Performing a variety of songs celebrating the joy of Christmas, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy's choir Vocum Veritas and music ensemble Sonos Harmonia performed to a packed crowd in the Arts Center at this year's Christmas Concert on Dec. 15.
Christmas wreaths and poinsettias are now for sale! The Book Club would love to decorate a beautiful Christmas wreath just for you and your family.How, you ask?
Wreaths are $25 and poinsettias (wrapped with ribbon) are $10. Orders will be available for pick-up after 3 p.m. on Dec. 9. The Book Club thanks you in advance for your support.
It’s time for the Santa Teresita Book Drive, and for the second year running you can now donate in more than one way. (New parents – Santa Teresita is our sister school, located in Boyle Heights. Each year we donate hundreds of books for the students and school.) Here’s how to donate:
Option One: Clean out your shelves and send us your gently used children’s and middle-grade books.
If we collect enough items, each and every student at Santa Teresita will get to take home a book of their choosing.
Option Two: Visit our Amazon Wish List and select new books that will be added to the Santa Teresita Library’s science and social sciences section.
Option Three: Donate both ways and give more to the wonderful students at Santa Teresita.
Books ordered via Amazon will be delivered directly to the FSHA Library. Your donations from home can be delivered to the library at any time between now and December 16th.
On behalf of the Book Club, thank you so much for your support.
Katie Johnson and Kayla Mills were standouts when Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy won the CIF Southern Section Division I championship in 2011. On Sunday, they helped USC win the NCAA women’s soccer championship with a 3-1 win over top-ranked West Virginia! Read more coverage via the LA Times.
Parent volunteers are needed each night of Nov. 10, 11 and 12 to help with parking, merchandise or backstage support. Please contact Phyllis Cremer or Gayane Garibyan if you would like to voluneer. Thank you!
The senior fee covers your senior sweatshirt, t-shirt, flower lei (for Royal Ball), Senior Toast and the Santa Teresita Party. Click here to pay your senior fee now!
It was another busy weekend for our speech & debate team! We had our largest entry ever at the Spartan Fall Classic at Schurr High School in Montebello. This also turned out to be the largest Spartan Fall Classic on record— over 50 teams from up and down the state of California arrived to compete.
All of our debaters did very well. Several going two wins and one loss in the preliminary rounds, and just about everyone won at least one round of debate. As you can see from the included picture, freshmen Meg Kalaw and Jocelle Lauron trophied at semi-finals in novice public forum debate, which meant they were in the top four out of 32 teams from 15 schools including traditional powerhouse school, San Marino!
As you know, it takes a special kind of courage to put yourself out there and speak in public— so we are especially proud of our international students who (though they don’t often break to out-rounds) work so hard to be competitive in speech and debate in a language that is not their home language! And they ARE competitive. For example, Genesis Li and Erin Li came in fourteenth out of 29 teams in varsity public forum debate and Tayvans Zhang was in the top 20 out of 40 among the novice Lincoln/Douglas debaters. Their victories are of a different sort, but no less remarkable.
Thanks to all of you for your kind support and encouragement to the team!
The FSHA Vocum Veritas (choir) is participating in the first annual Catholic Girls’ High School Choral Festival today at La Canada Presbyterian Church (626 Foothill Blvd. La Canada, 91011). They go on at 3:00 pm. This festival has been organized by FSHA and Mayfield Senior School to bring the talents of our young women together for an afternoon of sharing and collaborative work.
Tonight we honored James Sage with the Standing Ovation Award for his dedication to building FSHA's music program. In attendance were past recipients James Thomas Bailey, who presented the award, and Pam Santelman. The evening also showcased performances by our dancers, singers, actors and musicians. Art work by our visual artists was on display throughout the theatre.
This most recent issue of the parent newsletter neglected to include the early dismissal for this Friday, Oct. 28. Classes will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m. We apologize for any confusion.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, is our Junior Ring Ceremony. Juniors and seniors will exchange rings and roses as part of the traditional event honoring the eleventh graders’ status as upper classwomen and school leaders-in-training. The ceremony will be held in the gym from approximately 1:20 p.m. – 2:00 pm. Students in grades 9, 11 and 12 will be dismissed to dedicated study periods following the event and grade 10 will remain in the gym for a class speaker.
If you would like to work backstage for the musical "Anything Goes," please fill out the Google form application.
PLEASE SIGN UP BEFORE MONDAY, Oct 24. Crews are assigned until all positions are filled. The earlier you apply the better your chances of being on the crew. If you are committing to work on the crew, and are available ALL of the required days and times, fill out the form completely.
This Sunday, October 23, there is a special mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Downtown Los Angeles, honoring the dedicated men and women (and their families) who work in any part of the medical field, including mental health and wellness. The White Mass begins at 3:30 p.m. and there is a reception with light refreshments following the end of the liturgy.
Over the weekend, FSHA’s Speech and Debate team competed at Cal State Fullerton. It was a full two days of competition. Clara Fermanian ’18 was a semi-finalist in Open (varsity) Impromptu Speaking. Her teammates included Gina Guan, Maggie Gao and Catherine Bauer. Our debaters did well this weekend, with first time competitors Catherine Bauer, Olivia Peterson and Lauren Lubeley winning two out of their six rounds.
