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September 2014 / Forms and links

Lunch menu

Volunteer survey

Magazine sale website

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Teacher emails

Annual calendar 2014-2015

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Scrip order form

Option C (grades)

Market Day

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Sports forms

Calendar

School website

From the Principal's Pen

Welcome to Sacred Heart School for the 2014-15 school year. I love school, teaching, and everything about the experience, but the first day of the school year is the absolute best.

The children are fresh and bright from head to toe, the parents look on in hopeful anticipation for a successful year, the teachers are anxious to begin anew and make a difference in children’s lives. A wondrous new life is infused into everyone. We are very happy to have you as a vital part of this new life.

Three invitations await you. September 11th, 21st and 24th.

The first is for Patriots’ Day, Thursday, September 11, when the children will join in prayer and song to honor those who have sacrificed so much for our country. We will gather around five flags simultaneously at 9 a.m. The flags are located at the Hunt Armory, DePaul School, Calvary Episcopal Church, McCabe Funeral Home and Sacred Heart School. Each class is assigned to one flag and we will let you know at which flag your child will be if you have time to join us.

Mark your calendar and join us on Sunday, September 21, when Sacred Heart School will celebrate the International Day of Peace. Beginning after the 9:30 Mass at Sacred Heart Church, you are invited to join us on the church lawn for the rededication of the statue of Our Blessed Lady. This 10-foot image graces the wall of the old convent facing Walnut Street. After the blessing, you are invited to visit the many countries of the world represented in the school.

The Parent-Teacher Open House is scheduled for Wednesday, September 24 at 6:45 p.m. in the school cafeteria. The agenda will be forwarded to you via Option C before the meeting.

The festive Green Tie Gala that we have enjoyed for the past four years is not scheduled for this fall. We are redesigning our fundraising plan after having built a state of the art science lab. 

Our next step is to create a roof garden on the third floor of the school. It is literally that, steps to the third floor are needed before we can fully use the space. We are anticipating an interior or exterior stairway at the north or east sides of the building. This is all in the talking stages now but the third floor space can give us room for expansion and we have set our sights on going to the top.

Calendar changed, please use revised version

Please note that there is an updated annual calendar in the family envelope. Revision date at the top right is August 16.

Please discard the calendar mailed over the summer and use this new (orange) calendar.

Changes were made to the week of Christmas break. December 22 and 23 are now full days off. Please make note of the changes.

Parents, please fill out online volunteer survey

Many beloved Sacred Heart activities and traditions are run by parents who donate their time and talent. Please fill out this brief online Volunteer Survey to see where you might be able to help. 

Thanks!

Back to school paperwork deadlines

Please submit all forms as indicated.

1. Family Emergency Update: Due 9/12
This form is used to update the school database and prepare the Family Directory.

2. Title I Survey: Due 9/23
Provides Federal funds for materials and services.

3. Cafeteria form for free/reduced lunch: Due 9/15
Insures that free and/or reduced breakfast and lunch are provided for those who are eligible. Please fill out if you are eligible.

• Some families need to turn in the following forms:

Parent Lunch Form and Scrip Commitment Form: If either form has not been processed at the school office, another form is included in your family envelope.

Past due fees: Any past due fees should be paid to the school office immediately. A statement was mailed if your family has a balance due.

Other missing items: A list of needed items may also be included in this envelope if applicable to your child. Please follow up on this request immediately. Pastor verification forms, Baptism records and immunizations are especially urgent.

Thank you! 

2014 Magazine Sale begins!

The Magazine Sale launched on Tuesday, August 26 this year and continues through Monday, September 22.

The sale raises funds for our school’s endowment fund, a tuition assistance program for Sacred Heart families. Each year the PTG is able to donate approximately $10,000 to this fund from our magazine sale proceeds.

We will be using Great America online again this year.  They have many magazines available for new order and renewal, as well as gifts, holiday and personalized items (including photos). 

Online ordering is the quickest and easiest way to order.

To order, go to www.gaschoolstore.com and enter our school code 2591899. This link is also available on the Sacred Heart website. Magazine packets have been sent home and contain paper forms which can also be used to place orders.

The website also allows you to send emails to friends and family offering them the opportunity to participate.

We have some great prizes this year. Students will be given credit as individuals for all prizes as there are no sibling credits.

Please contact Simone Woodhouse, coynehouse@mac.com, if you have any questions.

Thank you for your support of this worthy cause.

Scrip restarts; Wednesday is new deadline

Please refer to the Scrip schedule included in this Family Envelope.  Note that Wednesday will be the new turn-in day beginning August 27. The pick-up day continues to be Thursday.

Order forms are always available on the school website.

Volunteer needed for Campbell's and Boxtops

This is a volunteer job can that be done at home. Collect boxtops and labels that parents turn in to school. Trim, count, and submit to “Boxtops For Education” and “Campbells Labels For Education” periodically. Each boxtop is worth $.10 and the labels accumulate points and are used for items to enhance our programs.

