Oak Hill Nuts and Bolts | May 9, 2019
Even though we are approaching the last few weeks of school, Oak Hill continues to actively help our students develop a strong sense of themselves and an appreciation for perseverance and determination. Earlier this week, Coach Anthony Pulis, Head Coach of the St. Louis Football Club (and Grace's & George's dad), graciously spent time with Oak Hill students sharing a message about strength and the ability to rise above failures and persevere toward success. On and off the field, we will all experience times when things are difficult. There will be times when we do not make the shot or master a skill with ease. What matters is that we do not give up; that we keep trying. Coach Pulis wove into his message the notion of a growth mindset and how believing we can succeed gives us the mental strength that is critical for professional athletes and for all of us. The bonus part of the morning was the delightful soccer games Coach Pulis hosted with JK3 and JK4.
Blessings, Dr. Peter M. Schroeder
IT'S NOT TOO LATE! JOIN US ... Boys and girls in grades 5-8 from all schools are invited for a night of Trivia tomorrow, 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:
SECOND GRADE COLLECTS $3,745 FOR UGANDA Oak Hill second graders' Lenten Almsgiving project raised approximately $3,745 for Sacred Heart Primary School Kyamusansala in Uganda. In addition to collecting donations from other classes, students were encouraged to earn money for the project by performing household chores. Oak Hill's contribution will advance Kyamusansala's Sacred Heart mission, including helping fund tuition for orphaned students.
SECOND GRADE FIRST COMMUNICANTS Congratulations to our second grade students who took an important step in their faith journeys as they made their First Holy Communion on Saturday.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE | GIANNA'S STORY Senior Gianna Vacca is set to graduate in just over a week and take the next step in her life's journey. However, Gianna's journey will be different than she imagined when she began her senior year. On March 27, after numerous doctors' visits and tests, the Vacca family received the devastating news that Gianna needs a heart transplant. The doctors at Ann and Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago diagnosed Gianna with a rare congenital heart disease, Left Ventricular Non-Compaction Restrictive Cardiomyopathy.There is no treatment for this disease; the only cure is a heart transplant. Gianna would like to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation. Everyone can make a difference for the thousands of people waiting for lifesaving transplants. Please make sure that you are registered for organ donation; it saves lives!. To learn more about Gianna's journey and how you can make a difference, read more on her Children's Organ Transplant Association page. We thank you for your prayers and support of Gianna and the Vacca family.
TEACHER APPRECIATION | THANK YOU MOTHERS' CLUB The faculty, staff, and administration sincerely thank the Mothers' Club for providing them with treats and coffee in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week.
#GIVESTLDAY | COR UNUM ANNUAL GIVING Thank you to the generous donors who supported Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School on #GiveSTLDay. We are honored to have received 62 gifts totaling $50,000 on this day of giving! Cor Unum Annual Giving continues through June 30, and we need your help to reach our goal of $800,000. Below are our current parent participation rates. Don't be left out. Donate today to help your class achieve 100% participation! 2019 Grade 12 – 39% 2020 Grade 11 – 31% 2021 Grade 10 – 43% 2022 Grade 9 – 58% 2023 Grade 8 – 47% 2024 Grade 7 – 54% 2025 Grade 6 – 53% 2026 Grade 5 – 71% 2027 Grade 4 – 64% 2028 Grade 3 – 88% 2029 Grade 2 – 71% 2030 Grade 1 – 77% 2031 Grade K – 75% 2032 Grade JK4 – 80% 2033 Grade JK3 – 42% As a reminder, all pledges may be fulfilled by June 30, 2019. We rely on your support and ask that you give from the heart today.
SIXTH GRADE VISITS HANNIBAL Our sixth grade class traveled to Hannibal, Missouri, yesterday in connection with their study of Tom Sawyer and Mark Twain. While at Hannibal, they took a trolley ride around the town to learn about famous people from Hannibal, most notably Mark Twain. They also explored the boyhood home of Mark Twain (very similar to Tom Sawyer's house) and the homes of Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher. They even had the opportunity to white wash a fence. The trip wrapped up with a tour of the Mark Twain cave where they followed Tom and Becky's footsteps through their journey and tried to see if they could discover the treasure at #2 under the cross.
UNIFORM EXCHANGE & FITTING DAYS The final uniform exchange for both the upper and lower schools will be held Monday, May 13, in the Duchesne Building Conference Room from 7:30-9:30 am as well as 2:30-3:30 pm. If you have any current uniform items to donate, please drop them off at the Oak Hill Office. 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. Just Me Apparel, our exclusive uniform provider, will hold a Uniform Fitting Day between 2:30 and 6 pm Tuesday, May 14, in the Small Dining Room of the 1929 Main Building. All uniform items, as well as PE t-shirts for grades 7-12, will be available for order. Just Me Apparel will deliver your order to campus on Saints Start-Up Sunday, August 18, unless you prefer to pick up items at their store. View Uniforms under Resource Center in the Parent Portal for Just Me Apparel 2019 price sheets
OH END OF YEAR EVENTS
PASSPORT TO SUMMER | VIEW OF VILLA
Students entering grade 7 are strongly encouraged to sign up for the View of Villa from July 29-August 1 where they will meet new friends, tour their new school home, and prepare for the coming school year. They will get ready for the return to school with mornings of study skills and team-building exercises, followed by afternoons of their choice of robotics, media arts, or athletics. They will finish the week with Congé, a Sacred Heart traditional day of fun. For more information, visit our website or contact Dominic A. Key, Manager of Community Engagement, at dkey@vdoh.org.
STUDENT HEALTH RECORDS 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 must be entered or updated in Magnus. Contact School Nurse Sandy Conway at sconway@vdoh.org prior to the last day of school if you have any questions. 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.
LOST AND FOUND
Please check the Lost and Found in the Duchesne Building. There is an abundance of fleeces, jackets, skirts, and other uniform and non-uniform items. Any items not claimed by the end of the year will be donated.
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.
FAMILY RECORDS (CONTACT INFO) New for the 2019-20 school year, our printed school directory will include mobile phone numbers. Up to three unique phone numbers can be published for each family. Numbers will be pulled from the Residential Address Block of your My Backpack Profile. To prevent a phone number from being published, you must check the box to the left of it in your profile. We ask each family to ensure their contact information is complete and up-to-date. Under the Bulletin Board on your Parent Portal, expand the MyBackPack window and tap the 'Update Profile' link to get started. Your user name and password will be required to access your profile. Check for:
WEDNESDAY MORNING MASS
Please join us Wednesday, May 15, for our final 2018-2019 Wednesday morning Mass when we will pray for farmers. 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.
PRAYER INTENTIONS
Do you have a special intention or a loved one that you would like to be included in our Oak Hill Mass petitions? Please send an email to Katie Maxwell, Campus Minister, at kmaxwell@vdoh.org. We would very much like to remember the intentions of those in our community as we celebrate Mass together.
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 |