Be in Our Heart Gala

Sacred Heart School is hosting a gala celebration of our school on November 10th. We are presenting an event that brings our church and alumni community together.  This year, we will begin downstairs at the school.  Take a few minutes to tour the school, look at our Luxury Raffle & Silent Auction Items, enjoy wine & cheese, strolling music and games.  We will then head over to the church for hors d’oeuvres, open bar and dinner will begin at 6:30pm.  Following dinner, Christian comedian Tim McClendon will perform.

Following the performance, the auctioneer will begin auctioning our live auction items.   Tickets for the reverse raffle will be drawn during the evening and winners for the Money Raffle and Luxury Raffle will be pulled and announced at the end of the evening by Father Todd.

Each Event ticket is $100 and includes comedian, hors d’oeuvres, wine & cheese, elegant dinner with dessert, open bar, reverse raffle ticket (cash prize), luxury raffle ticket, paddle for the live auction and the opportunity to support SHS.

Thank you so much for all of your continued support. I hope we have put together an evening you will truly enjoy!!

You may purchase tickets by contacting the school office at 517-448-6405 or visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/be-in-our-heart-gala-tickets-51301186229.

Click here for Sponsor and Ticket Opportunities

10 Reasons to Join Us

10. Open Bar ~ Try a specialty cocktail

9.  Father Todd will be at the microphone throughout the night

8.  Food that not only tastes delicious but will make you feel amazing!

7.  Support the school we love.

6.  Many, many chances to win. No one goes home empty handed

5.  Fun games- Ring Toss (wine bottles), Balloon Darts, Heads/Tails

4.  Chance to win cash

3.  Laugh your head off and forget about your troubles for a while.

2.  Every penny you donate supports the only Catholic school in 2 counties

1.  Feel how much we appreciate your support. We want to dazzle you!

Luxury Items for Raffle $5/ticket or 6 for $20

Lizzy Jane jewelry

Vera Wang Purses

Lottery treasure chest

Whiskey basket

Bose speaker

Cooler of specialty meats

Warrior’s Sword Crucifix Pendant 18K Gold

And more….

Thank you so much for all of your continued support. I hope we have put together an evening you will truly enjoy!!

BE IN OUR HEART GALA

Saturday, November 10th at 5:30

Sacred Heart School and Church Hall

Sacred Heart School is hosting a gala celebration of our school on November 10th. We have decided to present an event that brings our church and alumni community together.  This year, we will begin downstairs at the school with strolling musicians amid a wine & cheese and silent auction. Take a minute to tour the school and look at some of Luxury Raffle Items.  We will also offer hors d’oeuvres and an open bar over at the church.  Dinner will begin at 6:30 and then Christian comedian Tim McClendon will perform.  After the performance, ticket pulls from the reverse raffle will be displayed and the auctioneer will begin auctioning our live auction items. Winners for the Money Raffle and Luxury Raffle will be pulled at the end of the evening by Father Todd.

Get ready for the excitement.

Each ticket is $100 and includes comedian, hors d’oeuvres, wine & cheese, elegant dinner with dessert, open bar, reverse raffle ticket (cash prize), luxury raffle ticket, paddle for the live auction and the opportunity to support SHS. Tickets are available at SHS 448-6405 or aatkin@sacredhearthudson.org or thouser@sacredhearthudson.org.

Please consider donating a bottle of wine or pack of craft beer for our prize wall of wine. All donations can be dropped off at the school office.  If you cannot make the fundraiser, but would like to sponsor, please call the office for sponsorship opportunities!!

Thank you so much for all of your continued support. I hope we have put together an evening you will truly enjoy!!

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, Principal

For more info on our comedian, please visit https://www.timmcclendoncomedy.com.

