Weekly Newsletter

• BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
• ALISON COLONNA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP - APLLICATION DUE SEPTEMBER 29

Dear SHS Parents and Guardians,

The first week of school is in the books. What a pleasure it was to see all of those smiling faces returning to school. The heat did not deter us, as this week was jam packed with excitement. Friendships were forged, routines were practiced, and memories were made.

A huge thank you to the PTA for our icy treat on Wednesday. It was the perfect snack for the 95-degree day! Thursday, we had our first fire drill of the school year. NJ security regulations require schools to have a fire drill within the first 10 days of school and a lockdown drill within the first 15 days of school. The staff and students did a great job. We will continue with our fire and security drills each month throughout the school year.

We ended our week with our First Friday Mass of the school year. Having only been in school for a few days, I want to thank everyone who helped to quickly organize our first Mass. It was a wonderful celebration of faith and a perfect way to close our first week of school.

Many Blessings,

Joanna Barlow

Principal

I am extremely excited to tell you about a new scholarship opportunity for our students. 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, September 29, 2023.

Here you will find the September Lunch Menu. Please be aware due to rising food costs school lunch is now $3.90 this is a 10 cent increase from last school year.

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

Virtues in Practice, is a curriculum written by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecelia. It is a program for children in grades pre-kindergarten through eight to help them grow closer to Jesus by imitating His life and virtues. It is set up in such a way that a whole school studies the same virtue each month, to provide a whole-school focus. The program covers 27 virtues over a three-year cycle, with 81 saints held up as models of the virtues. This is our second year doing this program. Last year was the year of FAITH and this school year is the year of HOPE.

Jesus explains that the reason we have hope in God is because we believe in God and know him. We believe God is good and all powerful, therefore we can hope that he will be there for us and provide for us in our time of need. Hope affords us joy even under trial. Hope is expressed and nourished in prayer, especially in the Our Father. By placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit we embody Hope.

Similar to last year we are going to recognize those students who exemplify each of the virtues; however, this year, students will be honored each month after our First Friday Mass.

If your child is preparing to make a Sacrament this year (2nd graders are invited to make 1st Reconciliation and 1st Holy Communion, 8th graders are invited to the Sacrament of Confirmation), be sure to look at the Sacraments website, updated by our Coordinator of Religious Education, Mrs. Barbara Kane. The site has a great deal of important information for the year. A registration form will be distributed next week by our 2nd and 8th grade teachers. You can also find a copy here. If you are planning on your child receiving a Sacrament this year, please be sure to complete the form as soon as possible.

Do you have a Freezer you don't need? Sacred Heart School is in need of a freezer either upright or chest; it doesn't matter. If you would like to donate your freezer to Sacred Heart School, please email schooloffice@sacred-heart-school.org.

Our band/string program is run through Northeastern Music Programs. If you would like your child to participate in our instrumental program please attend the virtual meeting regarding Band and Orchestral Instruments on Tuesday, September 12th, 6:30 PM

For more information information and to access link for the upcoming Band/String Instrument Parent Meeting, which will be held virtually via Zoom please check out the following links.

North Eastern Music Program

Virtual Parent Meeting

Soccer Shots is a high-energy program introducing children to fundamental soccer principles. The program is for students in PreK - grade 2. Information regarding the after-school Free Fun Day (Demo class) on September 14, and the after-school Soccer Shots program have been given to students in grades PreK - 2nd grade. If your child is attending the Free Fun Day a parent must be present unless the child is signed up to attend the EDP program.

The Friends of Sacred Heart School (FOSHS) is a newly-formed organization which exists to

provide support to SHS. They consist of parishioners and alumni whose love for our School, and recognition of the value of Catholic education, have inspired them to dedicate their time, talent, and experience to supporting SHS through the creation of various fundraising endeavors.

The "Legacy Brick Fundraiser" was established to pave the way to our future while honoring our past. The brick fundraising campaign began last spring and has been so successful that they extended the deadline to purchase bricks. The deadline to purchase a brick is now Friday, September 30, 2023. Click here for the Legacy Brick order form.

The FOSHS are also sponsoring a Country Line Dancing evening at Sacred Heart School. Save the date: Saturday, October 14th, 7 pm - 10 pm. Be on the lookout for more information regarding this event.

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.

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!

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL TIMES:

Drop-off begins at 7:30am. Pick up for our K-8 program is at 2:30 and 2:15 if you child is in Pre-K 2:15.

CAR LINE TIPS ON ARRIVAL:

Form 2 lanes. The right lane is for grades K-8, the left lane is for our Pre-K students. Families with students in both PreK and K-8 should stay in the right lane.

When arriving you will be greeted by Father John and myself. Please wait your turn in the car lanes. Once in the drop off area, have your child exit the car. K-8 students will be dropped off in front of the main gym doors. Pre-K will circle around and be dropped off in front of the church. Our staff on duty will assist in making sure your children arrive safely to their classrooms.

Once you have dropped off your child/children please do not cut out of lane instead wait until the car in front of you moves to exit the campus. When exiting please be mindful that cars may turn in front of you to drop off at preschool or to exit the campus.

CAR LINE TIPS FOR PICK-UP

Form 2 lanes. In the interest of safety for your child/children and others:

Children will not be permitted to enter a car until the car is in front of the auditorium. Please pull all the way up to the "Drop off ends here" sign even if your child is standing in another place. If one of the car lanes is moving, children must wait until the cars stop moving before going to their car. If you must exit your car to buckle seat belts, we ask that you use the lane closest to the auditorium. Please pick up your child as quickly as possible, being mindful of the extremely long line behind you. We are discouraged from blocking Clifton Avenue.

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

If you would like to submit pictures, or need an event posted to Facebook or Instagram please contact Karla Fluder at ptamedia@sacred-heart-school.org

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.

If you are having trouble logging into your Parent Genesis Account please click here for helpful information. It is extremely important to check to make sure that your contact information in Genesis is correct.