The Day After...What a Week!

As 2013 winds down (holy moly, the days  are flying by!), life at AHF is never boring...always busy...keeps reminding us of the goodness with which we are surrounded.

This week, we celebrated Thanksgiving early.  We joined the entire AHF community with a number of the Sisters who live in the Holy Family Motherhouse.  This was a great treat, especially since the tradition has been for the Sisters to share a pre-Thanksgiving meal with the Resident students.  This time, ALL of our students...Day and Resident...welcomed the Sisters to Hanlon Hall for a dinner prepared with all of the trimmings!  Miss Fran and Coach Tina prepared the meal, with Mrs. Sobanski's Foods classes providing the desserts.  It was a menu fit for any family's dinner table, and we were blessed to share it with our AHF family.  

We were also treated with some entertainment that included some of our talented students, as well as an unexpected presentation by one of our beloved alumnae :) Here is Sr. Lucette favoring us with the famous "Turkey Song!"

On Friday night, 11/22, the Concert Choir hit the road to leave their mark on the Providence Bruins' rink at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.  Singing "America the Beautiful," these eight, talented and lovely young women, totally rocked the arena with their two-part version of the beloved song.  The oldest (and smallest) of the three groups that performed, they demonstrated a level of performance that really set the bar pretty high.  Following their performance, they enjoyed the game with friends, family and fans, and were treated to a Bruins win over the Bridgeport Tigers.  

What's coming up  next?  Teens in Action is sponsoring the first of two traditional FILL THE BUS! sessions at the Norwich Stop & Shop.  Check out the link for more info!

And now, to prepare for the week to come.  As always, thank you for your interest in the Academy of the Holy Family, and for supporting us in any way that you can!

Have a blessed day!
Mrs. T

Tech and Girls is the Way 2 Go!

Dear Friends...
November has arrived, and has brought the traditional "If the weather changes every day, you must be in New England" surprises with it!  

We have begun our Salt & Light theme for the month: Gratitude With An Attitude, and are hoping to help raise the awareness of everyone at the Academy in regard to what they are receiving from others.  What do we receive (small and and large "gifts") from others that impact our lives every day?  So far, so good!

So, this "STEM" business...exactly, what is it?  Simply, it is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.  Traditionally, these areas have been challenges when seeking equal educational opportunities for girls and young women.  At the Academy of the Holy Family, we work to consistently develop these areas for our students, and we do this by offering a strong curriculum in each of the categories, as well as by providing valid, co-curricular activities to support them.  

In an effort to continue this work, we have begun a fundraising campaign through Indiegogo, and we are calling it Tech and Girls is the Way 2 Go!  We invite you to visit our page to read the description of our campaign.  While you're there, check out the "perks" that we are offering to our donors.  They range from a lovely package of notecards that feature full-color photos of landmarks at the Academy of the Holy Family to a five-course gourmet dinner for four!  There is also a link that you can share with others that will direct them to the page:
 http://igg.me/at/AHFTech

We ask that you pray for the success of this campaign.  If you are able to donate, we will be tremendously grateful for your support.  Please share the news with anyone you know.  The more voices we have sharing this update, the better.  At the Academy, we do our best to make sure that all of our students reach their potential: spiritually, academically, physically and socially.  Thank you for your interest in our ministry of Catholic education!

Long weekend?  Yes, indeed!  Most importantly, it is a long weekend for us because of those who have served or are presently serving in the U.S. military.  We remember them in our prayers, as we continue to pray for peace in our world.  

Have a blessed day!
Mrs. T

Catching up...Salt and Light at a Very Cool School!

Hello, dear friends!
It has been a while since I've posted, but you deserve an update on what has been going on at AHF. All of it has been a combination of amazing and blessed. Our community is committed to infuse the three Goals into all aspects of life at AHF for the duration of this year. We have embraced an Academic Goal: Continuing to promote writing across our entire curriculum; a Social Goal: Continuing to strengthen the sisterhood and strengthen the connections between our day and boarding students; and a Spiritual Goal: To be Salt & Light to all we encounter (Matthew 5:13-16).  

