DON BOSCO PREP “Empowering Young Men for Life”

Please find in this issue:

Article Page Director’s Message 2 Pastoral Goals 2012-2013 3 Principal’s Letters 4-5 AP for Student Affairs 6 From the Finance Office 7-9

Article Page Nurse’s Notes 10 Guidance News 11 SAT Course 12 Spring Musical 13 Mothers’ Guild News 14

Volume 93 January 2013

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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT

January 2013 Dear Parents and Students, “In the evening of our lives, we will be judged on love.” So wrote the mystic St. John of the Cross. And more importantly, so taught Jesus, who commanded his followers to love one another. “As I have loved you, so must you love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) And that is why the third of our four pastoral goals for our school community in these years reads as follows:

So many of us have been blessed, materially and otherwise. We are richly gifted and have much to be grateful for. But “from everyone who has been given much, much will be required.” (Luke 12:48) What we have is really not ours to keep. It is meant to be shared with those who are without. Listen to how St. Basil put it: “The bread which you use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.” Thus, at Don Bosco Prep, we have food drives, for distribution to the hungry through local food banks. Thus, we have clothing drives, for delivery to the naked through local agencies. Thus, our Mission Club raises funds, to provide school books for kids in India and school desks for kids in Poland. Thus, our Speak Out Club makes sandwiches and delivers them to the homeless in downtown Newark. Thus, our freshmen prepare and serve lunch to the disadvantaged at St. John’s Soup Kitchen. Thus, our seniors and some adults will go to Nicaragua over winter break and build a home for a poor family. Thus, our graduation requirements include 100 full hours of volunteer service to the wider community. It is not enough for us to study the way of Jesus. It is necessary for us to practice the way of Jesus. It is not enough for us to teach the principles of social justice in our theology classes. It is necessary for us to live the practices of social justice in our daily lives. Let us do so. And let us do so with great generosity. With affection and gratitude,

Father James Heuser, SDB Director/President

Goal #3 Don Bosco Preparatory High School

educates all members of the school community to live a spirit of Christian stewardship and service to others.

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Don Bosco Preparatory High School – A Salesian Educative and Pastoral Community –

Pastoral Goals 2010 – 2013

Goal #1: Don Bosco Preparatory High School forms adults and young people in a relationship with Jesus Christ

animated by strong Catholic and Salesian values.

Goal #2: Don Bosco Preparatory High School promotes an educative and pastoral community centered upon our students and their families

with a united group of staff, faculty, administrators and Salesians.

Goal #3: Don Bosco Preparatory High School educates all members of the school community to live a spirit of Christian stewardship

and service to others.

Goal #4: Don Bosco Preparatory High School fosters a culture of academic and personal integrity, doing the true and the good as Jesus did, contrary to the popular, convenient or self-serving.

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FROM THE PRINCIPAL

January 2013 Dear Parents/Guardians, Greetings and Happy New Year as we enter 2013! I hope that everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas season, and was able to spend quality time with family and friends. Christmas is a wonderful time to reconnect, rejuvenate and remember the presence of Christ in our lives. It is with good fortune that it precedes the New Year and new beginnings! I have always found January to be a wonderful time for sincere reflection. Named after the Ro-man god Janus, who looked both behind and ahead, it is a time to reflect on the past year and to “make resolutions” for the future. For many people these resolutions often have to do with diet and exercise, organizing one’s self, etc. At the same time, however, we need to look back at the past year and see where we can improve in our relationships with others, our personal happiness, and our spiritual growth. Just like the resolution to lose weight (one of mine!), there are no magic formulae for these resolutions. Our personal happiness and spiritual health call us to commit ourselves daily and work hard towards short-term goals. Over time, these resolu-tions become less a “regimen” than a lifestyle. I hope that the first semester of school has pro-vided us all with some goals for the New Year, and has firmed our commitment to personal growth. Let’s not wait until it is too late, and the opportunity has passed us by. The Christmas season has indeed brought us many blessings. Our annual Christmas Toy Drive exceeded expectations in the number of toys the boys collected for Salesian elementary school students in Elizabeth, New Jersey. On December 16th, a group of youth ministry mem-bers hosted a Christmas party for the children at which the bags of toys were distributed. I couldn’t have been prouder of our young men for the great expression of generosity and love which poured from their hearts! At the same time, we remember as a community those who died in the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy. We are reminded that there is, at times, darkness in our world. The coming of Christ reminds us to be hopeful, even during times of trial. Let us continue to remember in our prayers the families of Newtown, as well as members of our own community who struggle with loss or illness during this time. During the month of January, we commemorate St. John Bosco, founder of the Salesian priests and brothers and the patron of our school. The school community will celebrate his feast on January 31st, along with every other Salesian establishment throughout the world. We also welcome to our school during the week of December 21st-24th, Fr. Tom Dunne, SDB. Fr. Tom is the provincial of the province to which Don Bosco Prep belongs and will visit us to ex-perience the wonderful things going on in our community! This is a great time for us to come together as a school community to celebrate our lives in Catholic, Salesian education. I wish you all a Happy New Year, and let’s work together towards an exciting and fruitful se-cond semester. God Bless!

