upcoming events  Tonight!!!
Christmas at Kohl
Wednesday, Nov. 30th
5:00-9:00 p.m.
Plan to bring your family and friends and visit our Holiday Boutique full of gifts and treasures. Join us for live holiday music, food and drink. Enjoy a docent presentation of the beautifully decorated Kohl Mansion. Donation: $10.00 - no charge to Mercy students and children under 12.
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 Advent Evening of Reflection:
A Mother's Love
Please join us for our Advent Evening of Reflection on December 5 from 6:15pm-8:15pm in the Bride's Room at Mercy. Dinner will be provided.
The theme, A Mother's Love, will explore our God given nature to nurture through the lens of mothers from our Catholic tradition. Our presenter this year is Kathy Holmes who facilitates the WOW (Women of the Word) prayer group at Our Lady of Angels Parish. Kathy also assists with Children's Liturgy of the Word at OLA and has been a parishioner there for 22 years.If you are interested in coming please RSVP by December 1 to Sandy Flaherty @ sflaherty@mercyhsb.com. Click HERE for flyer. ____________________________________________________________________________
 *Holiday Food Drive
for Second Harvest Food Bank
Wednesday, December 7th - Tuesday, December 13th.
Drop off food each morning in front of the mansion. The food willbe going to Second harvest Food Bank. Please only bring:
- Meals in a can (stew, chili, soup)
- Tuna/canned meat
- Peanut butter
- Low-Sugar Cereal
- 100% Fruit Juices
- Canned Fruit (packed in juice)
- Canned Vegetables (low salt)
- Prefer cans with pop-top lids
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. Upcoming VPA performances 
Mercy High School Dance presents
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Thursday, Dec. 1st
7:30PM
Skyline College Auditorium
____________________________________________________________________________  *MERCY Tri-M Music Honor Society,
Tri-School Chorus, Chorales
perform an evening of music!
Tuesday, December 6th
- 5:30-6:30PM
music of our Tri-M musicians - 6:30-7:00PM light dinner for Tri-M performers and recital audience
- 7:30PM Choral Concert!!
thank you!!!  *Thank you to all who supported A Toast to Mercy Wine Tasting Event!
A special thank you to event chairs Laurie Parodi and Kristi Will! And a special thank you to Mary Kaileh of Mary’s Kitchen and Catering (& Mercy’s Cafe) for her culinary expertise! Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped make this night a success! Jo-Ann Agcaoili, Steve Almes, Ana Alvarez, Jim Bracco, Mark Brennan, Jennifer Callahan, Christy Cheng, Theresa Cortez, Manny Cortez, Paul Dawes, Janie Dawes, Amanda Fischer, Michael Flieder, Linda Giusto, Susan Haskins, Trish Hurst, Kenny Kato, Mary Lee, Karla Mendieta, Gwen Miguel, Mike Miguel, Mike Morearty, Lisa Ollerton, Michele Phaler, Katherine Ragusa, and Michael Samn. Also many thanks to our sponsors! John & Melinda Adams, Mary & Hani Kaileh, Ben & Laurie Parodi, Richard & Jeanne Berube Collora, Ronald & Delea Mendes-Magana, Michael & Sarah Murphy, Margaret & James O'Connell, Barbara & Kelly Kitazumi Patterson, Frederick & Carolyn Dame, Kim Nappi, Kristi Will Home & Design, Ken & Kristi Will, Pernod Ricard, Mary Kalieh Mary’s Kitchen & Catering, Christmas at Kohl, Half Moon Bay Wine & Cheese Company and Alena Jean Flowers. Thank you also to our event participants: Roudon-Smith Winery, Bacchus Wine Shop, Villa del Monte Winery, 8Vini, G. Reedy Wines, Sciandri Family Vineyards, Fotinos Vineyard, Cleary Ranch Vineyards, Mercy Vineyards, O’Neill Vintners & Distillers, Hop Dogma Brewing Co., Go To Chocolate, Wine Barrel Concepts. Our apologies if we missed any names…please let us know so we can thank you in our next E-News!
upcoming dates 
*Monday, Dec. 12 - 4:30-6:30 pm, Great Hall
Dinner and Dessert will be provided. Please contact Lauren Conklin, lconklin@mercyhsb.com if you have any questions!
