*Costumes are welcome this Friday for Halloween! Costumes must be school-appropriate and should follow Mercy's dress code, which can be found in the student-parent handbook. No costume may be one of a sexually-related nature, degrading to men, women or any culture, involving weapons, promoting gangs, alcohol, drugs, profanity, tobacco, sexually explicit or provocative themes, and should not degrade any religion. Masks must be removed during class time. Tops must cover the midsection and back and should not have a plunging neckline. All bra straps must be covered.  Any student who is in a costume that is deemed inappropriate by the administration will need to have a parent or guardian pick her up in a timely manner.

Don't miss...
Tri-School Productions  
"Roxanne"
Oct. 30, 31
7:30 pm - Serra Theatre
Looking for something interesting to do on October 30, or 31?  Look no further because Tri-School Productions presents the World Premiere of Roxanne, adapted from the Steve Martin movie by Fall Play Director Darva Campbell and Serra's own Jay Jordan.  If you're looking for a tale of romance, laughter, great actors and lots of nose puns, it's a must see!  If you're English teacher is having you read Cyrano, it's even more valuable as it's a modern-day interpretation of the timeless tale!  Finally, the best reason to come see the show is to support your fellow Mercy students in the production.  Cat Bigelow plays Dixie, the cafe owner and Roxanne's landlord.  Maddie Rozansky, Gabrielle Zaslove, Michelle Curran, and Isabelle Torre stand out as the old biddies, while Julia Hurley and Sarah Grace Boland complete the Mercy cast as the doctor and shopkeeper.  The crew is headed by Stage Manager Graeson Fee.  Helping her behind the scenes are Emily Kelly, Taylor Brennen, Vivian Bright, Uma Dowd, Angelina Cortez, Kiana Loo, Kayla Fagliano, Kat Gardner, and Carolina Salame. Roxanne show times are at 7:30 p.m. on October 30 and October 31. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets.

All school information

Today at Mercy

*Love to Talk on the Phone?
Phonathon is Coming Nov. 10-11 
from 5:00 - 9:00  
Girls, each year Mercy students call Mercy alumnae who have been donors to the school and invite them to make a gift to Mercy.  It's a fun night with pizza, friends and phone calls!  We call over 2000 alumnae throughout the country over two nights.  We'd love to have you come ...we will train you!  It's fun and supports Mercy. Great experience that you can put on your college applications and you get service hours too.  Click HERE to sign up!  Please contact Carol Fraher at  cfraher@mercyhsb.com or by phone at 762-1192 to sign up for this fun event.  Thanks!

Phonathon Parent Volunteers Needed
During the two nights of Phonathon, we will also need 2-3 Parent volunteers each evening to help us with Phonathon related paperwork.  If you can't come at 5:00, later is ok too! It is easy work and a fun evening. Click HERE to sign up! Please contact Carol Fraher at cfraher@mercyhsb.com or by phone at 762-1192 to sign up for this fun event.  Thanks!

*Help Promote Mercy's Admissions' Open House
Please help us promote the Admissions' Open House on November 22nd.  If you would be willing to post a lawn sign in your yard to help promote this for 6th, 7th & 8th grade students we would greatly appreciate it.  Our Admissions Team will be outside during Pick Up & Drop Off Nov.3 -6 distributing signs to willing families.  If you would like to post a sign, but wont be on campus that week please contact Stacey Longwich, Marketing Director and she will follow up with you directly. 

*Peninsula Parent Speaker Series:
Julie Lythcott-Haims: "How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success"
Tuesday, November 10, 2015, 7pm
San Mateo Performing Arts Center
600 N. Delaware, San Mateo (next to San Mateo High School)
Click HERE for more information register, $5 in advance, $10 at the door 

New Library Hours - Effective Wednesday October 21, the library will open at 7:30am instead of 7:00am. The new hours will be:
Monday-Wednesday -  7:30-4:30
Thursday -  7:30-3:30
Friday -  7:30-2:45

The 2015-2016 Student Directory 
The 2015-16 Student Directory is posted on Schoology/Parents/Resources.  
Questions, please contact Myra Olives in the Main Office at 762-1160.

