FROM THE PRINCIPAL: HGP NEWSLETTER

December 2010

Dear Parents:

The holidays approach and the HGP Community thinks even more in earnest about the larger

community:

Ghost around the World is now well into its second annual book drive to benefit the

Tengeru Boys School, a Spiritan school in Arusha, Tanzania. The book drive continues

through December 17.

HGP seniors will be collecting hats and gloves for distribution to St. John’s Hospice in

Philadelphia; HGP Moms are gathering materials for Care Packages, also for St. John’s.

The National Art Honor Society continues its sock collection for Face to Face.

Tickets are now on sale for the December 18 Annual Charity Ball.

HGP Fathers are now collecting food and gifts for the Christmas Blessings Project on

Sunday, December 19.

Congratulations to Mr. Eckerle and our Junior Class for leading the way in the First Annual

Philabundance “Great Food Fight.” Our juniors will continue this service project with reflective

essays on the issue of hunger as part of our Middle States Service Leadership Goal this month.

Our Annual Christmas Concert will be held in the Chapel on Monday, December 13 at 7:00 PM.

Come see musical talents of our students led by Mrs. Vilsmeier in the beauty of the Chapel.

Admissions Season: Second Chance Entrance Exam is December 12

Please continue spread the word about HGP academics, community, service, sports, the arts to

prospective students and their families.

January Exams & Course Scheduling Are Closer Than You Think.

Classes will end on Wednesday, December 22 and resume on Monday, January 3.

Monday, January 17 is a Reading (Exam Prep) Day.

Exams will run from Tuesday, January 18 through Friday, January 21. Exam preparation and

study are important parts of a student’s college preparatory education at Holy Ghost Prep.

Studying for exams requires different strategies than studying for unit or chapter tests.

Students should begin a preliminary subject by subject assessment of their strengths and weaknesses

over Christmas break. They should continue that review during the first week back in January.

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Finally, they should block out appropriate time on the weekend prior to reading day on January 17

for a general review of all subjects.

During exam week itself, we are on a half-day schedule to provide extended time for study and

review prior to the following day’s exams. Don’t forget the importance of maintaining good habits

of rest and exercise during exam week! The exam schedule will be posted in early January.

Once exams have concluded, course selection for next year is right around the corner. More exact

information will be provided in our January newsletter, but students should begin thinking about

choices for honors, AP and elective courses and discuss options with teachers during the next

month and a half. New semester electives in Modern Irish History and Culture and

Contemporary Latin American Culture are approved and set to go. The full range of elective

choices will be listed in the January newsletter.

Parent Education Series

We had fine attendance in our Dining Hall for our first presentation. A reminder that the next

presentation coincides with Sports Registration Night on Tuesday, February 8 at 7:00 & 8:00 PM.

We wish you the blessings of this holiday season and thank you for your continuing support of all of

our mutual efforts for your sons.

In One Heart and One Mind,

Michael A. O’Toole

Principal

GHOST AROUND THE WORLD PRESENTS BOOK DRIVE FOR TENGERU BOYS’ SCHOOL

Spiritan secondary school in Arusha, Tanzania

December 1-18

new & gently used books / CHILDREN’S LITERaTURE BOOkS FOR THE LIBRaRY

(students are 14-18 years old, learning english as a second language)

classroom sets of Math, science, and geography books for all secondary

levels.

science lab equipment

(beakers, test tubes, microscopes and bunsen burners)

For more information email kposey@holyghostprep.org

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DECEMBER CHRISTIAN SERVICE PROGRAM UPDATE

Below is information regarding upcoming service opportunities. Please review it

with your son(s) and encourage him/them to participate whenever possible.

Information about service projects is announced at lunch, at morning meetings, in the

daily announcements, and through flyers posted on the service bulletin board on the

second floor of Cornwells Hall. If your son(s) has already completed service

applicable to this school year, please ensure that your son(s) has obtained a service

verification form, completed it, and remitted it to me. Verification forms are now available on

the Service page of the school’s website –- along with the Program’s Brochure and a listing

of approved volunteer agencies and internet links to some.

Upcoming Service Opportunities

1) Pegasus Riding Academy

The next trip to this facility will be Tuesday, December 14th. Students assist with grounds’

maintenance at this therapeutic riding program. Transportation to and from HGP is provided. Sign

up with Mr. Fitzpatrick.

2) Holy Family School (Levittown)

The next trip to this school will be Thursday, December 9th. Students assist with the after-

school CARES program. Sign up with Mr. Fitzpatrick.

3) Fathers’ Association Christmas Blessings Project

The Fathers’ Association will need assistance from students and dads to deliver donated

food and gifts on Sunday, December 19th. Contact Mr. Al DiGregorio for more information.

