NEWS

Dear Parents, Two more weeks until Christmas Break! I hope everyone in your family is having a wonderful December. Tomorrow, Monday, December 9 is a Holy Day of Obligation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary . We will attend Mass at 8:15 AM. All students should wear their Mass uniform. Please join us if you can. Thank you for attending our First Friday Lunch if you were able to be here on Friday. The fourth graders did a fabulous job hosting. Their presentation of The 12 Days of Christmas was beautiful and their handmade props were excellent. Our gym looked very festive with trees as centerpieces and all the students enjoyed a biscochito, made from scratch by Mrs. Lange. Nice job, 4th Grade! Next up is 3rd grade on Friday, January 10, 2025. I know they are already planning. Our SHCS choir did a lovely job at Festival of Trees on Tuesday and our 3rd graders did a beautiful job at Mass on Friday. Our choir also sang this weekend at Riverglo on Friday night and at 4:30 Mass on Saturday. We are fortunate to have a choir that represents our school in the community so well. I hope you had an opportunity to go to Festival of Trees and see our beautiful tree that our school donated. Thanks to Miss Elmer, her sister Mechelle, and the third graders for creating our angel tree titled " Angels Among Us ." Amanda Harris was the lucky winner of our tree. Father Tim and Sacred Heart Parish gifted our school with a beautiful 12 foot lighted Christmas tree. It is on the landing of the stairwell. I thought it would be special if we decorated the tree with ornaments from our families. THIS IS TOTALLY OPTIONAL! I know we ask a lot of our parents. If you would like to send an ornament to school from your family to hang on our tree, that would be wonderful. I promise, for as long as I get to be here, we will hang the ornaments we receive on the tree every year in honor of our families. The ornament can be homemade, purchased, a family picture...anything you want! Just be sure to write your family name on it and the year. We will hang it every year, and add to it every year. Our school Christmas tree will be a collection of ornaments representing all the families who make our school such a wonderful place and will be enjoyed for years to come. Safety Lessons Our teachers are presenting lessons on safety, which are required by the diocese each year, to students in Kindergarten through 8th grade. We started this series of lessons with Ms. Alysia, who taught online safety during her computer classes the week before Thanksgiving, Last week's lesson was on Physical Boundaries , and this week's lesson is Safe Adults, Safe Touches and Special Safe Adults. The teachers are using age-appropriate materials published by VIRTUS. Lessons were emailed to parents. Please let me know if you do not want your child to participate. I will send home the lessons through email each week. These lessons will go through Friday, January 17, 2025. Robotics Competition We have four robotics teams representing Sacred Heart Catholic School this Saturday at Heights Middle School. These twelve students have been preparing for this competition all year, under the leadership of Mr. and Mrs. Idzerda. Last year was our first year to have a Robotics program, and our teams made it to state; their goal this year is Nationals! Celebrating our Walkathon Success On Wednesday, December 18, Coach Katie will be in a dunk tank during all three lunches to continue our celebrations of our huge Walkathon success. You are welcome to join us for this fun event. As a Catholic School , we are called to be in communion with other human persons, forming relationships that respect the dignity of others, working for the good of others and with generous hearts assisting people whenever we can. Thank you for all the good works you do for our school. I hope you have a nice week.

Dear Parents, I hope you had a wonderful break. Three more weeks and we do it again! Thank you for making our Works of Mercy a success. I got to go to Namaste House with 3rd grade on Friday to hear them sing and watch them deliver their gifts to the residents. This was a special activity that was appreciated by everyone involved. The owner of Namaste House was very complementary of our students and thankful for what they did for the residents. I was also able to go with Ms. Jackson to the packing headquarters for Bags of Love where she delivered the twelve duffle bags her second grade families donated to the organization. The directors were very thankful for the bags with toiletry items, a stuffed animal, and homemade blanket. Bags of Love provides bags filled with items to students who are displaced from their homes by law enforcement or CYFD. We received this message from BirthRight: Birthright would like to thank Preschool, Pre-K, 4th, and 5th grade students and their teachers along with their generous parents for the tremendous amount of baby items that were collected during their "Works of Mercy" drive. Thank you for choosing Birthright and allowing us to shower mothers and babies with your donations. May God Bless you, Birthright Volunteers Kindergarten collected items for Childhaven. I am certain they received many much-needed items from Ms. Beasley's and Mrs. Benally's classes and can't wait to hear how delivery went last Friday. Mrs. Atencio and her first grade students will be delivering their donated items to Navajo Ministries, and the middle school will be delivering the food they collected in the next few days. Thank you for being so generous to these organizations. Many people in our community will benefit from your efforts. Our school is so proud. Thank you for eating at Olive Garden a couple Sundays ago. We received almost $200 from SHCS sales. On Monday, December 23, Texas Roadhouse will donate 10% of their sales for people who bring in our flyer. We will send it out soon. As a Catholic school , we are blessed to have educational leaders in a Catholic setting who are called to aid parents in the education of their children so that their children can grow in all aspects of life. Thank you for trusting Sacred Heart Catholic School with your children. This Week; December 2 - 6 Miss Elmer and her sister are working on a tree to donate to Festival of Trees from our school and will get it delivered on Monday. On Tuesday, our Choir will perform at Festival of Trees from 5:30 to 6:15 PM. On Wednesday, our 4th graders will attend Adoration in the church and Progress Reports will be sent home. On Thursday, several of our classes will attend Teddy Bear Storytime at Festival of Trees. On Friday, we will have our First Friday Family Lunch, hosted by Mrs. Lange and her 4th grade students. Also on Friday, our SHCS Choir will perform at Riverglo from 7:00 - 7:45 PM. On Saturday, Miss Gapinski will lead our SHCS Choir at 4:30 PM Mass. December (nothing new added) Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Monday, December 9, 2024, has been designated as a Holy Day of Obligation in observance of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. December 8 falls on a Sunday this year so the obligation to attend Mass is transferred to Monday, December 9. Students are to wear their Mass uniform. We will follow our regular Monday schedule, but attend Mass instead of morning prayer, and miss any specials that start before 9:15 AM. On Friday, December 13 we will attend Mass as usual. This will be a semi-free dress day. Students do not have to wear a uniform as long as they wear a Christmas-themed outfit . School Christmas Party Our school Christmas party is Saturday, December 