Formed in Catholic tradition, the mission of St. Michael the Archangel High School is to foster the spiritual,

intellectual, and personal development of young people as committed disciples of Christ.

ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

JANUARY 2021 NEWSLETTER

17521 Monitor Avenue Baton Rouge, LA 70817 Phone: (225) 753-9782

P.O. Box 86110 Baton Rouge, LA 70879-6110 Fax: (225) 753-0605

SPIRITUAL LIFE

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK: We will celebrate Catholic Schools Week January 31-February 6. Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, February 2. Students will attend mass dur ing their Religion Class. We will live stream 3rd hour mass at 9:00 AM.

Every year for Catholic Schools Week, each school in the Diocese is

asked to collaborate and bring items for Catholic Charities. Our items help

Catholic Charities to continue their mission and help each family that is

in need of a new start. This year St. Michael has been requested to bring

linens. We are asking each student to donate at least $1 to this drive.

With this donation we will purchase sheets, blankets, pillows, towels,

shower curtains/rings and rugs to give to Catholic Charities. Thank you in

advance for helping us to help those in need.

SOPHOMORE RETREAT: Sophomore Retreat will take place on February 4 & 5 from 6:00-8:30 PM. Students will be asked to sign up for ONE of these nights. We are planning a great night for fun and reflec-tion on Living the Faith through prayer. Attending one of these nights is mandatory for students. More infor mation will be emailed to parents and distributed to students in Religion Class in early January.

MARCH FOR LIFE PILGRIMAGE EXPERIENCE: On Janu-ary 23 there will be a vir tual/satellite March for Life event – Vigil for Life-With Lamps Burning Brightly. St. Michael students are invited to attend this in-person event (with social distancing and mask wearing), being held at St. Michael in the Multi-Purpose Building. A sign-up link will be sent to parents and students. Space is limited. The event will take place from 1:00-9:00 PM. There will be talks, Zoom Q&A Vocation and Pro Life panels, interactive activities and other socially distanced fun.

INTELLECTUAL

CLASSES RESUME: Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 5. The EBR Buses and the St. Michael Shuttle Bus will run their regular schedule.

COLLEGE VISITATION DAY: On Tuesday, January 26 seniors

will not have school so that they may visit a college or university of their

choice. Although each college and university establishes its own rules in

regards to arranging an official campus visit, students may begin by con-

tacting the Office of Admissions or Office of Enrollment Services for

assistance in planning their campus tour. Check college or university web-

sites for registration and news on upcoming events. We encourage each

senior to take a campus tour to support their college decisions.

JUNIOR PARENT NIGHT: Junior Parent Night will be delivered

through an online presentation and followed up with an opportunity to

meet virtually with the counselor through Zoom. The presentation will

discuss topics that include graduation requirements, Board of Regents

requirements, TOPS, ACT/SAT testing and college readi-

ness. Representatives from Southeastern Louisiana University and Loui-

siana State University will be available to answer questions during the

virtual Coffee with the Counselor. Please look for an email from Mrs.

Dutreix with the presentation link and dates for Coffee with the Counse-

lor. If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Dutreix at

ldutreix@smhsbr.org.

RE-REGISTRATION FORMS: Registration forms for returning students will be handled online. Current parents will receive an email in early February with a link for re-registration and instructions on how to complete the process.

SCHOOL HOLIDAY: There will be NO school on Monday, January 18 in ob-servance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

REQUESTS FOR COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE LETTERS: In order to assist in college preparation and planning, it is critical that seniors and their parents provide Ms. Montgomery with copies of all letters of acceptance and any scholarship and financial aid awards from colleges and universities, wheth-er or not the senior will eventually attend that particular school. Please send copies of these documents via email to cmontgomery@smhsbr.org, or by fax or in person. The names of the colleges and universities to which the senior has been accepted will be published in the Graduation Program, while a list of the scholarships which were offered to the student will appear in the Baccalaureate Mass & Senior Honors Convocation Program. The only way we may pub-lish this information is if parents and students share this information with us. Please provide M s. M ontgomery with copies of acceptance and schol-arship letters as soon as they are received.

