WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

• COUNTRY LINE DANCING - TOMORROW 7 PM-10 PM
• BEGINNER BAND CONCERT - TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6
• MEETING WITH THE PRINCIPAL - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8
• UNIFORM EXCHANGE - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9
• SWEETHEART DANCE - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10
• VALENTINE'S DRESS DOWN DAY and CELEBRATIONS - TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13
• ASH WEDNESDAY - FEBRUARY 14 - DRESS UNIFORMS
• NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16 TEACHER PROF. DEVELOPMENT
• NO SCHOOL MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 - PRESIDENTS' DAY

Dear SHS Parents and Guardians,

What a spectacular Catholic Schools Week we had here at Sacred Heart School filled with faith, fun and festivities! Catholic Schools Week is all about giving Catholic Schools the opportunity to celebrate the profound impact that Catholic education has on the lives of students, families, and communities. This week we showcased and celebrated our community, students, families, the Nation, vocations, faculty, staff, and volunteers. We enjoyed mass with our families and special persons, dress down/up days, Mad Science and NJSP assemblies, Saint Projects, the Wax Museum, special snacks and activities. The week gave us the opportunity to learn, serve others, and showcase our school. Thank you to EVERYONE who helped to make this week possible, especially our teachers, staff, and PTA. Your kindness and support of our Sacred Heart Students makes a difference each and every day!

Many Blessings,

Mrs. Joanna Barlow

Principal

Congratulations to the following students for practicing the virtue of Fidelity throughout the month of January: Jordan Godfrey, Kaylani Cruz, Scarlett Murray, Dean Carnival, Seraphina Kuruvilla, Sofia Marte, Asheema Precil, James Pastore, Lila DiCristoforo, Liam Reed, Amelia Derissaint, Gwendolyn Urso, and Sophnie Joseph.

February’s virtue of the month is Cheerfulness, looking on the bright side. The Virtues in Practice Curriculum describes Cheerfulness as the virtue that lets us be joyful even when times are hard. Each day we have a choice to think and act in a way that is either gloomy, where we forget about God and drag ourselves and others down; or we can count our blessings and lift others up towards Him. This month we will make a concerted effort to be joyful, to see the bright side and spread hope through joy. Those students who exemplify Cheerfulness will be honored at our March 1st, First Friday Mass.

Attention parents of children in grades 2-8; the Star Testing Reports are in. Your children will be bringing them home today. Make sure to check your children’s folder or ask them for the report. The report gives detailed information about your child’s progress in Language Arts and Mathematics.

If you have questions about the reports or your child’s progress, please reach out to their classroom teacher.

Parents, please join me on Thursday, February 8th at 6:30 PM in the SHS Auditorium for the annual State of the School Message. At this meeting I will report on enrollment, introduce some of our new and upcoming academic, extracurricular, and summer programs and discuss the 2024-2025 re-registration process. I hope you can attend this very informative evening.

Thursday was the start of Black History Month 2024. Each year Black History Month has a theme. This year's theme is African Americans and the Arts. This month during morning announcements, I will highlight African-American influences on the visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression. Additionally, our teachers will be teaching lessons and doing a variety of activities to celebrate Black History. Each week in my newsletter I will share some of the exciting lessons and activities happening at SHS for Black History Month.

The Alison Colonna Memorial Scholarship application is now open for the 2024-2025 school year. Jeff Colonna, Sacred Heart School class of 1980, has established a memorial scholarship in memory of his mother Alison Colonna. Click here for the scholarship criteria and application. Deadline to apply is Friday, May 3,2024. Completed applications can be delivered in person or emailed to schooloffice@sacred-heart-school.org

See below for important dates for students in 2nd and 8th grade preparing for 1st Reconciliation, 1st Holy Communion, or Confirmation.

• 2ND GRADE - FIRST RECONCILIATION - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10

Support the 8th grade class by purchasing a chance and to win a 50 inch Pioneer Class LED 4K Smart TV. Tickets are $10 each, click the link for more information.

