Providence Academy

All School News
An Evening of PA Conversation
Have your neighbors caught the buzz about Providence and want to know more?

The Admissions staff would be happy to host evening of coffee and conversation in your home with your neighborhood friends. We will provide the refreshments and even mail the invites. An Admissions member will be in attendance to help answer questions and show our new promotional video. The referrals from our parent community provide our best marketing results. If you would like more details or are interested in hosting a coffee contact Sally Nathe at (763) 258-2561 or Sally.Nathe@providenceacademy.org.

Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays
Providence Academy has weekly Eucharistic Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel. Spend a Holy Hour in prayer and adoration visiting Jesus and you will be greatly blessed. Adoration will be available on Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please reply to Mrs. Nicole Bernardi at lnbernardi@comcast.net to sign up for a time.

Flu Clinic at PA
Providence Academy will host a flu clinic for students and families on Wednesday, October 28th from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the Great Room. The clinic is available to anyone 4 years and older. There will be an online sign up process this year; please continue to watch the E-bulletin for details. Also note that this clinic will only be for the seasonal flu vaccine. If Providence Academy is able to host an H1N1 vaccine clinic, we will make that information available in upcoming E-bulletins. Questions may be directed to Mrs. Murphy at (763) 258-2507.

Grandparents’/Special Persons’ Day Details
Providence Academy would like to invite grandparents/special persons to visit on October 8th and 9th. These special days are reserved for grandparents/special persons, 18 or older, who do not normally have the opportunity to visit Providence. Due to space limitations within the school and parking lot, a limit of two guests per student is necessary.

Middle/Upper School guests are invited to visit on Thursday, October 8th as follows:

Grades 6-8: 9:20 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Grades 9-12: 10:00 a.m.-1:26 p.m.

Lower School guests are invited to visit on Friday, October 9th as follows:

PreK-AM: 8:30-10:00 a.m.
PreK-PM: 12:10-1:30 p.m.
K & 5th grade: 9:25-11:40 a.m.
Grades 2&3: 12:15-2:25 p.m.
Grades 1&4: 10:15 a.m.-12:25 p.m.

Guest registrations and parent volunteer opportunities were mailed home to families on Thursday, September 10th. Please return all guest RSVP's no later than Monday, September 28th.

Library Volunteer Needed on Tuesdays
We have a need for a volunteer in the Upper School Library on Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. If you are interested, and could work a portion of or all of that time, please call Mrs. Claire Commers at (763) 258-2511 and we’ll talk! Thank you. As always, happy reading.

The Lions Pride
By popular request, printed copies of The Lions’ Pride will continue to be distributed to all families. The monthly newsletter will also be accessible in PDF format from the home page of the Academy’s website.

Lunch Passes for Parents
Parents who wish to join their student for hot lunch are asked to see Mrs. Julie Kennedy in the Administration Office upon arrival. Mrs. Kennedy will provide guests with a pass and their student’s lunch account number to be used for purchases.

Fall marks the beginning of the United Way campaign in the Twin Cities. Remember: Providence Academy is an eligible 501(c)3 recipient of United Way contributions. In other words, if you contribute to the United Way campaign via a one time gift or by payroll deduction, you can designate the Academy as the beneficiary of your donation.

Providence Academy is also an eligible nonprofit recipient of employer-matched gifts. If you and your employer team up to make tax-deductible contributions to PA, the school will benefit doubly. And your family gets full credit for the doubled gift—including membership in our Lion Rampant Society for total gifts of $2,500 and above.

Gifts provide major support for need-based financial aid, arts and athletics, faculty development, and more. For assistance with completing United Way pledge forms, contact Mrs. Dawn Schommer at dawn.schommer@providenceacademy.org or (763) 258-2516.

Yearbook Orders
Don’t forget to order your yearbooks! Forms went home in orientation materials. The cost of the yearbook is $70 through September and increases for orders placed later in the year. Please fill out the order form completely. Please do not send checks as we will be charging student lunch accounts this year.

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Middle/Upper School News
6^th Graders Request Scrapbook Materials
The sixth grade class is looking for parents to donate extra scrapbook materials for a Grandparents’ Day project. If you have any extra scrapbook items (paper, scissors, photo corners, die cuts, stickers, etc.) please send them with your sixth grade student to give to his/her Ultima advisor. Each student will be able to create a scrapbook page for his/her special person or grandparent(s) on October 8th. Please feel free to send supplies up to that date.

