Oak Hill Nuts and Bolts | October 29, 2020
A MESSAGE FROM DR. SCHROEDER
As we know, this coming Tuesday brings our national election. The right to vote is an incredible freedom; one that we should cherish! We will be working with the students in ways which appropriately frame the situation for them and help manage any worries or stressors that they may pick up on along the way. Below are two resources that can help you with these conversations at home.
I always try to remind students that while some things change with time; other things do not change. Our children may have heard or seen big emotions surrounding the elections; it seems hard not to with 24-hour/7-day-a-week news feeds. These things may be unsettling, so it is important to reassure our children that the fundamentals of their life are secure. Namely, we can and should let them know that they are safe, that we love them, and that things will be fine. School, like home, is a place where all people are valued, cared for, and respected.
Next week, I will share with the Oak Hill student body this analogy: When hiking in the woods, you can notice that all the trees are quite different. Some are bent one way, some stand straight, others lean a different way. Often, if you really look at the trees, you can kind of see why. They might lean one way or bend the other to get sunlight or water. You can follow the root system down into the earth and understand how they are holding onto the ground in that particular way. Some trees stay green all year long, and some trees lose their leaves each fall. We know that they are different, but nothing suggests that a pine tree is better than an oak tree or vice versa.
We don't judge the trees for their leaning one way or the other; we don't judge the trees for not having leaves or for having pointy needles. We understand they are different and accept it. It seems, though, when we get around other people, it can be easy to judge them for being different or not having the same belief systems as we do. Wouldn't it be better if we could really look at that other person and consider why a person thinks one way or the other? Wouldn't it be better if we could see how they are grounded into their thoughts and love for God and one another? Wouldn't it be better if we just accepted others in a compassionate way without trying to decide who is better or not?
6 Tips for Talking to Kids About the 2020 Election How to talk to kids about election 2020 and the ugly side of politics, according to experts
All Oak Hill students will celebrate Halloween tomorrow, October 30, with an out-of-uniform day. Students are required to wear tennis shoes for gym.
Costumes: Students in grades K through 6 are welcome to bring their costumes to school tomorrow and change into them in the afternoon for their class parties and the Halloween Parade.
Parents are encouraged to label all costume pieces with their child's name. Please, no accessories that appear to be dangerous (swords, etc.) or may inadvertently hurt a classmate.
CELEBRATE TENNIS' STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
This afternoon, Head of School Michael Baber hosted a school-wide Zoom to make a special announcement in honor of Villa's historic 2020 MSHSAA Class 1 State Tennis Championship title! Monday, November 30, will be a day off for ALL Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill students. Last weekend, the Saints tennis team traveled to Springfield for the Final Four of the state competition. Villa defeated Ursuline 5-0 in the semifinals. In the championship match against Bolivar, our dominant doubles teams of Lizzie Barlow '21 and Alex Todorovich '24 won 8-3 at #1; Izzy Cancila '21 and Liza Brown '23 won 8-4 at #2; and Caroline Potter '23 and Sophya Qureshi '23 won 8-1 at #3! Lizzie finished off her outstanding high school career with a 6-0, 6-0 win at #1 singles, and Sophya won the clincher at #6 singles 6-3, 6-0, to give Villa the first state tennis team title in school history! Congratulations to our tennis players and enjoy the extra day of Thanksgiving break!
EARLY DISMISSAL | NOVEMBER 3
Villa and Oak Hill will have an early dismissal on Tuesday, November 3. Students will be released at 2:05 pm and should be picked up at that time. Acorn Club will be available until 4 pm for those families who preregistered. This extra time will allow our faculty and staff to vote after school if they are not able to vote in the early morning hours.
UPDATES FOR EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS
We ask each family to verify their home, work, and mobile phone numbers for emergencies like snow days and weather-related early dismissals. 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.
TRAVEL GUIDANCE
The holiday season is upon us! This is a time of year when many families travel to different destinations. The CDC offers guidance on safe travel during the pandemic. Please check the CDC website for the most current guidance before finalizing your plans. Here are some ideas to keep travel safe for our families over the upcoming breaks:
As a school community, we will continue to monitor everyone for symptoms and follow the practices that have served us well this year. If you have questions about upcoming travel, please reach out to Dr. Schroeder.
GIVING OCTOBER IS COMING TO AN END!
Thank you to our parents who have made gifts or pledges in support of our students through Cor Unum Annual Giving during Giving October. Our Parent Honor Roll of Donors (view below) reflects gifts and pledges received July 1, 2020 through October 22, 2020. As of today, we have achieved $193,710 towards our goal of $650,000, and community wide parent participation has grown to 37%. There are two days remaining in Giving October so make your gift or pledge today at www.vdoh.org/give or on Venmo @VillaDuchesne.
VILLA OPEN HOUSE | SPREAD THE WORD
Open House is going to look a little different this year, but we still need help from our entire community to make this event a success. We will be wearing masks, socially distancing, and having more outside stations to showcase our 60+ acre campus. As an Oak Hill parent, you can help by talking it up to family and friends and including it in your social media. The Villa Open House for students entering grade 7-12 will be held from noon to 3:30 pm on Sunday, November 8. Anyone interested in attending can visit www.vdoh.org/schedule-a-visit to register.
FIRST FRIDAY BOOK DRIVE
We are excited to resume the First Friday book drives for St. Louis Catholic Academy in North St. Louis on Friday, November 6. Drives will be held each first Friday throughout the school year. New and gently used books are needed for all grades and reading levels, from children's books to chapter books. Look for bins for your book donations at each house door and at the Duchesne Building. Contact Karie Adamitis '24 at kadamitis2024@vdoh.org if you have any questions.
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.
SPIRITUALITY SERIES
Prayer and reflection is the overarching theme of the 2020-2021 Sacred Heart Spirituality Speakers' Series. The first of three presentations will take place at 10 am Friday, November 6, when members of the HEART Response Team present Prayer and Reflection in the Digital Age via Zoom. The HEART Response Team came together at the invitation of the Provincial Team to create a community that could share resources and experiences with all those whom their digital communications reach. This group worked together virtually to create new ways of discovering our calls to contemplation, courage, and compassion. Save the date now and watch for the Zoom link in next week's issue of Nuts & Bolts.
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
On Friday, November 6, members of our school community will again offer Adoration from 9 am to 3 pm at Carmel of St. Joseph in the Chapel of the Precious Blood at the Carmelite Monastery. A special thanks to Kelly Adamitis for arranging this opportunity while covid precautions restrict us from meeting in our own Chapel. Please contact Kelly at kellyjadamitis@icloud.com to schedule a time or learn more.
ROSARY | EACH WEDNESDAY
"The Rosary has been the cord of strength for many marriages, as well as the lifeline that has been thrown to many lost and sinful souls, bringing them back from the brink of hell itself. It has helped countless people return to the Sacraments, been zealously used as a catechetical tool for defeating heresy, an unbreakable chain beating off temptations against chastity, a weapon that has won – or even prevented – wars, and the instrument through which many men and women have become virtuous and saintly. Only in heaven will we truly know what the rosary has done for the world and souls!" – Excerpt from Rosary Gems by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC
Please join us each Wednesday at 8:00 am in the Front Bowl to pray the Rosary together for our VDOH community. 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.
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 |