Dear Parents,

Plans for Re-entry

There are still many questions about our upcoming reopening left to be answered. Rest assured that the attention of the entire Academy of the Sacred Heart leadership team is on this. In particular, I am grateful for Kristen Miller, our Early Childhood Program Director, and the entire Early Childhood staff for the work they have done to safely reopen while implementing so many new Phase 4 protocols. I would be remiss if I didn’t include Robin Clements, our school registered nurse, as a crucial support through all of this. We have learned much and have adjusted our fall plan as a result of our experiences.

Things with the pandemic are changing on a weekly basis, but we remain focused on preparing for the different scenarios that we laid out on June 19 in our 2020-21 Re-entry document. We continue to brainstorm all of the different ways that our abundant indoor and outdoor space can be used to properly social distance. In collaboration with the other 21 Sacred Heart Network schools in the U.S., our COVID Task Force is consulting medical and educational experts to design our new health and safety protocols.

I am aware that everyone wants to know what the first day of school will look like in August, and that the pandemic is trying our collective patience. We are taking it day by day and letting things unfold before sharing our specific plans. With that said, we are scheduling an all-school virtual Town Hall for August 10 at 4 p.m. Please register now; you’ll have the opportunity to share your most pressing question in advance. Later in that week, each learning community leader is offering a more specific Town Hall for your student(s). Between now and then, please know that members of the School Leadership Team, myself included, are always available to listen and discuss your concerns. You can expect to receive a revised version of the re-entry plan and specific safety protocols in the days leading up to the town hall.

In the meantime, I encourage you to practice mask-wearing with your children, so that it is an established habit by the time school begins. I recommend this article from Children’s Minnesota, which provides some tips on how to talk to children about wearing face masks, and also making masks more comfortable for them.

New Sacred Heart Family Members

Dr. Alan Simplach-Vlach joins our Upper School as a Math teacher. Alan earned his Ph.D in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame and is an experienced independent school teacher. As a former teacher at Sacred Heart Atherton, he also brings an understanding of our Goals and Criteria.
Mellannee Harmon will teach PE and Health in the Upper School and Kensington Hall. She will also teach PE to Grade 4. Mellannee and her husband have just moved into the Detroit area from Connecticut. Mellanee brings with her 15 years of teaching experience in PE and Health.
Yasmine Lennon joins us as a Grade 5-12 school counselor. Yasmine brings an exciting variety of experiences to this new position. With Emily Avendt transitioning to Lower School Director and Gretchen Parks to part-time college counselor, this additional resource will be an added value to our menu of student services, and in particular addresses a focus on our students’ mental and social emotional health at a time when the American Academy of Pediatrics and State recommendations have emphasized this need.
Paige Comito '05 joins us as Athletic Director. As Sal Malek looks forward to retirement at the end of the 2020-21 school year, he will move into a part-time role, ensuring a seamless transition of responsibilities in the Athletic Department. Paige is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and an experienced Field Hockey and Lacrosse coach. In addition to being an ASH alumna, she is a graduate of Sacred Heart University and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. We are excited to welcome her back home from Chicago to her Academy of Sacred Heart, Bloomfield Hills roots.

Sacred Heart Faith

I am thankful to God to be part of the Sacred Heart family during this time. If there has ever been a time to look to St. Madeleine Sophie for support, now is certainly that time. In responding to a few people today, I found myself looking for her inspiration, and these two quotes stood out.

"Courage and confidence! I cannot repeat this war-cry too often. We should make it our support in our life of conflict."
"The Spirit of Jesus, who always inhabits an interior person united to the divine Heart, will enable us to know exactly what to say, to decide or to advise."

In His hope,

Damian Hermann
Head of School