Is your daughter interested in a career in medicine? 
Check out some of the workshops available through Pathways to Medicine
Suture and Surgical Lab    Emergency Medicine         IV & Injecin Lab
 

Host an International Student
with gphomestay!
Looking to share an international experience with your family without leaving the comfort of your home? Open your home to an international student and receive a monthly stipend of $1500! We’ve partnered with gphomestay and together, we are looking for caring host families for the Spring 2016 semester. Visit www.gphomestay.com for more information on how you can benefit from this cross-cultural experience. Contact info@gphometsay.com or click here to fill out a Host Inquiry Form. Click here for flyer.

Educational Travel click here for all educational trips

Sojourn to the Past - The Parent Meeting date will be Monday, November 23 
(not November 30) at 6:30PM in the auditorium of Burlingame High School. For more information contact Susan Roughgarden at sroughgarden@mercyhsb.com. 

Travel to Dublin/London 
during Spring Break 2016
Please follow this link to see more on pricing and itinerary. Join current Mercy students on a pilgrimage to Catherine McAuley’s home town, Dublin, Ireland.  The tour will spend time at Baggott Street and Catherine’s grave site.  We will tour Dublin and visit Trinity College and St. Patrick’s Cathedral  We will then  travel over to North Wales and London.  We will tour London and see a musical in the theatre district.  The cost of the tour is:  $3310.00.  This includes breakfast and dinner, airfare, lodging and entry fees.  If you have any questions contact Angie Simonetti at asimonetti@mercyhsb.com

Travel to Yellowstone 
Spring Break 2016 Last Week to Register!
The deadline for signing up for Yellowstone is fast approaching. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this fabulous working trip with nature and ecology.  Remember, you also get service hours for this. Information on the trip is below, and please let me know if you have any questions, Pat Bradley at pbradley@mercyhsb.com
Yellowstone Ecology Program       Yellowstone Info MHS
 

Travel to Italy and Greece
(ONLY 3 spots left!)
Summer 2016
Click here for more information on the trip.  For more info contact Gary Ferguson at gferguson@mercyhsb.com. 

VPA Student Trip Open to ALL Students
Lights, Camera, Los Angeles  
Click HERE for Itinerary and cost  Some tour highlights are Disney Imagineering, Universal Studios/ Acting and Cinema Secrets Workshops. This is a great opportunity for your daughter to tie her classroom experience to the real world. The proposed dates are February 12- 15, 2016. For more information contact Nadine Baroudi at nbaroudi@mercyhsb.com. 

Freshman Parents

*Freshman Sleepover! The Freshman Sleepover is right around the corner!  Get ready for an awesome evening, sponsored by your big sister commissioners!  Dinner, games and movies in the mansion!
When: Friday,  November 13th @ 7p.m.
Pick up is Saturday morning at 8 a.m.
How much: It's free!!!
Bring PJs and overnight toiletries, along with your sleeping bags.

Junior & Senior parents

*Yearbook Dedication!
Senior parents, Take out a dedication ad in the 2016 yearbook showing your pride in her. You can upload pictures and write a dedication saying how proud you are in her completing this chapter of her life in an easy-to-use design program. The prices vary by size click HERE for information. The final deadline is December 17th but don't wait too long.
-Randall Watts, Yearbook Advisor  rwatts@mercyhsb.com

Early Dismissal for Seniors: Seniors will now have the early dismissal on January 27th since this is the new date for the curriculum presentation.  Career Day has been moved to February 23rd. Seniors are expected to be on campus until 2:30pm on the 23rd.

Mercy Parent Club

*Please Join Us for a Toast to Mercy!

Friday, Nov. 20, 2015 - 7:00 PM, Kohl Mansion

50% of all wine sales will be donated to Mercy High School
A Toast to Mercy individual tickets and sponsorships are now available to purchase online! Click here for tickets/sponsorships/advertise 

Wineries Scheduled to Pour: V. Sattui Winery, Corté Riva Vineyards, Dancing Creek Winery, Jazz Cellars, Mercy Wines, Roudon Smith Winery, Villa Del Mone Winery, Cleary Ranch Vineyards, 8 Vini
   & more to come!

