All School *We had a wonderful Cookies, Cocoa, and Collaboration event this week to help students get ready for finals. Thank you students for getting started early! The finals schedule is as follows. Students do NOT need to be on campus when they are not taking a final. Mon., Dec. 19
8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Period 1
11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Period 5 Tues., Dec. 20
8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Period 2
11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Period 6 Wed., Dec. 21
8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Period 3
11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Period 7 Thurs., Dec. 22
8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Period 4
_____________________________________________________________________________ *PSAT scores are now available for students to access using the score reporting portal. Learn about your score reports by watching this video. Academic counselors will work with students to help understand their scores after the break.
____________________________________________________________________________
*How the Grinch stole Christmas pictures can be viewed and purchased here. Enjoy!
http://www.rpphotosf.com/MyGallery/Events/How-The-Grinch-Stole-Christmas/n-VnS3fm/
financial assistance Financial Assistance Program for 2017-2018
Mercy High School recognizes that families have varying financial needs and make financial sacrifices which include adjusting spending priorities and maximizing both parents’ earnings to provide their daughters with a strong academic education. The Financial Assistance Program at Mercy strives to help those families who, even with personal sacrifices, have a difficult time meeting the full tuition obligation. Awards are made for a one-year period, families must re-apply each year. The application process is fair and confidential. Assessments are done by an outside firm (TADS) that specializes in school financial assistance programs. Financial aid awards are made based on a family’s demonstrated need and the availability of school funds. All families who would like to be considered for financial assistance for the 2017-2018 school year must complete an online financial aid application. Applications must be submitted by February 10, 2017* with all necessary documentation. This link https://www.mercyhsb.com/admissions/financial-aid-clone will direct you to our website for further information and the online TADS application. Late applications are processed and reviewed, but meeting the appropriate deadline is strongly recommended to be included in the first round of aid awards. Please contact Lynn Beal at 650-762-1101 or lbeal@mercyhsb.com if you have any questions. *Please note returning 10th, 11th and 12th grade families must apply by February 10, 2017. Families that have both an applying 8th grader and returning student must meet the December 12, 2016 deadline. mercy Parent club 
*Father Daughter Dance!
Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017
8:00PM
(Please note: Date change from original school calendar)
Click HERE for invite - Invitations are being mailed this week!
Please RSVP at
http://tinyurl.com/MercyFatherDaughterDanceRSVP
educational travel 
Iceland - Looks like we are set to go during Spring Break (actually need 2 more sign ups, but we will be positive in our thoughts that two more students will step up and want to do this fantastic trip)!!! All students planning on going, we will need a second deposit of $500 as soon as possible. We will need a final head-count by our holiday break. If you didn't sign up originally and are interested, please see Dr. Bradley. See the itinery on Schoology.
host families needed Host Families Needed for French Students in the Spring
We have four families graciously hosting, but would love to have two more! As French Week at Mercy winds down, I would like to announce that again in the Spring we will be hosting high school students from France. We are hoping to find host families for 8 girls who will come to school everyday with a Mercy student and be part of the family. She will be expected to do chores, go out with the family, and participate in family life. It is asked that she have her own bed; it is not necessary to have a private room and bath. We have had many wonderful memories with these girls and long-lasting friendships have been made. Please consider this. The tentative dates are March 29- April 12. Once we have interested families, we will be sent profiles of girls so as to find compatible matches to our Mercy girls. The French girls do speak English well enough to communicate. They are always eager to improve their English. There is no need for your daughter to be enrolled in French in order to enjoy this opportunity. Any questions please email me at lbarthe@mercyhsb.com. Merci! Liz Barthe, French teacher. senior parents 
ATTENTION SENIOR PARENTS:
Early Bird Pricing is being extended until the end of Dec.
That is correct! You will have until Dec. 31st to get your ads in.
Click HERE for details on how to submit the dedication. Randall Watts
Yearbook Advisor
rwatts@mercyhsb.com It's that time of year to show your daughter how proud you are of her accomplishments by placing a dedication in their Senior yearbook.The website has guides and videos to help and there is a help desk by the company in case you get stuck. So start gathering your pictures (they will need to be digital and at least 300kb) that you would like to use. Parents sometimes use baby up to now, others have family photos, and other have pictures of their activities in high school with friends; it is up to you. If you need any help or have questions please contact me, Randall Watts, yearbook advisor at rwatts@mercyhsb.com. athletics
*Make sure to follow all of our team results as they happen via our athletics twitter page. Mercy Athletics @MercyAthletics _______________________________________________ All fall team members should have returned their uniforms to the Athletic Director by now. Any uniforms not returned will result in the family being charged a replacement fee.
__________________________________________________________________________
*Mercy Athlete of the Week:
Sophomore Basketball player Mia Calsada
Mia has been a key player for the Varsity team as she is scoring 10 points per game and is very accurate from the free throw line shooting approximately 80%. Mia works hard on the defensive end of the court as well. A most telling attribute of Mia, is that she is totally committed to the team as she never misses practices. Great job Mia!
__________________________________________________________________________
*Winter Conditioning will be held for the following spring teams:
We will start back up on Jan 10.
- Softball: 3-4pm on Monday and Wednesday. Meet at the Grassilli weight room.
- Lacrosse: 4-5pm on Monday and Wednesday. Meet at the Grassilli Center weight room.