First, our students have really been coming together and creating community.  I love watching them as they interact in Hanlon Hall, in their classrooms and on the soccer field.  We are so blessed to be able to observe their growth; socially, academically, spiritually and more.  The saying, "Where friends become family" is so evident, regardless of where you look around campus.  

Secondly, our co-curricular activity selection has just grown in leaps and bounds!  One of our newest ones, the Human Rights Club, received a great kick-off when AHF hosted a High School Invitational to celebrate Peace One Day.  Students from St. Bernard School and Marianapolis Prep arrived on our campus for sessions with visiting speakers, a soccer challenge and a game of dodge ball, a chance to share lunch and a FlashMobDance.  The Human Rights Club is now preparing their programming for the rest of the school year.  Among their efforts, the young women in this organization are focusing on Children's Rights

Our Teens In Action club, a long-standing organization at AHF, got off to an outstanding start to their year as they sponsored a pot-luck supper to raise funds for Andrea Dellarco-Legore, teacher of English at the Academy who underwent a double-lung transplant.  By the grace of God, Andrea is recovering, and we look forward to having her rejoin us at the Academy.  The girls have been doing a great job of keeping her up to date with what has been going on during the day with their videos, "selfies," and more.  

The Guardian, the AHF newspaper, is off and running.  As of this writing, its staff has produced its first edition and is currently completing its second.  Hard copies are distributed on campus, but you can read The Guardian by following this link.  We look forward to future editions of this great effort that combines our students' writing, technology and artistic skills!

So much more...so much more!  If you didn't catch it during its debut airing, you can watch AHF on WFSB's Cool Schools, as our students and faculty shared four reasons why the Academy is just SO cool!  Here are some photos of the taping that took place when Meteorologist, Mark Dixon and Videographer, Mike Fisher visited us for a morning.  Memories were made, the word about AHF's COOLNESS was shared, and what a day it was.  

Have a blessed day!
Mrs. T

Meet Cedric, one of our Guidance Office staff members.  Cedric's name was voted upon in two rounds by the entire AHF community, and he received his name on the Feast of St. Francis.  

And, we are OFF!

The countdown is over, and the 2013-2014 academic year at the Academic of the Holy Family has officially begun!

PowerWeek 2013 was a terrific experience for everyone involved.  It has been especially grace-filled to greet the students as they arrived.  Of course, the young women who were new to AHF showed a bit of nerves, but it didn't take long for the veteran students to swoop them up and carry them along into life at the Academy.

New students participated in placement exams for Math and English.  Our international students also had the chance to have their abilities in reading, writing and speaking the English language assessed.  Returning students prepared display boards that were to be used to spread the word about our co-curricular activities.

Returning students through the Student-Family Handbook, including the opportunity to ask questions about policies and "what if's."  The Class of 2014 did a great job of designing and leading "ice breaker" activities.  Hanlon Hall was alive with laughter!

Our students met their Homeroom Teachers and had the chance to begin building or continue strengthening the bonds that make each Class so unique. Our Activities Fair served a number of purposes.  Besides giving all of the students the opportunity to learn about the activities that have been part of life at AHF, they all had the chance to learn about new activities that are debuting this year.  Finally, the Activities Fair really gave our returning students the opportunity to shine as leaders.  They stepped up and represented well.  It is true: The leaders of tomorrow walk our halls today!

Mid-September...and we are on a roll!

We are mid-way through September, and it is so difficult to believe that it wasn't that long ago that we were counting down to the start of Power Week!

Our students have arrived...classes have begun...the halls are literally buzzing with activity and a special, wonderful energy that can only be found in an environment that represents a community in its best form.  

You already know that the Academy of the Holy Family serves young women from the United States and around the world, and has students who reside with us and also live nearby and are considered "day students." As the days progress and we observe our students interacting in classrooms, in the leisure areas (commonly, outside of our work area...they LOVE that hallway), and Hanlon Hall, we have a firsthand glimpse into how their comfort level increases.  We can also see how our motto "Where friends become family" becomes a reality.  During a recent Faculty Meeting, one of our teachers stated that she really couldn't tell the difference between the Boarders and the Days (always a plus).  In my own class, Concert Choir, I've observed students helping one another as they've started on the journey to become musically-literate.  Native English speakers calmly assisted their sisters who are English Language Learners during rehearsals in the most natural and loving way possible.  As an educator, I have to say that it is observations such as these that tell me that we are on the right track.  We are doing things well, and giving our young women what they need.  