Basketball tryouts are scheduled for Monday, 10/24, 3:15 – 5:30pm. Any player interested in trying out for the team must be in attendance. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Buxman.
In honor of this week's International Day of the Girl, Ms. Murphy has assembled a list of eight books she recommends reading! Celebrated around the world, International Day of the Girl is meant to raise awareness of the many issues facing girls today.
"As the librarian in an all-girls school, I’m particularly interested in how storytelling plays a critical role in empowering girls and giving voice to the voiceless among them. To this end, here are eight great books about girls and their stories." -- Ms. Murphy
The country of Haiti is in desperate need of help after Hurricane Matthew. There is a global effort to try and help those whose lives have once again been turned upside down ( http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/11/world/haiti-hurricane-matthew/). Join our ASB as we take our first steps to help. Tomorrow, Friday, October 14, we will be sponsoring a $3.00 free dress day. All funds collected will go directly to Haiti relief. Please be generous! Consider turning in a 5 dollar bill and not asking for change back! Thank you in advance for your generosity and assistance!
On Monday, Oct. 10, parents, alumnae, grandparents and parents of alumnae participated in Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy's Harry G. Johansing Scholarship Golf Tournament & Dinner. This annual event raises funds to support the Johansing Scholarship, which helps students with financial need attend FSHA.
The Student Body of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy invites their fathers to escort them to the 2016 Father Daughter Dance on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016 at the Pasadena Hilton. Photos at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. Black tie optional. $60 per person. No refunds will be accepted after October 13th
Our senior class cheered on FSHA's five finalists (Natalie Buntich, Dominique Pittman, Kamela Stewart, Alexandra Tighe, Grace Van de Voorde) for the Tournament of Roses Royal Court! Bryce Bakewell '16, a Royal Court Princess last year, was on hand to help with the announcement.
All School (faculty, staff, students) PICNIC on field (following the assembly)
Bring picnic blankets/chairs
Bring lawn/picnic games -- You can drop games off in Portable 1 in the morning. (Please have your name on your game somewhere). The student mission committee will set up the games during Block A.
*Black & White free dress day*
Live out the pillar of community by eating lunch and playing games with different people during the picnic. Talk with people you don’t normally talk to.
During Veritas Week (Oct. 3-7), the Student Mission Committee will be collecting items to create hygiene kits for the homeless. Items including shampoo, soap, razors, combs, deodorant, socks and underwear are needed. There is a box up in the high school building for people to drop off supplies.
The Uku-Ladies is a group that will meet at lunch to provide a safe musical environment for students. Please fill out this survey if you are interested!
During commencement season in June, I heard two speeches that stuck with me. Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy's valedictory address by Kelly Fradet '16 opened with—
"Now if you know me, you know I love science and I encourage all of you to think like scientists. Some of you English and history people may have just tuned me out, but please come back."
A few days later and across town at the Caltech commencement, Atul Gawande led with—
"If this place has done its job—and I suspect it has—you’re all scientists now. Sorry, English and history graduates, even you are, too. "
On Fostering a Scientific Mindset
Both Fradet and Gawande continued by reflecting on the nature of education and thinking, what it means to view life through the lens of a scientist, and, more hopefully, how to live life with the mind of a scientist. Each in their own way suggested what would be required to develop the mindset of a scientist.
Congrats to our varsity volleyball team and our coaching staff who were the Competition Division Champions at the Durango Tournament this weekend in Las Vegas. We played some very good teams from all over the US. On a side note, our junior varsity team is ranked #16 in the nation!
On Saturday, many of FSHA's speech and debate team novices competed at their first tournament at Arcadia High School. Over 240 novices from 15 area schools competed at the Package Deal Tournament.
Tologs represented our school well, earning ribbons of excellence (top 20%), superior (top (10%) and freshman Catherine Bauer earned top speaker trophies in her Congressional Debate Rounds and Speech Rounds.
Melissa Bautista earned a superior rank in Speech. Cinthya Hernandez, Samantha Godinez, Hannah Douglas, Mila Mendoza, Grace Sadihiro, and Alice Long earned an excellence rank in Speech. Mila Mendoza and Cinthya Hernandez also earned an excellent rank in Congressional Debate.
Last week, juniors traveled to Catalina for FSHA's annual Junior Retreat. Students participated in a number of activities facilitated by the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program (CELP) including snorkeling, kayaking, high and low ropes, the climbing wall, and composting and sustainability workshops. In addition, student leaders led daily discussions designed to explore issues of identity.
FSHA's peer tutoring is accepting applications for new tutors and tutees.
Peer tutors help students develop study skills and habits, provide understanding of specific course concepts, and encourage independent learning. Student tutors are matched with a peer tutee who is seeking academic support.
Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy is proud to announce that it has been awarded a $50,000 challenge grant by the highly regarded Edward E. Ford Foundation. The grant will support the research, development and implementation of an Innovation Lab, a dedicated, cross-disciplinary learning environment specifically designed to support collaboration, design thinking, and project-based learning.
