“ ALL IN ” February 2017 | Volume 19 | Number 5 The official monthly newsletter of Xavier High School INSIDE Principal‘s Corner: 2 | Business Office News: 5 | New Activities Director: 6 | Campus Ministry News: 7 | Business Appeal: 8 | St. Francis Xavier Scholarship: 9 | Kucera Grant: 12 | Xtrava- ganza: 13 | Health News: 14 | Good News: 15 | National Merit Finalists: 18 | STEM News: 18 | Students / Faculty of the Month: 19 “MAKING THE GRADE” PRINCIPAL‘S C ORNER : XAVIER GIRLS & BOYS BASKETBALL TEAMS COMPETE IN DES MOINES XAVIER NAMES NEW ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR
Transcript
“All In”
February 2017 | Volume 19 | Number 5The official monthly newsletter of Xavier High School
InsIde
Principal‘s Corner: 2 | Business Office News: 5 | New Activities Director: 6 | Campus Ministry News: 7 | Business Appeal: 8 | St. Francis Xavier Scholarship: 9 | Kucera Grant: 12 | Xtrava-ganza: 13 | Health News: 14 | Good News: 15 | National Merit Finalists: 18 | STEM News: 18 | Students / Faculty of the Month: 19
“MAkIng the grAde”
PrinciPal‘s corner:
XAvIer gIrls & Boys BAsketBAll teAMs
CoMpete In des MoInes
XAvIer nAMes new ACtIvItIes dIreCtor
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“Making the grade”Evaluation is a key component of learning. It is important for a learner to know where he or she stands, where he or she measures up, what he or she lacks in terms of knowl-edge and skill if he or she is going to make the most of learning opportunities. In the workforce, these are most often termed, “reviews.” As you know, education uses grades. Grades were intended to be and for a long time were, sources of information. They were a reflection of a student’s performance and that was their sole purpose. Over time, grades have become much more. They can result in insurance discounts. They are recognized with rewards. They are part of the formula to determine col-lege entrance as well as scholarships. They have become, “high stakes.” Because of those, “high stakes,” we think it is more important than ever that a grade truly reflect a student’s performance.
As you are aware, the Xavier faculty and administration made a change to our grading practices
this year, particularly in regard to the weight placed upon academic achieve-ment and academic practice. Spe-cifically, the change involved moving the ratio of academic achievement to academic practice from 70/30 to 80/20. This change is the most recent in a series of changes implemented since 2009 with the following goals:• Astudent’sgradeshouldaccu-rately reflect what he or she knows and can do.•Thewayagradeisdetermined
should be consistent through all courses and among all teachers.
If the meaning of a grade is to reflect what a student knows and can do, it begs the
question, “How is that measured?” Should a grade reflect only academic achievement? Should it include practice? Should it include
extra credit of an academic nature (e.g.
reading articles and completing reports)? Should it include extra credit of a non-academic nature (e.g. bringing items such as Kleenex, red pens, canned food, etc.)? To use a sport analogy, a golfer who practices well all week gets no credit for his score in a meet. If he hits extra balls after practice, he gets no credit. If he brings Gatorades for his teammates, he gets no credit. His performance on meet day is the sole determinant of his score (“grade”). We felt that the weight of what determines a grade should be tipped toward the academic achievement performance if we really wanted to know what a student knows and can do. Having said that, we recognize that not all academic achievement demonstration needs to look identical. Our faculty agreed that academic achievement should not be limited to tests and quizzes. Instead, it should include such demonstrations of knowledge and skill as presentations, projects, essays, research papers, group work, etc.
Another consideration is how to quantify what a student knows and can do. That is, how is the grade numerically calculated? One way is to use total points with no consider-ation for what percentage of points come from any category (tests, quizzes, projects, worksheets, etc.). Another method is to create “weighted” categories, giving more impact to some measurements (e.g. tests/projects, etc.) than others (e.g. homework).
To fully understand the current grading practice at Xavier, is important to understand where we started, the changes we’ve made in the last eight years and where we are now.
