Villa Duchesne Nuts and Bolts | November 12, 2020
A MESSAGE FROM MRS. STEENBERGE
November is my favorite month of the year. I love Thanksgiving, the fall leaves are spectacular, and the liturgical year in the Catholic Church is nearing its end. The month begins with All Saints and All Soul's Days, when we are encouraged to remember our beloved dead. The readings in the church focus on the end times, and the very last feast day of the liturgical year, right around Thanksgiving, is the Feast of Christ the King. This is a wonderful yearly reminder that, in the end, justice will triumph over evil. Particularly this year, I find this comforting!
The month also encourages us to reflect: What went well this year and what did not? Am I closer to becoming the best version of myself? What is the purpose of my life? This type of reflection is integral to Sacred Heart education. The Goals and Criteria prize interiority, an attitude that suggests pondering and intentionality. Mater's downcast eyes as she completes her spinning reflect this attitude; everything she does is thoughtful and deliberate. May we spend this month of thanksgiving in the same attitude!
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 assisted at our 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.
CARPOOL PROTOCOL
Thank you for not parking in the "No Parking" zone in front of Kenefick Gym. We need to keep that lane open for emergency vehicles to pass through. During dismissal, please pull as close to the East Door (by Spoede Road) as possible to wait for your daughter. When cars line up beginning at the West Door, the students crossing the cross walk en route to the parking lots are endangered.
SEMESTER EXAMS
Students will take semester exams according to their course schedule. Because of social distancing, it will not be possible to change their exam date, so please plan accordingly.
We are still re-imagining what Christmas Baskets Mass will look like this year. We hope to make it a meaningful experience for all and will share the details soon.
VILLA 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. Our schedule at Villa is divided into Navy and Maroon Days. Our first Navy and first Maroon snow days will be true "wonder and awe" days with no obligation to attend class virtually. After that, students will be required to check google classroom to determine if they have asynchronous work to complete for their classes. Work will be posted by teachers by 10am. AP Teachers are formulating a plan for students to stay on track, and may have separate requirements.
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.
MISSION STL TOY DRIVE
Villa's Outreach Club is hosting a toy drive to benefit clients of Mission STL. Collection bins will be available by each house door through Friday, December 4. To help you in selecting items to donate, Mission STL has established the following Wish Lists.
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 |