Last week, the Parents' Guild hosted the annual Welcome Coffee. For this year's program, Allison Clay, FSHA's director of counseling & psychological services, shared valuable tips and advice about how parents can support their daughters' health and wellness throughout high school. Thank you to all the parents who joined us and to the Parents' Guild for organizing such an important and well attended event!
We will be collecting a $100.00 Senior Activities Fee that will be due on September 19. This fee will cover a senior t-shirt and sweatshirt and a lei for Royal Ball. It will also provide funds to purchase supplies for the Santa Teresita party in December and the Senior Toast in the Spring. This fee can be paid online through TologNet. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ms. Contreras or Ms. Ortega.
The Parents' Guild hosted the first ever BBQ party just for parents on August 21! The start of the school year is such a busy time, so this was a fun night to relax and get to know other parents.
Today our students, faculty and staff gathered for the first mass of the year. CMLT opened with a skit to illustrate the theme for the year-- Love takes up where knowledge leaves off.
Our residence life orientation is a chance for incoming boarders to get to know the FSHA campus, more specifically, the boarding hall, before returning students come back to campus. This day is run by our boarding council students who are leaders within the residence hall. The day includes get-know-you games, an extensive tour of the residence hall, a rundown of residence life guidelines, and a fun afternoon in the pool. Our boarding orientation for this year took place on Monday, August 8.
A group of girls hung out at Griffith Park and enjoyed a picnic together on Saturday, Aug. 20. We played bocce ball and cornhole, enjoying some healthy competition together. We ended our afternoon with a fun trip to Starbucks.
FSHA is sponsoring a Parent Support Group for FSHA parents only. The group will last six weeks and focus on teenage issues. This closed and confidential group will be facilitated by Dr. Regiene Muradian Psy.D.
The group will take place at Dr. Muradian’s office to provide discretion, plus emotional comfort and safety to parent participants. Address provided upon RSVP.
The details: When: Monday evenings beginning Sept. 12 until Oct. 17 from 7:00 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Who: FSHA parents only. One parent per household due to limited spaced. First come first served. Limited to 8-10 parents.
Why: To provide a safe space for parents to feel supported and be able to network with each other.
RSVP: Email Allison Clay, director of counseling and psychological services at FSHA, at aclay@fsha.org. RSVPs are confidential and will only be received by Dr. Muradian and Ms. Clay. Once the group is full, parents will be placed on the waitlist for the next group.
National Council of Jewish Women Los Angeles'sThe Talk Projectpresents its first ever student led and featured art exhibition, "Rise." Maddy Sturma (’15) has been working hard to help put together this student art exhibition in South Pasadena, and Sarah Burrola (’16) is one of the artists being featured. The show opens this Friday, August 19 at Sugarmynt Gallery. Details below.
All seniors must have their senior portrait taken no later than September 30. You need to contact Prestige Portraits ASAP (626-577-7012). They will book your appointments upon request, so contact them soon so you can get the date that best works for you. They also have appointments available at their Pasadena studio.
The make up date for on campus photos will be September 24, Saturday. Time is limited so you need to book as soon as possible. If you can not make this date, you will be required to go to their studio in Pasadena.
Your yearbook dress requirement is considered business professional in attire and appearance. Darker colors blouses, sweaters, or dress tops are preferred. Please refrain from wearing patterns, tank tops, t-shirts, sports jackets, spaghetti straps, or tub-tops. Portraits will be taken from the waist up for the yearbook session. No over-the-top hair and makeup or crazy jewelry will be permitted for the yearbook session. Refer to the senior section of last years yearbook for examples of past students' senior portrait attire.
The basic yearbook session fee is $30.00. You will receive 8 proofs/poses from the session and all of these will be eligible for you to choose as your official yearbook portrait in the yearbook. The session fee includes the Photographer's time and proofs ONLY. Pricing and package information for products are included below and with the proof sets you receive in the mail following your session. PLEASE BE SURE THE COMPANY HAS YOUR CORRECT ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER! They tried to contact many of you and your address had changed or your phone wasn't correct. Let the company know which pose selection you want, and place your order at their studio, over the phone OR online.
Ultimate Session: (8 poses in yearbook, 18 poses in up to 3 addl. outfits) ---$60.00
Includes yearbook poses, cap and gown optional
Deluxe Session: (8 poses in yearbook, 12 poses in up to 2 addl. outfits) ---$50.00
Includes yearbook poses, cap and gown optional
Standard session: (8 poses in yearbook, 6 poses in 1 adl. outfit) ---$40.00
Includes yearbook poses, cap and gown optional
Basic Session: (8 poses in yearbook outfit) --- $30.00
includes yearbook poses
**Session fees are for proof preview and camera time and do not include portrait package. Our school's color cap and gown are available as an outfit choice in standard, deluxe, or ultimate sessions ONLY.
All parents are invited to attend the Parents' Guild Parents Party on Saturday, August 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the SAC/gym. Spend a casual evening with fellow parents and enjoy BBQ fixings by Twohey's Food truck, burger feast, delectable dessert, beer & wine, and dancing. $24 per person. Please RSVP by Tuesday, August 16.
Our new families gathered Sunday evening for the New Family Social! The evening included time to mingle, face painting, a photo booth, candy table, plus welcomes from faculty, administrators and parent groups.
