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Dear Parents, Parishioners, and Benefactors,
In 1910 the original SHGS “castle” was opened. Fifty years
later in 1960 the present-day SHGS building was opened. And fifty years
after that, on a cold February morning in 2010, SHGS students began classes
in the SHGS “Annex,” our new two-classroom building. Those who toured the
new building after the last H&S meeting were impressed with the amount of
room we have as well as the “comforts” available to the students in those
rooms. Teachers and students alike are very thrilled to be in the new
classrooms! Here are a few comments overheard from the kids…”It’s great to
have separate classrooms, not one shared with another grade.” “I like
having my own desk in every class instead of having to share a table with
other kids in the library for some classes.” “Having ‘powwows’ (sitting in
a circle for some classes in the hall by the office) was fun, but having our
own classroom is better!” Even the little kids benefit from the move to
the new classrooms. “Having a real classroom for music is really fun! We
even have room to dance!” If you were unable to attend the February H&S
meeting and visit the new building, you will have another opportunity for a
tour of the SHGS Annex at the Carnival on April 11.
As
you can imagine, there were some definite disadvantages to the overcrowded
situation. But we overcame those problems and made the best of the
situation. Father and I want to publicly thank our staff, our kids, and
their parents for their willingness to make the situation work till the
modular building was ready to move into. Also, a big thank you goes to
those who contributed time and money to equip the new classrooms, our
janitors Chuck Arnold and Gary Hughes for readying the building, and Rusty
and Jeff Werner for building the ramps. It was certainly worth every penny
and every hour put into the project.
God bless you all for your support of our school. Thank you
for entrusting your children to our care as we continue the tradition of
faith + love + education + success at SHGS.
Mrs. Parker
SPREAD THE WORD --
Nearly a century ago the parishioners of Sacred Heart Church realized their
dream of providing Catholic education for their children when they opened
the doors of Sacred Heart Grade School. The first classes were held in
the
fall of 1910, and we are now approaching our centennial year. Many
special
celebrations are being planned for the 2009-2010 school year, including an
Open House in September, a super week of activities during Catholic Schools
Week in January, a reception for our Jubilee Grads in May, and a huge
reunion for SHGS students and staff during the Paradise Creek Celebration
in the summer of 2010.
march NEWS...
Early Dismissal Wednesday, March 3 …
SHGS
will dismiss at 11:30am so that our staff can work on the North Central
Accreditation process during the afternoon. Route buses will not be running
at the early dismissal time. There will be no preschool that afternoon.
[Please hold all calls from 12:30-3:30pm while the staff is meeting.]
Food Pantry Friday is March 5 … Donations may
be brought in at any time and placed in baskets by the office. Items will
be taken up with the Offertory gifts at the Friday morning Mass on March 5.
Stations of the Cross in March …
SHGS students
and staff continue to lead Stations of the Cross in the church at 2pm on
Fridays during Lent when school is in session: March 5 & 12.
Pre-Enrollment for 2010-2011 …
Pre-enrollment for
kindergarten and preschool for next school year will be held on Monday,
March 8, from 1-3pm in the preschool classroom. Parents/guardians must
provide copies of a certified birth certificate, immunization record, and
current health assessment for first-time students. We also ask Catholic
families to provide a copy of the child’s Baptismal record. [By Kansas law,
children must be 5 on or before August 31, 2010, to enter next year’s
kindergarten class.]
March Home & School Meeting …
The
regular business meeting of the Home & School will be March 8, at 6pm.
The meeting will be followed by the Parent University sponsored by the Rooks
County Health Dept. Our thanks to county health nurse Lorraine Baughman for
arranging the speakers for the evening’s Parent University. Check out the
flyer which appears on the following page for further details. Refreshments
will be served, and free babysitting will be provided. [Reminder! There
will be a carnival committee meeting on March 11 @5:15pm in the school
library.]
