On Monday, September 23, the U.S. Department of Education recognized Roncalli High School as a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School. Roncalli becomes only one of forty high schools in the country to have earned this prestigious distinction four times, having won in 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2024.

Roncalli High School’s vision is to form disciples of Jesus Christ through the intercession of Saint John XXIII. We believe God has a unique plan and purpose for every student, and our commitment is to assist in seeing this plan fulfilled. Combining a faith-filled, values-based curriculum with instruction from some of Indiana's most accomplished and respected teachers, we are committed to our students’ success - success in the classroom, success in co-curricular activities and success in life.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award honors public and private K-12 schools that are academically superior in their states. “The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award is a testament to the exceptional achievements of students and educators at each of these schools,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools are raising the bar for our nation’s students, serving as models for effective teaching and intentional collaboration in their schools and communities. As we celebrate their achievements, let us look to these schools for inspiration as we champion education as the foundation of a brighter future for every child.” 

Roncalli students, faculty and staff will celebrated this great honor with a special 'Blue Day' on Tuesday, September 24. All were out of uniform and dressed in blue! Administrators dyed their hair blue, blue cake pops were served at lunch and music featuring the word 'blue' played during passing periods.

Principal Kevin Banich R'09 shared, “I am deeply honored and profoundly grateful to celebrate this remarkable achievement with our school and community. Our faculty, staff and families have committed and sacrificed to provide a transformational education to our students. It is a blessing to serve our school alongside the dedicated educators who work tirelessly to develop our students in mind, body and spirit.”

“Excellence in all facets of education and faith formation has been a hallmark in our school community for decades. As we celebrate this historic fourth Blue Ribbon School recognition, we extend a special thank you and praise to our South Deanery Catholic Schools and parishes. We stand on the shoulders of the great work they do in establishing high standards and expectations for their students, most of whom come to Roncalli!” said Roncalli President Chuck Weisenbach R'79.

Senior Lily Bauman with parents, Julie (Douglas) R'95 and Doug Bauman R'95, and Director of Alumni Relations and Special Events Brandi Young

Congratulations to Lily Bauman this year’s Spirit of the Family Tradition Award winner!

To be eligible for this scholarship, the winner must be a child of a Sacred Heart Central, Kennedy Memorial, Bishop Chartrand or Roncalli alumna, must be a senior who has attended Roncalli for three years and must prepare a 500-word essay sharing their feelings and experiences about the “Spirit of the Family Tradition” at Roncalli. Lily’s mom Julie (Douglas) and dad Doug Bauman were members of Roncalli’s Class of 1995.

Lily's family attends St. Barnabas Catholic Church. She is a four-year member of the Roncalli girls tennis team and Linus Club. Lily is also a member of the National Honor Society.

Congratulations to the 2024 Homecoming

King Sean Stahl and Queen Sophie Schneider!

Ava Wenzel shot an 88 and Izzy Huxley shot a 92. Both freshmen will be advancing as individuals to regionals at The Legends this weekend! The Lady Royal golf team fought hard against top-ranked teams at sectionals and finished one place outside of advancing to regionals as a team.

Congratulations to our Royal golfers on a great season, and good luck to Ava and Izzy!

On Thursday, October 3, Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences will occur, from 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM. There is an early dismissal (2:24 PM) on that same day.

We are inviting students to attend the conferences with their parents or guardians. This is not required, but we do encourage it, especially for those needing translation. In addition, our conferences will all take place in person. If you desire a conference to take place virtually, you are welcome to contact the teacher and set up a conference via Google Meet on another date and time. Our in-person conferences will be reserved to five minutes in length. If you need a longer conference, please contact the teacher to make other arrangements.

Before attending the conferences, please complete this registration form. This will allow our teachers to prepare for conferences ahead of time and make them more productive.

Thank you for making the decision and sacrifice to be a part of the Roncalli Family! We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, October 3!