Fine Arts Trip to New York
Want to see the Big Apple? Did you miss the informational meeting? Current Upper School students interested in the New York City trip should pick up an information/ registration booklet from the Upper School Office. Questions? Please contact Ms. Zak.

Mark Your Calendars – Dinner Dance
The 2nd Annual Father-Daughter Dinner Dance is scheduled for Saturday evening, November 14^th. More details to follow.

Math League for Middle School
Middle School Math League is open to any PA Middle School student with an interest and willingness to participate in live, on-site, head-to-head math competition with other area schools. Each year we try to field two teams of six students, a “varsity” team called the Gold team, and a “JV” team called the Blue team. We need a minimum of 12 students for these teams, but we welcome many more alternates to come for the fun of it, try the problems and see how many points you can score. Who knows? At Meet 1, you may be an alternate, but you may score so well that you are invited to be on the Blue team at Meet 2!

Put the dates of the competitions on your calendar now! The first meet will be held in our own Great Room, subsequent locations to be announced.

Meet 1: October 5 at Providence Academy
Meet 2: October 26
Meet 3: November 16
Meet 4: December 7
Meet 5: January 4 (yes, the day we return from Christmas Break!)

Interested students can find out what kind of problems to expect by picking up a packet from Mr. Blackhawk’s room W302. We hold optional practices once a week on Tuesdays after school, 3:15 - 4:15 p.m. in Mr. Blackhawk’s room W302. One exciting change from last year: no calculators allowed this year!

Math League for Upper School
High School Math League is open to any PA Upper School (or younger) student with an interest and willingness to participate in live, on-site, head-to-head math competition with other area schools. Each year we field a team of eight students, but we welcome many more alternates to come for the fun of it, try the problems and see how many points you can score. Who knows? At Meet 1, you may be an alternate, but you may score so well that you are invited to be on the scoring team at Meet 2! Problems range from Algebra to Geometry and Trig and Pre-Calc, but no Calculus.

Meet 1: November 2 at Orono High School
Meet 2: November 23 at Mound-Westonka High School
Meet 3: December 14 at Benilde-St. Margaret’s
Meet 4: January 11 at Columbia Heights High School
Meet 5: February 8 at Providence Academy
State Tournament: March 8 (location TBA)

Interested students can find out what kind of problems to expect by picking up a packet from Mr. Blackhawk’s room W302. We hold optional practices twice a week: Thursdays after school 3:15-4:15pm, and Fridays during Flex, both in Mr. Blackhawk’s room W302.

Senior Portrait Reminder
Seniors are reminded that the following are due to Mr. Darren Rousar by October 1st: your senior picture, your senior quote, and your baby picture. Please email these to Mr. Rousar at darren.rousar@providenceacademy.org.

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Lower School News
Author/Illustrator Loren Long to Visit PA
PA readers will welcome author/illustrator Loren Long to our campus on Friday, September 25th! Loren will share his writing and illustration work with PreK (a.m.) - 5^th grade. Students will meet Otis, his latest creation and hear more from his Barnstormer/Slugger Series. For more on Mr. Long, go to www.lorenlong.com.

Providence In The News
September 14, 2009 - Providence Academy Cross Country Races to Kick-off the Homecoming Game
On Friday, September 18th before the Academy’s football game against St. Agnes, members of the Cross Country team will relay from St. Agnes to the Providence football field. Click here to view the press release in its entirety.

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Providence Academy Parent Association (PAPA)
Class Representatives Needed
Please return your yellow volunteer forms to the administration office as soon as possible. We still need class representatives for 6th and 12th grade. Please contact Mrs. Allison Adducci at adducci@me.com or (763) 509-0160 you would like to be a class or grade representative.

Fun Fair Volunteers Needed
The Second Annual Fall Fun Fair is fast approaching, scheduled for Saturday, October 3rd from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.! We are in need of many volunteers to help make this event a success once again. There will be a variety of volunteer opportunities, including set up/tear down, working a game, concessions, crazy hair, cake walk, ticket sales, etc.

We are looking for adults and students (Middle and Upper School). Parents, please talk with your kids and encourage them to volunteer! Volunteers will work in 1 ½ hour shifts (1:00-2:30 p.m. and 2:30-4:00 p.m.), or you can work the entire time if you want to. Please email Mrs. Karen Hillen at phillensr@comcast.net if you and/or your child are interested in helping. We do appreciate it!

