Wit's End . . . notes from the principal

Sincerely,
Mrs. Carolyn Witte, Principal

A U C T I O N 2009

Detroit Area Gift Gathering Party

A sincere THANK YOU to Phyllis & Blondell Morey, Karen & Timothy Mackie, Anita Sevier & Terry Berg, Karen & Gary Clark, Patti Little & Mark Lezotte for co-hosting a fabulous Detroit Area Gift Gathering Party on Friday, Janurary 9^th at the Little/Lezotte residence.Despite the cold winter storm outside, hearts were warm and spirits were high at this gift event for the 30^th Annual Auction.With the event little over a month away, buzz about attending the event and bidding excitement filled the air!Thank you, again, to all of these wonderful families for their enthusiasm and leadership.

ATTEND The 30^th Annual Mercy Auction

The invitations have been sent and the donations are still arriving.Now all we need is for you to share this magical evening with us. Experience the Mercy Auction at its NEW VENUE – the Diamond Center at Rock Financial Showplace!Join us on Saturday, February 28^th for an evening out on the town to support YOUR OWN Mercy girl with this major school fundraiser.Simply send in your reservation with the return envelope provided in your invitation and reserve the evening on your calendar.Purchase an individual $100 ticket or gather a group of friends and sponsor a table of 10 for the discounted price of $800 -- a $200 savings! This evening will truly not be a success without the support of Mercy families like you. See you on February 28^th!!! Misplaced your Auction invite? CLICK for invite and RSVP form.

CHECK OUT THESE AWESOME AUCTION ITEMS

Come home Auction night as your daughter's hero with this framed Disney "Camp Rock" movie poster and AUTOGRAPHED photo of the Jonas Brothers! --Donated by Gary & Anna Zatkoff

Autographed Igor Larionov picture with Hall of Fame indoctrination and autographed custom wines from Igor's collection. Triple Overtime, Cabernet Sauvignon "The Hat Trick," and Reserve Shiraz "Playmaker." --Donated by Stephen Lord

Adopt-A-Seat inMercy's Auditorium complete with engraved brass nameplate and certificate inscribed with the name and seat location. --Donated by Mercy High School

GET INVOLVED -Auction Help Needed

Looking for ways to get involved with this amazing event? Members of the Auction Team are looking for some parent volunteers to help with the following areas:

• Item Transportation Volunteers for February 26 --Help facilitate the transport of Auction items from Mercy to the loading truck & then unload at the Diamond Center.We will be starting to move items just after 9:00 am on February 26^th.
• Donate NOW untilFebruary 17 -- An auction isn’t an auction without items to bid on! Need ideas?Click to view our AUCTION WISH LIST and DONATION FORM.

CLICK HERE for all the Auction info or contact the Special Events Office at lcconradi@mhsmi.orgor 248.893.3535.

Mothers Club

ALL MERCY MOMS are invited to join us for our nextgatheringMonday, February 2at 6pmin the Media Center.

Attention past Mercy Moms Club members and Chairwomen! If you have past years Mercy Moms Club information, pleasedeliver to the Mercy reception area. We are organizing an archive file and you may send electronic or paper. THANK YOU!

DadsClub

Where oh where are those Dads Club raffle tickets?You better find 'em and grab 'em and turn 'em into the Mercy reception area for a chance to win $10,000, $1,500, or $1,000!! Drawing will take place at the DADS and DAUGHTERS DANCE Saturday, February 7.

Whether it's a strike, spare, or gutter ball, it's sure to be a rolling good time with your Mercy girl on Sunday, March 8 at 1pm for bowling at Drakeshire Lanes in Farmington Hills. CLICK HERE for details and sign up sheet.

Calling ALL MERCY DADS! We welcome and encourage you to come meet, greet, and eat at our nextmeetingFebruary 3 at7:00pm in the Cafeteria.

Welcome Future Women of Mercy

Parents, your enthusiasm for Mercy is the best recruiting tool! Our doors will be open at the Winter Open House on Sunday, February 8 from 1pm - 3pm.

Please encourage any 6th, 7th, or 8th grader youknow to attend. Open House is a unique opportunity for prospective students and families tohave a guided tour, shake hands and meet Mercy faculty, staff, alumnae, and most of all . ..discover what it means to be a Mercy Girl!

