THE ROLE OF THE HOME & SCHOOL COMMITTEE:
The formal mission of the Home and School Committee is ‘to nurture and support the advancement of Catholic education among the Sacred Heart family of students, parents, faculty and administration. The Home and School Association will assist in the education and social enrichment of its constituency by providing services and events for their benefit.’
In other words, the Home & School Committee facilitates strong relationships between the SHS Families and the Faculty/Staff of the school. H&S supplies the extra support, encouragement, and financial help which would otherwise be lacking. Some examples of H&S efforts include coordinating events, providing special treats, assisting with field trips, purchasing student books, providing awards and gifts for students and faculty, and miscellaneous morale boosters. Home & School Committee supplements the SHS education by providing rewards and encouragement throughout the year.
Sacred Heart School is a better place because of H&S! Home & School is responsible for weaving the SHS families, parish and faculty into a true community. H&S illustrates the importance of parental engagement, morale boosting, team-building, kindness and sacrifice. The students are inspired by the H&S example to be supportive and enthusiastic about their own Catholic education. H&S creates unforgettable memories for the students so they will recall their days at SHS with fondness and continue the tradition of a faith-based education with their own families.
JOINING THE HOME AND SCHOOL COMMITTEE:
Volunteering with H&S is not only of benefit to the students, but also extremely valuable for parents and grandparents! H&S allows you the opportunity to learn the inner workings of the school, be involved in your child’s classroom, and get to know the faculty and staff as well as other parents. All of this strengthens our SHS community. You will absolutely feel much more connected to your child’s education and life experience by being involved first-hand. This is such an important, formative and relatively short time in the lives of our children…why not take the opportunity to experience it as fully as possible?
Any SHS parent or grandparent is welcome to join the Home & School Committee in making a lasting impact on the lives of their children. H&S meets on the First Tuesday of each month at 1pm in the lower church. If you are unable to attend the meeting but would still like to contribute, there are a myriad of opportunities to be involved in the work of H&S. H&S is always in need of volunteers for ideas, set-up, clean-up, baking, promotions and decorating. Please, please, please contact Lori Wagner at 295-7471 if you are interested in joining in this important, memory-making work!
Home & School Committee works to make a cohesive team comprised of the school, parish, alumni and community through events like those listed below.
EVENTS OF THE HOME & SCHOOL COMMITTEE:
• First Day of School (August 29, 2011) – Home & School Committee welcomes the SHS community by hanging banners and balloons outside of the school. Each teacher and staff member receives a bottle of water, shiny apple and ‘welcome back’ gift on their desk as a way to start the year off on a positive note.
• Back to School Night (September 8, 2011) – Home & School Committee sells School Directories for a nominal cost ($3) to help cover expenses. School Directories include names and contact information for the SHS families.
• Back to School Picnic (September 9, 2011) – The H&S Committee organizes this fun and informal picnic at Manor Community Park, off of Charlestown Road. The Committee provides hot dogs and families provide a covered dish to share. There are games for the kids and socializing for the parents. This is a great opportunity for new and old families to mingle in a relaxed social setting.
• Kids Nights Out – The H&S Committee hosts three of these events throughout the school year. These are opportunities for parents to pay a fee to H&S Committee to have their children responsibly babysat and entertained so that parents may have a night out. Registration forms are sent home two weeks prior to the event. Any profits generated by the Night Out program is reinvested in the H&S budget for operations. All parents and helpers involved in the Nights Out programming have received their Volunteer Clearances through the Diocese.
The First Night Out is a Halloween Themed party and will be held on October 14th. There is a costume parade, prizes, crafts, games, a movie and snacks. It is exceedingly well attended and enjoyed by students, helpers and parents alike.
The Second Night Out will be Winter Themed and held on December 16th. This is a wonderful ‘drop and shop’ opportunity for Mr. and Mrs. Claus to finish their Christmas shopping. Indoor snowball fights, crafts, games, snacks and a holiday movie are provided.
The Third Night Out will be a St. Patrick’s Day – Luck o’ the Irish – Theme and held on March 16th, 2012.
• Parent-Teacher Conferences (October 19-20th, 2011) – Home & School Committee provides snacks and water for the teachers throughout the conference days.
