August 12, 2020  |  PARENT ENEWS 

Dear Mercy Families, 

Today officially kicked off our 2020-2021 school year as our Link Crew leaders welcomed the Class of 2024 to Mercy High School! It was so wonderful to see the smiling faces of our students. We look forward to the rest of this week's and next week's orientations.

Our Foundress Catherine McAuley once said "We must try to be like those rivers which enter into the sea without losing any of the sweetness of the water." Our goal for your daughters this year is that no matter what this year brings (or fails to bring) that they never lose sight of who they are and the beauty that is within each of them. May they enter a year defined by unknowns and come out as strong, resilient, happy women of Mercy. Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year!

Thanks,
Natalie

A HUGE shout out to all of those wonderful folks that donated their blood for our 3rd blood drive.  We collected 23 pints of blood in just 3.5 hours.  That can mean saving about 70 lives! Thank you Mercy and our Mercy community!

Calendar & Important Dates

Important dates for the first semester can be found on the Calendar Page of the Mercy website. You will find the Mercy Calendar as well as instructions on how to add it to your own personal calendar. 

2020-2021 Book List

The Mercy Book List is posted online, and you will notice Mercy has a new procedure for apps, books, and supplies provided through the school. Families with students enrolled in the classes highlighted in yellow will be billed for the book through the FACTS system on August 30. Mercy will no longer collect checks for these items. You can email your teacher or the department chairs with any questions. 

Use our Amazon Associates link on the SHOP FOR MERCY page to earn money for Mercy as you do your back-to-school shopping! 

Service Learning Hours

Please click here to read a letter from Mr. Diaz, Service Learning Coordinator, regarding service learning hours for the 2020-21 school year.

Reminder: Students are expected to dress professionally in uniform and in free dress, with proper appearance at all times. Dyeing the entire head of hair an unnatural color is not allowed, but one, one-inch colored streak is permitted. Students should have their hair within dress code by the first day of classes Aug. 19th. Please see the Student and Parent Handbook on our website. Email Coach RG  with questions.

Click HERE for Mercy's Uniform information.

Summer Book Clubs will meet the morning of Aug. 18 instead of later in the month, as originally planned. Exact details will be sent in August. Summer Book Clubs were determined before the end of the year for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Incoming freshmen and transfer students were given the opportunity to join a book club, but are not required to. Other community-building activities will take place for freshmen and transfer students who are not in book clubs. 

Welcome to the 2020-21 School Year! We are looking forward to getting to know each of you and for you to get to know one another. We want to engage all parents this year - virtually or, when possible, in person. We invite you to take a few minutes to complete this survey about your interests to help us get to know you. Don't hesitate to reach out at any time!

Jennifer Munsey                                      
Constituent Engagement Manager         
650.762.1199     

Mary Lund

Director of Advancement

650.762.1191                     

It's back-to-school time and we know that means shopping lists for the family! Mercy earns a percentage when you shop on Amazon, shop for groceries, eat out, travel, etc. at no cost to you! Visit our SHOP FOR MERCY page to learn more. 

All School Orientation 

Please check email for details and Zoom links 

• Freshman Orientation and Community Day
  Thursday, August 13th
• Sophomore Orientation and Community Day
  Friday, August 14th 
• Junior Orientation and Community Day
  Monday, August 17th
• Senior Orientation and Community Day
  Tuesday, August 18th

Welcome back! If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me - Charlie Dougherty, Athletic Director

Follow Mercy Athletics on Twitter for game updates and scores!

• Stay Tuned: We will be posting an enhanced schedule of conditioning and skill sessions for selected sports in the coming weeks. These sessions will be led by our coaches and as well as Keri Sotak our trainer. The sessions will take place during the Fall season (Sept, Oct, Nov) at various outdoor locations on our Mercy campus  
• We encourage all of our athletes to be taking advantage of the virtual conditioning program. The sessions are led by our athletic trainer Keri Sotak. Please note that our program will start back on August 24. The schedule is listed on our athletic website.

Sports Reminders

• Fall Sports Update: On July 21, the Central Coast Section announced the new start dates for the 2020/21 school year. Fall sports have been postponed: Cross Country, Gymnastics, Volleyball, and Water Polo will now have a Dec 14 start date. However, as that is Finals Week, we will not have sports convene until Dec 18. Tryout dates will be determined and posted in the coming weeks. Please click HERE for the approved CCS Calendar.
  *Please note that all of these Season 1 sports will have some sort of practice schedules during the Christmas break. If you plan to participate, you must commit to being at practices and games when scheduled during that time period. It should be noted in advance, Volleyball and Water Polo will most likely practice and/or play games for the greater part of the Christmas break.
• We will be holding Athletics interest meetings once school starts, and we will share more details regarding practice and game schedules as they are finalized.
• Soccer, Tennis, and Cheer will have a start date of Feb 22. It should be noted that Cheer will be competing at CCS events for the first time.
• Basketball, Golf, Lacrosse, Softball, Swimming/Diving and Track and Field will have a start date of March 15.

Health Forms

• If your daughter is planning on playing a sport during the school year, please make sure they are fully registered and cleared thru the Magnus system. You need to re-register each year your daughter plays a sport. Thus, if you are a returning student, you are required to update all your information in the Magnus system. Parents must register through the Parent portal of Powerschool. A current sports physical is required to show clearance. A sports physical is only valid for one year following date of examination. No athlete will be allowed to start tryouts unless they show clearance in the Magnus system.
• All Magnus Health Portal forms must be completed along with an uploaded Mercy Pre-Participation Physical Exam. Instructions and forms can be found on the Athletics Forms & Qualifications page.
• A Mercy Pre-Participation Physical Exam must be completed and in hand for incoming students attending their first open gym, strength & conditioning session, skills development, or other Mercy Athletics related activity.