Families,

As we step into this joyful spring season of celebration, we are thrilled to mark the start of a new century of graduates - the 101st commencement in the history of our school community. Mount Saint Charles Academy deeply appreciates the vital role you have played in forming them into resilient and virtuous young men and women.

We are confident that our graduates, shaped by their experiences in a Brothers of the Sacred Heart school, embody the qualities of well-rounded, faith-filled, self-disciplined, compassionate, and academically prepared individuals who are ready to respond to God’s love and make a positive impact in the world. 

Thank you for the invaluable partnership we share in the education and development of these remarkable students. Below, you will find important information to help you plan for this special honor and graduation season.

SENIORS:

Senior Supper is casual but appropriate.

Baccalaureate Mass, Convocation, and Graduation Dress Requirements:

Appropriate dress is required to participate.  Boys must wear dress slacks, a collared dress shirt, a necktie/bow tie, dress shoes, and socks.  Girls must also be appropriately dressed for a formal occasion.  Flip-flops, shorts, and sneakers are not allowed.    Also, you must wear the required cap and/or gown to participate.  The gown usually requires some light ironing – please follow the directions listed on the gown. 

Caps - decorations that are one-dimensional only and appropriate are acceptable.   The only time you wear both the cap and gown is for the graduation ceremony.  

GRADES 6-11:

Appropriate dress is required to participate .  Boys must wear dress slacks, collared dress shirt, necktie/bow tie preferred, dress shoes, and socks.  Girls must also be appropriately dressed for a more formal occasion.  Flip flops, shorts, sneakers, and gym wear are not allowed. 

GUESTS OF ALL EVENTS: Smart Business Casual

Reminder:  Smoking, including all family members, is prohibited on the Mount Saint Charles campus.  Cigar smoking is not allowed at events or after graduation.  

• Please turn in books that will be resold at the used book sale to classroom teachers.

• Please donate laundered and folded uniforms to the main office.

Students are expected to be present for the full day of school regardless of the time of their AP exam(s).   

Any student taking a morning exam must report to the assigned testing location by 7:45 am for a prompt 8:00 am start time.  Students taking an afternoon exam are asked to report to the assigned testing location by 11:45 am for a prompt 12:00 pm start time. Students testing in the afternoon should eat lunch prior to the exam.

If a student cannot take the exam on the National Test Date, they must immediately contact the AP Coordinator, Mrs. Tenreiro to schedule a late exam testing session.  The late exam fees, days, and times are designated by the College Board. A legitimate reason for the late testing is required. A proctor must be available to sit with a student for the entire [late] exam period, therefore an additional proctoring fee may be applied. 

Policies regarding Advanced Placement testing are available here.

To celebrate your college acceptances, we invite seniors to wear their college or military shirt, sweatshirt, or jacket on the following Fridays - May 2, 9, 16

Senior service requirements must be completed and turned in to religion teachers by Friday, May 9.  

Service for all students in grades 6 - 11 must be completed and turned in to your religion teacher by Friday, May 30.

A mandatory end of program meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 20th at 10:30 am in Room 208.  All post graduate students must attend this important meeting. For the complete agenda, CLICK HERE.

Each senior must complete the end-of-the-year Naviance 2025 MSC Graduate Survey. The School Counseling Office will send an informational email regarding the survey on May 1st. The survey will close on May 22.  Additionally, students must update the status of every application in Naviance.  

These items must be complete to receive the cap, gown, and tickets.

 If you have any questions about accessing or completing these items, please see your school counselor

Students must ensure all tuition payments, library books, lunch payments (my schoolbooks), senior surveys, athletic uniforms (unless the Spring season continues past graduation), fees, etc., are returned to receive graduation materials or final transcripts.   Families with outstanding tuition payments will not be given graduation tickets, caps, and gowns at rehearsal.  All post graduate and senior tuition balances in arrears must be paid by May 22.  Families with positive school lunch balances are encouraged to donate the remainder to Mount to support students needing lunch program assistance.

Early Dismissal is 12:30 pm. The Prom is at the Providence Marriott from 6 PM to 10 PM.

Attendance at graduation rehearsals is mandatory.  Students should not miss rehearsals because of other commitments. Meet in the gym for both rehearsals.  Casual but appropriate dress.  Do not bring a cap and gown to rehearsal.  

At Savini's Restaurant - Senior Class Only - no guests - 6:00 pm

Baccalaureate mass will take place in the gym at 6:00 pm.   All graduating seniors are expected to attend. Post graduates are invited. Extended family and friends are welcome and no tickets are necessary.  Seniors wear gowns (no caps) for this event and post graduates are asked to dress in formal attire as described above.  All Seniors and Post-grads should report to Chapel Hall by 5:30 pm.