14 at the Elks Club. This event is totally free for teachers, staff, and families, except the cash bar. Please let Mrs Carla know if you and your family will be attending. School Christmas Program Our school Christmas program is Monday, December 16 at 6:00 PM in the church. December Birthdays December birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, December 18. December Confessions Confessions will be heard by Father Tim and Father Jeff on Thursday, December 19. Christmas Break Begins December 20 We will have early release at 1:00 PM on Friday, December 20 to begin Christmas Break. We will have before school care, but not after school care. Quarter 2 Quarter 2 ends Friday, December 20. Report Cards will be sent home Wednesday, January 8, 2025. Will you please have your grades concluded by 3:30 PM on Tuesday, January 7, 2025? Looking Ahead to January 2025 January 6 - Return from Christmas Break January 8 - January Birthdays at Morning Prayer, 5th attend Adoration; Semester 1 Report Cards sent home January 9 - Confessions January 10 - First Friday Family Lunch hosted by 3rd grade Remember, you are always welcome to join us for Morning Prayer at 8:00 AM in the gym. On Thursday mornings at 8:00 AM we would love for you to join us in the church to hear Mr. Burnham teach about parts of Mass, and for Mass on Friday mornings at 8:15 AM. I hope you have a wonderful week.

Dear Parents, One more week until Thanksgiving Break! This past week was kind of quiet. We continued celebrating our huge walkathon success with ice cream parties for second and third lunches on Thursday. We had the party bus the previous week. Next up is Coach Katie in the dunk tank! I know she is looking forward to that. As a Catholic School , our staff and teachers are leaders who are worthy of being followed because they understand the objectives and goals of teaching in a Catholic school. They recognize the contributions that each person at our school makes, including our students, and respect the dignity of each other. Our teachers and staff are prayerful and humble, seeking collaboration from others and God. Thank you for trusting Sacred Heart Catholic School with your student. Safe Environment Training To support the Church’s teaching on safe environment and family life education, we will offer Protecting God's Children by Virtus.org, to all students in our school from kindergarten through eighth grade. We will begin the program this week in computer class and continue with one lesson a week through January 17, 2025. Last year we did a big lesson during one week and I think this way might work better. It felt silly focusing on this topic during only one week when it impacts us throughout the year. The Protecting God's Children by Virtus.org program helps foster personal growth, Catholic moral development, and respect for life, centering on themes such as God’s gifts - family, self, life, love, safety, and community. The Diocese of Gallup is continuously engaged in the effort to create and maintain a safe environment for children and to protect children from all types of abuse, including sexual abuse. As a parent, you have the right to choose whether your child participates in the Protecting God's Children by Virtus.org lessons. Attached is an overview of the program. The short age-appropriate lessons will be taught by your student's classroom teacher. If you would like to opt-out your student from these lessons, please email me by Friday, November 22, 2024. Last year we had 100% participation in the program. Day of the Dead Altar We will be taking down our ofrenda this week. If you brought pictures of your loved ones who are no longer with us, will you please stop by and pick up your picture? Pictures that are left will be stored with the rest of our ofrenda materials and placed back on the altar next year. We are happy to store your picture for you if you would like. Water Bottles Will you please make sure your student has a water bottle at school? Our teachers allow their students to drink water all day to stay hydrated. This Week: November 18 - 22, 2024 Ms. Alysia will start our safe environment training in computer classes. She has already taught safe online skills and will reinforce them next week. She will cover topics like safe online friends, and safe boundaries. We will celebrate November birthdays at morning prayer on Wednesday, November 20. On Thursday, November 21, we will have morning prayer in the church, followed by confessions. FMS will be serving their Thanksgiving feast at lunch. Our Turkey Bowl begins at 12:30 PM. Students in grades 5 through 8 will be playing football. All other grades will be performing the Turkey Tango during halftime. We will have cheerleaders from the 4th and 5th grades. Popcorn and water will be free, and we will have other snacks for sale. On Friday, November 22, we have early release at 1:00 PM and start our Thanksgiving Break. The Knights of Columbus are having their Thanksgiving Bingo on Friday, November 22. Doors open at 5:00 PM and Bingo starts at 6:00 PM. If you are already missing your students, Bingo is the place to be. Works of Mercy Project This is the last week of our November Works of Mercy project. Teachers will collect items through Friday morning, November 22. Most of the donated items will be delivered on Friday. Thank you so very much for being generous to the organizations our classes are collecting needed items for through our Works of Mercy project. December (***new information) Progress Reports Quarter 2 Progress Reports will be sent home Wednesday, December 4. December First Friday Lunch Our First Friday Lunch for December is Friday, December 6, hosted by our 4th grade. ***Choir at Riverglo Our SHCS choir will be performing at Riverglo on Friday, December 6 beginning at 7:00 PM. They will sing for approximately 45 minutes. Our choir will be singing at the "Archway" stage, which is upstream from the Nativity scene. I hope you can attend this beautiful performance by our choir at Riverglo. ***Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Monday, December 9, 2024, has been designated as a Holy Day of Obligation in observance of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. December 8 falls on a Sunday this year so the obligation to attend Mass is transferred to Monday, December 9. Students are to wear their Mass uniform. We will follow our regular Monday schedule, but attend Mass instead of morning prayer, and miss any specials that start before 9:15 AM. On Friday, December 13 we will attend Mass as usual. Students do not have to wear a uniform if they wear a Christmas-themed outfit. School Christmas Party Our school Christmas party is Saturday, December 14 at the Elks Club. This event is totally free for teachers, staff, and families, except the cash bar. Remember to RSVP to Mrs. Carla with the number of adults and children that will be attending the party. School Christmas Program Our school Christmas program is Monday, December 16 at 6:00 PM in the church. December Birthdays December birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, December 18. December Confessions Confessions will be heard by Father Tim and Father Jeff on Thursday, December 19. Christmas Break Begins December 20 We will have early release at 1:00 PM on Friday, December 20 to begin Christmas Break. We will have before school care, but not after school care. Quarter 2 Quarter 2 ends Friday, December 20. Report Cards will be sent home Wednesday, January 8, 2025. I hope you and your family have a wonderful week this week and a wonderful Thanksgiving break next week.