Our website is up and running, with each of our Academic areas getting their pages set up.  Our Full Calendar is available online and you can find our Outings Calendar can be found there, too.  Edline is in full bloom (don't forget to check your daughter's page), and we are settling into the comfortable rhythm that is the hallmark of a school that is blessed with a staff that knows their job and does it well.

Co-curricular activities are absolutely BOOMING around the campus!  Our standard offerings continue, but new ones have emerged.  Saturday outings are in full swing, and will soon be available to our Days, as well as Boarders.  

Life is good at AHF.  There is no simple way to describe what that means...far too complex a balance of spirituality, academics, social growth and more.  If you are in the neighborhood, stop in for a visit!

Have a blessed day!
Mrs. T

p.s.  We will be having a very busy week coming up, with Bishop Cote celebrating our Opening Mass on Monday, 16 September, and our two day observation of World Peace Day on the 20 and 21 September.  Look for an extra posting this week!

Live...from Baltic...it's...AHFBALTIC.ORG!

Our website is officially updated and live!  We thank God for the gift of creativity and how it has been used to develop social media.  Hopefully, you'll stop and visit the new site and let us know how it looks and works.  It is a work in progress, and it is our hope that it gets as much information about what makes AHF so unique out to the rest of the world.  Literally, the rest of the world!  

Features to look for:

• Downloadable forms for Admissions...
• Overviews for each of our Academic Departments...
• A Directory of our Faculty and Staff emails...
• A listing of our co-curricular activities...
• Pages for our Home-School and Alumnae Associations...
• The capability to translate our site's content into any language (look for that button!)...
• And, more.

There is so much to say about AHF that it is difficult to get it all in during regular conversations.  While it takes a certain amount of time and energy to maintain a website (or blog), I have always found activities such as these to be relaxing (to a point) and, honestly, just plain fun to do.  The thought that we can post news here in southeastern CT and have it immediately available around the globe is difficult to describe...in a good way, of course.  

We'll keep the website as fresh as possible.  Along with our Facebook page and our Twitter account, we truly hope to be able to reach as many people as possible.  That includes those of our families that live in another hemisphere.  

With more to be done to get ready for the next week and beyond, have a blessed week.  Please continue to pray for peace!

                                                                                                 ~Mrs. T

Twelve days from Homecoming...

Seriously, there must be a way to visually represent the excitement that is building as we get closer and closer to the arrival of our young women at the Academy!  As of today, we're at 12 days from our Boarders arrival.  Some of them will be coming to AHF for their first year, while others will be returning home.  One more day, and our Day students will join them.  All will be "home."

Home.  This is what the term "homecoming" really means.  I'm just about 39 years away from the day that I graduated from my own high school, and I can honestly say that it is still an incredibly special feeling to go back to visit.  It feels like I have returned home after being away for a while.  There is comfort. There is familiarity.  There are memories that I share with a very select group of other women. Last year, Mother Marie Julie, our Superior General, asked one of our international students "Where do you live?"  The young woman answered, "Here."  Mother asked her again, "Where is home?"  The young woman clarified, "This is my home.  My family lives in _______, but this is my home."  Home.  

Although I only had to "travel" around the corner to get to my high school, I understand what this young woman was explaining.  To think of someplace where we are able to establish relationships with those who start out as strangers and can actually become our sisters...what a blessing!  This is a cycle that will return to the Academy on the 25th of August.  Our young women will arrive on our doorstep and the tradition of becoming family which began over 130 years ago will renew itself. 

Please pray for our young women as they prepare to return to their home in Baltic.  Some will be traveling from halfway around the world, while others will simply walk up West Main Street.  Regardless of where they are coming from, they will be coming Home.  I'm excited for them, and I hope that you are, too.  