Candy and prizes are also needed for the fair and collection boxes are available in each classroom. Your donation of these items will allow us to donate even more of the Fun Fair proceeds to our family service project. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Lower School Service Project
A Lower School Family Service Project planning meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 22^nd from 2:00 to 3:15 p.m. in the Living Room. All Lower School parents are welcome and encouraged to come.

Parent Association Meeting
PAPA is having our first Parent Association meeting of the school year at 8:30 a.m. in the Great Room on Tuesday, September 22nd. All Providence parents are welcome to come and visit with other parents and learn ways to get involved in school activities. Please come with ideas to share. Contact Mrs. Allison Adducci at adducci@mac.com if you have questions.

Parent Parties
Parent parties are held to allow parents to get to know other parents of children in the same grade. Parties have traditionally been held at a parent hosts home, although a host may choose to hold the party at another venue. A group of parents may join together to host a party as well. On average attendance is about 40%. The parties are to be held on Friday or Saturday nights from September to Thanksgiving break, with only one party held per night whenever possible, allowing parents the opportunity to attend parties for each of their children. Occasionally, two parties are held on the same night, but only if there is no overlap for families having more than one child. If hosts are not found for a grade there will not be a parent party for that grade.

PAPA reimburses hosts $7.50/person for cost of beverages, paper products, etc. In most cases, the host asks guests to bring an appetizer or dessert to share. PAPA provides printed invitations, envelopes, address labels, return labels and stamps. The host assembles and mails the invitations.

Currently, hosts are needed for the following grades:

Pre-Kindergarten
2^nd Grade
3^rd Grade
4^th Grade
5^th Grade
8^th Grade
9^th Grade
11^th Grade
12^th Grade

Please email Mrs. Kathi Wade at wadekat@mchsi.com or call (763) 553-9497 if you are interested in hosting.

The following Parent Parties have been scheduled and invitations will be mailed soon:

Kindergarten: Friday, October 23rd at the home of Todd and Lisa Sylvester
1st Grade: Friday, September 25 at the home of Suzanne and Allen Wheeler. Kindly RSVP to Suzanne at (763) 773-7335 or abmsuzanne@qwestoffice.net
6th Grade: Saturday September 26th at the home of Mary and Tony Miller. Kindly RSVP to Mary at (952) 473-2603 or mary.miller2@mchsi.com
7th Grade: Saturday October 10th at the home of Karen and Ken Richelsen. Kindly RSVP to Karen at (763) 478-6565, karen.richelsen@mchsi.com
10th Grade: Friday October 9th at the home of Catrina and Ken McAuliffe. Kindly RSVP to Catrina at (952) 473-0499 or catrina@sandixonline.com

Treats for Faculty Meetings
Please help me in showing how appreciative we all are of our incredible faculty here at Providence Academy. I would like to provide a treat at each faculty meeting throughout the school year. It can be anything really: fruit, cheese and crackers, a home baked goodie, chips and dip—let your imagination run wild. E-mail me at adducci@mac.com to get the date of your choosing and please specify if you would prefer the Upper, Middle or Lower School meeting. Thank you.
--Allison Adducci

Upper School Mother/Son Event
If you are interested in helping to plan an Upper School Mother/Son event, please join us on Wednesday, October 7^th from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. All Upper School parents are welcome. We will meet in the front Living Room by the statue of Mary.

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Athletics Update
2009-2010 Winter Sports Registration
Enclosed in the first edition of The Lion’s Pride that goes home Wednesday, September 30th, please find winter sports registration forms. Your registration with payment must be turned in to the Administration Office (Attention: Mrs. Julie Kennedy) no later than Friday, October 9th! The following offerings are available this winter:

Girls Tennis State Ranked!
This fall the girls’ tennis team is ranked #10 in the state in Class A and sophomore Elena Sullivan is ranked #7 individually. Congratulations to the team and Elena on the recognition!

Triple Impact Competitor Workshop Tonight
A reminder that Head Hockey Coach Hal Tearse has arranged for the Positive Coach Alliance (www.positivecoach.org) to do a one-hour workshop for athletes entitled "Triple Impact Competitor" and a two-hour coach’s workshop session to follow immediately afterwards on September 21st. The event is free of charge and all Providence athletes are encouraged to attend.

“Triple-Impact Competitor” Workshop (6:00 p.m. in the Great Room)Minnesota Hockey and the Positive Coach Alliance are sponsoring and hosting an athlete workshop designed to help athletes improve their own performance, their teammate’s performance and their team performance.

