It is enrollment season at Sacred Heart School. On March 12^th we will begin signing students up for the 2018-2019 school year.

At Sacred Heart our teaching approach is focused on virtue. Character and moral purpose are not just add-ons, they’re at the heart of everything we do. Obedience, courtesy and respect are the foundation of our academic life. The virtues are what make children feel safe, appreciated and encouraged- free to discover their talents; develop their personalities; build lasting friendships; become balanced, confident people of faith. This is our educational vision at Sacred Heart. Our mission to remain deliberate and structured with the purpose of graduating students who are prepared to persevere.

Please take a few minutes to explore our website at www.sacredhearthudson.org which describes our preschool through 6^th grade programs.  Then consider how Sacred Heart can enrich your child’s life and the life of your whole family.

Anyone who is interested in Catholic education for their child should call 517-448-6405 or email me at aatkin@sacredhearthudson.org to set up an interview and a shadow day.

Friday, March 16^th– – Open House for Preschool – 6^th Grade

Thursday, March 22^nd – Open House for Preschool, Dev. Kindergarten and Kindergarten

Wednesday, April 18th – Open House for preschool- 6^th grade

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, principal

So you had a bad day…….

You are having a bad day. Everything that could go wrong, did; you stepped on a Lego piece; you burned the cookies you were making; you got hit in the head by something; you ran over the cat; you forgot to do something you were supposed to do; you made a huge mistake and it is already done and you cannot change it. When the day is truly a bad one, you are hyper focused on that one part of your life.  It’s consuming most of your thoughts and the thoughts are negative.

Interacting with our kids when, they or we, are having a bad day gives us an opportunity to think about how God deals with us. He will give us grace. He will give us mercy. But he will not let us give in to temptation and just say “I am going to go to bed and hide in the covers.” He will not let us run away and give in. For those of us that have tried, we know it doesn’t work and problems can get very ugly, very quickly.

God is polite and He will not interject Himself into your life without permission. God has given us the power to decide how much we would like to lean on Him. It is the power of free will. You have to ask for help and the more you ask, the more you receive. The amount of help given is infinite. So, ask every day. Simple. But it just isn’t that simple and we forget to ask, sometimes when we need it the most.

When you have a bad day ask Jesus to wrap Himself around you and protect you. Ask Him to keep you safe and to be with You as you face the negativity and challenges. Ask Him to keep you calm and to be kind to others. Strap in and weather the storm together. It will be alright. It will all be okay. You will feel good again. God will never make you handle a bad day alone.

Lord, Help me to remember that nothing is going to happen today that You and I can’t handle together. Amen

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, principal

Am I Lazy?  What do I Need to Persevere?

There is no easy way to get past a very difficult task. Nike tells us to “Just Do It.”  People will say “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.”  My Mom would tell me to “finish what you started.”  Here is the problem….When I was a kid, and sometimes, even now, certain projects seem so overwhelming, that it is difficult to even think about them, much less do them.  I am afraid.  I do not think I can get past my weaknesses and persevere.

The opposite of persevering is hiding.  Hide behind anger, hide behind excuses, hide behind low self-worth, hide behind low ability, just hide.  None of this works.  We all know it.  There is only one way to truly overcome negativity; to be a person who can push past all obstacles and create a quality finished product. It is a developed strength of character and there are no shortcuts.

Children who can trust and who have faith that God has made them in His image have a much easier time conquering fears of inadequacies.  When we can speak to our children about blind faith and Divine purpose; about God-given gifts and true love, they become aware that they will never be given more than they can handle.

Let’s create an environment where mistakes are overcome.  Projects are challenging but children become so prepared, to be the light that God intended, that they forget to be weak.  The strength they need does not come from landing on top most of the time, it comes from building a strong soul that knows it is good enough to finish. God has lofty goals for each of us and He wants us to reach them.

“Pray More, Worry Less.” That is what perseverance is about. Call on courage, develop responsibility, have respect, but most of all, pray to the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and actions.

And for the love of God, DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, principal

Dear Sacred Heart Families,
There are so many wonderful things happening at Sacred Heart next month. It is March is Reading Month. Wow, we are ready to meet the goal of reading 4,000 books as a school. At the beginning of the school year, we challenged the students to read 20 minutes per night. The teachers have each set up an incentive program for the students to encourage the daily habit of reading so the students can develop a high level of academic success.

The NWEA testing results are in and, together, we have raised our scores in Reading across the board. And, not just by a little….by quite a bit. What wonderful news for us all! Please keep encouraging your child to read as we move into March.

We have attached a calendar to help keep track of the events in March. You will notice that there is never a dull moment.
Each classroom is presenting a city in Michigan and is going to teach the rest of the school about that city. Those are marked on the calendar as destination days. We are all excited to learn more about our beautiful state.

We also have mystery readers coming to our school to read to us. Among the readers are a state representative, a famous book character and the best priest ever!
We also invite you to attend the Corned Beef Dinner, The Featherless Bingo, Stella Luna @ the Croswell in Adrian and Reading Under the Stars.
If we reach our goal, the students will receive a Carnival in the Gym where they can throw pies at the teachers, principal and staff.
We want to make this the best March is Reading Month Ever. The kids earned it.
God Bless,
Anne Atkin, principal

Join the 100 Club

The support of the 100 Club is a blessing.  As you know, our parents make financial sacrifices to send their kids to a school that can put God into every part of the day. From the moment the doors open, the hallways and classrooms are filled with guidance from the Holy Spirit. It is evident from the joy on the student’s faces that they are guided to use their God given talents to meet challenges and live to their full potential.

This year the money received from the 100 Club will go directly back to the students. The teachers have a wish list for the classrooms that will brighten up the days for the children. After being in school for nearly 100 days, they have pinpointed a couple of items that will really enhance the learning environment.

Wish List

Preschool ~ New shelving unit and sand/water table

Kindergarten ~ Shelves and educational games

1st/2nd ~ Bean Bag chairs for the reading corner

3rd/4th ~ flexible seating chairs (proven to improve attention and focus)

5th/6th ~ New books to help rebuild the library for older students.

Music ~ Glockenspiels (can be used for all age levels to learn music and for performances)

Art ~ Table easels

To join the 100 Club, simply send your $100 donation to the Parish Office, marked as 100 Club. Your donation to the 100 Club can make all of the difference to the students.

Thank you for your vision that Sacred Heart School will continue to inspire the next generation of faithful, lifelong learners.

 May God Bless You,

Anne Atkin, principal

The students are preparing for Easter. We began with Mass on Ash Wednesday and we will continue the next 40 days focusing on being the best versions of ourselves.  Lent is the time when the students learn about putting Jesus first.  We will pray every day together to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus.

During Lent the students spend time, every week at the Church, moving through the Stations of the Cross. We invite you join us with a child friendly walk of the last steps of Jesus every Thursday at 12:30.

Each student is asked to give up something important to them.  The students have chosen different things but the point is to stick with it for 40 days.  The journey to Christ can have temptations but we are trying very hard to stay on the path.

We will be praying for all of you this Lent.  The students have such focused caring for all of those who need prayers.  They remember to pray for all people in all situations.  Fourth grader, Ellie Loar always asks us to pray for the people who do not have food or money or shelter.  What a beautiful thought.

It is the season to open hearts and to maintain a solid purpose.  We know it will be challenging but the gift of Easter is worth every day that we stay focused on Christ.

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, Principal