COVID 19 – Stop the Spread!

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covid

COVID-19 Reminder: Help “Slow the Spread”

Welcome 2022!

We hope everyone had a healthy Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Catholic Academies and Parish Schools within the Diocese of Brooklyn plan to continue to safely offer “in person” instruction for our school communities.

Until further notice, all Catholic Academies and Parish Schools will continue to follow all the current COVID Safety and Health Guidelines while the COVID Response Team assesses the new CDC and NYS DOH Updated Guidelines released during the Christmas Recess, we await information from Mayor Adams, and we continue to monitor the positive case reporting within our schools. Updates will be shared with the schools during this time.

We can all help “slow the spread” of COVID-19 by being mindful of the school’s COVID Safety and Health Protocols. With the current Omicron surge it is most important that the administration, faculty, staff, students, and parents please help “slow the spread” by

  1. Staying Home if you are sick
  2. Do not come to school if you or a household family member has pending COVID test results
  3. Follow the COVID Safety and Health Protocols
  4. Consult your healthcare provider regarding COVID testing and vaccines

We thank you for your continued support and cooperation in helping to “slow the spread” and keep our school communities healthy and safe.

May God Continue to Bless Us All in the New Year!

Happy New Year Letter from Mrs. Conlan

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Dear Parents and Guardians

Happy New Year!!

I hope everyone relaxed and rested during the Christmas break. Many celebrations, including mine, were disrupted by COVID. Happily we came through it and although it was not what we had hoped for, it was still a celebration of joy. The news has told us that there are record cases all over. We too have many students and some staff that tested positive over the break. 

Due to the increase in COVID cases over the last few weeks we will remain within our cohorts like we did last year.  Teachers will move from class to class, junior high will not be moving in the hallway, Music and Art will take place in the classroom, and Gym classes will take place outside (if possible) if not we will find another alternative.  

I hope that by maintaining these protocols we reduce the likelihood of COVID spreading within our building. Please do not send your child to school if they are exhibiting any COVID like symptoms. These include nausea, vomiting, coughing, fever and other cold or flu like symptoms. You will be called to pick your child up if they exhibit these symptoms in school. 

We may have the opportunity to offer COVID testing for students in the building. A note will be going home soon to see if any families are interested in that option.  This option would not be mandatory.

Masks will be worn at all times, which includes outside and indoor recess.  

 We are very lucky to have two instructional coaches working with our teachers until the end of the year. They are specialized in ELA and Math. These two ladies will help us to build best practices in the classroom. They are Ms. Cheryl Lee (ELA) and Ms. Iveliz Colon (Math).

I welcome back Mrs. Valmond who will be with us starting on Monday, January 3rd. She is our Junior High Math teacher and I can’t wait until the students get to see her again. I know she is very excited to return after her leave. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Read A Thon. We were able to raise $13,000 to support our school. Your support during this time is wonderful and greatly needed. On Wednesday, January 19th, there will be a restaurant fundraiser at Patsy’s in Whitestone.  They  will give back 20% of what is purchased. Mention Sacred Heart, or bring in a Flyer, so the school can receive credit for your purchase. To view their website click here! Thank you to Patsy’s for being such a wonderful friend to Sacred Heart, we are so grateful.

Please see our calendar for January

 January 12    HS Acceptances  

 January 14     School Closed Professional Day

 January 17    MLK Day School closed

 January 19    Restaurant Fundraiser Patsy’s 

 January 30    School Mass   Open House (TBD)

 January 31 – Feb. 4   Catholic Schools Week (activities TBD)

You will be hearing from me soon regarding other activities that will be taking place during the month of January. 

Best,

Mrs. Conlan

 

Twelve Days of Reading Fundraiser

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reindeer

Ringing in the Holiday with this year’s Read-a-Thon,

The 12 Days of Reading!

Sacred Heart Catholic Academy of Bayside is raising money to meet our annual tuition gap as well as to provide funds for emergency tuition assistance to families. Many of our families have struggled tremendously during the pandemic and we hope to support our families and enable them to continue to give their children a Catholic education. For 12 days, we will be asking our children to log their reading minutes and share their fundraising page. Please help us reach our fundraising goal by supporting our Read-a-thon:

We Need All Parents to Complete 3 Easy Steps!