This workshop has been given to thousands of high school age athletes all over the country with much success and positive impact. It is open to Providence, Heritage Christian Academy, West Lutheran High School, and Wayzata Youth Hockey (pee wees- bantams-high school age players).

The workshop is free to participants and will be 75 minutes in duration. All high school athletes are welcome to attend regardless of the sport they participate in. Coaches are also welcome to attend the athlete workshop.

“Double-Goal Coach: Coaching for Winning and Life Lessons” (7:30 p.m. in the Great Room)
This workshop is intended for the coaches of athletes attending the first session. It will last 2 hours and involve several case studies and lively discussion. This workshop is all offered free of charge to participants and hopefully all of the high school coaches from the three schools will participate along with the WYHA youth coaches.

How to Receive Sports Communication
The best way to receive information at home about upcoming events and driving direction is to utilize the Providence Academy website. Simply go to http://www.providenceacademy.org and click on the rSchoolToday Calendar link. Information can also be obtained by calling the Sports Hotline at (763) 258-2580. The Hotline is updated daily and contains all of the day’s information and happenings.

Schedules and Directions to Away Events
Both schedules and directions to away events can be found on the Providence Academy website at http://www.providenceacademy.org From the home page, simply click on the rSchoolToday Calendar link. Then select a sport from the View Schedules list on the right side of the page.

Weather-Related Cancellations
In the event fall athletic schedules change, the Sports Hotline is updated by 2:00 daily. Please call the Hotline at (763) 258-2580 for the latest information. The rSchoolToday Calendar will also be updated as soon as information is available.

Webcast America
www.webcast50.com is the place to go this fall for varsity athletics. For ease of access, there is a link on PA’s home page to the Webcast America site. Note all games and events on the site remain available to view for a calendar year. Check out all the action you may have missed on Webcast America.

Results
Looking for results for Providence Athletics teams? Visit the Providence Academy website and click on the rSchoolToday Calendar link. From there, select the blue tab labeled “Scores/Standings.”

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College Counselor's Corner
Seniors
Mrs. Hogan will continue meeting with seniors in the coming weeks to review each student’s final college list and to answer any questions about essays, resumes, scholarships, financial aid, interviews, college entrance testing and other college-related topics. Appointments have been scheduled and it is up to seniors to notify their parents to attend, if they would like (parents are always welcome!). The annual no school days of MEA Weekend will be October 15^th and 16^th, and is a great opportunity to visit or revisit schools to which you plan to apply. If you plan visit a college campus, notify the Admission Office at least two weeks in advance so that they can make plans to schedule a worthwhile visit, including attending classes, meeting with faculty, students, and staff, etc. Please note that many Minnesota schools generally will NOT grant admission interviews over the busy MEA Weekend but may have special programs scheduled. Check the web sites of the individual colleges for more information.

Juniors
All juniors and their parents are invited to attend the Thursday, October 1^st College Night for important information on starting the college search process in earnest. We are aiming for 100% participation in this event. Also, on Wednesday, October 14^th, all Providence Academy juniors will take the mandatory PSAT exam. Again, this exam is the pre-test for the SAT college entrance exam and the National Merit Scholarship Competition. After the exam, all juniors will attend a college visit field trip with Mrs. Hogan and will return to PA before afternoon dismissal. Please note that MEA Weekend, October 15^th and 16^th, is a great time to visit colleges. Many Minnesota schools have special programs scheduled over the MEA Weekend. Check the college websites for more information.

Attention, Athletes!
Any junior interested in playing NCAA DI or DII athletics should register with the NCAA Clearinghouse no later than the end of junior year. For more information, visit: www.eligibilitycenter.org or make an appointment with Mrs. Hogan.

Sophomores
All sophomore parents are invited to attend the Wednesday, October 7^th College Night for important information about the college process. All sophomores will take the mandatory PSAT Exam on Wednesday, October 14^th. The PSAT is considered a practice exam for tenth grade students. The results should be used to determine areas of academic strength and the areas in which each student may want to improve. Sophomores will take the PSAT again their junior year, when their scores will be entered into the National Merit Scholarship competition.

Freshmen
All freshmen parents are invited to attend the Wednesday, October 7^th College Night for important information about the college process. All freshmen will take the mandatory PLAN exam on Wednesday, October 14^th. The PLAN is a pre-ACT exam administered to help familiarize students with college entrance test content and format, to give them a feel for timed testing, as well as to help them identify areas of academic strength and weakness.

