Knightly News
May 18, 2011
   

New News:

Bus Registration
The Bus Registration Form for the 2011-2012 school year is now available on the BSM website. Information has been posted on the Transportation page (right column) in the Parents section of the site. The BSM Transportation Office would appreciate having forms in by the end of June for route planning purposes. Questions? Contact Judy Koski at transportation@BSMschool.org or 952-915-4358, ext. 2485.

Communication Survey
The BSM Communication Department needs your help. We have put together a brief parent survey, requesting feedback for our website, Knightly News and other communication efforts. We would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete the survey by June 2.
 Take Survey Now

One-Week Japanese Student Hosting
Japanese students from BSM's sister school, Kaisei Gakuin, in northern Japan will be returning to BSM and Minnesota this fall. They will be here from September 21-28 and are in need of host families for the week. There will be about 57 students. 

The visit this year is special in two ways.  First, a top student from Kaisei Gakuin, Matoko Nado, applied for admission to BSM for the academic year 2011-2012. She was accepted. Second, Kaisei Gakuin is located in northern Japan. Although they did not sustain the total devastation of the earthquake and tsunami, their lives and welfare are much affected by it. Kaisei Gakuin is extremely grateful for the charity displayed by BSM at the Mass on May 6, for relief in Japan. A special memorial will be presented to BSM during their visit to acknowledge this act of charity.

If you have questions or are interested in hosting one of these Japanese students, please contact Tom or Sue Haeg at tomhaeg@msn.com or 612-940-3351.

Art Show
The annual BSM Art Show is being held in the library through Monday, May 23. All senior high students were encouraged to submit pieces. Categories of art being represented include drawing, painting, ceramic, photography and mixed media. This year’s show offers a wide variety of quality art, and parents and friends are invited to visit the display during school hours. A special showing will also be held this Thursday, May 19, from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Spirit Shop Update
This is the last chance to get your summer spirit wear! Show up at that special senior's graduation in a handsome polo shirt or a fitted red zip vest. We will be open after the 8:45 a.m. Closing School Liturgy on Wednesday, May 25. 

This month's days for ordering letter jackets are Tuesday, May 24 and Wednesday, May 25. The Letter Jacket rep will be in the cafeteria commons to take orders and measurements from 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m. on those days.

Remember, you can order online as well (www.BSMschool./SpiritShop)!

Congratulations to all the seniors and best wishes for a great summer, from the Spirit Shop!

Retirements
BSM would like to recognize three teachers who will be retiring at the end of this school year. Mick Hawkins is closing the chapter on his English teaching duties, Jan Johnson is putting the finishing touches on her 43-year art teaching career here, and Alicia Laporta-Orange must bid us “adios.” We wish these teachers all the best!
 

Reminders:

Father-Son Golf Outing
The BSM Father-Son Golf tournament is set for this Friday, May 20, at the beautiful Lakeview Golf Course in Orono. This is a rain or shine event. The Best Ball Tourney (9-hole event) will have a 5 p.m. shotgun start. Arrival time is between 4:15 and 4:45 p.m. The cost is $35 per adult (father) and $25 per son and includes dinner. Please note that registration will close at noon tomorrow, May 19. More information and online registration is at www.BSMschool.org/father-son. 

Senior High Finals for Grades 9-11
Senior high final exams for students in grades 9-11 are Wednesday, June 8, and Thursday, June 9. Parents and students are reminded that attendance during the scheduled exams times is critical. If an emergency situation arises, or sudden illness, students will be allowed to make-up exams. 

Senior High Graduation Practice
Practice for the commencement exercises will be held Wednesday, June 1, and is mandatory for all seniors. Students must be seated by 8:30 a.m. Practice will last approximately two hours. Please do not make any doctor appointments or schedule work that will conflict with this practice. No student will be allowed to leave practice early. Failure to attend practice will prohibit participation in commencement.

Graduation Tickets
Each senior will receive six tickets allowing entrance to the commencement exercises in June. Seniors will receive their tickets to the ceremony at practice. Seating is limited for this event. Graduates do not require a ticket. BSM does not provide additional tickets nor does it have a waiting list for additional tickets. You may contact other BSM families and secure tickets independently.

