If you read my Thursday Mail letters faithfully (and perhaps have been doing so for a few years) you may recall the names of a few books which I have loved. One about which I was effusive a few years ago, is Mindset by Carol Dweck. I know that some of you have read it because it was originally suggested to me by a parent. You might even recall that we chose the book for faculty summer reading a few years ago. Well, what is happening in the world of education is that the ideas in great books such as these are being distilled and disseminated in journal articles and at conferences – educating educators and parents to the same ideas.

Why am I telling you this? I am doing so because, as a happy consequence of all this distillation and dissemination, much of this helpful information is now easily accessible for all of us who perhaps might not have time to read the books that are out there!

With this in mind, as we find articles and resources we love, we will be putting them on the Parent Portal. When you go to the Parent Portal, scroll down and you will see parent resources on the bottom right hand portion of the page.

We have just added three more opportune reads:

True Grit
by Jennifer L. W. Fink

Handle with Care: A Conversation with Maya Angelou
by Amy M. Azzam

Parenting Your Strong-Willed Child
by Dr. Laura Markham

We each will take something different away from these resources because we all have different starting points. I especially loved the first one! My big take-away: Praise Actions, Not Traits.

“Give praise for efforts, strategies, focus, and perseverance,” Ms. Fink says. “This kind of praise focuses kids on the processes they engaged in to be successful.” It also encourages the kinds of behavior that are correlated with true success.

Regardless of my ‘starting point,’, let me reiterate my big message for today: None of us was provided instruction booklets when God gifted us with our beautiful children. Yet, it is true that task of raising these children is probably the most important and sacred task we will be given in our entire lives. So, it behooves us to support each other with our communication, collaboration, and sharing of resources with open hearts and minds as we all continue to do our best raising these children – children whom we hope will become reflective of God’s Goodness and Grace in the legacy of their future lives and loves,

Maureen Glavin, rscj

As human beings we yearn to belong. Equally importantly, we yearn to contribute meaningfully to our community and our world. As a parent at this Academy, one can be a part of something bigger than oneself in a significant way while also being meaningfully connected to others!

With the above as a RATIONALE for contributing to the school with one’s time (one which satisfies the inner yearnings of our parents as human beings), there are also a number of very practical and concrete reasons for parent participation here at the Academy! Quite frankly, WE NEED YOU! The Academy cannot be the place it is without your support, time and participation.

Our first fundraising event of the year is coming up: Country Fair. It is a delightful weekend with multiple opportunities for our children to engage in simple, wholesome, fun-filled activities. It is also a beautiful way for parents to both connect AND contribute. Furthermore, the event usually brings in close to $50,000 for our operating budget.

Here is the thing: for this event to be successful, WE NEED EVERY PARENT TO SIGN UP TO HELP.

WE NEED YOU!!

Total Families signed up to work:  211   57% (includes all chairs)
Total Families with more than one slot:  37    (10%)
Spots short (as of Saturday):  80
Total Families who have no slots:  161    (43%)
So, this is my big plea: please go to Volunteer Spot now and pick a shift. We are asking both parents to do so.

If you have trouble with the link, just call the Advancement Office and ask for Silvia. We will help you sign up.

DON’T MISS OUT:

…For the sake of your children
…For the sake of the school
…For the sake of your contribution to this community, and
…For the sake of your own sense of connection

With deep and loving gratitude in advance!

Maureen Glavin, rscj

The biggest challenge we experience in our collective task of raising our children is that we are ALL swimming against a cultural current which is exerting increasing pressure on us to do the opposite of what we know to be healthy and wholesome for them.

Now that we are at the midpoint of our first quarter, let us remind ourselves of the following:

1. Resist the temptation to allow the child to succumb to comparisons.  Until a healthy ego is developed, human nature is such that we tend to compare ourselves with others. If your child is struggling in a particular subject or trying to figure out where he or she fits in socially, it is easy for him or her to divert to “So-and-so got an A,” “So-and-so has more friends,” or “So-and-so doesn’t like me.” Remember, the goal is not the ‘A.’ The goal is not being ‘popular.’ And, most certainly, the goal is not to be ‘the best in comparison with others.’ The goal, rather, is to be one’s personal best: academically, socially and spiritually. The goal is to learn, to grow, to be respectful, to speak one’s truth and to be in right relationship with others. ANY conversation that compares one child with another is unproductive and unhelpful.

