Welcome Back

School started again about two weeks ago, and it has been a busy time here at Bishop Conaty-Loretto. We had a beautiful opening school Mass and a delightful Welcome Day. We hope all our new students and families have felt welcomed. We are so gratified that they have chosen our school. I know it is hard being the new kid on the block, and we at Bishop Conaty-Loretto want to make sure that everyone has a smooth transition into our school. Remember, both new families and returning families, we are here to help you with your daughters' educations. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions.

Last night was Back-to-School Night. It was wonderful to meet new families and welcome back old friends...and it is always great to see former students--of course, now they are the mothers of new ones. I hope all parents found the night informative and rewarding. Highlights of the evening included a Parent Association/Student Council Spaghetti Dinner, the Parents Association Meeting, and the classroom visits.

Here at Bishop Conaty-Loretto, we continue to expand our programs and introduce new activities and events, all in order to provide the best quality, affordable education for young women in Los Angeles. This year we have added a music and video production courses. We also plan to guide students to take more Advanced Placement test. On the Development side, we have established an annual fund and are planning a great spring event at Santa Anita Park on March 7, 2009. Check out our web site, www.bishopconatyloretto.org, for news and details.

The Parent Association has many fun-filled activities planned for this year:

• School Beautification Day, Saturday, October 4, 2008
• Father-Daughter Picnic, Saturday, October 18, 2008
• Family Fun Night, a Friday in Spring 2009
• Mother-Daughter Tea, Saturday, May 2, 2009

Contact the school for more information.

I would like to thank the Parent Association, the Parent Association Executive Board, Student Council for the delicious spaghetti dinner they provide before Back-to-School Night. We are truly blessed to have such generous and caring parents and students. I would also like to thank the Faculty and Staff who remained late into the evening so they could meet their students' parents. We have had a great school beginning thanks to all of you.

God Bless you all.

ESLRs

As part of our accreditation self-study process for WCEA and WASC, we are reviewing Bishop Conaty-Loretto's Expected School-wide Learning Results (ESLRs) or outcomes. As part of this review, we would like to know your thoughts. What do you think a student of Bishop Conaty-Loretto should know and be able to do upon graduation? Let us know what you think.

Beautification Day

Today, the Parent Association sponsored Bishop Conaty-Loretto’s first annual Beautification Day. Several parents and their daughters came together to build benches in the courtyard for the students. It was a beautiful morning and great fun was had by all. We were able to re-assemble twenty benches using the old Conaty conrete bench-supports that had not seen the light of day since well before the reconstruction of the school in the early 1990s. Several fathers took charge sharing their expertise and talents as the rest of the parents and students pitched in to get the job done. Ms Boyle came by to lend a hand. The beautification project fostered a great sense of pride and accomplishment among all. Special thanks to The Home Depot for their generous donation of lumber and supplies for this project. The day was such a success that plans are in the works for next year… some landscaping improvements or covered storage cage. We hope to you here next fall.