John Stanczak John Stanczak, Principal

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Dear Parents/Guardians, During these past several weeks, we have been reminded of the presence of darkness in our world as a result of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. This act of evil has affected all of us, especially those with school-age children. There is no easy explanation for the events which occurred and we are all left look-ing for answers and grappling with such horrible acts of violence which afflict our world. Let us continue to pray for peace for the families affected, and for peace in the world in which we live. This event has also generated, understandably, many questions to my office regarding school safety and protocols. Again, these random acts of violence leave us, at times, without any easy answers. Nonetheless, I want to take a few words to make you aware of the procedures which the school has im-plemented over time to ensure, as best we can, the safety of your sons. A few years ago, the school underwent a comprehensive risk management profile under the direction of a national security firm. As a result, several facilities changes were made to the school campus, includ-ing the removal of bushes and trees for better sightlines, the installation of new lighting in some areas and the replacement of all school classroom locks with security locks which allow securing the class-rooms from the inside. At this time, a new visitor policy was also instituted, which requires all visitors to our campus to report to the main office and obtain a pass. I would ask your cooperation in making sure that, should you come to visit the campus, that you, too, follow these procedures. Adults in our school community know to direct all visitors to the main office and/or to report any visitors without a pass imme-diately. Each year, teachers and staff receive orientation in the school’s emergency procedures, including proto-cols for evacuation and lockdown scenarios. This orientation is provided to the students in the form of “directed” drills at the start of the school year, and these drills are reinforced throughout the school year. Personnel from the Ramey Police department visit with our school periodically to help evaluate our pro-cedures, which they will again be doing within the coming days. I discuss school crisis procedures on a regular basis with local, county and state officials to help understand and implement “best practices” in school crisis preparation. My office is equipped with a police radio which provides me with immediate access to local police, as well as every school in Ramsey. There are additional measures in place which, for the sake of security, I cannot make public. Know that we are doing everything we can to ensure that our school is kept safe from harm. Nonetheless, we exist on a large, beautiful campus with multiple areas of access and our students utilize three separate buildings throughout the day with 21 different areas of access. Of course, one of these buildings is a private residence for the Salesian priests and brothers. We cannot prevent every possible scenario. It is my hope and prayer that we have created a safe community, while at the same time main-taining an atmosphere of welcome. It is my further hope that we continue to work together to identify needs within our community to ensure that our boys enjoy a “life of the young”, with all it includes, most especially a freedom from fear and potential harm. I am open to hearing suggestions or ideas you may have; please never hesitate to reach out to me. Sincerely,

John Stanczak John Stanczak

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FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS

I hope that all of you have enjoyed a peaceful and happy Holiday season. As we move toward the end of the second marking period, we are continuing to note that a number of our students are not complying with school mandates. This is a matter of concern as the mandates in the Student/Parent Handbook (Agenda) are quite clear and reminders/warnings are, in a number of cases, not being heeded. January 2013 has just begun and all students are reminded that there are a number of months to go before the end of the school year. Seniors especially are reminded that it is much too early to begin celebrating their anticipated graduation. Please be reminded that the dress code requirements are noted on pages 53-54 of the Handbook. Clothes that are similar or “close” to Flynn and O’Hara are not acceptable. The fact that some students have not yet been disciplined regarding their attire does not mean the dress is acceptable. Please review the Dress Code, including the sec-tions on formal wear and hair. Parents are requested to cooperate with the school regarding the use of cellular devic-es. These rules can be found on page 52 of the Agenda. Unfortunately, in a significant number of cases, students in violation of the cell phone rules have been found to be communicating with parents in regard to non-emergent issues. Parents are reminded that students can be contacted through the school office, if the need should arise. The penalty for improper cell phone use is detailed in the Handbook. Generally speaking, it is important that both students and parents actually take the time to read the Handbook that they have acknowledged receiving and reading. This acknowledgement also contained an agreement by parents and students to abide by the school’s policies and procedures. In a number of situations, students and parents have noted that they were not aware of certain mandates that are clearly noted in the Handbook. While all items noted in the Handbook are important, parents are requested to pay par-ticular attention to the above noted issues, as well as the sections that relate to attend-ance, scholastic policies and athletic eligibility. Parents and students are again remind-ed to review the “Detention” section of the Agenda which can be found on pages 48-49. If you have any questions regarding the Handbook mandates or any other related is-sues, please contact me at your earliest convenience. I wish you and your families a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Best regards, Ed Nekel

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“Don Bosco Has a Student”

January 2013

Dear Parents and Friends of Don Bosco Prep, Three years ago this office wrote to you about some of our boys and their families. Under the heading “Don Bosco Has A Student”, I highlighted the situation of a number of our boys in urgent need. I tried to tell the story of each boy and explain how the difficult “economic times” have personally touched their lives. Sometimes it was not an “economic situation” that brought pain to our boys and their family; some-times it was a “sad medical situation” or a terrible “tragic event” – often touching the hearts of the entire family. These are not boys “in need”; these are boys “in extraordinary dire need”! And it is not an easy message to convey to you. In the end, I asked for your help for these boys – any donation at all toward their tuition. I prayed to God for a good response. You always responded. Your response – I’m sure – depended upon what you could do. In 2009-2010, we raised $83,600.

In 2010-2011, we raised 212,000. In 2011-2012, we raised $84,743 (last year)

For each year (some better than others) we give THANKS to you for your gifts and prayers. And we give PRAISE to God for His Love and motivating of His people. What a grace you are for many boys and their families as the Christmas Season drew near.

* * * * * * * * At this time, I would like to humbly present to you another 10 of our boys who are “in extraordinary dire need”! What I am about to write, I write each year. I will struggle between attempting to give you enough infor-mation to help you understand what some families are facing, and at the same time trying to maintain the family’s anonymity and integrity. I do this in prayer, asking you “Can you please help?” Don Bosco Prep has Student #1. This is a sad situation indeed. Student #1 always wanted to attend Don Bosco Prep – ever since he was in grade-school. He now faces a situation where both parents face life-threatening diseases. No one knows how long either parent has in this life. Aside from his financial need, this boy embraces emotional and social need. He has found much comfort in his classmates, his teachers and the Salesians.