2.  Listen intently and honor feelings while providing a reframing of their narrow way of interpreting what happens around them.  Children NEED to come home and ‘bounce’ their day off someone. They want to debrief their experiences and ‘talk through’ their perspectives and feelings. (For many children, this might not happen until they are feeling secure – as at bedtime, while being tucked in. For others it happens the whole way home in the car.) In a desire to be empathetic, our temptation is to be angry if the child is angry or to be very sad if our child is sad or to be anxious if our child is anxious. To respond in more helpful ways, we can try to understand our child’s feelings, while, with well-placed questions, helping them to reframe their struggle. The reframing process provides our children with the practice of (and eventual habit of) thinking about the broader perspective. Knowing that thoughts affect feelings, if we can help our children develop healthy thought patterns, we will help them build a healthy emotional life. Here, the goal is NOT to remove any struggle but to help children figure out how to handle the struggle.

We will continue to diligently educate the children’s hearts and minds on our end, and we thank you profusely for your support as you continue to do so on your end!

In deep union with you in this sacred task,

Maureen Glavin, rscj

We are very much looking forward to this evening’s Back to School Parent Meeting for parents of Middle School students.

The program begins at 7 p.m. in the gym followed by grade level faculty team presentations in the locations designated below.

Opening Prayer
Sister Glavin

Highlights of the New Parent Portal Space
Mr. Will Yates

Safety and Security Update
Sister Glavin

Middle School: The Journey of Growth Continues
and
Introduction of the Middle School Faculty
Dr. Roger Stock

Fifth Class Parents Proceed to the White Center Dining Area
Sixth Class Parents Proceed to the Playroom
Seventh Class Parents Remain in Rauch Memorial Gym
Eighth Class Parents Proceed to Cribbin Hall Library

THANK YOU for taking the time to join us.

With JOY and UNION in God’s Great Love for all of us, as we continue to tap into that Love and live out of that Love!

Maureen Glavin, rscj

This evening is a key parental moment in the creation of our year-long collaboration and partnership:

THE LOWER SCHOOL PARENT MEETING

You will meet the creators of our new Parent Portal, you will have an opportunity to hear from Mrs. Renken, the Lower School Principal, and, perhaps most importantly, you will hear from your child’s teacher about all of the wonderful plans, hopes, dreams and learning aspirations for the year. Equally as essential, you will hear some of the steps the teachers will be taking to support their students in achieving these learning goals. We share both the goals and our methodology with the secure knowledge that the more we communicate with each other, the more we can work together to support our children in their growth, development and maturation on every level.

The evening’s presentation will begin at 7 p.m. in the Rauch Memorial Gym and conclude in your child’s classroom.

Opening Prayer
Sister Glavin

Highlights of the New Parent Portal Space
Mr. Will Yates

Safety and Security Update
Sister Glavin

Lower School Life, Loves and Light
and
Introduction of the Lower School Faculty
Mrs. Marcia Renken

Proceed to the Classrooms
All Lower School Teachers and Parents

Those of you who have Middle School students, we will see you NEXT Thursday!

Also, please feel free to join us tomorrow in spirit and in The Spirit as we launch our year in a formal way with our traditional Mass of the Holy Spirit. We will be inviting God’s Spirit to fill us, to enliven us, to inspire us and to transform us as we ALL continue to grow into God’s Heart and Hands in our classrooms, homes, offices, communities and in our world!

United in God’s Great Love,

Maureen Glavin, rscj

Walking through our hallways and classrooms during this past week, I have seen and experienced an environment suffused with joy! It certainly appears to me that we have begun well on this year’s journey of awakening minds and nurturing hearts!

As we journey together, we do so most effectively when we have good lines of information sharing. The key to our partnership is communication! In that spirit, I want to say a word about some upgrades to two of our regular communication vehicles.

THURSDAY MAIL:  Thursday Mail is an ‘all school’ weekly publication created by Joan Runge, our Director of Communication and a member of the Advancement Office. In it you will find news about upcoming school events, important dates, and information essential for parents. Today you are experiencing Thursday Mail in its newest form. It has a clean look and can be read more easily from all web browsers and most mobile devices.