This is a great opportunity for our Mercy Community to invite friends for a evening of tasting and conversations at the historic Kohl Mansion splendidly decorated for Christmas!  Contact Jennifer Munsey at jmunsey@mercyhsb.com or 650-762-1199 with any questions.

Mercy Wine Tasting Night of Event VOLUNTEERS Need!
Click HERE to signup

*Mercy Open House 2015 
Food, Beverages and Volunteers Needed!
The Mercy Open House is on Sunday, November 22nd and we are asking for donations of refreshments for the event and volunteers for the day of the event. Note some items can be dropped off on Wednesday, November 18th and others are requested for Sunday morning drop off.  All items may be dropped off in the catering kitchen located on the main floor of the Mansion. The co-chairs for this event are Kelley Chawke and Bernadette Hurley. As always, we appreciate your contribution!
Click HERE to sign up to donate! 
Click HERE to sign up to volunteer! 

Athletics

*Congratulations to the Varsity Water Polo team for securing the Number 1 seed of the PAL Ocean Division. They will play next Tuesday in the league tournament.

*Congratulations to the Frosh Volleyball team for clinching the championship of the WBAL Frosh division.

*Fall Sports Awards Night: Nov 30 at 6:30-8:00pm in the Great Hall at Mercy. All fall sport athletes and parents should attend.

Winter Sport Tryouts:
Basketball: Tryouts begin on Nov 2 at College of San Mateo, 5-7pm. The tryouts will take place from Monday-Friday. The length of tryouts will be determined by the coaches as they finalize the rosters for Varsity and JV.
Soccer: Tryouts begin on Nov 2 at Skyline College, 3-5pm. The tryouts will take place from Monday-Friday. The length of tryouts will be determined by the coaches as they finalize the rosters for the Varsity team.

Very Important: Every student who plays on a Mercy athletic team must be fully registered with the Appryse system.  If your daughter plans to play basketball or soccer this winter, and you have not enrolled in the Appryse system, please start the registration process now. No athlete can begin tryouts unless they are fully registered. There will be no exceptions. You can access thru the Mercy website under Athletics/Forms.

Any student athlete participating in a winter sport must turn in both the athlete and guardian contract found in the Athletic Handbook. If the signed forms by both student and guardian are not turned in, the student will not be allowed to tryout. Click on the handbook link and print a copy of the contract after you have read the handbook. The Athletic Handbook can be found on the website under Athletics/Forms & Athletic Qualifications. The contracts to be signed are at the end of the handbook. The completed contracts must be returned to the Athletic Director or to the main office. 

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 forms can be downloaded from the Mercy website, Athletics/Forms or click HERE. 

*Athlete of the Week: 
Frosh Tennis player Angelina Zamattia 
Angelina is new to tennis but is a natural.  Her dedication to the team and the sport along with the improvement she's shown throughout the season is noteworthy.  She attends every practice, works hard and competes even better.  Angelina takes her losses with grace and figures out how to play better when facing rematches.  Angelina is a pleasure to coach and she rewards her team with a smile that never disappears.  She has embraced the sport and upholds the values Mercy expects from its athletes.

*All results of each team can be found:  https://www.mercyhsb.com/athletics/scoreboard-enews 

*Click HERE for the schedule for team events for the upcoming week of Oct. 29- Nov. 4

Make sure to follow all of our Mercy team score updates as they happen via our athletics twitter page. Mercy Athletics@MercyAthletics

If you ever have any concerns/comments, please feel free to contact me, Charlie Dougherty, Athletic Director at anytime. I can be reached at my office at Mercy at 650-762-1107 or cdougherty@mercyhsb.com.  I am looking forward to a great year with Mercy athletics.

College Counseling

Junior Parents - Change in Date for Junior Parent Evening about College Junior Parent Night will be Tuesday, November 3rd at 6:30pm in the Great Hall. Individual meetings about college planning with Mrs. Ohanessian will begin in the spring semester.