Dear Parents, This past week seemed just a little bit calmer than many of our weeks at school this year. Our choir performed their "Songs of Gratitude" at Namaste House and the Walkathon winners took their trip to lunch on Bubba's Party Bus. Other than those two special activities, and a little delay due to snow, there wasn't too much going on at school other than what the teachers have planned in their busy classrooms. It was nice to a week without quite so many activities. During morning prayer, Mr. Burnham teaches about a different virtue each month. November is the perfect month for Patriotism to be our virtue of the month. We will celebrate our veterans at morning prayer on Monday, November 11, and we would love for the veterans you know to join us if possible. Morning prayer is at 8:00 AM in the gym. As a Catholic school , we believe we are on a critical mission for the church; to make disciples of our students, leading them to a deep relationship with Jesus for the salvation of their souls. We remain firm in upholding the teachings of the Church and give students every opportunity to truly learn about our Catholic faith. Thank you for trusting Sacred Heart Catholic School with your student. Discipline I emailed all parents this week a letter regarding discipline and a copy of the discipline section from our handbook. If you have a chance, will you please read those two documents and reply with your questions, concerns, and recommendations? Works of Mercy Thank you for being generous with your donations to the organization selected by your student's class for our Works of Mercy project this month. This is part of the service learning our students are required to have at our school. This Week - November 11 - 15 We will have our Walkathon ice cream parties during lunch one day this week for students in 2nd and 3rd lunch. 2nd lunch (grades 2, 3, and 4) ran the most laps and 3rd lunch (grades 5 through 8) raised the most money in the walkathon. I am not sure of the day yet; we will surprise the students. On Sunday, November 17, anyone who eats at Olive Garden and shows them the attached flyer will help our school earn 20% of the profits. So far, we have received $581 just by eating at local restaurants. Next Week - November 18 - 22 The following week will be super busy. We will celebrate November birthdays at morning prayer on Wednesday, November 20. On Thursday, November 21, we will have morning prayer in the church, followed by confessions. FMS will be serving their Thanksgiving feast at lunch, followed by our Turkey Bowl. On Friday, November 21, we have early release at 1:00 PM and start our Thanksgiving Break. The Knights of Columbus are having their Thanksgiving Bingo on Friday, November 21. Doors open at 5:00 PM and Bingo starts at 6:00 PM. December (no new information) SHCS Choir at Festival of Trees Our choir will be performing at the Festival of Trees on Tuesday, December 3. Progress Reports Quarter 2 Progress Reports will be sent home Wednesday, December 4. December First Friday Lunch Our First Friday Lunch for December is Friday, December 6, hosted by our 4th grade. School Christmas Party Our school Christmas party is Saturday, December 14 at the Elks Club. This event is totally free for our families. School Christmas Program Our school Christmas program is Monday, December 16 at 6:00 PM in the church. December Birthdays December birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, December 18. December Confessions Confessions will be heard by Father Tim and Father Jeff on Thursday, December 19. Christmas Break Begins December 20 We will have early release at 1:00 PM on Friday, December 20 to begin Christmas Break. We will have before school care, but not after school care. Quarter 2 Quarter 2 ends Friday, December 20. Report Cards will be sent home Wednesday, January 8, 2025. I hope you have a wonderful week.