• SHS Christmas Bazaar (November 19th, 2011) - The Christmas Bazaar is a fundraiser for SHS. A wide variety of craftspeople, bakers, jewelers converge on the SHS gymnasium to sell their wares. Each vendor pays a fee to SHS. The Home & School Committee has a stand at the Christmas Bazaar and sells ‘dress down day coupon booklets’ (these are tickets students can redeem in order to dress down on occasion – these booklets are very popular stocking stuffers), Spiritwear (see photos of clothing with an alternative SHS logo which can be worn as part of the gym uniform) and other items that may be appropriate. The H&S Committee also helps with set-up and clean-up after the Bazaar.
• Santa Shoppe (December 5th, 2011) – H&S Committee will hold this at 5 Below (both Fruitville Pike and Rockvale Square locations). Students shop for holiday gifts and a percentage of the business is contributed back to SHS.
• First Penance Reception (January, 2012) – H&S provides cake, cookies, coffee and juice after the 2nd graders receive First Penance.
• Coffee and Donuts (First Sunday in December, 2011) – H&S provides coffee, juice and donuts after 10:30 mass as a means of thanking the parish community for their support of the school. It is a great opportunity for the members of the school and church to socialize.
• Faculty/Staff Cookie Exchange (December, 2011) – Teachers and staff are invited to bring a few dozen cookies to share. H&S volunteers create beautifully arranged assorted cookie trays with recipe cards delivered to the participants by the end of the day.
• Family Fun Bingo and Sacred Heart-burn Chili cook-off (January 27th, 2012) – Together with H&S volunteers, families contribute themed baskets which serve as prizes for a fun Friday night of family bingo. To warm up the cold winter night, we will hold our second annual ‘Sacred Heart-burn’ Chili cook-off. Anyone can participate by contributing a crock pot full of chili to be judged by all those attending the bingo night. A prize is awarded to the winner. Some of the most coveted baskets include ‘Game Night’, ‘Girls Slumber Party Basket’, ‘Beach Party Basket’, and ‘Gift Card Basket’. H&S is very grateful for the generosity of the families who contribute these exceptional baskets as prizes.
• Catholic Schools Week (week of January 29th, 2012)
Pastries with the Principal – all the students get to enjoy hot chocolate and donuts with Sister Mary Carmel.
• Grandparents Day (May 11, 2012) – Home & School hosts a reception for all visitors in the gym after 8:30am mass. H&S also coordinates a carnation sale where students can purchase a carnation for one dollar to give to their special guest. Grandparents Day isn’t just for Grandparents, but students are encouraged to invite any special relative to join them for mass, the reception and a visit to their classroom.
• Teacher Luncheon (June 6, 2012) – H&S Committee decorates the gym and provides the faculty and staff with a catered luncheon to celebrate the conclusion of the school year.
• Community Nights at Various Restaurants (dates to be announced) – Throughout the year, SHS families attend ‘community nights’ at local restaurants such as Friendly’s and Isaacs. On these nights, a portion of the bill is contributed back to SHS. H&S offers incentives (i.e. a free ice cream treat) to the class with the highest rate of participation.
HOME & SCHOOL OFFICERS 2011-2012
President – Lori Wagner
Vice-President – Bethany Nadu
Secretary – Kim Devine
Treasurer – Karen Arnold
Community Night Chair – Tracey Reichert
Communication Chair – Gina Donnelly
Box-tops for Education Chair – Louise Miller
CLASSROOM PARENTS 2011-2012
Kindergarten – Christina Saez, Kerry Haney
First Grade – Cindy Meadows, Marie Newlin
Second Grade – Sherry Ney, Tracey Reichert
Third Grade – Bethany Nadu, Jen Koran, Tara Anderson
Fourth Grade – Tonya Legenstein, Karen Mertzman
Fifth Grade – Lori Wagner, Jodi Mazaheri, Jean Bertz
Sixth Grade – Christina Saez, Kedren Toczek
Seventh Grade – Kim Devine, Beth & Chuck Campagna
Eighth Grade – Lisa Costello, Jane Zukus, Cindy Bomberger