7th SEMESTER TRANSCRIPTS: Parents, if your senior applied to a pri-vate and/or out-of-state college or university which requires that a 7th semester transcript be submitted, please remind him/her to email or drop off to Ms. Montgomery a signed Document Request Form in order to mail a transcript. Seniors who have applied to in-state public institutions do not need to follow this procedure as their 7th semester transcripts are made available to colleges and universities electronically through the Student Transcript System (STS).

TOPS APPLICATION: Parents, in order for your senior to receive a possi-ble TOPS scholarship, please assist your child in completing the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the only application for TOPS. Visit www.fafsa.gov to begin. The deadline for TOPS eligibility is July 1.

Visit www.osfa.la.gov for TOPS eligibility criteria.

PSAT/NMSQT—STANDARDIZED TESTING DAY: On Tuesday,

January 26 all juniors, along with those sophomores and freshmen who

registered, will sit for the PSAT/NMSQT, the National Merit Scholarship

Qualifying Test and the preparatory version of the SAT.

Seniors will have a college visit day.

All sophomores and freshmen who are not taking the test will stay at

home and complete required virtual presentations on self-care and

college and career knowledge.

Freshmen, sophomores and juniors taking the test will be dismissed at

11:30 AM. Students who receive extended time will be dismissed at

12:00 noon.

There will be no lunch vendors on campus on January 26.

There will be no after-school program on January 26.

A Note from the Principal

Welcome 2021!

As we say goodbye to 2020 and begin the new year of 2021, the St. Michael faculty and staff recommit ourselves to partnering with you, our parents, to do everything we can to assist with the growth and formation of the students you have entrusted to our care. If we work together, we can better support the students in their positive efforts, as well as hold them accountable for their poor choices. It is our responsibility, parents and school, to help them grow into the person God calls them to be.

The new year also brings a renewal of our commitment to keep our students and staff safe and healthy. Parents who keep their students home when their students are not feeling well help to slow the spread of the virus. We are reminded of the practices and procedures that will protect us from the coronavirus: keeping a distance of 6 feet, wearing face masks properly, and fre-quent hand washing and sanitizing. We ask for your support and for the support of our students as we work to protect our in-person learning environment. Students want and need to be on campus to grow and thrive in their faith and in their learn-ing. This can only happen if we work together and do what needs to be done to keep everyone as safe as possible.

Report cards for the first semester have been posted on PlusPortals. If you haven’t yet, please discuss with your child his/her academic progress. If grades are not up to his/her potential, please make a plan to improve during this second semester. Feel free to contact your child’s teachers and counselor so that we can work together to help your child be successful.

At the end of this month, we will join with Catholic schools throughout the country in celebrating Catholic Schools Week. Alt-hough a Catholic school education is often a financial sacrifice for the family, it is an investment in the student that has value beyond the years spent in school. Faith formation, academic excellence, and personal development are the foundation of the mission of our school. Thank you for your trust in St. Michael High School.

As we begin this new year together, I ask for your continued prayers for our students, our families, and our faculty and staff. May we recognize that our hope lies in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Happy New Year!

Ellen B. Lee, Principal

St. Michael Students Give Back

The Student Council partnered with the Live2Serve organization to host a school-wide Toy Drive before the Christmas break.

