February 27 Parent Pulse
Posted 02/27/2015 03:22PM

Volunteers Needed For BASH 2015 GAMEDAY

Each year, Creighton Prep relies on hundreds of volunteers to make BASH a success, especially current parents, past parents, alumni and friends. It’s a Prep tradition and a great service to BASH and the school.

Please click HERE to reach the BASH 2015 GAMEDAY adult volunteer sign-up page then select “I’ll be there” just to the left of the volunteer timeframe and role you prefer. Thank you!

Your sons also were notified on Friday, February 27 by email of the need for student volunteers for BASH 2015 GAMEDAY, along with a link to the student volunteer sign-up page located HERE. Many, many student volunteers are needed and BASH volunteer work is a fun and important way for them to contribute to Prep and be men for others.

 

Congratulations to the Creighton Prep TEAMS Squad 

Congratulations to the Creighton Prep squad that participated in the recent TEAMS (Test of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science) competition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Prep was state champion in Division 4 and placed second among the 18 teams from nine Nebraska high schools. The Prep squad members are Jack Bruck, Stephen Fluckey, Shane Grode, Matt Kowal, Logan McNeil, Don Nguyen, Nathan Singh and Nathan Skalka

 

LB 586 Information

Your immediate action is needed to stop a bill in our state legislature that would jeopardize the mission of Catholic schools. LB 586 would make “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” protected classifications under Nebraska employment laws. All persons have inherent human dignity and must be treated with respect. But LB 586 would require employers, including Catholic schools, to engage in employment practices that would affirm sexual behavior contrary to Church teaching.

Schools would also have to affirm employees who deny that their gender was determined by the Creator as either male or female and who choose another gender as a matter of personal choice. For example, LB 586 would prevent a Catholic school from reprimanding a transgender male coach who insists on using the girls’ shower and restroom facilities, or from renewing the contract of a teacher of human sexuality who announces to students that she is marrying her lesbian partner.

There is no religious exemption for the Church, and a proposed amendment is deceptive and does not provide protection to religious institutions. Please call or email your senator as soon as possible by phone or email with the message: Please oppose LB 586, regardless of any amendment that may be added or proposed. More information is available, and you can email your senator quickly and easily online at http://www.necatholic.org/ (“Take Action”). Senators can also be reached by calling the Capitol at 402.471.2788.

 

Parent Awareness Coalition Resources Are Back

Parent Awareness Coalition Resources are back! The mission of the Omaha Catholic Parent Awareness Coalition is to communicate available resources to the families of Catholic high schools. The PAC Resources link “Parent Resources” provides direct access to websites from credible sources to the parent population. Our intent is to support open communication, educational information and social awareness of resources available to parents, reflective of our Catholic beliefs. Click HERE for more information.

 

Prep Moms Night of Reflection: Celebrating Grace in Lent – Thursday, March 5

All Creighton Prep moms are invited to momentarily step away from the busyness of the week and take a collective breath in the midst of Lent to notice and celebrate God’s grace and love surrounding us.

The evening will begin with Mass followed by wine, cheese, fellowship and humorous words of wisdom from Fr. Kevin Schneider, S.J.

RSVP to Erin Keller at asknrcv@gmail.com or 402.990.1733.



Creighton Prep Athletic Hall of Fame – Monday, March 9

Please join us on Monday, March 9 in the Henry L. Sullivan, S.J. Campus Center to honor the 2015 class of inductees in the Creighton Prep Athletic Hall Fame. The honorees will include athletes Ray Henningsen ’40 (dec.), Jack Diesing ’63, Ted Parks ’76, Bob Green ’78, Kevin Munro ’81 and Jeff Leise ’99. Also to be honored are former coach Fr. John Auer, S.J. (dec.), contributors Larry ‘69 and Shirley Good, and the 1981 basketball team.

The evening begins with a cocktail reception at 6:00 p.m. followed by a dinner and program at 6:45 p.m. The cost to attend is $50 per person or $400 for a table of eight.

Click HERE to RSVP for this event and HERE to see a copy of the invitation. See you on Monday, March 9!

 


Vote4Tommy – Your Vote is Needed!

Senior guard Tommy Pritchard has been invited to participate in the 3-point contest at the American Family Insurance High School Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships during Final Four Weekend and your vote for him is needed at www.HighSchoolSlam.com > Vote Now > Men’s 3-Point to help guarantee his spot in the competition. Please spread the word!

This is a bracket-style competition and the voting schedule is as follows:

You can vote once a day, every day. If you have a Twitter account, a Facebook account and put in your email, you can vote up to three times a day (one time with each). The winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 18 after voting closes at noon Central Time.