Graduation Dress Code
Senior High
Seniors are expected to wear the traditional gown and cap during the commencement exercises in June. Graduation caps and gowns will be delivered to seniors during graduation practice on June 1. The graduation gown and cap are red. The cap is the only headpiece allowed and must be worn flat on the head. Females traditionally carry a bouquet of flowers provided by BSM. Seniors with outstanding tuition accounts, detention, fines, missing athletic equipment, or miscellaneous items will not receive their cap, gown and tickets until all outstanding debts have been satisfied.

There is a strictly enforced dress code for graduation. Any student found out of dress code will not be allowed to participate in the commencement exercise. Females are required to wear either a dress, skirt or long dress pants and blouse. Skirt or dress should not be longer than calf length. Shorts or capri/cropped pants are not allowed.  Natural, white, or no hose are acceptable. Shoes should be dress flats or dress sandals. Tennis shoes, clogs, “flip-flops” or excessively high platforms are not acceptable. Males are required to wear long dress pants, dress shirt with a collar, an appropriate tie and dress shoes. Tennis shoes or any open-toe sandal are not appropriate. The dress code requirements regarding hair and facial jewelry detailed on page 32 in the 2010-11 Student Handbook do apply the evening of graduation.

Junior High
The dress code for 8th grade graduation is as follows:  a dress shirt and tie for boys and dressy clothes for girls. Girls are not allowed to wear strapless dresses or excessively tight, short skirts (as our dress code states, skirts and dresses should come to the knee or below), or low-cut tops. Shoes should be dressy and, for girls, ones in which the student can go up and down the bleachers in the Great Hall. The apparel of both boys and girls should be fitting for Mass. 

Host Families Needed
Benilde-St. Margaret’s is seeking host families for the 2011-2012 academic year for the following international students:
• Erin Choi (current grade 9, from Korea). She is interested in bowling, Math League, Red Knight Volunteer Corps, skiing, and speech.
• Kyoung Yeon Cho (current grade 10, from Korea). He is interested in sports.
• Jack Lee (current grade 11, from China).
• Maxim Lu (current grade 11, from China).
• Sherry Sui (current grade 11, from China). She is interested in math.
• Aureiko Zhang (current grade 11, from China). She is interested in track.
• Zewen Cao (current grade 10, from China). He is interested in bowling, Math League, table tennis and Youth in Government.
• Makoto Noda (current grade 10, from Japan). She is interested in volleyball, drama, and table tennis.

Please contact Kate Leahy in the Admissions Office if you are interested in hosting a student for the year. She can be reached at 952-915-4344 or kleahy@BSMschool.org.
 
Carpools -- Metro Transit Rideshare
A new carpool program, New SchoolPool, has been created by Metro Transit Rideshare. Families looking for carpool lists can sign up online at www.metrotransit.org/rideshare. Detailed instructions are available at www.BSMSchool.org/transportation  “How to Create SchoolPool Ridematch.” Use our Pin:  BSM2501.

Special Note:  BSM no longer submits family information to Metro Transit Rideshare; individual families MUST register to receive this information.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the BSM Transportation Department at transportation@BSMschool.org. Check out a SchoolPool flyer.

Automated Calendar Notifications
"Notify Me” notifications through the Master Calendar can now also be sent via cell phone. Click on the Calendar link in the footer of our website, www.BSMschool.org, and click on the Notify Me link at the top. To update your feature and add a cell phone number, follow the prompts and complete Screen #4.

Summer Camps
There are still openings for our various summer camps, but early registration deadlines are quickly approaching. This year, BSM is offering 16 camps throughout the summer, including orchestra, lacrosse, service-learning, hockey, drama, tennis and others. Find out more at www.BSMschool.org/camps. If you know of others who may benefit from our camps program, please encourage them to visit our website.
 
   Guidance News 
Registration deadlines for upcoming SAT and ACT tests:
• June 4 SAT – late deadline is May20
• June 11 ACT – late deadline is May 20
• For a complete listing of SAT and ACT deadlines for the 2010-2011 school year, go to www.collegeboard.com and www.actstudent.org, respectively.
• Remember to list BSM’s school code, 242-202, when registering for these exams.