NEWS of the DISTRICT OF SAN FRANCISCO

WELCOME  BACK TO SCHOOL!
The 2008-2009 school year is underway. This welcome-back message on the school’s web site from vice principal Andrew Kuffner at La Salle Catholic College Preparatory in Milwaukie, Oregon, is well worth sharing:

Greetings:   There is great academic tradition in all Lasallian schools. Our founder, St. John Baptist De La Salle, was an innovator in his time. He challenged the status quo by teaching in the student’s native language instead of Latin, the norm at the time. His schools were one of the first schools to use simultaneous instruction, where one teacher taught a group of students instead of one-on-one tutoring. His teachers kept detailed notes about the student, their progress and their behavior, to pass along to the next teacher as a cumulative report. His schools taught manners and decorum as a way to make sure that the students were acting appropriately for the society. These are only a few examples of the innovation that started this movement of Lasallian schools nearly 350 years ago. Today as more and more researchers “discover” that smaller, more diverse schools benefit students, that a healthy relationship between the student and the teacher is the key to student success, Lasallian schools serve as examples to the validity of the research.

Here at La Salle Catholic College Preparatory in Milwaukie, Oregon we strive to offer the best college preparatory academic program to meet the needs of our students. From a wide range of honors and AP courses, to a supportive study skills and counseling program, La Salle is focused on the students. Most importantly however, there are dedicated, professional and sincere teachers living the mission of La Salle every day. The result is easy to see, especially as the young people move on into the next phase of life beyond high school. Our students are well-prepared, well-adjusted, and have been given the academic, social, spiritual and emotional foundation needed to be successful. Our goal is not only to get them in to the college of their choice, it is to get them ready for the college of their choice. Our goal is to have the programs available that will challenge, motivate, provide relevance, perspective and rigor all in an unambiguously Catholic atmosphere that fosters respect and calls people to live gospel values.

The academic part of our website offers information about graduation requirements, course offerings and more. I encourage you to contact the school if you have any questions.

In the Spirit of De La Salle,

Andrew Kuffner
Vice Principal of Academics
La Salle Catholic College Preparatory

IN OTHER NEWS...

Visit www.delasalle.org regularly to see what’s happening.  Here is some of the latest news:

Brother Chris Patiño, FSC, makes first vows.
Brother Chris Patiño, FSC, an alumnus of Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, a graduate of the University of Arizona, and the former Director of Admissions at San Miguel High School in Tucson, made his first vows as a De La Salle Christian Brother in August at Mont La Salle. His assignment this year is at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles. For story and photos, see the NEWS area of www.delasalle.org.

Brother John Achin, FSC, celebrates his fiftieth anniversary as a Brother.
Last week at Mont La Salle, Brother John Achin celebrated fifty years in the Brother’s vocation. Brother John has taught at several District schools and was a member of the founding staff at La Salle Catholic College Preparatory in Milwaukie. A story and photos will be posted soon. Brother John, now a member of the Holy Family Community at Mont La Salle, can be reached by e-mail at jachin@dlsi.org.

Lasallian Student Leaders Gathering Makes Its Voice Heard.
The annual Lasallian Student Leaders summer gathering at Saint Mary’s College in July produced an excellent newsletter reflecting on what Lasallian education is. It is posted in our NEWS area. Visit www.delasalle.org and see what the students are saying.

Vandu Paaru Video Lets You Share in the Summer Immersion in India.
The Vandu Paaru (Come and See) summer immersion again took Lasallians from the District of San Francisco to India for a deep experience of collaboration with colleagues on the other side of the world. A video created by volunteers Brady Lowdermilk and Kristina Ortega is posted online. The 13-minute video, with live action and still photos, music and narration, will give you a taste of the Vandu Paaru experience.  To view the video, follow this link: Vandu Paaru, Boys' Town.  [Note: If this embedded link doesn’t work for you, simply go to http://video.google.com  and search for “Vandu Paaru” to find the video.]

New downloadable full-color informational materials are online.
What is Lasallian Education?  What is the District of San Francisco? Who was John Baptist de La Salle? What is the vocation of the Christian Brothers?  What is Lasallian spirituality?  Where are Lasallian institutions in the United States?  What is a Lasallian Volunteer? 
All these questions and many more are answered in newly posted materials on the WHO WE ARE page at www.delasalle.org.  Read, print, post, share, distribute.

The 140th Anniversary of the District of San Francisco – 1868 to 2008.
It was on August 10, 1868, that eight Christian Brothers, dispatched from New York at the urgent request of the first Archbishop of San Francisco, stepped ashore in San Francisco to take over the operation of Saint Mary’s College. During the 140 years since then this western province of the De La Salle Christian Brothers – the District of San Francisco --  has achieved a rich history, including the growth of a small sacramental-wine-making business into a vintner of national prominence, and the District continues to make history, having founded four new schools in the past ten years. Updated historical materials for celebrating the 140th anniversary of Lasallian education in the west will be distributed throughout the District for use in the 2008-2008 academic year. Meanwhile, history buffs can find lots of information and photographs on the District web site www.delasalle.org.  Go to the WHO WE ARE page and find ‘History and Heritage.”

NEW FACILITIES AROUND THE DISTRICT

Science building in process at La Salle High School of Yakima:
September 2 was the ceremonial groundbreaking at La Salle Yakima for the new Gamache Science Center, projected to be complete in early 2009. This year La Salle High celebrates its first ten years (1998-2008) of “Building a Legacy of Excellence.” For complete information, visit www.lasalleyakima.com and click on the Parent Newsletter (Aug/Sept.).
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Field and track at Cathedral High School, Los Angeles:
On September 11 Cathedral’s new field and track were dedicated. For photographs and information, visit the Cathedral web site at www.cathedralhighschool.org

Athletic field at Justin-Siena High School, Napa:
On September 5 Justin-Siena High School dedicated its new turf and track facility. Dodd Stadium will serve not only the school but also the local community. For information and photographs, visit www.justin-siena.org.

Gym dedicated at San Miguel High School, Tucson:
The All-Campus Blessing by Bishop Gerald Kicanas on September 16 celebrated the completion of the current phase of construction and honored key donors. Visit the school’s revamped web site at www.sanmiguelhigh.org

Athletic field under construction at Saint Mary’s College High School, Berkeley:
Projected completion date of the six-million dollar project begun in May is early 2009. Visit the school’s web site to learn more about Thomas M. Brady Field at www.saintmaryschs.org.

ONE OF LOS ANGELES’S ‘BEST HIGH SCHOOLS’

La Salle High School of Pasadena is named by Los Angeles Magazine
as among “LA’s Best High Schools 2008”:
From among more than 550 public and private schools in Los Angeles County, the editors of Los Angeles Magazine this fall picked 47 schools that they call exceptional. In this select group is La Salle. Congratulations, La Salle Pasadena. 

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LASALLIANS WEST - SEPTEMBER 2008
A newsletter of the
De La Salle Christian Brothers ● District of San Francisco

For information, contact
J. A. Gray
Director, Office of Communication
De La Salle Institute, Napa, California
707-252-3739