Heartbeat
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From the Principal |
By Principal Bob Hamm
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Welcome to everyone in the Sacred Heart Academy family. We welcome back those returning families, and those families who are new to our school. We look forward to another positive, productive educational year for our students. This is Sacred Heart Academy's 51st year serving our community as the parish school for Sacred Heart Parish. As we begin a new school year, I want to give you some parenting suggestions, which will help you to foster a sense of security in your child. 1. Help your child to create a balanced schedule. Structure the day and week to balance playtime, school time, chores, and personal time. On school days place priority on homework and completion of chores. 2. Establish household routines to begin and end the day in calm. Establish a place for schoolwork and materials. Teach a daily routine for packing lunch and books early enough to avoid stress. Practice a regular and reasonable bedtime routine, which includes prayer, resolution of the day's difficulties, and assurances of unconditional love. 3. Show interest in your child's homework and class work. Establish acceptable standards of achievement matched to your child's ability. Offer direction, affirmation, suggestion, and support; but do not do your child's work. 4. Be positive about school and learning. Support school rules and cooperate with specifics in the school handbook. Back up decisions and directions of teachers. If you criticize the teacher in front of your child it gives the child permission to be uncooperative and disrespectful. 5. Be available to your child and emotionally alert. Learn to LISTEN! Do not voice judgments or negative comments. Tell him frequently how much he is loved and needed. 6. Keep your appointments. Be where you have said you will be to drop off or pick up your child from school or after school activities. Make every effort to be punctual. Discuss the expected day's schedule before school. 7. Be kind but firm. Link behavior and consequences consistently and fairly. Define acceptable and appropriate behavior. Set limits. Value mistakes as building blocks for learning and improvement. Your goal as a parent should be to form a pattern of reliability so that a sense of security becomes rooted in the soul of your child. When security is characteristic of soul, drive develops as a basic life strength and hope flowers as a characteristic life virtue. |
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by Stacy Turner Welcome back. It's hard to believe that our new school year is here. With all that we have faced this week, the only thing that keeps coming to mind is how blessed we are to live in our nation, where we can stop and pray, when we want. And we are so blessed to be able to send our children to a school like Sacred Heart Academy. I think the new families at SHA will soon find out just what a wonderful family they have joined. A lot of progress was made last year. We have the completion of our wonderful new classrooms, art center, and science lab; we resurfaced the play area; and we added a new shade cloth to the blacktop area. We also painted the first, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms, giving them a clean fresh look and feel. Our goal this year is to keep that momentum going. With everyone helping, a great deal more can be accomplished. Thanks to all the parents who unselfishly donate their time and resources to make SHA what it is. I look forward to a wonderful and productive school year. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions you have (Stacy Turner, 226-6688). |
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THIRD GRADE UPDATE Bob Hamm
Mrs. Colvin, our third grade teacher, had emergency surgery a few days before the opening of school. She is now home and recuperating. She will be out of school for a minimum of six to eight weeks. While she is out, Meghann Elsbernd is our long-term substitute in third grade. Meghann is a graduate of USD and is presently enrolled in the Masters program at USD. Meghann is a certified teacher. We welcome Meghann to Sacred Heart Academy. She is working closely with Mrs. Colvin and with Kathy Howard, the TA in third grade, to ensure that the third grade curriculum, as taught by Mrs. Colvin, is followed. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. |
THE TREASURER'S REPORT 
Janice Teixeira
The total PTG fundraising budget for the 2001&endash;2002 school year is $75,000. This means that the PTG is responsible for raising $75,000 this year to supplement tuition and other payments, which are used for operating expenses. This $75,000 helps keep the tuition at a reasonable level and without it, tuition would necessarily increase.
For more information, please see the attached budget of projected receipts and expenses for the 2001-2002 school year.
