Oak Hill Nuts and Bolts | November 12, 2020
A MESSAGE FROM DR. SCHROEDER
During sixth grade Makerspace Explore, Mr. Josh Thurm and students are investigating a tip from an Oak Hill alumnus on the location of a time capsule that was buried on campus 30 years ago when he was a sixth grader at Oak Hill. According to reports from graduates from the class of 1990, the capsule was buried near a surface-mounted plaque on Oak Hill Island. This week, students are trying to solve what we're calling "The Mystery of Oak Hill Island." Our sixth graders are utilizing metal detectors that produce electromagnetic fields to try to locate the lost time capsule. When metals buried beneath the surface interrupt those fields, an alert sounds indicating potential treasures.
With the recent discovery of a surface-mounted plaque by an Oak Hill student in the class of 2027, the likelihood of solving the Mystery of Oak Hill island has grown. If you or anyone you know may have information about a buried time capsule on the VDOH campus, please email your tip to Mr. Thurm at jthurm@vdoh.org. Perhaps YOU could help solve the Mystery of Oak Hill Island.
GUECK PAVILION & TKACHUK TERRACE
Thanks to the generous support of our lead donors and their commitment to the Honoring Our Legacy Major Gifts Initiative, we have an outstanding new facility located north of Condie Field. The Gueck Pavilion and Tkachuk Terrace is the first building added to our beautiful campus in 30 years and will serve our entire community. On Saturday, our field hockey team, board members, school leadership, and the Gueck and Tkachuk families gathered to cut the ribbon on our new space. "Here is where we will build community, gather to pray and play, engage in service projects, and celebrate the best of what it means to be a School of the Sacred Heart," said Michael Baber as he blessed the Terrace and Pavilion. Please stop by to explore this wonderful space!
OPEN HOUSE
Thank you to everyone who helped spread the word about our upper school Open House this past weekend! We had a wonderful turn out and a beautiful day. Your voice matters to potential families, so please continue to talk up our school to family and friends. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and share our posts.
GRANDPARENTS' DAY UPDATE
As we reflect upon all that we are grateful for this Thanksgiving, our grandparents top the list. Though we are unable to host our annual Grandparents' Day Mass this year, all grandparents for whom we have email addresses on file will soon receive a special message of gratitude. We look forward to celebrating with this special group of people next year. Until then, we await the day when we can gather together in community, and know we hold each member of your family in our hearts.
YEARBOOK CALL FOR PHOTOS
As you might guess, yearbook 2021 is likely to look a little different. Because we have been unable to hold some of our traditional event this year, we've come up with a couple of ways to fill those pages with images your children will love to share. Our first call for photos is students and their pets. View the eShare flier below for more information and instructions on how to submit your photos. Please make your submissions by Friday, December 18, and watch for our next themed call for photos after the first of the year. Please contact Mrs. Lisa Carswell at lcarswell@vdoh.org if you have any questions.
OAK HILL SNOW DAYS
The sun is shining today but winter weather is around the corner, and we want our families to be prepared for our Snow Day procedures this year. Snow Days bring a sense of Wonder and Awe, and our students and faculty could benefit from the surprise and happiness of a day off and extra time to spend outside with family. If we face more than two days off in a row due to weather, our teachers will communicate with parents about age-appropriate remote learning.
Families are notified of school closings, campus closings, late starts, and early dismissals via the SchoolMessenger phone messaging system. Announcements are made on KSDK-TV (Channel 5), and posted on our website. In the event of a weather-related late start to school, campus will open 30 minutes prior to the published start of classes. Classes will start no earlier than the announced late start time. For the safety of our students and staff, in the event of an early dismissal from school due to inclement weather, please plan to pick up your students within 30 minutes following the announced early dismissal time.
CHRISTMAS EVE MASS
Traditionally, we host Christmas Eve Mass for everyone in our community in our beautiful chapel. This year, we are not offering Christmas Eve Mass in light of COVID-19. We will miss this festive and holy evening that brings our families together, and we look forward to gathering for Christmas Eve Mass next year.
VILLA AND OAK HILL BUMPER STICKERS
We love seeing so many families display the Villa and Oak Hill bumper stickers that we sent in October! Thank you for showing your love for our Sacred Heart community and helping us build visibility for our school. Both versions are for sale in our school store, La Boutique, if you need more! If you would like to make an appointment to shop in La Boutique between 3:00-3:15 pm, contact Ms. Morrow at mmorrow@vdoh.org.
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.
JOIN US IN PRAYER
In the twelfth century, learned monks recited the psalms in Latin, the official language of the Church at that time. But in these communities, some of the brothers did not understand Latin, so they recited the Our Father and the Hail Mary with the aid of a paternoster, a knotted cord, the ancestor of today's Rosary beads.* Fast-forward 800+ years to 2020 and you can 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.
*Excerpt from Let's Pray the Rosary by Mauricette Vial-Andru
NO SCHOOL | NOVEMBER 25-30
Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School will be closed Wednesday, November 25, through Monday, November 30, for Thanksgiving Break. Classes will resume on Tuesday, December 1.
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 |