The American Volleyball Coaches Assocation awarded Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy's 2015-16 volleyball team the Team Academic Award for earning an average GPA of 3.83!
Todd Anckaitis, the head coach of women's soccer at Swarthmore College, hosted a soccer clinic at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy on June 29, along with two FSHA alumnae, Miranda Saldivar '13 and Lauren Savo '16. 22 girls from the local community attended the clinic.
On Saturday, June 11, 2016 we hold our second annual in-house physicals from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the SAC. This pre-participation medical screening is for those students planning to participate in athletics for the 2016-17 school year.
Students will rotate through eight assessment stations, which will be staffed by medical professionals. The girls should wear athletic shorts, t-shirts and sports bras. This health screening will meet the annual CIF paperwork requirement for student athletes participating in school sports.
No need to register. Just show-up on June 11 with completed forms. Forms can be found in the school office or on the TologNet Resource Board.
The Parents' Guildcordially invites you to a lecture presented by Jess Hopkins, M.A.
Monday, June 13 | 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Library | $25 per person | Register Now
College Readiness Workshop
The College Readiness workshop is designed to give senior girls and parents the tools they need to successfully navigate the transition to college. This workshop covers all aspects of life at college, including finances, homesickness, communal living, sex, drugs, friendships, health and more! Jess Hopkins is a twice-certified life coach, holding dual masters degrees in counseling psychology and applied positive psychology from University of Pennsylvania.
Jess spoke to our seniors and their parents last year and it was so successful that we are thrilled to have her back.
Graduation will be live streamed so your family and friends can watch the ceremony no matter how far away from the Hill they are. Visit our news and events page for live streaming information.
Do not plan to fill out the form during the audition. It must be done before 3 p.m.
Be sure to enter email addresses correctly. Your parent/guardian will need to reply to your audition email by 1 p.m. Friday, 5/30, if you are to be cast.
The audition is from 3 to 5 p.m., you will need to be there the entire time. Depending on the size of the group audtioning, it may be necessary to stay as late as 5:30 p.m.
Be sure to wear shoes and clothing that is conducive to physical movement. Bring a change of clothes if it is a dress uniform day.
With the year coming to a close, we've had a week chock full of traditions, including Running of the Seniors, Senior Toast, Candle Rose, car decorating and the physics regatta.
To all our Tologs who attended the Alumnae Reunion Weekend – THANK YOU! It was wonderful to see you all (and your families!) as we celebrate our 85th anniversary. To those who could not attend, remember that the Hill is always your home and we encourage you to visit whenever you can – you are always welcome. Please enjoy these photos from the weekend!
Please congratulate the following Tologs who competed last Saturday at the Pasadena Bar Association Speech Contest!
Semi-finalists (top 30):
Jennifer Miranti (17th place)
Alex Tighe (7th place)
Mia Vega
Francesca Legaspi
Also representing FSHA were
Grace Tighe
Michelle Wang
Yolanda Li
About 90 high school students from San Gabriel Valley schools competed with seven minute memorized speeches and were judged by members of the association. The topics of their speeches were chosen from the following:
Beyond Ferguson: How Do We Regulate Police Conduct To Maximize Public Safety? (Francesca)
The Cost Of A College Education: Is It Worth It? (Mia, Alex, Grace, Yolanda)
How Do We Prevent The Next Boston Bombing? How Far Is Too Far? (Jennifer, Michelle)
The grand opening for the new Arts Center at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy took place April 27-30 with the performance of the 2016 Dance Concert. All four shows quickly sold out! President Sister Carolyn McCormack, O.P., honored members of the Board of Directors and major supporters of “A Vision for Veritas” Capital Campaign at a reception prior to the show on Thursday for making this dream come true! The future is bright for FSHA and its student artists!
Click. Clack. Click. BANG BANG BANG! Click. Clack. BANG BANG!
Students rushed to their classes in the shadow of the construction site. The noise had bathed the school for nine months, becoming as normal as the view of Los Angeles from the classroom windows. I viewed the progress of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy’s up and coming Arts Center, and it was finally looking remotely like what we had seen in the drawings. Watching the workers climb the scaffolding that circled the theater, many questions came to mind.
The curiosity, intelligence and creativity of our girls was on display last night as they presented and discussed the research projects they have been working on all year. Through the Senior Research Project and the Honors Scientific Research class, our girls had the opportunity to develop and carry-out research projects of their choosing. They displayed passion for their projects and poise in explaining them.
Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries-- LA's largest gang intervention and recovery program, spoke to students during yesterday's assembly about kinship and the importance of working with those on the margins. Sr. Mary Therese's freshmen religion students opened the assembly by presenting posters and announcing what they learned from reading his book, Tattoos on the Heart. Students left energized and inspired by Father Greg's message.
Hannah is currently in an independent study block, overseen by Ms. Finley and Mr. Buxman, to expand her knowledge of robotics and programming. In addition to being on the Code Crew and the Tech Team, she has been running an after school robotics/STEM program called “To Infinity and Beyond” for underprivileged fourth- and fifth-graders in South Central Los Angeles. She was also a 2015 ANNpower Fellow (http://annpower.vitalvoices.org).