 Joan Irvine Welcome to another terrific year for our Sacred Heart Birthday Book Club! Contributing a book during your own birthday month means giving a gift to our wonderful library for everyone to enjoy! Remember to check with Ms. Zapata for some great titles on the library wish list. Plan to join the Birthday Book Club soon! Thank you to the following Birthday Book Club members from last spring: Sydney Ganem, Grade 1, Look-Alikes Jr. Caitlin Mazeau, Grade 1, Click Clack, Moo Cows That Type Anthony Dutra, Grade 2, My Friend Bear Gilbert Covey, Grade 3, Look! The Ultimate Spot the Difference Book Megan Depew, Grade 3, The Hat Derek Snyder, Grade 3, Wolf! Farah Behrouznami, Grade 4, Walking with Dinosaurs Erin Charbonneau, Grade 5, Miss Spider's New Car Ryan Sousa, Grade 6, Eleanor's Story Lauren Charbonneau, Grade 7, Discover Rocks and Minerals Thanks again for these fun and exciting books! |
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Bob Hamm
We have four openings on the Principal's Advisory Commission for this school year. The Commission acts as an advisory group to the Principal. Parents with children in the Academy are eligible for membership. All members are appointed by the Principal. If you are interested in applying for a position on the Commission, please contact Mr. Hamm before October 5th for an application. |
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STAND UP FOR KIDS Bob Hamm Once again Sacred Heart Academy will direct our community outreach efforts to Stand Up For Kids. Our school has been a leader in support for this organization whose goal is to make a difference in the lives of over one million kids, some as young as nine years old, who are forced to live on the streets. Stand Up For Kids goes to the streets, not to simply take care of them, but to teach them how to take care of themselves. Every Wednesday at SHA is Stand Up For Kids Day. On Wednesdays you are asked to bring in items which will be used in our local community to help the kids who are on the streets. Please send items from the list below to school on Wednesdays. There is a Stand Up For Kids collection box outside fourth grade. Deposit your items there. The local Stand Up For Kids organization relies heavily on the support of SHA. Please do your part throughout this school year so we can make a difference in the lives of these children on the streets. Help us help Stand Up For Kids to continue to send the message to these children that they are valued, that we want them back and that we care about them. May God continue to bless you and your family as you reach out to bless those desperately in need of your help. The following items are requested for Stand Up For Kids: Travel size containers of: shampoo, Kleenex, Chap Stick, sun screen, hand lotion, disposable razors, bars of soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, combs and brushes. In addition, Stand Up For Kids could use the following outreach food packets: Juice boxes, granola bars, pudding/fruit cups in pop top containers, small boxes of raisins, chocolate candy bars, small containers of Beenie Weenies or Spaghetti in pop top cans. Winter is just around the corner, so Stand Up For Kids is looking for warm clothes for kids. They need sweatshirts, sweatshirts with hoods, stocking caps, socks, boxers, and blankets. Please add these items to your list of items to donate to Stand Up For Kids. Another Stand Up For Kids partner in our community is Starbucks. When Starbucks opened recently in OB, they donated $1,000 to the local program. Starbucks nationwide has supported Stand Up For Kids for more than five years. We welcome a Stand Up For Kids partner to OB! |
THE BIG EVENT |
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SAVE THE DATE! Mark your calendar for April 12, 2002 and plan to attend the Sacred Heart Academy Big Event. Come and enjoy the colors, tastes, and sounds of beautiful Mexico at a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta. Enjoy an expansive Mexican buffet, a Margarita bar, and spicy dancing to follow. Of course, you will also be treated to a fabulous silent and live auction. Chaired by Maria Wimer and Kori Pilney, this evening promises to be unlike anything you have experienced before. You won't want to miss it! Look for more information to follow. The first meeting of the Big Event Planning Committee will be held on Thursday, October 4, 2001 at 7:00 p.m. in the home of Kori Pilney at 3120 Owen Street. Everyone who is interested in helping with the Big Event should plan to attend this important meeting. There are plenty of jobs for everyone and it is a great way to meet people, have fun, help the school, and earn your volunteer hours. Please call Kori to let her know you will be at the meeting (226-3399). Following are some of the jobs that are still open: o Silent auction director o Live auction director o Database coordinator to send solicitation letters and thank you letters o Clean up crew Also, begin to think about goods and services that can be donated to our live and silent auction. All donations are welcome. |
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THANK YOU Dear Sacred Heart faculty, staff, and families, We can't thank you enough for the kindness we have been shown since the unexpected death of Donald. Our hearts ache over the loss of a loving husband and father. But we get great comfort from the outpouring of love, prayers, and support we have received from the wonderful Sacred Heart Community. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We look forward to seeing you all soon. God bless you all, Carol, Rachelle, and Ryan Luz |
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PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE A True Story Five-year-old little Tommy was lamenting to his big brother over the fact that Major League Baseball had been temporarily stopped due to the recent national tragedy. Asking about when it will resume, he said, "What's the big deal anyway?" With all the earnestness of a seven-year-old big brother Andy responded, "Tommy … This IS a really BIG deal because this has NEVER happened to the United States since we were attacked by the Hawaiians!"
