Issue Five

2013-2014

December

of Sacred Heart

St. Francis de Sales

The School

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF INFORMATION IT’S HERE! Have you been to the

Renweb Parent portal?

Attendance

Daily Grades

Progress Reports

Report Cards

Transcripts

Discipline

Homework

Missing Assignments

School Calendar

School Announcements

Staff and School Directory

Teacher Email Addresses

Teacher Websites

Customized Web

Surveys and Tests

Other Useful School Information

During the season of Advent, various

activities have been planned for our

students. These include our morning

prayer services with the Advent Wreath

and daily reflections about the liturgical

season.

There are also a number of activities

listed on our school calendar and in our

parish bulletins that will give you and

your family an opportunity to fully

prepare for the coming of our Lord.

Advent calendars were sent home last

week to help you and your family

prepare for the birth of Jesus. Suggested

ideas will help everyone understand how

important the season of Advent really is

and that Jesus is the reason for the

season. These calendars definitely add to

the richness of the seasons of Advent and

Christmas.

Please try to encourage your children to

appreciate the true meaning of Christmas

during the weeks ahead by taking part in

these activities.

ADVENT BEGINS!

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid,

the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6)

This Issue Christmas Wish List

Christmas Programs

Cash Calendars

Celebrations of the Season

We are always seeking

new students. If you

know of any family

who may be interested

in enrolling their

children, please let us

know or have them

give us a call. Word of

mouth is a great

marketing tool.

Maintaining our

enrollment is crucial to

our existence. Please

help your school

community.

DON’T FORGET!

time. We would really appreciate

100% participation. This can be

your way of helping your school.

These calendars would make

great gifts at Christmas for

family members, friends, co-

workers, teachers, and principal.

What a great gift for the hard to

buy for person. They make

wonderful stocking stuffers too.

Return date

All money and name cards must be

returned to the main office by

Wednesday, December 18. Please

get them in on time. The first

drawing is for New Year’s Day.

Number on the small card

attached to the calendar. This

information gets returned to

school along with the money. The

customer keeps the calendar.

- Nine winners will be drawn on

the dates indicated winning

various amounts of money. One

lucky winner will win $100! You

can even win more than once

since all the name cards are

returned to the drawing pool!

Your participation

is essential. If every family could buy or sell

just five calendars we could make

a lot of money in a very short

Cash Calendars

for January

We have the potential to make

$5000 for our school in just one

month. Starting today and

through the Wednesday before

vacation, December 18, The

School of Sacred Heart St.

Francis is having a “Cash

Calendar Sale”. The calendars

are $10.00 each and they are

good for the month of January

2014.

The way it works

- Have the person you are

selling the calendar to fill in

their Name, Address and Phone

CHRISTMAS

PROGRAM

“An Out of the Box

Christmas" will be

presented by the

students in Pre-

Kindergarten through

Grade 5 on Monday,

December 16, at 6:30

PM at Sacred Heart St.

Francis de Sales Church.

The show will be

approximately 30

minutes long. Unless

your child is in the

Nativity Scene (We will

let you know.), they

must wear nice

Christmas attire. More

detailed information

will follow.

All students in the

elementary grades will

be participating in this

performance. This

activity is not optional.

We are a community

that celebrates this

tradition together.

We will be having a run

-through rehearsal at

the church on Monday

morning, December 16.

We will walk to the

church and then back

to school when we are

done.

MERRY

CHRISTMAS!

A CHRISTMAS REFLECTION Sometimes Christmas is just overwhelming, it seems,

As we rush around buying up stuff.

We spend without end, and we rack up those bills,

But it feels like it's never enough.

So this Christmas, let's all take a different approach:

Let's try to be more in accord

With God's Christmas gift, the best one of all--

Our sweet Jesus, our Savior, our Lord.

We'll be gentle and patient, and loving and kind,

And we'll keep our priorities straight;

The gifts of the Spirit, the gifts of the heart

Are the ones that we'll all celebrate.

And our stress will decrease, and we'll feel more at peace,

As we decorate, package, and trim;

Our new Christmas will be a pure joy and delight,

As we try to be much more like Him.

By Joanna Fuchs

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS!

WEBSITE

For monthly updates go to

www.sacredheartbennington.org

Our Classroom Christmas Celebrations will take place on Wednesday afternoon,

December 18. This is the last school day before vacation begins. Room parents will

be contacting you about the details once they have spoken with each of the

classroom teachers about the necessary arrangements. All parents are welcome to

join us.

Our School Bands and Chorus, under the direction of Mr. Daniel Timmermans ,

will present an evening of Christmas Music on Tuesday, December 10, beginning

at 6:30 PM in our multi-purpose room. If you can attend the concert on the

10th , you will be surely entertained by the beautiful music they have prepared

for your listening pleasure.

CHRISTMAS

WISH LIST Many times during the

Christmas season parents

and friends wonder if there

is something in particular

that the school needs and

how can they can help. If

anyone is willing to donate

a special gift during the

holidays, the following

items are suggested:

postage stamps

hand sanitizer

blank CD-R discs

dish towels for lunch

Keurig coffee pods for

the office

note pads

LET MUSIC FILL THE AIR!

FALL TRIMESTER REPORT CARDS

DISTRIBUTED

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11

From the Principal’s Desk How important is homework? Almost everyone has an opinion about homework. Research on the importance of

homework during the past ten years has greatly strengthened the case for homework. The bottom line is many parents

and teachers agree that homework develops students’ study habits and work ethic, as well as supports academic

learning. Catholic schools, in particular, value homework as part of the recipe for helping students meet high academic

and study expectations.

Here are a few ideas for making homework a positive growth experience for your child:

Encourage your child to keep an assignment notebook in which all homework assignments are recorded.

Homework assignments for each grade are also available on Renweb. Visit the parent portal.

Create both a regular time and a space for homework. Treat homework as an important aspect of your child’s

schooling.

Recognize your child’s regular completion of homework assignments as “the way we do things in our home.” This

expresses both expectation and honest appreciation for your child.

Share any questions regarding the amount or type of homework with your child’s teacher.

Try to strike a balance of appropriate assistance with your child’s homework, not too much, not too little.

Younger children may need more assistance than older children.

When good study habits and successful completion of homework are a regular expectation, students benefit by gaining

better grades, better study habits, and a more positive attitude toward school and learning. Homework is also a

valuable way for parents to gain insight to help support the school’s curriculum. Today might be a good day to examine

the “homework habits” in your household to ensure that your family receives the benefits homework can bring.

The School of Sacred Heart St. Francis de Sales

307 School Street

Bennington, Vermont 05201

802-442-2446

www.sacredheartbennington.org

Providing excellence in academics and a deepening faith in God and Gospel Values in an environment that is caring, challenging, and

respectful, striving to develop in every student the habits of thinking critically and acting responsibly in daily life.

Accredited