4) CSC Operation Santa Claus

HGP will be sponsoring a bus to transport students to the wrapping center where they will

wrap donated toys on Saturday, December 18th. Permission slips for this project have been available

for several weeks already, and a waiting list now exists. Please see Mrs. Flynn in C 315 for updates

about available spaces or to put your name on the waiting list.

5) St. Charles Borromeo Basketball Games for Children with Special Needs

Each year, this parish, located just south of HGP on Rt. 13, organizes basketball games on

Sunday evenings from 5-7 PM, January through March. HGP students are needed to serve as

“buddies” and “coaches/cheerleaders” to help the kids have a good time. No basketball knowledge

is needed, just a positive attitude and a desire to be helpful. Games will begin on Sunday, January

9th. Sign up with Mr. Fitzpatrick beginning December 6th. Students must provide their own

transportation to/from this service project.

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6) Service through your local church

At this time of year, many CYO/youth groups at area churches are involved in service

projects that seek to reach out to the home-bound, the underprivileged, those in need of respite

from caring for family members, etc… Check your church’s bulletin/website for details about such

projects or consider starting one of your own!

Thank you for your generosity!

In the inaugural “Food Fight” Challenge held in October, sponsored by Philabundance and Shire

Pharmaceuticals, HGP placed 2nd in terms of pounds per student collected. HGP was credited

with 10,866 pounds of food which, divided by 502 students, equaled 21.65 pounds per student.

Congratulations to Germantown Friends School for placing first.

Junior Social Justice Classes will continue their focus on issue of Hunger through the development

of a Reflective Essay in Class this month.

Thank you for your attention to this update. If you have any questions about the Service Program,

please contact me via e-mail me at jfitzpatrick@holyghostprep.org

Respectfully, Mr. Fitzpatrick and Mr. Eckerle

The annual Coaches vs. Cancer Week will be held December 6-16. During this week, students can donate funds to Coaches vs. Cancer for memory cards (which will hang in the school cafeteria all week), lanyards, and a Dress-Down Day Friday December 10.

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ATHLETICS UPDATES FROM JIM STEWART, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

Coaches vs. Cancer Week

The week will culminate with a basketball co-ed triple-header, featuring Bensalem Boys JV vs. HGP

at 4:00pm, Nazareth Academy HS vs. Sacred Heart Academy at 6:00pm, and Bensalem Varsity vs.

HGP at 7:30pm. All proceeds from the donations and basketball games will benefit the American

Cancer Society via Coaches vs. Cancer. Please contact athletic director Jim Stewart at

jstewart@holyghostprep.org for further details.

Hall of Fame Banquet January 29th, 2011

Congratulations to our Class of 2011 Hall of Fame Inductees:

Baseball Bob Marchok Long-Time Pitching Coach

Basketball Ryan Abramson, Manager Class of 1994

Golf LJ Petroni Class of 1999

Soccer Patrick Dillon Class of 2002

Swimming LTC. Mike Williams (US Army) Class of 2002

Track & Field William Ference Class of 2003

Information about attending the banquet can be found at www.holyghostprep.org/stewart. Click on

“HGP Athletics” for details.

Basketball

The 2010-2011 Basketball team heads into the season with a lot of enthusiasm and high

expectations. They will face some key tests early in the season at the Council Rock South Tip Off

Tournament and local area foes Bensalem** and Archbishop Ryan. As he begins his 34th season,

head coach Tony Chapman ,’71 will undoubtedly rely on his seniors Tyler Juchno, Ryan Lantzy,

James DeLuca and Michael DeStefano to get the team off to a good start.

The 13 Annual Jack Schott Memorial Holiday Tournament will feature Conwell Egan Catholic,

Church Farm School, and Summit Country Day School (Cincinnati, OH). The opening round will

be on December 29th beginning with Summit Country Day vs. Conwell-Egan and HGP facing

Church Farm at 7:30pm. The Consolation and Championship rounds will be played on December

30th at 6:00pm and 7:30pm.

Bowling

New coach Gary Bondarchuk (former member of the PBA Tour) looks forward to a great season

with the bowling squad. The team lost a lot to graduation, but key varsity returners Brandon Kearns

’12 and senior Karl Hillier will provide solid leadership. They will be out to defend their 2010 BAL

Crown, but will face tough local competition against the likes of Pennsbury High School and

Council Rock South. Good luck to Coach Bondarchuk and the 2010-2011 team.

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Swimming & Diving

Head Coaches Sheree Marsh and Ed Roussell are excited about this year’s team. PIAA District

Champions Daniel Gosek (50 Free) and Joe Esposito (3 Year defending Diving Champion) will

likely pile up the points, and seniors Shawn Entenman, Brian Shiue and Chris Doherty will also be

called on provide veteran leadership.