Wednesday, October 2

Submit your THEME – NOT Design 

Your theme idea MUST incorporate our recent National Blue Ribbon Award.

Due: Wednesday, October 2 at 4:00 PM in the Advancement Office.

Email Ms. Young, director of alumni relations and special events, (byoung@roncalli.org) if you have questions.

Winner will receive $50 cash!

Parents, please encourage students to participate in theme and upcoming design contests.

We are looking for gift cards to use as door prizes/incentives for the students to encourage participation. If you would like to donate a gift card to a local eatery/shopping spot. Sign up here to donate door prizes.

In addition, we need a few parent volunteers the day of the Walkathon (11/8/2024) to help the event run smoothly. If you are available to assist with the 2024 Walkathon, please sign up via the button below.

If you have questions, please contact Brandi Young, director of alumni relations and special events, at byoung@roncalli.org.

Interested in sponsoring the Walkathon:

Sponsoring the Walkathon is a fantastic way to demonstrate your commitment to Roncalli and connect with our community members who value your support. Your sponsorship will help support the Annual Fund and Roncalli's emergency need to replace the Bishop Chatard Gym.

Sponsorship opportunities: https://bit.ly/24walksponsor. 

(FALL BREAK 10/07/24-10/11/2024)



School policy does not provide for any early start of, or extension to, either fall or spring break. No student will be excused from school on any day(s) the week before or the week after fall or spring break. Any student’s absence on these days will be considered unexcused. An unexcused absence means that one point will be deducted from the student’s cumulative grade in each class at the end of that grading period. Teachers are not required to make special provisions for students who are unexcused. Students absent because of illness on the day(s) preceding and/or immediately following fall or spring break will be required to bring a doctor’s excuse to the Attendance Officer upon their return to school.

SUMMER FIELD STUDIES

The Church invites us to celebrate Priesthood Sunday on September 29. Priesthood Sunday is a day to honor our priests, who have laid down their lives in service to Christ and the salvation of souls. Without priests, the Mass could not be offered, and Sacraments could not be celebrated. We need our priests so much! This is a day to honor them, thank them, affirm them and shower them with prayers. You can make your Priesthood Sunday observation as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Youth groups, religious education programs, parish staff and parishioners are encouraged to celebrate their priests. 

Ideas: give your priest a little surprise party, offer a spiritual bouquet, have kids sing a song or invite Father to share his vocation story with the youth group. 

The service expectations for each Roncalli student for the 2024/2025 school year are included below.

Due dates:

Quarter 1 Homework Check (18 points) - 9 hours logged by Monday, September 30th and verified by Thursday, October 3rd

First Semester (10% of semester grade) - All 18 hours (8 of these HOPE) logged by Monday, December 9 and verified by Thursday, December 12th

Quarter 3 Homework Check (18 points) - 9 hours logged by Monday, March 3 and verified by Thursday, March 6th

Second Semester (10% of semester grade) - All 18 hours (8 of these HOPE) logged by Monday, May 12 and verified by Thursday, May 15

CARPOOL - HELP NEEDED

Please consider helping with rides to and from Roncalli. Contact Andi Baker, in the main office, at abaker@roncalli.org with any carpool needs. 

Needs assistance:

• Ride to and from school (meeting place near 38th & Georgetown) 
• Ride after school a couple of times a week (Thompson & Emerson)
• Share rides (Mann & 144 or Southport, Mooresville area)
• Rides every other week to school (Smokey Row & 135)

Congratulations to senior Logan Bell for reaching 1,000 career digs! 

The Royals won the Roncalli JV Invitational beating Seymour 25-18, 25-12, Avon 21-25, 25-13, 15-5 and Brownstown Central 25-7, 25-5. The team had 16 aces against Brownstown Central. Jessica Deer had three kills and five blocks. Grace Troxell had five kills, five blocks, two aces and two digs. Elise Baker contributed with 41 assists, three kills, one block, four aces and seven digs. Addie Phillips had nine digs and five aces. It was a great team effort for the win!

