Formed in Catholic tradition, the mission of St. Michael High School is to foster the spiritual,

intellectual, and personal development of young people as committed disciples of Christ.

ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

DECEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER

17521 Monitor Avenue Baton Rouge, LA 70817 Phone: (225) 753-9782

P.O. Box 86110 Baton Rouge, LA 70879-6110 Fax: (225) 753-0605

SPIRITUAL LIFE

MASS: All Religion Classes will celebrate Mass on Tuesday, December 8 for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. We are very grateful for all the priests coming to say the eight Masses. Our 3rd Period Mass with Bishop Emeritus Robert Muench will be livestreamed. A link will be sent to parents prior to December 8.

HOLIDAY SERVICE PROJECTS: St. Michael High School Clubs are involved in many service projects throughout the year. For

Christmas, the Beta Club will be collecting gift cards for a family in the

Adopt-A-Family service project and the Student Council will be collecting

new, unwrapped toys for the Live2Serve organization from December

1—December 9.

SERVICE HOURS DEADLINE: Friday, December 4 is the first deadline for our 2020 Service Program. Students must have completed 5

service blocks (no more than 2/5 can be gray boxes). If a student misses

the December 4 deadline, his/her second quarter Religion grade drops one

point per day late, up to one letter grade, until he/she turns in the full

amount of blocks. If students still have not completed this service require-

ment, they will not be allowed to take their midterm exams in any of

their classes until they have completed it. See the Student Handbook

for details.

INTELLECTUAL

SMHS HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS: The school office will be open from 7:30 AM—12 noon Monday, December 21—Wednesday,

December 23 and Monday, December 28—Wednesday, December 30.

The Help Desk will be open Monday, December 21, from 8:00 AM to 12 noon.

STUDENTS RETURN: Students return to school on Tuesday, Janu-ary 5.

MID-TERM EXAMS: Students and parents are reminded that prepa-ration for exams begins with daily work for class. Students should be working everyday on their daily lessons and on exam preparation. Mid-term exams count for 20% of a student’s semester grade in a subject. Dur-ing exam time, it is essential that students get enough sleep and have healthy eating habits so that they can do their very best on exams.

MID-TERM EXAM SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, December 15 1st period exam 7:14-9:10 AM

2nd period exam 9:25-11:25 AM

Wednesday, December 16 8th period exam 7:14-9:10 AM

4th period exam 9:25-11:25 AM

Thursday, December 17 3rd period exam 7:14-9:10 AM

6th period exam 9:25-11:25 AM

Friday, December 18 7th period exam 7:14-9:10 AM

5th period exam 9:25-11:25 AM

EBR Buses and the SMHS Shuttle Bus will run all mornings and all dismis-

sals.

Students are dismissed after their first exam if the second exam of the day is their lunch period. Seniors who have study hall do not report for an exam during their study hall period.

The dismissal bell will ring each testing day at 11:30 AM. Teachers will be available in their classrooms from 11:30 AM—12:30 PM each day to help any student prepare for the next day’s exam. Students will be dismissed for the Christmas Holidays at 11:30 AM on Friday, December 18. Students will

return on Tuesday, January 5. The EBR Buses and the SMHS Shuttle Bus will run their regular routes on that day.

GRADES: FIRST SEMESTER GRADES WILL BE POSTED ON PlusPortals BY DECEMBER 29.

**It is the policy of SMHS that all tuition and fees must be current prior to

mid-term exams. Parent(s) will be notified if a student is to remain home on

exam days if accounts are not current. Delinquent payments made prior to

exams must be paid by cash, cashier’s check or money order to be deemed

received by SMHS so the student will be allowed to take exams. If you have

any questions, contact Mrs. Thibodeaux, bookkeeper, at 753-9782 Ext. 25 or

sthibodeaux@smhsbr.org.

COURSE CHANGES: Course change requests at the semester will only be considered for extenuating circumstances. Otherwise, students are ex-pected to honor their commitments to their current classes. Students request-ing a course change must first meet with their school counselor to discuss their options. If the counselor believes the request has merit and is possible, students will be instructed to have their parents submit a letter requesting the change with rationale to Mrs. Lechich, Assistant Principal of Academics. All course change requests must be submitted by Monday, January 4.