FroM 1998 to 2008:•Individualteachersdeterminedthepercentneededto earn a particular letter grade. For example, one teacher might establish 90% as the percentage needed to earn an “A” while another teacher might establish 96% needed for an “A.” •Individualteachersdeterminedtheirowncategories and weights of those categories to calculate percent- ages. Some chose no categories and used total points earned as the determining factor.
Tom KeatingXavier Principal
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PrinciPal’s corner (continued)
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•Individualteachersdeterminedwhatextracredit (academic and non-academic) would be available.•Individualteachersdeterminedwhetherornotthey would accept late work for credit.•Individualteachersdeterminedwhatpenalty(ifany) would be applied to late work •Individualteachersdeterminedhowlateastudent could turn in work and still receive credit.•XavierstudentshadtwoGPA’s: o A published GPA which was based on the same scale (A=4, B=3, C=2, etc.) for every student, regardless of the level of class he/she took. o A non-published GPA which used a multiplying factor to give more credit for level 7 than level 5 and for level 5 than level 3. This GPA was used for class rank. Technically, a student with a GPA of 3.88 could have earned a higher class rank than a student with a GPA of 4.00 if he/she took more level 7 courses than the student with the 4.00.
In 2009-2010, a school-wide percentage scale was devel-oped (and remains in place) to determine letter grades. Regardless of what course a student takes or what teacher instructs it, the same percent is needed for each of our letter grades (A+ = 99%, A = 93%, etc.). All other grading considerations (categories, extra credit, late work, GPA) remained the same as they were from 1998-2008.
In, 2011-2012, we developed a standard formula to calcu-late GPA and class rank. This formula gives specific GPA weights for AP/Dual credit classes, level 7 classes and level 3/5 classes. For example, an “A+” in AP/Dual credit class-es is worth 5 GPA points. It is worth 4.67 GPA points for a level 7 class and 4.33 points in a level 3 or level 5 class. All other grading considerations (categories, extra credit, late work, GPA) remained the same as they were from 2009-10.
In 2014-15, Xavier discontinued publishing class rank. This was done because many Xavier students were being pe-nalized by the admission score formula used by our regent schools. That formula gave considerable weight to class rank. With so many high achieving students at Xavier, some found themselves below the top 50% of the class, even with GPA’s above 3.00. This change led postsec-ondary institutions to examine our students’ course work and test scores (ACT, SAT), individualizing the admissions process. Several other schools (including Dowling Catho-lic, Wahlert Catholic, Iowa City West and West Des Moines
Valley had eliminated class rank and found positive results regarding the admission process. If a scholarship organi-zation requires class rank, we calculate it and provide it to them directly but not through the student. In 2015, our faculty recognized the confusion our students were still experiencing when it came to our grading prac-tices. They found a considerable variance when it came to the number and percentage of weighted categories, full/partial credit for late work and types/amounts of extra credit. They committed themselves to providing a more consistent grading practice so that students better under-stand what was expected of them in all classes. A repre-sentative faculty committee developed a set of standards regarding weighted categories, late work and extra credit.
Inshort,thechangesthatweremadeinclude:
•Astandardnumberofcategories(2):Academic Achievement and Academic Practice. o Academic Achievement includes items such as tests, quizzes, essays, research papers, presentations, group projects, formal lab reports, musical performances, as well as art and photography creations. o Academic Practice includes items that students may directly use resources to accomplish. These include worksheets, review sheets, written drafts, etc. •Astandardpercentageofeachofthecategories: 70% Academic Achievement and 30% Academic Practice. We found that some teachers had been using as high as 90% for Academic Achievement and some had been using as low as 50% for Academic Achievement. Our committee determined that if we truly wanted a grade to reflect what a student knows and can do, the Academic Achievement had to be worth more than the Academic Practice. •Astandardpracticeforhowmuchandunderwhat circumstances credit is awarded for late work. •Aneliminationof“extracredit.”Thecommitteefelt that rather than “extra credit,” teachers could, at their discretion, offer opportunities to re-learn and re-assess concepts.