End of Third Quarter …
The end of the third
nine-week period will be Friday, March 12. Report cards for K-6 students
will be distributed at the Parent-Teacher Conferences on March 18.
SHGS Library Book Fair …
Mrs. Losey will
conduct the annual spring book fair in conjunction with Parent-Teacher
Conferences. Students will have the opportunity to examine the books during
their weekly library periods, and then the books may be purchased on March
18 from 11:30am-noon and 3-6:30pm. All profits go to the library fund.
First Grade Retreat …
Mrs. Foss’s class
will participate in their annual retreat day on March 16. Rita Malin and
Mrs. Parker will lead the students in a morning of prayer and discussion of
the Sacraments. The children will return to their regular class schedule
after lunch.
SH Education Council …
The regular monthly
business meeting of the SH Ed. Council will be March 16 at 7pm in the parish
meeting room.
Early Dismissal on March 18 …
Classes will
dismiss at 11:30am on Thursday, March 18, so teachers can prepare for
afternoon conferences.
Parent-Teacher Conferences …
Conferences will be
held on March 18, from 3-6:30pm. Notes with assigned conference times will
be sent home with the students on March 8. Please confirm your appointments
by March 15.
Spring Break March 19-29 …
Friday, March 19, is
a comp day for the staff after Parent-Teacher Conferences. This is also the
beginning of Spring Break days for SHGS students and staff. All classes
will resume at regular times on Monday, March 29.
Schwan’s Easter Fundraiser …
SHGS will hold a
one-day Easter fundraiser featuring Schwan’s products on March 29 from 8am
to 6pm in the Sacred Heart Church parking lot. Buy all your favorite
Schwan’s products straight off the truck. Profits benefit SHGS classroom
funds and help pay for spring field trips.
Spring Photos …
LifeTouch Studios will come to
SHGS on March 30 at 9am to photograph our students. These spring photos are
more personalized than regular school pictures. More information will be
sent home with the students closer to picture day.
Easter Activities …
SHGS students will be
treated to age-appropriate activities on March 31, prior to Easter vacation
days. Preschoolers will enjoy Easter Egg Hunts and K-6 students will travel
an “Easter Trail” explaining symbols of Easter.
Easter Vacation Days April 1-5 … There will be
no school on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, or Easter Monday. All classes will
resume at regular times on Tuesday, April 6.
PARISH NEWS...
Friday, March 5 – Holy Hour of Adoration -- Following 8:20am Mass at Sacred
Heart
*****
Wednesday, March 17 – Ministerial Alliance Lenten Service @12:05-12:30pm at
SH Church... A light lunch will be served following the service.
*****
Stations of the Cross at Sacred Heart Church -- Fridays during Lent @7pm
*****
All Sacred Heart & St. Thomas parishioners are invited to join in these
times of prayer and devotion.
SHGS BRAG PAGE!!!
Basketball Play-Off Results:
The Top Three primary b-ball players for Kdg and 1st Grade in
February were: Brianna Augustine, Hayden Brown, and Trenton Downing. The
Top Three from grades 2-6 were: Ryan Hageman, Meghan Augustine, and DJ Wise.
Way to go!
The
following students are participating in Rec. Basketball Clinic:
Trenton Downing, Ben Hansen, Logan Normandin, Josie Stahl, Brianna
Augustine, Hayden Brown, Dayton LaDuke, Jonah Smith, Brooklyn Staab, Lexi
Bice, Nate Billinger, Jared Casey, Melinda Ruder, Reagan Wilkerson, Eston
Brown, Maddie Foss, Garret Rounsley, Brennan Staab, Katie Westhusin, Kayla
Garvert, Elena Hageman, Noah Hansen, Nate Normandin, Bethany Schindler.
Congratulations
to the following students for their winning entries in the Soil
Conservation Poster Contest: Ben Hansen, Danny Dopita, Logan Normandin,
Josie Stahl; Nate Billinger, Maddie Foss, Macie LeMarr; Kayla Garvert,
Mykeltie Horting, Amy Casey; Meghan Augustine, Jared Plante.