PARENT PORTAL:  Our parent portal is a private web space which provides parents with a myriad of information, from static content to ongoing classroom updates. Our new portal frees parents from the issue of multiple log-in verification requests. It too will be easier to use on mobile devices. Most importantly, our new Parent Portal will allow you to access curricular information, which had been in class newsletters, in a more timely manner, while allowing simpler access to handbooks, lunch information, health forms, athletic news and school forms. Each parent will have his/her own username and password to access the site. Parents can change their usernames and passwords to one that is more easily remembered. And, if anyone forgets their login, there will be a quick ‘forgot your password’ link with immediate e-mail feedback, thus allowing instant password reset.

An e-mail with YOUR initial password to the Parent Portal will be sent to you Friday morning.

A demonstration of the Parent Portal will occur at both the Lower School and Middle School parent meetings (Sept. 5 and 12 at 7 p.m.).

The Academy strives to be diligent with parent communication while, simultaneously, hoping not to overwhelm you with too much information. (Too much can be as unhelpful as not enough!) Your feedback regarding your experience of how we manage that delicate balance is always helpful.

I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming September parent meetings!

Maureen Glavin, rscj

Welcome to the 2013-2014 school year!
 
This morning’s first day with our Primary friends added nothing but joy to what was already a beautiful beginning of a year of love and learning. Lots of happy faces (both children’s and adults’) are lighting up our hallowed halls.
 
Just to provide for you a taste of our day yesterday, besides learning procedures and reviewing routines, our students got acquainted with their teachers, spaces and schedules. Additionally, I had the pleasure of welcoming everyone back (or for the first time) when we met with the whole school community in Rauch Memorial Gym for an opening of the school year prayer assembly.
 
In the spirit of Sacred Heart education, we launched the assembly by learning some information about Janet Erskine Stuart, rscj. You may be interested to know that the Sacred Heart family worldwide is celebrating the centenary of Mother Stuart’s death throughout the course of this school year. Interestingly, two schools in our Network are named after her: Stuart Country Day School in Princeton, N.J., and Stuart Hall, the high school for boys which is part of Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco. Though we are not named after Mother Stuart, one of our buildings is― the Stuart Center, adjoining the library and home of our Seventh and Eighth Class students. We feel a special connection to Mother Stuart because in 1898 she visited St. Charles in order to begin collecting materials for Mother Duchesne’s canonization process.
 
So, with Philippine Duchesne, Madeleine Sophie Barat, Janet Erskine Stuart, and Anna Mae Marheineke*, I place this year, our students, our faculty, our staff and our parents in the Hands and Heart of God:

 
May the courage and fervor of Philippine
fill each of our souls.
May the clarity and wisdom of Sophie
fill each of our minds.
May the earnest pursuit of truth and beauty of Janet
fill each of our hearts.
And, may the passion for the education of children of Anna Mae
fill our classrooms and offices and hallways.

Let this be our prayer for this school year, with a joyful and heartfelt AMEN!
 
Again, welcome back with affection and joy,

Maureen Glavin, rscj

As we close out this academic year with our students, I want to thank you for the opportunity to partner with you for the sake of your child’s growth. It has been our complete and total privilege to do so. In fact, I consider it a sacred trust. Cognizant of the fact that this choice is a huge financial sacrifice, allow me to reassure you that, as you continue to make this choice, you are not only providing your child with a lifelong gift, but, through him/her/them you are providing a gift to our world!

I am very aware that you, as parents, not only work hard to provide this education, but you work diligently as the primary educators of your children. You nurture and monitor your child’s development constantly:

• in every conversation which helps reframe perceptions
• in experiences you provide which broaden horizons
• in having the strength to provide clear, age-appropriate boundaries
• in creating a home atmosphere which models the Goals and Criteria
• in guidance with choices
• in the respectful, consistent use of consequences
• in providing support in developmentally predictable struggles
• in always communicating your love and care in the midst of it all

Through your and our collective efforts, much GROWTH has indeed occurred. Throughout the course of the year I have seen the following:

• Acquisition of new knowledge in each academic discipline
• Development in analytic, creative or synthetic thinking
•  Increased skill in organization, work ethic and stamina to execute on goals
• Maturation relative to self-knowledge, self-acceptance and acceptance of others
• Heightened awareness of that which is right and that which is wrong
• Growth in the capacity to choose one’s behaviors in accordance with Christ-centered values
•  Increased awareness of the needs of others
•  Maturity to make choices that are sensitive to those needs
•  Heightened awareness of the ways in which our hearts can be opened to the amazing and unconditional Love of God, Creator of the Universe, whom we can come to know through and in the person of Jesus the Christ.

