WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

• FIRST RECONCILIATION RETREAT - JANUARY 20 - CANCELED
• CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK KICKOFF MASS AND OPEN HOUSE - SUNDAY, JANUARY 28
• CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK - JANUARY 29 - 31
• SPECIAL PERSONS MASS - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2
• HALF DAY - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2 NO EDP THIS DAY
  
• COUNTRY LINE DANCING - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3
• BEGINNER BAND CONCERT - TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6
• MEETING WITH THE PRINCIPAL - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8

Dear SHS Parents and Guardians,

I hope today’s newsletter finds you cozy and warm on our second snow day of this week. Prior to this week, New Jersey went a little over two years without significant snow and, go figure, this week we experienced not one, but two snow events. Looking ahead to the next few weeks, the forecast is predicting warmer temperatures and dryer conditions. This bodes well for us as Catholic Schools Week begins a week from Sunday. Please read today’s newsletter closely as it highlights many of the events taking place during Catholic School Week. In the meantime, I hope our students are enjoying the snow. If you have any photos of them playing in the snow and would like to share, please send them to photos@sacred-heart-school.org. Enjoy the snow!

Many Blessings,

Mrs. Joanna Barlow

Principal

Sacred Heart School will be creating Blessing Bags for our Catholic School Week Service Project. Blessing Bags, also known as Necessity Bags or Care Kits, include a variety of items for people who are homeless, or in need of basic necessities. Starting Tuesday, SHS will conduct a drive to collect travel size personal hygiene products for the homeless and those in need. The drive will be similar to how we ran the Thanksgiving food drive, with specific items assigned to each grade.

PreK & Kindergarten - toothbrush and toothpaste

1st and 2nd Grades - facial wipes and lip balm

3rd and 4th Grades - mouthwash and Q-tips

5th and 6th Grades - moisturizer and chewing gum or mints

7th and 8th Grades - compact first aid kits and comb or brush.

We ask that these items be travel size or on the smaller end because that size works best for our bags. Students are asked to bring their items to their homerooms beginning Tuesday, January 16th. The drive will run through Friday, January 24th. At the open house on January 28th, Sacred Heart Students are invited to assemble the Blessing Bags for distribution in early February. We will be working with the Extended Hand Ministries, an emergency home shelter in Mount Holly, to distribute the bags. Thank you in advance for helping to make our Blessing Bag service project a success!

Mark your calendar, Catholic Schools Week is coming. Our faculty and staff are busy preparing for a fantastic week. Please join us for the kick-off to Catholic Schools Week Sunday, January 28th, at the 9:30 a.m. mass. Following mass light refreshments and student activities will be held in the Auditorium. All are welcome!

Catholic Schools Week is just about one week away. Kick-off begins Sunday, January 28 at the 9:30 AM mass. At mass I will be speaking about our amazing school, students, faculty and staff. I would love for you to join me. I am looking for 1 to 2 families to briefly share your Sacred Heart School Story. Share why you chose Sacred Heart and why you love our school. If you are interested in sharing your story at our 9:30 a.m. mass, please email me directly at

jbarlow@sacred-heart-school.org.

Another way families can assist is by helping us with our Open House Reception in the auditorium after mass. We would appreciate your help with a small breakfast offering for our guests. Please click on the link below, review the available slots and click on the button to sign up. Any and all help is appreciated!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4CA9AB2BABFBC25-47166994-shscsw

On February 2nd we will close out Catholic Schools Week with a very special First Friday Mass. Students may invite one special person to accompany him/her to First Friday Mass and visit the classroom. This person can be a grandparent, uncle, aunt, neighbor, etc. The special person must be an adult. Your child’s special person will sit with him/her during mass and will accompany him/her back to the classroom where the guest will have a brief visit. Since Friday the 2nd is a half-day, students may leave early with their special guest if parental permission is given. Space is limited in our classrooms so please invite only one guest per student. I am looking forward to meeting all of our special guests. Permission slips will be handed out by your child’s teacher, or you can access it below.

Special Persons Mass/Visitation Permission Slip

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

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.

Next week we will conduct make -up testing for those students who were absent, or missed due to the snow days.

Each year, the elementary schools of the Diocese of Trenton administer the Renaissance Star Assessments in mathematics and reading during three assessment windows. The assessments, which last less than 40 minutes each, are given in the fall, in the winter, and in the spring. The assessments from Renaissance, like many other standardized assessments, measure academic proficiency. In addition to proficiency, however, these assessments also track the academic growth of a student during the course of one school year as well as over the period of a student’s career from grade two through grade eight. Click here to read a letter from Daniel O’Connell, Assistant Superintendent for the Diocese of Trenton about the Star Assessments. Star assessment window 2 is January 8, 2024 through January 26, 2024. Specific assessment dates will be communicated by the classroom teachers. Results are sent home to parents after each testing window.

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

• 1ST RECONCILIATION RETREAT 2ND GRADE - SATURDAY, JANUARY 20

• CONFIRMATION RECONCILIATION 8TH GRADE - MONDAY, JANUARY 22
• CONFIRMATION RETREAT 8TH GRADE - SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 Be sure to check the Sacraments website for important sacramental information.
• 2ND GRADE - FIRST RECCONCILIATION - 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

Coming Soon - Gertrude Hawk Chocolate Fundraiser

Sweetheart Dance - Saturday, February 10

Beef & Beer - Saturday, March 16

Be on the look out for more detailed information coming soon.

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 5:30 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!

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