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All-School eNews | November 10, 2017
FEATURED STORY:
Seniors Sign National Letters of Intent
On Wednesday, November 8, Sacred Heart seniors Kelleigh Keating and Caroline Szydlowski announced their college intentions when they signed their National Letter of Intent.
Kelleigh will play lacrosse next year at Stanford University. She is a four-year varsity field hockey, basketball and lacrosse player for the Gazelles. Kelleigh was a member of the 2015 Catholic League Lacrosse Championship team, scoring seven goals as a freshman to defeat local rival Marian High School. Included in her honors as a lacrosse player are two-time All League, two-time All State and one-time All-Midwest player recognition. Just this fall, Kelleigh was named Sacred Heart's 2017 Wendy's High School Heisman scholar athlete. She intends to pursue a major in economics or pre-med with a focus on gerontology while at Stanford.
"I would like to thank my family for their unending support, sacrifices and love throughout this journey," Kelleigh says. "I would also like to thank my many coaches for giving me the right opportunities and pouring into me as a person and a player. Additionally, Sacred Heart has helped shape me into a Godly woman of character and strength. Lastly, I would like to thank my Stanford coaches for believing in a kid from Michigan and for giving me this opportunity to continue playing the game that I love."
Caroline plans to swim at the University of Kentucky while majoring in pre-med. She swims for the USA Swim Club the Oakland Live Y'ers (OLY), a competitive swim program coached by Jeff Cooper of Oakland University, under whom she has trained for 14 years. Caroline's success in the pool provided her the opportunity to swim at a number of D-1 programs. She elected to sign with Kentucky's women's swim team where she will be an early enrollee, beginning her training in June 2018.
Caroline became a Junior National swimmer at age 13 and continued to reach Junior National status all four years while attending high school at Sacred Heart. She achieved finalist status in the 1500 Free Style at the Speedo Sectionals in March 2017.
"I am honored to commit to the University of Kentucky Wildcats," she says. "I knew it was the best fit for me the first time I visited with its great academics, beautiful campus and strong traditions. The team culture, family environment and elite coaching staff inspire me to be the best. I can't wait to start my life as a Wildcat with such an amazing and talented team."
See You @ #ASHOpenHouse Sunday
This Sunday, we will host an all-school open house from 1-3 p.m. Thank you to everyone who has helped us spread the word! Whether you have invited a prospective family (there's still time, and referral discounts are available!), shared posts on social media, volunteered to help Sunday afternoon or placed a yard sign on your lawn, we genuinely appreciate your support.
Speaking of yard signs - if you have been kind enough to display one at your home, please hold on to it come Monday morning. After Christmas break, we will provide you with a new rider to sit atop the sign and promote the January open house.
Food and Drink from the Heart
The entire Sacred Heart community is committed to serving the greater community by collecting donations of non-perishable food items to be delivered to All Saints Church in Pontiac. This Lighthouse of Oakland County service provides Thanksgiving Meals for thousands of local families. In 2015, 10.1% of the 1,219,315 residents, or 123,086 people, in Oakland County lived below the poverty line.
Each child is invited to donate a specific item or items toward completing whole "baskets." The process in each Learning Community is different. Please ask your child (or ask a teacher) what is expected of them. Additionally, we ask that you have a conversation with your child about the meaning of this (and other) collections. Who are we serving? And why do we collect? When these conversations occur at home, they can easily be reinforced and taught at school.
Ideally, each child should go to the store to select the specific food item, and for ages where appropriate, they can be invited to help pay for their item(s). All items and money are due to their classrooms by Tuesday, November 14. They will feel a different sense of participation when they see the baskets waiting to be collected to be delivered on Thursday, November 16 if they have been included in the purchasing of the items.
Families may shop for and donate a complete "basket" of items. The complete list is provided here.
Reminder: Beatification Mass Tickets
The Beatification Mass for Capuchin Father Solanus Casey will take place on Saturday, November 18 at 4 p.m. As a reminder, through the Archdiocese, ASH has a section of seats available. For additional information, or to request tickets, please complete this form today. Tickets will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.
Cross Country Lower Peninsula State Finalist
By Lynette Nixon, coach and MSG faculty member
Avery McNally '21 competed in the Lower Peninsula State Finals for cross country on Saturday, November 4. She is part of a team of seven in its inaugural season for the Upper School.
A consistently strong runner, Avery has worked hard all season to improve her time and shaved off a total of 56 seconds from her first meet of the season. Placing 31 out of 242 runners, Avery took 12 seconds off her previous best time and set a new PR of 20:14. Qualifying for state finals is quite the feat, especially as one of nine freshmen in the top 31, where juniors and seniors dominate the field. Congratulations, Avery on a terrific season and a great race at State Finals!
The 11th Hour Theatre Company Presents "The Mr. Misty Mystery"
Plan for an evening of surprises and laughter as the 11th Hour Theatre Company performs Martin Clare's "The Mr. Misty Mystery." This new play out of London brings the audience into the apartment of five financially-struggling young women who could never be involved in anything felonious … or could they? Step by step, they venture further and further into the possibility of an art heist … it all looks so easy to pull off! No spoiler alert needed! You'll have to come to the Auditorium on Thursday, November 16 or Friday, November 17 at 7 p.m. to see the plot unravel. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults and can be purchased at the door.
