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Time Warner Transitions to Comcast - Update your e-mail address with SAA
Many of you are transitioning your internet service provider from Roadrunner to Comcast. When your service is changed, please remember to log in to AcademyConnection and go to Update My Profile to make the change to your e-mail address. By changing it online, we can insure that the change is reflected on your record as well as all email distribution lists. We want to be sure that you do not miss any important e-mail updates that may go out.

Gifts of Learning Breakfast - Wednesday
Please join us at the Gifts of Learning Breakfast kicking off the 2007-2008 Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow Annual Fund at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 19 at the Junior League. Please contact Sophia Furnace '78, Director of Annual Giving, at sfurnace@st-agnes.org if you will be attending. Please call Sophia with questions. See you then!

Feeling Lucky? Come to see fall musical
You've got to ask yourself two questions: "Do I feel lucky? Well, do I?" If you see the St. Agnes Academy fall musical, "Lucky Stiff," you’ll feel very lucky. "Lucky Stiff" is the second SAA black box musical production directed by Jeremy Wood with assistance from Felicia Miller. 

"Lucky Stiff" is a musical farce in the best sense of the word! The complicated and, hysterically funny plot involves one dead body, a shy English shoe salesman, $6 million in diamonds, and a lot of dogs! The fast-paced humor and witty lyrics are the foundation of the show. SAA will present "Lucky Stiff," September 19-22 at 7:30 p.m. and September 23 at 2 p.m. in the Auditorium.

The casts includes: Adrian Claveria, Isabel Greiner, Stephen Janda, Andrew Loperena, TyMessina, Katherine Noble, Letty Perez, Jessica Rodriguez-Morris, Walker Smith, and Kate Winderman. The crew includes: Amy Aquino, Cate Eby, Elizabeth Kajs, and Maggie Welch. Tickets will be sold in advance during lunch (September 17 thru September 21) by the SAA Cafeteria for $7. Tickets at the door will be $10.

Phonathon volunteers needed
Sign up for the Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow Annual Fund phon-a-thon for a fun-a-thon!  You can participate in two ways - one way is to help out and volunteer for one or more of our annual giving evening phone-a-thons. These evenings last three hours - volunteers meet other volunteer parents, have dinner, and reach out to make sure everyone has received their letters from Sr. Jane Meyer, O.P. to ensure participation in our annual giving campaign. The dates are: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16; 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17; and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2 and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3. The second way we ask parents to help is to remember that volunteer parents, parents just like you, will be making these phone calls on behalf of St. Agnes and Sr. Jane to help our school and your daughters. Current parent George Crawford is leading the way with this year's Annual Fund as chair. Please come and be a part of it - contact Sophia Furnace '78 at sfurnace@st-agnes.org or 713.219.5402.

Dear junior and senior parents:
On September 18 your daughter will be hearing a presentation by Fr. Roy Bourgeois.  Fr. Roy Bourgeois is the founder of the "School of the Americas Watch," a not-for-profit organization dedicated to informing the public about and shutting down the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the School of the Americas, located at Fort Benning in Georgia.
Roy Bourgeois was born and raised in a small town in Louisiana.  He was a naval officer for four years and was awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded in combat during the Vietnam War.  He joined the Maryknoll Missionary Order shortly after being discharged from military service in 1968.  He was ordained in 1972 and worked for the poor in Bolivia for five years.  Because he spoke out against the injustices that he encountered, he was arrested and kicked out of Bolivia.
He became involved in El Salvador after four U.S. churchwomen were raped and killed by Salvadorian soldiers.  He was friends with two of the nuns who were killed.  These killings and more, including the murder of Archbishop Romero, were traced back to graduates of the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning.  Although its stated mission may be positive, the School of the Americas has been accused of promoting military tactics that include torture and other atrocities; human rights advocates and faith based peace and justice organizations such as Pax Christi have joined the effort to close the SOA/WHISC because of its long association with human rights abuses.
Some of its more infamous graduates are:
• El Salvador death squad leader Roberto D'Abuisson
• Panamanian dictator and drug dealer Manual Noriega
• Haitian coup leader Raoul Cedras
• 19 Salvadoran soldiers linked to the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter
• Col. Julio Roberto Alpirez, Guatemalan officer linked in the deaths of an American innkeeper
• Hector Gramajo, former Guatemalan defense minister found liable in United States court for abduction, rape, and torture of Sister Dianna Ortiz, a United States citizen
• Argentinian Dictator Leopoldo Galtieri, leader of the "dirty little war" responsible for the deaths of 30 civilians
• Two of the three killers of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador
• Ten of the 12 officers responsible for the murder of 900 civilians in the El Salvadoran village of El Mozote
• Three of the five officers involved in the 1980 rape and murder of four United States churchwomen in El Salvador
Fr. Bourgeois has worked tirelessly to get the School of the Americas closed because of the atrocities and human rights violations that have been carried out by its graduates.  His peaceful demonstrations have landed him in prison, yet he is undeterred.  His effort to close the institute has been supported by more than 145 U.S. American bishops, including our own Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Fiorenza, because it is in keeping with the Christian call to be peacemakers and to uphold the sanctity of human life. 
Congress has worked to reform the institute.  Just last June an amendment to cut funding for SOA was defeated by a narrow margin indicating that Congress recognizes some of the problems with SOA.  However, the U.S. military argues that the institute is vital to U.S. security and promoting peace and democracy throughout Latin America.  The military maintains that the institute cannot be held responsible for actions of some of its graduates.  The curriculum has been modified to address human rights concerns.
In our effort to expose our students to efforts for peace and justice and to people who are advocates for the poor and marginalized, we want to give our students the opportunity to hear him speak since he is in the Houston area for speaking engagements.  The issue of closing the institute is a controversial one and so only juniors and seniors who have studied Catholic social teaching, and who have a stronger background for understanding the complexity of this issue, will be hearing him speak.   Any parents who wish to attend are invited to come hear Fr. Roy speak at 9:00 on September 18, in the school’s auditorium.  To learn more about the School of the Americas Watch organization click here.