Congratulations to Sarah Montgomery '17, who received third place in the Cabrini Literary Guild 2016 Creative Writing Awards and a $500 prize! Students from more than 40 schools entered the writing competition. Sarah was recognized during today's awards luncheon.
Hi Ladies! We would like to know which of our students have received their Girl Scout Gold award this year. The local paper is doing a special section and we would like to include each of your names and a group photo! Please email Mrs. Johnston (rjohnston@fsha.org) and/or sign the list on her office door if you are one of those students. The photo is tentatively set for TOMORROW at break. Meet outside Mrs. Johnston’s office at 10:45.
Today, we are posting to request that you pray for Sister Ramona Bascom, O.P. Many of you know Sister Ramona as the former principal of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, and she is also an alumna -- from the class of 1952. Sister Ramona has been in poor health for the last few months, and we are sad to share that she passed away this morning. We will post additional information as soon as available. Until then, please pray for her and her family. Thank you for being a part of FSHA's extraordinary network, supporting each other when called!
On Wednesday, April 20, 2016, join us as we highlight the exciting research projects that have been conducted by our students this year. The reception and poster session will begin at 6:30 p.m. with keynote address at 7 p.m. followed by student talks at 7:30 p.m.
Karen Pindroh Kelly, Ph.D. '92 is our keynote speaker, who in 2014 was named one of the "Top Emerging Scientists" in navy medicine. Her research addresses nutrition, performance enhancement, and injury prevention in extreme situations like military settings.
This workshop covers all aspects of life at college, including finances, homesickness, communal living, sex, drugs, friendships, health and more! Jess Hopkins is a twice-certified life coach, holding dual masters degrees in counseling psychology and applied positive psychology from University of Pennsylvania.
Alumnae Kayla Grahn '15 and Kirsten Vose '15 continue their athletic success that started here on the Hill!
Kayla Grahn, a freshman at Georgetown University, finished eighth in the one-mile championship run at the Big East Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Kirsten Vose, three-time All-Area Girls' Swimmer of the Year, was part of USC's winning 400 relay at the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championship.
Pasadena Star-News names Maddie Dulcich '16 to the All-Area water polo second team and Emily Gray '17 receives honorable mention. And we are one of the top 10 teams in the whole area! Read full coverage in the Glendale News-Press.
Six players on FSHA's basketball team, which competed in the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA quarterfinals, received all-league recognition. Seniors Jenna Tran, Casey Johnson and Kelly Fradet received first-team recognition, Camilla Homans '17 second-team recognition and Mary Laurance and Jessica Wirthlin received honorable mention.
Students in Mr. Buxman and Ms. Miller's physics and chemistry classes had some this week studying the effects of liquid nitrogen on everyday items during in class demonstrations. Mr. Buxman and Ms. Miller dipped every day items into the liquid nitrogen and students predicted what would happen to marshmallows, eggs, helium filled balloons, water balloons and more. Students enjoyed tasting the results of frozen marshmallows, Cheetos and ice cream made by stirring milk and sugar in a bowl of liquid nitrogen. Most exciting, perhaps, was watching a tightened water bottle filled with liquid nitrogen explode into the sky from a safe distance. Though not pictured, Ms. Sarkarati also performed the experiments with her three chemistry classes.
FSHA's Christian Ministry Leadership Team presented the 14 stations during yesterday's Lenten paraliturgy. This Catholic devotion commemorates Jesus Christ's last day.
Students, faculty and staff gathered at the amphitheater today for the annual pie eating contest in honor of National Pi Day, perhaps our favorite math themed holiday!
For the third year in a row, Mr. Nishiyama devoured his pie first. Lauren Savo '16 was the first student to gobble up her pie.
FSHA has an ongoing relationship with Boeing Aerospace Corp. to offer summer internships to rising seniors who are interested in exploring or gaining experience in science and engineering fields. These summer internships take place on site at the Boeing El Segundo campus over the course of eight weeks in June, July, August. Read on for more details and download the Boeing Application!
Students, faculty and staff from Flintridge Heart Academy donated 133 dresses during our annual Prom Dress Collection. This is the seventh year that FSHA has partnered with the Pasadena Salvation Army for their Cherished Memories Campaign. On Saturday, March 12 the Salvation Army in Pasadena will open its doors to local teens so they can select prom dresses.
Mr. Buxman's physics class might be the most fun place on campus-- here are students playing fully functional arcade games that they created as part of the course.
You can now download a digital file of the supplement covering spring events from the 2015 school year. In order to ensure that spring events indeed WERE documented and covered, we are sending out the pages built last year as a digital supplement file (due to time constraints and budget concerns). Feel free to keep the PDF file as a digital memory, or take it to your local printer to have a hard copy made to insert into your 2014-2015 yearbook.
St. Paddies with Daddies will take place on Thursday, March 17 at 12:25 p.m. in the SAC Parking Lot. The event costs $10.00 and tickets must be purchased online by 10 a.m. on March 17. You can also purchase a St. Paddies with Daddies t-shirt for $10. Click here to purchase tickets and t-shirts.
