All Saints Day Mass - Tuesday, Nov. 1: As a community, we will celebrate All Saints Day 8 a.m. Tuesday in the St. Agnes Auditorium - where we will honor our alumnae who died in the past year. We invite members of our community to enter the names of your deceased loved ones here and they will be placed on the altar during our celebration.

Tuition Payment News: The tuition statements for the second semester will be mailed this week. You should be receiving them soon. If you do not receive your statement within the next week, please contact the Business Office to verify we have the correct mailing address. Please be advised that you can now pay by check through our online payment process.

Double Triple Trio @ RenFest!: Don't miss an opportunity to hear the beautiful sounds of the Double Triple Trio as they perform at the Texas Renaissance Festival this weekend! The group consists of the St. Agnes Triple Trio and the Strake Jesuit Triple Trio. The festival is held from 9 a.m. to dusk in Plantersville. For more information, click here.

Fall Play - "Acts of God:" The SAA Theatre Arts Department is preparing for their exciting new play, "Acts of God," premiering Nov. 4, 5, 11, 12, & 13. The show is an emotional, inspirational story about survival and new beginnings after a tornado has destroyed a small town, as told through the eyes of 12 high school students. We will be recreating a tornado inside our auditorium, and so we're looking for debris for our set! Please get your donations to us no later than this weekend. The theatre arts dept. thanks you in advance for all your support and help!

Attention Band and Orchestra Parents: This Tuesday, Nov. 1 is our next Music Booster Club meeting at 7 p.m. in the Band Hall. Our Christmas concert is scheduled for Dec. 3 and we will be hosting the TPSMEA All-State judging on Dec. 6. We need a lot of volunteers for these events. There is still time to join the music booster club and take advantage of your complimentary tickets for the Christmas concert. Simply go to www.strakejesuit.org and select Students/Music/Music Booster Club.

Green Club needs your electronics recycling: Pallets for electronics donations are available in the Rotunda, Auditorium Foyer and Gym Entrance! Flat-screen TVs only are welcomed. Buckets also are available for used batteries. Please bring your items the week of Nov. 14! The Green Club is accepting toner, ink cartridges, and cell phones all year and those can be brought to Mrs. Vincent's room (S201).

Holiday Shopping is in the air!: As you begin making your list and checking it twice, be sure that St. Agnes' Legacy Gala is on it.La Bella Notte will feature exciting live, big board and silent auctions and will be more successful with donations from our friends, families and community. Please click here to visit our gift registries for ideas for items to donate. For a donor form, click here. Remember that the American Cancer Society 2011 HOLIDAY SHOPPING CARD starts this week and runs through Sunday, November 6, 2011! Some of our registry stores will honor the 20% discount on all purchases, so it's the perfect time to pick up that special item to donate. Local retailer Magpie's, owned by SAA alumnae and current parents, is one such store. Visit any of their three locations (5000 Bellaire Blvd, 4837 Sweetwater Blvd, 12344 Barker Cypress Rd.) to do your holiday shopping and check out the wish list they have put together for gala donations! Grazie and fare spese felice (Thank you and happy shopping)!

Grandparents' Day is on Monday, Nov. 21: Invitations were sent out to all grandparents last week! Please be sure grandparents RSVP by Nov. 10 to Brooke Leibe or 713.219.5401.

Friday Cake Pop Sales: The Campus Ministry Team is selling cake pops every Friday at lunch to raise money to drill a borehole at a Dominican school in Africa, in partnership with the Living Waters Project. Come and eat cake!

Senior Yearbook Ad: It is her last year of high school, show her how proud she has made you. Contact Ms. Thompson at 713-219-5506 or at kthompso@st-agnes.org to purchase an ad in the 2012 edition of the SAA yearbook, Veritas. Click here for more details. Space is limited so be sure to contact us early, we will be on a first come basis. ALL ARTWORK AND MONEY DUE 12/1/11.

SUMMER TOTAL IMMERSION PROGRAMS ABROAD: Save the date(s): Nov. 2 (ISP) and Nov. 4 (LPI) at lunchtime in the Library Conference Room (from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Nov. 2 and from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 4) to visit with program representatives. Parents and students are cordially invited! One of the most important goals of the Foreign Language Department is for students to become fluent in the language they are learning. We encourage them to travel abroad and experience different customs and culture firsthand. St. Agnes students have availed themselves of the following total immersion programs during the summer.Amigos de Las Americas is a total immersion program that allows participants to live with an "adopted" family and help the poor in underdeveloped countries. Volunteers can pay for their own air fare or raise funds for this purpose (there are also a few scholarships). Participants earn credit for their senior service project. For information call 713-782-5290 ext. 125 or e-mail. Summer participants must commit by early November. You may also contact two of last year's participants for more information - Emily White or Lindy Reame. The director of the Instituto San Pedro, Chema Martin San Pedro, will be here on Nov. 2 to personally explain the benefits of a summer immersion program at ISP. This summer course lasts five weeks and students live with local Segovia families. Visit their Web site for more information or contact Mrs. Moore.

STUDY ABROAD FOR COLLEGE CREDIT: Parents and students are invited to visit with representatives from Learning Programs International (LPI) - a total immersion program for foreign language students - on Friday, Nov. 4 at lunchtime in the library conference room. LPI will present information on the 2012 summer study and volunteer abroad programs. Come learn about how you can earn college credit while studying abroad in Spain, Costa Rica, Peru, France, Italy or China. Also learn about volunteer opportunities offered by the LPI Global Impact programs where students can earn college credit and volunteer service hours. For more information visit the LPI Web site. You may also contact Mrs. Moore for more information.