*Upcoming Dates: - Friday, Dec. 2: 3-Week Grade Check
- Tuesday, Dec. 6: Lunch Study Begins
- Monday, Dec. 12: Cookies, Cocoa, and Collaboration, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 16: Lunch Study Ends
- Monday, Dec. 19: Finals begin
Final Exams: 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 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 Hello Senior Parents, 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. All the information is in this document (click here for doc). 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 . There is an early bird special at a discounted rate so do not delay. Have a wonderful day, Mr. Randall Watts 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 by Friday Dec 2 will result in the family being charged a replacement fee.
*The Mercy High School Athletics Department is excited to unveil our new Varsity letterman jackets. Athletes who have lettered and competed in two varsity seasons of sport are eligible to order a jacket. Jackets can be worn with the school uniform on a daily basis and will be a long lasting memento of a high school athletic career. Jackets can be ordered for $115, which includes the block M. For an additional cost, athletes may embroider their name and sport, add their class year on the sleeve, and have a Mercy chenille patch on the back. Please see Coach RG (crietmanngrout@mercyhsb.com) for questions and an order form. Sample jackets are available to try on in the SBO Office. We would like to place our first round of orders by December 9th. Jackets take about six weeks to custom make. We expect the first round of orders to arrive by the end of January.
*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. Winter Conditioning will be held for the following Spring season teams: Conditioning will go thru the week of Dec 12-15. We will start back up on Jan 10: - Track and Field: Tuesday 3-4pm, Thursday 3:45-4:45pm. Meet at the Grassilli weight room
- Softball: 3-4pm on Monday and Wednesday. Meet at the Grassilli Center weight room
- Lacrosse: 4-5pm on Monday and Wednesday. Meet at the Grassilli Center weight room. It is important to note that we will base whether we have a Varsity only or Varsity and JV team for lacrosse on the amount of girls who do off season conditioning.
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. 1-Dec. 7 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 2016/17 with Mercy athletics. Charlie Dougherty
Athletic Director COUNSELING DEPARTMENT
 Wellness Week: The counseling department will be sponsoring Wellness Week December 5th through the 9th! Resources will be made available here the week following.
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.
CSU and UC: The deadline for all CSU (California State Universities) and UC (University of California) locations is November 30th! FAFSA and CSS Profile: Forms for need-based financial aid are available online. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a federal form for need based aid. The CSS Profile is a non-federal need based financial aid form used by some private colleges. Please note that colleges and universities will have different deadlines for these forms so it's important for your student to be aware of and manage the deadlines for each. The FAFSA can be accessed here: https://fafsa.ed.gov/ and the CSS Profile can be accessed here: https://student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile
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.
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
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 Books 4 Hope book drive
In support of the St Vincent de Paul's Books 4 Hope, the library is having a book drive. If you have old books that need a new home, please consider bringing them in to Mercy during the week of Nov 28 - Dec 2, for delivery to the library. They can be dropped at the office if there are too many of them, and we will collect them for delivery to St Vincent. _____________________________________________________________________________
 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: Our Homemade Mac and cheese Our gourmet cheese sauce over Italian Pasta with Broccoli OR Homemade loose Sausage and a green Salad
Friday: Shredded Beef Chimichunga, served with Chips and Salsa Baked, NOT fried Flour Tortilla stuffed with our shredded beef, beans and cheese. Served with Chips and Salsa and small salad *NEXT WEEKS MENU Please see Schoology
Please visit the cafeteria for our daily selection of specialty Salads.
Please pre-order. | 
