Click Here to download the Primary September Newsletter, including all sign up forms.
Volume 6, Issue 1
August/September 2008
The first two weeks of school have been wonderful. How nice it is to hear laughter in the halls,
footsteps in the stairwell and chatter in the locker areas. This building was so empty without your
daughters. On the first day of school we gathered in the chapel on our campus for a blessing and
prayer service. We talked about how Jesus loved children and welcomed them, and how he often
blessed them. Mrs. Higginbotham blessed Mrs. Perrilliat and Mrs. Tompkins with Holy Water,
asking God to bless them and the school year. They in turn blessed Mrs. Friedrichs and she blessed
the teachers. Each teacher, in turn, blessed each of her students. We said our Sacred Heart
prayer in thanksgiving for bringing us all together for a new school year.
I am a Child of the Sacred Heart. Each day, dear Lord, I will
- ...love as you love,
- ...study and learn,
- ...help those who need me,
- ...be a friend to all,
- ...and make wise choices.
St. Madeleine Sophie, hear my prayer.
St. Rose Philippine, hear my prayer. Amen.
Many thanks...
To Thomas Capella (Sophie-third primary) for organizing our carpool dads. Please contact Thomas
if you would like to be a carpool dad- thomascapella@yahoo.com.
To Stephanie Capella (Sophie-third primary)for providing the refreshments for Parents Night.
To Denise and Bill Galloway (parents of Lucy-second primary and Charlotte-K) for coordinating our
carpool forms again this year.
To Doran Roemershauser (Addie-second primary and Kate-third primary) for organizing the lunch
moms this year. This is a great opportunity to see your daughter during the day. If you are
interested in sigining up to serve lunch, please contact droemers@cox.net.
Back to Basics...
Throughout her years at Sacred Heart, we want your daughter to become self-assured about
herself and her abilities. Naturally, this includes helping her to grow academically, but it also
involves helping her to become self-confident in other ways. Manners of the Month is a way for us
to focus on behaviors that will help your daughter in her ability to handle social situations and to
develop positive relationships with others. This month we ask her to Make eye contact and say
"Good Morning." It can be very difficult for a child to look into the eyes of adult when speaking or
being spoken to, and is a life-skill that must be practiced. We smile and greet your daughter each
morning, and ask that she return the greeting. This little step will go a long way in helping her to
become a confident young woman. We ask that you help us by reinforcing this behavior at home.
Goal One: (active faith in God): Today on Friday, August 29, the PK– fourth academic celebrated
the opening of the school year with the Mass of the Holy Spirit. All of the Sacred Heart family
was filled with the Holy Spirit as we began our new school year, as friends of Jesus, building the
kingdom of God! During the liturgy, we also rang the Katrina Bell of Remembrance. This is the bell
that was a gift to Sacred Heart and to the City of New Orleans from the Bells of Remembrance
Project, organized by the Franciscan Center of Wilmington, Delaware, and comes to us because of
our affiliation with the Network of Sacred Heart Schools. The first Bells of Remembrance were
placed in New York City, Shanksville, PA, and Arlington, VA, during ceremonies to commemorate the
event of September 11. The inscription on the 300-pound bell reads "Jesus Yesterday, Today, and
Tomorrow." Let us pray that when we hear the ringing of our Katrina Bell we will always remember
to pray for New Orleans and its citizens.
Goal Three (social awareness) Volleyball for the Cure (from Mike Barnes): Last year, the
Academy of the Sacred Heart collaborated with Cabrini High School to "Paint the Gym PINK for
the CURE" and transformed a regular season volleyball match into a huge event promoting breast cancer awareness. Together we raised $17,000 to benefit the New Orleans affiliate of Susan G.
Komen for the CURE. This year, "Volleyball for the CURE", a new match-up between the Academy
of the Sacred Heart and Newman is scheduled for Thursday, September 18th will build on our
success from 2007...Under the coordination of Coach mike Barnes, high schools throughout the city
and region will compete in volleyball matches to raise breast cancer awareness.
On Thursday, September 18th the primary school will have a pink free dress day. The fourth
primary will host a bake sale on that day as well. Everything will be 25 cents, so start saving
quarters. That evening at 5:30 and 7:00 our volleyball team will be playing Newman at the Newman
gym. We hope to see you there.
If you have any questions, want to become a sponsor or want to make a donation of any kind, please
contact: Mike Barnes mbarnes@ashrosary.org or (504)382-5112.
Wrapping Paper Orders: Each year the junior class sells wrapping paper to generate the funds
needed to support their junior/senior class activities (junior/senior prom, ring dance, etc). In
addition, a portion of the total goes to one of the divisions of the school (PS in 2008!). The
homeroom teachers distributed order forms on Parents Night. The procedure has changed this
year, and you are asked to go online to place your order. If you would like to participate, we ask you
to follow the instructions, and return payment to school by the Thursday, September 11, deadline.
General Information about Primary School
Assembly: We have morning assembly on Mondays and Thursdays at 8:10 in the Mater Campus
chapel. On Tuesday mornings Mrs. Higginbotham has General Instruction with the Primary School.
On Wednesday and Friday your daughter goes to homeroom to pray with her class and start the day
in her homeroom. We ask that your daughter arrive by 7:55 so she can start the day on time. Our
receptionist, Mrs. Leftwich is here to greet the early birds no earlier than 7:15.
Carpool: Dismissal on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays is at 3:20. Due to preschool
carpool the line forms at the corner of Napoleon and Carondelet. The carpool line will be moved
around to General Pershing at 3:20. On Wednesday, the primary school dismisses at 2:30 so the
carpool line will be brought around at 2:25. Our police detail is here to oversee carpool everyday
except Wednesday. Please be patient as we iron out some of the details.