PrinciPal’s corner (continued)As a result of looking at colleges and other high schools as well as examining the “calculation reality” of our 70/30 ratio for Academic Achievement and Academic Practice, this year our faculty committee recommended that we move our ratio to 80/20. For the most part, colleges are 100/0 when it comes to Academic Achievement and Academic Practice. Our committee felt that the 70/30 to 100/0 was a considerable jump and that we should do more to better prepare students for what they are likely to experience when they leave Xavier. The committee also found that with 70/30, a student who earned 100% of his or her academic practice points needed to earn only 43% of his/her academic achievement points in order to pass a course. We simply felt that the standards at Xavier should be higher than that. With this information in front of them, some of our teachers lobbied for moving to 100/0 and oth-ers to 90/10 or 80/20. The committee felt the jump from 70/30 to 100/0 or even 90/10 would be more drastic than we wanted at this time. We landed on 80/20.
As with any change we make, we felt it important to take a look at what impact the change from 70/30 to 80/20 had. We compared the 2016-17 first semester grades of our students to the average of first-semester grades of the past five years. While statistically it would be more accurate to compare the five-year average to a five-year average of 80/20, we didn’t have that kind of data available. We used the data we had.
The short version of what we found is that the first-semes-ter grades for Xavier students this year were 0.2% higher (with 80/20) than the average first-semester grades of Xavier students in the past five years. That is a consider-ably negligible difference.
When we looked at the grading percentages of individual courses (we have over 300 courses), here is what we found:•Ninecoursesshowedanincreaseof3%orgreater (3%wouldchangeastudent’sgradeoneincrement – e.g. from a B- to a B).•Ofthoseninecourses,threeshowedanincreaseof 6%orgreater(6%wouldchangeastudent’sgrade two increments – e.g. from a B- to a B+).•Nocoursesshowedanincreaseof9%orgreater(9% wouldchangeastudent’sgrade3increments–or one full grade – e.g. from a B- to an A-).•Sixcoursesshowedadecreaseof3%orgreater(one grade increment)
•Ofthosesixcourses,oneshowedadecreaseof6% or greater (two grade increments).•Nocoursesshowedadecreaseof9%orgreater (three grade increments – or one full grade).
We also looked at grades by departments and found that grades in six of the ten departments increased while grades in the other four decreased. No department cumu-latively had an average increase that would impact a grade by even one increment (the highest increase was 1.44%). Similarly, no department cumulatively had an average de-crease that would impact a grade by even one increment (the highest decrease was 1.08).
As we look at the results, it’s important to remember that several variables other than the change from 70/30 to 80//20 could have impacted the grades that students earned. This includes:•Teacherturnover–Duetoresignations,retiresand new hires, a different set of teachers was in place for each of the six years of data we reviewed.•Studentsenrolledinthecourses–Sincestudentstake a course only once, we were comparing the grades of different students taking each course in each of the six years. •Studentpreparation/effort–thisisanimportantpart of academic success. Some students are more motivated toward academic success and consequently work harder and prepare more thoroughly than others. This includes completing work, preparing for assessments and turning things in on time.•AchievementandPracticeCategories–throughout the six years of data collection (especially in the first four), what teachers count as academic achievement or academic practice varied. We are working to move toward a more consistent understanding and consensus regarding what goes into each category.
Considering all of the information above, we feel that the changes we’ve made since 2009 have moved our grading practices in the direction of more accurately indicating what students know and can do. We feel our practices are more consistent than they were prior to our changes and conse-quently our students are more informed of what is expect-ed of them than ever before. We believe they are better prepared for what they will experience in college grading (100% of their grade coming from academic achievement).
