December 20, 2017                                                                            PARENT ENEWS

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of all of us at Mercy we wish you a Merry Christmas 
and a blessed, healthy and happy 2018!

Thank you for sharing these important years of your daughter's life with all of us.
They are truly a joy to have around. We are, also, so appreciative of your support of Mercy - attendance at events, support of the Parent Pledge Program,
cheering at games - all the many things you do.

As we approach this two week break let's all get some rest, enjoy the time off, lose
all the various colds/flu/additional ailments that have been plaguing us all the
last couple of weeks and just plain have some fun.

We will be back on January 8th ready for a new semester!

Karen Hanrahan

ALL SCHOOL

*PowerSchool Offline during Christmas Break

PowerSchool access and email reports will be unavailable during Christmas break, starting at 10:30 on Friday, 12/22/2017 until the week we return to school, after the grading process is finalized. If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Montoya via email or at 650 762 1111. 

*With thanks and appreciation
for your support

As we celebrate the Christmas season I would like to thank all of our parents and families for your generous donations and your countless volunteer hours. Your support enables Mercy to continue to offer an outstanding Catholic education, with state-of-the art programs, as
well as provide financial assistance to our families in need.

Please remember Mercy High School when making your year-end tax-deductible gift. You may send in a donation or better yet, make your gift online through Mercy's secure website. If you would like to make a gift of stock, please follow this link for more information:  https://www.mercyhsb.com/giving/ways-to-give

Your generosity will have a lasting impact and is deeply appreciated by the students, faculty, staff and administration at Mercy.

I would like to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and many blessings in 2018.

Mary Lund
Director of Advancement

SHOP FOR MERCY

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mercy High School Speaker Series

January 31, 2018 • 6:30-8:00PM

Kohl Mansion at Mercy High School Burlingame

* This event is required for Sophomore Class Parents and open to the public

Wouldn't you love to be able to approach conflict with your teen in a way that ensures both of you feel heard, and allows you to find a solution together? When you learn the Collaborative Problem-Solving Process, you'll understand how to connect with your teen so they will listen to you, as well as share their own ideas. In this workshop on transforming conflict into cooperation, the skills you learn can even be applied to family, friend, and coworker relationships. This philosophy empowers parents and provides a concrete and hope-filled path to turn family conflicts into effective, collaborative discussions.

Cynthia Klein is a psychologist, educator, author and public speaker who has been coaching parents for over 20 years. Click here to learn more and to register for the event!

MERCY PARENT CLUB  

JUNIOR PARENTS

Dear Junior Families,

PSAT scores are now available on www.collegeboard.org.  Students will need to log in to see their scores.  If you or your daughter have any trouble accessing the scores, you are welcome to call the Collegeboard directly or email me.  We will be working with the students in January on how to best understand their scores.  We will also help them access free resources like AP Potential, Big Future, and Khan Academy.  

Finally, we will be hosting our AJ Tutoring SAT Prep class this spring.  Classes begin in January and you will want to contact Pat at AJ tutoring with any questions.  Students who completed this course, including practice tests and homework assignments found the class to be very helpful.  Please click HERE for the flier with more information.  

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  

Best,

Francesca Ohanessian

College Counselor

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Financial Assistance Program for 2018-19 
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 2018-19 school year must complete an online financial aid application. Applications must be submitted by February 9, 2018* 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 9, 2018.  Families that have both an applying 8th grader and returning student must meet the December 11, 2017 deadline. 

ATHLETICS

Happy Holidays to all our athletes and Mercy families!

If your daughter is planning on playing a spring sport, please make sure they are fully registered and cleared thru the Magnus system. Parents must register thru the Parent portal of Powerschool. Each athlete must be cleared to participate before they can start a sport. If your daughter needs a sports physical, please get one done during the Holiday break. All athletes must be registered and cleared by January 29 or they will not be able to start the spring sport in which they want to participate in.

Conditioning sessions will return on January 9. All athletes planning on participating in a spring sport are expected to utilize the conditioning times in January to be ready for the start of spring sports on January 29.

Conditioning Schedule for the Spring Quarter Sports: Meet in the Grassilli Center

• Monday and Wednesday  3-4pm- Softball and Swimming.
• Tuesday and Thursday 3:15-4:45pm-Track and Lacrosse

Gymnastics will have conditioning Monday-Friday 3-4pm at Gymtown Gymnastics in South San Francisco.

*Click HERE for the schedule for team events for the
upcoming week of - Dec. 21 - Dec. 27

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

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

Treatment times: Any athlete who is in need of treatment for injury, Emerald is available in Grassilli Center Monday and Wednesday from 4-5pm

SERVICE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Please click HERE for Placement Opportunities, Immersion Trips, Requirements and Saturday's of Service. For questions please email Peter Diaz at pdiaz@mercyhsb.com

FROM THE SISTERS OF MERCY

EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL

COLLEGE COUNSELING

CSU Deadliness Extended:  Some of the CSU's have extended their deadlines.  If you did not apply and still want to, check with the specific CSU or come by my office and we can check together.  

Send your SAT or ACT scores:  I will take care of your transcripts and letters of recommendation but you, yes you, need to send your test scores.  Most schools will suggest you send all your scores. Make sure you send the scores they are requesting.  For example, if they require writing, make sure you send a writing score.  You only need to send your scores to one UC and the rest will receive them.  For the CSU's, there is one CSU number and the rest will receive them.  Come see me with any questions. 

Get help writing your personal statement: You should have more than one person reading your personal statement.  An adult is an added bonus.  A friend is good but it is good to get a teacher, a counselor, a parent, a coach, anyone to look over your personal statement.  They can provide great feedback to help you through the process.  

Need help?: If you don't understand a question on an application, ask me!  Don't leave a question blank or put something random in because that does not look good.  You want to provide the most accurate information to the schools. These applications can be confusing, so come and ask me if you have questions.

Follow up: If you submitted your application and you aren't sure if the school has received everything, check in with the school, not everyday, but an email to introduce yourself and ask if anything is missing is okay.  You can also give them a call. 

Online Portals: In the upcoming weeks, many schools will send you information about logging into application portals or the schools information portal.  These portals are important  in figuring out what is still needed. 

Decision Time: Some of you might be hearing from your colleges!  Come on by and let me know which schools you are hearing from.  You will also want to post that in your Naviance. 

Financial Aid: Remember to submit your FAFSA by going to www.fafsa.ed.gov.  Please note that the FAFSA is free.  If they ask you to pay for the FAFSA, you have completed the wrong form.  You also may need to submit a CSS profile. The CSS profile is typically for private schools and you do need to pay for that.  Check with your individual schools before submitting it as not all schools require this form. 

Francesca Mallegni Ohanessian

College Counselor

SENIOR PARENTS

SENIOR PANORAMIC PHOTO 

If you would like to purchase a copy of the 2018 Senior Panoramic Photo please use the link below.  http://www.orderschoolportraits.com/Mercy-HS-Burlingame-C74.aspx

Attention Mercy Parents for Graduating Class of 2018
As your graduating senior's High School career comes to its conclusion, what better
way to celebrate their successful journey through High School than with a
celebratory announcement of pride in your child's yearbook?

To purchase, follow the link below to get started. Prices for Senior Celebration Ad space start at $140, so be sure to purchase your ad space as soon as possible. Spaces are limited, so hurry now and claim your spot!

Follow the link to start the process:  http://jostensadservice.com/?REF=A00543500

KOHL MANSION

MUSIC AT KOHL

Mercy High School

2750 Adeline Drive • Burlingame, CA 94010  •  Phone 650.343.3631 • Fax 650.343.2316 

www.mercyhsb.com