A Message from the President

Dear East Catholic Family,

I hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family. Thanks to all who turned out on Thanksgiving morning to see our Football Team fight hard and earn a victory over Northwest Catholic. That is three straight wins on Thanksgiving, and we retain the Archbishop’s Cup! That wraps up our fall athletic season. Congratulations to all who participated on all of our fall teams. Congratulations also to the Class of 2024 Powder Puff team for a 4-1 victory over the Class of 2025 team.

Thank you to everyone who filled the Thanksgiving baskets for Woodland School families in East Hartford. Mr. Link reported that we had so much donated that we had to do a separate donation to MACC Charities on Main Street in Manchester. As we move into December and the continuation of the holiday season, please see the information below about the focus for our Christmas drive.

Believe it or not, this week we passed the midpoint of the 2^nd quarter. With a little over four weeks left of classes, it is imperative that students keep up with their schoolwork. Please remind your student(s) to stay on track. We will send out the mid-year exam schedule in the next News from the Hill.

Also, as the school year continues to move along, do not let your community service hours fall to the wayside. Students are required to fulfill 10 hours of service by the Spring, and what better time to complete those hours than during the season of giving. If you need help getting started, please see our team in Campus Ministry for service opportunities.



Winter sports are underway. Please come out to support your fellow classmates with appropriate cheering! You can find all sports schedules under the Athletics page of our website. Best of luck to all of our teams!

The first Sunday of Advent is this weekend. As we enter this blessed season, may we continue to do our part to make our East Catholic community the best it can be. Let us lead with kindness and love to make our school the welcoming place we have come to know and love!

As always, please be in touch with good news, comments, or concerns.



Peace,

Sean P. Brennan '85

Chief Administrator

Follow Us!

East Catholic is a busy place! There are new things happening daily with students, staff, and programs. Be sure to follow us on your favorite social media apps for the latest updates!

Facebook: East Catholic High School

Instagram: @eastcatholichighschool

Twitter: @EastCatholicHS

THANK YOU!

We would like to thank everyone who supported our Wreath Sale this year. We almost doubled our profit from last year with more wreaths being sold and a larger percentage coming back to us per wreath from Gozzi Farm. We are incredibly appreciative of everyone's support of this fundraiser!

Next Meeting

Our next Parent Association Meeting will be on Monday, January 8th in the first-floor conference room at 6:00PM. All are welcome!

For more information on upcoming events and volunteering opportunities, visit

East Catholic High School - Parents Association (echs.com)



Any questions? Email echsPA@echs.com.

Christmas at the North Pole

Stage East is hosting an afternoon of holiday festivities! Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 2 from 10:00AM - 3:00PM in East Catholic's Auditorium.

Ticker prices for the event are $10.00 for one child, $15.00 for two children, and $20.00 for three children or more.

Monies raised from the event support Stage East Theatre and their Spring production, "High Spirits!"

Reach out to Director Jillian Quackenbush at quackenbushj@echs.com if you have any questions!

CCMC's PJ Day for the Kids!

Since 2022, hundreds-of-thousands of children in Connecticut and Massachusetts have worn their PJs to school and, simultaneously, have raised more than $1,400,000 in support of kids at Connecticut Children's. Each year, PJ Day has inspired more and more schools and businesses across the state of Connecticut to participate. East Catholic is in again this year! Won't you join us?

On Thursday, December 7th, students and staff are invited to bring in $3 and dress down in pajamas to support the cause. Last year, we raised over $1,300. This year, we hope to match or exceed that amount. Students can bring in the money to be collected during advisory. But, if you would like to contribute to our fundraising efforts, as well, please use this link: East Catholic's fundraising page for Connecticut Children's Foundation, Inc. (connecticutchildrens.org)

Scholarships

Seniors, it is scholarship time and you should be diligently working on applying for scholarships! We have many listed on Naviance, College Board has a scholarship section, you can check on your hometown school's website, and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has 100's of scholarships available. Please remember that you should never pay for any scholarship services! We have transcript request forms in the school counseling office if you need any additional material to go along with your scholarship application.

PSAT Scores

PSAT scores are out! If your sophomore or junior took PSATs with us in October, their scores have been released to their College Board accounts. Please take a little time to sit down with them and go over the scores. You can reach out to your son or daughter's school counselor with any questions. 

Naviance

Counselors met with all freshmen this week in small groups to introduce Naviance. We will be using Naviance throughout their 4 years at East. Parents do not have a separate log in but we encourage you to sit with your son/daughter and have them log in so you can see together all that Naviance offers. We also touched on building a resume, GPA, course selection and upcoming midterms.

Here is the link to the Naviance portal: student.naviance.com/main

Volunteer with Hartford Hospital

The Department of Volunteer Services at Hartford Hospital is offering an exciting volunteer opportunity for students who may be considering a career in healthcare.

They are looking for students who are driven to help others and would like to learn more about how a hospital functions.

Applicants must:

• Be 14-18 years of age (or will turn 14 by June 24th)
• Be available at least 6 of the 8 week program (June 24th through August 16th)
• Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (B average)
• Be available for one 8-hour shift per week or two 4-hour shifts per week (between the hours of 8am-4pm) Monday through Friday for a minimum total of 48 hours
• Attend at least one educational session during the summer.

A MANDATORY information session will be held at Hartford Hospital on Monday, February 12, 2024 from 6:00-7:30pm.

Students who are interested in this opportunity should reach out to their school counselor for more information.

Follow this link to see a video from the 2023 Summer Program: Hartford Hospital VolunTeen Program 2023 - YouTube

Service Hours

Remember that all students are required to complete 10 hours of community service by the Spring. The holidays are a great time to get in your hours, as many organizations could use extra hands to assist in their undertakings for the community.

Although it is the student's own responsibility to search out places to volunteer, Campus Ministry does have some opportunities that are offered right here through our school, as well as a few volunteer activities with local organizations that are happening on a weekly basis. If you are in need of assistance finding an organization to partner with for your hours, please stop by Campus Ministry and they can help get you signed up!

Shelter Meals

The Campus Ministry department and volunteer students were at it again, preparing and serving up pasta and meatballs from 4:30-8 p.m. at the ImmaCare Shelter on Tuesday, November 28th. ImmaCare is a 75-bed shelter based in Hartford. East Catholic will be serving its next two shelter meals on December 14th at South Park Inn and back at ImmaCare on December 19th. 

Christmas Collection

Out shopping this weekend? Consider adding one more small item to your list! The students of East Catholic are collecting basic clothing items for the Manchester Head Start program. Children ages 3-5 are in need of clothing for the cold weather ahead! Whatever you choose to give is appreciated- hats, gloves, socks, boots, snowpants. Many of the children receiving the clothing are coming from previous places that have never seen the cold.

The collection will continue from December 4th through December 18th. Gifts will be delivered on December 19th. Items must be new, as Head Start isn't able to accept used clothing. See the image below for other acceptable items. Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity and for being a light to others this holiday season!

Rocky Hill Sports Hall of Fame

On Sunday, November 19, our head football coach and math teacher, Tommy Seaver, was inducted into the Rocky Hill Athletic Hall of Fame. His accomplishments in football, basketball, AND baseball during his time at Rocky Hill High School were recognized. This honor is well-deserved. We are lucky to have Mr. Seaver on staff, both in the math department and in the athletics department.

Rainbow Graphics will have Spirit Wear available from December 1st through December 15th, in addition to their uniform items (sweaters, quarter zips, and senior vests). Click on the link to access their online store: Home | East Catholic (inksoft.com)

The 2023-2024 School Calendar has been posted to the ECHS website and portal.