Headmaster Update
John Thornburg
Headmaster
thornburgj@maldencatholic.org
Dear Families,
 
One morning this past week, I bicycled over to a local beach to watch the sunrise. On my morning commute, I noticed the beautiful fall sky reflecting the rays of the morning sun. Seeing the vivid colors displayed on the clouds made me curious about discovering the actual source of the morning’s radiance. I checked my weather app on my cell phone to see when the sun would rise the following day. 
 
I arrived the next day at the beach a few minutes before sunrise. I was surprised that a number of people had also gathered at the beach, many ready with cell phones to capture the event. The horizon still had the deep purplish blues from the previous night, but one area grew a bright red orange. We were nearing the time of the sun rising. 
 
Suddenly, a splash of bright yellow orange erupted on the horizon. I was surprised by the sun's impressive arrival for the new day. Not being a morning person, I expected a slow emergence, which would mirror the pace of a sunset. But the sun arrived boldly to announce another beautiful day. It made me wish that I had made more of an effort to capture the full effect of this event. 
 
There have been over 20,000 sunrises over my lifetime, and I have seen less than fifty of them. This everyday stellar entrance reflects the beauty in which Lord created our world and unfortunately, I had missed most of them. Upon leaving the beach I decided to make more of an effort to watch the sunrise going forward because it served as an excellent reminder that each day is a new day full of His glory and goodness. 
 
If we don’t take time to watch expectantly, it's easy to miss God's blessings. The Bible tells us that His mercies are new every morning. Just like a sunrise, God’s faithfulness is with us each day. The grace He sends our way can be easily missed. The Psalms tell us that His thoughts about us outnumber the grains of sand on the earth. Sunrises are just one of the countless blessings He has in store for us each and every day.  

May we all continue to watch and wait expectantly for His goodness, 
 
Thank you so much for being so supportive, 
 
John K. Thornburg 

Please note: In preparation for the winter months, Malden Catholic will be hosting an important COVID-19 Virtual Update Meeting that we will be held on GoToMeeting on Tuesday, October 26, at 6:30 PM. All MC families are expected to attend this meeting.
At a Glance
Monday, October 11
No school - Columbus Day

Tuesday, October 12
Day 4

Wednesday, October 13
No classes for Seniors - College Visit and Application Day
PSAT for Grades 9,10 and 11

Thursday, October 14
Day 5

Friday, October 15
Day 6
Praying of the Rosary | 7:30 AM
LancerPalooza | 4 PM
Varsity Football vs Xaverian | 7 PM
MC Spotlight
Faculty Spotlight: Ms. Colleen Foley - Spanish Teacher
Dear Malden Catholic Community,
 
I am delighted to join the Malden Catholic World Language Department and share my love of the Spanish language and cultures with my students. I grew up just down the road in Stoneham and I attended Catholic schools from kindergarten through college.
 
I attended Merrimack College where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Secondary Education. I then earned my Master’s degree in Spanish Language and Culture at the University of Salamanca, Spain and my C.A.G.S. in School Leadership from Cambridge College. I spent the last 20 years working in the Belmont Public Schools, first as a Spanish teacher, and then as the Director of World Language for the district. I have taught all levels of Spanish over the years, from Introductory Spanish through Advanced Spanish. 
 
I believe that learning another language can be beneficial for personal and professional reasons. Developing proficiency in another language can help you connect with other people, provide you with a broader perspective, and open many professional doors for you. My goal is to help my students see the benefits of learning Spanish in their own lives as they work to build their communication skills. 
 
I am excited to return to a small faith-based school community that feels so familiar to me. I feel blessed to be part of the Malden Catholic community. I have truly enjoyed working with my students as well as the faculty and staff these past six weeks and I am excited for what the rest of this school year has in store. 
 
Mrs. Foley 
Mrs. Colleen Foley
What's New?
Registration Link for PCR Testing and Curative Offers No Cost COVID-19 MC Kiosk
Monday Morning Testing for Unvaccinated Students - REGISTRATION LINK FOR PCR TESTING
Malden Catholic will continue to use PCR surveillance testing. Testing opens at 7 AM and students will enter through Door 7 to the gym. Please check-in at the testing tables, do a self-swab test and drop the test in a box. Students do not have to wait for test results. They may proceed to their first period class. Students who arrive after 7:45 AM and have a first period class will be assigned a detention.

PLEASE USE THIS REGISTRATION LINK to sign up for PCR Testing.

