President's Update
Dear Families,

Mr. Morton taught science and was known to be somewhat unconventional. He had a “nutty professor” approach to his lessons and students never knew what to expect. This unusual approach engaged the students and kept them interested in the subject matter because one day might include a loud explosion of a hydrogen-filled balloon and the next, the volatile properties of sodium and water. Students never knew what he had in store for the next class.

Each year, Mr. Morton would demonstrate how to make gunpowder as a lesson in the chemical properties of different elements. One of the key ingredients for gunpowder can be found in charcoal briquettes, which he brought from home. One year, he was searching for a way to transport the briquettes to school and decided to use an empty Betty Crocker brownie mix box. He put six briquettes into the box and carried it to school. When he arrived, he set the box on his demonstration table in the front of the room.

Students entered the room and one curious young man spied the brownie box. He peeked inside and thought he saw six small brownies. Since Mr. Morton was not in in the classroom at the time, the student pocketed one of the “brownies” for later.

Mr. Morton began the class and covered the history of gunpowder and its composition. In the middle of his lesson, one of the students began to cough. The coughing continued, so Mr. Morton turned around to see if the student was okay. A young man in the back row had a black ooze running down his chin, and his teeth were also black. This student looked at Mr. Morton and exclaimed, “Your brownie tastes bad, sir!”

Not all brownie-shaped objects found in a Betty Crocker box are brownies. The packaging fooled the young student. He tried to take something that did not belong to him to get a free snack. As a result, the young man reaped what he sowed as a kind of poetic justice.

As parents and educators, we want to do everything we can to build a culture that encourages students to work on their own and facilitate an authentic learning process. We want student achievement to accurately reflect what students know and have mastered. With the advent of technology, there are now more “brownie boxes” than ever for our students to encounter.

It may seem okay for students to use online content as answers to homework problems or share homework answers with a group, but defeats the purpose. The content is not our own and will not accomplish the original objective. This is just like taking a charcoal briquette. It doesn’t help us learn or improve our knowledge. Ultimately, it leaves us empty - since we have missed the opportunity to gain an education.

“Nothing special is achieved without much labor, effort and zeal.” Taken from the Fundamental Principles of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier.

We encourage parents to remind their young learners that true education takes hard work and shortcuts end up hurting us and others. We know that parents play an integral part in guiding your children in this critical area, and we appreciate your support.

John Thornburg
At a Glance
Monday, October 31
Day E
Second Quarter Begins
Halloween Costume Day

Tuesday, November 1
Day D
All Saints Mass - 1:15 PM
All students must come to school in Mass Day attire.

Wednesday, November 2
Day C
All Souls Mass - 7:20 AM
MC Parent Club Meeting - 6 PM

Thursday, November 3
Day B

Friday, November 4
Day A
Weekly Mass - 7:20 AM
School and College Counseling
College Visits
College representatives will begin visiting MC on assigned days beginning at 2:25 PM and will continue to visit until early December. We encourage all Grade 11 and Grade 12 students to sign up to meet the representatives in advance in Naviance or with their school counselor.

Monday, October 31st
Bryant University                                   
Dean College
 
Tuesday, November 1st 
University of Connecticut                                            
Merrimack College
 
Wednesday, November 2nd
Russell Sage College              
University of Southern Maine
 
Thursday, November 3rd
Curry College            
University of Scranton
 
Friday, November 4th
Assumption University                           
North Shore Community College
Saint Anslem College Visit
A representative from Saint Anselm College will be conducting one-on-one interviews for all interested juniors and seniors on Tuesday, November 15. Interested students must sign up with their school counselor.

Financial Aid Webinar
MEFA, the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, will be hosting live Financial Aid 101 webinars on a weekly basis from September 28 through early December this year. Webinars will occur during both daytime and evening hours, featuring subject matter experts from MEFA. Families can view webinar dates and times and register on mefa.org.
Transcript Release Forms
Seniors can access Transcript Release Forms on the MC website through this link.
What's New?
Halloween Costume Day - 10.31
On Monday, October 31, students are encouraged to participate in MC's free Halloween Costume Day. Please keep in mind the following guidelines:

  • No costume masks, face paint, canes, sticks, or weapon-like items of any kind
  • No fake blood or other substances 
  • Students may not wear anything suggestive or provocative in nature 
  • No underwear as outerwear
  • Students who wear leggings/leotards/yoga pants must wear shorts over them 
  • If dresses of any kind or any length are worn, shorts must be worn underneath 
  • Nothing that promotes the use of illegal substances or activities, derogatory or disrespectful or portrays violence 
  • Students must show respect to other students by not choosing costumes that are insensitive and/or offensive to the diverse backgrounds represented by others 
  • Any student choosing to not wear a costume must be in regular MC dress code attire 
  • Anyone who does not follow the Halloween Costume Dress Code will be subject to the dress code violation consequences or further disciplinary action and may be sent home to change
MC Parent Club Meeting - 11.2 at 6 PM
The next Malden Catholic Parent Club Meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 2, at 6 PM in the cafeteria. Principal Smith will lead the meeting, and MC's Campus Ministry will discuss parent and student involvement, including "Gina's Giving Back", which provides Thanksgiving meals to families in need.

Official Parent Facebook Group
Be sure to join the official Parent Council Facebook Group for updated news and information. Click  here  to join the group or go to:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/maldencatholicparents
Pizza and Prayer - 11.3 at 5 PM
Campus Ministry will be hosting the first Pizza and Prayer of the year on Thursday, November 3 at 5 PM in the cafeteria. During Pizza and Prayer, students are invited to expand their spirituality in a communal setting while listening to and discussing scriptures and reflecting upon their personal and shared experiences. Please sign up in MC's Campus Ministry if you would like to attend. All are welcome!
Salemwood School Emergency Coat Drive - through 11.4
The Salemwood School in Malden is in need of new or gently worn coats for children in kindergarten through 6th grade. Cold weather is approaching and the Salemwood School population is dealing with great economic difficulty. Many families are unable to afford winter clothing for their children. Coats may be brought to the MC Campus Ministry Center until Friday, November 4.
Parent/Teacher Conferences - 11.10 at 3 PM & 6:30 PM
Malden Catholic parents are strongly encouraged to attend Parent/Teacher conferences to discuss their student's progress on Thursday, November 10. Parents may attend either the first session from 3 - 5 PM or the second session which will be from 6:30 - 8 PM.
President's Holiday - 11.28
During Mr. Joe O'Donnell's '62 visit, President Thornburg granted a surprise schoolwide President's Holiday for  Monday, November 28. This will provide an extended Thanksgiving holiday weekend. There will be no school for students, faculty or staff on that Monday.
Alumni Updates
At Malden Catholic, we love to keep up on alumni news and information and frequently share this information in our publications. If you have new contact information or would like to keep us posted regarding important events such as births, marriages, anniversaries, promotions, milestones, degrees earned, etc., please fill out the form through this link.
What's Happening Around MC?
Grade 9 Student Retreat
Baby Clothing Drive Pick Up
Middle School STEM Course
Mock Trial Garden City Tournament
Introduction to Drumming Class
College Financial Aid/FAFSA Review 
We would like to thank Amy Piantedosi, Director of Student Financial Counseling at Massachusetts Institute of Technology for joining us last Thursday to review the College Financial Aid/FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which is required by all colleges for financial aid purposes. A video of the presentation can be found on MC's YouTube channel through this link.
Bread of Life Halloween Candy Bags
MC's National Honor Society students packed Halloween candy bags for the Motel Family Program, sponsored by Bread of Life, a faith-based ministry serving communities north of Boston. The candy will be distributed to families with young children who are in need.
Lancer for a Day Shadow Program
MC's Lancer for a Day program has officially begun and spots are filling up quickly! If you have an 8th grade student who is interested in becoming a Lancer, please be sure to sign up through your Ravenna account for an available date.
The Malden Catholic Fund
The Malden Catholic Fund benefits every student and makes it possible to continually enhance academic innovation, arts and athletic programming, faculty excellence, tuition assistance and scholarships at our school. Our goal is to raise $1.2M for the Malden Catholic Fund, with our current families contributing $100,000 of this amount.
 
This year, Sallyann (Dimeco) Fama GC '56 and Dr. Eugene Fama '56, the 2013 Nobel Prize winner in Economics Sciences, have offered to match the first $100,000 of parent gifts. Like you, Sallyann and Dr. Fama, who is often called "the father of modern finance," believe in Malden Catholic and know that a gift/investment today will enhance your Lancer’s future.
 
