May 28-June 4

This is the final Lion Lowdown of the 2019-2020 academic year, but we will continue to send Lowdowns sporadically throughout the summer when we have pertinent information to share. We wish all families a safe and happy summer!

LIVESTREAM GRADUATION EVENTS
The Virtual Baccalaureate Mass and Senior Awards take place tomorrow 5/29 starting at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to watch the livestream at jserra.org/mass2020.

The Class of 2020 Commencement may be livestreamed beginning at 5:00 p.m. this Saturday 5/30 at jserra.org/commencement2020. Only seniors and their families may attend the ceremony in-person, which will be "drive-in"-style (one standard-sized car per senior). Senior families may go to jserra.org/seniorgradinfo for FAQs, safety guidelines, and recent correspondence that was emailed to seniors and parents over the last few weeks.

JSERRA COLLEGE WEEK - JUNE 1-4
JSerra will be hosting a virtual College Week next week from Monday 6/1 through Thursday 6/4 to help students explore their post-secondary options. There will be presentations on various admission topics, a Q&A session with experienced admission representatives, and virtual visits with over 50 colleges and universities from around the world so families can learn more about their schools. An email with the schedule for the week and information on how to register for each event will be sent today from Counseling.

COURSE PETITION PROCESS DEADLINE EXTENDED
The course petition process is open to students who did not meet pre-requisites but would still like to be considered for a course. Students must have compelling reasons for not initially qualifying for the course. The deadline has been extended to noon on Friday 6/5.

If your student would like to petition a course, the Course Petition Form must be completed online for each course. If they do not meet the prerequisites found in the Course Catalog, they must petition for placement into that course. They are responsible for ensuring that they meet all prerequisites for each of the advanced level, honors, or AP courses they are planning to take for the 2020-2021 school year.

COURSE CHANGE REQUEST DEADLINE EXTENDED
Course change requests have been extended to Friday 6/5. Changes to courses for the 2020-2021 school year will not be accepted after this date and students will need to wait until the beginning of the school year to make schedule changes.

When making a course change, your student must ensure that they are checking all pre-requisites found in our Course Catalog. Please contact your counselor should you have any questions. Click here to complete the form online.

SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS
The list of summer assignments is being updated frequently and may be found here in The Den (the portal for students and parents).

DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR ONLINE SUMMER SCHOOL IS THIS MONDAY
If your student has not yet registered for Summer School, they need to email their College Counselor by tomorrow 5/29 for links to online registration forms — counselors will not be available this weekend!

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Summer School will take place online over the course of eight weeks beginning Monday 6/8 and ending Thursday 7/30. The deadline to register is this Sunday 5/31. Visit jserra.org/summerschool to learn more.

COLLEGE APPLICATION BOOTCAMP
Rising seniors wanting to get a head start on their college applications this summer should sign up for College Application Bootcamp. Counselors and college admissions professionals will assist with the essay, resume, building a college list, interview skills, and much more! Choose from two sessions: Monday 7/20-Friday 7/24 or Monday 7/27-Friday 7/31. Both sessions will take place online from 12:30-4:00 p.m. The fee is $550 per senior. Space is limited for each session so register here today! The deadline to register is Friday 7/17 (if spots are still available).

LAST CHANCE TO WATCH THE VIRTUAL PARENT MEETING
If you missed the virtual parent meeting that took place two weeks ago, click here to watch President Rich Meyer, Principal Eric Stroupe, Vice Principal Donna Vandenberg, and Vice President of Mission and Faith Pat Reidy answer in great detail questions from parents. The video will be taken down this Monday 6/1.

NEW EPISODE OF PLUGGED IN PODCAST
This month on JSerra's very own podcast, Plugged In, Director of College Counseling Olivia Huie teams up with Director of Personal Counseling Cara Morales to share the triumphs and travails of parenting during the COVID-19 crisis. Don't miss their wit, wisdom, and real-life stories about managing the brave new domestic world of doing double-duty at home. Listen on our web site or download the episode on iTunes.