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PrinciPal’s corner (continued)To summarize, based on the data we have (and the limi-tations of that data), we believe the move from 70/30 to 80/20 has had a minimal, if any, impact on overall grades. Individual students may be experiencing individual grade differences from last year but that has always been the case. It is important to allow for the possibility that the difficulty of the courses they are taking compared to last year as well as their own effort has also played a role in the differences they are experiencing in their grades. We are grateful to our faculty for working diligently to develop the set of grading practices that are currently in place. We will continue to work at improving instruction, assessment and the process of measuring student achievement.
Tom Keating, Principal @Phillyboy14
Tuition Payment Reminder Please remember to make your tuition payments if you have signed up for semi-annual, quarterly OR have any outstanding balance that is not set up for EFT monthly payments.
The next quarter payment is due March 10th, after that payment due date the only balances that should remain are EFT monthly payments.
As a reminder, for your student to be officially “enrolled” for the 2017-2018 school year, all balances must be taken care of by the last day of school this school year. If you have a graduating senior, his/her tuition balance must be brought up to date by graduation to participate in graduation activities.
If at any time your circumstances change and will not allow you to complete your obligation as indicated on your tuition contract, please contact Tom Drish at 739-7307.
Xavier High School has hired Andrew Umthun as its next Activities Director. The Xavier High School Board of Edu-cation officially approved Umthun’s hiring on February 23, 2017. Umthun, a native of Des Moines, currently serves as the Activities Director & Assistant Principal as well as the head varsity football coach at Estherville Lincoln Central High School in Es-therville, IA — a position he has held since 2014. Prior to his administrative role, Umthun served on the Estherville Lincoln Central faculty as its Director of Alternative High School Program from 2013-2014. Before his time in Estherville, Umthun served as a faculty member at Bishop Heelan Catholic High School in Sioux City, IA and was the school’s Strength & Conditioning Director.
“We are excited to welcome Andy UmthunasXavier’sActivitiesDirec-tor,” says Tom Keating, Xavier High School principal. “Andy brings ex-perience as an outstanding teacher, coach and administrator, directing a successful 3A athletic, fine arts and co-curricular program. His Catholic school background as a student and educator will serve him well in his role at Xavier. We look forward the energy and vision he will bring to continue to provide our students with an outstanding activities expe-rience!”
Umthun holds a Masters of Science in Education from Wayne State Col-lege, where he also majored in PK-12 School Administration. As an under-graduate, Umthun earned his Bache-lors of Arts Degree from the University of Northern Iowa where he majored in Physical Education with a minor in Health Education and a Coaching endorsement. Umthun is 2001 gradu-ate of Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, IA.
“Iamhonoredandexcitedtobenamed the new Activities Direc-tor at Xavier High School,” states Umthun. “Iamlookingforwardtothe opportunity to lead one of the most successful athletic and fine arts programs in the state. The value co-curricular activities bring to the total educational experience issomethingIampassionateabout.Iwelcometheopportunitytohelpdevelop and lead young people in the unique setting of a Catholic highschool.Istronglybelievein,and know first-hand, the value of a well-roundededucation.Icouldnotbe more excited to be joining the Xavier Saints family!”
Umthun will now lead a highly suc-cessful and popular activities program at Xavier with more than 94 percent of Xavier students participating in at least one co-curricular activity throughout the year. Since opening in 1998, Xavier has earned 30 state
championships in Iowa High School Athletic Association/Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union-sanctioned sports; produced 71 First Team All-State stu-dent-athletes; and 30 individual state champions. The Des Moines Register ranked Xavier as the “Top Medium Sized Athletic Program” in the state of Iowa for the 2014-2015, 2006-07 and 2012-2013 school years. Xavier’s per-forming and fine arts programs have emerged as leaders in their respective arenas having earned numerous Divi-sion I ratings in recent years in march-ing/concert/jazz band, choral music, and speech. Xavier’s varsity show choir has earned multiple grand cham-pionships at various competitions thus far during the 2016-2017 school year while its drama and performing arts program continues to produce high quality musicals and plays. Xavier also features highly successful co-curricular clubs such as robotics, math, trap shooting and poms.