Dear Parents, Can you believe our school year is one-third of the year complete? It feels like we just got started. Last week was filled with Book Fair, finishing up our Walkathon, a visit from two Sisters from Nebraska, birthdays, confessions, Halloween, All Saints Day, and our First Friday Family lunch hosted by the 5th grade. As always, those activities are in addition to the myriad activities our teachers plan for their classes. The year goes by fast at such a busy school! Thank you, parents, for making it possible for your kiddos to attend our school. As a Catholic School we believe that as we encounter students, parents, and each other, we can help reveal to them through the way we treat them, the dignity with which our heavenly Father has created them. One of the comments the Sisters made was they could feel the love in this school, from the staff to the students, and from the students to the staff. Thank you for the kindness, acceptance, and dignity with which you have taught your children to treat our staff and each other; it truly shows. Because of the length of my emails, I am going to try to break the information part into sections and identify new information. I hope that helps to make my emails easier to read. Recap of Recent Activities Our Walkathon was a HUGE success! Big thanks to Coach Katie for planning the event and for Mrs. Carla for managing all of the sponsorships and donations. All awards and the final amount raised will be announced at morning prayer on Tuesday, November 5. Remember, the student who ran the most laps in each group, and the person who raised the most money in each group get to go on Bubba's Party Bus on Friday, November 7. Each winner can invite a friend and an adult to go with them on the party bus to eat lunch at Pizza Hut, and to Cold Stone Creamery for dessert. Thank you to EVERYONE for making this fundraiser a HUGE success! Our Book Fair was also a HUGE success! BIG Thanks to Mrs. Peterson for all the hard work it took to organize the book fair. Our school gets a part of the money you spent buying books and other items back in the form of Scholastic Bucks that Mrs Peterson can use to buy books for our library and for classrooms. Thank you to everyone who purchased books for the teachers on their wish list, especially Ashley and Jay Seyfarth from Kare Drug; they purchased all remaining books on the teachers' wish lists Friday afternoon so that each teacher received every book they had on their list. Parents, thank you for making our Book Fair a HUGE success! Our students had a great time on Halloween. Thank you for sending candy and costumes for your student. A special thanks to Father Tim for shocking us with his "Yellow Ribbon" story and for the parents and grandparents who passed out candy during Trunk or Treat. Parents, the only way our students can have special activities like Trunk or Treat is because of your generosity with your time and money. Thank you for making each holiday and event possible for our students. November's First Friday lunch honoring the Saints by Ms. Vicker's 5th grade class was fantastic! The mosaics of the Saints that they created are frame-worthy. I promise, you will see them again hanging proudly in our school. A lot of planning goes into these lunches and I sincerely thank Ms. Vickers and her students for all they did to make our lunch a success. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our lunch and learn more about the Saints from our 5th graders. Saturday was All Soul's Day. If you did not have time to stop and see our Day of the Dead altar, it will be up for a few more days. Father Tim came over after Mass on Friday and blessed our "ofrenda" and all of the families of the loved ones no longer with us. Thank you to everyone who sent pictures for our altar. Our SHCS choir always does a beautiful job providing music for our Friday Masses and for the 4:30 PM Mass on the first Saturday of most months. Thank you, Ms. Gapinski and your choir, for singing at Mass yesterday. New Information Our November Works of Mercy project begins this week! This year our teachers and students decided which community organization they want to collect donations for as a class. Bags of Love - 2nd Grade (items and bags for students taken from their families in emergency situations) BirthRight - Preschool, PreK, 4th and 5th grades (baby items) Child Haven - Ms. Beasley's Kindergarten Namaste House - 3rd grade Navajo Ministries - 1st grade PATH - middle school (canned food) Classes will collect items for the group they selected until Thursday, November 21, then deliver those items on Friday, November 22 or at a time convenient for everyone involved. Thank you for being generous with your donations for these organizations that do so much for our community and the people they serve. Olive Garden Dr. Grandjean has organized another meal where our staff and families can help raise money for our school by simply eating out at a local restaurant. On Sunday, November 17, 2024, Olive Garden will donate part of the revenue they earn when our school is mentioned. Thank you, Dr. Grandjean, for organizing this event. Thank you to everyone who plans to eat at Olive Garden on Sunday, November 17! Turkey Bowl Our Annual Turkey Bowl is Thursday, November 21 after lunch. Coach Katie is organizing this event and will send out information soon. Previous Information November Namaste House on November 6 On Wednesday, November 6, our school presents "Songs of Gratitude" at Namaste House. This is a choir event lead by Ms. Gapinski but open to other students to participate as well. Progress Reports Quarter 2 Progress Reports will be sent home on Wednesday, November 6. Knights of Columbus Thanksgiving Bingo The Knights of Columbus will be having their Thanksgiving Bingo on Saturday, November 16. November Birthdays November birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, November 20. November Confessions November confessions will be heard on Thursday November 21. Thanksgiving Break Thanksgiving break begins Friday, November 22 at 1:00 PM. We will have before school care, but not after school. We return to school after Thanksgiving Break on Monday, December 2. December SHCS Choir at Festival of Trees Our choir will be performing at the Festival of Trees on Tuesday, December 3. Progress Reports Quarter 2 Progress Reports will be sent home Wednesday, December 4. December First Friday Lunch Our First Friday Lunch for December is Friday, December 6, hosted by our 4th grade. School Christmas Party Our school Christmas party is Saturday, December 14 at the Elks Club. This event is totally free for our families. School Christmas Program Our school Christmas program is Monday, December 16 at 6:00 PM in the church. December Birthdays December birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, December 18. December Confessions Confessions will be heard by Father Tim and Father Jeff on Thursday, December 19. Christmas Break Begins December 20 We will have early release at 1:00 PM on Friday, December 20 to begin Christmas Break. We will have before school care, but not after school care. Quarter 2 Quarter 2 ends Friday, December 20. Report Cards will be sent home Wednesday, January 8, 2025. Please join us for Morning Prayer and Mass when you can. I hope you have a great week.