SUPPORT JSERRA FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESSES
As the economy reopens over the next few weeks, we want to support the businesses of JSerra families and have created a directory of JSerra family-owned businesses. We encourage the Lion community to patronize these businesses and tell your family and friends. Click here to view the directory. (The submission form closed this past Tuesday per last week's Lion Lowdown. The submission form will reopen this summer.) Thank you for your support of these businesses!

DATE	TIME	EVENT	LOCATION
Fri 5/29	6:30 p.m.	Virtual Baccalaureate Mass and Senior Awards	YouTube
Sat 5/30	5:00 p.m.	Class of 2020 Commencement	JSerra Field 2 (enter and check in from Academic Campus) & YouTube
Sun 5/31		Deadline to Register for Online Summer School
Mon 6/1-Thurs 6/4		JSerra College Week	Online
Fri 6/5		Course Change Requests Due	Online
Fri 6/5	12:00 p.m.	Course Petition Requests Due	Online
Mon 6/8		Summer School Begins
Thurs 6/18	6:00 p.m.	USA Today High School Sports Awards	Online
Fri 7/3		School Closed in Observance of the Fourth of July
Fri 7/17		Deadline to Register for College Application Bootcamp
Mon 7/20-Fri 7/24	12:30-4:00 p.m.	College Application Bootcamp (Session I)	Online
Mon 7/27-Fri 7/31	12:30-4:00 p.m.	College Application Bootcamp (Session II)	Online
Thurs 7/30		Summer School Ends

The calendar is subject to change. For the latest updates, please refer to jserra.org/calendar.
 

VIRTUAL POPS CONCERT ON YOUTUBE
If you missed last Friday's virtual POPS Concert, you can still watch it at jserra.org/pops. It is 90 minutes of talented performances featuring popular music in movies. Share the link with your music-loving friends!
 

GIRLS SOCCER
Congratulations to senior Samantha Williams (Stanford commit) for being selected as the Orange County Athletic Directors Association (OCADA) Trinity League Female Athlete of the Year. An All-American and two-time All-State honoree, Williams scored 15 goals and provided 5 assists for the Lady Lions during their 2019-20 season.

ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY
AthleticClearance.com has opened registration for the upcoming 2020-20201 school year. Each student-athlete is required to complete a new profile and submit the final confirmation page to JSerra's Athletic Training Department prior to participating in any JSerra Athletics activity.

In addition to the AthleticClearance.com profile, all student-athletes are required to complete a pre-participation physical by choosing one of the following options:

1. Elect to see your own primary care physician (in which case you need to download the physical form here and bring with you to your appointment).
2. Go to Marque Medical in Mission Viejo and get a physical completed for $40 in a clean environment. Click here to schedule an appointment at the Marque Medical facility.
3. Go to MEDHERO Urgent Care in San Clemente and get a physical completed for $40 in a clean environment. Click here to schedule an appointment at MEDHERO Urgent Care in San Clemente.

For more information on athletic eligibility, visit jserra.org/eligibility. Questions? Please email Director of Athletic Training Kasey Kavanagh at kkavanagh@jserra.org.
 

FENCING
That's right, parents — fencing is coming to JSerra! With enough interests from students, we hope to bring JSerra Fencing to our school this fall. It's a fun and engaging activity that can be done year-round that promotes individual initiative and discipline as well as respect and sportsmanship. Plus, it's a well-rounded form of mental and physical exercise essential for total health and wellness. And don't even get us started on the number of prestigious NCAA Division I programs that actively recruit fencers — such as Harvard, Princeton, Duke, Notre Dame, Stanford, Brown, Yale, and more! Complete the online interest form so we can keep your student up-to-date on our newest club sport. Questions about the sport of fencing? Contact Mr. Nick Dino at info@lagunafencing.com.