Xavier thanks former Activities Direc-tor Mike Winker for his assistance dur-ing this transition period. Winker has and will continue to serve as an advi-sor regarding scheduling and event planning. Xavier explored interest in Winker but he opted to continue his role as a lecturer in the University of Iowa’s Sport and Recreation Manage-ment program. Xavier principal Tom Keating will continue to serve as the interim activities director until Umthun officially assumes his duties on July 1, 2017.
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caMPus Ministry uPdateSubmitted by Jody Esker
XHS Campus Ministry
lent 2017:Lent began on March 1 with Mass and the distribution of Ashes at Xavier. We are using our school theme of “Make me an instrument of YOUR peace” to focus our Lenten practices of fasting, almsgiving and prayer. There are posters around the building with many ideas of ways to be that instrument of peace to others and to ourselves. Morning prayer at school is centered around the theme and uses silence as a tool to hear Holy Spirit speaking to us through prayer. We will have a stu-dent composed, portrayal of the Stations of the Cross on Holy Thursday April 13. There will be a communal reconciliation time on March 23 for seniors and freshman. The local par-ishes have several communal reconciliation dates. They are March 28, 7 p.m. at St. Jude; April 6, 7 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton; and April 8, 10:30 a.m. at St. Pius X. Find one that is convenient and attend as a family. Take time this Lent to grow closer to Jesus.
growing in faith:Seniors who are interested in an extended retreat experi-ence should consider a TEC (Teens Encounter Christ). There are three opportunities left this year, March 4-6 at Dyersville, March 11-13 at Xavier and April 8-10 at Wahlert. You can visit this website for more information and to register.
The seniors will have a retreat day on May 3, spending some time reflecting on the past four years and looking into the future.
We will have our final Kairos of the year on April 27-30. What a blessing to have been able to fill four Kairos retreats this year with 75% or our juniors choosing to attend. There will be an optional servant leader retreat for juniors to be held on April 7 in the afternoon. This event will focus on organiz-ing service projects for the class of 2019 and understanding the impact of being a humble leader.
Summer is a great time to consider a service trip. Contact your youth minister in your parish if you are interested par-ticipating in a mission trip or participating in service activi-ties. There are a variety of offerings from the parishes for the summer.
Attend a High School Youth Night. Each parish has sched-ules posted on their web site. Stay involved and get to know other teens in your parish.
The Xavier Foundation launched the 2017 Business Appeal with an evening social for volunteers on Tuesday, February 7 at St. Patrick’s Parish Center. Chairman Duane Jasper, and Associate Chairman, Dave Wright are leading 70 volunteers in an effort to raise funds for Xavier High School. Xavier parents volunteering to solicit funds from more than 300 area busi-nesses are: Jim Angstman, Heidi Brown, Mike Esker, Mike Fettkether, Chris Fischer, Mike Gannon, Jeff Hines, Lorie Hines, Glen Jasper, Tom Keating, Kathleen Kleiman, James Klein, Bruce Kramer, Jim Lemke, Sue Lowder, Tom Richard-son, Doug Ropp, Kirk Sadilek, Eric Schmit, Duane Schulte,
Max Smith, and Dave Stoltenberg. The Xavier community is grateful to these volunteers for going the extra mile for Xavier!
Metro area businesses that financially support the Appeal are listed in our interactive “Supporting Businesses” directory on XavierFoundation.org with a link to the organization’s web-site. Please consider the businesses listed when purchasing goods and services as a way of showing your appreciation for their support of Xavier.
Submitted by Lynn Jump Xavier Foundation Annual Fund Director
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Thanks to a generous financial donation, the Xavier Foundation is able to offer the St. Francis Xavier Scholar-ship. This scholarship awards FULL tuition to Xavier High School for up to four years to qualifying students. Students in grades 8-11 may apply.