Contact Maureen Stirling '96 mpstirling@mhsmi.org in the Admissions Office for more information.

From Rumor Control Central by Mr. Tom Schusterbauer

About 5 years ago, I missed a few days for surgery. I wrote a letter to students and parents, emphasizing that, indeed, this was not life threatening.

Result: when I came back I learned that I'd had a stroke, heart attack, the amputation of various body parts. There it was, the Mercy Rumor Mill in full force.

Well, kids, this rumor is now officially a fact. After 41 years of teaching, 30 here at Mercy, I'm about to ride off into the sunset (it will probably be raining). But as I ride off, I will take with me many of my classroom and office artifacts, as well as the memory of my friends on staff, and, of course, my students who stayed bymy side when the dark brown hair and beard turned to grey and then to white. And supplied tissue when I began to drool.

My students, and my students alone, are the reason I chose to teach. I will miss them mightily.

CAMBODIA DEDICATION

In June of 2007 it was only a dream! Today, less than 2 years later it is a reality.14 of the 32 Mercy schools in the United States came together for the Mercy Leadership Conference in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania. The keynote speaker at the conference was Sr. Deirdre Mullen, RSM Director of Mercy Global Concern at the United Nations. Sr. Deirdre shared stories of the sad conditions in Cambodia and how the Mercy Sisters are there working to rebuild the schools. The cost to build one school is $15,000 andwith plumbing is $20,000.

The students at the conference put out a rally cry - - "We can do this!" Together they decided that is wasn’t out of the question for each school attending to raise about $1000-$1500 each and together we would build a school. Toni Rose Arceno`09, Stephanie Bodien `09, Emily Clark`09, and Elizabeth Hagameyer`08, the four girls chosen to attend the Mercy Leadership Conference during the summer of 2007, spearheaded our fundraising efforts. In February of 2008, we held a jean and slipper day and Mercy Farmington Hills alone raised over $3800! Together Mercy America raised $25,000. The overwhelming generosity of the Mercy High School Community allowed us not only to build a new school with plumbing, but to buy books to stock the library and much needed school supplies as well.

MERCY TECH TALK

HP ADP Policy

Previously on Mercy Tech Talk we outlined the three warranties that cover your HP Tablet PC. One of the most important pieces of this is your HP Accidental Damage Protection policy. The Accidental Damage Protection policy is more like an insurance policy. This policy states that if you damage your tablet in any way (like drop it and crack the screen or step on it and break the case), HP will cover the cost of the damage and repair it at no cost to you. One note of mention here is that this ADP policy can only be used ONCE every 365 days from your date of purchase. In other words, if you purchased your tablet in July of 2008, drop it and crack the screen in September of 2008, HP will replace the screen at no charge to you. If you drop it a second time (lets say in October of 2008), you pay for the broken screen. If you drop it (lets say July of 2009) HP will cover the cost of the screen.

The term of this ADP policy is three years unless you opted for a fourth year at time of purchase. Whenever an ADP repair is necessary the Mercy IT Department will require a signed form that informs both the student and parent that the ADP warranty is being used to make a repair. You can view the form by clicking here. Parts will not be ordered until the form is signed and returned.

Here are some cost examples absorbed by the Accidental Damage Protection Policy:
Screen Assembly: $868.00
System Board: $1,476.00
Base Assembly: $104.00
Top Cover Assembly: $67.00
Labor to replace any of the above: $130.00

Congratulations - - It's a Girl!

Actually, it's a Mercy Girl and a DANCE. The Junior Class invites you to attend the 2009 Father and Daughter "Congratulations, It's a Girl!" Dance Saturday, February 7, 2009 at 8pm in the Mercy Gymnasium.

Tickets are $25 and will be on sale February 2 - 6.For a $2 refund Mercy girls can bring in a baby picture of themselves with their dear Dad. And don't miss the big money Dads Club Raffle Drawing!

Michigan Merit Exam

All juniors will take the Michigan Merit Exam this March.The exam will be given at Mercy over the course of three days: March 10^th, 11^th and 12^th.For a student to be eligible for the Michigan Promise Scholarship, she must participate in all three days of testing.The Mercy Counseling Staff will register junior students for this exam.For further details, please visit www.michigan.gov/mme.