CLASSROOM BEAUTIFICATION PROGRAM Bob Hamm I want to thank several people who spent at least part of their summer helping to make Sacred Heart Academy a better place to be. 1. THE SHA PAINTERS led by Jeff Moore and his fellow painters&emdash;Linda Small, Stacy Turner, Greg Henkels, Paul and Theresa Schrader, Charlene Ables, Steve Ables, Van Thaxton, Tom Morley, and Brandi Ferguson. Thanks to all of you for the great job of repainting grades one, four, and five. It makes a big difference in those classrooms. 2. RUGS. Rob Hailey and Howards Rug Co., donated new carpet for grades one, four, and five. 3. BENCHES. Donald Boone totally refurbished the benches in front of the school. 4. ALTAR. Dennis Norenberg designed and built the beautiful altar for the statue of Mary in the Memorial Garden. Big, big thank you to all of you for all you do for Sacred Heart Academy!
Van Thaxton On September 10, 2001, the SHA Executive Board reviewed the existing family service point policy and voted to amend and clarify it. Previously, the policy read: Each family is required to donate a minimum of 20 hours (10 hours for single parents) of contributed service to the school. Each hour of service is equal to 2 points, which equals 40 points (20 for single parents) required each year. If parents are unable to provide the required hours, they may pay a nonparticipation fee of $5 per point. With the new change, instead of "points" the policy only refers to the number of hours required (20 hours for two parent families and 10 hours for single parents). When parent service hours are not met, there will be a charge of $10 per hour. If there are any questions, please see Mr. Hamm.
EARNING VOLUNTEER HOURS Van Thaxton There is no end to the number of ways you may earn your volunteer hours. Following is a partial list: o Helping in the art lab o Providing baked goods for your class o Serving on the Big Event Committee o Singing in the Sacred Heart Choir o Helping with the Sacred Heart Children's Liturgy o Helping in the classroom o Coaching SHA after school athletics (Coaches are needed!) o Helping with the computer lab o Daycare helpers o Serving donuts on Sunday at Sacred Heart Church o Field trip drivers o Hot lunch servers (there is a requirement for each grade) o Library helpers o OB Recreational Center/Halloween Carnival volunteer o Playground help o Saturday work crews o Science lab helpers
Mary Anne Capistrano Did you know that you could satisfy your mandatory volunteer hour requirements, in part, by volunteering at the Parish Children's Liturgy of the Word? Volunteers are needed immediately for the Sunday 10:30 a.m. Mass. If you are interested in helping, please contact Mary Anne Capistrano at 226-1015.
Diana Bartlett Be sure to mark your calendar for the date(s) you have volunteered to work hot lunch. It is very important that EVERYONE show up when scheduled. If you are unable to make your scheduled shift, you MUST find a replacement. Do not contact the coordinator to find a replacement for you. Remember that you may have any adult work your shift for you if you are unable to make it. Anyone who fails to report for hot lunch duty as scheduled will be assessed an additional two hours of required volunteer time. As always, if you have any questions regarding the hot lunch program, please contact me at 501-1961.