In order to be eligible for consid eration of the St. Francis Xavier Scholarship, students must meet the following criteria:
a. They are a practicing Christian, participating in an area parish or church.
b. The combined household income must be less than $75,000 per year.
c. They must have 2 teachers or 1 teacher and 1 coach’s letter of recommendation to apply for the scholarship.
d. They must have 3.0 or better GPA or grade equivalent (if they have completed Grade 9 or above).
e. They must be in good standing within their community (i.e. no community offenses on record).
Once the scholarship is awarded, the student must maintain a 3.0 GPA and have no major disciplinary issues.Deadline for applications for the 2017-2018 School Year is MARCH 30, 2017.
Questions?Contact Jody Pellerin, Xavier Foundation Executive Director, at 378-4571 or [email protected].
st. francis Xavier scholarshiP
--- APPLICATION FOUND ON NEXT TWO PAGES ---
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St. FranciS Xavier ScholarShip applicationPage 1 of 2
School where student is currently enrolled: ________________________________
Current grade student is in (8, 9, 10, 11): ______________
Cumulative Grade Point Average (for students who have completed Grade 9 or above): ___________
Parish or Church Affiliation: ______________________________________________
The St. Francis Xavier Scholarship offers full tuition for up to four years to a qualifying Xavier High School student. Students in grades 8-11 may apply.
In order to be eligible for consid-eration of the St. Francis Xavier Scholarship, students must meet the following criteria:
a. They are a practicing Christian.
b. The combined household income must be less than $75,000 per year.
c. They must have 2 teachers or 1 teacher and 1 coach’s letter of recommendation to apply for the scholarship.
d. They must have 3.0 or better GPA or grade equivalent.
e. They must be in good standing within their community (i.e. no community offenses on record).
Once the scholarship is awarded, the student must maintain a 3.0 GPA and have no major disciplinary issues.
Continued on Page 2
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St. FranciS Xavier ScholarShip applicationPage 2 of 2
Please list any Church Sponsored activities you participate in (altar server, cantor, choir member,
Please submit this application along with the requested attachments by March 30, 2017 to:
Jody PellerinExecutive DirectorXavier FoundationPO Box 10956 Cedar Rapids, IA 52410
Parent Signature Date
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The Xavier High School Board of Education is the recipient of $7,348.13 from the Archbishop Kucera Grant Awards from the Archdiocese of Dubuque Edu-cational Development Fund. The grant was awarded for tuition assistance to those families who can least afford the cost of attending a Catholic School. A portion of the grant was also directed towards tuition assistance for minor-ity students who qualify for Federal School Lunch Program. Awards for these two programs totaled $500,000 for the 2016/17 program year. The Archbishop Kucera Grant Awards annually provides $100,000 for faith formation resources and leadership development for faith formation lead-ers, catechists, Catholic school administrators and teachers. The grant also covers one third of the program cost for adults enrolled in the Archdiocesan IMPACTProgram. The Archdiocesan Educational Development Fund was developed for the purpose of supporting the educational programs of the Archdiocese. This is the thirty first year that grants have been awarded. Over 9.5 million dollars have been distributed since the Archdiocesan Educational Development Fund was established. Grants are made possible through the generous donations of contributors and parishioners throughout the Archdiocese.
Xavier receives kucera grant
noMinate a Xavier teacher and Xavier staff suPPort MeMBer for the XPX Xita & Xisa awards
deadline to suBMit is March 30th
The Xcellence in Teaching Award and Xcellence in Staff Support Award is presented to an outstanding teacher and an outstanding staff member (non-teaching) who has made a significant impact on students by challenging them with high expectations and assisting them in meeting those expectations. These teachers/staff demonstrate a commitment to students, to Xavier High School and to Catholic Education. They are professional in their behavior and serve as Christian role models. All current Xavier High School students and parents of all Xavier students are eligible to nominate a teacher and a staff member (non-teaching). Click here to nominate a teacher and staff member (non-teacher) by Thursday, March 30th!