The freshman Royals won the Archdiocese Freshman Tournament beating Scecina 25-4, 25-17, Ritter 25-12, 25-9 and Bishop Chatard 25-17, 25-21. Grace Denney led the team with 15 kills and four blocks. Carly Feldman had 20 digs, and Ava Stone had six aces.

A sales representative from Awards America will be in the main lobby (enter through door #1) on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, from 5:00 - 7:00 PM and Wednesday, October 23, 2024, during all lunch periods to take orders for all students interested in purchasing a Roncalli letter jacket this year.

Payment will be required at the time of order, with checks made payable to Roncalli High School.

Information/price sheets may be picked up at the Main Office or the Athletic Department office. Any questions please email Regan Getz, administrative assistant athletic department, at rgetz@roncalli.org.

ATHLETIC TICKETS

Welcome to another year of exciting Roncalli Royals athletics! Planning on attending a Royals athletic event at Roncalli? These are the only acceptable means for admission to a freshman, JV or varsity athletic event at Roncalli.

• A paper ticket (purchased with cash at the gate) 
• An electronic ticket (using a credit card at https://websites.eventlink.com/s/roncalli-high-school/tickets on your mobile device)
• A Golden Guard mini-diploma
• Current Student ID card at the gate (they will not need to get a paper ticket)
• Current Faculty/Staff ID card

EACH person entering the gate must have one of these forms to enter.

Ticket booth - we will take cash to purchase tickets, or you may purchase an electronic ticket. 

Concessions - we will be accepting cash or credit card.

Questions? Contact Regan Getz, administrative assistant athletic department, at rgetz@roncalli.org.

Roncalli Media Network is the place to be for all things RHS! You can check out the calendar at the button below for all broadcast information each week. You will just click on the date, and it will direct you to the livestream. Catch the audio broadcast of the football game tonight.

Interested in earning some extra cash? Need service hours? Want to meet other Roncalli families? Sign up to work in the concession stands at Roncalli!

We offer concessions for all the home volleyball, football, soccer, basketball, track, lacrosse, CYO football and CYO track events/games. We have two concession stands, one in the Ascension St. Vincent Gymnasium and one at the stadium.

Parents and high school students are encouraged to sign up! Students can earn service hours or $10 per shift they work. Parents can earn $20 per shift they work. Each shift is 2-3 hours in length. Friday night football games pay $30 per shift for parents and $20 for students, these shifts are 4-5 hours in length.

Please follow this link to sign up: Concessions 2024-25

Parents, please sign up in the Parent slots first. If those are full, then you can sign up in the volunteer slots. Students, you can only sign up in volunteer slots.

If you have any questions, please contact Jenny Randol at concessions@roncalli.org.

SCHOOLMESSENGER SYSTEM OPT-IN

Students, parents and guardians, please read the attached pdf regarding SchoolMessenger. You need to opt-in to make sure you are receiving important messages from Roncalli. Instead of robocalls, messages will be sent via text. Roncalli uses this for emergency alerting purposes, such as two-hour delays, school closures and for notifying you about other critical information. 

TUITION WORK PROGRAM

Did you know that Roncalli offers opportunities for anyone 16 and over to work at local venues such as Lucas Oil, Notre Dame Stadium and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to earn money toward tuition? 

For more information and to be notified of events, fill out this form Tuition Work Program - 24-25 Sign Up.

For some more FAQ, please click here Tuition Work Program FAQ.

Contact TuitionWorkProgram@Roncalli.org with any questions!