The swim team faces a challenging independent schedule, and will open the season at home (Shafer

Middle School) vs. Great Valley at 4:30PM. Stay tuned for further success stories during the season!

Good Luck to our Indoor Track & Field & Ice Hockey Teams in their new seasons!

The Institutional Advancement

Office would like to thank all those

who have given to the The Holy

Ghost Fund so far. We appreciate

your support and please

remember a gift at any amount

helps the students of Holy Ghost

tremendously!

Don’t forgot now is a good time to send in your year-end tax deduction. Please be sure to get your gift in by December 31st, 2010! Click here to see our current donors

and to make a gift today!

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HOLY GHOST PREPARATORY SCHOOL MOTHERS’ GUILD

2429 BRISTOL PIKE, BENSALEM, PENNSYLVANIA 19020-5298 (215) 639-2102 · FAX (215) 639-4225

December, 2010

Dear HGP Moms:

I hope this letter finds you recovering from a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and

anticipating the joys of the Christmas season. The holidays came early to Holy Ghost

Prep as our annual Craft Show kicked off the festivities on Nov. 13th

and 14th

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Hopefully you were able to join us at some point over the weekend and share in the

tradition that has become such a large part of the Mothers’ Guild. As you can imagine,

this is a very large undertaking and would not have been possible without the help of all

of our Moms, both current and Alumni. I would be amiss if I did not recognize the

Chairs of the Show, as well as their Committees. Our heartfelt thanks to Donna Gusty,

Lucy Forgione and Jenniffer Fox for all of their time and talent in chairing the Craft

Show, as well as the Committee Chairs, Leanne Murray, Pat Chukala, Karen Kearns

and Cathy Poncia. Their organizational and customer services skills are what our

crafters have come to appreciate and the reason they return year after year. Many of our

crafters have also expressed their appreciation for the help that the HGP boys offered

during the set-up and breakdown of their displays. The boys graciously loaded and

unloaded many cars belonging to crafters and did so with a smile. This is certainly a

tribute to you, their Mothers, as well as the guidance they are receiving at school. Yet

another reason why HGP is the best craft show in the area!

We must also thank Fr. Jeff and Mr. O’Toole for their continued support of the Mothers’

Guild and all its endeavors, the Fathers’ Association for their assistance with traffic

control and parking and Rich Malley, Mike Stanish and Greg Bliss who are behind the

scenes during the set up, break down and throughout the show. All of these people make

this show possible and we can’t thank you enough.

We invite everyone to join us this coming Monday, December 6th

. Beginning at

7:00 p.m. we will celebrate Mass in the Chapel which will be decorated with all of the

poinsettias that you generously purchased and/or donated. Following Mass, a buffet

dinner catered by Ristorante Denicola and hosted by our Freshman Moms and Vice

Presidents will be served in our newly renovated Dining Hall. The evening provides a

great opportunity to share in the holiday season with your friends, both old and new, and

to enjoy the story telling as only Ryan Abramson can do. It is not too late to plan on

joining us. Attached you will find an invitation with Angela Dolce’s email to respond.

Please note that this event is a Mom’s event, although we appreciate all that our husbands

and sons do for us, this is truly a ladies night out.

Please be reminded that if you do plan on attending the Mass and/or dinner, we would

kindly ask that you bring along a shoebox for our donation to St. John’s. You will find a

flyer attached that will provide the specifics of this project. We will be collecting the

boxes in the back of the Chapel prior to Mass so that we can present them during our

Offertory Procession. However, if you are unable to attend Mass, but plan on joining us

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for dinner, please note that we will continue to collect the boxes during the night for

delivery by Mr. Ryan and his students.

Aramark has graciously offered to open the HGP School Store at 6:00 p.m. on Monday

evening so that you do some holiday shopping prior to Mass. We invite you to visit the

Store which is now located in the Fieldhouse. We are also happy to announce that Gary

Lehman will be available on Monday evening to take orders for HGP Mothers’ charms

that have been a Guild favorite in the past. Gary will have order forms, as well as

samples available during the dinner meeting. For everyone who has purchased poinsettias

and/or HGP blankets, these items will be available for pick up at the meeting.

Several HGP students, under the direction of Mr. DiGregorio and the Father’s

Association, have taken on a greater role in the Christmas Blessings Project that is a

wonderful tradition at Holy Ghost. Mr. DiGregorio will share his experiences with us on

Monday night and provide details of this year’s event.

As you can see, we have a lot of fun things planned for Monday night, so please consider

joining in the fun.

Has your son asked you to purchase a toy for the school’s toy drive or maybe he

purchased one on his own? Please consider sending a toy into school for Operation Santa

Claus, as there is a great need for new, unwrapped toys for boys 12 and under. Please be

mindful of the toy, as they cannot accept any guns or war items. The deadline is

Thursday, December 9th

.