St. Francis of Assisi- A lesson in Compassion

Prayer to St. Francis

Lord make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred let me sow love

Where there is injury, pardon

Where there is doubt, faith

Where there is despair, hope

Where there is darkness, light

And where there is sadness, joy

O divine master grant that I may

not so much seek to be consoled as to console

to be understood as to understand

To be loved as to love

For it is in giving that we receive

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned

And it’s in dying that we are born to eternal life

Amen

I don’t know about you, but every time we sing this song in church, I cry a little (or a lot depending on what is going on in my life).  What is it?  What makes this song so powerful? I can’t remember if it made me cry before I had children, but I am guessing it didn’t.  This song is a complete picture of what it looks like to love completely.  The love that makes you small so that others can grow big in your love. The love that lets your issues stay tucked away while you put your family’s growth and importance at the top of the list.  It is in digging this deep into your own soul that you can become compassionate.  I have read articles on how to teach compassion to children.  To teach them that other’s suffering is their concern.  That it is important to be able to put yourself in someone else’s misfortune. I wonder if it is something that we can even teach though.  Compassion is not a virtue but love is.  I make the argument that we can teach our children to love that when we love God, with our whole heart and soul, that we open our hearts to compassion.  St. Francis had compassion.  And that is why he is the most popular saint since the Virgin Mary.  He lived a life that was serious about literally living out Christ’s work.  We celebrated him as the Patron Saint of animals today at our Pet blessing but he really shows us all how to have the greatest compassion for all of God’s creatures; especially the human ones.  I love the prayer to Saint Francis and I am grateful for the chance to love with all my soul, soul, soul!

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, Principal

How Do We Keep Our Children Safe?

The best way to keep our kids safe is to develop a strong relationship with them. The world can be a big scary place and our children are out in it. We do our best to stay involved and to communicate about their day but eventually the day will come when they are making decisions and using their own common sense to take care of themselves. Whether it is riding your bike on the sidewalk and knowing the rules of the road or choosing to not play a video game that is rated higher than your age; whether it is choosing to be friends with kids who have the same values as you or being strong enough to trust your parent’s rules and not break them. All of these choices keep our kids safe and all of these choices are taught to children by their parents. How do we build this strong relationship of guidance and trust?

It isn’t easy. Parenting is very, very hard. But if we do our work when they are little, they will be ready to grow independent when it is time to figure things out on their own. Always remember that our children are a gift from God. I believe we are given kids who challenge us on purpose. It is our chance to dig so deep into our soul that we are forever changed by raising them. Having children is our chance to develop patience and to teach unconditional love. When children feel this love, through our service and care for them, and when we are their mentors by the example we set, they are open to our influence and teaching. It is a formula of trust, (not of us trusting them, but them trusting us) understanding and love. This formula will give parents the relationship they need to always be in their child’s mind. They will be able to talk to us about the things they need help with. We can talk to them about how to make safe decisions. We can reaffirm that their worth comes from God and not any outside influence. We can guide them in the true ways of the world and then teach them all of God’s beautiful messages about how to get closer to the Divine. Let’s work together to teach our children that they can handle anything the world can throw at them. Not on their own but with our guidance and love and with the knowledge we give them from the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Let’s give them the confidence to always grow closer to God and to be safe in the world.

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, principal

I Choose Happiness

This week we had the opportunity to find out what it means to be Made for Happiness. God gave us the free will to think our way in or out of any situation. William Shakespeare once said “Things are neither good nor bad but thinking makes it so.” If this is our philosophy, then every situation can bring us closer to God. If that is how we think about it. Knowing that you have every opportunity to make the choice to be happy is part of God’s plan. The little decisions we make every day, the milestones we cross, the people we raise up, the words we choose; can all bring us closer to God. When we listen to the Gospel during Mass, we cross our mind, our lips and our heart. Everything we think, everything we say and everything we feel. When we listen and act this way, we can really be open to God’s perfect love.

The virtue that always makes me think about happiness is Acceptance.  Acceptance is not to be confused with approval.  When we trust and accept, it means we do not doubt our circumstances.  That old “everything happens for a reason,” and we are supposed to think our way into a better situation for ourselves.  We do not run away or continually search.  We handle it with grace.  This can be very difficult.  People will disappoint you and mistakes can become huge problems that are very scary to tackle.  But we are never alone. It is amazing to see the help that is given through the Holy Spirit when we stay strong and prayerful.  We must remember to be grateful.  Not just for the gifts and the good times but for the constant opportunity to struggle and to be challenged.  Through the challenges, we break down and then grow; so we can become stronger of spirit.  It is the acceptance that we will always be given a path to the light.  That we will always have the power to pray and we will never be alone. Life is good. It is more than good, it is beautiful and that makes me happy.

