Villa Duchesne Nuts and Bolts | August 27, 2020
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Two weeks ago, we sat on the precipice of an unprecedented school year. On August 12, I welcomed the faculty of our upper school back for our first day of inservice and looked deeply into the faces of each educator, noting the mixture of trepidation, excitement, commitment, and resolve reflected in their expressions. We hoped beyond hope that all the carefully laid plans we developed over the summer would work so that we could safely welcome our students back onto campus, live and in person, for the 92nd fall semester at Villa Duchesne.
We knew that it would be difficult to reimagine the school day entirely, but we were motivated by the mission of Sacred Heart education, which insists that creating relationships between teachers and learners is a sacred duty. As Sacred Heart educators, we believe that God is present in the life of each of our students, and that each girl has been created for a unique mission in life that only she can fill. Because we believe so deeply in this mission, in-person education is critical; so we knew we needed to find a way to make it happen. Teachers must get to know their students up close so they can care for them and know better how to cultivate their curiosity, develop their gifts and talents, and hold their hearts close. This type of personalized attention is simply better accomplished in the same physical space rather than across a screen. So, our teachers managed their fears and trepidation, agreed willingly to extra duties to health screen and monitor students to ensure adherence to safety guidelines, and pushed up their sleeves and made it work. My admiration for their generosity, resolve, and commitment to service exceeds words. Please, when you get a chance, thank the deeply dedicated teachers who come to school every day inspired by the love of your daughters.
The fantastic news is that school is beginning to feel like "school" again. And we couldn't be more thrilled. The plans we developed are working, and as I walk the halls, I pop my head into classrooms and see the connection, the commitment to critical thinking, and the joy of community that makes Sacred Heart so special. Thank you for believing in us and entrusting your daughters to our care. We won't let you down.
Mrs. Jeannie Steenberge
UPDATED MASK MANDATE
On August 21, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health issued a new order requiring everyone over the age of five to wear masks or face coverings in certain settings. The order applies to students attending a K-12 school and became effective on Monday, August 24.
Students must wear masks approved by health organizations. Students' masks should fit properly and adequately cover both their noses and the mouths. Beginning Monday, August 31, students found not observing the mask policy will be sent to the Dean of Student Excellence for instruction on proper masking.
Dr. Nancy Durbin has a PhD in French Language and Literature and has taught at Lindenwood University for the past 19 years. She feels so fortunate to have this new job as she was interested in finding a teaching position at an all girls, Catholic school because of the values-infused education where academic learning and moral education go hand in hand. This year, Dr. Durbin is looking forward to working with and getting to know her new students and becoming part of the Villa and Oak Hill community. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, going out to movies, having dinners with friends, hiking, and camping. She wants to encourage students that we will get through this pandemic season together and we will thrive! She is looking forward to being a part of their education, to helping them discover a new language and new cultures, and to nurturing them to be young women who are compassionate, globally-minded citizens, and lifelong learners.
LUNCH ORDERS
Each week, students who wish to order lunch from school should select lunches for the following week using our Lunch Order Form. Place lunch orders by 9 pm each Tuesday for lunch the following week. Order forms will be updated on Wednesdays.
ATTENDANCE | IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL
All students are required to stay home when they are sick, even if symptoms are mild. Families are asked to err on the side of caution; staying home keeps the rest of the school community safe from exposure.
We are tracking symptoms every school day for everyone in our community. Please complete the SchoolPass screen for your daughters each school day, even if they will not be on campus.
If a student is attending school virtually, if even for a single day, parents need to send an email to attendance-villa@vdoh.org. In the email, please let us know how long you anticipate your daughter will be attending virtually. If you have notified us about how long she will be home, there is no need to send a new email each day during that occurrence. If you are unable to provide us with a time frame, please send an email each day.
We welcome students to attend virtually if they are home because of illness, symptoms, precautionary quarantine, or any other reason. We have microphones in every classroom to allow students to attend class virtually whenever possible. Please review the instructions for attending classes virtually in case your daughter is staying home. These policies are essential to our effort to be open for in-person learning. Thank you for your partnership!
