The Oregon Athletic Coaches Association each year publishes its All-Sports Standings. The rankings are based solely on the athletic accomplishments of Oregon’s high school teams and are by classification, 1A-6A. Separate boys and girls champions are named, as well as a combined boys and girls champion.

Valley Catholic has been named Oregon’s #1 3A overall athletic program—boys and girls teams combined. Here are the Top 4 overall athletic programs in the state:

Valley was also named the 2008-09 3A Girls Champion—our girls athletic program, that is, combined for more success than that of any other 3A school in Oregon . . . easily.  Here are the Top 4 girls programs: 

Valley’s girls also scored 18 more points than the boys’ #1 program and a point more than any other school’s combined teams.

Congratulations to all athletes and coaches on your hard work—and to all of us for our generous-minded support of each other.

On another sports note, the OSAA recognized the Valley Catholic High School varsity football team as a top ten academic program this fall as a result of their combined 3.04 GPA. Valley finished 7th overall at the 3A level, the only fall sport here to rank in the top 10. This shows great dedication to both the coaches and teachers that our students continue to play hard and study hard.

Valley Catholic Elementary School students third grader Jessica Farrenkopf, and second graders Alexa Schultz and Kaitlyn Spiering will be participating in Fired Up Dance Academy’s production of The Nutcracker this December. All three girls had to audition for their roles in the summer. Jessica and Alexa are playing lead rats in the Battle Scene, and Kaitlyn is a Chinese Battle Scene Doll. Our own Elementary School Secretary and VCS Alumna, Laura Wilson ’99, is an instructor at Fired Up and has been helping the girls rehearse their choreography every Saturday. According to Ms. Wilson, it is an honor to be chosen for this production and it takes many hours of rehearsal and dedication to complete a project on this scale. She is extremely proud of all three girls, and cannot wait to see them perform.

Fired Up Dance Academy’s production of The Nutcracker will take place Dec. 4 at 7 p.m., and Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Newberg High School’s Auditorium. Tickets are $16. For more information on how to order tickets, please call Fired Up Dance Academy at 503-620-3155. Good luck to the girls, and we hope to see you at the show!

Winter basketball is open to boys and girls in grades 3-8. There are no co-ed teams at this level. All registration will be completed online. Go to the www.cyocamphoward.org Web site and click on basketball. Scroll down to Valley Catholic and you will find the registration link for basketball.

The first practices will begin the week of Nov. 23. The registration fee is $100 until Nov. 6. There will be a $10 late fee added after that date. Neither practice nor game schedules are known at this time. Practice schedules will be determined in early November and game schedules will likely not be posted until early December. Please contact Kelly Alfieri at kalfieri@valleycatholic.org with other questions.

Attention Interested Coaches: If you are interested in applying for one of the volunteer coaching positions in grades 3-6 please notify Kelly Alfieri at kalfieri@valleycatholic.org. You will be sent a link for the on-line coach registration form. There will be a new format this year with the assignment of coaches. The boys and girls high school basketball coaches, Jeff Gallagher and John Innes, will be involved as they will conduct an informational training session, which will include some informal interviews with those interested in coaching. We will begin taking advantage of our very successful high school programs in a way that will benefit the growth and development of our grade school CYO teams. The plan is for the high school coaches to share the fundamentals of the Valley Catholic high school basketball programs as they offer age-appropriate drills, practice ideas, plays, etc., that will help build the skill level of the younger players and prepare them for a smooth transition as they progress to the next level of Valley basketball.

In early October, Valley’s brand new Environmental Science class headed to Opal Creek in the Cascades for a two-day hands-on learning experience. While there, students marveled at the enormity of Oregon’s old-growth forests, the colors of the glacier-fed streams, and the diversity of the trees, plants, and animals. Focused activities included studying the macro-invertebrate populations of the streams and connecting the results to the overall health of the watershed. Students also completed a survey that compared the biodiversity of a stand of old-growth trees with a stand that was logged in the 1930s. The highlight for most was a night hike that included the most amazing star-gazing to be found in Oregon.