Convocation will occur in the gym on Friday, May 30, at 7:00 pm.  Seniors wear academic gowns (no caps).   All graduating seniors are expected to attend. Post graduates are invited.  All Seniors should report to Chapel Hall by  6:30.  All prizes and special scholarships will be awarded to seniors at this ceremony. Seniors are asked to notify Mrs. Tenreiro in the school counseling office if you are unable to attend due to a rare emergency.  Parents and extended family are welcome, and no tickets are required.

Our 100th Annual Commencement Exercises will begin at 1:00 pm in the Mount Saint Charles gym.  Graduates are reminded to bring their cap, gown, tassel and any cords earned on this day and must report to Chapel Hall by 12:30 pm.  Gym doors will open at noon and no earlier.  Ticketed guests only. Anything that would block the view of others or distract from the formality of the event is not allowed in the gym.  Balloons, noisemakers, "fat faces," etc, are strictly prohibited. 

All graduates will receive nine (9) tickets for the ceremony: two (2) parent seating tickets and seven (7) general admission tickets.  You will receive the tickets and your cap and gown at the rehearsal on May 27 if, and only if, all obligations have been met.  Do not lose your tickets. Tickets are required to gain entry to the gym.  Additional ticket requests (above 9) must be emailed to: richern@mtstcharles.org.  Extra ticket requests will be granted based on availability on May 27. Graduates do not need a ticket.  There is no guarantee that extra ticket requests will be honored.  Graduates should contact classmates to determine who is not using all of their tickets.  Please turn in extra tickets to be redistributed.

No parking is allowed along the single road between the building and lower field.  This road will be closed from the front circle to the upper gym parking lot.  Handicapped parking and drop offs are available in the upper gym parking lot that can be accessed from Logee Street to Welles Street to Monroe Street.  A state issued handicap parking certificate is required to utilize this lot.  A Woonsocket police officer will manage that area.

All other parking lots are open including the arena lots, Saint Agatha's Church and Bernon Heights Elementary School.   Shuttle bus service will be available from the arena, church, and elementary school lots to the gym for an hour before the ceremony and 30 minutes after the ceremony.

Parents can sit behind the graduate section.  The only reserved seats are for the parents of the Val, Sal, MC and auction graduation seat winners.   The building and venue are handicapped accessible.  

Liturgy and Academic Convocation processions are alphabetical.  The graduation procession on Sunday is also alphabetical.  

It is important that all guests remain in their seats until after all graduates have left the gym.  Use of the center aisle will be prohibited until the recession is complete.   Graduates can be met outside.

During these next few months of wrapping up the senior year and celebration, it is important to remember that for safety and decorum, all the rules and regulations in the Mount Saint Charles Student Handbook are in force both on the high school campus and at all school sponsored or affiliated events.

The senior prom is only one of the events in these next few busy pre-graduation weeks.  Any serious breech of the rules and regulations carries a consequence and, for seniors, additional consequences include the potential loss of the privilege of participating in the graduation exercises.

Post graduation events should be done in a safe manner.

Hopefully we can all enjoy this season of achievement, celebration and graduation exuberantly, while at the same time, making good choices that support good behavior and safety.

What is the Social Hosting Law? 

• Rhode Island is one of the majority of states that maintain a Social Host Law. The law states it is illegal to permit” an underage person to consume alcohol. 

• “Permit” is defined as “to give permission for, or approval of, the possession or consumption of an alcoholic beverage by any form of conduct, that would cause a reasonable person to believe that permission or approval has been given.” 

• In essence, this means it is illegal for adults to buy, provide, supply alcohol or provide a place to consume alcohol to anyone under the age of 21. Adults are also held responsible even if they don’t know youth are consuming alcohol on their property. 

What are the Consequences of Breaking the Law? 

• First offense is a misdemeanor punishable by a minimum fine of $350 and a maximum fine of $1,000, and/or a prison sentence not to exceed six months. 

• Second offense is a misdemeanor punishable by a minimum fine of $750 and maximum fine of $1,000 and/or a prison sentence not to exceed one year. 

• Third and subsequent offenses are a felony punishable by minimum fine of $1,000 and maximum fine of $2,500 and/or a prison sentence not to exceed 3 years. 

• For 18 to 21 year-olds, there may be a civil penalty of not more than $500 and required attendance at an educational program approved by the Department of Health designed to recognize the dangers of underage drinking as well as completion of up to 30 hours of community service.

Individual graduation photos are taken of each senior as they receive their diploma and walk off the stage. Little Fox Portraits will take a picture of the graduate receiving the diploma.    

Diploma portraits will be at this link https://shop.littlefoxportraits.com/login

Access code: GRAD25MSC

Students and parents are welcome to register for notifications at any time. The images will be online about four days after graduation.