NeWSLETTER

“Were we to know the merit and value of only going from one street to another for the love of God, we should prize it more than gold or silver.”  — Blessed Edmund Rice, 1810

Mission Mexico
The Mexico Mission was able to build a home over the Easter Break. Thank you to everyone for all the generous donations in building a bridge to a family — and a home.

2025-2026
I am looking for parent volunteers interested in taking students to community service opportunities on a regular basis after school next fall. Contact Mr. Beesley beesley@palmaschool.org if you are interested.

Prayers and Props
The Campus Ministry page on our website has short forms for Prayers and Props that allow you to share a Chieftain accomplishment that happened outside of school or submit a prayer request. Visit our web page (or use the button below) to share your props or to request prayers to be offered up during Palma’s Masses and Chapel Time. 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Jacob’s Heart - Deliver groceries, decorate cards and grocery bags, assist staff with office tasks, etc. — CLICK HERE

All in Monterey County - Food drives every Wednesday. ALL-IN Drive Through Market at Seaside High School at 4:30pm until supplies run out. Volunteers help gift bounties of food to our guests as they drive through. — CLICK HERE

Blue Zones Project - Live longer, better. Encouraging changes in our community that lead to healthier options. — CLICK HERE

Save Our Shore - Foster thriving and sustainable ecosystems in the Monterey Bay and surrounding habitats through equitable environmental action. — CLICK HERE

Dorothy’s Place - Essential services and transitional support to people experiencing the injustice of homelessness and extreme poverty. — CLICK HERE

Seaside Parks - The city of Seaside schedules volunteer maintenance on selected parks throughout the year from 10am to 12pm. Bring your gloves, water and snacks. For schedules and their volunteer form — CLICK HERE

Visit the STUDENT OUTREACH page on our website for more volunteer opportunities. Do you know about an upcoming service opportunity? Contact Mr. Beesley at beesley@palmaschool.org.

Spring Sports Awards
Mark Sunday, May 18th on your calendar and make plans to attend the Spring Sports Awards program taking place in the Edward M. Dowd Gym from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. We will honor student athletes from all of our spring sports along with recognizing the Athlete of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

Volunteer and Have Some Fun
This summer, Palma Athletics will be sponsoring our annual fireworks booth from June 29 through July 4 in the Carl’s Jr. parking lot (N. Davis Road) in Salinas. We will also be serving the popular tri-tip sandwiches at the California Rodeo July 17 through the 20th. Look for signup links on our website and your email soon.

Palma Athletics App
contains schedules, rosters and updated scores. it is part of the “Go Chieftains” website at Apple and Android app stores.

Athletic Council
The Athletic Council usually meets the first Monday of each month at 5:30pm in the Cislini Study Center. The Council is responsible for providing support for all junior high and high school sports, since no tuition dollars are used for athletics. You are invited to join us. We would like at least one parent representative from each team in attendance. Our next meeting is Monday, May 5th.

Student Athletes Going to the Next Level 
Congratulations to these seniors who have committed to play at the collegiate level.

Get Involved
There are a variety of ways the Palma community can participate at athletics events and we can never have too many volunteers. From helping out at games to providing the many hands needed at fund raising events, Palma parents and friends are the ones who make athletics happen for our Chieftains. 

You can find daily athletic update on my Twitter feed at @CoachBishop. I tweet upcoming game times for all sports each week as well as results and other fun information regarding Palma and Palma Athletics.

Charles B. Runnels Youth Citizenship Seminar (YCS)
Congratulations to Jakob Jackson ’26 for being selected to represent Palma at the annual Charles B. Runnels Youth Citizenship Seminar at Pepperdine University and to Emanuel Delfino ’26 as an alternate. YCS is a five-day seminar where students interact with today’s leaders, explore current national and global topics, discuss constructive solutions to critical issues, share memorable moments with peers, and make lifelong friends. Candidates for this program represent students of bright promise.

Camp Royal
Congratulations to Audrey Delucchi, Emanuel Delfino and Kevin Monroy for being selected to participate in the annual leadership camp! Camp Royal is a week-long youth leadership camp for high school juniors from over 70 high schools that includes Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and Monterey counties. The district 5230 Rotary clubs have been providing this opportunity since 1970, and this camp for young men and women has operated continuously at the Sequoia Lake YMCA camp, a remote High Sierra location, which provides a positive experience for leadership development. Camp Royal encourages the development of sound values which provides a basis of insight and understanding for intelligent leadership in a free society. 

Junior Monthly Reminder
• Sign up to take the SAT test in June. The CSU/UC are not requiring these tests for admission. However, many private institutions are requiring them. You can register for the SAT mid-May for the fall. They will be offering one test each month from August to December.
• If you plan to play a sport in college and you haven’t signed up with the clearinghouse you need to do that now (https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/2/8/student-athletes-future.aspx)
• Continue to explore colleges and financial aid opportunities
• Look into summer programs, take a class at the community college, community service, internships, or jobs.

Tips for Student Athletes
When it comes to athletic scholarships and college sports recruiting, it is important for you to become familiar with the rules and regulations surrounding the various college associations, conferences, and divisions. Violation of the rules, even while still in high school, can result in ineligibility in your future athletic career. Your first task should be to determine which associations (NCAA, NJCAA, etc.) your prospective colleges and universities belong to, and then carefully review those groups’ websites.

D’s in College Prep Courses Just Won’t Cut It
Four-year colleges and universities will only accept grades of “C” or better to meet college prep course requirements for admission. If your son/daughter is planning to attend a four-year college, he/she must make-up any deficiencies prior to graduation. Students taking summer school courses to make-up D’s and F’s are reminded that passing a five-credit course during summer school will only replace one five-credit semester grade (not the entire year). In other words, a student failing both semesters of Biology would need to register for (and pass) 10 credits of Biology prior to graduation. Also, remember that colleges require that incoming freshman have completed at least two years of the same foreign language. This means that a student who completed one year of Latin and one year of Spanish has not met that requirement. The CSU and the University of CA require completion of one year (10 credits) of a visual or performing art prior to graduation. Palma students now have a number of options for accomplishing this requirement. One more reminder – scholarships are still available out there, and many of our students are highly competitive. Scholarships come in many forms and sizes. Not all scholarships are based solely on grades and/or financial need. The Guidance Office posts information on all scholarships we receive in Naviance and in SCOIR. Many students may not be aware that they are eligible to apply for scholarships. Scholarships can be based on a wide range of criteria including academics, athletics, leadership, career interests, writing skills, ethnic background, religious affiliation, or any combination of the preceding. One can also use the internet to check out some of the outstanding FREE scholarship search sites like www.fastweb.com. This and other financial aid and college related links are indexed in your SCOIR account at https://app.scoir.com/signin.

Senior Monthly Reminder
• Record in SCOIR which college you will be attending
• Record in SCOIR all scholarships you are receiving
• If you have questions about housing, talk to your counselor or call the college.
• Prepare for any Advanced Placement Program (AP) Exams you plan to take.
• Inform all colleges to which you applied of your admission and financial aid decisions by May 1.Send a deposit to only one college.

Schedule for SAT/ACT Test Dates for 2025