So, thank you for being those other adults, who, with help have tried hard to facilitate the growth that will eventuate into beautiful-hearted young men and women who develop the gifts God has given them, and who use those gifts to contribute positively to their family, their community and their world.

May God bless each and every one of you throughout these summer weeks ahead and we look forward to seeing you in late August.

Maureen Glavin, rscj

Yesterday afternoon I had an endearing conversation with a group of Eighth Class young women who signed up to have an after school goûter with me in the conference room. This afternoon I am doing the same with a group of our young men.

What struck me in yesterday’s conversation is that, over and over again, these young adults referred to this place as a second home! Given the fact that the early religious were referred to as Mothers, I was indeed delighted to hear their reflections.

Our soon-to-be graduates also enthusiastically recalled their all-time favorite traditions―some of which have already been experienced this year: Christmas Basket Liturgy, Congé, Mission Day and our Feast Day celebrations.

Today I’d like to highlight some of the precious memory-making moments coming up in the next couple of weeks. All of them create a heart-connection with this school because they evoke a sense of our history, steep us in our spirituality, highlight our desire to build community, and/or celebrate the qualities and characteristics (scholarly, socially and morally) which we want to nurture in our children. So, in the next few week we happily and hopefully anticipate the following: 

FIELD DAY
With a focus on fun, Field Day is a long-running Academy tradition that celebrates student successes and builds community. Liturgy is followed by a parade, picnic lunch, games and activities and closes with an awards ceremony.

MAY CROWNING
This special liturgy in Rauch Memorial on Thursday, May 16 at 1:30 p.m. honors Mary. Students are chosen from grades P‒8 to take part in the procession that concludes with the crowning of Mary by an Eighth Class girl.

MAYPOLE
Following the May Crowning liturgy, we gather on the soccer field for the Maypole dance with our soon-to-be graduates and our Second Class girls. It’s a beautiful and memorable event.

CLOSING AND PRIZE DAY CEREMONIES
Prize Ceremony formally ends the school year and applauds students for the development of strong character traits and academic performance.

Along with our Eighth Class friends, I look forward to these time-honored activities and anticipate seeing you ‘round campus in the days ahead!

One of the great strengths of the Academy of the Sacred Heart is the support of our parents. We experience that support academically, spiritually, relationally and financially. I see that support in very concrete ways as I walk around the school at this particular time of year. Consequently, my heart is overflowing with gratitude. So much so that words do not begin to capture the depth of my appreciation.
 
Part of the reason I am so grateful is that I am convinced that our world needs this kind of education. I am also convinced that this kind of education will become more and more valuable as our world becomes less gentle, less gracious, less reverent and less aware of the sacred nature within us, between us and around us.
 
So, thank you. From the bottom of my heart: THANK YOU!
 
Thank you for:

• spending time decorating
• typing the auction bid sheets or auction item descriptions
• creating baskets or setting out baskets
• counting raffle tickets
• setting up the tables or risers
• putting together auction items
• donating items
• sponsoring the auction
• sending in ads for the Auction Book
• cleaning up the day after
• attending the auction
• bidding high!

Thank you for doing this as you are also making sure homework is getting done, volunteering for field trip duty and assisting in a multitude of other ways (such as supporting all of our Goal III efforts).
 
As I said last year, as is worth saying again, it is not ONLY the income from the auction which supports this education (which it does and which is needed to fund our unique program features, since tuition alone does not cover our costs) BUT, it is the attitude of generous service which supports this education!
 
By BEING role models with good hearts, giving hearts, open hearts and generous hearts, you are supporting this education of the HEART!
 
Looking forward to seeing many of you on Saturday night!
 
United in the Heart of God,

—Maureen Glavin, rscj