The Final Countdown (feel free to listen to the music in your head)!

These days, life is all about COUNTDOWNS.  They are really helping us keep track of where we are with our preparations for the start of the 2013-2014 school year.  This counting down of what is left of the summer is definitely bittersweet. Before we know it, vacation will be done, but getting down to those single digits means that our halls will be lit up again and filled with that very special kind of energy that has made the Academy of the Holy Family so special for over 130 years!

So, back to our COUNTDOWN!  Every day, our young women find a post in their email inboxes from me.  Scary thought, eh?  An email from your Principal...during the summer...every day!  Not really scary, honestly.  There is a creative number graphic, followed by a "friendly reminder" ranging from "How's that summer reading coming along?" to just about anything else that relates to the start of the school year and how our young women can get the most out of this year, as well as their preparation for it.  This is important for all of our students, whether they are coming from right in Baltic, or from around the globe.

In previous years, the week leading up to first day of classes has been referred to as "Transition Week."  Much takes place during this week, including the administration of placement exams for our incoming freshwomen and transfer students; Class meetings, Club gatherings and start-up meetings, and so much more.  Speaking from my personal perspective, what I find especially exciting is the chance to get our young women fired up about being part of a fantastic community of learners and teachers...about being part of a family, regardless of where they are from.                                                      

This year, we wanted to think of something that would really get everyone in the Academy fired up.  The concept of a lightbulb kept coming up, especially the image of one of the new energy-saving bulbs.  You might actually use them in your own home.

This is actually known as a CFL bulb, standing for Compact Flourescent Light.  Well, those initials have taken on a new meaning for us at the Academy of the Holy Family. "Transition Week" is now known as "Power Week," and our young women are going to be welcomed with a tremendous amount of energy...our own unique, Academy of the Holy Family energy!

And, this is what we have come up with:                       

The schedule for Power Week 2013 will be finalized this week, and will be sent out to our young women and their families.  Yes, we are excited!

And now, for that music that you can hear in your head:

Until next week, have a blessed day...please pray for peace!                             

~ Mrs. T

Who will you make peace with?

If you were to look at my bucket-list, you would find the #1 "to do" to be "meet St. Francis of Assisi."  Since I will have to wait until my time here on Earth is done before I have any chance to do that, I'll settle for doing my best to follow in Francis' footsteps.  Sure, I am open about my love (some call it an obsession, but I don't know why) for animals, and I try my best to be a good steward of our environment, but the aspect of Francis' life that I love the most is likely that of being a peacemaker.
That's not to say that I don't get angry when I'm stuck in traffic, etc., but, that's a story for another blogpost.

This year, the Academy of the Holy Family is participating in World Peace Day, but doing it over two days.  Yes, I guess we might be considered overachievers.  However, the two days are going to really be special in their own ways.  I think that the most exciting part of this is that we are literally going to be joining people from around the world while we do it.  Not small change, I'd say!

On Friday, 20 September, the Academy will be hosting students from the other five Catholic high schools in our Diocese for Peace One Day - High School Invitational  Visit our link to see a Facebook Event Page for more information.  Let me just say that the speakers list is already starting to look so ex- citing, that it is really difficult to contain our excitement!

On Saturday, 21 September, the Academy is inviting families and friends from the Diocese and local communities to campus for World Peace Day - Families and Friends Invitational.  As excited as I am to have students from the other schools coming to "our house" on that Friday, the thought of having families join us for a full day peace-making activities is way over the top with excitement!

Those Event pages are going to include schedules as they develop, so please revisit them.

The theme of World Peace Day 2013 is "Who will you make peace with?"  www.peaceoneday.com reminds us that Peace is not just the absence of war.  It is the absence of domestic violence, racism, hunger, community violence, and more.

Please pray for the success of both days.  Much work to be done...

Our poster for the High School Invitational...

     For the Families and Friends Invitational                          

In case you hadn't seen them, just two photos of Joy during our summer vacation.  She has her sea-legs, as evidenced by these shots of her on a whale watch.  Nope.  I'm not obsessed.  *shrug*  Have a blessed day!