Stacy Turner SHA has been fortunate enough over the years to have some very generous families who want to help out the school in any way they can. Many ask, "What do you need?" In response to their question, we have compiled the following partial wish list for SHA:
If you have any of the above items or wish to help, please let me know. Thank you.
Author Unknown (Printed in the August 5, 2001, Church of Saint Ita Bulletin (Chicago, Illinois) A new pastor moved into town and went out one Saturday to visit his parishioners. All went well until he came to one house. It was obvious that someone was home, but no one came to the door, even after he had knocked several times. Finally, he took out his card, wrote on the back "Revelation 3:20" and stuck it in the door. Revelation 3:20 reads: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with me." The next day as he was counting the offering, he found his card in the collection plate. Below his message was a notation "Genesis 3:10." Upon opening his Bible to the passage, his face turned red and he let out a roar of laughter. Genesis 3:10 reads: "And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked."
Charlene Ables Once again, SHA's administrative assistant extraordinaire, Ferol Henkels has gone above and beyond to help out when needed. Ferol's sharp eye and careful attention to detail were extremely helpful in putting the school directory together again this year. Thanks, Ferol! |
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TEACHER FEATURE Van Thaxton This year, we have two new full-time teachers. Brady Kramer Brady Kramer, or Mr. Brady as he is affectionately known, comes to us from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is one of four children and graduated from Providence College. Although Mr. Brady is not entirely new to our school this year, he is new to his position as physical education coach and teacher for grades K through 8. Last year, he was the second grade substitute teacher when Mrs. Massa was on maternity leave. Mr. Brady has taught at the high school and elementary school levels at San Dieguito and at City Tree Christian School. Prior to his teaching career, Mr. Brady was employed as a pro hockey player and worked for Prudential Securities. For fun, Mr. Brady likes to golf and coach youth ice hockey. In fact, a perfect day for him would include 18 rounds of golf, dinner with friends and a good movie. Speaking of movies, his favorites are Meet the Parents and The Shawshank Redemption. He enjoys reading anything by author James Patterson and loves Italian food. When asked about his greatest accomplishments so far, this is what he said, "My greatest accomplishments are graduating from college, playing for a U.S. Jr. National Team and working with children." Welcome, Mr. Brady. Brian Sherrill Certainly, most of you with children in the upper grades are familiar with the latest addition to the Sacred Heart Academy family. But those of us who seldom venture upstairs, may never have met our new teacher in grades six, seven, and eight. Brian Sherrill hails from Clermont County, Ohio where his parents live on a 400-acre dairy farm. He has one sister, two nephews and one son, Cody, age 10. Oh, and he has a cat named Sydney. Mr. Sherrill received his undergraduate degree from University of Maryland and his graduate degree from the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Receiving his MBA, says Mr. Sherrill, was his greatest achievement so far. After an impressive academic career, Mr. Sherrill taught at the Department of Defense schools in Spain and at intermediate schools in Sacramento and San Diego. In addition, he was a United States Air Force Intelligence Officer and Korean Linguist. A real kid at heart, Mr. Sherrill likes to play paintball games, water ski, snow ski, and travel to world historical sights. His favorite place to visit is Austria. Other favorites include Hardy Boys books, The Brady Bunch Movie and pizza! When asked about the perfect day, this is what he said, "I'd sleep until 10:00, have lunch on a boat, go water skiing for a couple of hours, take a nap and watch football before settling in to a nice dinner with friends." Sounds good to me. |
