2025 Alpha Parent Information
Important Information for the Retreat:
- All students must be registered and have submitted consent forms in order to attend. There is no cost for the retreat.
- The retreat is overnight—all students will bring sleeping bags and spend the night inside the Inner Court of the Academic building and be dismissed at 10:15 AM on Sat. 9/13/25.
- The retreat begins after school on Fri. 9/12/25 on campus. 9th grade students attending Alpha may not leave campus when 6th period ends at 1:20 PM. All 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students are asked to leave campus as quickly as possible right after 6th period.
- Carondelet High School’s retreat policy requires students who register for retreats to attend the entire retreat in order to honor the integrity of the retreat and the cohesiveness of the group. Therefore, students are expected to be present from the beginning of the retreat to the end. Contact Campus Minister Rick Grand-Lejano with questions.
- Please confirm with your student that they are, in fact, attending in order to avoid last-minute cancellations. Last-minute cancellations and no-shows upset the balance of small group numbers. Please contact Rick Grand-Lejano right away if your student is registered and no longer attending.
- Students with outside athletic, volunteer, or other commitments are encouraged to coordinate an absence with their respective coaches or mentors as this is their only opportunity to participate in their freshman retreat, a foundational part of the Carondelet experience.
- Snacks, dinner, late-night treats, and breakfast will be provided. Please email Campus Minister Vanessa Miranda for special dietary arrangements.
Procedures for Friday, Sept. 12:
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Students should wear the Friday Casual Uniform to school on Friday. Please encourage your students not to wear their skirts to school that day and instead, wear comfortable pants or leggings that comply with the school guidelines. Students may not have time to change before the retreat and will be more comfortable in leggings or comfy pants than a skirt for this very active afternoon and evening.
- Please bring your student to school between 7:40 and 8:00 AM on Friday morning so they can drop off their overnight belongings. When students arrive on campus in the morning, they need to go directly to the Tennis Courts (above the parking garage) to drop off their overnight belongings, which will be locked and stored during the school day.
- After 6th period, students will have a short break to use the bathroom, call home, or relax before the retreat begins. At 2:00 PM, registered “campers” will go retrieve their belongings from the tennis courts and head to the Garaventa for Camp Check In. Where they will find their leader holding up their number sign. Students will collect their phones and smart watches where they will label them with blue tape and the phones will be locked in a secure room.
- Early dismissals are available for Carondelet sports. Our policy is that students attend the retreat from start to finish. If there are extenuating circumstances, please reach out to Rick Grand-Lejano individually via email.
What to Bring
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Students may pack a small overnight bag with pajamas, toothbrush and toothpaste, face wash, if needed, and other needed personal hygiene items. There will not be an opportunity to shower. Hint: most students just sleep in the leggings and t-shirts they’ve been wearing, rather than change into pajamas.
- Please label overnight bags. We will be moving over 200 bags on campus and want to avoid anything getting lost.
- All students need to bring a sleeping bag and pillow.
- Students may not bring air mattresses. Yoga mats or camping pads that roll up are acceptable.
Behavioral Guidelines:
- Students are expected to behave, both on and off campus, in a manner consistent with Carondelet High School’s core values. Any conduct both in and out of school that reflects negatively upon the reputation of Carondelet High School may be subject to disciplinary action, including suspension from competitive and extra-curricular activities, school suspension, and or expulsion. Disruptive behavior and/or violations of Carondelet’s core values and behavioral guidelines on retreats may result in a phone call home to parents/guardians and/or the removal of a student from the retreat by the parent/guardian.
- Behavioral policies and guidelines can be found on our Student Handbook on pages 36-41.
- Students seen with a phone will be required to turn it into a chaperone. If students do not comply with this, they will be removed and sent home with a parent/guardian.
- The Class of 2029 met with Campus Ministry on Friday, August 31 to go over retreat details and discuss behavioral expectations. Please review the different kinds of energy that are appropriate for various retreat activities with your student. There will be times when they are invited to be energetic, loud, and silly, and also times when they are invited to be quiet, still, and reflective. In all cases, respect and positive attitudes are foundational expectations and students will be removed from the retreat if this expectation cannot be met. We are counting on each student to help build a positive, inclusive, and welcoming environment for their peers.
Health and Safety:
- All medications should be listed on a student’s consent form and remain in students’ bags unless they are taking them. It is important to disclose medication so that, in the case of an emergency, school staff can accurately report medications to emergency personnel. Please email Rick Grand-Lejano if your student needs to take medication at a specific time.
- EpiPens and inhalers need to be easily accessible. Students will be asked to have their small group leaders carry those items in the small group bag.
- Food served will be pasta, garlic bread, varieties of chips, granola bars, cookies, fruit, bagels, cream cheese, and donut holes. Please email Vanessa Miranda if arrangements need to be made to accommodate dietary needs.
- If your student has an injury or may need to sit out of activities that are physically active (running, dancing, etc.), crowded, or loud, please email Rick Grand-Lejano to make arrangements for school staff and retreat leaders to support your student’s well-being.
Contact Information:
Please limit phone calls to emergencies.
- Carondelet High School: 925-686-5353
- *Retreat Director - Director of Campus Ministry Edie Payne’s direct line: 925-686-5353 ext. 189 (rings at desk and on cell phone)