Calvin-Parents E-Newsletter: February 24, 2009

Parent Council meeting over Siblings Weekend

The Parent Council is a representative group of Calvin parents who meet on campus twice annually, foster constructive dialogue between the college and parents, serve as ambassadors for the college, and faithfully support Calvin's mission.  Parent Council meetings are held on campus in conjunction with two parent/family events: Family Weekend (October) and Siblings Weekend, which is this weekend, February 27-March 1. If you are interested to be a part of this group, you can contact parents@calvin.edu.

You can still make plans for a sibling or a friend of your college student to visit campus for Siblings Weekend, February 27-March 1.  This annual event is co-sponsored by the residence life and student activities offices.  A number of fun activities and events have been planned, and siblings can eat any and all meals as part of the $22 registration fee.  For information and on-line registration (the only way to register and pay), please visit the Siblings Weekend site.  

From the president and Board of Trustees

Following a weekend when the Board of Trustees met on campus to decide on the budget for next year, please read an open letter from President Byker to the Calvin community with an update on the financial situation for Calvin College. 

Also over the weekend, the Board of Trustees named the recipient for the Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching.  Biology professor Dave Warners, the 2009 recipient, joins a distinguished list of excellent teachers at Calvin College.

All are invited to the Calvin Around Town event featuring the Calvin Orchestra

Please join us for our next Calvin Around Town at the Frauenthal Center for Performing Arts in Downtown Muskegon on Thursday, March 5, 2009.   The evening's highlights include a hors d'oeuvre reception, tours of the historic theater, and admission to the Calvin College Orchestra’s annual Concerto Concert under the baton of conductor Robert Nordling.  You can register for the event ($10) on the Calvin Around Town secure registration site.

Calvin’s 80-piece full symphony orchestra presents two major concerts and tours annually.   Each year the Calvin College Orchestra hosts a Concerto Competition with the winners selected to perform as soloists at the Concerto Concert.  See these performers and the beautiful Frauenthal on March 5.

Career help!

Is your senior student graduating in May?  Encourage your graduate to visit the career development office for help in planning an intentional, focused job search.  To help prepare students for their search, or for use in your own, check out Aunt Bonnie's Career Catapult for practical advice to help with job search momentum. You are also able to explore career profiles of real people in real careers.  You and your student can also check out the Career Links site which features a variety of sites with hiring and job information.
 

A letter from the Nursing Pinning Committee

Dear Parents and Grandparents of Nursing Students,

Our senior year is well underway, and as many of you may have heard, we are keeping very busy!  While we still have much work ahead of us, it is exciting to think that come May 21, we will be celebrating all of our efforts and our journey toward receiving a Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) at the Pinning Ceremony.  This ceremony is a long-standing tradition in which all of the graduating nursing students, along with their family and friends, join to celebrate their success in nursing school.  In this ceremony, each student is traditionally and proudly “pinned” with Calvin’s nursing pin, as a special signature of completing a baccalaureate degree in nursing and being eligible to take the state RN licensure examination.  

Thinking ahead to graduation, perhaps you would like to consider purchasing a nursing pin for your son, daughter or grandchild.  Information about cost and ordering this pin can be found at www.terryberry.net  (use "security id: 36095" and "password: Nurse"). While your child/grandchild would not receive the pin until the Pinning Ceremony, this could be a special gift and keepsake for them, as many nurses continue to wear this pin throughout their career.  You can find out additional information about the Pinning Ceremony on the nursing department site.  

The Pinning Ceremony is a special and proud moment for each nursing student.  Although your presence and support is the most important, please consider sharing in this special day with the gift of a Calvin nursing pin.  We are looking forward to seeing you and celebrating with you in May!

Sincerely, the Nursing Pinning Committee, Nursing Class of 2009.

PRISM 2008-2009

For only $10 you can purchase the 2008-2009 edition of the PRISM, Calvin's yearbook! This full-color book has over 180 pages filled with photographs and articles about students' lives and experiences at Calvin throughout this school year. PRISM will feature sports, student organizations, service-learning, faith, residence halls, and student life-- this is a fantastic way to get a peek into your student's life at college!  Read more about the history of the Prism from a recent story in the alumni magazine, Spark.

You can order the book at the campus store (online, search for "PRISM" or "yearbook").  We'll have your book available for pick-up at the Campus Store next year, or the book will be sent in the mail for off-campus students.

This is a wonderful, affordable gift for your student to preserve memories of a whole year at Calvin! Please feel free to contact prism@calvin.edu with any questions.

Thank you!
The Prism staff

Inner Compass

Inner Compass is a television interview show that explores how people make their decisions about ethical, religious, and social justice issues. Guests include authors, activists, religious leaders, and engaging thinkers from around the world.  Inner Compass broadcasts on 53 stations around the United States, including WGVU in West Michigan. Viewers and programmers around the country can see the national selection of episodes here.

The most recent episode available on the site is John Witte, Jr., talking about "What Marriage Does."  Marriage is more than a piece of paper, yet it's more difficult to buy a new car than to wed someone for life. John Wittee, Jr., director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University, traces the view of marriage throughout western history, suggesting ways to strengthen and enrich the institution today. Available soon is presidential historian and biographer Richard Norton Smith.  He draws on a wealth of stories to bring to light the issue of presidential character. 

Summer camp options at Calvin

Calvin provides a variety of summer youth camps and educational programs for elementary, middle and high school students. Included among these programs are: athletic, chemistry and foreign language camps, Knollcrest Music Camp, a Wetlands & Woodlands Camp (as seen at left), A.C.E. camps (Academic Camps of Excellence), and other youth programs including the popular S.T.E.P. (Striving Toward Educational Possibilities) program. Visit Summer Programs for program and registration information.

Financial aid and scholarship questions

If you are confused about your financial aid applications, deadlines and requirements, visit the scholarship and financial aid site where you can get forms, read answers to frequently asked questions and find contact information.  If you need to contact that office now, email finaid@calvin.edu or call 800-688-0122 (616-526-6134 for local or international calls).

Events for alumni, friends and families

Bookmark the alumni events calendar to keep track of important dates throughout the year, to which you are warmly invited, as a parent, alumni and/or friend of the college.  More information is found there for each of the following events:

Mar. 5: Calvin Around Town at the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts
Mar. 20-29: Women's Chorale Pacific Northwest tour
Apr. 25: Calvin 5k Spring Classic