  1. Register your Child by visiting https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/register?school_uuid=60393b0f593dd

or by scanning our QR code:

 

It’s free, easy, and fast to register!   

  1. Email and/ or Text your child’s student fundraising webpage with 10-15 friends and family. It’s super easy!
  2. Post on Facebook or Twitter It’s two clicks of a button to post. The average parent has 300 FB friends. You’ll be surprised when donations come in from distant relatives/friends from HS/co-workers. Post and see what happens!

 

Student Goals!

 

Our TOTAL SCHOOL GOAL is $15,000.00

All we want for Christmas is a good book!

The Twelve Days of Reading Event Calendar:

On the following days of Christmas, Santa gave to me:

Day 1 – Wed. 12/8 – A Day Off From School

Celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with a day off. Don’t forget to register today and curl up with a good book!

Day 2 – Thurs. 12/9 – Christmas Pajamas!

We’re kicking off the in-school portion of our read-a-thon with pajama day! Wear your best holiday pajamas today!

Day 3 – Fri. 12/10 – A Trip to Bay Terrace

It pays to register early! Registered students will be entered in an in-school raffle of gift cards to Bath & Body Works and Starbucks!

Day 4 – Mon. 12/13 – A Disney Christmas

Dress up in your favorite Disney gear or as your favorite Disney Character! Participating students will be entered in an in-school raffle of Disney tickets!

Day 5 – Tues. 12/14 – Christmas Spirit

Wear your favorite holiday themed shirt to school today! 

Day 6 – Wed. 12/15 – Holiday Character Day

Dress up as your favorite holiday character. Don’t be afraid to be creative and incorporate your favorite holiday movies. Buddy the elf? The Grinch? Santa himself? We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Day 7 – Thurs. 12/16 – A Cup of Hot Chocolate

The student with today’s largest donation will be awarded a $25 Dunkin gift card! Don’t forget it’s also Mad about Plaid Day!

Day 8 – Fri. 12/17 – Jingle Bells

Show your holiday and SHCA spirit! Don your spirit wear and adorn yourself with bells!

Day 9 – Mon. 12/20 – Dress Down Coupons

Have the most donations today and win 5 dress down coupons! Don’t forget to show your Christmas best and dress in red and green today!

Day 10 – Tues. 12/21 – Dress Like Rudolph Day!

Who will be our best Rudolph today? Wear your red nose and reindeer antlers to celebrate everyone’s favorite reindeer! The best decorated reindeer will be awarded a string of LED lights for their room!

Day 11 – Wed. 12/22 – An Ugly Christmas Sweater

Wear your ugliest Christmas Sweater! If you don’t have one, any over the top holiday attire will do! We will close the in-school portion of our read-a-thon with in-school raffles of a hoverboard, Nintendo Switch Lite, and other prizes… good luck to our participating students!! You’ve got to be in it to win it!

Day 12 – Thurs. 12/23 – The Best Christmas Ever!!

Celebrate the end of our read-a-thon with the first day of Christmas break!

Thank you for participating in this year’s read-a-thon. Please get all donations in by Christmas Eve.

We wish you all a wonderful and blessed holiday with your friends and family!

Xoxo, Development Committee

           

           

           

 

December Letter From Mrs. Conlan

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Dear Parents and Guardians,

December has arrived and we are off to a great start. There are many wonderful things happening this month.  Breakfast with Santa is our first in school event in a long time. If you are interested in attending click here. There is still plenty of time to buy tickets. I am so grateful to have parents involved and working to coordinate this special day for the children.  If you are able to assist with baking, setting up or able to help the day of the event, Saturday, December 11th from 9 – 12, please fill out this form. https://forms.gle/5Wy8YRPY4s6Zs2eE7

The Read-a-Thon is our first large fundraising event. You will be receiving another email today incorporating the Twelve Days of Reading in a fun and interactive site. This will be an online fundraiser that allows us to reach out to friends and family to support our school. Great gifts and fun filled activities go hand in hand with this fundraiser and Christmas. The link is: https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/event-webpage/61ad2af3833a0  Today is the first day of registration. December 8th begins that fun!

Reconciliation for our students will take place on December 13th and 15th. This will happen during school hours. Only children who have made their communion will participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  

We will be expanding the lunch menu for grades 1-8 in January. Tuesday and Friday will be our lunch days from now on. Lunch on Friday will be purchased from Luigi’s. Our trial run with lunches in November and December went well and the use of VENMO and the Google forms for ordering has facilitated the process. You will be receiving the form for January shortly. Lunch forms will be added to the academy website for you to access and to make them easier to find. 