Attention Senior Parents! The Saints Shop has all your graduation party needs covered. Special order Xavier logo im-printed plates, napkins, cups and table runners, “Xavier Graduate” yard signs and vinyl banners. Complete your party décor with cutlery and plastic tablecloths in navy blue or silver. You may place your order at www.psadfinity.com. The webstore will be opened until March 30, 2017. No late orders will be accepted. If you wish to see samples before placing an online order, please stop by the Saints Shop to see the samples. If you have any questions, please contact Pam Stark, [email protected]
senior Parents: need Xavier graduation Party iteMs?
Xavier High School will host its Middle School Show Choir Contest, Xtravaganza, on Saturday March 4, with perfor-mances beginning at 10:30 am. Eight choirs will compete during the day, including our very own Cedar Rapids LaSalle and Marion St. Joseph’s Center Stage and Cedar Rapids Regis Eclipse and Pizzazz.
The Xavier show choirs Xhilaration and Xuberance will perform in exhibition. The five highest scoring choirs will
advance to the evening finals, which are scheduled to begin at 5:30 pm. Admission to Xtravaganza 2017 is $10 for adults and $5 for students 6 and up for the entire day. Programs will be available for $3. Concessions will be sold throughout the day, including a Chinese meal available over the dinner break. Come and enjoy an “Xciting” day of music, food and fun at Xtravaganza!
Learn more at www.XavierSaints.org/Xtravaganza.
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health reMinderSubmitted by Kris Naeve
School Nurse
NEWMENINGOCOCCALVACCINE REQUIREMENT
The Iowa Department of Public Health has made changes to the Iowa Immunization Law for the start of the 2017-18 school year. This change requires that all students entering 12th grade have the Meningococcal vaccine before school starts this fall.
Meningococcal disease is a life threatening illness that is caused by bacterial that infects the brain, blood, and spinal cord. It easily spreads in crowded settings and typically af-fects older teens and young adults.
All students entering 12th grade must have proof of having the Meningococcal vaccine before school starts in August, un-less the student has a Certificate of Immunization Exemption.
There will be no grace/extension period for the implementa-tion of this requirement. Students will need to start vaccina-tions now to be compliant for the beginning of the school year. This means by law a student will not be permitted to begin classes at Xavier on August 23 unless they have re-ceived the Meningococcal vaccine and have presented docu-mentation to Xavier High School.
So now is a great time for your child to receive these immuni-zation requirements and beat the back-to-school rush by mak-ing an appointment for your incoming 12th grader with their family physician or Linn County Public Health (319) 892-6093.
If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact me (319) 294-6635 Ext 318 or [email protected].
Thank you for your time and attention to this requirement.
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HEARINGSCREENING
Grant Wood AEA will be providing their annual hearing testing at Xavier Friday April 28th. Students at Xavier are tested only if there is a known history of ear problems or if the student is new to the Xavier Catholic School System. If your student does not meet those two criteria and you have hearing concerns and want them screened, please contact me at 294-6635 Ext 318 or email me at [email protected]
If you have a student with known hearing loss, history of ear problems, or if your student is new to the Xavier Catholic School System and you do not want their hearing tested, you need to indicate in writing to myself at Xavier High School. I will then notify the school audiologist of your request. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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good news!
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<<<SAINTSATSTATE!
Congratulations to Coach Lilly and XHS Girls Basketball on their 60-55 state quarterfinal victory over Grinnell on February 28th in Des Moines! The Saints now advance to the state semifinal round to take on North Scott on Friday at 10AM at Wells Fargo Arena! Can you feel that “odd year magic”!?!
TO THE WELL! >>>
The XHS Boys Basketball team joins the XHS Girls Basketball in earning a spot in the 2017
State Basketball Tournament! The Saints topped Wahlert Catholic to advance to State
for the third consecutive season!
<<< BPA AT STATE
Congratulations to Xavier Business Professionals of America (BPA) stu-dents and their moderator, Mr. Tim O’Brien! All XHS BPA students won at least one award at February’s State BPA Leadership Conference in Des Moines and 25 Saints quali-fied to compete at the National BPA Leadership Conference in Orlando in May! Way to go, Saints!!