ADVENT RESOURCES:

Videos for the Ascension Presents Advent Bible Study series may be found at

https://study.ascensionpress.com/leader_downloads/rejoice-advent-meditations-with-the-holy-family

Daily inspirations may be found at https://legacydc.dynamiccatholic.com/year-of-mercy/reflections/what-is-advent/

https://study.ascensionpress.com/leader_downloads/rejoice-advent-meditations-with-the-holy-familyhttps://legacydc.dynamiccatholic.com/year-of-mercy/reflections/what-is-advent/

FILING THE FAFSA: Senior parents, the Free Application for Feder-al Student Aid (FAFSA) filing season began October 1. Please file your FAFSA early; it is possible some financial aid awards letters could arrive earlier in the year, giving your student enough time to make decisions on where to attend college. Waiting too late means risking the loss of financial aid based on a first-come, first-serve basis. Remember, the FAFSA is FREE so please be wary of websites asking you to pay a fee. Also, the FAFSA is the only application for TOPS. Visit www.fafsa.gov to get started.

JUNIOR PARENT NIGHT: Junior Parent Night will be delivered through an online presentation and followed up with an opportunity to meet with the counselor. The presentation will discuss topics that include gradu-ation requirements, Board of Regents requirements, TOPS, ACT/SAT test-ing, and college readiness. Information from the Louisiana Office of Stu-dent Financial Assistance, Southeastern Louisiana University and Louisi-ana State University will also be included. Please be looking for an email from Mrs. Dutreix, Junior Counselor, with the presentation link and dates for Coffee with the Counselor in mid-January or early February. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Dutreix at ldutreix@smhsbr.org.

LIBRARY NEWS: Students who earn a 2.5+ GPA for the first semes-ter will receive a free membership to the New Orleans Aquarium of the

Americas, Butterfly Garden, Insectarium, and Museum of Art, courtesy of

the Taylor Scholar Foundation. Students who earn a 3.0+ GPA will receive

the same award PLUS a membership to the Audubon Zoo. These free

cards allow unlimited access for the student and one parent until August of

2022. Study hard for semester exams so you may take advantage of this

award when given out in April. See Mrs. Donaldson in the library for more

information or at adonaldson@smhsbr.org.

PLACEMENT EXAM: The school will administer the Placement Exam for admission to St. Michael High School for current eighth grade

applicants from 8:00—11:00 AM on Saturday, December 5. The W arri-

or Club will be selling promotional items outside of the Multi-Purpose

Building from 8:30—11:30 AM. All are welcome.

REQUEST FOR COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE LETTERS: In order to assist in college preparation and planning, it is critical that seniors and their parents provide Ms. Montgomery with copies of all letters of acceptance and any scholarship and financial aid awards from colleges and universities, whether or not the senior will eventually attend that particular school. Please send copies of these documents via email cmontgomery@smhsbr.org; via fax 225-753-0605; or in person. The names of the colleges and universities to which the senior has been accepted will be published in the Graduation Pro-gram, while a list of the scholarships which were offered to the student will appear in the Baccalaureate Mass & Senior Honors Convocation Program. The only way we may publish this information is if parents or students share this information with us. Please provide M s. M ontgomery with copies of acceptance and scholarship letters as soon as they are received.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

SELF-CARE WITH THE COUNSELORS: On Thursday, December 10 students are invited to join the Counselors and the SADD Club in front of

the Counseling Office during all lunch periods to pick up a self-care packet

that includes hot cocoa, a treat, and stress relief & study tips for midterms.

CHRISTMAS BAND CONCERT: The annual St. Michael Band Christmas Concert will be held in the SMHS Multi-Purpose Building on Sunday, December 6. This year the band will do two performances to accommodate more guests. The first performance will be at 2:00 PM. At the conclusion of the first performance, the building will be cleared of people and the seats will be sanitized for the second performance, which will begin at 3:30 PM. Each band student will be issued 4 tickets for guests to attend. You must have a ticket to be admitted. Audience members will be required to wear masks and families will be distanced at six-foot intervals. The 2:00 PM performance will be streamed live for those who cannot attend.

COOKIES WITH SANTA: The Alumni Office invites you and your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews to join us for Christmas fun on

Sunday, December 6, from 12:00-1:15 PM in the SMHS Cafeteria. Santa

will be available for pictures. Please RSVP to kpage@smhsbr.org.

CHRISTMAS SWEATER DAY: St. Michael High School will cele-brate the Christmas season on Monday, December 7, with students wearing ugly Christmas sweaters and Christmas accessories with uniform pants or skirts. Seniors may wear appropriate jeans.

WARRIOR CLUB SALES AND NEWS:

The Warrior Club will be selling promotional items outside of the Multi-Purpose Build-ing on Saturday, December 5 from 8:30—11:30 AM.