Report Card conferences will be held this Friday, December 10th for K – 8.  Those of you who scheduled meetings should be set. If you have difficulty getting into the phone conference on Friday, contact Mrs. Kaouris at 718.631.4804, she will be able to assist you. If you have not already done so please create a FACTS family account. The link to do so is on our site, sacredheartbayside.org. The district code is SHB-NY. 

FACTS continues to be an issue with communication. We will be working on our data within FACTS and will send out a form to parents asking them to re-enter their emails and phone numbers. The data that migrated from OptionC did not translate well into FACTS.  We will work on that over the Christmas break. Please contact Mrs. Kaouris if you are not receiving emails or text messages.  Report Cards are being emailed so please do not hesitate to call if you do not receive the email. 

On Monday, December 20th, the children will be performing in the Christmas concert at Sacred Heart Church. This will occur during the school day from 1:30- 2:30. Parents are welcome to attend. We are limiting guests to one or two people per family.  The performance will be recorded and then posted on the school website, social media and links will be sent out to all families. You will be able to view the event if you cannot attend. Thank you to Monsignor Tom for letting us use the church, a beautiful place where we can celebrate together. 

As you know there have been COVID cases in the school, many of them were due to exposure over the Thanksgiving weekend. We are continuing to wear masks, hand sanitize and disinfect any common areas such as bathrooms and the gym. Thank you to all for working cooperatively with us to maintain this safe environment. Please continue filling out the daily health survey. Our families are 99% compliant in filling out the form.  Remember, it is only with family cooperation that we can continue maintaining a safe space for all. 

The December into January calendar is as follows: (Any changes will be communicated during the month) All snow days will be remote. 

December 8th – 12 Days of Christmas Read-a-Thon begins.

December 10th – ½ Day Report Cards – After school is available.

December 11th – Breakfast with Santa 9-12 School gym

December 13th – Reconciliation – 3,4,5

December 15th – Reconciliation – 6,7,8

December 20th – Concert 1:30 – 2:30

December 23rd – 31st School closed for Christmas 

January 3rd – Return from Christmas Break

January 12th – High School Acceptances 

January 17th – Martin Luther King Day – School Closed

I wish you all a wondrous December! 

Best,

Mrs. Conlan

 

Thanksgiving Letter From Superintendent

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November 2021

 

Dear Families,

The end of October and beginning of November is often the start of the “holiday season.” For many parents, this is a time of tremendous stress, as you scramble to complete Halloween activities, prepare for family gatherings, and squirrel away the coveted Christmas gifts. This time of year, can be very secular in nature and while that should not be the focus, it is difficult to avoid getting caught up in the frenzy of toy lists and Instagram expectations.

The month of November provides us two focal points to center ourselves in gratitude, All Saints Day and Thanksgiving. We begin the month with All Saints Day on November 1st.  During this celebration, the Catholic Church recognizes the saints who have come before us, as well as the saints who are not yet known to us.  All Saints Day is a multi-faceted opportunity to share stories of the saints with your child, but also to remind them about the humanity of the saints. The saints are often viewed as holy, almost to the point of being inaccessible.

One of the greatest lessons we can learn from the saints is that they were ordinary people who were blessed with extraordinary faith. Children can see this in the actions of Blessed Carlos. While he has not yet achieved sainthood, his actions remind us that anyone can be blessed along the path to sainthood and a relationship with God should be our constant goal. By studying the saints, we remind our children to be grateful for all the individuals who provide us with the example of living our faith. I encourage you to take time this month and read about the saints with your child. A short passage can be coupled with a discussion for even the youngest learners. How did this saint show their faith? How did this saint show gratitude? What can this saint teach us about living a faithful life?

The conversation of faith and the saints can be a continuous reminder through the month of November about the practice of gratitude leading to the celebration of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is often watered down to a single day or less and rarely encompasses a true sense of gratitude. In the wake of a long-term pandemic, there is a great sense of fatigue and despair in the world. Our faith reminds us that God’s presence in all things provides us strength and hope if we seek it. Activities such as offering a family prayer of gratitude each day or creating a “gratitude tree” throughout the month of November provide the opportunity for families to share in the daily expression of gratitude. In doing this, you are modeling a positive approach to seeing the world as well as cultivating a relationship with God that is built upon the understanding that He is the provider of all our needs.