Colleges that Change Lives Presentation
Finding the Right “Fit” in the College Search
November 5th
7-9 pm - Serra Gellert Auditorium
Serra Counseling invites the TriSchool Community to hear Colleges that Change Lives Executive Director Maria Furtado speak about Finding the Right "Fit" in the College Search. This is an excellant topic for all grade levels; parents and students will find her talk engaging and informative. Two articles from CTCL that may be of interest:
http://www.ctcl.org/news/in-the-news
http://www.ctcl.org/news/journey-not-destination

College Visits  Parents, feel free to check the website : https://www.mercyhsb.com/parents/today-at-mercy for updates on when colleges are coming to campus. Please email Mrs.Ohanessian FOhanessian@mercyhsb.com with any questions.

*Request Transcripts Via Naviance: Students should request transcripts to be sent via Naviance under the "Colleges I am applying to" tab.  

Letters of Recommendation: Students should begin asking their teachers for letters of recommendation. They need to provide their teacher with their Document Request Form (found in the counseling office).  One copy will go to the teacher, one for themselves, and one for the college counselor, Mrs. Ohanessian.  Students must also request recommendation in their naviance. 

Need to take the ACT scores this fall? 
Click here to register: http://www.actstudent.org/regist/dates.html 

Need to take the SAT scores this fall?
Click here to register: https://sat.collegeboard.org/register/

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

If you have any questions about the following service opportunities please contact Mr. Diaz at pdiaz@mercyhsb.com.

*On October 18th Cross Country runners Kelcey Dobson, Muriel Butler and Melissa Cagney volunteered at the Women's Nike 1/2 Marathon with Stuart Hall and Sacred Heart Schools. Go Mercy!!!

*Phonathon is Coming Nov. 10-11 
from 5:00 - 9:00  The phonathon takes place at the Franklin Building in San Mateo and it is a great opportunity for your daughter to earn Community Service Hours.  We feed them dinner and then after training, they can begin calling. Please encourage your daughter to help us out with this year's Phonathon.  It is a fun night, and the girls really enjoy it!!! Please contact Carol Fraher at  cfraher@mercyhsb.com or by phone at 762-1192 to sign up for this fun event.  Thanks!

CORE Opportunity!
Who: Catholic Charities San Franicsco in collaboration with St. Francis of Assisi Parish in East Palo Alto
Address: 1425 Bay Rd, East Palo Alto, CA 94303
Need: For volunteers is one or two half-days a week, and is open to high school youth age 15 and older as well as adults.  Contact: Diana Contreras, Volunteer Manager, at volunteer@CatholicCharitiesSF.org or call 415 972 1297.

Pacifica Beach Coalition MONTHLY beach cleanup 

Click HERE for Saturdays of Service 

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 NEW and improved daily salad selections

Thursday: Shredded Beef Chimichunga, served with Chirps and Salsa
Friday: Pizza...Pizza...Pizza

*Lunch Specials the Week of  Nov. 2nd
(click HERE for full description of the specials and vegitarian options.)

Monday: Talk about the Chicken Burrito
(Ask me in the morning for the vegetarian option please :=)

Tuesday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Wednesday: Lemon Dill Chicken with Rice Pilaf
Thursday: Meat Ball Sub
Friday: Greek Style Meat Pasticio

Don't forget to check out our daily changing selection of gourmet salads and surprises.
Are You Vegan or Vegetarian??? Please come talk to us in the morning to customize your lunch. Gluten Free??? Have no fear...we will make you that perfect Sandwich or an incredible Salad...In case our lunch special does not fit your diet!!!

KohL MANSION

Help Decorate the Kohl Mansion for the Holidays!
We will decorate the Kohl Mansion for the holidays,  Monday, November 16, Tuesday November 17. Great way to meet some wonderful Mercy families! If you would like to help, Email Terri Baldocci, Director of Kohl Mansion at tbaldocchi@mercyhsb.com for details. 

Music at Kohl

*Mercy Parents and Students 
Fun Volunteering Opportunity for the 
2015-16 School Year !

Our next concert is on Sunday, November 15 featuring the Catalyst Quartet. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Yvonne Wun, Program Administrator at admin@musicatkohl.org or 650.762.1130. Click HERE for more information and concert dates.