I hope your Easter is filled with joy.

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Dear Parents and Guardians,

Easter is almost here and we will be celebrating the joy of resurrection and new life. All around us we see this happening as the days become warmer and plants are beginning to bloom. This is a glorious time to marvel at new beginnings and the many gifts that we are given.

This past week I attended the Casino Night held by the First Grade parents. It was a great night out and well attended by many of the families. The baskets were amazing and the decorations outstanding. Many thanks to the First Grade parents, and the Mother’s Club. It is always wonderful when the school community can come together and enjoy themselves.

In these last two weeks we have administered the NYS ELA exam. When we return from vacation we will be giving the NYS Math exam. The students are ready and we expect it to go smoothly. We have also made the Stations of the Cross with the students in grades 1 – 8. This Lenten observance is a tradition that recreates the last moments of Jesus’s life. The question and answer sessions with Monsignor Tom afterwards were wonderful. I know he was amazed at the insight some of the children had.

Tomorrow we will have two events. In the morning students will be performing for the rest of the school with instruments they created in art. I am very excited to see how both Visual Art and Music come together in performance. In the afternoon grades 4 – 6 will be revisited by the Islanders. We will be incorporating STEM into an Islanders experience. I can’t wait to see what both events are about.

I would like to wish you and your family a Blessed Easter. Enjoy your Easter break.

Regards,
Mrs. Conlan

What’s Happening at Sacred Heart?

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Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you are enjoying your week. On Monday I thought that we would be enjoying spring weather, Mother Nature fooled me. However the warmer noon weather has allowed the children to go outside during recess.

Tomorrow, Thursday, March 27th at 7:00pm  is the Internet Safety meeting in the Church Hall. I look forward to seeing you all there.

Sunday, March 30th is the Bayside St. Patrick’s Day Parade.Join the group of teachers, parents, students and me marching. We will be gathering on the West side of Bell Blvd. and 36th Avenue at  10:00 am. I will be there wearing green and supporting Sacred Heart Catholic Academy.

It has come to my attention that some parents are parking their cars or double parking while bringing their children in during the morning. This is creating a dangerous condition for your children.If you are staying with your child in the gym, please do not park in front of the school. It is creating a problem with the buses and the children weaving in and out of the cars. Those parents staying inside cannot park in front of the school. Thank you for following this directive. As always, the safety and security of all your children is the priority.

Coming up is the Casino night on April 12th in the Church Hall. This promises to be a unique way to support our  school and have fun at the same time. We are also planning the ART Night in June. It promises to be a unique family experience, mimicking a real Art Opening. I am looking forward to planning this with Mrs. Waranis.

Have a happy weekend.

Regards,

Mrs. Conlan

 

How was your week?

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Dear Parents and Guardians,

Yesterday we had report card conferences. I hope you had a good visit with your child’s teachers. Many of you stopped by to say hello because I had not already met you, and I am grateful for that. Ms Brunkhorst and I met with several of you privately, and I hope that we addressed all the issues you had. All of them were valid and I will be following up to make sure you are satisfied. Open communication with parents, teachers, and administration is key to moving forward with success.  

I wanted to remind you again, that one of our former students, Vincent LaGrotta,  is collecting used clothes to donate to Bridge for Life. There is a bin in the Main entrance that to put in items.

Thursday. March 28th, we will have a speaker in to talk about internet and social media safety to you. Remember, any parents attending will be given free dress down passes for their children. 

On Friday, April 12th, the Mother’s Club will be hosting a Casino night in the Church Hall. Tickets are $40.00. There will be Finger Food , Baskets, Raffles and Games to play. Please check the web page for the flyer to send in for your tickets.  

Today we will be going to the Stations of the Cross and we will be commemorating Jesus’s last days on Earth. We will be viewing these images and reflecting on Jesus’s love for all.  

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Conlan

 

Stations of the Cross Friday 2:00pm

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Parents and family members are welcome to join us at Sacred Heart Church for Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 22nd at 2:00pm. Students  grades 1 – 8 will be led in prayer to relive our Lord’s last moments. We welcome you to join us! 

Dismissal will be at the Church. Please wait for the teachers to release your child to you so we know that everyone is accounted for. 

Bridge to Life Donations

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             You can donate your clothing to children who can treasure
        them as much as you have. During the month of March,
             there will be boxes placed in the school lobby to collect any
           donated items.

All items will be sent to Bridge to Life. The
items requested are:
Boys and Girls
Ages Newborn to 12 years Old
-Clothes                    -Blankets
-Washcloths       -Quilts
This collection is being conducted by Vincent LaGrotta (Sacred Heart Class of 2016)

currently a Junior at St. Mary’s High School as part of his Scholar Service Institute service project.
Your support is greatly appreciated!

Please call 718-428-6763 and leave a message if you have any questions or need to have a large quantity of items picked up

What were we working on this week?

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Dear Parents and Guardians,

This has been a very busy week for Ms. Brunkhorst, myself and the teachers. Today marks the last day of the trimester and next week, on Thursday, we will have report card conferences.  I look forward to seeing all of you then. Some of you have made appointments to meet with me. I welcome spending some time with parents to discuss their concerns. 