As we look beyond the holidays, mark your calendars for Monday, February 7, 2011 as

that will be our next Guild Meeting. We do not have a meeting in the month of January.

We will discussing and providing further details about the Mother/Son Dance which is

scheduled for Saturday evening, March 12, 2011 and the school’s auction A Night in

Paris scheduled for Saturday, March 26, 2011.

Should you have any questions about any materials attached, do not hesitate to contact

me at 215-357-5647 or for a quicker response, Disney5@msn.com. I look forward to

seeing everyone on Monday night.

On behalf of the entire Board, we wish everyone a Happy and Holy Christmas season and

a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

All the best,

Maureen

Maureen A. Pontarelli

President

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Dear Freshman Moms:

As a long standing tradition at Holy Ghost Prep, the Freshman Moms host the

Annual Christmas Party to be held on Monday, December 6, 2010. Mass will be

celebrated in the Chapel at 7:00 p.m. followed by dinner and dessert.

In order to help defray the cost of this party, we are asking each Freshman Mom to

donate $10.00.

Please make checks payable to: HGP Mother’s Guild and mail to:

Angela Dolce

990 Plowshare Road

Yardley, PA 19067

Our goal is to achieve 100% participation. We would ask that you submit your

donation by the November 1std meeting so that preparations can begin.

Additionally, volunteers are needed to prepare for this holiday celebration. If you

can assist in any of the following areas, please contact one of the Moms below and

let us know your availability:

*Set up (promptly at 5:30 p.m.)

*Decorations (promptly at 5:30 p.m.)

*Clean up (immediately following)

*Salad and bread

*Desserts

Thank you in advance for your participation and generosity to help make this

year’s Christmas Party a success!

Freshman Mom Reps:

Angela Dolce (215) 570-0078 adolce60@verizon.net

Denise Armentani (267) 446-0075 theateam6@comcast.net

Marianne DiNardo (267) 408-0276 mmaier1013@aol.com

Denise Veneziale (215) 639-2264 dancermom67@aol.com

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HOLY GHOST PREPARATORY SCHOOL MOTHERS’ GUILD

2429 BRISTOL PIKE, BENSALEM, PENNSYLVANIA 19020-5298 (215) 639-2102 · FAX (215) 639-4225

December 2, 2010

Dear HGP Moms & Dads,

We would like to thank each and every one of you for helping to make the 2010 Craft

Show another great success! Our volunteer staff at the show was wonderful and all of our

Mom’s who baked behind the scenes made it one of our most successful Bake Sales in recent

history! Our success is truly a total effort from all of our families, current and alumni, and we

thank you. We are still tallying up the numbers, and will report them at the December Mother’s

Guild meeting.

This year, Mother Nature was finally on our side. It was the first time in 4 years we had

a bright sunny & WARM weekend. We had so many helpers on Friday that we opened our

doors 30 minutes earlier than normal for the crafters to begin setting up. The boys were

standing by ready to work, and work they did. They always give their all and do whatever is

asked of them. Many of them deal with anxious crafters, but always keep a smile on their faces

no matter what happens. They are the best! Each year we receive so many comments from our

guests and our crafters on how wonderful your sons were. Please be sure to thank them and tell

them how much they are appreciated.

Special thanks go out to our Parking Dads, Committee Chairs, and the HGP maintenance

staff. Our parking Dad’s, led be Barry Crawford, ensured that the parking was smooth and no

fender benders occurred (no small task indeed). Rich Malley, Mike Stavish, & Greg Bliss, were

there from beginning to end answering untold phone calls from us for all sorts of little problems.

The Committee Chairs were busy running their individual areas to perfection; and our

“Committee” Shadow, Donna Alexander, did an outstanding job filling in wherever was needed

making us look good.

After months of planning, when sometimes we can’t wait for it to be finally over, the

weekend arrives and it flies by all too quickly. So quick in fact, that we usually don’t even take

the time to shop! We hope you all took the time to get some bargains, relax with good friends,

and enjoy the sounds of the season.

Our very best wishes go out to each and every one of you & your families for a very

Merry Christmas.

Sincerely,

Lucy Forgione, Jenniffer Fox, & Donna Gusty

2010 Craft Show Tri-chairs

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Don’t forget your

ST. JOHN’S HOSPICE BOXES

Gift wrap a shoe box – top and bottom separately

Fill it with items such as:

Soap*

Shampoo*

Deodorant

Powder

Toothpaste

Toothbrushes

Combs/Brushes

Lotion*

Hard Candy

Gloves

Hat

Scarf

Socks

*These items can be regular or travel size, since many of the men will carry their

belongings in their pockets

PLEASE NO RAZORS OR MOUTHWASHES

Add a bow and bring it with you to the December Mothers’ Guild Meeting

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