Water Polo joins Cy Creek Jamboree
Good luck to the varsity water polo team this weekend at the Cy Creek Jamboree. The team takes on Jersey Village High School at 3 p.m. today. They play Cy Creek High School at 7 a.m. Saturday morning, with the rest of the tournament TBD.


"Magical Mystery Tour" Gala Takes Off on February 23, 2008 
Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 23, 2008 and "Come Together" for a fun-filled evening at St. Agnes Academy's Annual Legacy Gala and Auction.  It's a "Magical Mystery Tour" with Beatles look-alike band The Fab 5 performing.. It all takes place at the beautiful Hilton Americas-Houston downtown, and includes a live auction, as well as a silent auction and a big board with great items to purchase.
 
Gift gathering parties for each grade level are scheduled for the fall and every St. Agnes family will receive an invitation. The dates and hosts families include: Ninth-grade parents Karen and Bill Bunch on Saturday, October 27;  sophomore parents Maureen and John Graf on Saturday, November 3; junior families Margaret and Jim Henrikson and Lori and David Hessel on Sunday, October 7; and senior parents Tricia and Ed Britt n Saturday, October 13. Thanks to all for their generosity in opening up their homes for the get-togethers!
 
The gift gathering parties are essentially "baby" showers for the gala, and each grade level has a specific theme. The  invitations will list the stores included in the St. Agnes registry.  So far, these include Crate and Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Z Gallerie and Neiman Marcus. Watch for your invitations and get a chance to meet and mingle with parents of your daughter's classmates. For more information or to volunteer for the gala committee, contact Mary Louise Berry at mlberry@st-agnes.org., or Gala Chairs Brenda and Tom Koch at cookscorner13@sbcglobal.net

Sign up for Race for the Cure
St. Agnes is once again participating in the Race for the Cure.  The date is Saturday, Oct. 6.  Please go online to www.komen-houston.org and sign up for SAA Team.  Let's have the biggest group out there and let's help beat breast cancer in our lifetime!

SPAIN - MARCH 14-March 24
Come join us as we celebrate Holy Week in Southern Spain. Parents are most welcome. Please call Mrs. Wische at 713-219-5535 for more information and/or for an itinerary. Please visit www.eftours.com for details. The tour number is 404022.   

Needlepoint stitchers needed
Anyone interested in stitching a needlepoint ornament for the SAA gala this year please contact Rosanne Caton (713)-201-8202.  The timing will be tight this year.  The kits should be distributed in early-mid October and the stitched canvases will need to be turned back in for finishing by December 15.

Financial Aid Forms Now Online
Please click here for financial aid information for the 2008-2009 school year.

St. Agnes & Title V
St. Agnes Academy is fortunate to participate in the federally funded Title V program.  This program provides the school with additional funds to purchase equipment and materials each year.  Traditionally these funds have been given to the library to purchase books and/or equipment.  The 2006/2007 funds were used to purchase additional digital cameras, camcorders, camera cases, memory cards and batteries (for the cameras) and desktop speakers for classrooms.  Though these materials are primarily housed in the library, they are available for classroom use by all faculty and students. We welcome suggestions from faculty, students, and parents on any materials you would like to see the library purchase with future funds.  Contact: Herman Sutter, Library Director, at hsutter@st-agnes.org.

Mock PSAT
Kaplan, Inc. will be offering our sophomores and juniors an opportunity to take a mock PSAT on Saturday, September 29th.  The test will begin promptly at 9 am and finish around noon.  We will be using the St. Agnes Cafeteria for the test.  All interested students are asked to sign up in the counseling office if they plan to participate.  Students may sign up for the practice test the week of September 17 - 21.  Kaplan will have a follow-up seminar on Wednesday, October 3rd from 7- 8 pm in the cafeteria to go over the results.  We are asking all participating students to bring a $5 cash donation the day of the exam.  This money will go to the SAA Habitat for Humanity project. Students should bring 2 #2 pencils and a calculator with them to the exam.  We ask that our juniors taking Princeton Review continue with their preparation and not sign up to take this mock PSAT as we will not be able to schedule any makeup times for them. 

A New SAA Event!!!

The Garage Sale scheduled for the first week in October has been cancelled. 

Plans are under way for a fashion event in early November.start thinking about donating your dressy dresses and  prom dresses for resale..watch for more details as the plans develop...if you would like help with the planning process for this grand new event please contact  Vivian Colvill (vcolvill@houston.rr.com ) 

Special thanks to the volunteers who helped chaperone the Orientatrion Dance. Please give this team your support when they call on you to chaperone the Christmas Dance and then the Prom.

St. Agnes Academy 9000 Bellaire Blvd. Houston, TX 77036-4683