This week some of the teachers attended a seminar on literacy in the classroom. We will be revamping the ELA program at the elementary level. The programs we are using are very old and we are currently investigating materials that follow the standards and will help students excel academically. We will be remaining with GOMath and incorporating FUSION science for the early grades. This science program compliments the Stream lab and all classes, K – 8, will be able to make use of it. 

I have concerns regarding the use of social media and internet by some of our students. This week we audited the Middle School Google accounts and were unhappy with the histories and the contents that students were storing there. We will be incorporating Technology policies throughout the building for students and teachers. These will be distributed on report card day for you to sign. It is my feeling that parents need to know what the dangers are for their children. There is also a link to the sheet on the bottom of this page. We want to be proactive in teaching proper usage to our children.  I have scheduled a speaker to present this to parents on Thursday, March 28th at 7:00 pm.  Any parent attending will receive dress down passes for their children and refreshments will be served. The form is attached to this post and will also be distributed on report card day by your child’s teacher. Please RSVP by sending the bottom in so that we know how many people will be attending.

Today we will be wearing Green for St. Patrick’s Day. This will be sponsored by Student Council as part of their fundraising activities. Sunday is St.Patrick’s Day and I wish you all a sunny day to wear your green. 

Regards,

Mrs. Conlan

Internet Safety Flyer and RSVP

Grade 8 Ring Ceremony

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The Eighth Grade ring ceremony was on February 28th. A mass was held at Sacred Heart Church with a blessing of the rings by Monsignor Tom. The Eighth Grade ring ceremony was on February 28th. Mrs. Barckow and Mr. Frawley presented the rings to the students. A small reception was held later in the Church Hall. The wonderful treats were prepared lovingly by the Seventh Grade parents. Please view the pictures below. 

Did you enjoy winter break?

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Dear Parents,

I hope you all enjoyed your time off.  Since we’ve been back Ms. Brunkhorst and I have been working very hard in our planning for next year.  We have been examining the curriculum, Catholic identity, technology and school rules for next year.  It is has been very exciting to begin this planning. The objective is to create a wonderful academic and spiritual academic model for your children. Our teachers are also actively engaged in this process.

The uniform company for next year will be Flynn and O’Hara. There will be some changes to the to the gym uniform. This would include changing the color of the shirt to gray and the inclusion of gym shorts. The uniform company had suggested changing the plaid on the girls uniforms. I would love to have some parent feedback on this. There would be a transitional year for those students who already have a jumper or for those who are in eighth grade and do not wish to purchase a skirt for one year.  I will have the plaid displayed in the school library, any feedback is welcome. 

You will be happy to know that the committees for the Art room rebuild, Marketing and Development will begin meeting next week. I am thrilled to begin this process and have these ready for next year’s students. Over the break repairs were done to the buildings. The most significant was the repair to the gym stage. All of the flooring was replaced. This will allow us to have performances in the gym.  

I wish you a good week. 

Mrs. Conlan

 

Parent Alert to Internet Scare

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February 28, 2019

Dear Parents,

I am sharing some information with you to help continue to keep our children safe. I encourage you to monitor your children’s social media as there is a dangerous social media phenomenon called the “Momo Challenge.” Please use this as an opportunity to remind your children not to accept any invitation to play from an unknown number and not to click on unidentified links. Click here to see an article and video about this matter.

The Momo Challenge can be found on Whats App (a free smartphone messaging application) and on Facebook. This is just one example of dangerous “games” on social media. This “challenge” involves a frightening avatar making contact with a child from an unknown number or name. The child is asked to perform various actions and tasks, and provide photos as proof. Some tasks have even led to suicide.

There is one confirmed death of a 12 year old girl in Argentina, and three deaths currently under investigation in connection with the challenge. Students as young as first-graders have allegedly acted on some directions from the challenge. One of the first clues for parents to be concerned with is the image of a Japanese statue of a woman with bulging eyes and scary features. Children are given the series of tasks to finally meet the “Momo.” Remind your children to change email and social media passwords frequently and block unknown numbers inviting them to play immediately. This image is also popping up on videos played on You Tube. Peppa Pig and other preschool You Tube videos have been targeted. If you wish to show your child these videos go into the direct PBS site.

Please notify Mrs. Stokes, Ms. Brunkhorst and me of any attempted contacts to your children. This form of cyber-bullying is spreading through social media and cell phone. While these digital venues are blocked on school-issued devices, individuals may still be able to access such sites through their personal devices and accounts.

I feel it is important to share information to help build awareness and keep our children safe.
Please contact me if you have any further concerns.

Mrs. Conlan

Mock Trial at SHCA

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Students in Mrs. Frawley’s Seventh Grade Social Studies class experienced Law and Justice first hand by staging a Mock Trial of the Boston Massacre. Students got to be lawyers, defendants and judges in a British courtroom. What a wonderful way to learn about the justice system at the time of the British colonialism right before the Revolutionary War.