Principal's Message
 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help with tonight's Open House. We are excited to welcome hundreds of prospective families to campus. As a reminder, we're offering Mass at 5 p.m. in the Shiel Student Life Center. Open House runs from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Greatness is calling!

Tomorrow is the end of the first quarter. I am so proud of our educators and students working daily to live out our Holy Cross Value of Excellence. And speaking of excellence, we found out this week that the College Board has named Cathedral a Platinum AP Honor Roll School, the highest distinction given to schools that offer AP courses. We also received the 2024 AP Access Award for ensuring AP coursework is equally available to students, no matter their background. I'm incredibly proud of our innovative and zealous educators who transform the hearts and minds of our students each and every day!! I also congratulate the students for their hard work and perseverance in challenging themselves with rigorous classes. And to you, the parents and guardians, thank you for being our partners in your student's education!

Cathedral students also live out our Holy Cross Value of Excellence outside of the classroom.  I'd like to congratulate our Boys Tennis Team on winning the Sectional Championship, and our Boys and Girls Soccer Teams on winning the City Championship this week! Congratulations to our scholar-athletes, and Go Irish!

I hope you and your family can catch our Theatre Department's first production of the year, "Once Upon a Pine: The Adventures of Pinocchio." Our students are directing this delightful production, which promises to be fun for the entire family! The show is on Saturday, October 5th at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, October 6th at 2 p.m. Students and children ten and under get in free of charge!  Click here to purchase your tickets today!

Counselors are hosting College Application Work Sessions that seniors may attend during their resource, lunch, or before or after school in Room 4235. These sessions are designed for seniors to have a quiet place to work, ask follow-up questions, request scans of fully developed essays, and receive last looks before submitting applications. These sessions are not meant for in-depth meetings or first reviews of applications and essays. Students should schedule a meeting with their Counselor for more involved, longer sessions prior to the Work Sessions. The dates for the College Application Work Sessions are as follows:

• Monday, October 7th through Friday, October 11th - 8:00am - 4:00pm
• Monday, October 21st and Tuesday, October 22nd - 8:00am - 4:00pm
• Thursday, October 24th and Friday, October 25th  - 8:00am - 4:00pm  

Wednesday, October 16th, is our Philanthropy/Free Day. Students who did not meet their Ignite the Irish student fundraiser goal are required to report to school on the 16th to serve their school and community. Students who need to come to campus on Philanthropy Day will receive a separate email from Mrs. Smith with all of the details.

Fall Break is October 17th and 18th. Whether you're staying home or traveling over the break, I wish all of our families a restful and rejuvenating time away from the Hill. 

Below are a few reminders for you.

• Please note that the PSAT will be administered on October 23rd. Freshmen-Juniors must arrive on time and be in their designated classrooms by 8:40 a.m. Students are expected to have their iPads fully charged and should not update their iPads without permission from our technology department. Dismissal on October 23rd is 11:00 a.m. (12:30 p.m. for extended-time test takers.) Buses will arrive at the usual time and leave campus at 12:45. Lunch will not be served. Seniors do not have classes on October 23rd and are encouraged to use this day for a college visit.
•  The new financial aid application process for the 2025-2026 season is open. You can follow the application procedures on our Cathedral website by clicking here.
• Here is the recorded presentation of the September 25th counselor presentation, How Social Media Shapes Our Lives and Mental Health.
• If you missed this week's College Financial Aid Night, please click here for the recorded presentation.
• If you missed the counseling presentation on the SAT College Board and ACT Accommodations Process, you can click this link to watch the presentation.
• You can click this link to watch the presentation given during 9th and 10th Grade Parent Info Night. Special thanks to Broadcast Educator Marc Quaranta for recording all of the presentations for us. 
• The University of Notre Dame shared this link for families who missed the Notre Dame on the Road session at Cathedral.
• Here is a link to this month's newsletter from the Counseling Department. Counselors send the email to all families on the first day of every month.
•  This semester's Cathedral counselor/parent sessions are as follows:

-October 9th - 6:00 p.m. - Surviving to Thriving: Executive Functioning Skills with Jean Callaghan-Hoskins (Virtual Session)
-October 14th -  6:00 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. in Cathedral's Dining Hall - Substance Abuse and Vaping - Learn about the effects of THC on the teenage brain and how to look for signs your teen may be using. Hear one young woman's account of how her parents were helpful and became a support network in her journey to recovery.
-November 11th - Coping with Anxiety (Time to be announced closer to the date)

Please be sure to read the entire Parent Newsletter each week. Below is information about a free Youth Theater Workshop, outdoor nativity scene sale, Math League dates, new J-Term opportunity (ski trip), construction updates, and more. Also, click here to read the latest issue of our student publication, The Megaphone.

"Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6

God bless, and Go Irish!
Julie Barthel
Principal