Dear God,
This is my one-word prayer: PEACE.
I can’t see ahead.
I don’t know what to do.
Here are all my fears
and my questions… [share yours]
I want to experience Your perfect peace.
Let it be with me. Just as You say.
Hold me, God, so I can hear You whisper to me,
"You don't have to know the way. I do."
In Jesus' name,
Amen
- Bonnie Gray, from "Praying for Perfect Peace When We Can't See How"
Admissions Application Process Do you have younger children who are planning to be Red Knights? The admissions application is online here and very easy to complete. The application can be done at home and you simply have to request your child's school records to be sent to the BSM admissions office. Questions? Contact Samantha Savoie (junior high admissions) or Betsy Van Cleve (high school admissions).
Admissions Open House Help spread the word about our Open House, Monday, January 9, 6 - 8:30 p.m. If you know of any friends, relatives or coworkers looking for a Catholic, college preparatory school experience, please have them register here. Walk-ins are accepted as well. Word of mouth continues to be one of the most effective ways to connect with future Red Knights. Thank you for your continued support!
Semi-Annual Tuition Payment is Due The second semester’s tuition and technology fee has been billed and payment is currently due. For your convenience, invoices were mailed Wednesday, November 30; however, to view your tuition account activity online in PowerSchool, please click here. If you have questions or concerns regarding your tuition account, please contact Shané Sisco in the finance department at 952-767-3121. For issues with logging into PowerSchool or to have your log-in credentials reset, please contact the Main Office at 952-927-4176. Thank you for choosing Benilde-St. Margaret’s School!
Tuition Assistance Applications Tuition assistance applications for the 2017-2018 school year are now available. Tuition Aid Data Service (TADS) applications can be completed online here. Please note that all current families receiving assistance must reapply each year.
If you have general questions about the BSM Tuition Assistance program, please contact Shané Sisco, student tuition and financial aid specialist, at 952-767-3121. If you need assistance completing the TADS application or if you would like to check the status of your TADS submission, you may contact TADS directly at 612-548-3320. Tuition assistance applications for the 2017-2018 school year are due Wednesday, February 15, 2017.
Mission Trip 2017 Mark your calendars for Guatemala mission trip, July 9-18, 2017. Parents are welcome to email Matt McMerty-Brummer with any questions and more detailed information. Applications are due Tuesday, December 20 to to Sra. Hansen (room 136) or Sr. MB (room 139). For more information click here.
Father Daughter Dinner Dance - Save the Date! It is never too early to start planning for the new year. save the date, Saturday, March 11 for the annual Father Daughter Dinner Dance! All BSM senior high girls, grab your dad or favorite father-figure for an evening of dinner, music, activities and dancing. The Father Daughter Dinner Dance provides a truly memorable evening for the senior high girls (9th-12th grade) and their dates. Registration will open in January, click here for more information.
2017 Mother-Son Knight: Casino Royale Save the date for Casino Royale, BSM's 2017 Mother-Son Knight, Friday, March 31, 6-9 p.m. All BSM senior high boys (9th-12th grade) get your game on at Pinstripes with blackjack, poker, bocce and bowling. Enjoy dinner, win prizes and watch the senior boys salute their moms with the traditional song & dance and the moms return the favor. Registration will open in January, click here for more information.
Schedule changes for second semester will be made from January 9 to January 13. Students should see their counselor to make changes. Schedule changes will NOT be made for teacher or period preference. The counselor breakdown is below:
ACT and SAT For a list of all ACT and SAT dates and deadlines for the 2016-2017 school year, click here for ACT and/or click here for SAT.
Summer Enrichment Opportunities
The fall and early winter are good times to start thinking about enrichment opportunities for next summer. The BSM website has an extensive list of programs that colleges offer for high schools students. Some programs, such as ones sponsored by Duke University and the University of Notre Dame, have started accepting applications. Please see the Summer Opportunities page here for a complete list.
For Parents of Seniors
Regarding the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid): the 2017-2018 FAFSA on the Web Worksheet is now available online here. Completing the worksheet prior to online submission of the FAFSA is helpful. You must complete the FAFSA online if you are applying for federal student aid. There are three categories of federal student aid: grants, work-study and loans. Colleges have December - March priority deadlines for the FAFSA, so get your FAFSA completed and submitted as soon as possible.
Scholarships from colleges: Look on each of your colleges’ websites for scholarships. You can find this information in the admissions section of a college’s website. Typically, college scholarship applications are due between November and February.