There is absolutely NO parking on campus due to the construction. Shuttles will be running continually from the UA La Cañada parking lot beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Don't throw out that old prom dress or bridesmaid dress! Donate them to FSHA's prom dress collection, sponsored by the Parent's Guild. Dresses will be collected Feb. 29 to March 4, and students will receive two service hours for the first two dresses donated (maximum of four service hours). Dresses will be distributed by the Salvation Army during their "Cherished Memories" campaign.
Dress collection will be at the upper lot during a.m. & p.m. drop-off. Pin student name, class and parent email address to each dress.
We're staging a photo shoot to highlight our favorite books! We are emulating a series of READ posters that featured celebrities with their favorite books that hung in libraries. If you’d like to have your photo taken, please consider what book (or books) you will include and whether you’d like Ms. Murphy to see if we have copies in the library. Group pictures are welcome!
Thanks to the generosity and creativity of one of our FSHA parents (Cate Roman, mother of freshman Ava Manson), we’ll be staging our READ poster photoshoot next Friday, March 4. Prints of the photos will be framed and hung in the Library, with an option for you to purchase an additional copy as a personal keepsake for a small cost (tbd) to cover printing and materials. You can see some of Cate’s work with the included photo (she did this at Woodbury University where she is on the faculty).
If you’d like to participate, please sign up using this form.
We are currently looking for girls who would like to share their knowledge and expertise in any subject area during study hall? Please consider applying to become a peer tutor by filling out the attached application. The Peer Tutoring Lab is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in room 26 from 2:30 – 3:00pm. You do not need to be available all three days to be a Peer Tutor, days and times are flexible. Download the Peer Tutor Application
Get A Peer Tutor Are you interested in getting some extra help in Geometry or Chemistry? Peer Tutors are ready to help you get back on track and improve your grades. If you are interested in working with a Peer Tutor, please fill out the attached application and send it to Mrs. Sonner. She will get you started immediately with a Peer Tutor that can help you. Download the Peer Tutee Application
Grandparents' Day is always a special day on the Hill. Today we had a record number of grandparents join us, so it was a packed house in the gym! After a welcome from Sr. Celeste and Sr. Carolyn, everyone was treated to a performance by our choir, Vocum Veritas, lunch and classroom time.
Give your loved one a FSHeart shaped cutting board etched with the Veritas Shield etched. Order online for $25 each. You wil be notified by email when they are available for pick up. Thank you for supporting the Parents' Guild!
FSHA's Black Student Union invited Adai Lamar to lead last week's BSU assembly in honor of Black History Month. Many might recognize Ms. Lamar as the local voice on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 102.3 KJLH. In 2006, Adai became the first African American woman to lead a morning show in Los Angeles. During her engaging talk at FSHA, she discussed her journey from a small town in Texas to a radio pioneer in Los Angeles, encouraged our students to all embrace all parts of themselves, and answered many questions about her life. The assembly ended with a standing ovation for Adai for her candid engagement and inspirational message.
To celebrate Superman's upcoming 78th birthday, our school will be filming tribute videos in honor of the Man of Steel. These videos will be filmed here in the FHSA TV studio during break this Monday, February 22, after Block B.
Any of you can appear in a video of your own, solo or in a group. If you have a shirt with a Superman logo, great. If you have a cape to wear, even better. Above all we want you to have fun, be heartfelt, open and honest about what the Man of Steel means to you. The idea is to have our Super-Women pay tribute to Super-Man. You show up, we film the video, and Mr. Tse sends the videos off to DC Comics for Superman's birthday celebration. So this coming Monday, February 22, be ready to show off your best Superman power stance.
As we begin our Lenten journey the Church encourages us to do a "spring cleaning" to improve our character and become closer to God. There are, of course, many methods to achieve this goal. In a response to the Jubilee Year of Mercy announced by Pope Francis, the Student Mission Committee is going to facilitate a different spiritual or corporalwork of mercy each week during Lent for our FSHA community to participate in.
Our plan for the 5 1/2 weeks of Lent:
Week 1 (Spiritual Work of Mercy)- "Pray for the living and the dead"
Please consider participating by becoming a Lent prayer buddy with another FSHA community member or by reminding your students about this activity and giving them 30 seconds in class to complete the survey. We hope that those who would like to participate will fill out the survey by Friday. We will then assign prayer buddies. We have 2 lunches during lent (Feb 18th & March 7th) set aside as time for prayer buddies to meet and check in with each other and learn what to pray for.
Week 2 (Spiritual Work of Mercy)- "Forgive Injuries"
We will encourage our community to forgive offenses during this week and to let go of grudges. We will hold a forgiveness activity during study hall this week.
Week 3 (Corporal Work of Mercy)- "Visit the Sick (and the marginalized in society)"
This week corresponds with grandparents day. We will encourage our community to spend quality time with elderly relatives/friends and we hope to coordinate a service activity of visiting a retirement/nursing home on Friday (12:30 dismissal). There is talk of doing a "game day" with our new elderly friends.
Week 4 (Corporal Work of Mercy)- "Feed the Hungry"
This week corresponds to the CAM assembly. We are hoping to partner with CAM in getting supplies so that students, faculty, & staff can make sack lunches (after the assembly) for the homeless in our local communities.