Dear St. Michael Families, It is in the midst of this dark world that we are invited to live and radiate hope. Is it possible? Can we become light, salt, and leaven to our brothers and sisters in the human family? Can we offer hope, courage, and confidence to the people of this era? Do we dare break through our paralyzing fear? Will people be able to say of us, 'See how they love each other, how they serve their neighbor, and how they pray to their Lord?' Or do we have to confess that at this juncture of history we just do not have the needed strength or the generosity? How can we live in hope so as to give hope? And how do we find true joy? -Henri Nouwen, Clowning in Rome Henri Nouwen wrote the book, Clowning in Rome over 30 years ago, and it certainly speaks to me today. No matter what we do in our lives professionally, each of us is called to give hope, and to seek joy. My prayer for us this new year is to hold what is dear, take to heart the challenges and joys of our role as parents and teachers, and to be grateful for the support of our community. None of us can do it alone. We need one another. And the children shall lead us! Their joy, hope and generosity lead the way for us all! Ask your children to consider building Bethlehem in their hearts. Ask them to make their hearts a place where Jesus can be born, and live with joy, love, kindness and peace. And, I encourage us all to use this "juncture of history" to build Bethlehem, to live with joy and hope for a better tomorrow. A few years ago, I heard Sr. Clare, a spokesperson for the National Catholic Education Association. Her words boosted me then, and continue to challenge me today. We are the people God has as-signed to this time. May the peace of the new year surround us.

"We are summoned by the events of our time to perform the tasks

that God has assigned for our time." Sr. Clare Fitzgerald

St. Michael, pray for us!

God bless, Jack Nelson President

Warrior Welcome Basket Congratulate your new Warrior by gifting a Warrior Basket filled with Warrior Wear and Gear!

Basket Includes the following Warrior Items:

1 T-Shirt

1 Sweatshirt

1 Lanyard

1 Can Koozie

1 License Plate

1 Ink Pen

2 Decals

2 Pom Poms

1 Cell Phone Pocket

$60—Purchase at WWW.SMHSWARRIORCLUB.COM

MR. LANDRY’S TESTING TIPS:

ACT Test Information Release Did you know you can get a copy of your child’s ACT test? The ACT Test Information Release (TIR) is an actual copy of the test that your child took. You can pre-order the TIR during registration for the ACT or you can mail in a form with a check for $22. Here is a link to the TIR form. You can expect to receive your scores within 4–6 weeks, but in many cases, it comes much quicker. The TIR will include a copy of the test, an itemized list of the test-taker’s answers, and the scoring guide to that test. The TIR is only available for certain ACT test dates, usually December, April and June. If the ACT is taken on a dif-ferent test date, the TIR is not offered.

4 Ways the TIR Can Help Your Child Improve ACT Scores: Nerves. It is beneficial to retake the TIR test before analyzing the results and compare the scores. Some passages

may look familiar, but it is highly unlikely that the test-taker will remember the exact answers to any ques-tion. It is not necessary to retake the test in one sitting but can be completed one section at a time as well. If the score is much better the second time, this may indicate test day nerves are possibly affecting the score.

Careless Errors. Look for silly mistakes on the original test. Were any easy questions missed? Did the test-taker miss them again on the retake? This may demonstrate some areas that can be improved with a little focus and extra prep work.

Patterns. Look for patterns in the question types that are being missed. Is the test-taker missing several geometry questions? Commas? A certain passage type in reading or science? Reviewing these specific types of ques-tions can help.

Pacing. Were a lot of questions missed at the end of the test? This may indicate that the test-taker did not finish or had to guess at the end of a test. If this is a problem, look for pacing tips.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding the ACT. Kevin Landry

Assistant Principal of Curriculum & Instruction

PRACTICE ACT TEST OPPORTUNITY:

St. Michael High School will offer a practice ACT test on January 9, 2021. All Juniors will

have the option to complete a practice ACT test at St. Michael High School. This test score

will not be reported to ACT as an official score but will be used as a baseline score by St. Mi-

chael High School to help our students maximize their future test results.

Students will receive a detailed skills analysis report and the school will receive an overall

skills report. The results of this test will be used to evaluate our students’ individual needs.

This will be the first initiative of an ACT Prep Program beginning in 2021.

We encourage all Juniors to participate.

Please use the following link to register.

When: Saturday, January 9, 2021 from 8:00 AM - 12:00 Noon

Where: St. Michael High School

Cost: $20.00

Register: https://forms.diamondmindinc.com/smhsbr/act