College Visits
Please note that all college visits may be viewed on the college visit calendar in Naviance/Family Connection. Members of the Providence community may access this information by logging in as a guest (password: lions) at: https://connection.naviance.com/providenceacad.

In the next several weeks, juniors and seniors may visit with representatives from visiting colleges (for college visits at PA, students should sign up in advance through Family Connection and must obtain a College Visit pass from the College Counseling Office no later than the morning of the visit):

Thursday, September 24th
Drake University – 1:45 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
College of St. Benedict – 1:45 p.m. in the Upper School Library
St. John’s University – 1:45 p.m. in the Upper School Library

Sunday, September 27^th
Tufts University – 1:00 p.m. at Marriott Minneapolis Airport

Monday, September 28th
University of Portland – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Saint Mary's College – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Hillsdale College – 2:30 p.m. in the Upper School Library
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – 2:30 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room

Tuesday, September 29^th
St. Norbert College – 10:30 a.m. in the Great Room
College of the Holy Cross – 1:45 p.m. in the Upper School Library
Kalamazoo College – 1:45 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Bradley University – 3:15 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room

Thursday, October 1^st
Stonehill College – 2:30 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Brandeis University – 3:15 p.m. in the Upper School Library
Northeastern University – 3:15 p.m. in the Upper School Library
University of Chicago – 6:00 p.m. at Burnhaven Library in Burnsville
Purdue University – 7:00 p.m. at Minneapolis Marriott Southwest
Seton Hall University – 7:00 p.m. at Benilde-St. Margaret’s
Villanova University – 7:00 p.m. at Benilde-St. Margaret’s
Yale University – 7:00 p.m. at Wayzata High School

Friday, October 2^nd
Connecticut College – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Library
Nazareth College of Rochester – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Library
Colorado State University – 2:30 p.m. in the Upper School Library
Providence College – 2:30 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Reed College – 4:00 p.m. at Kopplin’s in Saint Paul

Saturday, October 3^rd
Reed College – 9:30 a.m. at Plan B Coffeehouse in Minneapolis
Colorado State University – Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport

Monday, October 5^th
The University of Montana, Missoula – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
University of Southern California – 1:45 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Davidson College – 2:30 p.m. in the Upper School Library
Northwestern University – 2:30 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Indiana University at Bloomington – 3:15 p.m. in the Upper School Library

Tuesday, October 6^th
Southern Methodist University – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Ripon College – 3:15 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Michigan Institute of Aeronautics – 7:30 p.m. at Highland Park Senior High School

Wednesday, October 7^th
Bethany Lutheran College – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Boston College – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Library
Texas Christian University – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Library

Sunday, October 11^th
Washington University in St. Louis – 2:00 p.m. at the Minneapolis Airport Marriott

Monday, October 12^th
Washington University in St. Louis – 2:30 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room

Tuesday, October 13^th
St. Catherine University – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Clark University – 1:45 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room

Monday, October 19^th
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Benedictine College – 1:45 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
University of Dallas – 2:30 p.m. in the Upper School Library

Tuesday, October 20^th
University of Notre Dame – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Duke University – 7:30 p.m. at the Breck School Chapel

Wednesday, October 21^st
Bentley University – 3:15 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room

Monday, October 26^th
Iowa State University – 1:45 p.m. in the Upper School Library
Saint Louis University – 1:45 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
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Tuesday, October 27^th
Augustana College – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
University of St. Thomas – 1:45 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room

Wednesday, October 28th
Creighton University – 3:15 p.m. in the Upper School Library
Regis University – 3:15 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room

Friday, October 30th
Boston University – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Conference Room

Monday, November 2nd
Cornell College – 8:00 a.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Wartburg College – 1: 45 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room

Wednesday, November 4th
St. Olaf College – 12:55 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room

Thursday, November 5^th
Hamline University – 2:30 p.m. in the Upper School Conference Room
Winona State University – 3:15 p.m. in the Upper School Library

College Visits Please note that all college visits may be viewed on the college visit calendar in Naviance/Family Connection. Members of the Providence community may access this information by logging in as a guest (password: lions) at: https://connection.naviance.com/providenceacad.

College Visits
Please note that all college visits may be viewed on the college visit calendar in Naviance/Family Connection. Members of the Providence community may access this information by logging in as a guest (password: lions) at: https://connection.naviance.com/providenceacad.