Don't Forget to Order This Year's School Pictures

ENJOY 10% OFF

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CODE: F202410OFF

EXPIRES: July 31, 2025



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PICTURE RETAKE DAY IS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2

STAND UP TEAM

Each week, a team of school officials conducts a confidential meeting to discuss the needs of our students. The team seeks to identify students experiencing physical, social, emotional or spiritual difficulties and to remove any barriers that interfere with student learning. The team offers these students affirmation, support, direction, counseling and community referrals. In addition, the team leads programs designed to improve the well-being of our community by providing resources, offering activities and presenting education on healthy living. 

If you have any questions about STAND or have any concerns of the mental health of any student, please email assistant principal Michael Wantz at mwantz@roncalli.org.

Read the full Stand Up Roncalli High School Mental Health Initiative linked to the button below.

Roncalli High School is pleased to have two school social workers again for the school year. The social workers are available to all students in need of support in removing barriers to academic success. The school social worker’s role is to assist the school in meeting the social, emotional and spiritual needs of its students, parents/guardians and teachers. This is done by individual sessions with students, meetings with parents or families, small groups, coordinating with other service providers, providing resources to families or students and facilitating a teamwork approach with teachers and staff at school.  

If you feel your child would benefit from meeting with a social worker, for any reason, please call or email us at any time. If your student will need ongoing services, please fill out the consent form below and return it to us.

Parents, did you know you can now register online for a virtual urgent care visit with your school-based nurse practitioner? Whether your child is at home or school, we’ve got you covered! Get quick, convenient care when it’s needed most. 

Register now at www.nursesdirectconnect.com and let Nurses Direct Connect take care of the rest! #VirtualUrgentCare #schoolbasedhealth

The Saints Francis & Clare of Assisi 2024 Fall Festival is a vibrant community celebration packed with fun and entertainment for all ages. Learn more and buy your ride eTickets at https://www.ss-fc.org/news/parish-fall-festival

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 4:00 PM -5:00 PM - RIDES ONLY, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM FULL FESTIVAL FUN!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, NOON - 10:00 PM

License #011877

The St. Jude Parish is hosting their 2nd Annual 5K on Saturday, October 26 at 10:30 AM as a part of their Autumn Fest celebration.

Register online at www.autumnfest5k.com. Families of 3 or more that register together can receive a 20% discount by entering the promo code ‘FAMILY’ 

Not a runner? Sponsors and volunteers are needed! For students it's a fun way to give back and earn service hours in the process!

The CYYAM supports youth events including Marian University's Missionary Disciples Institute, NCYC, Catalyst, Summer Dayz, Impact, Alive in You mission trip and One Bread One Cup.

For more information on the race or to volunteer or donate please visit www.autumnfest5k.com.

Every little bit counts! Make sure your Kroger card is associated with Roncalli! Go to https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards and choose "link your shopper's card" or create an account if you do not already have one. Roncalli’s code is AS409. The Roncalli community donated $7,102.05 to Roncalli last school year through the Kroger Community Rewards program!

10/02/24

PICTURE

RETAKE DAY

10/04/24

FOOTBALL

NIGHT

10/07/24-10/11/2024

FALL

BREAK

• Please pray for Mike Gilley, parent of Ariana R'21 and Makayla R'19, who is currently battling pancreatic cancer.
• For the healing of junior BC (Brayden Collins), who is battling leukemia.
• For God’s blessings and mercy upon Archbishop Charles Thompson and his ministry in shepherding the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
• For those who struggle to find adequate food, clothing, shelter and medical services and for those most in need of God’s mercy.
• For healing of body, mind and spirit for all people dealing with depression, addiction or mental health issues.
• For strength and healing for all those fighting off life-threatening illnesses and for their families and caregivers.
• For the men and women of our armed forces and their families, especially our Roncalli High School alums serving in the military.
• For our Roncalli alums preparing for a religious vocation as a priest, religious woman or missionary.
• For vocations to the priesthood, religious life and missionary field, and that Roncalli High School and its families will provide a nurturing environment that fosters and supports these vocations.

RONCALLI HIGH SCHOOL

(317) 787-8277

info@roncalli.org

roncalli.org