Villa Duchesne Nuts and Bolts | December 3, 2020
A MESSAGE FROM MRS. STEENBERGE
I eagerly await the coming of the Advent season every year so I can hear, at some point or another in the season, my favorite scripture verse from John's prologue pop up in the lectionary:
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness could not overcome it.
This verse has so profoundly shaped my life over the years that in my theology courses every year I've asked my students to memorize it for themselves (Ask them! They should remember it if I was their teacher). This assurance that even when things seem hopeless we have reason to hope has been a lifeline for me when my life hit obstacles that seemed insurmountable. A conversation with a friend, a walk under the stars, an uplifting text from a colleague...all these small, tiny things gave me hope that things would be better. Often, it's not the big events that herald a change in circumstances; it's the small, quiet things that are the genesis of change.
I believe these small quiet things are happening all over campus now. The newly painted senior room opened this week. Gerbils Sophie and Barnacle, the house mascots for the junior Barat maison, have a holiday-themed habitat. The seventh graders are using The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to better understand the story of our salvation. Our Eco-Act seniors are connecting by ZOOM with Mrs. Nagel's fourth grade to teach them about biotic and abiotic environmental factors. Students are writing personal cards in maisons to residents of the St. Agnes home. And, tomorrow, our students will spend time in our Chapel in Eucharistic Adoration. Indeed, there are many lights on campus shining brightly now that give me reassurance that indeed, the darkness will be overcome. Veni, veni Emmanuel!
Olivia Gehm '24 has been chosen as the winner of the CYC Eileen Dougherty Memorial Scholarship Essay Contest! Olivia is the very first student from Villa Duchesne to win this scholarship. Last year, Olivia played CYC volleyball, basketball, and ran track. Olivia's essay, "Why I Am a Good Representative of CYC Sports," discusses her faith, her commitment to sportsmanship, and her dedication to serving her community. Olivia wrote, "As I reflect on my CYC experience, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, 'Preach by example of your lives rather than by words. Example is the very best sermon.' Being an example on the court, in my school, and in the larger community is the best way for me to represent the mission of the CYC." Congratulations, Olivia!
SCOUTING AWARD SERVICE PROJECT
Freshman Paige Jackson is leading a holiday card drive as she pursues her Girl Scout Silver Award! Paige has invited the Villa community to write personal messages in holiday cards for the residents at St. Agnes Home in Kirkwood. Villa students and faculty have the opportunity to fill cards with messages in morning Maison or during lunch through Friday, December 11. Paige has provided the materials and will deliver the cards with love to St. Agnes Home. The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can achieve.
FIRST FRIDAY ADORATION
One of the beautiful prayer traditions of the Catholic Church is Eucharistic Adoration, where we are invited to pray with Jesus, present to us in the Eucharist. Our Founding Mothers spent time praying before the Eucharist. Sophie wanted to protect the Eucharist which had been desecrated during the French Revolution by soldiers, and Philippine took comfort in the familiar presence of the Eucharist when life on the prairie in this unfamiliar land took its toll. Both of them enjoyed spending quiet time with their friend, Jesus, laying their burdens down and filling their spirits. Tomorrow, December 4, Villa students will take time to pray in our Chapel in front of Jesus in the Eucharist during their theology classes. Parents are invited to engage in Eucharistic Adoration at the Carmelite Chapel. See the "Join Us In Prayer" article below.
CHRISTMAS BASKETS
Every year, our school community joyfully prepares baskets of food for those less fortunate in our community. And every year, we commit to provide to local agencies that serve those individuals at least as many baskets as there are families in our School. Each family's participation in this time-honored tradition is essential to fulfill this commitment. Participation is both an honor and a serious responsibility. In addition, we are always in need of drivers to deliver baskets. If your family would like to take part in delivering the baskets on December 18, please email Director of Service Learning Theresa Wiss at twiss@vdoh.org by Monday, December 7. Follow our Christmas Baskets link to learn more about this tradition, preparing your basket, and dropoff times. In the interest of everyone's safety during this pandemic, we will not have a community-wide Christmas Baskets Mass this year. Our seniors, who will be working December 18 to receive and organize baskets, will have the opportunity to celebrate their final Christmas Baskets Mass with a special, socially-distanced Mass. To allow our entire extended Sacred Heart family to participate, we will live stream the Mass on Facebook and YouTube. More details about the live stream will be provided in Nuts and Bolts prior to December 18. Christmas break for students in grades JK3-11 will begin at afternoon dismissal on Thursday, December 17.