Summer Odyssey - Enjoy Two Weeks Touring Italy!: Enjoy your summer dream tour of Italy with SAA parents, teachers, and students departing May 31, 2012. Stay in great hotels located in the historical city centers and explore the Vatican, St. Peter's, the Catacombs of St. Sebastian, Villa Borghese, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Orvieto, Siena, the Cathedral of Florence, the Palazzo Vecchio, Palazzo Davanzati, Assisi, and Frascati. There are far too many sites included in our itinerary to list but no quick "drive bys." We value a slower travel pace, allowing our participants the opportunity to soak up the culture, explore, and enjoy. Tours are scheduled creatively, such as a private Vatican tour at night and afternoon tours of the Uffizi and the Accademia when the crowds have thinned. Expert guides combined with experienced tour leader and SAA's art history teacher (Laura Costa) will enrich your visit to each site. For brochures or more information, please contact Laura Costa.

The Counseling Office has important information for our parents this week about - Junior Parent Information Night recap; PLAN for sophomores; financial aid information for parents; and timelines and suggestions for test prep. Please click here.

The next Dads' Club meeting 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7 in the cafeteria. Please join us for another insightful conversation with a visiting expert.

Crystal Morrison comes to us with a long career of working with teens. She currently manages the High Road program at The Council on Alcohol and Drugs - Houston. She's a licensed professional counselor and supervisor. She received her master's degree in clinical psychology and is currently a doctoral student at Sam Houston State University. Utilizing her understanding of a teen's cognitive, emotional, and social development, Crystal will share strategies for fathers to help their daughters cope during the challenging teen years. Her compelling personal story, which illustrates her understanding of the pressures our daughters face, is both hopeful and inspirational.

We hope to see you all there!

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

The class of 2013 will be hosting a Faculty/Staff Appreciation Lunch on Wednesday, Nov. 9. If you are the parent of a junior and interested in helping by baking a dessert or making a cash/gift card donation, please contact Alice Rohrman.

Sorority Information Night is fast approaching! Mark your calendars for Nov. 14. If you were in a sorority and would be willing to support our SAA girls by writing recommendations, please contact Joni.

Our next Mother's Club meeting is noon next Wednesday, Nov. 2. HOWEVER, WE ARE IN NEED OF SOME HELP! We need to stuff letters for both the Gala and the Christmas donations. If you are able to help with this, we will be there at 11:15 a.m. and we would love to have you join us, followed by lunch and a short meeting!

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

Field Hockey: St. Agnes' inaugural field hockey season came to a close this week with the first annual Black & Gold Game. The varsity team donned their gold uniforms and the JV wore black as they showed their parents how much they learned this season. It's amazing that 23 of the 39 players had never seen the sport before because they sure looked good on the field! The three seniors were honored during halftime, proud that they were able to help launch the sport for their school. Danielle Benn, Katie Bobo, and Caroline Sage all received a yellow rose as part of senior night. Thanks to the Booster Club the night was capped off with mini cupcakes from Crave Cupcakes. Way to go, Tigers!

Tiger Lax: Tiger Lacrosse will have their last Saturday practice 10 a.m. to noon tomorrow at St. Agnes. Next week, they will begin weekday practices at St. Francis de Sales (SFdS). Players, please be on the SFdS field by 4 p.m. for practice. If you don't drive make sure an older player has a spot in her car to get you there. It is only about a mile down the road, off of Bellaire and Mary Bates, at 8200 Roos Rd. Parents, pick up is at 5:30 p.m. at SFdS. Important note about practices: We will be holding tryouts both this Saturday and on Tuesday, Nov. 1 for the Texas Best traveling team which will be going to Austin Friday to Sunday, Nov. 11-13. You must be at practice one of these two days in order to try out for the tournament team. Please bring a check (made out to Tiger Lax) for $75 to tryouts. This check covers clinic fee, tournament fees, and coaches weekend expenses. Your check will not be cashed if you don't make the team.

We have many sport activities going on around campus, it is amazing to see so many girls participating in our programs! This past week Cross Country finished their season placing eighth over all in the TAPPS state finals of 16 teams. The volleyball team ended their season with a second place finish in our district and most of the team will be returning next year for what will be a great season. Field hockey also completed their season last week with the annual Black & Gold Game.

Our winter sports are now in full swing and our swimming and diving team advanced to a 2-0 start defeating Duchesne by 87 points. We had several first place finishes including Sophomore Angel Hoang who won the 200 IM & 100 Fly, and is close to breaking the school records in both. Basketball will open their season with a home scrimmage Saturday against Waller High School and an away scrimmage Tuesday against Jersey Village High School. Look for the soccer team to take the field on Nov. 8 at home against the John Cooper School.

Now that the weather has cooled off consider coming to one of our games and cheering on our girls. The next Booster Club meeting is 6:15 p.m. Nov. 9 in the Choral Room. Go Tigers!

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

SPIRIT STORE

The Spirit Store is proud to announce the arrival of our new sterling silver Veritas charm. It is perfect for either a necklace or bracelet. It can be purchased either as a charm or with a 16" sterling silver box chain. This makes a stunning gift set for alumnae, grandparents, parents, or students for Christmas, birthdays and graduation.

The Spirit Store now carries AC adapter power cords and stylus pens for all student tablets.

Please excuse our mess! The Online Spirit Store is currently under reconstruction. Please be patient as we update photos of all our current merchandise.

The Spirit Store will be open for the following upcoming events: Sunday, Nov. 13 for "Acts of God" and Monday Nov. 21 for Grandparents' Day.

Store Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
During Store Hours, contact Marina Cernoch at 713-219-5486
After Store Hours, contact Leland McKinney at 713-219-5461
Online Spirit Store