Principal’s Report 08/15/2014
Dear Lumen Family:
School starts next week and we are looking forward to a wonderful new school year! The first day of classes is on Wednesday, August 20. Most students will arrive around 7:30 AM. Classes start promptly at 7:45 AM. For those of you who are new to Lumen, we start the day with ‘home room’ time where students do the pledge of allegiance, prayer, and devotion. The ‘home room’ is the student’s first (period 1) class. Attached is the bell schedule for your reference.
The first day of school is also the same day as the school’s weekly Mass. Parents are welcome to join for Mass on Wednesday, August 20 at 9:15 AM in St. Benedict’s Parish. After Mass, the students will walk the Light of Christ back to the school, where Fr. Leo will bless the school, students, teachers, and staff. This is a wonderful way to fellowship with other parents, teachers, staff, and students. Please join us for this special Mass if your schedule permits.
This weekend is the 20th Annual Alaska Greek Festival at the Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church (2800 O’Malley Road) in Anchorage. Admission and parking is free. Today the event runs from 11 AM to 10 PM. Tomorrow (Saturday) the event runs from 11 AM to 10 PM. On Sunday the event runs from 11 AM to 7 PM. Students who attend Lumen from the Orthodox faith will be involved in the celebration, and they would appreciate our support.
Next Friday, from 4:00 PM until about 7:00 PM is the annual Lumen Christi ‘Back to School Picnic’ at the school. We welcome parents, family friends, and students to enjoy a picnic with the faculty and staff. The school will provide the hotdogs, hamburgers, drinks, and utensils, but we would ask the parents to bring the rest of the potluck food if you are able (although it is not required in order to attend). It would be helpful if 7th and 8th grades families bring salad and sides, 9th grade bring chips and dip, 10th grade bring fruit (or similar), and 11th and 12th grade families bring desserts.
Marcellino D’Ambrosio will be giving a presentation about “Keeping Your Kids Catholic” at Lumen Christi on Sunday, August 24 from 2 PM to 4 PM in room 104. The presentation will cover how to strike the balance between formal religious education in the home, and teaching by example, between affection and discipline, the role of parents and the help of other adults. You’ll walk away with clear strategies that you can implement in your own family life.
Parent involvement is very important for the success of Lumen Christi. If you are interested in helping with an event, please be aware that we’ve largely switched our signups to VolunteerSpot from Signup Genius, though going forward we may use Genius for some signups as well. VolunteerSpot has a single page where all our current signups should always be listed. Here is the link for opportunities: http://vols.pt/9tj8Ji?utm_source=group-badge-volunteer-green .
We have some open positions in PVO. We are looking for a ‘PVO Vice-President’. This person will shadow PVO President Gail Grafton and eventually take over as PVO President at the end of Gail’s term. We are also looking for a ‘Gold Card Chair’. Our current chair is stepping down after this year and is ready to train her replacement. This is an important position that helps raise money for the school. The ‘Teacher and Staff Appreciation Chair’ position is also open. This person takes the lead in organizing small activities and events to show our awesome teachers and staff much we appreciate them. And finally, we are looking for a ‘Craft Bazaar Assistant’. This person will help Michell Goodwin, the Craft Bazaar Chair, organize the volunteers, secure vendors, and run this important fundraising event. If you are interested in a position, please leave a message at the front desk and we will ask someone to follow-up with you.
We look forward to the new school year and encourage all of you to remember the Lumen community in your daily prayers. May God bless all of those who support the LCHS ministry of St. Benedict Parish.
God Bless, John
Read MorePrincipal’s Report 07/15/2014
Dear Lumen Family:
As Lumen continues to grow, we are looking forward to a wonderful new school year! In addition to our returning students, we have new student faces from Boston, Massachusetts to Rio de Janerio, Brazil. Our prayers are with all of our students as they enjoy the final days of summer. Enjoy the final days of summer; school will start before we know it!