Congratulations to Matt VanDyke who crossed over from Cub Scouts to Boy
Scouts on Feb.21. He was also named Assistant Patrol Leader for his troop
and recognized as top salesman in the recent popcorn sales. We’re so proud
of Katie Westhusin for donating her beautiful strawberry blonde locks to
Locks of Love. What a generous act of love!
Welcome to new students and their families:
Joey Eubanks, Bianca Carmen, Rebeca Landon, and Lyndsie Byer.
Thank You
to all who donated to the February pocket change collections to raise $65.50
for the American Heart Assn. and $105 to the diocesan collection for the
victims of the Haiti earthquake.
H&S
Calendar Winners for February:
Al & Eleanor Becker (3-time winners), Sr. Marcia Allen, Marcie Rohleder
(2-time winner), Herman & Irene Fellhoelter (3-time winners), Carol Hansen,
Sisters of St. Joseph, Fr. Galen, Mary Marcotte, Dennis & Lori Davidson, Leo
VonFeldt, Alice Wilkenson (2-time winner), Wendy/Chris/Marshal Sook, Shanna
& Jared Ganoung, Michelle Conney, Ron & Cindy Overlease, Margie Bollig,
Cambrie Kemp, Carla Hageman, Jay Horting, Laura Foss, Tracy Fellhoelter, and
Jenny Molina. 2010 calendars are on sale for a suggested donation of $25.
The more calendars you get, the greater your chance of winning. [Ask Al &
Eleanor or Herman & Irene or Alice!] They make terrific gifts….No chance of
getting the wrong color, style, or size. If interested in obtaining a
calendar, call Ty Horting at 434-2158 or Carol Parker at 434-7459. [Or
return the order form on the back page of this newsletter to the school
office.]
SHGS Distinguished Graduate of the Year 2010
Sister Donata Bissett will be honored as
the 2010 Distinguished Graduate. Sister is a retired member of the
Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, KS, and one of the oldest living
SHGS graduates. As such she graciously receives the award on behalf of
all SHGS grad’s from the past 100 years. In her lifetime, Sister Donata
has served as a leader in her religious community, leading the way in
secular occupations where the confidence she learned as a young girl to
make decisions and pursue goals in a Christian manner came into play
often. Sister passed on the morals and life skills learned in her days
at the Catholic school. Christian values of love and care-giving were
exemplified in her dealings with her family as she maintained close ties
to them no matter where her career took her. She also served as an
example of Christian values to her co-workers and peers. The values
learned as a student at SHGS formed the foundation of a lifelong
commitment to Christ and family. Sister was able to spend some of her
later years serving the people of Plainville before retiring to the
Motherhouse. She now resides in Mount Joseph Nursing Home in Concordia.
SCHOOL WISH LIST
SHGS now has an official
enrollment of 83 students in grades K-6 and preschool. We have
increased enrollment by 26 students from last year's official count!
We also must administer
all required Kansas Assessments online beginning spring 2010. This
means we need a computer lab to house enough computers to administer tests
to 8-10 students at one time. New laptops or netbooks that could be
easily stored in a locked cabinet would be so nice!
Please note
that as of 10-28-09 SHGS acquired a
2-room portable classroom building. This building sits to the east of
the main building and north of the convent. We house 5th & 6th
grade classes in this building, plus 4th grade math and science classes.
To make the building comfortable and utilize it to its fullest extent, we
purchased the following items: automatic water dispensers, bulletin boards,
white boards, 6-ft tables, and shelving units. We plan to establish
wireless building-to-building connections to the main internet and PA
systems. We are accepting donations to help defray the cost of these
expenses.
Anyone wishing to
make a donation toward the school wish list or classrooms funds may send a
check to the school c/o our principal Carol Parker at Sacred Heart Grade
School, 300 N. Washington, PO Box 408, Plainville, KS 67663. Thanks in
advance for your generous support of our students and staff!
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