SCHOOL ABSENCES/LATE ARRIVALS/EARLY DISMISSALS
Parents, if your daughter is unable to attend school (in person or virtually), arriving late, or leaving early, please email the School at attendance-villa@vdoh.org. If absent, please also indicate her absence in the SchoolPass app. All students are required to complete a Wellness Screen in SchoolPass each school day whether or not they will be on campus. Please do not contact the Dean of Students directly. Students arriving at school late or leaving early must sign in or out in the office of the Dean of Student Excellence near the West Door on the ground floor.
GOOGLE CLASSROOM
Google Classroom is our learning platform for assignments, announcements, materials, and more. Parents have the option to receive a summary of their daughter's classwork. Please check your email inbox (or junk and/or spam folder) for invitations to Google Classroom. Invitations were sent on Wednesday, August 19, by "GAM Admin" from no-reply+1b8171f8@classroom.google.com.
Once you accept the invite, you have the choice to receive a daily summary, a weekly summary, or to opt out of these emails. You do not need a Google or Gmail account to receive the summaries. If you have questions, please email Dean of Academics Stacy Henning at shenning@vdoh.org.
PARENT BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT
Villa's Back-to-School Night will be virtual this year. Our teachers are creating videos describing their courses and we will share these with you via email at 5 pm on Tuesday, September 1. Please plan to watch these short, informative videos to learn about your daughter's academic experience! You can view them any time after they are shared. If you have questions, just reach out directly to the teachers.
CELL PHONE POLICY
An important part of keeping your daughters safe is a sense of order and structure. We need our students to transition quickly from one classroom to another because it is easier to maintain social distancing in the classroom. Grades 7 and 8 must keep their phones in their backpacks throughout the day except for a quick phone check from 10:55 to 11:05 am. For grades 9-12, no phones may be visible in the hallways, but students may check them during passing periods once they have reached their classroom destination. All students may access their phones at dismissal time. We will enforce these rules tightly with the following the consequences as outlined in the Student-Parent Handbook:
MISSION TIME TOMORROW
Villa's first mission time will be at 2:05 pm tomorrow, August 28. All students are required to be in attendance because mission time is an important aspect of whole child education. Any student who misses this mission time will be required to make it up, and upperclasswomen with pandemic privileges will lose them for a week without a properly vetted absence excuse. During this mission time, we will set the ground rules for dialoguing that we learned in our Generation Global initiative last year. At 2:45, seniors will be released to the Front Lawn for a group photo. Seniors may wear their senior class shirts all day tomorrow. Our next mission time is Friday, September 4. Please ensure that your daughter will be on campus from 2-3 pm on September 4.
PARENT BOOK CLUB
Please join us for a parent book club led by Principal Jeannie Steenberge. The club will read and discuss the book Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls by Lisa Damour, PhD. The group will meet via Zoom at 6:30 pm the fourth Monday of each month through March 22 with the exception of December. Each month the group will take on a new chapter.
The Zoom link will remain the same for each discussion: https://zoom.us/meeting/tJAlduurrT8oGddgxzp8vqL1MI0R4_Ef-iBH/ics?icsToken=98tyKuCspjooGdeRshqERowIGoj4a-nztilBjadZmwf_E3hFcy-nG8sSAOZANd6d
Please contact Principal Jeannie Steenberge at jsteenberge@vdoh.org if you have questions. All parents are invited to participate.
2020-21 SCHOOL DIRECTORY
Parents, if you would like a printed copy of our 2020-21 School Directory, please complete the brief form below. Or, if you prefer to 'go green,' you can elect to use our online Directory Search available on the Bulletin Board of your Parent Portal. Please note, for the privacy of our families, you must be logged in to access this feature. Printed school directories will be available by mid-September.
ROSARY | EACH WEDNESDAY
Weather permitting, all are welcome at 8 am each Wednesday at the Marian grotto in the Front Bowl to offer the Rosary to Mary, Our Queen and Mother, for her motherly protection of our students and for all the faculty and staff who play such a critical role in nurturing and teaching them.
This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with parents across all grade levels at VDOH. Please be sure to wear a face mask and maintain proper social distancing. If you have any questions about this or other opportunities to get involved with the Mission Committee, please contact Molly Pollnow Kraeger '92 or Ellen Reis Weis '97 at vdohmission@vdoh.org.
AMAZON SMILES
AmazonSmile customers can now support Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start showing your support.
You may need to download the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app to access this feature.
NO SCHOOL | SEPTEMBER 5
Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School will be closed Monday, September 5, in observance of Labor Day.
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 content 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 |