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TERRIFIC KIDS Van Thaxton We have a lot of terrific kids at SHA. We have kids who excel in sports, kids who do well in school, and kids who get more than their share of service points year after year. In addition, we have many terrific kids who quietly and without recognition, do things for others that reflect a sense of selflessness, compassion, and maturity beyond their young years. Here are four children who we like to call terrific kids. Nick S. On June 23, 2001, Nick S., a 5th grader at SHA, turned ten. Before his birthday party, Nick and his parents discussed the possibility of asking party guests to forego birthday presents in favor of contributing money to a family in need. "I thought we might have to convince him to see it our way but the minute we mentioned the idea, he said 'Let's do it,'" said Nick's mother, Linda. What the family didn't anticipate was how generously the party guests would respond. Not only was Nick able to purchase Royal Blazer gift certificates for the children, but he was also able to provide money for school shoes as well. The recipient family was overwhelmed by this young man's generosity. Thank you, Nick, for making a difference and for being a TERRIFIC KID! The H. Kids For the past two years, all three of the children chose to give to charity rather than collect their own birthday presents. The first year, Sarah and Michael selected Stand Up For Kids while John selected the Crisis Center at the Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church. The second year, all three children selected Stand Up For Kids to benefit from their donations. Their father, Matthew said that all three kids have visited the Stand Up For Kids Center and said that it was a real eye opener for them. "Our kids were amazed at how young some of the homeless children are." Matthew said that at first, his kids were hesitant to collect for charity rather than themselves. "But after taking them to the Stand Up For Kids Center, they became strong supporters of the idea," Matt said. The H. family came up with this idea after Matt and Cathy talked to their kids about just how lucky they are. Matthew explained it this way. "We wanted the children to recognize just how difficult life is for some people who do not even have the most basic of life's necessities." Matt also went on to say that the family was inspired by the example set by Bob Hamm who leads the drive to support Stand Up For Kids at our school. Matt said, "Through the school's association with Stand Up For Kids, we know what is needed, so coming up with a list of items to be donated was easy." On their birthday invitations, they ask that guests bring donations for a specific charity instead of birthday presents. Then they gather all the donated items, including any checks or cash, and take it to the charity. "It's that easy," Matthew said. Thanks, Hervey kids, for being such good examples to us all.
If you have or know of a terrific kid or if this has inspired you to do something terrific, please let us know. We would like to put it in our next Heartbeat and tell everyone about your terrific kid. 8TH GRADE PROFILES Van Thaxton New to the Heartbeat this year is the 8th grade profile segment. All year long, we will take a look at the likes and dislikes, wishes and dreams of the most senior members of our student body. Stay tuned to this section to learn more about these great kids and how they see their future taking shape. Lauren Morse First up this year is 8th grader Lauren Noel Morse, daughter of Kevin and Colleen Morse. Lauren has been at SHA her entire academic career and has seen many changes in our school during that time. Speaking from experience, Lauren says that the best part of SHA is the great teachers. Lauren enjoys history and tennis and someday hopes to attend William and Mary, Yale or UCLA. She would like to become a teacher or a lawyer. Her favorite munchies are bean and cheese burritos and Sierra Mist soda and her favorite movies are The Mummy 1 and The Mummy 2. She is also a fan of the Harry Potter series of books, especially Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Next year, Lauren will head off to the Academy of Our Lady of Peace. She says that what she will miss most about SHA will be her friends, the teachers, and hot lunch! Among the things she will most fondly remember will be the October Festival and watching the lower grade children parade around in costume on Halloween. However, Lauren says that she will definitely not miss the homework. In fact, if she were principal, she would take steps to reduce the students' homework load. If Lauren could give one piece of advice to next year's 8th graders it would be to "Do your best at all times," which is excellent advice for anyone. Lauren says that the best advice her parents ever gave her was to "Be true to yourself." We wish Lauren well as she wraps up her years at SHA and enters a new and exciting phase of her life. Good luck! Monique T.