TV Raffle to Support the 8th Grade Class

The Raffle will be drawn on February 9.

Coming Soon - Friends of Sacred Heart School 8th Grade $500 Scholarship

• Sweetheart Dance - Saturday, February 10th at 6:30 pm in the SHS Auditorium. This is a Valentine's event for students in grades Pre K - 4th grade.
  
• SHS Beef and Beer Come celebrate St. Patrick's Day with us on Saturday, March 16th! Traditional Irish buffet dinner by Cathy’s Catering, music, prize baskets, super 50/50 and so much more. Tickets on sale now.
• Gertrude Hawk Chocolate Fundraiser - New this year, a prize incentive program. Sales begin today and run through February19th. Online sales with Direct ship to buyer continue until March 17th. Gertrude Hawk Brochure

It is time to order yearbooks. New this year, Booster Messages. All parents and families are invited to send a message of love and congratulations to their Sacred Heart Student to be included in the Yearbook Booster page. Ordering information is below.

Back by popular demand, FOSHS is hosting another Country Line Dancing Night. Join us February 3, 2024 from 7 PM - 10 PM at the Sacred Heart School Auditorium. Tickets are $20 when purchased by January 27; $25 when purchased at the door. All proceeds benefit Sacred Heart School. Ticket Order Form

The Friends of Sacred Heart School cordially invites you to the Blue and Gold Gala and Basket Auction. Come out and celebrate 80 years of education excellence. Saturday, April 20, 2024 at Deerwood Country Club. Cocktails will be served at 6:00 p.m. Tickets will be available for purchase January 5, 2024 - March 2, 2024.Ticket price: $80 per ticket or 2 for $150. Dinner, dancing, a super 50/50 and a fantastic basket auction are some of the highlights of what will be a wonderful evening. Looking forward to seeing you there! Click this link for the Gala Ticket Order Form.

Giving Tuesday is a global day of generosity, when people make donations to all kinds of organizations. Tuesday, November 28 marked the 5th year SHS participated in this global day of giving. Giving Tuesday is not just about money, people can donate time, food and even parts of themselves. With this in mind, we saw Giving Tuesday as a teachable moment for our students. On Giving Tuesday our students pledged to give back by doing something good for others. We reinforced the idea that giving and kindness isn't about a day, it is a way to live our lives.

Sacred Heart School would like to thank all of those people who participated in our Giving Tuesday Campaign. If you missed out and would still like to participate in Giving Tuesday please click here or scan the QR code. Our Campaign runs throughout the school year. Your contribution, no matter how small, will make a difference. Your financial gift will directly contribute to offering the students of Sacred Heart School a dynamic, faith-filled, values centered curriculum that fosters creative thinkers and problem solvers. Thank you for being a part of the Giving Tuesday movement with us!

Over the past few months, we have increased our social media presence. Make sure to follow us and like all the great things happening at Sacred Heart School!

Instagram: sacredheartschool_mtholly

Facebook: sacredheartschoolmt.holly

General Information - For Families with Children Attending Catholic Schools in The Diocese of Trenton. Tuition assistance is awarded each year to families with children in our Catholic schools in grades K-8. Awards are made based on financial need.

How is the determination made? Information contained in the application along with the supporting materials is used to determine financial need. The formula utilized has been especially designed for families with children attending Catholic school. This calculation is based on a moderate standard of living for the geographic area of the applicant, further ensuring a realistic result. This formula determines the ability of a family to pay for private education. FACTS includes a comprehensive review and verification process ensuring the accuracy of the data.

Award Amount - Families who apply can receive up to one-half of the school’s in-parish tuition

Rate. Click here to learn how to apply.

MySchoolBucks is a convenient online service that allows you to securely pay for your student’s meals online using your credit/debit card or electronic check.