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good news! (continued)
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BEASAINTWEEK>>>
Xavier held its “Be A Saint Week” in Feb-ruary. During the week, students, teach-
ers and staff wrote down random acts of kindness they witnessed others doing
throughout the day on cards. Students then placed the cards in a box to be dis-played in our main hallway. We remem-ber that sometimes what may seem like the smallest act of kindness can have an enormous positive impact on someone
else’s day ... and kindness is entirely free!
<<<GERKE/FRANCOISMEDALISTS
Congratulations to Xavier Wrestling’s Josh Gerke (145 lbs) on placing 3rd and Alex Francois (220 lbs) on plac-ing 8th at February’s 2017 State Wrestling Tournament! Gerke also notched career win #150 in February.
JAZZ BAND EXCELS >>>
Xavier Jazz Band One placed 2nd at UNI’s Tallcorn Jazz Festival earlier this month. This is the highest placement JBO has ever received. The Saints are
coming off another Division I rating from the state festival back in January.
<<< ALL STATE SPEECH
Congratulations to Coach Scott Davidson and the three Xavier Speech groups named “All-State Nominees” at February’s State Large Group Contest: Ensemble Act-ing - Over the River, Musical Theater - Spamalot.and Readers Theater - The Internet is Distract...Oh Look, A Kitten!
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<<<STEMDAYATTHECAPITOL
XHS students Ethan Lowder & Evan Lemker, along with Xavier’s Mr. Tim O’Brien, were on hand in Des Moines on February 16th for “STEM Day at the Capitol.” Ethan and Evan represented Xavier’s Microsoft certification program and specifically the Microsoft Imagine Academy booth.
BUNDLED BOTTOMS >>>
On February 10th, Saints gathered after school to recycle t-shirts in the form of diapers for children in Haiti via the “Bundled Bottoms”
program through Many Hands For Haiti (MH4H). XHS students traced and cut out hundreds of diaper patterns from used shirts.
Way to make a difference, Saints!
CRAZY8’SWITHFUTURESAINTS!>>>
Xavier High School’s Math Club students have been spend-ing some time after school each week engaging with our
future Saints at our XCS elementary and middle schools in some fun math! The students participate in fun projects as part of the “Crazy 8s” math program which includes build-
ing glow-in-the-dark structures, making musical instruments, cracking secret spy codes and more while enjoying the math
behind the various activities!
<<<XHILARATIONWINSBACK-TO-BACK GRAND CHAMPIONSHIPS!Xavier’s Xhilaration Show Choir was named “Grand Champion” in consecu-tive weeks at Mount Pleasant’s “Music in Motion” and at Benton Community’s “Touch of Class” the following week!
good news! (continued)
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The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has named two Xavier High School seniors as National Merit Finalists: Me-gan Korbel and Jackson Schuster! Finalists represent less than one-half of one percent of the 1.5 million students who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test nationwide.
Finalists will be considered for more than 7,400 National Merit Scholarship Awards to be awarded this spring and often receive other offers because of their standing as National Merit Finalists.
Congratulations to Megan and Jackson on this being named finalists!
steM news: Project lead the way is coMing to Xavier!
Xavier is excited to announce that plans are underway to implement Project Lead the Way (PLTW). PLTW is designed to engage students in hands-on activities, projects, and problems; empower them to solve real-world challenges; and inspire them to reimagine how they see themselves. More information will be shared as details become available.
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XAvIer hIgh sChool | 6300 42nd street ne | CedAr rApIds, IA 52411 | (319) 294-6635 | XAvIersAInts.org
Mark your calendars! annual Xavier Band garage sale and Bake sale fundraiser!Saturday, April 22, 2017
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Commons
Donations of small household items, toys, games, books, and cloth-ing are to be delivered to the school on Friday, April 21 between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Proceeds from the sale will assist the Xavier Band Department in purchasing new equipment. For further informa-tion contact Carol Vester at 319-329-4566 or [email protected].