From the finance office

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Don Bosco Prep has Student #2. Here is a situation of a boy who loves Don Bosco indeed. Following the death of his father who died several years ago, his mother made it clear to him that she was not concerned with paying a tuition for the boys high school. The boy – along with certain family members and benefactors – have been help-ing him get through Don Bosco Prep. But as a Junior, it’s getting more and more difficult. Don Bosco Prep has Student #3. Here is a boy who would touch anyone’s heart. The boy is a survivor of a dreadful disease. And while he must watch the signs of this disease, he does a magnificent job at Don Bosco Prep. As his medical bills have soared, his mom has returned to school to better herself in order to get a higher-paying job. This boy is hoping to strengthen himself to someday play a sport. Don Bosco Prep has Student #4. This boy is a junior at Don Bosco Prep. About a year ago his father died. His father was the bread-winner of the house. The house soon went into foreclosure. This boy and his 2 siblings took part-time jobs to help at home and to help pay for their tuition. Don Bosco Prep has Student #5. This boy is suffering terribly from the loss of his father who died unexpectedly several months ago. His father was a retired member of a local police department and a strong figure in the home. For this boy, it seemed, that everything fell apart in his life. Don Bosco Prep has Student #6. I came to you the past 2 years mentioning this boy’s situation. I wrote: “you can’t even talk about (this). You just have to trust me. I have a boy in terrible need. Please help.” The situation is about the same. Your response and blessings have been good for this boy. This deserving young man has re-sponded to the “good things” in his life, and it will present a brighter future for him. Please continue to help him. Don Bosco Prep has Student #7. Here is a boy that has just enrolled at Don Bosco. He comes from the inner-city and wanted to be here for a long time. Just a short time after he started class, we received the news that this boy’s mother had died. The boy was emotionally upset. His partially disabled father took a low-paying job to help to fami-ly. Don Bosco Prep has Student #8. The boy has just gone through a terrible and bitter separation of his parents. During the ordeal, his father made clear to him that he would not pay for any tuition for high school, especially DBP. The boy wants so much to be here but often suffers emotionally. Don Bosco Prep has Student #9. This is a family that loves Don Bosco Prep. In the past two years the father has been struggling with a terrible debilitating disease resulting in medical set-backs. This has resulted in financial crisis and the boy fears having to leave Don Bosco Prep.

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Don Bosco Prep has Student #10. This is a sad story. Here, the father and son always had a wonderful bond. And it was their joint wish

that the boy would attend Don Bosco Prep. Shortly before registration, the boy’s father died. The mom wished to carry out the wishes of her husband and registered her son at DBP. Without a strong bread-winner it has become difficult. The mom has taken a second job just for this.

Please know that all the above students already receive the maximum allowed financial aid of $3,000 from the school. They are from a pool of students very much in financial need. I have chosen 10 students. I have many other students I could write about. Also, please know that no student is ever dismissed from Don Bosco Prep because of the reasons demonstrated in the narratives above. We do however try to recuperate tuition amounts for budget reasons, to pay our teachers and utility bills. So now, I go back to the question I presented to you in the beginning of this message: “Can you help?” That’s the purpose of this message. And I sincerely Thank You for your attention to this message. If you feel that this letter touches your heart – or maybe just your mind – then perhaps you may wish to help. A donation “in general” or “toward a particular student” would be very much appreci-ated. It is tax exempt, and will remain anonymous unless other arrangements need to be worked out. Simply fill out the form below and return it to the Finance Office.

Thank you. God Bless you and your families abundantly. And please, say a prayer for these boys. Father Jim Marra, SDB, Finance Office

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Please accept my donation toward the Don Bosco has a Student message. Name_________________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________________________ City_______________________________________State________Zip_____________ Phone ________________________________My Contribution $__________________ Please put my contribution toward: In general: _______________________________ Toward student # _________________________

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Physical Exam Forms Explained

Having reviewed several hundred Athletic Physicals for Winter Sports, I felt it was a good time to go over a few key points about the required paperwork. *A physical exam is good for 1 year. So, a physical that was done in August 2012 is good until August 2013. A physical that might have been valid for one season’s tryouts may be expired for the next sport. Always refer back to date of physical exam. *The physical must be completed on the appropriate form. The Annual Athletic Pre Participation Physical Evaluation Form is the only form accepted. Make sure the Doctor knows this at the office visit. Bring the form with you to Doctor’s office. Make sure the Doctor completes all sections, clears your son for his sport, signs, dates and stamps the form. *A physical exam includes Part A (filled out and dated by parent) and Part B (completed by physician) together equals one yearly physical exam. Forms can be downloaded from Health Services page on Don Bosco Prep website. Yellow cards are available in Health Office or with Athletic Trainer.