No Cost COVID-19 Morning Testing at MC
MC has expanded the testing service, partnering with Curative, an essential health services provider, to offer COVID-19 testing at no cost for all families in the community. Tests will be taken at MC's testing kiosk located behind the school, and results will be delivered electronically within 24 - 48 upon receipt of the sample at the lab.

Testing is available on Mondays from 7 AM - 3 PM, Wednesdays from 9 AM - 5 PM, Thursdays from 11 AM to 7 PM and Saturdays from 8 AM - 4 PM. You can schedule an appointment through this link: https://cur.tv/malden.
College Visits
This year, many colleges have elected to visit Malden Catholic in person, along with several schools that will be visiting virtually. We encourage all Grade 11 and Grade 12 students to sign up in advance in Naviance and attend these visits, which will be held at 2:20 PM on the following days:

University of Massachusetts – Amherst
Tuesday, October 12 - Room 106
Emerson College
Tuesday, October 12 - Room 121
University of Vermont
Thursday, October 14 - Room 106
Endicott College
Thursday, October 14 - Room 121
Merrimack College
Friday, October 15 - Room 106
University of Southern Maine
Friday, October 15 - Room 121

Interview Day- St. Anselm College on 10.19
St. Anselm College will be at MC for one-on-one interviews on Tuesday, October 19. Interview sign-up is available on board next to Mr. Lee Masiello’s office. Please sign up by end of day on October 15. See Mrs. DelGenio with any questions.
Baby Clothing Drive - 10.12
Students, faculty, staff and administration will begin collecting baby clothes for infants 18 months and under on Tuesday, October 12. The clothing items received will be donated to Friends of the Unborn Maternity Home in Quincy, so please give generously.
PSAT for Grades 9, 10 & 11 - 10.13
This Wednesday, October 13, all 10th and 11th grade students are required to take the PSAT at MC. Grade 9 students will also take the PSAT 8/9 on the same day. Parents do not need to sign up their student for the tests.

The PSAT covers two sections: Evidenced- Based Reading and Writing (sometimes referred to as the "Verbal" section) and Mathematics. Counselors will then use the scores to help students understand their current college preparedness including areas of strength and areas in need of improvement.

On the test day, students should bring: pencils, a calculator with fresh batteries and a small bag for personal items. Cell phones must be off and will be collected until the end of testing. Students may dress down on Wednesday according to the school's dress down day guidelines.

Grade 12 will use October 13 as a College Visit Day and will not report to school.
Praying of the Rosary 10.15 at 7:30 AM
Thank you to Campus Ministry and to everyone who joined us for our Lady of Fatima Rosary last Friday morning at MC! Praying the Rosary will continue to lead students in prayer outside in the Our Lady of the Rosary Courtyard every Friday at 7:30 AM.
LancerPalooza! - 10.15 at 4 PM
MC students and members of the community are invited to join us for the 3rd annual LancerPalooza event this Friday, October 15 in front of the school from 4 - 6:30 PM. Tickets, valued at $5, will be distributed to all MC students during homeroom on Thursday for spending on a variety food trucks. LancerPalooza will also feature games, contests and entertainment. Guests are encouraged to cheer on the Lancers at 7 PM for the football game against Xaverian High School. Members of the MC community including parents, siblings and alumni are also invited to join in the fun!

Please note: To prepare for the event, the parking lot at 50 Crystal Street will not be available on Friday, October 15. The Girls Division students who park in the lot will find alternative parking behind the building or on South Broadway near the tennis court.
2021 Alumni Soccer Game - 10.18 at 6 PM
Malden Catholic will host the 2021 Alumni Soccer Game on October 18 from 6 - 9 PM on the Brother Gilbert field. If you are interested in joining in the fun, please email Scott Elias at hats1595@aol.com. 
MC Parent Book Club - 10.21 at 6:30 PM
This month, the MC Parent Book Club will be discussing The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry on Thursday, October 21 at 6:30 PM at Evangeline Egizi’s home. After the book discussion, the family will provide a tour of Salem! If you would like to attend, please email christina.saraiva@sanofi.com for the address and more information.
 
As always, there is a Zoom link for those who prefer to join remotely: https://sanofi.zoom.com/j/9307039967 
Meeting ID: 930 703 9967
Rescheduled - MC Parent Club - 10.25 at 6 PM
Due to event programming conflicts, we will be hosting the MC Parent Club meeting on Monday, October 25 at 6 PM in the cafeteria. Mr. James J. Grocki Jr., the Assistant Principal for Student Life will be the guest speaker. He will discuss the many ways students can enhance their MC experience this year by becoming involved with a variety of co-curricular activities. All parents are invited and encouraged to attend.
COVID-19 Parent Update Meeting 10.26 at 6:30 PM
In preparation for the winter months, Malden Catholic will be hosting an important COVID-19 Virtual Update Meeting that we will be held on GoToMeeting on Tuesday, October 26, at 6:30 PM. All MC families are expected to attend this meeting.

