Villa Duchesne Nuts and Bolts | April 11, 2019
Spring is a time of new birth and at school it is also when we celebrate "rights of passage" for our young women. On Tuesday, members of the junior class received their Villa Duchesne class rings at the annual Junior Ring Mass that was followed by a luncheon. This weekend, the girls in our junior and senior classes will celebrate the Junior/Senior Prom. I know you join me in congratulating them as they experience these benchmark activities. This weekend, we prepare for Holy Week. This is a time for us to reflect on the life of Christ and the sacrifices He made for us, and a time to celebrate His eternal love that is given to each of us. I invite you to experience Palm Sunday and join in prayer during Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday Mass. Blessings to you and your family as we celebrate this most holy of times in our Church. Ms. Bridget Collins
Senior Marina Riad has received Honorable Mention for the 2019 Missouri Scholars 100, a statewide program that honors 100 of Missouri's top academic students each year. Students who are selected to this program have taken a rigorous course of study and have maintained the highest academic standards. Missouri Scholars 100 is sponsored by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals.
FRENCH ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS Each year, the Alliance Française de St. Louis sponsors an essay writing contest for all high schools in the St. Louis area. This year's contest was held April 6. Students compete at Levels 2-5, and first, second, and third place winners are determined at each level. Of the twelve winners announced, three were Villa Duchesne students. Congratulations to senior Marina Riad for receiving first place in Level 5, to sophomore Berkeley Rebman for receiving second place in Level 2, and to freshman Anna Johnson for receiving third place in Level 2. These students will receive their prizes at an award ceremony at the Alliance on May 10.
JOIN US AT THE MOVIES Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and join us on the front lawn tonight for The Incredibles 2. The Cheese Shack, a food truck, will be arriving at 6:30 pm if you want to purchase dinner, and the movie starts at 7:15. In the event of rain, the movie will be shown in Kenefick Gym.
DON'T BE LEFT OUT! There's still time to make your gift to Cor Unum Annual Giving. We are just over half way to our goal of $800,000 and rely on the generosity and support of our parents. Your gift makes an immediate impact on the lives of our students and we ask that you make your gift or pledge today. Pledges made today can be fulfilled by June 30, 2019. Students in grades where parent participation reaches 100% will receive a special goûter! Below are the current parent participation rates by class: 2019 Grade 12–36% 2020 Grade 11–29% 2021 Grade 10–31% 2022 Grade 9–44% 2023 Grade 8–28% 2024 Grade 7–54% 2025 Grade 6–33% 2026 Grade 5–53% 2027 Grade 4–64% 2028 Grade 3–63% 2029 Grade 2–43% 2030 Grade 1–69% 2031 Grade K–75% 2032 Grade JK4–60% 2033 Grade JK3–42% Please help us reach our goal and join us in supporting Cor Unum Annual Giving!
FATHERS' CLUB SPRING SOCIAL Head of School Michael F. Baber and the Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School Fathers' Club invite all dads to join us at BrickTop's for drinks and appetizers Tuesday, April 16, between 6:30 and 8:00 pm. Register below and contact Dominic A. Key, Manager of Community Engagement, with any questions at dkey@vdoh.org.
NO SCHOOL | EASTER BREAK Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School will be closed for Easter Break Thursday, April 18, through Monday, April 22. Classes resume on Tuesday, April 23. The next issue of Nuts & Bolts will be emailed April 25. Always refer to the online calendar for the latest information regarding the school schedule and events.
HOW TO RAISE AN ADULT On Thursday, April 18, Community School is inviting all interested parents, teachers, and staff to their 145th Annual Circle of Learning Speaker Series. Their 2019 guest speaker will be Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of How to Raise an Adult and a former Stanford dean and corporate lawyer. Based on her New York Times bestselling book by the same name, in this talk Julie draws on her own insights as a mother and as a student dean to highlight the ways in which over parenting harms children, their stressed out parents, and society at large. While empathizing with the parental hopes and, especially, fears that lead to over helping, Lythco-Haims inspires audiences to examine their behaviors and join the growing movement to allow children to develop the resourcefulness, resilience, and inner determination necessary for success. The presentation runs from 7-9 pm, is free, and open to the public. Registrations are requested at 314.991.0005 or rsvp@communityschool.com.
Artwork by seniors Lilly Habel, Gwen Emery, Miranda Krentz, and Paige Slusser. SENIORS AND FRIENDS ART SHOW The Seniors and Friends Art Show opens Thursday, April 25 and runs through Thursday, May 2, in the Global Education Center. Please join us for the opening at 12:30 pm on April 25 or stop by during school hours to view the works of our talented students. Parents are asked to enter through the Portry and sign in at the receptionist desk when visiting.