Week 5 (Spiritual Work of Mercy)- "Instruct the Ignorant"
This work of mercy calls us to learn about our faith and talk about what we believe. The Student Mission Committee is going to sponsor Catholic Q&A during study hall this week as well as share (short) facts during morning announcements.
Week 6 (Corporal Work of Mercy)- "Give Alms to the Poor"
This involves donating money or supporting those in need.
Our “tiny but mighty” team represented FSHA well at the Cal Invitational – the largest high school Speech & Debate competition in the country.
Junior, Jennifer Miranti, reached the Octafinal round in Impromptu Speaking which was one of the most competitive fields at this tournament with 201 students. Jennifer came in at 35th place!
While our first-year debaters did not take home any trophies, they still won about as many rounds as they lost. It was a great learning experience.
The Academic Decathlon competition concluded on Saturday, February 6. We competed against 22 other Southern California private schools. There were 40+ teams (some schools had two or three teams), divided into four divisions; FSHA fielded two teams (in Divisions 2 and 3). In the overall championship, FSHA placed third behind Mater Dei High School and Bishop Almany High School.
Katie Savoie '17 competed at Trophy D'Ecosse, a figure skating competition held in Dumfries, Scotland on February 12 and 13. Kari is a member of the Senior Ice'Kateers Synchronized Figure Skating Team based in Anaheim California. The team was selected by United States Figure Skating to represent the country at an international competition as Team USA. They skated to "Forever Young" and have a long program portraying the space race. The team skates two programs per competition and they had their highest season point total in Scotland. Additionally, it is the first international medal for the organization at the senior level and the first time an Ice'Kateers team scored over 100 points on an international long program.
Sign up as a group or as an individual to take part in a Valentine's Day themed lip sync battle! The competition will happen Wednesday, Feb. 17 and Thursday, Feb. 18 in the amphitheater at lunch.
Your performance must be under two minutes and the music needs to be school appropriate, pre-cut, and ready to play using an aux cord. Because of the limited time we have, no full costumes or makeup will be allowed. Feel free to bring props and accessories such as boas, glasses, hats, crowns, jackets, backup dancers, etc. The first round will be on that Wednesday and the finals on Thursday. Sign up today and make lip sync history!
Different in every year, Chinese New Year of 2016 is February 8. Even though I haven’t been celebrating the New Year with my friends and family back home for almost five years, the memories of laughter and happiness are still vivid in my mind. For the past few years, I talk to my mom on Skype on New Year’s Eve. Fortunately, the invention of Skype makes our distance closer because every time when I video chat with my mom, I feel like I am there with her. Recalling the memories from my childhood, the sound of adults playing Mah-jong and kids playing raffles are in my head. Continue reading >>
The Student Mission Committee is planning events for the FSHA community to participate in during Lent (which starts tomorrow). The first activity they have planned is to have a "prayer buddy" during Lent. The idea is that those who want to participate get paired up with another member of the FSHA community and we will organize time for them to meet so they can talk about what they would like each other to pray for.
If you'dl ike to participate, please fill out this Google survey by the end of the week:
Congratulations to Tologs Heather Turcios '16 for committing to play soccer at the University of Denver and Clare Lund '16 who signed with Northeastern University for volleyball. It was standing room only in the library today, as friends, family, faculty and coaches gathered to congratulate them.
Julie Vogel ’81, Shannon Morzov ’94, Sarri Sanchez ’01 and Allison Lieskovsky Hasbrouck ’00 are four such Tologs who fell in love with the arts as students at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy. We sat down with these dynamic alumnae to find out how FSHA shaped their artistic vision, how they turned their passions into careers and what advice they have for students interested in the arts today.
"I feel like there is nothing in me that isn't an artist." —Julie Vogel '81
Our students in Honors Scientific Research (aka “Scisearch”) have been awarded $3,350 in fellowship funding from the Archer Fellowship Fund, which is a STEM initiative sponsored by the Archer School for Girls on the west side. Approximately $15,000 was available through the merit-based application process, and all of our girls who submitted proposals received funding.
Congrats to Alyssa Carter, Laura DiPietro, Danielle Fradet, Kelly Fradet, Lacie Fradet and Yaqi Zhang!
The awards will support their various research projects underway this semester, which span current topics in environmental science, microbiology, anti-cancer therapy, HIV awareness, diabetes and the development of novel antibiotics.
The funding comes as a great support to the program in its first year and allows the class to pursue individual ideas at a sophisticated level through research-grade equipment and model systems for academic study.
California Scholastic Federation applications are due again. Please use your for first semester grades for admittance into CSF. The California Scholastic Federation is for sophomores, juniors and seniors. It is a club based on academic performance and an application needs to be submitted each semester along with your transcript. The due date for submission will be Feb. 12. Mark your calendars, as no late submissions will be accepted. If you have and questions you can email Mrs. Sonner.
Tom Amestoy (Monica '13) reflects on the benefits of high school speech and debate, noting his daughter found her voice and developed the skills to handle success and failure through her participation.