In this season of gratitude, I pause and consider the importance of the families that create our school communities. Your commitment to the faith and educating your child in a faith-filled environment is vital to the sustainability of schools and parishes. It is through the parents and families that children embark on a rich and vibrant faith journey. I thank you for your continued presence in our school communities, understanding the choices and sacrifices that are made to partake in a Catholic education.

May you and your family enjoy a blessed Thanksgiving, filled with the abundance provided from our Creator. Take the time to reflect on the greatest blessings of children, family, and friends.

In Christ,

Thomas Chadzutko

Thomas Chadzutko, Ed.D.

Superintendent ~ Catholic School Support Service

Diocese of Brooklyn

 

 

 

November Letter From Mrs. Conlan

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Good Morning,

November is here and we are starting the path to winter.  Please make sure your children are wearing the appropriate uniform for the rest of winter. If you have not received your skirt, blue  (girls’) or gray (boys’) pants please let me know. FlynnO’Hara have said they only have a few more orders left to fill. It is starting to get cool outside. On cold days make sure your children are dressed warmly. We will be taking them out until it gets too cold. 

Congratulations to our Eighth graders for having completed the TACHS exam. I am so happy for them as they look to the future. Any High School would be lucky to have our students attending. 

Don’t forget to donate for the Thanksgiving food collection. Students were assigned, by grade,  food to bring in. Check for Mrs. Kaouris’  email listing those items. We are almost done collecting candy for the veterans. Thank you to all who were able to do so. 

Our Lunch program has started on a limited basis. We are starting with lunch on Tuesdays and moving forward from there. The children who ordered seemed to have enjoyed their chicken pita with fries. We will continue adding to the lunch in December. The December order form will be out next week. 

On November 1st we celebrated All Saints Day. Our children watched the mass from their classrooms. Today, November 10th we have been asked to participate in celebrating the traveling Statue of Fatima at church. Grades 4 – 8 will be attending Mass at 11 AM. It will only be for our students.  

IReady is being used regularly in the classrooms with teacher programmed instruction. Your children are working on My Path two times a week. Once in Reading and once in Math. This is one more tool in bridging the learning gaps we have seen since the lockdown. If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Spordone. NYS State parent reports will be out shortly. 

Remember to fill out the Daily Health Survey in the morning. We are almost at 100% of families responding. Mrs. Kaouris will call if you have not completed the online form.

 Please speak to your children regarding appropriate behavior during recess. We’ve had many trips to the nurse and complaints from parents regarding unnecessary roughness. Some classes have had equipment taken away because of this. All must play safely and respectfully with each other.  Children who are not mindful of how their manner of play or language affects others will lose their recess privileges and parents will be notified. 

The Academy is currently participating in the COGNIA self study. This is similar to the Middle States process that was done years ago. The only difference will be that this one will be completely virtual. More information will be given out regarding parent participation that is required. There will be some surveys given out to our students, parents and teachers to assist us in developing the self study further.

The November calendar is listed below. 

 November 10th  – Mass at 11 AM Grades 4 – 8

November 11th – Veterans Day School closed

November 12th – School Closed  Teacher PD

November 19th – Picture Day

November 24th – ½ Day no Afterschool

November 25th – Thanksgiving Day

November 26th – School Closed

Any questions please contact me. 

 

Best,

Mrs. Conlan

A”Priestiation” Day

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Happy A”Priestiation” Day

 

On Monday, October 25th, Sacred Heart Students offered thanks to Msgr. Tom and Father Alex.

We are so grateful for their spiritual assistance and the image of Jesus that they bring into our school. 

Students presented them with cards and gifts. Please view the attached video. 

RAIN DATE: Trunk or Treat October 31, 2-4

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Dear Parents and Guardians, 

Due to a forecast of rain, the Trunk or Treat event has been moved to Sunday, October 31st from 2 – 4. 

Nursery – PK 4, Grades 1 and 2 should arrive at 2:00 PM.

Grades 3, 4 and 5  at 2:40 PM.

Grades 6, 7 and 8 at 3:15 PM

We look forward to seeing you then!!!