Dear Parents, This past week was a busy one with two field trips and our etiquette banquette for our middle school students. This coming week is looking like more of the same, but then we slow down a little in November. Thank you for driving our students to PV for the Walkathon and to Holiday Farms. As you know we could not go on any field trips if it weren't for our parents driving our students. As a Catholic School , we believe that when we promote the good of the individual, we serve the common good. Each one of our students contributes to the overall success of our school just by being our student. Thank you for trusting SHCS with your student. Thank you for making our Walkathon a success. Special thanks to Coach Katie for all of her hard work. The students who completed the most laps in each of the three groups and the students who raised the most money will be announced as soon as possible. These six winners will get to go on Bubba's Party Bus to Pizza Hut for lunch and Cold Stone Creamery for dessert on Thursday, November 7. Each student can invite an adult and a friend to go with them. Bubba's Party Bus is just like a school bus in that it does not have seat belts. Just FYI. Every single donation has helped us to get close to our school goal of $25,000 and having to find a dunk tank for Coach Katie to get in and be dunked! Coach Katie will let you know our final amount raised early next week so there is still time to help get us reach our goal. All money and online donations are due this Thursday. Your generous support of our school is greatly appreciated. This is the last week for $18.00 background checks. If you have not gotten your background checked in the last five years, see Mrs. Carla for the paperwork. After Thursday, all background checks will be $25.00 and have to be requested online at the VIRTUS website. This will be another busy week here at SHCS. Each student should bring a regular sized bag of Halloween candy to their teacher by Monday, October 28. Our Book Fair starts Monday and runs through Friday. Family Night for the Book Fair is Monday from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The Book Fair will be open and we will have snacks in the workroom. October birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, October 30. Father Tim and Father Jeff will hear confessions after morning prayer on Thursday, October 31. Halloween is Thursday! Students can bring their Halloween costume to school with them on Thursday, October 31. Parents are welcome to help their student put on their costume beginning at 1:30 PM. At 2:00 PM, we will have a parade in the gym. Students will walk around the gym then parade over to the rectory for a story with Father Tim. After the story, the students will go to Trunk or Treat in the Family Center parking lot. Trunk or Treat is a school event and all volunteers must be VIRTUS trained and have a clear background check. Thank you for following this safety rule that is mandated by the Diocese of Gallup. Friday is All Saints Day. Students can dress as Saints for Mass. Our First Friday Family Lunch is Friday. November's lunch is hosted by 5th Grade. Saturday is All Souls Day. Students can bring framed pictures of the loved ones who are no longer with us to display on our ofrenda for Dia de Los Muertos. Our beautiful SHCS choir will be leading the music at the 4:30 PM Mass on Saturday, November 2. November On Monday, November 4 we will begin collecting items for our November Works of Mercy project. Each class is choosing the charity they want to help. On Wednesday, November 6, our school presents "Songs of Gratitude" at Namaste House. This is a choir event lead Ms. Gapinski but open to other students to participate as well. Quarter 2 Progress Reports will be sent home on Wednesday, November 6. November birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, November 20. November confessions will be heard on Thursday November 21. Our Turkey Bowl is Thursday, November 21. Thanksgiving break begins Friday, November 22 at 1:00 PM. We will have before school care, but not after school. Our Works of Mercy donations will be delivered this day. We return to school after Thanksgiving Break on Monday, December 2. The Knights of Columbus will be having their Thanksgiving Bingo on Saturday, November 23.  SHCS Choir at Festival of Trees Our choir will be performing at the Festival of Trees on Tuesday, December 3. Progress Reports Quarter 2 Progress Reports will be sent home Wednesday, December 4. December First Friday Lunch Our First Friday Lunch for December is Friday, December 6, hosted by our 4th grade. School Christmas Party Our school Christmas party is Saturday, December 14 at the Elks Club. This event is totally free for our parents. School Christmas Program Our school Christmas program is Monday, December 16 at 6:00 PM in the church. December Birthdays December birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, December 18. December Confessions Confessions will be heard by Father Tim and Father Jeff on Thursday, December 19. Christmas Break Begins December 20 We will have early release at 1:00 PM on Friday, December 20 to begin Christmas Break. We will have before school care, but not after school care. Quarter 2 Quarter 2 ends Friday, December 20. I hope you have a wonderful week. Join us for morning prayer and Mass when you can.