"Now, there is a lot of losing in debate, and I’m convinced this helps the young men and women in this activity almost as much as anything else. Remember, we are the parent generation that gave these kids participation trophies in grade school when their soccer teams lost. In my mind, the skills to handle success and failure also have to be learned in order for our children to gain maturity."
Congratulations to Casey Johnson '16 (far left), who passed the 1,000 career point mark during FSHA's winning basketball game vs. Immaculate Heart. She is joined by (L-R) seniors Jessica Wirthlin, Jenna Tran and Kelly Fradet in celebrating the milestone.
The Alumnae Hall of Fame Induction and Dinner will take place on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 4 p.m. Click here to RSVP for the event. Congrats to FSHA's Hall of Fame inductees this year-- Erin Hartwig ’09 (Cross-Country, Track & Field) and Kelly Sinner Biggins ’97 (Soccer)!
Participate in FSHA’s annual blood drive for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. All the blood collected at the blood drive will go STRAIGHT to the sickest kids in the area! Each blood donation can save up to 3 lives!
1 donation = 2 saved children + a t-shirt + free food!!
All Donors Must:
Be at least 17 years old
Weigh at least 110 lbs.
Feel well and healthy the day of donation
Bring a valid photo ID, drivers license preferred
Drink plenty of water throughout the day!
Eat a good meal before donating
Piercings and tattoos MUST be older than 12 months
Questions regarding blood donation?
Call the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Blood Donor Center (323.361.2441)
Yesterday's Spirit Assembly was filled with so much enthusiasm as students showed their school and class spirit. Here's a video highlighting each class performing a traditional Tolog cheer.
New on the blog! Ms. Ortega writes about the values of a Catholic all-girls education, "I can think of no better training ground for leadership within our church than the classrooms and halls of a Catholic all-girls school."
FSHA's speech and debate team attended two tournaments this weekend with spectacular results.
At the I Have a Dream Invitational at Monroe High School in Sherman Oaks, we had four speech student compete on Saturday. Angie Zhao '18 was a finalist and won fourth place with her expository speech on manga. The I Have a Dream Invitational is a popular local tournament with schools from the two largest leagues in the Los Angeles county area.
Seven speech students attended the Stanford Invitational at Stanford University and three of them won awards, including Clara Fermanian ’18 (quarterfinalist in JV Impromptu), Serena Sampson ’17 and Jennifer Miranti ’17 (finalists in Varsity Impromptu with Serena taking fifth place and Jennifer taking third place). Clara, Serena and Jennifer faced a large, competitive field of talented students from across the country.
Please join the mothers of Saint Francis High School and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy for a Lenten Morning of Recollection on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Mass will be held in the St. Francis Chapel at 8:30 a.m. followed by a time for prayerful recollection and reflection in Founders Hall. Light refreshments will be served.
We hope you will join us during the Holy Season of Lent for some much needed prayer time in our busy lives. Please RSVP via email to Ruth Theiring or call 951-515-0102 by Feb. 17.
Join the Parents' Guild on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 at 7 p.m. in the Lounge for a parents only event with Jess Hopkins. Jess, who is a certified teen life coach, will speak on the topic of self-compassion and how to connect with and help our daughters fight depression and stress. Jess is engaging, knowledable and fun! You don't want to miss this. Click here to register for this free event.
It is with sadness that we share the news that Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy's former Director of Admissions Luana Castellano passed away on Dec. 26. Luana, who retired this past August, dedicated 16 years to FSHA and was a cherished and loved member of our community. Please join us in prayer for Luana and her family.
There will be a private memorial service for Luana's family and friends on Jan. 10 in FSHA's gym at 10:30 a.m.
The family has asked that if people wish to contribute to the Luana Castellano scholarship fund to please make a check out to FSHA and note Luana's name on the memo section.
FSHA is pleased to host this year’s Winter Formal, Hollywood on the Hill, on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Student Activities Center.
Tickets will be sold during the week of Jan. 4 during break and lunch on the Senior Patio. Tickets are $25 per person. Please make checks payable to FSHA.
Lifetouch photographers will be at the event to photograph individuals, couples, or groups. There is no charge in advance to pose for photographs. Lifetouch will provide students with online access codes for the photos, which will be available to view in low resolution by Jan. 13. Prices for prints will be available when viewing the photos.
Parents and students may carpool to the event, but students are not allowed to ride in party buses or limousines to campus.
Teaching students the difference between the Huffington Post, The Atlantic, The Onion and BuzzFeed.
By Nora Murphy, FSHA's Librarian
Here is what I think about in the shower, as I drive, while I’m folding laundry.
“How can I make sure students know that there are multiple professional trade journals for the candy manufacturing industry?” (I know of at least two, by the way— Candy Industry and The Manufacturing Confectioner.) What is wrong with me, you ask? Only that the more I teach research skills, the more research skills I am able to identify. They keep coming out of the woodwork. These are things that you and I just know, because we are research literate, source literate, media literate, digitally literate. I think about these things as I empty the dishwasher because I need to find out how we became literate in these areas so that I can help our girls do the same.
Celebrant | Father Alan Phillip, C.P.
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Registration encouraged
Jenna Tran was named to the All-Area Girls' Basketball First Team! Read the full coverage in the LA Times or Pasadena Star News.