To prepare for the new school year, please click on the link for the 2014-15 calendar. Fall registration is on Tuesday, July 29, 2014. Registration is from 2:00 PM until 7:00 PM. Please stop by the school, at your convenience. It is important that all families attend as we assign student lockers, provide information about PVO, class schedules, pre-paid sports card for athletic events, and other important information. New parent orientation is at the school on Tuesday, August 12 from 6:30 until 8:00 PM. The first day of classes for the students is Wednesday, August 20. The back to school picnic for students and families is Friday, August 22 from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM.
Playing competitive sports, while learning lifelong principles of sportsmanship and fair play, are an import part of the Lumen experience. If you are interested in soccer, please stop by the Athletic Department table at registration. Registration will also be a great time to purchase your Lumen ArchCard, which grants access to all regular season home games for the sports season.
High school soccer practice starts on Monday, August 4. Jr. High soccer starts on Monday, August 11. Any students playing fall sports need to complete all paperwork, physical exam, and submit fees before they can practice. You can download the forms from the LCHS website (under the student/sports section) and return them to Mrs. Estes at the front desk or to Athletic Director Mr. Hunt. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Hunt at (907) 273-1513.
Dr. Norman Means, MD is a new Lumen parent. As part of the Lumen community, Dr. Means has offered to provide our students the annual physicals as required by the Alaska Schools Activities Association at no charge. Dr. Means will also administer the PPD (tuberculosis) test for a small fee of $10 to cover the cost of the supplies. The PPD (tuberculosis) test is required for 7th graders and any student who has not had this test as of 7th grade. The physicals and PPD (tuberculosis) tests will be offered in 15 minute increments, starting at 10 AM on Monday, July 28 at the school. Please call the front desk at (907) 245-9231 for more information or to schedule an appointment. To ensure the appropriate number of PPD supplies, please make sure to schedule an appointment before July 21. The offer is open to staff and faculty as well.
Fundraisers are an important part of supporting the school. This year the Athletic Department has a new fundraiser. It is a golf tournament on Saturday, August 30. All information and forms can be directly accessed from our homepage . This will be a fun event and we encourage you to participate. All of the proceeds will go to support the Lumen Christi Athletic Department. Please share this event with others.
Lumen challenges its students academically and teaches students how to experience God’s grace and presence in their lives. We look forward to the new school year and encourage all of you to remember the Lumen community, students, teachers, and staff in your daily prayers. May God bless all of those who support the LCHS ministry of St. Benedict Parish.
God Bless, John
Read MorePrincipal’s Report 5/2/14
Dear Lumen Christi,
May is here! A special thank you to everyone who helped with Cinco de Mayo. It was a wonderful event and although the numbers are not yet final, we believe it was the most successful Cinco fundraiser for the school to date. As May is here, the end of school is just around the corner and this is the last full week of school for our seniors. The following are a few updates as we push forward through the final stretch.
There will be a PVO meeting tomorrow night, Tuesday, May 6 at 7 PM in the library. We appreciate everyone’s continued support as we wrap up the school year.
The alumni basketball game is Thursday night, May 8 at 6 PM in the Lumen gymnasium. Please come support our current and former athletes in this full-filled event! Due to the alumni basketball game, there will not be tutoring on May 8.
Wednesday, May 17 is the St. Benedict’s Clean-up day. This is a great opportunity for the school to work with the parish and prepare the grounds for the summer.
Baccalaureate Mass is 7 PM on Wednesday, May 14 at St. Benedict’s. Lumen Christi graduation is 7 PM on Thursday, May 15 at the Lumen gymnasium. All are welcome!
Do you need to take Health Class? Mrs. Craig will be teaching it this summer from June 9 – 19. Space is limited. Registration and payment must be turned into the office by May 16 to hold your spot. Please contact the front desk at (907) 245-9231 if you have questions.
The school is continuing its enrollment for next year. If you need a registration packet, please contact Mrs. Estes at the front desk. Her phone number is (907) 245-9231. Due to the capacity of the building, each grade is limited to 20 students. Once a grade is full, the school will start a waiting list. Also, students who enroll before May 15 will be under the current tuition schedule. Students who enroll after May 15 will pay the tuition increase that will be put in place this fall.