Dear Parents, Our Walkathon is this week! On Wednesday we will be sending home our neon colored Walkathon shirts. These can be worn as spirit shirts on Thursdays throughout the year. $10 is a great price for a spirit shirt that can be worn multiple times. On Thursday, we will leave school after morning prayer and all go to PVHS. Group 1, which is Preschool through 1st grade, will run first. The other classes will cheer from the bleachers. At approximately 9:30, Group 2, which is 2nd through 4th grades, will run, followed by Group 3 around 10:30, which is 5th through 8th grades. Coach Katie has a surprise for our students after they run each lap. Our Walkathon should be a lot of fun for our students. Our goal is to raise $25,000. You should have received an email from 99Pledges where sponsors can make online donations to support your student, and a pledge sheet from Coach Katie. Thank you for helping your student get sponsors to make our Walkathon a successful fundraiser. As a Catholic school , we believe that human beings are relational, and we are formed for friendships which can be fruitful. I remind out students often that the friendships made at our school can last a lifetime. Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us. Holiday Farms Field Trip Students in grades Preschool through 5th will be going to Holiday Farms on Friday, October 25. We will go to Mass, then leave SHCS around 9:30. Students can wear spirit wear and should bring a lunch to eat at the farm. Will you please return your permission form and pay your student's $7 entrance fee by Monday, October 21? Middle School on October 25 Middle school will be learning about etiquette and have a special meal on Friday, October 25 while the rest of the school is at Holiday Farms. They will also be completing a service project for the senior center. Will you please have your student turn in his or her permission form on Monday, October 21, along with the money for the etiquette banquet? Knights of Columbus Halloween Bingo The Knights of Columbus will be hosting a Halloween Bingo on Saturday, October 26. Doors open at 5:00 PM. This is a fun family event, and children can wear their Halloween costumes. See attached. Book Fair Our fall book fair begins Monday, October 28. The book fair will be in the workroom and go through Friday, November 1. Please join us Monday, October 28 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM for Family Night. The book fair will be open and we will have food in the gym. There is no cost for Family Night (except for the book fair.) Halloween at SHCS We will do the same thing this year as we did last year for Halloween. We will have a costume parade in the gym, a story from Father Tim under the maple tree, and Trunk or Treat in the Family Center parking lot. Each student should bring a regular sized bag of Halloween candy to their teacher by Monday, October 28. Students can bring their Halloween costume to school with them on Thursday, October 31. Parents are welcome to help their student put on their costume beginning at 1:30 PM. At 2:00 PM, we will have a parade in the gym. Students will walk around the gym then parade over to the rectory for a story with Father Tim. After the story, the students will go to trunk or treat in the Family Center parking lot. October Birthdays October birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, October 30. October Confession Father Tim and Father Jeff will hear confessions after morning prayer on Thursday, October 31. Background Checks The diocese is transitioning from Mind Your Business to Selection.com for background checks on Friday, November 1. The cost will go from $18 to $25 on November 1. If you have not gotten your background check done in the last five years, now is a good time. Remember, if you HAVE gotten your background checked in the past five years, you do NOT need to do it again, even if the VIRTUS website says you do. Beginning November 1, if you still need to have your background check done, you can do it on the VIRTUS website. Please remember you do not need to have your driving record checked, only your background. First Friday Lunch for November Our 5th graders will be hosting our first Friday lunch for November on Friday, November 1. All Saints Day Friday, November 1 is All Saints Day. Students can dress as saints for Mass that day. Choir at Mass Our beautiful SHCS choir will be leading the music at the 4:30 PM Mass on Saturday, November 2. November Works of Mercy Project On Monday, November 4 we will begin collecting items for our November Works of Mercy project. More details soon. Namaste House on November 6 On Tuesday, November 6, our school presents "Songs of Gratitude" at Namaste House. This is a choir event lead Ms. apinski but open to other students to participate as well. Progress Reports Quarter 2 Progress Reports will be sent home on Wednesday, November 6. November Birthdays November birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, November 20. November Confessions November confessions will be heard on Thursday November 21. Thanksgiving Break Thanksgiving break begins Friday, November 22 at 1:00 PM. We will have before school care, but not after school. We return to school after Thanksgiving Break on Monday, December 2. Knights of Columbus Thanksgiving Bingo The Knights of Columbus will be having their Thanksgiving Bingo on Saturday, November 23. SHCS Choir at Festival of Trees Our choir will be performing at the Festival of Trees on Tuesday, December 3. Progress Reports Quarter 2 Progress Reports will be sent home Wednesday, December 4. December First Friday Lunch Our First Friday Lunch for December is Friday, December 6, hosted by our 4th grade. School Christmas Party Our school Christmas party is Saturday, December 14 at the Elks Club. This event is totally free for our parents. School Christmas Program Our school Christmas program is Monday, December 16 at 6:00 PM in the church. December Birthdays December birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, December 18. December Confessions Confessions will be heard by Father Tim and Father Jeff on Thursday, December 19. Christmas Break Begins December 20 We will have early release at 1:00 PM on Friday, December 20 to begin Christmas Break. We will have before school care, but not after school care. Quarter 2 Quarter 2 ends Friday, December 20. I hope you have a wonderful week. Join us for morning prayer and Mass when you can.