Walkers: Parents who are walking in to pick up their daughters are asked to wait on the corner of
St. Charles and General Pershing until Preschool carpool is finished. We are ironing out the details
for the walkers as the congested lobby is presenting difficulty for our little ones. Please be patient
with us as we try to expedite this process.
Emergency Medical Forms: If your emergency information changes during the year, please make
sure to contact Kathy Marino at 269-1233 or Ginny Leftwich at 269-1230 with any changes as the
year progresses.
Events: We are lucky to have ample seating in the Nims Center and invite you to attend any all
school events that take place there. Please note that your daughter will sit with her class during
our all school events but you are welcome to attend and sit in the benches or in an extra seat in the
back of the Nims Center.
Handbook Signature Cards: If you have not yet done so, please return the signature card that was
included in your daughter's handbook and given to you at Parents Night. The deadline was Friday,
August 22. Thank you to the third and fourth primary parents for turning all cards in to school on
time.
Lunch: We are happy to again welcome Ms. Andrea Veal, Ms. Emelda Boutte, Ms. Lisa Johnson and
Ms. Josie Verona to the Mater Campus. These ladies will be preparing the daily lunch for us each
day. If your daughter plans to eat a cafeteria lunch, please make sure that she has funds posted to
her cafeteria account. You may send a check to school and we will forward it to the dining hall.
Make the check payable to Archdiocese of New Orleans School Lunch Program. If you have any
questions, please call Ms. Andrea, the cafeteria manager (891-2926).
In the primary school the students are permitted to have seconds at lunch but they must pay for
these extra items. If your daughter has money in her account she will be able to get extras of the
main course or sides, not dessert. The dining hall also offers juice and water for 50 cents. If your
daughter has a food allergy, please contact Ms. Andrea so she can provide you with the
Archdiocese's form which must be completed by your daughter's pediatrician and faxed to school.
PLUS: Primary School PLUS is located in the dining hall and the front yard. The girls will be
checked into PLUS at 3:45. PLUS will begin with snack and playtime until 4:15. At 4:15 the lower
school girls will go the dining hall to start homework. On Wednesday, homework time begins at 3:15.
All PLUS students must be signed out before leaving.
After School Activities: There are a few activities that are still open for enrollment. Please see
the attachments for open after school programs.
Hearty Snacks: The Primary girls are asked to bring a "Hearty Snack" once a month for the
students at the Good Shepherd School. A "Hearty Snack" consists of a light snack such as fruit,
chips, cookies, cereal bars, juice, water bottle, or a sports drink. Please do not send anything that
needs to be refrigerated. We will begin collecting Hearty Snacks on October 1.
Staying in the Loop: We want you to stay abreast about everything that is happening at Sacred
Heart, and have several ways to keep you informed:
- The school website, www.ashrosary.org., includes up-to-date calendars, lunch menus, and forms, as well as information about school policies, programs, and procedures.
- Email is a way to keep in touch with our families about matters important to the life of the school. Please make sure you are registered on the ashrosary website so you will receive emails from the lower school office.
- In these days of instant access, we are finding that we are using technology more and more. We ask you to check the website often for information. We never want to give up the human touch, though, so phone calls and face-to face conversations are always welcome!
Speech, Language, Hearing, Vision Screenings: Next week your daughter will bring home a letter
from the New Orleans Speech and Hearing Center. We are happy to offer screenings, and hope
that you will take advantage of this service. The earlier a problem is detected, the easier it is to
correct. Please complete the attached form and return it with your check made out to NOSHC.
Uniforms: Please mark all of your child's belongings, especially the jumper.
White Uniforms from Preschool: If you would like to sell or donate a white uniform to a PS parent,
please contact Toots Villere at 269-1235. The uniform must be clean and pressed. If selling, you
must also set the price for your white uniform.
Sweaters: On dress uniform days your daughter will be required to wear a blue button down sweater (monogram optional) to mass. The first dress uniform day will be October 20.
Summer Support: If your daughter had academic support this summer, please have her
tutor/specialist send a report to Laurie Friedrichs at lfriedrichs@ashrosary.org or via mail.
Bookstore: The Rosary Campus bookstore is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 to 1:00.
Mater Campus Dismissal Procedures
To provide the safest route for our families, the school has met with the NOPD and devised a set of
carpool procedures.
Primary School
- 3:10 line up at corner of Napoleon and Carondelet. NOPD will pull the cars around earlier, if possible.
- 3:20 Primary School carpool begins on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
- 2:30 dismissal on Wednesday
Primary school carpool can begin to line up on the corner of Napoleon at Carondelet at 3:10. We cannot
line up prior to this time due to PS carpool. There will be a NOPD officer to send the carpool line around
to General Pershing. The carpool line will extend down General Pershing along Carondelet and on Napoleon (along the side of the school). Please do not double park on St. Charles Avenue and block the
traffic.
Traffic will exit from General Pershing onto St. Charles. Cars may go left or right on St. Charles Avenue
or straight across and up General Pershing.
Walkers
For those planning to park and walk to pick-up a child, we ask that you park in the parking lot , cross the
street at the crosswalk near the parking lot and walk to St. Charles/General Pershing corner to wait for
dismissal to begin. The duty teachers will notify you when it is time for you to go into the Nims and
quickly get your daughter. Those not interested in walking into the Nims can have their daughter called
via the walkie talkie teacher.
Using Preparatory and Academic Carpool
For safety reasons we are not able to dismiss any students to an Academic or Preparatory School student
who is not in a car. The driver will need to go line up in the carpool line and proceed through to pick up.