Local and National Scholarships: To locate scholarship information in Naviance, from the home page, click on the "Colleges" tab and scroll down to the bottom of the page. The "scholarship list" and "National Scholarship Search" are located here. Other helpful sites can be found here, here and here. Scholarship searches should be FREE.
One scholarship example: BSM students are now eligible for a generous scholarship from the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation. The Foundation is looking to award students who have distinguished involvement in school, community and/or church activities while also showing significant academic achievement in high school. This student must show unmet financial need through the FAFSA. For more information and to apply click here. You must apply by the March 1, 2017 deadline.
Save the date for the junior high winter party Friday, January 27, 7-9:30 p.m. Highlights include: student DJ’s, bingo, ping-pong, basketball and inflatable human foosball in the Great Hall. Watch for more details following Christmas break.
Junior High Ski Day - Save the Date! The junior high students will be going to Buck Hill during the school day Monday, February 13. Students will chose between tubing and skiing/snow boarding. Cost for both is approximately $22. The cost for those skiing includes a lesson, lift ticket, rental and helmet. Watch for a permission slip after winter break.
Permission Slips Due The junior high will partake in a community building field trip Tuesday, December 20. The students will be seeing a movie after the Christmas Liturgy at the West End. Permission slips are due to every student's homeroom teacher by Friday, December 16. They are posted on Haiku, and need to be printed and signed.
8th Graders - Kindergarten Photo Deadline Extended Kindergarten-aged photo submission for 8th graders has been extended to Tuesday, December 20. This year, we have a brand new process for submitting digital kindergarten-aged photos for the 2016-17 yearbook. If you would like to submit a hard copy of the photo instead of a digital copy, please submit the photo in an envelope (that includes a note with the student's first & last name) to the junior high office. If you would like to submit a digital copy (preferred method), please read the requirements & process for uploading the photos in Ms. Shea's email.
Yearbook Needs Your Photos
Please email any photos to Amy Jo Hyde or Adam George. You can also upload them from your phone or laptop to the Josten's Yearbook site using the RePlayIt application:
To install the FREE app:
Go to your app store and search for ReplayIt.
Search: Benilde-St. Margaret's Junior High School
Create an account with a password
Upload a photo
Yearbook photos especially needed for the following fall sports:
Attention baseball players (grades 1-9), join BSM's baseball teams for the 2017 Winter Baseball Clinic. There are three clinic options and will be held Sundays (five) - February 12-March 12, 2017. For clinic information and registration, click here! All participants will receive a BSM baseball clinic t-shirt! Clinics will be conducted by Head Coach Tony Cicalello and coaches/players from the BSM baseball program, plus several former college players.
Purchasing HoneyBaked Ham gift cards is a great way to help BSM, with 20% of all sales going to support our school. With Christmas right around the corner, start planning that family dinner. Use HoneyBaked Gift Cards to shop online, order from the catalog, or go to any location nationwide. Choose from their signature hams, tender turkeys, delicious desserts or Heat & Serve sides. To buy your gift cards, click here. Please allow one to two weeks for delivery by mail. Encourage your friends and relatives to participate as well! If you have any questions, please contact Parent Association representative, Youa Smith.
Are you an Amazon Shopper? The AmazonSmile Foundation lets you enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices and convenient shopping as on Amazon.com. When you shop on AmazonSmile, the foundation will donate 0.5% of the eligible purchase price back to BSM, if you've designated BSM as your charity of choice. Click here to sign up! Tip: Always make sure you are using smile.amazon.com when shopping Amazon or set it to one of your favorites in your browser.
Treasure Hunt Garage Sale Small Item Drop-Off Here’s your chance to get started on your New Year’s Resolution of organizing and decluttering. There is another opportunity for Treasure Hunt donation drop-offs, Friday, January 6, 2 - 5 p.m. and Saturday, January 7, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Take your new and gently-used items including holiday decorations, clothing, books, toys, games, electronics and household items to door #15 at the NE corner of BSM (off Parkwoods Rd). Large items, such as bikes and furniture cannot be accepted until late April. Treasure Hunt is the largest Parent Association event fundraiser of the school year. This huge resale event, scheduled for May 4-6, is successful due to the extraordinary generosity of the BSM community. Learn more here.
The Spirit Shop is open through Tuesday, December 20, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. So come get some Red Knight gifts before it's too late! We have new merchandise including dog collars and leashes, newborn baby gifts, brand new baseball hats and fleece lined slippers. There is something for everyone on your list!
Spirit Shop hours are 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on school days.