For our next 8th grade profile, we have a young lady who has also been at SHA since Kindergarten. Monique T. is the only child of Janice and Steve T. who have been active parent volunteers at the school for many years. In fact, Monique said that she will never forget her first day at SHA, many years ago. "My mom stayed outside the kindergarten classroom so long that the teacher had to finally ask her to leave. And to this day, I still can't get her out of the school." Monique says that the best part of SHA is the teaching staff. Heading off to Our Lady of Peace next year, Monique said that she will miss the school's beautiful new addition most. She said that she will not miss going last for everything because her last name begins with a "T." If Monique could be the principal of the school, she would let kids wear any shoes they want and have pictures of cute guys (and girls, I suppose) on their binders. The best advice Monique could give to next year's 8th graders is to take their homework assignments seriously. The best advice her parents ever gave her was, "If there is a will, there is a way." That advice will come in handy as Monique plans to go to nursing school and law school and someday become a medical malpractice attorney. Her favorite subject is English and her favorite sports are football and basketball. She has a sophisticated palate, as she prefers kiwi and shrimp over hamburger, and fries and her Shirley Temple drinks must have three cherries, not two. Her favorite movie is The Little Mermaid and her favorite reading materials are magazines. In the music department, Monique currently likes "All the Small Things" by Blink 182 and the Fatlip music video. Congratulations, Monique on your successful years at SHA. We wish you well in all your future endeavors. Matthew K.
The best advice Matt's parents ever gave him was to "Treat others as you would want to be treated." His advice to next year's 8th graders? "Have fun, it's your last year, but still do your best." If Matt were principal of the school, he would make every other Friday a minimum day of school. Matt's favorite food is In-N-Out burgers and his favorite drink is Dr. Pepper. He likes the movie Rush Hour 2 and enjoys the Hatchet Series of books. Both his favorite song and music video are "Castaway." We know you will do great things, Matt. We wish you the best! |
Happy 10th Birthday, Timmy. Have a great year in 4th grade with Mr. Saavedra. You're Da Bomb! Love, Mom and Dad
Stacy, You're doing a great job as Prez. I'll have some big shoes to fill next year. Your Right Hand "Van"
Joe, We hope you have a great year. Work hard and have fun. We are so proud of you. Love, Mom and Dad
Sam Turner, Have a great year! We love you! Mom and Dad
To Isabela, My Little Angel, "I love you too much." Mom
Nicholas Ryan, Congratulations Nicky! You have gotten off to a great start in your new school.
Love, your family
Mr. Saavedra and Ms. Mullins, Thank you for an awesome summer camp.
We ALL loved it for different reasons!
The Watson Family
NEXT HEARTBEAT
The deadline for the November 2001 Heartbeat is Friday, October 19, 2001. Please submit your article to vthaxton@aol.com on or before noon on that date. We are always looking for letters, essays, articles, poems, etc., from parents AND students. Please contact the editor if you have any questions.
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Attend Mass |
8am Mass-5th grade |
8am Mass-4th grade
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8am Mass-6th grade Stand Up For Kids Day
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8am Mass-7th grade |
8am Mass-8th grade Noon Dismissal
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Stand Up For Kids Yard Sale - here - am |
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8am Mass-5th grade PTG Board Mtg. 8:30am
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8am Mass-4th grade Principal's Advisory mtg. 7pm
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8am Mass-6th grade Stand Up For Kids Day
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NO SCHOOL WASC workday for staff |
8am Mass-8th grade
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OLP Open House |
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8am Mass-5th gr. Noon Dismissal WASC prep time for staff |
8am Mass-4th gr. |
8am Mass-6th gr. Stand Up For Kids food/hygiene collection day Grades 5-8 to Old Globe -Midsummer Night's Dream
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8am Mass-5th grade |
8am Mass-4th grade |
8am Mass-6th grade Stand Up For Kids Day 8th grade visits USDHS |
NO SCHOOL WASC workday for staff USDHS Open House |
8am Mass-8th grade Picture Make Up Day |
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8am Mass-5th grade |
8am Mass-4th grade |
8am Mass-6th grade Stand Up For Kids Day HALLOWEEN 
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Sacred Heart Academy
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Our
third 8th grader to be profiled this month is also a
long-timer at SHA. Just finishing out his 9th year at our
school is Matt K. Matt is the eldest of three children
belonging to Lori and Mark Kretz. Matt likes history and
soccer and says that the best part of SHA is the group of
great families at the school. As he heads off to either St.
Augustine High School or University High School, Matt
reflects on what he will and will not miss about SHA next
year. "I will definitely miss my friends and will not miss
the uniforms!"
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