Oak Hill Nuts and Bolts | February 20, 2020
SEASON OF LENT
Next week, we will celebrate Mass on Wednesday to observe the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent, a season of penance and fasting, prepares us for the feast of Easter. There are distinct practices we take up each year during these forty days to help us draw closer to Christ: the linens in the chapel will be changed from green to purple, we will abstain from eating meat on Fridays, we will not sing 'Alleluia' at mass, and many of us will probably choose something to 'give up.' At Mass this morning, our presider offered some guidance to dive even deeper this Lent: love one another. If our goal during Lent is to grow closer to Christ, what better way to do this than by serving those around us? For Jesus tells us, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40) At Oak Hill, one of our efforts during Lent will be raising money for our Sacred Heart school in Uganda. In this final week before Lent begins, consider brainstorming with your children how you can live out this Lenten mission of love as a family. When we see the face of Christ in others, we can better come to know Him ourselves.
Mrs. Katie Maxwell Oak Hill Campus Minister
2020-2021 RE-ENROLLMENT CONTRACTS
We welcome the opportunity to partner with you again in the education of your children. On Thursday, January 30, families eligible to re-enroll for the 2020-2021 school year were sent an email with the online re-enrollment instructions. We ask you to read and submit your Enrollment and Tuition Contract by tomorrow, February 21. Families are also required to send an enrollment deposit of $1,000 to the Business Office to complete the re-enrollment process.
If you have any questions, please contact Financial Services Coordinator Alice Tuhro at atuhro@vdoh.org or 314.810.3531.
PARENT COFFEE AND CONVERSATION
Due to a scheduling conflict, the Parent Coffee and Conversation originally schedule for March 11 had been changed to Thursday, March 5. The topics for discussion will be our 2020-21 school year theme and updates to the school schedule and technology policies for grades 7-12. Please join us at 8 am in the Lenke Global Education Center.
LITTLE BIT OF STEAM | MARCH 7
Current and prospective families with boys and girls ages 2 1/2 to grade 3 are invited for a Little Bit of STEAM at Oak Hill. Join our Admissions Team and Oak Hill teachers from 9-10:30 am Saturday, March 7, for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math activities. Register with Katie Martin, Assistant Director of Enrollment Management, at kmartin@vdoh.org. (Older children are not left out. We will host another Little Bit of STEAM for students in grades 4-6 on Saturday, May 2.)
MOMS' HAPPY HOUR
The Parent Association invites all moms for a Moms' Happy Hour from 6:30 to 8:30 pm Saturday, March 7, at the MAC West for drinks and appetizers in the 1903 Bar. Please register below.
FEBRUARY IS GIVING MONTH!
We are closing in on the end of Giving February and have raised $441,000 towards our goal of $600,000. Below are our current parent participation numbers. We need your support to achieve 100% parent participation and reach our goal of $600,000. Pledges made today can be fulfilled by June 30, 2020. Thank you for supporting the students at Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School. Give from the heart today!
YEARBOOK SPONSORSHIPS
The deadline to purchase a sponsorship in the 2019-20 Oak Hill Yearbook in Friday, February 28. You may create and pay for your sponsorship online. Learn more below. Contact Lisa Carswell, Yearbook Advisor, at lcarswell@vdoh.org if you have questions.
SEE YOU AT THE RACES
A Night at the Races begins at 6:30 pm tomorrow, February 21. General admission is still open and walk-ins are welcome. Come cheer on your favorite thoroughbred, enter a derby hat contest, sip on mint juleps, and purchase raffle tickets for a chance at some fantastic items and experiences. Gather your friends, family, neighbors...all are welcome! All proceeds proceeds benefit the Villa Duchesne-City House Alumnae Association and the Sr. Mary Gray McNally Alumnae Scholarship. This event is for guests 21 or older. In the event of inclement weather, purchases are non-refundable and the event will be rescheduled. Contact Rachel Drone Gehm '88, Manager of Alumni Relations, at rgehm@vdoh.org or 314.810.3420 if you have any questions. See you at the starting gate!
PARENTS GOING OUT OF TOWN?
When parents are to be out of town, they should notify the Oak Hill Office at 314.810.3434 so that the School will know whom to contact in case of emergency. In the event of an illness or injury, if the School is unable to reach a parent and a designated guardian for the student is not on file, the School cannot release the student to another individual or permit the student to leave school.
ASH WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 26
Ash Wednesday is the day on which we usher in the liturgical season of Lent. It is not a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics but it is a day of prayer, fasting, and repentance. On Wednesday, February 26, Oak Hill students will celebrate Mass at 8:15 am and Villa Duchesne students will celebrate at 2:15 pm in our Chapel. All members of our community are welcome to join our students at either or both of these celebrations. There will not be a 7:15 am Mass on February 26.
SPIRITUALITY SERIES
Please join us for the final presentation in our 2019-2020 Sacred Heart Spirituality Speakers Series, The Mission Continues. On Friday, March 6, Frances Gimber, RSCJ will present "On to New Frontiers: the Mission Spreads." Sr. Gimber will discuss how the Society moved beyond Europe and the Americas after the dramatic event of 1818, Philippine Duchesne's voyage to America and her mission endeavors in the New World, and thus, the beginnings of the internationality of the Society. Gather for goƻter at 9:30 am in the Parlor Dining Room with the presentation from 9:45-11:15 am in the Lenke Global Education Center.
LENTEN MORNING OF REFLECTION
The Mothers' Lenten Morning of Reflection, sponsored by the Mission Committee of the Parent Association and inspired by Goals I, II, and IV, offers a morning of prayer, presentation, and light continental breakfast from 8 to 10 am Wednesday, March 11, in the Lenke Global Education Center. Selections of Bishop Robert Barron's series on The Mass will be shown, followed by the praying of the Stations of the Cross. Contact Polly Capps or DeAnn Gueck for more information at vdohmission@vdoh.org. All are welcome to join the celebration of Mass beforehand at 7:15 am in the Chapel.
ROSARY
All are welcome at 8 am each Wednesday 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 when school is in session, 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 |