VILLA SHOW CHOIRS' SPRING SPECTACULAR Villa Duchesne's show choirs—Madrijazz, Villa Vocé, Concert Choir, and Pizzazz—will rock audiences with their Spring Spectacular, Totally 80s, featuring songs that will make you want to 'get footloose'! Come dressed in your funkiest 80s look and take part in a costume contest during intermission. Performances begin at 7 pm Thursday, April 25, and Friday, April 26, and at 5 pm on Sunday, April 28. Tickets are available at the door prior to each performance or online below. All ticket sales are general admission seating. Adults $12, Students $5, Children 6 and under are free. No actual tickets will be issued. A list of all online purchases will be at the box office the nights of the show.
UNIFORM EXCHANGE There will be an informal uniform exchange for both the upper and lower schools in the Duchesne Building Conference Room from 7:30-9:30 am as well as 2:30-3:30 pm Monday, April 29, and Monday, May 13. If you have any current uniform items to donate, please drop them off at the Oak Hill Office on or before Thursday, April 25. Feel free to drop in to the exchange and pick out items as needed. Please remember that students are to be in complete uniform through the last day of school.
STUDENT HEALTH RECORDS | DUE MAY 3 Parents are reminded that a current physical dated on or after February 1, 2019, is required for the 2019-2020 school year for all students entering grade 7 and grades 9-12 as well as all students new to Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School and those entering junior kindergarten 3, kindergarten, or grade 4. Each student's medical information should be entered or updated in Magnus by Friday, May 3. For a list of all health care requirements, please view Health Care | Magnus Health in the Resource Center of the Parent Portal. You will receive emailed notifications from Magnus about incomplete 2019-2020 health record enrollment until you complete all required items. To get started, log in to Magnus Health using your vdoh.org website username and password. This is the same login information used to view grades, submit permission forms, check your billing status, etc.
MOTHER-CHILD MASS AND BRUNCH Head of School Michael F. Baber invites all Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School mothers and their children to join us for Mass and Brunch on Sunday, May 5, beginning at 10 am in our Chapel. Please register below if you will be able to join us. Contact Manager of Engagement Dominic A. Key at dkey@vdoh.org or 314.810.3454 if you have any questions about this event.
TRIVIA NIGHT | GRADES 5-8 Boys and girls in grades 5-8 from all schools are invited for a night of Trivia Friday, May 10. Doors open at 6:30 pm; trivia begins at 7 pm. Soda and snacks are provided and there is no charge for this evening of fun. If you have questions, please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@vdoh.org. For more information and to register, visit.
2019-2020 RE-ENROLLMENT CONTRACTS Thank you to those families who have already submitted their 2019-2020 enrollment contracts. We ask that ALL families, even those not returning, submit their intent for the 2019-2020 year. Returning families are also required to send an enrollment deposit of $1,000 to the Business Office to complete the re-enrollment process. In addition, families who seek financial assistance must reapply each year. If you have any questions, please contact Financial Services Coordinator Alice Tuhro at atuhro@vdoh.org or 314.810.3531.
PASSPORT TO SUMMER | ATHLETIC CAMPS All eight weeks of Passport to Summer Day Camps are full! However, seats are still available for athletic camps. For more information, visit our website or contact Dominic A. Key, Manager of Community Engagement, at dkey@vdoh.org.
COLLEGE CORNER
College Corner, a valuable resource for parents and students, offers the latest information on college rep visits, opportunities to connect with colleges, scholarships, and much more. This webpage is updated weekly by our College Counseling Office, so bookmark it and visit often.
WEDNESDAY MORNING MASS
Please join us Wednesday, April 17, when we will pray for victims of human trafficking. Mass begins promptly at 7:15 am in the Chapel and usually concludes no later than 7:35 am. Mass is celebrated most Wednesdays at 7:15 am in our Chapel when school is in session. Everyone in our school community is invited and encouraged to attend. View our 2018-2019 Mass Intentions list to see the specific intentions planned for each week.
ROSARY
All are welcome at 8 am each Wednesday when school is in session in our Chapel to offer the Rosary to Mater for her motherly protection of our children and for all the faculty, staff, and religious of this community who play such a critical role in nurturing and teaching our children.
Each Thursday, the Nuts & Bolts newsletters will highlight important information including upcoming school events, student achievements in and outside of school, forms to be completed, and program deadlines. Send your information for students and parents to news@vdoh.org to be included in either the Oak Hill newsletter, the Villa Duchesne newsletter, or both. Please log in frequently to access personalized announcements and calendar items in your portal. Contact your Principal's Office with questions about your online account. For Villa Duchesne, email Judy Bertucci at jbertucci@vdoh.org. For Oak Hill, email Jaime Bergfeld at jbergfeld@vdoh.org.
Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School 801 S.Spoede Road | St. Louis, MO 63131 314.432.2021 | www.vdoh.org | news@vdoh.org |