Congratulations to all my 7th and 8th grade students who are on the cast and crew of Kilroy Was Here. You folks did a marvelous job and I enjoyed the show tremendously. I love to see how talented my students can be outside of the classroom, and boy am I impressed by this group. All your hard work has paid off, and you have produced something you can be proud of.

Today I ran across an amazing web site offering a free course in Latin. With so many of my students going to St. Charles next year, where they will be required to take two years of Latin, and many more going to Bishop Watterson, where Latin is offered, they might want to get a jump start on learning their new language. The site essentially offers a full two-year course equivalent to taking Latin I and Latin II, complete with instruction, activities, homework problems, etc. You can view the course materials online or download them as PDF files and print them out. Pretty cool. Here's the link to the first course:

First Experience Latin with Fr. Reginald Foster

Imagine the benefit of heading into the first day of Latin class with the basics already under your belt. You could be a rock star! As a former student of Latin, I can tell you that having some basic knowledge before going to school would have made my life infinitely easier.

This week we have been discussing Lewis and Clark in U.S. History class. Students may be interested to read some of the actual entries from the journals that Lewis and Clark kept during the expedition. The web site below, operated by the University of Nebraska, is probably the best place to search and read the complete journals and supplementary texts from their adventures. I highly recommend reading through some of these entries. Students might try reading a week's worth of entries in chronological order to see what daily life was like on the expedition.

The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Students may also want to check out National Geographic's amazing information on this great adventure as well:

National Geographic: Lewis and Clark

Just a reminder, the dress policy for Confirmation (and graduation in the Spring) is as follows:

Girls: Girls must wear a dress, or skirt and blouse, appropriate for church. Dresses may not be strapless or have spaghetti straps. Girls must wear dress shoes. It is best to wear a hair style off of your forehead to make it easier for the bishop to anoint you.

Boys: Boys must wear a white dress shirt with a tie, and dress pants with a belt. Dress shoes and socks are also required. A suit or sport coat are optional. Please make sure hair is off the forehead so that the bishop can anoint you more easily.

Below are some important dates and times that students and parents ought to be aware of for our Confirmation preparation.

• Sponsors must be chosen by tomorrow, January 14. Please review requirements for a sponsor with your son or daughter.
• Confirmation names must be chosen by January 21.
• The saint biography essay with an explanation of the candidate’s Confirmation name is due January 28.
• The Confirmation Final Exam is Thursday, February 10 in class.
• Confirmation Rehearsal is Thursday, February 10. Candidates and sponsors must be in Marian Hall no later than 6:45 pm. The rehearsal will be over by about 8:00.
• The Confirmation Retreat is Friday, February 11 from 8:30 – 2:30. Students will need to be dropped off and picked-up from the Whetstone Park shelter house. More information will be coming home on the permission slip.
• Confirmation is Sunday, February 13 at 3:00pm. Candidates and sponsors must be in Marian Hall no later than 2:40 pm. Any parent who is a Eucharistic minister and who is interested helping out at the mass should email me. Older or younger siblings who are altar servers are also encouraged to participate. Please let me know.