We have had a successful fall in regard to mitigating the COVID virus within our community. As we enter the winter months, it is critical that every family understands our winter protocols and procedures. This 60-minute live webinar will include a review of our winter policies and a guest panel with experts in understanding the COVID pandemic. The goal of this webinar is to clearly communicate the responsibilities each one of us has in making sure our students have the opportunity to maintain in person learning this winter.  
 
Please register for MC COVID Update on Oct 26, 2021 6:30 PM EDT at:
What's Happening Around MC?
FAFSA Night
We would like to thank Ms. Patricia Reilly, Director of Financial Aid at Tufts University for joining us last week to review the FAFSA (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid), required by all colleges for financial aid purposes. She walked through the form, line by line, so our families can now confidently complete the documents. A copy of the presentation can be found on MC's YouTube page. https://youtu.be/7EZwLGZK7yc
Alumni Reunion Visits
Last month, Malden Catholic welcomed back the Malden Catholic graduating classes of 1971 and 1991. Alumni from both classes enjoyed tours of the school, saw all the recent classroom updates and building renovations and caught up with old friends and teachers.

James Beaudry 1991 and Roberto Di Marco, Esq. 1991 P' 23 organized the class of 1991 to celebrate their 30th Anniversary from MC while Jim Hughes 1971, organized the 50th class reunion to celebrate the Golden Jubilarian Class of 1971.

To organize a tour of the school for your class reunion, please contact Chris McCarthy '07 in the advancement office at (781) 475-5334 or by email to: mccarthyc@maldencatholic.org
Sports
Fall Season
Guidelines and Links
In accordance with CDC, state and local guidelines and the current MC spectator policy, we are pleased to welcome fans for the 2021-22 athletic seasons. Please note that masks will be required when inside Malden Catholic and attending any of the MC indoor athletic events. Our athletic events, whenever possible, will continue to be streamed on the NFHS Network with a subscription, which also allows you to watch away events at locations who are also members of the network. Here, you can follow any of our teams, and be notified of any schedule changes, view bus departure times and even print practice schedules through the Big Teams site at https://maldencatholichighschoolma.bigteams.com/. If you are not able attend MC football games live, they will now be livestreamed on MC’s new Athletics Live YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/.../UC5DF8zwNCz.../featured

We are honoring MC Senior athletes this year by hanging banners outside for the remainder of the fall season and indoors during the winter season. Seniors will the be able to bring them home graduation week. Senior parents can order their student's banner through the following link: https://www.dracutthreads.com/product/custom-banners/

Monday, October 11
Boys Varsity Golf @ St. Bernard’s HS | 3:30 PM

Tuesday, October 12
Boys JV and Varsity Soccer @ St. John's Prep School | 4:00 PM
Boys Junior Varsity Golf Home vs Weymouth High School | 3:00 PM
Girls JV and Varsity Volleyball @ Mount Alvernia HS | 4/5:15 PM
Boys Varsity Cross Country @ Xaverian Brothers High School | 4:00 PM
Girls Varsity Soccer Home vs Fontbonne Academy Senior Night Home | 6:00 PM

Wednesday, October 13
Boys Varsity Golf Home vs Catholic Memorial School | 3:30 PM

Thursday, October 14
Boys Junior Varsity Home vs Golf Catholic Memorial Middle School | 3:30 PM
Boys Varsity Golf @ Catholic Memorial | 3:00 PM
Girls Junior Varsity Soccer @ North Reading HS | 4:45 PM
Girls Varsity Field Hockey Home vs St. Bernard’s HS | 4:00 PM
Boys JV and Varsity Soccer @ Catholic Memorial | 5:30/7:00 PM
Girls Varsity Soccer Home vs North Reading HS | 6:00 PM

Friday, October 15
Boys Varsity Golf @ Catholic Conference Championships | 3:00 PM
Boys Varsity Football Home vs Xaverian Brothers High School | 7:00 PM

Saturday, October 16
Boys Junior Varsity Football @ Xaverian Brothers High School | 10:00 AM
Girls Varsity Field Hockey Home vs Northeast Metro Regional Vocational | 10:00 AM
Boys JV and Varsity Soccer @ Austin Preparatory School | 1:30 PM
Boys Varsity Cross Country @ Bob McIntyre Twilight Invitational | 6:00 PM