The Warrior Club will be offering a Warrior Welcome Gift Basket for new students. See

flyer at the end of this newsletter. Celebrate a new Warrior in the family!

The Warrior Club Store will be open for Basketball Games on December 8 and December 19.

Online Orders placed by December 14 will be available for pickup in the school office before the holidays.

Get your Christmas shopping started early!

http://www.fafsa.govmailto:adonaldson@smhsbr.orgmailto:sboudreaux@smhsbr.orgmailto:kpage@smhsbr.org

WARRIOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS FALL 2020

LADY WARRIOR VOLLEYBALL: Alexis Gonzalez was selected as District MVP for the 2nd straight year. The following were selected as All District-Karleigh Bourgoyne, Sarah Templet and Nicole Benigno. The fol-lowing were selected as All District Honorable Mention-Katlyn DeJean, Addison Dimmick, Camryn Wax and Juli-ana Ghetti. The Volleyball Team won it’s 21st District Title in school history and finished in the State Quarter-finals.

WARRIOR CROSS COUNTRY: Boys and Girls Cross Country both finished as State Champion Runner-Up. The following were selected as All State-Dawson Latona, Zachary Edwards, Joshua Breaux and Rebecca Quebedeaux. The Girls Team is ranked 7th among all classes and all schools in Louisiana. The Boys Team is ranked 11th.

WARRIOR FOOTBALL: The 2020 Warr ior Football Team finished in the 1st round of playoffs. Congratula-tions on another successful and hard fought season.

WARRIOR COLLEGE SIGNING: Senior Heather Abadie signed her National Letter of Intent for pole vault

at Texas A & M University. She signed her letter at a special ceremony held in the gym with teammates, coaches,

family and friends in attendance.

Principal’s Message:

As we begin this season of Advent, we are reminded of the challeng-es that faced Mary and Joseph as they prepared for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. In a world challenged by the pandemic, we are called as Christians to carry the Joy of Christ in our hearts. The fac-ulty and staff of St. Michael High School wish all the blessings of this holy season for every family in our school community. We hold out great hope for a new year blessed with health and prosperity. We pray that the Light of Christ fills the hearts of all throughout Advent, Christmas and the days beyond into the New Year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ellen B. Lee Principal

Dear St. Michael Families,

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent. The word advent means coming, and of course, it’s a reference to the coming of Christ at Christmas. So over the next four weeks, we await the coming of Christ.

We’re not very good at waiting. We want everything immediately! Think about it: The fast food industry has grown ex-ponentially in the last twenty years because people want their food quickly, and don’t have the time or patience to cook it at home. We have fast food drive-through lines because it’s way too much work to park the car, walk several feet and stand in line to order. And even with drive-through lines, if you’re like me, you become impatient if the line is not mov-ing quickly enough! The Internet now provides us with information instantaneously, which is fantastic on one level, but dangerous on another, as it’s too easy to send off an email when we’re angry at someone before we’ve given ourselves a chance to cool down and say things we regret later or post things on a blog that are hurtful to others. We have overnight printing, overnight mailing, instant food, microwave ovens—all things that allow us to get what we want now, without waiting. If we want something and can’t afford it, no need to wait and save for it—we have credit cards! The average American household has $16,048 in credit card debt in 2019, and the average # of credit card accounts per card user is 3.7. Financial experts agree it’s the worst kind of debt, too, because the average interest rate is 12-18%, unlike owing money on a house, where one can get loans for as low as 2.25% right now.

So it’s hard for us to wait for Christmas—we hardly wait for anything else. Retailers are already in the full court press mode, pushing us to get all our Christmas shopping done. I was in a local store in October, before Halloween, and they were already playing Christmas carols over their speakers! So in Church we’re singing “O Come O Come Emmanuel” but everywhere we go we’re hearing “Joy to the World, the Lord has Come. “

I want to suggest one simple thing we can all do that may help us step back from the helter-skelter world of the instant, the now that we all live in—one thing that might help us better focus on the event we will celebrate on December 25 and thus help us have a better Advent.

My suggestion to get us ready for Christmas, to help us more fully appreciate this Advent season, is to spend about 10-15 minutes/day in prayer, asking God to lead you, bringing your worries before him, seeking him for guidance on decisions you must make about college, friends, personal situations. To pray doesn’t mean we must isolate ourselves and burn in-cense somewhere! Maybe it just means when we’re driving to school or home from school, we turn off the radio and cell phone and have a conversation with God and bring our worries before him. We don’t lean enough on God—but unless we lean, we cannot feel him pushing back, holding us up. And so we put all this pressure on ourselves to make good grades, go to the right schools, have the right relationships, instead of sharing those worries with God and asking him to help us.

