy-Filled Spring

 

With Spring finally arriving, so have the many activities that come with it!  We have especially enjoyed welcoming many alumnae and friends of Mercy who have joined with us in celebrating our 50^th Anniversary. 

Cake Auction

The week before our April break was Spirit Week at Mercy.  We had a “Country Club/Preppy” dress up day and “Worst Outfit” day, but the highlight of the week was the annual cake auction.  This activity is incredible for the generosity of students who bake cakes and then buy them back for charity!  The cakes were wonderful! 

 

 

 

 

 

Field Trips

On our return from April break, the weather was finally cooperating to allow for class outings.  The Spanish National Honor Society traveled to Hartford to the Artists Collective to see the show “Latin Rhythms” and enjoy Paella for lunch at a local restaurant, Costa de Sol.

 

 

 

The Biogeography class traveled to the Bronx Zoo and had a wonderful day as you can see below:

 

 

 

Retreat Day

Each year we take a day as an entire school community to stop to pray and reflect together.  This year the theme was Jesus the Healer and we had as our guest speaker Sr. Karen Schneider, RSM who is a Sister of Mercy and Pediatric Physician.  Sr. Karen works at Johns Hopkins Hospital and also travels to Haiti, Guyana, and Nigeria to care for sick children in those areas.  The students really enjoyed hearing of Sr. Karen’s experiences of serving the poor and of her life as a Sister of Mercy. 

 

Grandparents Day

On April 30 we welcomed nearly 350 grandparents to Mercy for Breakfast, Prayer and tours.  Our Mercy women were so proud to introduce their grandparents to us and give them a tour of the high school.  We enjoyed getting to know these very important people in our students’ lives.

 

 

May Crowning

 

The very next day on May 1^st we had our annual May Crowning.  We had hoped to have it outside this year as had been the tradition for many years, but the weather did not cooperate so the auditorium became the location.

 

 

 

Awards

Amidst the celebrations, we have had many members of our Mercy community win academic and community awards. 

 

 CAS Outstanding Arts Award:  Aleksandra Malz and Ashley Chase

 

 

CAS-CIAC Scholar Athlete Award:  Astin Donovan

 

 

 

DAR Good Citizen Award:  Abigail Nolan

 

Latin Exam Awards

Latin I                                                                Latin II

Danielle Andrews                                            Kimberly Arnold

Samantha Griswold                                         Michelle Reinert

Meghan Long                                                    Allison Wojciechowski

Suzanne O’Hara

Jamie Wyman

 Poetry III                                  Poetry IV                    Latin V

Christine Cammisa                  Ciara Hickey              Alice Ochterski

Savanna Hajdasz                      Madeline Kumm

 

SCC Scholar Leaders:  Stephanie Case and Alyssa Case

 

 

 And last but not least, our Third Quarter Honor Roll has been posted at:  Honor Roll

 

 

Senior Prom

The senior activities have begun as they will soon be graduating this month!  On Friday, May 2^nd the seniors gathered at the Aqua Turf for a great night of dancing and enjoying time together.  They looked beautiful as you can see!

 

 

 

 

50^th Anniversary Celebration

Sunday, May 4^th was a great day of celebrating 50 years of Mercy High School.  We began with a well- attended Mass in morning, followed by a Brunch prepared by the Home and School Association.  Alumnae, parents and friends were able to go on tours and see memorabilia throughout the school building as well as the Art Show featuring work done by current students in art classes.

 The second half of the day featured a show entitled “We Know by Heart, 50 Years of Mercy”, written by Rose Masselli Morse, a current teacher and alumna of Mercy.  The show consisted of songs and memories from the past 50 years and was a great tribute to those who were here before us.

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Events:

·         Course Lists for 2014-15:  All freshwomen, sophomores and juniors will receive their 2014-15 Course lists on Wednesday, May 7, in advisor group.  Incoming freshwomen will receive their course lists the middle of June.  You will need this list to order your books during the summer.

Students should see Sr. Peggy by Friday, May 23, if there are any errors on this list or if the student has changed her mind about any of her elective courses.

·   Junior Prom, Saturday, May 10 at 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

 

·   All are invited to attend the Spring Concert on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.  I am hearing great music coming from the music room so I know it will be a very entertaining evening.  The winning ticket for the Tuition Raffle will be drawn during this event.  Don't miss your chance to purchase a ticket at:  Raffle

 

·  On Thursday, May 15^th the Senior Farewell Mass, Tree dedication and yearbook distribution will occur.  The last day for our senior class will be Friday, May 16^th.