BONNE CHANCE AUCTION | SAINTS DERBY
Our annual Bonne Chance Auction has been moved to Saturday, April 24, 2021. We need volunteers to help solicit donations and sponsorships, set up and staff the event, pick-up and package items, sell raffle tickets, and more! If you are interested in volunteering, please email auction@vdoh.org and get involved!
UP-TO-DATE PHONE NUMBERS
It is important that the school has current phone numbers for all parents in the event of medical or weather-related emergencies. To check or update your phone number, log in to your Parent Portal and expand the My BackPack window found under the Bulletin Board. Tap the 'Update Profile' link to get started. If information needs to be updated, select "Edit" in the upper-right corner of the page to make changes. Be sure to select "Save" as you go and "Done" when you have made all of your changes. If you add or update a mobile number and want to receive text messages from us, you must opt-in by simply texting "yes" to 67587. You will receive an almost immediate system response if you have successfully opted-in.
MERCI BEAUCOUP!
Thank you to our generous donors for digging deep and supporting Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School on #GivingTuesday. We exceeded our goal and raised more than $50,000 on this day of giving!
FIRST FRIDAY BOOK DRIVE
The next First Friday book drive for the St. Louis Catholic Academy in North St. Louis is set for tomorrow, December 4. 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
UNDER PRESSURE BOOK CLUB
The next meeting of the Under Pressure Book Club will be at 6:30 pm Monday, December 7. Please check your email from earlier today for a message from Principal Steenberge encouraging more parents to join and containing details and the Zoom link.
MISSION STL TOY DRIVE
Villa's Outreach Club is hosting a toy drive to benefit clients of Mission STL. Mission STL's Affordable Christmas program is a holiday event that allows under-resourced families to provide Christmas for their children. Families can shop for gifts at drastically reduced prices through the virtual store. This year, their goal is to serve 1,000 children from 300 local families. Collection bins will be available by each house door through Monday, December 7. Please do not wrap toys in advance. To help you in selecting items to donate, Mission STL has established the following Wish Lists.
SEMESTER EXAMS REMINDER
Semester exams will take place according to the schedule below. Departments that administer exams during this week are: World Languages, Science, Social Studies, Theology, and Mathematics. The other departments have project based final assessments. Students are required to come to campus during exam week only when they have an exam. Parents, please talk with your daughter about her schedule. If a student wants to remain on campus in between exams, the large dining room will be used as a proctored, quiet study space. Students who will be on campus during lunch time may order as usual from Food Service the week before and her lunch will be delivered to her maison. Students must come in uniform.
End times for students with extended time will differ from those noted above.
Students will take final exams according to their course schedule. Because of social distancing, it will not be possible to change exam dates; please plan accordingly.
Permanently virtual students will be required to come to campus to take exams. We will provide a contactless environment if requested, and we can work to limit a student's time on campus if desired. Students should work with Mrs. Bertucci (jbertucci@vdoh.org) to develop a schedule.
Students who are quarantining because they have a sick family member or who were exposed will have to take the exam when they return in January unless the teacher determines that the exam can be given with integrity in a virtual environment.
COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS
The Board of Trustees is seeking nominations for Standing Committee members. Standing Committees that support our Board of Trustees include Buildings & Grounds, Finance, Strategic Planning, and Community Engagement. Serving on one of these committees is an important first step in the process of serving as a trustee. Your recommendations can help us identify individuals with the expertise we need to advance our mission. This process upholds the National Association of Independent School Principles of Good Practice for Governance (NAIS) and School by-laws. If you or anyone you know has nominations, please submit an online nomination.
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
"With the rosary, the Christian people sit at the school of Mary."
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.
"Speak little, pray much, go onward always, let passing things pass by, holding only onto what is eternal…" -- Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat
The Mission Committee also welcomes you to stop by the Carmelite Chapel between 9 am and 3 pm this First Friday, December 4, as Villa and Oak Hill parents pray for our community. Please contact Kelly at kellyjadamitis@icloud.com to learn more.
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 |