In Summary: -Check date of last physical exam (part A and B) that is on file in Health Office. -if the physical is more than 365 days old, and your son is trying out for a sport, we will need a new Physical Exam, Part A and B and a yellow card. -if physical is current, but more than 2 months old, and your son is trying out for a sport, fill out a Health History Update and a yellow card. -Neither a yellow card nor a Health History Update will substitute for an expired physi-cal exam.

Always return paperwork to the Health Office. Make copies of your records in the event that something is lost. Call me with any questions. Make every effort to get paperwork handed in early. I need time to review the forms and clear the students before they try out for their sports. Thank you.

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas and a Healthy New Year, Mrs. Cena RN

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GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT

MEMO FOR SENIORS

******IMPORTANT DEADLINES******

The Naviance website has a listing of all SAT and ACT deadlines for this school year. You are partic-

ularly reminded that:

January 7 – Deadline to notify your counselor of the colleges you are electronically applying to

with a due date between February 1st and 28th. Paper applications are to be submitted to

the Guidance Office by this date.

January 11 – Registration deadline for February 9th ACT Test

Late registration deadline for January 26th SAT/SAT Subject Tests

January 18 – Late registration deadline for February 9th ACT Test

January 24 – FAFSA/Financial Aid Workshop, 7:00 p.m., Auditorium

January 26 – SAT/SAT Subject Tests

It is critical that students meet the deadlines set by colleges and Don Bosco.

IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED AN ACCEPTANCE LETTER, PLEASE STOP BY THE

GUIDANCE CENTER AND SIGN THE COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE BOOK.

MID-YEAR GRADE REPORTS

A 7th semester transcript/GPA will automatically be sent to all colleges at the end of

January/beginning of February.

MEMO FOR JUNIORS

January 14h – Mandatory guidance meeting for all juniors and parents

concerning the college application process, 7:00 p.m. in the

auditorium.

Sophomores and Juniors

March 2013 College Tour The college tour will be in mid-March. The tour will be open to

sophomores and juniors. The tour will be heading south -

more information to follow.

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Don Bosco Music Department Announces

the Musical this year will be…

Show Dates

March 15, 16 & 17

March 23 &24

Any questions please contact boscoplays@gmail.com

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January 2013

Dear Bosco Moms, Happy New Year and welcome back! We are thrilled to begin another year at Don Bosco Prep and hope that 2013 brings everyone peace, love and good health!! December was a fun month for the Mothers’ Guild. We had our annual Sweet Swap, which was a smashing success! The cookies and treats were delicious and there was plenty to go around! Thank you to everyone who participated. A great big thank you to Fr. Jim for the beautiful tree lighting ceremony and a very special thank you to Senior Tim Gysin for providing the lovely Christmas music for the evening. In addition to The Sweet Swap, the Mothers’ Guild helped the Student Council and Youth Ministry host a Children’s Christmas Party at Our Lady of Guadalupe Academy in Elizabeth, NJ. The party included pizza and a visit from Santa. Each child received a special gift and goody bag. Our freshmen moms provided baked goods. (THANK YOU FRESHMEN MOMS!). It was a wonderful experience for all involved. Looking ahead, the Mothers’ Guild will be going to Broadway on March 12

th, 2013 to

see Motown, a brand-new musical! Orchestra seats, bus transportation and a boxed dinner from the Market Basket will be offered for $150.00. Seating is limited so please get your reservations in now. Checks, payable to Don Bosco Prep, should be mailed to Debbie Citro 25 Falling Waters Oakland, NJ 07436. We are very excited for this trip as we will be going with the DBP Alumni Moms as well. A great show and a great op-portunity to connect with new friends and old! Our first meeting for 2013 will be held on Monday, January 7, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. Our guest speakers will include representatives from our Guidance Department and George Mihalik from Admissions! Results of the Fashion Show will be announced and we will be looking for volunteers for the Class of 2017 Registration scheduled for Saturday, February 2, 2013. We hope to see you on Monday evening! Warm Regards, Kathleen Martorano and Theresa Ruoff Co-Presidents