Dear Parents, I hope you enjoyed our four-day weekend. It was a little hard to wake up this morning. Last week was short, but it was a busy one with parent/teacher conferences. It was nice to see parents in our building. Please know you are always welcome. On Thursday, Father Tim blessed our lower flower gardens. Thanks to the families who sponsored a flower garden, and thanks to the families and our students for coming to the blessing. As Father Tim said, we can put a flower garden anywhere we can dig a hole. If you would like to sponsor a garden in honor or in memory of someone, just let me know! When I went to Pizza Hut on Friday, the manager told me the same thing the other managers at Fuddruckers and Cold Stone told me; our families are so wonderful, so generous, and so supportive of our school. If you were able to eat at Pizza Hut last Friday, thank you. Attached are the pictures from our 6th grade lunch that we had on October 4. So many smiling faces... As a Catholic school, we believe that each one of us was made in the image of God. We also believe in Original Holiness, that everyone is called to have a relationship with God in the way He intended, which determines who we are. Our students get to see many adults each day show them how to have a relationship with God, beginning with morning prayer and then throughout the day with their teacher. Thank you for trusting Sacred Heart Catholic School with your student. Report Cards Quarter 1 ended on Friday, October 11. Report Cards will be sent home on Wednesday, October 16. Vision Screening Cathy McDonald and the Farmington Evening Lions Club will be here with the KidSight Program to do a vision screening for our students in grades PS/PK through 5th on Thursday, October 17 in Mrs. Isbell's art room. Walk-a-thon Our school's walk-a-thon is scheduled for Thursday, October 24. This year the walk-a-thon will be at Piedra Vista High School. T-shirts for the Walkathon are $10 each. We ordered special neon shirts in different colors for the three groups. She will be sending out more information this week. Will you please pay for your student's t-shirt by October 23? They are $10 each. You can pay Carla in the office, or she can add it to your Gradelink account. Just email Carla if you would like to pay online and she can set it up for you. The walkathon prizes were emailed last week. You should have also received an email from 99 Pledges so your student can get online sponsors. For our school to be able to slime Father Tim (or anyone he chooses,) each of our students needs to raise $225.00. However, each family is only responsible for raising $100.00. Holiday Farms Field Trip Students in grades Preschool through 5th will be going to Holiday Farms on Friday, October 25. We will go to Mass, then leave SHCS around 9:30. Students can wear spirit wear and should bring a lunch to eat at the farm. Will you please return your permission form and pay your student's $7 entrance fee to the teacher by Monday, October 21? Middle School on October 25 Middle school will be learning about etiquette and have a special meal on Friday, October 25 while the rest of the school is at Holiday Farms. They will also be completing a service project for the senior center. They will be bringing home a permission form for the walkathon today, along with information about the etiquette banquet. Knights of Columbus Halloween Bingo The Knights of Columbus will be hosting a Halloween Bingo on Saturday, October 26. Doors open at 5:00 PM. This is a fun family event, and children can wear their Halloween costumes. Book Fair Our fall book fair begins Monday, October 28, with a family event from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The book fair will be in the workroom and go through Friday, November 1. Letters will be sent home soon. Halloween at SHCS We will do the same thing this year as we did last year for Halloween. We will have a costume parade in the gym, a story from Father Tim under the maple tree, and Trunk or Treat in the Family Center parking lot. Each student should bring a regular sized bag of Halloween candy to their teacher by Monday, October 28. Students can bring their Halloween costume to school with them on Thursday, October 31. Parents are welcome to help their student put on their costume beginning at 1:30 PM. At 2:00 PM, we will have a parade in the gym. Students will walk around the gym then parade over to the rectory for a story with Father Tim. After the story, the students will go to trunk or treat in the Family Center parking lot. October Birthdays October birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, October 30. October Confession Father Tim and Father Jeff will hear confessions after morning prayer on Thursday, October 31. Background Checks The diocese is transitioning from Mind Your Business to Selection.com for background checks on Friday, November 1. The cost will go from $18 to $25 on November 1. If you have not gotten your background checked in the last five years, now is a good time. Remember, if you HAVE gotten your background checked in the past five years, you do NOT need to do it again, even if the VIRTUS website says you do. First Friday Lunch for November Our 5th graders will be hosting our first Friday lunch for November on Friday, November 1. All Saints Day Friday, November 1 is All Saints Day. Students can dress as saints for Mass that day. Choir at Mass Our beautiful SHCS choir will be leading the music at the 4:30 PM Mass on Saturday, November 2. November Works of Mercy Project On Monday, November 4 we will begin collecting items for our November Works of Mercy project. More details soon. Progress Reports Quarter 2 Progress Reports will be sent home on Wednesday, November 6. November Birthdays November birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, November 20. November Confessions November confessions will be heard on Thursday November 21. Thanksgiving Break Thanksgiving break begins Friday, November 22 at 1:00 PM. We will have before school care, but not after school. We return to school after Thanksgiving Break on Monday, December 2. Knights of Columbus Thanksgiving Bingo The Knights of Columbus will be having their Thanksgiving Bingo on Saturday, November 23. Money Oh my goodness. I'm sure you dread my emails because you know I'm going to be telling you about something that needs money. Your extreme generosity has made all three fundraisers at local restaurants successful. Your extreme generosity made our Fall Fest and Raffle a huge success. I know your extreme generosity will make our walkathon a great success as well. I promise that our walkathon is the last fundraiser for this semester, but now it seems like I am asking for money or donations for other things. $10 for the walkathon t-shirt. $7 for the Holiday Farms field trip. $20 for the middle school etiquette banquet. Money for the Book Fair. Donations to be determined for our November Works of Mercy project. And Christmas is right around the corner! When it becomes too much for you or your family, please don't get frustrated or mad; just talk to me. We will make it work. Thank you so much for everything you do for our school. I hope you have a good week.