- Track and Field: Tuesday 3-4pm and Thursday 3:45-4:45pm
__________________________________________________________________________
 Have you started your Holiday shopping? Check out the Crusaderwear section on the Mercy athletic webpage. Click the Holiday gifts tab! There is some great Mercy swag to buy as Holiday gifts. Please allow yourself 2 weeks for delivery of the order.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Every athlete must be fully registered in the Appryse system and cleared to play sports before they are placed on a roster. A physical is required to get cleared. You can go onto the Mercy website and go to quicklinks and find the drop down for Appryse. Simply click and start your registration process. Please remember if you are a returning student you still have to re-register. Any student athlete participating in a sport must turn in both the athlete and guardian contract. If the signed forms by both student and guardian are not turned in, the student will not be allowed to play in any event until they have turned in the paperwork. The forms are available on the Mercy website at https://www.mercyhsb.com/athletics/forms-athletic-qualifications. Click on the link and print the contract after you have read the Handbook. Completed forms must be returned to the Athletic Director or to the main office. All student athletes who are currently on a Winter sport roster should be purchasing their Crusaderwear gear designed specifically for their respective team. The site to purchase the gear can be found on the Mercy website under Athletics. Any Parent who is available and/or willing to drive students to games must turn in all the paperwork to the main office in order to be cleared to drive. This would be for your own car or a school van. The form can be downloaded from the Mercy website on the Athletics page. All results of each team can be found in the Mercy scoreboard-
https://www.mercyhsb.com/athletics/scoreboard-enews *Click HERE for the schedule for team events for the upcoming week of Dec. 15 - Dec. 21 If you ever have any concerns/comments, please feel free to contact me at anytime. I can be reached at my office at Mercy at 650-762-1107. I am looking forward to a great 2017 with Mercy athletics. Charlie Dougherty
Athletic Director COUNSELING DEPARTMENT
*Wellness Week: Students at Mercy celebrated Wellness Week last week and it was a great success! Counselors visited all the religion classes to shared finals preparation resources and tips for keeping anxiety levels low during this stressful time of year. Click HERE for Keep Calm During Tests and Helpful Healthy Habits. Students also participated in relaxing lunchtime activities like restorative yoga and they treated themselves to a well deserved break watching the movie Elf during their lunch periods at the end of the week. The highlight of the Wellness Week was, undoubtedly, bring-your-dog-to-school day where playful pups shadowed students in their classroom and were enjoyed by all during breaks throughout the day.
*Fall Semester Finals Prep: As we approach finals, make sure to check out the latest and greatest of our Successful Study Skills from Superstar Seniors. In this week's episode, our Superstar Seniors review their favorite take-aways from Wellness Week in how they manage stress during finals. Enjoy! http://mercyhsb.schoology.com/group/71707101/update/908880114 College Counseling
SAT and ACT Prep Class!: Mercy High school has partnered with AJ Tutoring to offer a SAT Prep Course this spring semester in preparation for the March 11th SAT. This course utilizes classroom instruction and full-length practice exams to fully prepared students for the SAT. Please click HERE for flyer with specific dates and information on how to enroll.
*College admissions and scholarship decisions: It's getting to be that exciting time of the school year when college and scholarship decisions begin to come in. While some schools won't release decisions until the spring, many will work to return early action answers during the next few weeks. Students will need to let college counseling know of the their decisions so we can celebrate with you, help to plan "next steps", and populate Naviance with this helpful data for future classes.
*Curious about scholarship opportunities?: Naviance has a full list of possible scholarship opportunities that are worth checking out. Keep an eye on local businesses, clubs, and organizations as well as they often provide scholarship funds to local students. College Counseling will be sure to share any information regarding scholarships that comes our way. Not sure where to start? Fastweb.com is a good resource for identifying scholarships that are specifically tailored towards your student.
*Helpful Links:
service opportunities  *Click HERE for Service Opportunities as posted to students through x2VOL for 2016-17 School Year.
Looking ahead to Service Opportunities sponsored by Mercy High School. Click HERE 2016-17 for dates and times. If you have any questions about service opportunities please contact Mr. Diaz at pdiaz@mercyhsb.com.
_____________________________________________________________________________  VOLUNTEER AT MUSIC AT KOHL CONCERT - DEC 18
Music at Kohl Mansion will be celebrating the holidays with a Gala Holiday Concert on Sunday December 18 at 7 pm. Volunteers are needed to help with front of house duties (distributing programs, taking tickets, ushering) and reception preparation and clean up (preparing food trays and beverages, setting up, serving and cleaning up).
If you are available and interested in helping with the concert and reception from 6-10 pm, please contact Yvonne Wun, Program Administrator at admin@musicatkohl.org. There are still a few spots available.
kohl mansion 
Volunteers needed to help take down the Kohl Mansion holiday décor - Thursday, January 5, 2017. Interested volunteers please email Terri Baldocchi at tbaldocchi@mercyhsb.com! miscellaneous  Windows of the Soul
Think about the New Year that is coming our way – we have much to prepare for and to be nourished by. Please join us at Mercy Center for 7 unique sessions called “Windows of the Soul.” These sessions are meant to help us look inward and outward to the many ways spirituality enhances our lives. The world and our own souls need deep spiritual touchstones in these turbulent times. Facilitator: Sr. Mary Waskowiak, RSM Registration deadline January 5, 2017.
Click HERE for flyer with more information
_____________________________________________________________________________
 Visit the Mercy Center Bookstore for Unique Christmas Gifts
The Mercy Center Bookstore has many wonderful gifts for Christmas. Nativity sets, jewelry, CDs, books for all ages, children’s gifts and more. Enter the Mercy Center door and follow the signs to the bookstore. Store hours are Wednesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. cafeteria specials Lunch Order Form - to save time, students may fill out this form and drop off at the Cafeteria in the morning. Please Visit the cafeteria for our daily salad selections
Thursday: Meat or Spinach Calzones
Friday: Spaghetti and Meat sauce | 
