From the Head of School: Welcome back! I hope all of our St. Agnes Academy families had a restful and enjoyable summer holiday. We are ready for an exciting school year at St. Agnes and there is a lot of news to report. First, construction is underway on our Athletic Annex at Fondren and Bellaire. Our school's Athletic Task Force spent the last year determining how to best envision the use of our new facility and we are looking forward to launching our soccer, lacrosse and softball programs there next spring. The health and wellness of our students is front and center in our mission, and we will  incorporate an athletic goal in our strategic  plan which will address a strong intramural program as well as an enlarged competitive program. I am happy to say that this year our volleyball program boasts two ninth-grade teams - the black team and the gold team. We'll share more information about new and expanded programs thanks to the growth of our campus as the school year progresses.

We're always at work keeping our 48-year-old main campus facility at 9000 Bellaire maintained and we're committed to ensuring our campus matches the excellence of our learning environment. In keeping with that tradition, our gym roof was replaced this summer and we made other minor on-campus updates in the past three months. St. Agnes welcomes Sage Dining to the Academy campus this year; their service and menu is a great match for our community and students. We continue to support our "go green" efforts on campus, and encourage our families to utilize the recycling receptacle at the back of our campus and all of our recycling areas throughout the building.

I'm also thrilled to work with our new Executive Team: Deborah Whalen, Principal; Bridget Hennessey, Head of Advancement; and Leon Howard, Head of Finance and Facilities. Our team shared an excellent summer retreat with intense planning for the coming school year. We are thrilled to welcome your daughters back to campus next week and are looking forward to partnering with you for another excellent year at the Academy! God bless you!

In Veritas, Sr. Jane Meyer, O.P., Head of School

Greetings from the Principal's Office: Classes have not yet begun, but we are very much back in the swing of things on campus. The faculty began inservice on August 1st and we are energized and enthusiastic about the upcoming school year. Each school year brings new faces and changes to our program - and I am honored to be the one leading the charge. Assuming the role of principal feels natural to me and I promise that I'm up for the challenge! Here are just a few of the exciting things brewing for the year ahead:
• Our field hockey program has begun its inaugural year with nearly 40 girls trying out for our varsity and jv teams. They have braved triple digit heat with twice daily practices - and not one girl has quit! Most of the girls have limited field hockey experience, but Coach Pardue will undoubtedly have them ready for their first game against Duchesne on Sept. 24th. Go Tigers!
• Our new speech/debate teacher and coach Kate Wright has been busy scheduling 14 tournaments for the upcoming season. Students will have the opportunity to participate in debate, speaking and acting events. Ms. Wright brings many years of coaching experience to our program and hopes to attract more girls to the team. Stay tuned for more details!
• The Engineering Team lives on under the new leadership of math teacher Rob Lewis. He will be assisted by fellow Rice University graduate Allen Gregory as they plan to continue the tradition of competing in the BEST competition this fall. The St. Agnes team will also collaborate with the Strake Jesuit engineering team in the FIRST Robotics competition in the spring. Last year, the Roaring Crusaders won an award in their very first appearance at the FIRST competition. Interested students should watch for details about an informational meeting on Monday, August 22. It is going to be a GREAT year!
-Deborah Whalen, Principal

Changes to student parking: This year student parking will be handled by the business office and will no longer be distributed through the Dean of Students' Office. The procedure for distributing the tags will remain virtually the same.
Here the steps required to obtain a parking tag at St. Agnes:
1) Download and complete the two (2) parking forms
2) Bring those forms and a check made payable to St. Agnes Academy in the amount of $100 to school on the following days - a. Seniors: Tuesday, August 16 (after school in the Fleming Room A) and Juniors: Wednesday, August 17 (after school in the Fleming Room A)
3) Spaces will be divided into areas (Pine Tree lot; back lot; front lot) and will be distributed STRICKLY ON A FIRST COME/FIRST SERVED BASIS. You will not be able to choose your particular space, but you will be able to choose your "lot."
After the seniors and the juniors have received their spaces, the remainder will be distributed to sophomores with valid drivers' licenses. These can be purchased directly from the Business Office during the school day on Thursday.

Volunteer at SAA: What would St. Agnes do without wonderful volunteer parents? Please take a minute to fill out this survey to let us know where you might be interested in serving for the 2011-2012 school year. Please click the link and login to AcademyConnection to access the Dads' Club Survey and the Mothers' Club Survey.

Field Hockey Kicks Off at SAA: Field hockey started Monday and we've had 35 girls brave the heat for two-a-day practices! They are girls from every grade and experience level, and all of them are thrilled to be a part of the inaugural field hockey teams. Our new coach, Dr. Pardue is "pleasantly surprised at the leadership and skill level" of the girls. Go Tigers!

Come and see the Spirit Store: The SAA Spirit Store will be open Friday, August 19 following the SAAMC Welcome Back Coffee. Please come by and look at our new merchandise: window decals, sweatshirts, umbrellas, SAA string bags and more! The store is routinely open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., and for special events. Our online store is always available for your convenience.

Welcome back! Check out the first issue of Counselors' Corner here.

Get ready to kick off the school year with the Dads' Club. Mark your calendars to attend our first meeting, Monday September 12 at 6 p.m. in the Cafeteria with guest Rick Wertz, speaking on "How to be a Faithful Father."  Stay up to date with all the Dads' Club activities here.

-Richard Becker, Dads' Club President
rich1beckr@aol.com

The Welcome Coffee this morning was a great success! A big thank you to Debbie Sohmer and Kathleen Moreland and the other volunteers who assisted.

I hope that the school year starts smoothly for everyone. Please mark you calendars for our first Mother's Club meeting: Wednesday, September 7th at 11:30 a.m. in the Fleming Room. A light lunch will be served and then we will conduct the business portion of our meeting.

-Nancy Loncarich, Mothers' Club President
nancyloncarich@yahoo.com

The Booster Club is very excited for the St. Agnes Academy kick-off of our fall sport line up. We would like to extend a huge welcome to our new sport field hockey and coaches Robert Pardue and Debbie Vinelli! We would like to encourage all parents to join us at our monthly meetings on the second Wednesday of each month. We have a light, informal dinner in the choral room at 6:15 p.m.and our business meetings start at 6:30 p.m., ending promptly at 7:30 p.m. Our mission is to promote school pride and team sprit, and to raise funds needed to fill budget gaps for all sports. Our primary fund raiser is the concession stand which is open for most home sporting activities. It is also open from 2:50 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays on regular school days. We have many volunteer opportunities; please contact me via e-mail if you would like more information. Our first meeting is Wednesday Sept. 14, check the web site for a complete list of meeting dates.

Therese Whaley, Booster Club President
theresewhaley@sbcglobal.net
home 713-789-2259
cell 713-254-9000