Call the office if you are interested in helping. Thanks!

8th Grade Confirmation Meeting

A Confirmation Family Service will be conducted at 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 10 in the church for all parents/guardians and candidates, along with approved sponsors (sponsor must have obtained eligibility form), who are enrolled in eighth grade at SHES and religious education program.

Family participation is a prerequisite to reception of the sacrament. More information will be mailed home shortly.

If you have any questions, please contact Sharon Smoller in the Religious Education Office at 412-661-0187 ext. 118 or sacredheartparishreled@gmail.com.

Check grades and attendance online

New families to Sacred Heart should find in this monthly envelope a printout from Option C with their access information to this online grading system. You can log on to Option C to view grades and attendance. Parents of returning students can access the system using the User ID’s and Passwords previously provided.

The Option C website can always be reached from a link on the Sacred Heart homepage.

Teacher emails listed online

A list of teacher emails can be reached from the school home page by clicking on the link in the Resources list or the Contact Us link. You can also reach the list here.

Parent lunch duty guidelines

Please read and become familiar with the Parent Lunch Duty Guidelines. This yellow pamphlet in your family envelope outlines the school’s expectations of parents and students at lunchtime. New and returning families should find an answer to the question, ”What do I do when I come in to help at lunch and recess?”

Visitor policy included in monthly envelope

The Sacred Heart Visitor Policy is also included in this monthly envelope. Please become familiar with our updated procedures. School safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Church offers Awakenings to 3 to 5 year olds

Awakenings is a program for 3 to 5 years old held in the Sacred Heart Elementary School kindergarten rooms during the Sunday 9:30 Mass. 

The program helps children to explore God’s love and goodness through Scripture, story, music and prayer and is open to all 3, 4 and 5 year olds. It is taught by volunteer parents, and interested parishioners.

Awakenings starts in September and runs through April so get your registrations submitted soon.

To sign up or for more information, please contact Danielle Cessna at mainierodj@hotmail.com.

Thanks!

Welcome to new PTG officers

Please welcome the new 2014-2015 PTG members. 

President:
Julie Evans

Vice president:
Beth Sutton Diegelman

Recording secretary:
Elisa Brienza

Corresponding secretary:
Melissa Mlecko

Backup secretary:
Becky Flaherty

Treasurer:
Lori McKay

K-2 Level representatives:
Diane Hurkmans
Amy Hunt
Jane E. Cavanaugh

3-5 Level representatives:
Ronda Jones-Cain
Danielle Cessna

6-8 Level representatives:
Amy L. Volpe
Robin Young

Cub Scout Recruitment Day

What do John F Kennedy, George W. Bush, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Jimmy Buffett, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Henry “Hank” Aaron, and Neil Armstrong all have in common?  They were all Boy Scouts!

Come join us to find out what scouting is all about from 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, August 28 at the Sacred Heart activities building.

Cub Scouts is for boys in the first through fifth grades, or 7 to 10 years of age. Older boys may join Boy Scouts.

For more information, please contact Jeremiah Cessna at jeremiah.cessna@me.com.

Girls' volleyball gearing up for fall

Question: What’s hotter than the Monsignor Francis Keane Activities Building on a late July evening?

Answer: Very few places!

The girls on the Sacred Heart volleyball teams have been very busy this summer. And while the girls and their coaches can certainly confirm that the gym can be quite warm during the summer, that fact never lessened the spirit and enthusiasm these girls have for volleyball.

In late July thanks to the efforts of Coaches Alyssa Ilov and Molly Rubenstein, the girls had a wonderful opportunity to attend a volleyball clinic given here at Sacred Heart by Coach Curt Russell. Coach Russell is a North Allegheny graduate who has played and coached on state championship volleyball teams and coached Division 1 volleyball at Robert Morris. Coach Russell and his assistants gave close personal instruction to all the girls, and to their credit, made mention that the girls were very “coachable” and hardworking. We are hopeful that the lessons learned and hard work displayed by the girls at the summer clinic will pay off on the court this season.

In anticipation of successful seasons, the girls teams have started practice. The coaches for the Varsity Black team are Alyssa Ilov, Elizabeth “Leeza” Covatto and Larry Ruppel. 

The coaches for the Varsity Red team are Jim Scanlon with assistance from Luciana Lotito, Caroline Sterling and Gerry Kuncio.  The coach of the JV volleyball team is Molly Rubenstein, with assistance from Heather Sanders. Finally, a special shout out to Andy Novak who assisted Molly with the Open Gyms.

We would encourage each of you to attend a volleyball match this season.  Let the girls know you appreciate all of their hard work and dedication by filling the stands and cheering on Sacred Heart to victory.

For more information, contact Larry Ruppel at ruppell@ctt.com.

September food: Rice-a-roni

In conjunction with Sacred Heart Parish, the school will collect Rice-a-roni to be contributed to the food bank run by the East End Cooperative Ministry.

Each month, the Student Council members encourage all of us to contribute a different featured food to share with our neighbors in need. Thank you for your support.