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, Principal

Thank you to Catholic Charities

This week many of us attended the “Back in Black”- Faith in Action Fundraising Dinner for Catholic Charities. It was a beautiful evening hosted by Father Joe Krupp and Father Tim McDonald. We are so grateful for Catholic Charities and the way they support catholic schools. At Sacred Heart School and we have a Vision: Students are balanced: Confident of mind, academics and faith. We have teachers who form the students in academics and we all work to form the students in faith but we need Catholic Charities to guide us on forming their minds. Every Friday we have Mr. Marshall, our school counselor from Catholic Charities, to share his expertise. He focuses his efforts on the challenges that any of our students are facing. He knows to pull the new students aside and really talk to them about transitioning. He knows to team build with our 5th/6th graders because they can be pretty insensitive. He knows that second grade boys want to win at all costs and he explains how it feels to be on the losing side. He knows that when little girls form a club, other little girls feel isolated. He makes a difference that we can not measure but the impact is felt in the culture of trust that is created. Marshall is able to see the day through the eyes of the students and meet them to talk about ways to stay positive and joyful.

“A school’s mission is to develop the sense of the true, the sense of the good, the sense of the beautiful.”     Pope Francis 2014.

This is not an option for a Catholic school. It is our Mission to be the Light of Christ and to grow in confidence. We are so grateful for Marshall and Catholic Charities who help make this happen. Thank you for helping us to form loving disciples of Christ.

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, Principal

We celebrated Mother Teresa of Calcutta on Tuesday, September 5th.  What a beautiful way to begin the school year.  She gave us such wonderfully simple ways to become a saint.

“Let no one come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness.”

“I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love.”

“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

-Mother Teresa

This Week in Prayer ~ Act of Love

O my God, I love you above all things with my whole, whole heart and soul, because you are all good and worthy of my love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you. I forgive all who have injured me and I ask pardon of those whom I have injured.

Amen

We are praying for protection from our guardian angel and we ask for strength, and encouragement. We are thankful for these power gifts that help us do God’s work.

Prayer to Our Guardian Angel

Angel of God, my guardian dear,

To whom God’s love commits me here,

Ever this day, be at my side,

To light and guard, rule and guide.

Amen.

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, Principal

Children Are Special Gifts

The school is filled with children again. Parents are falling into a routine. Father Todd has blessed the classrooms, playground, gym and offices. The students are smiling and the teachers are in control of the learning and classroom management is working. We are off to a very good year. But let’s face it…children are noisy, energetic and dirty. They have trouble keeping their hands to themselves, interrupt, get distracted, whine and want to be the boss. At the same time, they are also observant, extremely loving, complementary, interested in everything and easy to teach.  They’re kids. They are not adults. They do not think like adults and they most definitely do not act like adults. That is why they are so special and they need to be treated that way. When we talk to kids, it is better if we remember to put ourselves in their shoes first. Children are so fresh from God and they have a lifetime ahead of them. They are learning and growing every day.

The world is a mysterious place and even I have trouble making sense of it all. Imagine if you have only been here for 5 or 10 years. They truly have just so much to learn and they will experience many, many things for the very first time. Let’s do our best to set them up for success. Expect them to be frustrated and to struggle. Prepare the day with structure but learn the words that get them on the path to Christ’s love. Learn the language of virtue when they misbehave. Remind them, that they are God’s special gift to the world and they are made to shine in His light. Remember that obedience, meekness, self-control, respect and courage are the Steps to Sainthood. We can build our children up and raise them to the next level by giving a positive message and by being their mentors. Children are God’s gift to us. Let’s see the world from their vantage point as we guide them. Let’s humble ourselves and let God in to the way we discipline.