If we pray and lean on God during these next few weeks, I think we’ll find this Advent season, this time of waiting, will help prepare us more fully for the most important event in human history. May we use this time well.

God bless,

Mr. Jack Nelson

President

ADVANCEMENT NEWS & IMPORTANT EVENTS:

Thank you to Home & School for donating the funds and to the Balart family, Jennifer & Alex St. Cyr, Mike & Beth Loewe, Nicholas Bauder

and Mike Connors for spending the Saturday of Thanksgiving break landscaping outside the Teachers’ Lounge.

Save

the

Date

MR. LANDRY’S TESTING TIPS:

When should students take the ACT?

This is a common question that has been asked over the years. Taking the ACT too early or too late are two of the

biggest mistakes a student can make. There is a sweet spot for taking and succeeding on this test. Many parents be-

lieve having their children take the ACT test as many times as they can is beneficial, but this is a mistake. Think of it

from a coaching perspective. Most coaches do not have their teams play full games at practice. Practice is broken up

into segments of rehearsing skills, executing drills, and preparing for high pressure scenarios. This is also a good ap-

proach for ACT preparation.

When students take the test too early, they usually underperform and develop a negative attitude regarding the test.

In a similar way, taking the test too many times results in test fatigue accompanied with a decline of score results.

Taking the ACT when a student is cognitively ready to prepare is the key to success.

So, when should a student take the ACT? Most of it depends on their math progress:

10th grade – If a student is taking Algebra 2, he/she should take the ACT after the Sophomore year is complete.

11th grade – If a student is taking Algebra 2, he/she should take the ACT in the spring of the Junior year. Since

most of the math content is covered by the spring, April and June are the optimal test dates.

12th grade – Anytime in the fall.

If you would like more information, please check out this video.

If you are the parent of a Junior, please take advantage of the opportunity and register your child for the ACT diag-

nostic test on January 9, 2021. In February, SMHS will be registering all Juniors in an online ACT prep program.

I look forward to continuing to support you and your child(ren) through the standardized testing process. Please do

not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Kevin Landry Assistant Principal of Curriculum & Instruction

PRACTICE ACT TEST OPPORTUNITY:

St. Michael High School will offer a practice ACT test on January 9, 2021. All Juniors will

have the option to complete a practice ACT test at St. Michael High School. This test score

will not be reported to ACT as an official score but will be used as a baseline score by St. Mi-

chael High School to help our students maximize their future test results.

Students will receive a detailed skills analysis report and the school will receive an overall

skills report. The results of this test will be used to evaluate our students’ individual needs.

This will be the first initiative of an ACT Prep Program beginning in 2021.

We encourage all Juniors to participate.

Please use the following link to register.

When: Saturday, January 9, 2021 from 8:00 AM - 12:00 Noon

Where: St. Michael High School

Cost: $20.00

Register: https://forms.diamondmindinc.com/smhsbr/act

https://youtu.be/RPoXtno-r_0https://forms.diamondmindinc.com/smhsbr/act

WARRIOR GOLF CLASSIC:

The 31st Annual Warrior Golf Classic was held Monday, November 9

at Greystone Country Club.

This annual event raises funds to help support SMHS athletic teams, clubs and

extracurricular programs. This year, thanks to the generosity of over

50 teams and over 120 sponsors, the event successfully raised over $56,000.

Special Thanks to our Major Sponsors:

Cypress Title; Ice House Tap Room; Izzo’s Illegal Burrito; The Larson Family

The Eddie Rispone Family Foundation; EBS/Court Call; Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux

The Stablier Foundation; Pelican Craft Brands; Cajun Catering; Chick-fil-A

Community Coffee; Coca-Cola; and Ruffino’s

Congratulations:

Overall 1st Place Team: Cole Permenter, Justin LeBlanc and Brad Schaeffer

Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive: Anna Heine

1st Place Putting Contest: Joey Indest

Warrior Welcome Basket

Congratulate your new Warrior

by gifting a Warrior Basket

filled with Warrior Wear and Gear!

Basket Includes the following

Warrior Items:

1 T-Shirt

1 Sweatshirt

1 Lanyard

1 Can Koozie

1 License Plate

1 Ink Pen

2 Decals

2 Pom Poms

1 Cell Phone Pocket

$60

Purchase at

WWW.SMHSWARRIORCLUB.COM