When the Saints Came Marching In
On Wednesday, November 1, the school community welcomed Father Edward Prus to celebrate All Saints Day with us. As the celebrant, Father Prus interacted with students of all ages. He spent particular time with the third graders, each of whom was dressed as a "saint." One of the highlights of his homily was his mention of the living saints in our lives, but also the saints whom he has met throughout his life and travels. As a young man, he met Mother Teresa at an event in Cobo Hall. She was an inspiration to him. He also addressed two specific meaningful moments in Church history where he encountered saints. One such moment involved Pope John XXIII, who opened the Second Vatican Council, when the mass changed from being said in Latin to English. This was significant to Father Prus, who struggled dearly with Latin. And the other was meeting Pope John Paul II in Rome, and greeting him in Polish. He remembers clearly Pope John Paul saying to him, "Ah, an American Pole" (his accent gave him away).
Advent by Candlelight
Ladies, please join us for the ninth annual Advent by Candlelight event on Wednesday, December 6, where you can host a table of 10 for an evening of reflection, food and good company. The featured presenter will be Monsignor John Zenz, followed by music from the Upper School choir. Reserve your spot today by contacting Muffie Quick at 248-646-7800 or muffie@jenningstravel.com.
Dr. Katey McPherson of The Gurian Institute to Speak on December 7
Dr. Katey McPherson, Executive Director of the Gurian Institute, spoke to the faculty before the start of school. Her information on how to better understand and interact with boys and girls was well received by the faculty. So much so, she was invited to return to Sacred Heart to present an abbreviated message to parents. She happens to be in the area presenting to another school community and has graciously offered to return to Sacred Heart on Thursday, December 7, from 6-7:30 p.m. She will deliver her message in the Auditorium. The target audience for this presentation is parents of students in Grades 4-8. Of course, all parents are welcomed. View the event flyer here or register now.
Learning How to Learn
In mid-October, Upper School World Language teachers Senora Pastrone and Madame Jeler attended the Michigan World Language Association conference in Lansing. They brought back with them new ideas and strategies to spark positive change in their classrooms.
A highlight of the conference was the presentation which Madame Jeler gave about interpretive strategies in learning foreign languages. She reports, "Choosing to work on a presentation for other educators made me more aware of the way we approach interpretive techniques in class and the way the students learn. I often choose to make what is implicit explicit for students. I also hope that this meta-cognitive process (thinking about thinking) will help students internalize strategies that will help them in all areas of their growth: using context, making inferences and connections to what they already know, etc. Understanding goes beyond language: cultural competence is a crucial skill in our globally connected world."
Madame Jeler received positive feedback on her presentation. We are honored and pleased to have had her represent the Academy of the Sacred Heart at this conference. Her presentation is available here.
ADVANCING ASH
Get Ready for the Holiday Online Auction!
Thank you to everyone who has donated items for our Holiday Online Auction. We are still collecting items and will have some great things for you to bid on!
We have changed our online bidding platform this year, and to give it a test drive, we will have one special, sought-after experience up for bid for 24 hours - from 8 a.m. on Wednesday, November 15 until 8 a.m. on Thursday, November 16. Look for details and instructions to hit your inbox soon!
The full auction will begin at 8 a.m. on Monday, November 27 and continue until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, December 6. This will be an online auction only, but Santa is sending us an Elf on the Shelf to bring some holiday spirit and cheer us on. He's sure to keep us on our toes!
NURSE'S NOTES
What to Remember this November
The beautiful, sunny days of fall may be behind us. As a reminder, it is essential that all students are prepared with hats, gloves, boots and snow pants (even if it's not snowing!). We recommend keeping these items at school in your child's locker so that they cannot be forgotten. Students will continue going outside for recess and Extended Day.
Too much Halloween candy at your house? Click here for an article regarding sugar consumption and children, then check out this article on options for donating candy. The middle schools are also collecting candy for a cause; check with your learning community office to learn more.
ENRICHMENT UPDATE
Gobblefest + Art Explosion Extravaganzas!
This Monday is the Thanksgiving Gobblefest scavenger hunt for Preschool and Primary and Mrs. Volk's Art Explosion for Lower School only! (No conflict with Ninja Warrior or Hands-on Art). Next up on November 27 is Christmas Extravaganza Part 1 (making Advent Calendars). REGISTER FOR EXTRAVAGANZAS!
November Cache-Cache continues Friday! Lower School, MSG, and KH students have their turn one week from today on Friday, November 17. REGISTER FOR CACHE-CACHE!
Looking Ahead: The Project Broadway Drama Club class has a final performance on Monday, November 20. The Music Recital for HEART Enrichment music students is on Thursday, December 14. The final Kids' Night Out of 2017 will be on Friday, December 15. Keep an eye on your weekly eNews for updates. Much more to come as always!
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ACADEMY OF THE SACRED HEART