Latest and Greatest from the Alumnae Office

Mothers and Daughters . . .Reflect, Reconnect, Rejoice

All Mercy Moms and Daughters are invited to an evening of prayer and reflection during the Lenten season. Join us for scrumptious soup and a time to rejoice in all that is good and holy.

Thursday, March 12 5:30pmto 6:30pm Soup Supper in the Mercy Development Offices 6:30pm to 8:30pm Speaker and personal reflection in the Chapel

Hosted by the Mercy Alumnae Association. Contact jlstark@mhsmi.org for more information and to attend.

Let's Hear It For the Staff

Science Teacher Ms. Kathy Kitzmann had an article entitled "What earrings should I wear today?" published in the December 2008 issue of Chem13 News, a newsletter for high school teachers from Canada and the U.S. After 35 years of teaching, Ms. Kitzmann has acquired a unique collection of "chemistry jewelry" (like periodic table earrings) and "chemistry-related earrings" (like hot air balloons).

The article shared suggestions for where teachers can find this type of jewelry and how to use it in the classroom and was written as a special request from the editor of Chem13 News. CLICK HERE to read the entire article. Cool, Kitzmann, cool.

Sneak Peek

Anna Vandecaveye '09attended the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference 2009 in Washington, D.C. from January 17-21,2009. Anna was fortunate to be at the Presidential Inauguration, Parade, and an Inaugural Ball. In addition, the conference featured Colin Powell as a speaker. In next month's FEB MEMOAnna will share some stories and photos from one ofthe most significant inaugural celebrations in US history!

Internet Safety Speaker - Educational Technology Consultant and Expert on Internet Safety Andy Mann will speak at Mercy on Monday, February 2nd at 7pm in the Mercy Auditorium.

SANP Gift Bags - Donations are still needed for the Senior All Night Party Gift Bags. 180 individual items or even smaller amounts are greatly appreciated. For more specific details and to makea contribution please contact Lynn Conoverat 248.478.8199or Lynnconover01@yahoo.com.

CAFE CASH - The Mercy Cafe is offering the following incentives to those who load their Student ID card with cafeteria cash through January 31: For every $200 loaded, you will receive an extra $20 and for each additional $100 in addition, you will receive an extra $10!

COACHES Needed - Mercy Athletics Office is looking to fill coaches for Varsity Volleyball and JV and Varsity Lacrosse. Please call the Athletic Office at 248.476.2836 for information. Send resumes to nmmalinowski@mhsmi.org or to Mercy High School ATTN: Athletic Director.

Frosh parents be sure to CLICK HERE to read Ninth Grade News JANUARY newsletter.

Shop. Give. Make a Difference. If you are ordering gifts online, go toONECAUSE FIRST. Hundreds of online merchants like Nordstrom, Circuit City, Lands End, Amazon, and morewill give MERCY a nice percentage from every item you purchase. Simply register your information and select Mercy High School (ID 130214).If you are out and about Christmas shopping at Target or picking up some tasty holiday fare atGordon Foods or Meijer, pleasebe sure to designate MERCY. Clickto register at target.com/tcoe, Meijer.com/MCRmember,gfsmarketplace.comor click here for more rewards program information.

Faith on Fridays - In honor of Catholic Schools Week there will be morning Massat 7:25amin the chapel before school on Friday, January 30. There will also be morning Mass at 7:25am on Friday, March 20 and Friday, May 1.

Look who is aSweepstakes Drive winner!

AFTER SCHOOL TUTORING - The National Honor Sociey will offer after school tutoring on Wednesdays from 2:45pm - 3:30pm throughout the school year. Tutoring sessions will have 4to 5 NHS members in the Media Center to tutor in all subject areas.

Snapshot of Mercy

Just Another Day on the SLOPES!

Mercy Month Ahead

THANK YOU for taking the time to read the MERCY MEMO. The purpose of this parent newsletter is to inform, enlighten, and entertain.TheFEBRUARY MEMO will be delivered to your inbox by February 19.If you have any questions or want to submit information contactjhearle@mhsmi.org.

Want even more? Click the school year calendarand the Mercy web site. And don't miss all of the latest Mercy In The News articles.Check outthe current announcements, view past issues of the MEMO newsletter, andbrowse the home page yellow boxtolink towhat's happening today @ Mercy.