 God Bless,

Anne Atkin, Principal

Let’s Begin the Year with Confidence

It is a new school year! Time to get back in the groove. It is so fun to see all of the excited kids jump into a new school year and bring their A game. With a little help from Moms and Dads, who buy everything we need, get us on a routine and pack our healthy lunch, the students are ready to roll. School is their job and they are good at it. I challenge you to stop by Sacred Heart School any time and see if the kids are on top of their game. You will find them engaged in class discussion, working hard on assignments and proudly explaining the finished product. I know, this may sound a bit exaggerated but Sacred Heart School is special. The students from preschool to 6th grade are amazing kids and they are working every day to be the light of Christ. Challenges are met with enthusiasm. Struggles and failures are explained as growth in virtue. School makes sense. A little prayer, a little fun, a little more work and a lot of joy. That is God’s formula and we are blessed to be the people who can share it. The goal is confidence. The mission at Sacred Heart School is to be structure and diligent so we can graduate students who are confident: balanced of mind, academics and faith. How do we make students confident? First, we have to gain your confidence and theirs. We do that by being purposeful in our planning all year long.

Confidence is having faith in someone. Self-confidence is trusting that you have what it takes to handle whatever happens. You feel sure of yourself and enjoy trying new things, without letting doubts or fears hold you back. When you have confidence in others, you rely on them. When you have confidence in yourself, others can rely on you. Our confidence comes from God. We look to God for all things and we trust that his love for us will bring us all closer to Him. So everyday the teachers and everyone involved at Sacred Heart set out, with purpose, to reach our mission. It is simple and God has given us the map to success. So let’s work together this year to always be the light of Christ. To trust and love each other as we strive for confident and balanced students.

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, Principal

Why Do I Forget to Pray?

Prayer is huge. It is the most important thing you can do every day. I pray a lot! Life has humbled me to my knees and I have been lost and scared. Really scared. So scared that I cannot sleep, cannot eat (who am I kidding, I overeat), cannot find happiness and I am panicking. Life is that scary for all of us at some point. That is when we take a huge breath and ask for help. I have prayed so hard that I promised God I would say yes to whatever He asked of me. He asked some very uncomfortable things, but He and I were having so much conversation that I had a calm, confident, blind faith. Prayer is what guides every part of my life now. There is still an infinite amount of studying and life’s journey is sure to continue to be challenging but, prayer will get us through everything that frightens us.

And yet, two weeks before the school year begins, a chaotic season; the time when prayer is needed the most for guidance and I forgot to pray. I have been going to bed and realizing that I have not even said “Thank you Lord” today. Why? It is not some philosophical answer about the human spirit or negative behavior. I just didn’t make it a priority when I was looking at the to do list. I simply forgot to put it on the list. Maybe this happens to you too. So here are some great reminders for all of us.

¨ “Be constant in prayer” so that spiritual grace gifts and love will abound in the church (Romans 12:6-13).

¨ “Pray at all times in the Spirit… with all perseverance” so that we will be protected from powerful satanic attack, and the gospel will be proclaimed accurately and boldly (Ephesians 6:10-20).

¨ Pray about everything in order to be relieved of troubling anxieties and allow the God’s peace to guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-7).

¨ “Continue steadfastly in prayer” for the sake of remaining spiritually alert and seeing the manifold grace of God that prompts thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2).

¨ “Pray without ceasing” in order that there will be unity and love and appropriate submission and patience and joy in the church (1 Thessalonians 5:12-18).

¨ “Always… pray and not lose heart” so that we receive what it is that we desperately want and need from God, whose heart is to give his elect justice (Luke 18:1-8).

Adapted from Crosswalk.com “Why do I forget to pray”

School News:

¨ The trees in the front of the school were removed this weekend. The building and grounds committee and I determined that the trees were no longer healthy and should be replaced with smaller ornamental trees. We are excited to expand the habitat in the front of the school with some new landscaping.

¨ Our Back to School Open House & BBQ will be Thursday, August 23 beginning at 5:30.  All are welcome to come see the new playground and updates to our school.

God Bless,

Anne Atkin, principal