Digging Our Iggy at AHF...the best way to spend July!

We keep our Facebook page as fresh as possible and, while it may look time consuming, it is really great fun to find items of interest that are spiritual, educational and, even, humorous in nature.  

During the month of July, we have been Digging our Inner Iggy with the help of our brothers, the Jesuits (also known as the Society of Jesus).  Now, this affiliation might seem a bit odd since the Jesuits are a male Religious order...there are no female Jesuits...but, since the Academy of the Holy Family is so strongly based on our Catholic Identity, and is an educational institution, we can gain a great deal from the Jesuits.  They are, after all, commonly known as the most Intellectual Catholics.  Besides being spiritually strong, they tend to have quite a sense of humor!

The Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order, is celebrated on July 31st.  Ignatian Spirituality is a really rich website that offers so much to us all, regardless of whether we live a vowed or ordained religious life, are members of the laity, are young or old.  There is something on that website for everyone!  

Now...Digging our Inner Iggy is a day by day journey through some interesting spiritual exercises.  Some of them are easy, others are difficult.  Some are extremely serious, and others are laugh out loud hysterical.  There is something there for everyone, and that's the point of Digging for YOUR Inner Iggy.  

Since July 1, I've been posting the exercise for the day on our Facebook page, and have been getting some interesting responses. 

I guess I look at this daily posting from the perspective of a teacher (big surprise, I know).  I hope that the graphic that I attach to the link will attract the attention of our loyal Friends.  Then, I hope that they'll read the exercise and, hopefully, internalize what they're reading.  What does it mean for them...what does it relate to in their lives?  Literally, where can they find Ignatius' (aka Iggy) philosophy in their everyday lives?

This week, things are really going to heat up because they will lead up to Ignatius' Feast Day.  If you haven't visited the past Digging posts, it's not too late!  Check them out and see if you can find Iggy in your life!

May your day be blessed!

peace,

Mrs. T

Peace One Day 2013...celebrating One World @ AHF

On Friday, 20 September, the members of the Academy of the Holy Family community will be celebrating Peace One Day 2013.  We will be observing this special event with schools and communities around the globe, and will be enjoying the chance to study ways in which we can truly become people of peace.  Stay tuned...it is going to be a life-changing day!

Peace One Day 2013

Co- or Extra...The Choice is ours to make

So, does growth while in school only take place during classes?  Can our students actually learn from what goes on in clubs, from drama productions, and other non-academic activities?  Of course they do!

Besides having the opportunity to experience activities that are new and challenging, students are provided with many "side" opportunities that can positively impact the depth of their learning.

Check out this article from the National Association of Secondary School Principals to read more about just some of the ways in which our students can benefit from being involved in co-curricular activities: 

http://www.principals.org/portals/0/content/48943.pdf

More supportive info from the Colorado High School Activities Association:

http://www.chsaa.org/about/Superintendent/The%20Case%20for%20HS%20Activities%20No%20Pictures.pdf

Fashion Sense...the tradition continues

As someone who wore a school uniform for four years of high school (didn't wear one in our Catholic elementary school...not sure why), I have to say that I really didn't mind it.  My school's uni has changed since 1974, but my Kearney sisters will always remember our green plaid skirt, white blouse, green weskit or blazer and the infamous green knee socks. I have to say that I was so impressed with the way the AHF students wear their unis.  They manage to honor the dress code, but their individuality still shines through.  

Summer Living @ AHF...no girls, but plenty of activity

As I finish the transition from my former job to my new life at the Academy of the Holy Family, I am overwhelmed by how natural it feels.  Perhaps natural isn't the correct word.  It is more of a case of feeling like I am "home."  

Of course, our girls have gone back to their own homes, which means that they are literally across the globe.  While we adjust to their absence, there is still so much work that needs to be done within our campus.  My BFF Joy came to school with me last week, only spending a day but making SO many new friends.  As you can see by the photos, she actually matches the Sisters, even as they wear their summer Habits.  She did try to make a break for it over to the Cloister side, but we got her back.  In the meantime, she made herself comfortable in my office, found a really fun space up in Sister Mary Sarah's loft/office, and just had a blast.