You can:
- Set Up Automatic Recurring Payments
- Track & Review Meal History
- Create Low Balance Alerts
- Make Payments with the Mobile App
- And More…
Sign up now! Registering for your FREE account is easy, go to https://www.MySchoolBucks.com. Create a secure account and never worry again about sending cash or checks with your student(s) to school again!
https://www.MySchoolBucks.com | (855) 832-5226

Have a smartphone? Get the MySchoolBucks Mobile App:

iOS (iPhone) - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/myschoolbucks/id661878685?mt=8
Android -
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hss.msb&feature=search_result

Morning Care (6:30am-7:30am) and Extended Day Program (EDP) is available. If you are interested in either of these programs, please be sure to visit the website to get all the information you need. This is also where you can register your child for the programs.

The Sacred Heart School Marketing Department is looking for volunteers to help us take Sacred Heart on the Road. Interested parents and their children are asked to help us spread the word about our awesome school.

Who: SHS Parents and Students

What: Be a presence at local events to showcase and spread the word about our school.

When: Tentative Events

1/27/24 - Mt. Holly Fire & Ice Festival

3/2/24 - St. Patrick’s Day Parade

July 2024 Burlington County Farm Fair

If you are interested in being part of the SHS Show on the Road Committee please email schooloffice @sacred-heart-school.org. 7th & 8th grade students who participate with their parents can earn service hours.

Additionally, parents, if you have some time on your hands and would like to volunteer one day a week to assist with lunch or recess duty, please email schooloffice@sacred-heart-school.org. Please be advised that all volunteers must be VIRTUS trained and fingerprinted. If you need to start the process to be fingerprinted and/or VIRTUS trained please email ptaevents@sacred-heart-school.org. Any day you could offer assistance is welcomed.

Mrs. Fortin, our Art teacher, is excited to introduce the SHS Virtual Art Gallery. This year we will be showcasing the student's artwork through a new online website called Artsonia. We recently began uploading student art to their portfolio. We will be adding to each student's portfolio throughout the school year. If you do not see any artwork for your little Picasso do not worry, we are just finishing up additional projects in each class.

Please take a moment to scan the code on the flyer to access your child's artwork. If you love your little Rembrandt's piece; this site allows you to purchase it as keepsake. Full giftshop options including ornaments, shirts, mugs etc. Twenty percent (20%) of all proceeds will be donated back to Sacred Heart School!

Genesis credentials were sent to new users. These credentials come from Genesis SIS – not Sacred Heart School. Existing users should use the credentials they already have. If you have forgotten your credentials, click on the Forgot Password link. If you attempt to access an account 5 times using incorrect credentials, NO PASSWORD, even one sent from the Forgot Password link, will work until the account is re-enabled. Accounts are re-enabled Tuesday – Friday, sometime between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. If your parent account is disabled please:

· Wait until midnight

· Go to https://parents.dioceseoftrenton.org

· Click on forgot password link

· Wait for a new password to be sent

· To avoid errors, copy and paste the new password

If you do not think you received credentials, please check your SPAM before posting a parent access support request.

*** If you did not complete and sign off on the start of school forms:

• Sacred Heart School 2023-24 Photo Release Form
• Sacred Heart School 2023-24 Student/Parent Handbook & Acceptable Use Policy

Your Parent Access Account has been deleted. You can no longer access your child(ren)’s assignments, grades, or report cards. Your Parent Access Account will not be restored until you provide physical copies of the forms.***

To view our great products click SHS SPIRIT WEAR to enter the website. Remember all your purchases support our school and show our Chargers Pride!

Let’s show everyone all the amazing things happening at Sacred Heart School! Have you taken some great pictures of events or activities at SHS? If so, share your photos with us. Your photo(s) could be used to promote our school via our website, newsletter and our social media accounts. We will also use the photos for our 23/24 school yearbook.

To share, email photos@sacred-heart-school.org and use the following guidelines:

● Try to include more than one SHS student in the photo

● Email photos with name of event or activity in the subject heading

● Include names of students and grades

If you are happy with our school, please consider giving us a 5 star review on google and yelp. If you are not happy, please let us know at schooloffice@sacred-heart-school.org