Dear Parents, Teachers, and Staff, Hi! Who's tired? Definitely me! In addition to all of the wonderful classroom activities our teachers provide, we were busy with special activities and events this week. On Wednesday, we recognized Jerilyn and Selecia on Custodian Appreciation Day. They take care of our building for us every day . We are so thankful for their hard work keeping our school clean and safe for our students and staff. On Thursday we had our first emergency drill, which was an evacuation drill. Our entire school was evacuated and all students accounted for in six minutes. That is impressive! Our teachers did a great job preparing our students for the drill, and our students did a great job of following their teacher's directions. On Friday, our 6th grade did a fantastic job of planning and hosting our First Friday Family Lunch. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the lunch. At Mass on both Friday and Saturday, our SHCS choir did a beautiful job providing music. Our week ended with our fabulous Fall Fest on Sunday. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend that event as well. Thank you to: Our families for bringing desserts for the Cake Walk Our families for attending the event Everyone else who attended the event Everyone who bought raffle tickets Everyone who sold tickets to the event and for the raffle Everyone who volunteered to help at the event Special thanks to: Tina Trujillo for organizing the Fall Fest Raffle, including securing the prizes, and the event Michaela and Darrell Martinez for helping Tina and for covering some of the expenses Carla Johnson for touching every single ticket for both the event and the raffle and for coming up with the wonderful idea last year Joy and Martin Nee and the Farmington Knights of Columbus for providing the Frito pie Jessie and John Keating and the Aztec Knights of Columbus for cooking the hamburgers and hot dogs The Trujillo and Mohon family members for organizing and running the Corn Hole tournament, and painting activities Ashley and Jay Seyfarth for providing the Picnic Games Lynne and Whitney Howle for providing all of the paper tickets and for managing the online raffle ticket sales The owners of the Wines of the San Juan for the venue There are so many people to thank and I know I missed someone, so I apologize. Congratulations to our raffle winners! The first place prize of the camper was won by Marie Strickler. The second place prize of the go-cart was won by Filberto Montoya. The third place prize of the camp chairs and Ninja cooler was won by Shirley Grubb. Each one of you is greatly appreciated. Mrs. Carla is working on adding our income and subtracting our expenses. We will let you know how much money was raised as soon as she has that information. As a Catholic School, we believe that human beings are relational, and that we experience four types of relationships. Our primary relationship is with God. As body and soul we have a relationship within ourself. Since we belong to our Heavenly Father, we have a relation with creation itself. Our 4th relationship is with other humans. These relations make us who we are as humans. At SHCS we are blessed to experience these four relations each day. Teachers and Staff, thank you for providing opportunities for our students to know God, get to know themselves better, learn about Creation, and for having a loving and caring relationship with our students. Parents, thank you for trusting Sacred Heart Catholic School with your students. Parent/Teacher Conferences By this time you should have a conference scheduled with your student's teacher for children up through 5th grade. Middle school teachers will meet with 6th graders on Tuesday, October 8 from 3:30 to 5:45 PM in the middle school. Middle school teachers will meet with 7th and 8th graders on Wednesday, October 9 from 3:30 to 5:30 PM in the middle school. If you can't attend on your student's night, or if you have siblings and want to attend on the same night, do what works for you. Just come to the middle school when it is a convenient time for you, and the teachers will meet with you. Thank you for attending your student's conference. Because of conferences, there will not be Ukulele practice this week. Night to Remember Meeting We will have our first Night to Remember meeting at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, October 9 in our school library. We will introduce our new Co-Chairs, Ashley Seyfarth and Jenni Strickler, and begin planning for NTR which will be Saturday, April 26, 2025, at the Farmington Civic Center. Everyone is welcome at this meeting. Blessing of the Lower Gardens Father Tim will bless all our flower gardens in the back of the main building on Thursday, October 10 at 10:00 AM. Each flower bed was sponsored by a family in honor or memory of someone, and each bed will have a plaque with that information. Families who sponsored a flower bed are encouraged to be here for the blessing; everyone else is welcome, too. Quarter 1 Quarter 1 ends on Friday, October 11. Report Cards will be sent home on Wednesday, October 16. No School on Friday and Monday Because of conferences, we will not have school this Friday, October 11. Because of Columbus Day, we will not have school next Monday, October 14. Let's eat Pizza! Dr. Grandjean has secured another opportunity for us to raise money for our school by simply eating out, and this time it is at Pizza Hut on 20th Street. On Friday, October 11, which is a school holiday, during their regular business hours of 11 AM to 10 PM, Pizza Hut will donate 20% of the sales generated. We will send home the information sheet with our Fundraiser Ticket. For our school to get 20% of your purchase, you can bring a printed copy of the ticket, show the ticket on your phone, or mention the fundraiser when calling. So far, we have received $204 from Fuddruckers and $225 for Cold Stone. Thank you for supporting our school at these businesses. Both places have commented on how wonderful our families are. Vision Screening Cathy McDonald and the Farmington Evening Lions Club will be here with the KidSight Program to do a vision screening for our students on Thursday, October 17. Walk-a-thon Our school's walk-a-thon is scheduled for Thursday, October 24. This year the walk-a-thon will be at Piedra Vista High School. T-shirts for the Walkathon are $10 each. We ordered special neon shirts in different colors for the three groups. Coach Katie will be sending out more information this week. Will you please pay for your student's t-shirt by October 23? They are $10 each. You can pay Carla in the office or she can add it to your Gradelink account. Just email Carla if you would like to pay online and she can set it up for you. Holiday Farms Field Trip Students in grades Preschool through 5th will be going to Holiday Farms on Friday, October 25. We will go to Mass, then leave SHCS around 9:30. Students can wear spirit wear and should bring a lunch to eat at the farm. Middle School on October 25 Students in Grades 6 - 8 will be learning about etiquette and having a special meal on Friday, October 25 while the rest of the school is at Holiday Farms. They will also be completing a service project for the senior center. Knights of Columbus Halloween Bingo The Knights of Columbus will be hosting a Halloween Bingo on Saturday, October 26. Doors open at 5:00 PM. This is a fun family event and children can wear their Halloween costumes. October Birthdays October birthdays will be celebrated at morning prayer on Wednesday, October 30. October Confession Father Tim and Father Jeff will hear confessions after morning prayer on Thursday, October 31. Halloween at SHCS We will do the same thing this year as we did last year for Halloween. We will have a uniform parade in the gym, a story from Father Tim under the maple tree, and Trunk or Treat in the Family Center parking lot. More details soon. I hope you have a great week.