After many years in the Lumen Christi Library, Mrs. Marchetti has announced that she will be retiring at the end of next year. We are therefore looking for a well-organized person willing to be trained to take her place. Next year this would entail working 4 hours one day per week. The following year it would become a larger part-time job, with the new person taking over responsibility for managing the library. Tasks will include keeping the on-line catalog up-to-date, managing patron use, as well as ordering and processing new books. If you are interested, please contact the school office.
The youth are putting on another Italian feast and auction to be held on May 10th at 6pm. Dinner will be served in the basement of St. Benedicts Church. It is a St. Benedict fundraiser for World Youth Day 2016 in Poland. Tickets can be purchased by e-mailing Mr. McMorrow at rmcmorrow2@aol.com.
Finally, with the end of the year closing in, it is time to ensure your share hours are accounted for in the school log book at the front desk. We’ve seen various parents working events, but the share hours are missing. Share hours will be billed this month at $35 per hour if they are not logged. If there is any issues, don’t panic – just give me a call and we will work to ensure records are correct.
We appreciate everyone’s continued prayers and support for Lumen Christi High School!
In Christ,
John Harmon
Principal, Lumen Christi High School
Read MoreSchool Report 4/18/14
Hello Everyone,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend! It’s been another busy week here at Lumen Christi. We started the week off with an Easter Egg Hunt hosted by Student Government. Some of the Student Government students even dressed up in bunny suits! This week is also Spirit Week and each day the students had the opportunity to dress according to the theme of the day. Be sure to check out our Facebook page to see all of the great pictures from the week. Mr. Harmon is attending the National Catholic Education Association Conference this week and we look forward to him being back on Monday.
Cinco de Mayo: Join us on Saturday, May 3rd for some Cinco de Mayo fun! There will be delicious food and wonderful entertainment! Tickets are $20 each. Just stop by Lumen’s office to purchase your tickets. You may also call the front desk at 245-9231 to pay for tickets by credit card over the phone. Hope to see you there!
Summer Online Classes: If your child is planning on taking an online class this summer for school credit, be sure to get the class approved first by speaking to Mrs. Brewer.
Student Community Service Opportunity: St Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish is looking for responsible students who would be interested in helping out at Vacation Bible School. This year’s theme is Weird Animals: Where Jesus’ Love is One-of-a-Kind. Please Contact Camille Rzeszut at 344-9381 or rzeszut@alaska.net if you are interested or have any questions.
Half Day Friday Schedule Resumes: Since Lent is now over, half day Friday schedules will resume. Here is what the rest of the year looks like on Fridays:
Friday, April 25th: B Schedule with early dismissal at 12:20pm
Friday, May 2nd: 1st Friday with full day of school
Friday, May 9th: A Schedule with early dismissal at 12:20pm
Friday, May 16th: B Schedule with early dismissal at 12:20pm
Next Year’s Class Schedules: A couple of weeks ago, students were sent home with their class schedules for next year. For those of you who have not signed and returned your schedule yet, please do so as soon as possible. If you need another one, just let me know and I will print one out and send it home to you.
St. Therese’s Summer Camp: St. Therese’s Camp is offering some wonderful summer camps for Grade 3-8. Please visit http://stthereseak.com for more information.
Penny Wars: It’s time for our annual Penny Wars! What is that you ask? Well it’s a fundraiser for the Senior class and their graduation. There are jars for each class located in the office in which money gets placed in. Lots of pennies is the goal, however, you can place other coins or bills in other grade’s jars too because it will count against them. So, to sum it up…pennies are positive, other currency is a negative. For example: If the freshman have 200 pennies in their jar and someone places a $1 bill in the jar, then the freshman would only have the equivalent of 100 pennies. Competition is on! There is a jar for all grades 7-12 and even the teachers/staff have a jar. All are welcome, including parents, to stop in and place spare change in the jars…remember to be strategic as your child’s class will want as many pennies as possible. The winning class earns the pleasure to dress down during the whole week of finals!
Open Enrollment: Open Enrollment has begun for Lumen Christi. Be sure to spread the word to any friends or family that may be interested. Interested parties may contact the front office at 245-9231 for more information or to schedule a tour.
Prom: The high school prom is the Friday, April 25th for all 10th, 11th, and 12th graders from 8pm until 11pm. Prom tickets are $35 each and students may purchase their tickets from a Student Government student or stop by the front office.
