PTO FALL 2003 Newsletter

Upcoming Events:
September
Open House 16th
October
Pumpkin Sale
9th Bake Sale 25-26h
November
Kids Vote 4th
Author Visit 18th

Publisher: Sacred Heart School Editor: Sister Ann Marie Ghiloni Copy Chief: Ann Doyle Production: Stephanie Ptak

Principal's Desk
Welcome! It is always exciting to extend a warm Sacred Heart welcome to our students and families. This year is no exception. Sacred Heart School community is vibrant and enthusiastic, a place of warm caring hearts. Let us reach out to those new to our school community and make them feel "at home."

I am grateful to our PTO Officers for their time and energy. They model for us the meaning of service to one another. Please support them in their requests for help. All that they do is for the benefit of enriching the learning moments of the students and affirming the work of our wonderful faculty and staff.

You should have received the September calendar. Keep the reverse side for the tentative dates of events and the dates for all the school vacation periods. Don't forget to check the school web site. It has all the news posted each month. The site is shsquincy.org.

Join us at 11:00 a.m. each day as we pray for peace. May you experience peace in your heart and trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Sister Ann Marie


PTO CORNER

A warm welcome to new and returning families. We hope you enjoyed the summer and feel refreshed for the busy year ahead. We'd like to introduce ourselves and share our mission statement and calendar of events for the 2003-2004 school year.

For those who may not know, the PTO was elected in May 2002 for two years. The members are: PTO President Cindy Brandi, mother of fourth-grader Amanda and Matthew, a pre-schooler; Vice President Janice Hines, mother of fourth-grader Stephen; second-grader Matthew and first-grader Bobby; Secretary Barbara Carey, mom of fifth-grader Lisa and Treasurer Catherine Jensen, mom of sixth-grader Eric and third-9rader Peter.

The mission of the PTO at Sacred Heart School is to work with the principal, teachers and parents to foster a sense of community. We do that by sponsoring a variety of educational and cultural events designed to enrich the school experience of our children.

We also hold a number of celebrations that are planned with the entire family in mind because parents, siblings and grandparents are a vital part of our community.

We organize fund-raisers to pay for these events and sponsor the Father Heery Scholarship for 7th graders, named in honor of the parish's late pastor, the Rev. Cornelius J. Heery. This scholarship, which is awarded based on an essay, is credited to the student's 8th grade tuition bill.

The PTO works together and demonstrates the values of respect, responsibility and cooperation. We welcome the participation of all parents and guardians.


Upcoming Events:

Pumpkin Pickings:
Pick out the perfect pumpkin for your home or classroom at the PTO Pumpkin Sale on Thursday, October 9th at 2:30 p.m. in the school yard.

Bake Sale:
The weekend of October 25 and 26th is our annual bake sale. The drop off date for the baked goods is Friday, October 24th. All families are requested to donate at least one baked good. The class with the highest participation rate can chose to have either a pizza party or an ice cream party. This is one of our biggest (and most profitable) fund raisers, so your time (and your goodies) are greatly appreciated.

Kids Vote:

November 4th: As part of a program to teach the importance of voting and civic responsibility, all children enrolled at Sacred Heart are eligible to cast a ballot at the Kids Vote polling station. Children may vote with their parents at any polling station in Quincy or they may vote at Sacred Heart. The votes are tabulated and the results published, just like the "real" voting. The Kids Vote polls are open from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM (if there are sufficient volunteers).

Author Visit:

November 18th: Author and illustrator Grace Lin will come to the school to discuss "creating a book." She has written "The Ugly Vegetables," "Dim Sum for Everyone," "Olivina Flies" and several other books. She has illustrated books written by other authors as well. Grace will be happy to autograph any of her books. Book order forms will be going out in early October.

Update on the cookbook:

The Sacred Heart Cookbook was sent to the publisher in late June. We are expecting it back any time now and we will keep you updated on when it will be available for sale.


Safety Reminders:
From our school crossing guard, Mrs. Moore

Children should always cross with the Traffic Supervisor, at the designated cross walk. There is no left turn on to Hancock Street from the Citizens Bank parking lot between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm. Please use the Holmes Street exit and turn onto Hancock street from Billings Road.
Do not park across the cross walks or on Hancock Street between the crosswalk and the exit from the School Yard
Do not drive out of the Citizens Bank parking lot the wrong way.
Glover Ave is one way between 7:00 am and 4:00 pm. Do not drive down it from Hancock Street between those times.

Birthday Tuesdays:

On the first Tuesday of the month, each classroom honors students who have a birthday that month. Students may (but are, ' not required to) bring in a small treat to share with their teachers and classmates. Students may also bring in a favorite book to read, or have the teacher read, to the class. Some students donate a book to the class in honor of their birthday. If they choose, students with birthdays that month may wear casual clothes instead of their uniforms on Birthday Tuesday. In September, two Birthday Tuesdays are scheduled. The first ' one on Sept. 16th is for students who had a birthday in August. The second one on Sept. 23rd is for September birthdays.

Box tops for Education:

General Mills is the corporate sponsor of the Box Tops for Education. The box tops can be found on many General Mills' products, such as cereal, Betty Crocker baking products, and Trix yogurt. Each box top is worth 10 cents. Each classroom has a box for box tops, and the student council collects them every week. Two envelopes for box tops also are located on the two bulletin boards in the church. In the spring, the box tops are redeemed and General Mills sends a check to the school. Last year we raised $750. This money is put into the school's Technology Fund.