While we're doing our summer tasks, we can't help but look ahead to when the girls will return to us. 

Life is very, very good, and so is our God!

Sr. Charles greeting Joy in the Guidance Office.

Joy watching Pat very carefully.  It is what Border Collies do, after all :)

Sr. Mary Sara, our Bookkeeper, has her office space in a loft (very cool).  Joy's Border Collie brilliance makes her a perfect candidate for Sr. Mary Sara's assistant.

Sr. Monica Mary stopped by to say "hello," and got Joy's tail moving and grooving!

Sr. Agnes and Joy share their smiles.

Mother Julie, our Superior General, had met Joy earlier in the week, so her smile was familiar to Joy.

Trees were being taken down from in front of the Academy and the Motherhouse.  Can you see the gentleman harnessed up at the top of the tree?

Joy supervising from the back room of the Health Suite.

Demonstrating leadership or being bossy...

This quote from the National Association of Secondary School Principals was the reminder that I needed...perfect timing...thank you!

"Leadership is about taking people to places they've never been before, and we can't go to those places without courage.  Leadership is courage in action.  Courage gives us the energy to move forward.  Courage gives us the confidence to believe we can make it.  Courage gives the strength to sustain ourselves in the darkest hours.  Courage enables us to leave a legacy that declares, "I was hear and I made a difference."  ~Kouzes & Posner

Visit this link...so worth the read/view:

http://www.govexec.com/excellence/promising-practices/2013/04/sheryl-sandberg-talks-women-leadership-and-lean-daily-show/62279/

Mother's Day...looking ahead

Good afternoon and Happy American Mother's Day!

I specify "American" since I have found out that other country's celebrate on other days, which is really quite cool.  It is a quiet Sunday here, and I am in the company of my four-legged and two-winged children right now.  Our full family celebration will take place this evening.  As a result, I have plenty of time on my hands to just think.  These days, time to think = a luxury.  

While time is winding down at my present job, I'm realizing that my time with my students is ever-so-limited.  As my thoughts race around how I will tell them that I'm not returning to their school, I'm looking ahead to my work at my new school...and I'm still pinching myself to check and see if it is actually a reality.  I am becoming more familiar with the girls as I see them several times a week.  Their smiles are becoming more relaxed, and they actually call me by name (always a good thing).  Before I know it, they will have become a part of that incredible weave that I call "my kids."  Thank you for indulging me as I look ahead at what that weave will create.  
Peace.

The rug in this image is done in the traditional style that inspired the composer Morton Feldman.  His compositional style was influenced by the uniqueness of the weave, and the fact that, although the design looks symmetrical, it always has distinct differences that are difficult to find...but they are there.  The collaborative work is a thing of beauty, but there is always a sense of individuality within it.  

Winds of change are set to blow...

Welcome to some thoughts from the side office.  Depending on your perspective, it is either a place in which a lot of paperwork gets done, an occasional student will come in for one of those "chats," or any number of other things.  

My time back in the classroom only lasted a year (a really good one, too), and I'm headed back to the side office as principal.  It has been nearly forty years since I've been in an all-girl academic environment, having graduated from my own high school back in the day.  I cherish the four years spent there, and feel so blessed to be able to share in the same type of environment with a new generation of young women.  

A heads-up on a few things: you'll see references to Broadway musicals ("Defying Gravity" from Wicked  and 'Winds of Change are set to blow...' is a quote from Pippin's "Morning Glow").  As a music director/conductor/keyboardist, Broadway musicals are a big part of my life.  If you see a certain, blue-eyed Border Collie, that would be another big part of my life by the name of Joy.  She will likely turn up where you least expect to find her.  If she had thumbs, well...we'd all be in trouble.  

I hope that you'll enjoy my posts.  I also hope that you will comment back.  Working in a community makes the efforts all the sweeter.  I welcome the opportunity to exchange ideas regarding education, school communities, and more with you.  
Peace!