Mission Moment
All Saint's Day … Can I Get a Witness!

Warning: After reading this, you may be unable to shake a tune from your head for the rest of the day!

“Oh, when the Saints go marching in… oh, when the Saints go marching in…. Lord, how I want to be in that number …. When the Saints go marching in.”

You’ve probably sung these words at one time or other… but at Mass?! The full rendition will be the recessional at our November 1st All Saint’s Day School Mass. It’s totally appropriate, you know! The Church considers each of us already among the saints – even if sainthood is thought of as a “destination.”   But more than that, when we pray a line toward the end of the Apostle’s Creed: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins…,” that communion of saints is US – the whole Church, those already in heaven and those here on earth, who together form the Body of Christ. We are already “in that number”! Reason for singing, isn’t it?!

It’s always great to come together as a whole School for prayer, because, when we fill the Doherty Gymnasium, we get a powerful visual of what we hold as our Mission: that we become a community of faith.    As we celebrate Mass on All Saints Day, we naturally enough think about the word "saint"….but, along with "saint" -- I'd like you to think about the word "witness."  You know that a witness is someone who sees something …… and then gives evidence about it.  But you may not have known that the Feast of All Saints originated as a Celebration of Martyrs. Our word "martyr" comes from the Greek word for "witness."

Jesus asked his Apostles to be witness to him: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”  (Matthew 5:16). He enlisted them and other disciples to carry His message: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Eleven of the apostles were martyrs!

The Church has always honored those early Christian witnesses – who gave evidence of their faith by their very lives! --- who died for their faith – many, at the hands of the Roman Empire.    During the first three hundred years, Christians were severely persecuted, often suffering torture and bloody death – all, because they were faithful. They refused to deny Christ, even when this denial might have saved their own lives.   Stories of the heroic faith of these witnesses to Christ, who are models for us, fill the early history of the Church.

Though we know the names of some of these martyrs, there were thousands of early Christian martyrs, the majority of whose names are known only to God -- and over time there have been countless others who really are saints -- who are with God in heaven -- even if their names are not on some list of canonized saints.  We honor their memory on All Saints Day. We also remember on All Souls Day (November 3rd) our dearly departed loved ones who shaped our lives in important ways and those who have returned to God, perhaps unnoticed by most or any.

Each of us, I'm sure, has someone – some Saint -- to remember on these Feasts… and while we thank God for the goodness of that someone in our lives, perhaps each of us can ask, "How can I be a living witness -- a personal evidence  -- of God's love at work in the world…. How can I be The Saint that I'm called to be?”

Brother Thomas Puccio, CFX, Ed.D., H’18
Sports
Fall Sports
Registration for Malden Catholic winter sports is now open. All parents/guardians must register students through Family ID at https://hello.familyid.com/ by November 21. 
MIAA Tournaments
MIAA Tournaments are starting soon with seedings coming out this week and information including brackets can be found on the MIAA website here.

Anticipated MIAA Bracket Release Dates for each sport:
Football - Monday, October 31 at 10 AM
Girls Volleyball - Monday, October 31 at 1 PM
Field Hockey - Tuesday, November 1 at 1 PM 
Boys Soccer - Wednesday, November 2 at 1 PM
Girls Soccer - Wednesday, November 2 at 1 PM

Monday, October 31 
3:45 PM Boys Freshman Football @ Boston College High School
 
Tuesday, November 1 
No Events Scheduled 

Wednesday, November 2 
3:45 PM Girls Varsity Cross Country Girls Catholic Conference Championships Bus 12:30 PM Dismiss 12:20 PM Away 

Thursday, November 3 
No events scheduled 

Friday, November 4 
TBA Boys Varsity Football @ TBD 7:00 PM 

Saturday, November 5 
9:00 AM Boys Varsity Cross Country @ MSTCA INVITE 
9:00 AM Girls Varsity Cross Country @MSTCA
5:00 PM Girls Varsity Cheerleading @ NEC Cheer Competition 

Sunday, November 6 
TBA Girls Varsity Swimming @ Fall Swim Sectionals