Valley Catholic High decided to offer the new class to address the environmental issues that are of growing interest in today’s society and economies and to give students an opportunity to focus on how humans interact with the environment. Ms. Clea Fryer’s background with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a minor in Biology from Portland State University melded with a perfectly in offering this new option to expand the high school curriculum. Valley’s administrators pride themselves on taking advantage anytime they can tap into faculty expertise to expand academic opportunities for students.

Twice a year, our National Honor Society members organize and sponsor a Red Cross Blood Drive at Valley Catholic. This fall’s drive will take place Wednesday, Oct. 28th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. NHS members have already recruited 35 student donors. Teachers, parents, employees and other adults are encouraged to sign up and donate as well. Students may begin donating at 16 years of age, and all students (even those who are 18 or older) must provide a parent-signed permission slip for the school.

Between the fall and spring drives of 2008-09, 84 people attempted to donate blood, 65 viable units of blood were collected and 36 were first time donors. This year we would like to have our campus produce over 100 viable units of blood. If you are a student and interested in donating, please contact VCHS NHS Advisor, Brenna Brown or call the VCHS office at 503-644-3745 to reserve a time slot for Oct. 28 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

If you have any questions about donating, please contact….or go to www.oregonredcross.org.

Please join us Monday, November 2nd for Grandparents and Special Friends Day! On this festive day, you will enjoy the company of your young host, be treated to a special program showcasing our students’ talents and receive a personal tour of our school!

K-3 Visit Schedule

• 8:00 a.m.:  Grades K-3 guests begin arriving in the Eagle Gym
• 8:30-9:15 a.m.:  Grades K-3 program
• 9:15-9:45 a.m.:  Grades K-3 guests walk back to the school for a personal tour*

4-6 Visit Schedule

• 9:15 a.m.:  Grades 4-6 begin arriving in the Eagle Gym
• 9:45-10:30 a.m.:  Grades 4-6 program
• 10:30-11:00 a.m.:  Grades 4-6 guests walk back to the school for a personal tour*

*A shuttle bus will be available to transport guests

Play by Craig Sodaro

When: Nov. 5, 6, & 7 at
7 p.m. and Nov. 8 at 2 p.m.

Where: Kelly Auditorium
Valley Catholic High School
4275 SW 148th Ave.
Beaverton, OR 97007

Ticket Prices:

• $10 adults
• $6 students/seniors
• $3 children under 5

Reservations:
503‐644‐3745

Directed by: Ginnie Sutfin

Performed by: Members of the Valley Catholic High School and Middle School

“Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!”

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In late September, four Valley Catholic High School juniors were named Commended Students by the National Merit® Scholarship Corporation: Alex Chau, Ryan Cook, Kelly Hess and Ileane O’Leary. On a national level, more than two-thirds, or about 34,000, of the approximately 50,000 high scorers on the PSAT/NMSQT® receive Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise.

What is the PSAT/NMSQT?
The PSAT/NMSQT is a national test that measures your verbal and math reasoning skills that you have developed during your school years. The test assesses your ability to reason with facts and concepts, to read critically, and to analyze math problems. It DOES NOT measure other talents, such as creativity, emotional maturity or motivation — all factors that influence success in school.

The PSAT can be used to predict your scores on the SAT and help you prepare for college. It is also used by the National Merit Corporation for a national scholarship competition for junior students.

What do the scores mean?

Average scores: The PSAT is reported on a scale of 20 to 80. On any given day you take this test, your score could range from three to four points above or below your posted score.

 October 2008 PSAT Scores

 *The highest VCS scores belong to separate, individual students. The highest selection index score listed here is the single highest index score at Valley.

Selection Index: The Selection Index is a score used by the National Merit Corporation to determine which junior students are eligible to participate in their scholarship competition. The Selection Index is calculated by adding together all three scores. The Index is reported on a scale of 60 to 240. The national average for the Selection Index is 147. The average Selection Index for Valley Catholic is 166.