Creighton Prep Spring Break Driver’s Education Session – March 9-11

The Creighton Prep spring break driver’s education session provided by Cornhusker Driving School will be held March 9-11 with the following schedule for classroom instruction:

Please note that driver’s education is co-ed and open to students from other high schools. Driving times are arranged with the instructor. The cost is $375.

To register, please click HERE to download the registration form from the Prep website or visit www.cornhuskerdriving.com.

 


Just 57 Days Away – BASH 2015 GAMEDAY Set For Saturday, April 25!

Be sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, April 25 to attend BASH 2015 GAMEDAY, Creighton Prep’s 45th annual fundraising event! Your support of BASH is greatly appreciated and will be critical to the event’s success.

BASH plays a very important role in Prep’s ongoing commitment to deliver educational excellence to over 1,020 young men. The monies raised during BASH are a key component in our ability to keep tuition affordable for everyone, as well as to provide more than $1.9 million in financial assistance annually to approximately 45 percent of our students.

The BASH 2015 executive committee chairs are Mike Homa (live auction), Mary Johnson (decorations), Marty McCaslin ’80 (raffle), Jane McLeay (operations), Rob Reed ’85 (underwriting), Mari Rensch (silent auction), Karen Van Dyke (catalog) and Molly Witt (patron party).



Sophomore Conversations – Thursday, April 30 and Friday, May 1

All sophomores and their parents will meet with a faculty member on Thursday, April 30 or Friday, May 1 for reflection and goal setting. The conferences are appreciated by families and are effective in prompting conversations about strengths, areas for growth and goals for the next two years. You will be receiving more information about Sophomore Conversations later this semester through the Parent Pulse and email. Please save the dates of Thursday, April 30 in the evening or Friday, May 1 during the day to participate in the conversation. 



1:1 Program in 2015-2016 – iPad Requirements, Important Information 

iPad Requirements

32 GB iPad (iPad Retina Display 4th Generation, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini with Retina Display, iPad Mini 2, iPad Mini 3) with a protective case that protects the back and the corners of the device. $429 (does not include taxes) is the best price we have found for a 32GB iPad Air.

Important Information

Families are expected to purchase an iPad for each student they have enrolled at Prep. 

Good deals are available to the careful shopper. Searching the Internet is a good place to start. There is a robust online market (eBay, Amazon, etc.) where you can purchase used devices for less than retail.

Information on financial aid for iPad purchases will be available at a later date.

Please visit the 1:1 Program FAQs for more information. 

 


When Weather Conditions Are Threatening to Cancel Classes 

When weather conditions are threatening to cancel classes, information will be communicated through local media and SchoolMessenger, our emergency notification text, phone and email system. When an announcement is made concerning all parochial or Catholic schools through the local media, that announcement includes Prep.

Normally we use the single announcement to cooperate with other school officials who have made a careful study of pending weather/road conditions and to keep the message uniform for all listeners. Parents may keep a student home if weather conditions from their particular area to school are judged to be unsafe. Parents should notify the Dean of Students’ Office.

If school is canceled due to inclement weather or another reason, the daily schedule may be adjusted to account for the lost periods of instruction. Please use the following guide to determine the next day’s schedule:

 


Numbers to Note – iPad Dominance in Schools 

Apple’s iPad dominates the market for tablets in K-12 schools in the United States, according to recent estimates. This week, Apple officials offered a glimpse of what they say is the device’s major, and growing, presence in the overall, worldwide education space. In a conference call this week to report third-quarter results for the 2014 fiscal year, Apple executives said the company has sold 13 million iPads to education customers globally, in K-12 systems and higher education. That’s up from an estimate of 8 million of the devices sold, as of February 2013, according to a number of reports at the time. “We’re bringing teachers and students great new tools to build and experience educational content [on] an iPad,” Luca Maestri, Apple’s chief financial officer, said on the call. He was joined by Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. Apple officials made a point during the call of noting the iPad’s dominance of the K-12 tablet market. We reported last year that iPads account for about 94 percent of tablet usage in U.S. school districts, according to IDC Research. (“Apple Touts Strong iPad Sales in Global School Market.” Education Week, July 24, 2014.)

 


Focus Events for March

March 1-31 Youth Art Month; March 2, Spring Sports Practice Begins; March 8, Daylight Savings Begins; March 9-13, Mid-Term Break; March 9, Athletic Hall of Fame Induction; March 17, St. Patrick’s Day; March 19, Parent-Teacher Conferences; March 20, First Day of Spring; March 25, Faculty Tech Training; March 27, eBASH Begins; March 28, Senior Retreat (NO SCHOOL); March 29, Spanish and French Honor Society Banquet and Induction