Buckhead Uniforms: Buckhead Uniforms is having a 20{d4876d85bca45a190b33d6c696456a399841af28eb325342d1f9ba09483f3a19} off sale on anything that has a zipper. I have attached the flyer with more information.
Alaska Catholic Youth Conference 2014: ACYC will be taking place on June 2nd-June 5th at St. Benedict Church. Any interested Jr. High or High School student can pick up an informational packet which includes a permission slip at the front office.
Well, that’s it for this week. Hope everyone enjoys the beautiful sunshine that we are having and have a great weekend as well.
Take Care,
Jessica Estes
Read MorePrincipal’s Report 4/4/2014
Dear Lumen Christi,
We are looking forward to another wonderful week at Lumen! Last week was testing for many of our junior high school students. To offset the academically rigorous testing, students enjoyed spending time with the 6th graders from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton students attended Mass, played games in the gym, and participated in a science experiment during their visit. We enjoyed these special guests and are pleased that many of them plan to attend Lumen Christi in the fall! Last week was also a week of triumph as the Jr. High Soccer Team won FIRST PLACE in the Anchorage Christian Conference, defeating teams from Holy Rosary Academy, Faith Lutheran, and Anchor Lutheran. Way to go Archangels!
Please put tomorrow’s PVO meeting on your calendar. It will be Tuesday, April 8 at 7 PM in the library. This is a very important meeting as we discuss future fundraising activities for next year.
Regarding the upcoming school year, if you have a returning student and have not yet pre-enrolled for the 2014 – 2015 school year, please remember that applications are due by April 15, 2014. If you need a new packet, please contact Mrs. Estes at the front desk. Her phone number is (907) 245-9231. Due to the capacity of the building, each class is limited to 20 students. Once the pre-enrollment period ends, admission will be open to others if there is space available.
With the end of the year closing in, it is time to ensure your share hours are accounted for in the school log book at the front desk. I’ve seen various parents working events, but the share hours are missing. Share hours will be billed in May at $35 per hour if they are not logged. If there is any issues, don’t panic – just give me a call and we will work to ensure records are correct.
Lumen Christi’s Drama Department will be performing “Spirit!” by Peg Kehret at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s Miki Center on Friday, April 25th at Saturday, April 26th at 7pm. Tickets are $5 each and you can purchase your tickets from any drama student or at the front office.
We will continue to remind you about the 4th Annual Cinco De Mayo event that will be held on Saturday, May 3 from 6 PM to 9 PM in the Lumen Christi Gym. Come enjoy delicious Mexican dishes and entertainment! Tickets are $20 per person or $300 per table. Please contact our office to place your reservation! Our Cinco de Mayo event is also currently looking for sponsors! Become a Jalepeño sponsor for $300 and receive a 1/2 page in our event program for your logo or advertisement! Or, take it up a notch and become a Jabanero Sponsor for $500 – you will receive a full page for advertisement and a sponsor table at the event!
The Alumni Basketball game is right around the corner. This year’s Alumni Basketball game will be on Thursday night, May 8 at 6 PM. Admission is free. Please come visit the game and support our Lumen Christi community with an evening of fun.
ATLAS-Alaska Teen Leadership Summit is now accepting applications for this week-long summer residence program on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Previously known as the Summer Leadership Institute, ATLAS is designed to develop leadership skills for students finishing 9-12 grades. Students will learn about communication, goal setting, decision-making, ethics, social responsibility, and more – all while discovering their own leadership strengths and earning two college credits. The total cost for this program is $450, which includes tuition for two academic credits, fees, room, meals, and program materials. Some scholarships are available on the basis of demonstrated financial need. The ATLAS application deadline is April 10th! For more information about this program or to apply, visit the ATLAS website at www.atlasuaf.com. Contact Program Coordinator Andrea Miller at (907) 474-5942.
We appreciate everyone’s support of Lumen Christi High School. We also wish all a very meaningful Lenten Season of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works as we prepare for the upcoming celebration of Easter – just a few weeks away!
In Christ,
John Harmon
Principal, Lumen Christi High School