Oak Hill Nuts and Bolts | January 14, 2021
A MESSAGE FROM DR. SCHROEDER
Between pandemics, politics, and post-election commentaries (plus other topics), there is a lot of big news circulating through our media channels. It is hard to make sense of these things as adults; it is doubly so as a child. It can be tricky to navigate these topics with our children. While your approach will be different depending on the age and development of your child, I believe that we should also take individual consideration about managing the exposure to big news topics and the conversations we have with our child(ren). I thought it might be helpful to share some thoughts and resources I have found to assist you with this.
Helpful articles and websites to check out:
Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed in the articles and websites above are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School and its employees.
Last week, fourth grader Armand Scheiter delivered blankets and mattresses to the homeless in downtown St. Louis. Army wanted to reach out and help because "it's cold and people live out there with no heat or roof over their heads." Thank you for inspiring all of us to find ways to show love to others, Army!
OAK HILL REMOTE LEARNING POLICIES
As the year progresses, we are finding that some families are choosing to stay home and participate via remote learning out of convenience rather than for medical reasons. Attending class remotely can never replace the in-class experience that we have worked so hard to create. Our faculty are committed servant leaders who are doing their best to make class meaningful for everyone, but at times they are expending an incredible amount of extra effort for students learning at home. Remote learning should only be used in cases of medical necessity. We remind families of our Remote Learning Policy's acceptable reasons to Zoom:
If a student remains at home for a general sick day, our expectation is that they rest and recuperate in order to join us again in the classroom as soon as possible. If the teacher has classwork/homework to share with the student, it can be picked up by parents at 2:30 pm in the Oak Hill office. If you have questions about the Zoom policy, please contact Dr. Schroeder at 314.810.3552 or pschroeder@vdoh.org.
OAK HILL OPEN HOUSE
Please help us spread the word. Oak Hill is hosting an Open House from 1:00-3:00 pm on Sunday, January 24. Prospective families will have the opportunity to tour the school, meet faculty and current parents, and learn about the amazing experiences our students have every day, both in and out of the classroom! Interested families can register at www.vdoh.org/schedule-a-visit.
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. We will continue to send reminders about order deadlines.
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!
JOIN US IN PRAYER
Remember the story of David facing Goliath? "Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:40) We all have Goliath problems in our lives. And, what five smooth stones do we have available to us? The five Gospel mysteries of the Rosary each day.
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.
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.
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 |