Comparison of Scores: When comparing your scores on the PSAT to your scores on other national exams, it’s important to remember one major difference. While most national exams test a full range of a student population, the PSAT generally measures the abilities of only those students who plan to go to college. PSAT scores reflect a skilled and motivated college-bound student population. The score averages might be higher on the PSAT than on other national tests.

National Merit Competition: The National Merit Scholarship Committee uses the Selection Index as an initial screen of eligible participants in its two scholarship programs. If you are a junior, a citizen of the US and have an extremely high Selection Index on the PSAT, you may be invited to participate in the scholarship competitions. Each year the eligible score is different, but it remains at the top half of 1 percent of the students who take the exam. In previous years the Selection Index has hovered around 215.

The 47-strong Young Americans cast made three stops in Oregon in October

Fifty Valley Catholic students, aged 9-18, and 50 more from around the Portland Metro area, had the time of their life when the Young Americans came to visit earlier this month. The Young Americans are a California-based performing group who made stops in Beaverton, Enterprise and LaGrande this October during their 2009 Fall International Music Outreach Tour as well as eight other US states. These talented young adults are strong music advocates as well as talented teachers and performers.
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Girls Soccer - #1 ranked VC ties OES
Valley Catholic defeated Scappoose last week 2-0 in a District 1 contest. The Valiants then tied league rival OES 0-0 last Thursday. Valley has a trip to Astoria (10-12) and then travel to first place Catlin Gabel on Wednesday at 6:15. The Valiants are seeking their fourth consecutive district championship.

Boys Soccer – VC opens up league play with a loss, has two games this week
Last Friday VC finally began league play traveling to #5 ranked Riverdale. After a first half, that saw the Valiants tied at 1-1, VC allowed four second half goals dropping the match by a final score of 5-2 The Valiants will host Life Christian on Tuesday and travel to #2 ranked OES on Friday for a 6:15 start. OES defeated Valley 2-0 earlier in the year in a non-conference match.

Volleyball- Valley takes 2nd at Glencoe Tournament, hosts league rival Sheridan on Thursday
Valley Catholic made another appearance in a tournament final over the weekend. Valley defeated Sherwood in the semi-finals and lost to McMinnville in the finals of the Glencoe tournament. Valley will travel to Dayton on Tuesday and return home to host defending state champion Sheridan on Thursday. Valley beat Sheridan earlier in the year in a thrilling five set match. Thursday will mark the first Blue Crew shirt give away of the year on Valley’s campus. The first 150 students arriving at 5:30 in the athletic center will receive a free 2009-2010 Blue Crew T-Shirt.

Football – Valiants return home Saturday to host Willamina
Valley Catholic currently is 1-2 in league play and 2-3 overall on the year. The Valiants have dropped their last two league contests after a league-opening win at Sheridan. VC still holds their playoff fate in their own hands with their three remaining league games all at Home. Valley Catholic will host Willamina this Saturday at 1:00 pm in a crucial West Valley League match up.

JV Football
A late John Boileau touchdown pass to Luke Vanderzanden helped give VC a 22-14 win over Amity in JV football last week. The JV team will travel to Willamina this week as they continue league play.

Cross Country- Valiants show well at Southwest Christian
The Valiants cross country team competed against 6 top 3A/2A/1A schools on a difficult 5000 meter course at the Southwest Christian Invitational last Thursday.

Sara Seiwald and Austin Lundin led the Valiants girls’ to a 1st place finish with their 1-2 performance. Daniela Flasshoff, the 3rd Valiant runner, also earned a top 10 finish.

Andy Holstom and Connor Garcia led the boys team to a 3rd place finish by placing 5th and 7th, respectively. Chris Guiducci and Anthony Alfieri finished in the top 20.

The Valiants return to action on Saturday, October 16 at the Warner Pacific Open at Westmoreland Park in Portland.