Playground Update

Phase two:  Upon approval from the finance committee and our insurance company, we will be ordering  the new playground equipment from www.cabinfield.com. This Amish playset is outdoor play equ

ipment made with kids in mind, it has smoothly finished surfaces and the accuracy of kid-size seating. The playground area will be expanded to include the south side of the property next to the existing swing set.  All areas with play equipment will have the required playground mulch for soft landing. In addition, the existing metal play structures and swing sets will be painted and updated. 

Phase three:  The addition of a transparent boundary fence by the new Noah’s Ark and a playhouse/gazebo on the north section of the playground.

We have also received grant money to purchase stencils and paint for the black top that can be refreshed each summer.  The SHS families are selling Discount Cards which were developed by the Parent Group.

With that additional funding, we are planning to begin and complete Phase 2 and Phase 3 during the summer.

It is only because of the generosity of people like you, that we can continue the beautiful tradition of putting God into all parts of the school day. Your gifts ensure that our Catholic tradition is passed on to the next generation.

God Bless you and thank you for your support of the school.

Anne Atkin, principal

Meekness- God’s light in the struggle

“Nothing is going my way today. So and so won’t play with me. That kid stole the ball I was playing with. I hate story problems and I refuse to do them. You can’t make me. I did not have enough time to finish it.  he teams are not fair. Nobody else is trying as hard as I am to win. There are too many rules. Why did that kid get a prize?  Life isn’t fair.”

No, it isn’t.  Anybody who has tried to see the world as black and white; with clear sparkly pathways to success and happiness to those of us who want it or work for it, quickly find out that life isn’t fair.  Why does it look so easy for that person?

Very often, a student will be sent to my office because they are refusing to follow the rules. They cannot line up without throwing a fit. They were angry at recess and stormed off of the football field because no one will pass the ball to them. They do not want to attempt a certain type of schoolwork. They are angry and they feel the world is being exceptional hard on them, in particular. They feel that they are being singled out and unfairly pushed back by life.

They are, in fact struggling with a very specific virtue…..Meekness. A misunderstood word in our current culture. Meekness is the ability to give up control and see God in all things, in all people, in all situations. It is the ability to open our eyes and see beyond our own disappointment and frustration. It is the ability to call on patience and kindness, and to trust. Yes, we can help children understand that some things are not in our control and our surroundings will constantly change. It is within our minds to be able to adapt, to bend.

Self-control is the magic formula. It is time to practice how we react to the chaotic and unfair world around us. As the children develop self-control, they become stronger. Knowing the world can be unfair, and asking God to give us the strength we need to calm fear and anxiety can give us power. Meekness gives us a chance to take a time out from the intensity. Meekness reminds us that God is in charge and He gives us all of the power we need to handle the day. To see God in all things and to not judge; but to become reasonable and open to correction. To learn. To grow. To achieve. The meek will set their mind to God’s purpose and can learn to rebuild instead of breaking down. To shine.

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, principal

We hope everyone had a wonderful & relaxing Spring Break!!

We had a successful March is Reading Month. The students read over 4,800 books and earned a carnival in the gym, complete with a pie throwing booth where they could pick a member of the staff to throw a pie at. It was hilarious and we made good use of some of the carnival games from the shed. The staff at Sacred Heart has so much energy when it comes to creating an educational environment where the students are the focus and learning is happening in many different ways, all day long. We are so very blessed.

Enrollment is open for the 2018-2019 school year.

Families who are interested in a Catholic education can visit our website at sacredhearthudson.org for all information about Sacred Heart School. Enrollment packets are also available at the school office.

Call 517-448-6405 for more information.

Happy Easter from Sacred Heart School

We have finally made it, and boy, did we need it. Lent is over, Spring Break is here, the promise of warmer weather beckons. At Sacred Heart School, we have spent the days since Christmas break working very hard to reach our true potential.

4th Grader Adam Parker, read 40 hard books and wrote a comprehensive summary about each book. Wonderful job Adam!

Ryden Luma started school at SHS as a first grader and is fitting in great, making friends and making huge academic strides.

Mrs. Martinez has seen her 5th/6th grade class mature and tackle projects as they improve study skills and learn the importance of teamwork.

The preschool is the perfect combination of hands-on learning and structured discipline. When our preschoolers graduate to kindergarten, they are ready to be at the top of the class.

Our hallways are filled with happy, loving children who know God is always with them.

This Easter, with hearts overflowing, we rejoice! Our Lord has made all of this possible and we are grateful for our little school where we can love You all day long.

Have a beautiful Easter and May God Bless You,

Anne Atkin, Principal

When I doubt myself, I doubt God

Diocese of Lansing catechesis director, Tim Carpenter, explains that the best trick the devil has is to make us doubt God.  Doubt God?  Who would do that?  And yet, even as Tim was explaining how this happens to us all of the time, I was sitting there doubting God.  Not convincing myself that He did not exist, but doubting how much He loved me and how much potential He could see in me to live with His light.  The devil loves doubt. He lives there.  He loves when we gossip about each other and the thorny, prickly words that come back to us leave tiny wounds on our soul.  It stops us dead in our tracks and makes us feel small and lonely and worthless. Wounded.

That is exactly what the devil wants.  He wants you to feel confused, angry, anxious; unable to find joy and happiness, or even worse, unworthy and left out.

As parents, it is difficult to see your child struggle because they are growing up in a world that is wounded and people gossip.  It is easy for children to feel sad and lost or to assume the only way to protect themselves is to get smaller and close up. We find ourselves either wanting to aggressively stop what is happening to our children or just do our best to listen, but never really get to root of the problem. Growing up can be so hard.

It is important for our children to be ready and for us to give them the tools they will need to battle when life is hard.

¨ Pray for people who are struggling with sin. Yes, even the ones who are hurting us.

¨ Never doubt that God can get you through ALL things

¨ The spiritual world is powerful; filled with an army of saints. Ask for all of the love you need

¨ Use your time of doubt to quietly get stronger; to remember that we are preparing for a greater purpose when we will need to understand pain and struggle

¨ Have faith that this will pass and the pain is only temporary

Easter is about remembering that Jesus died for us to be connected back to God. That even though we all have original sin, we are humanly able to reconnect with the Divine. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice and joy and happiness are the gifts we received. That is what life is about. Battle against self-doubt. Fight your way out of it so that we can truly be the “Light of Christ.

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, Principal

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