Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 30 through Feb. 5
Sacred Heart Catholic School in Monticello is looking forward to celebrating Catholic Schools Week (CSW) this year. They have several fun activities in the works…
• Monday, Jan. 31 – PJ Day
• Tuesday, Feb. 1 – Dress in the Dark Day. Bowling at Legacy Lanes.
• Wednesday, Feb. 2 – Crazy Hat and Socks Day. Students will also go to Camp Courageous for some fun activities.
• Thursday, Feb. 3 – School Spirit Day. Students will also deliver goodies to local businesses for Business Appreciation Day. It’s also Parents Day, as parents are invited to attend Mass and stay for lunch.
• Friday, Feb. 4 – School in-service day.
CSW started in 1974 as a way to celebrate Catholic education in the U.S.
This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.”
As a whole, Sacred Heart students attend Mass every Thursday morning. Principal Susan Hucker said each class/grade level takes a turn at preparing the Mass and taking on an active role, whether it’s a lector or a prayer leader.
“It’s great to see the first graders do what they can,” marveled Hucker at what the younger students are striving to do.
She said when the younger students recite the “Prayer of the Faithful,” in which they all pray for others, you can tell they’ve practiced what they’ve written out to say.
Once a month, the students pray the Rosary together. They also developed time for Eucharist adoration, or quite prayer.
“This is new for the kids this year,” explained Hucker. “It is a time for them to have their own conversation with God.”
This was something Hucker witnessed at the previous Catholic school she was at, and felt it was something the students could benefit from at Sacred Heart.
“We start small with a shorter time and expand on a bit,” she said. “It helps strengthen their faith and builds individual relationships with Jesus.”
In speaking on excellence, Hucker said the academic programs at Sacred Heart are those of an accredited non-public school.
“We do the same assessments as public schools. We have the same subject areas.”
One big tradition at Sacred Heart is teaching students to handwrite, cursive.
“That’s where our kids have excelled,” praised Hucker.
Sacred Heart also has a long tradition of community service and being a service to others. They put together Birthday Bags for the food pantry. Last fall, the older students helped plant trees at Central Park. They make placemats and greeting cards for the nursing home. They put together rice bowls during Lent.
“The rice bowls help them think about how well off we are and that so many others have less,” explained Hucker.
The money the kids collect in their rice bowls are contributed to the parish.
Hucker said the school is looking at projects to do around Earth Day in April “to get the kids outside and active.
“It’s all about making a difference in the community,” she added.
A third of the families enrolled at Sacred Heart are non-Catholic.
“They appreciate a faith-based option,” shared Hucker. “We emphasize the gospel’s call to recognize the dignity and value of each person, and to respond to social justices.”
Hucker said she is especially proud of the fifth graders recently when they were asked what they like about their school. Some of these same messages resonated with those older students.
“They appreciate the opportunity for prayer and to go to church,” she said. “They talk about current events and social issues, and how they, too, can make a difference globally.”
Hucker said it’s not just the school and parish that help in the students’ development, but the community as well.
“We all benefit from that cooperation and generosity,” she said. “It strengthens their learning.”
With the ongoing pandemic, Sacred Heart has had to adapt and learn to be flexible in many ways, particularly in adjusting schedules.
“We’ve found better and different ways of doing things,” Hucker said.
The school has been fortunate to have great substitute teachers willing to fill in. Hucker said those include a handful of regular subs, as well as retired educators who have been willing to return.
“They’re aware of the need,” she said of staff absences.
With the school running PreK-5 right now, Hucker said they have every intention of bringing back sixth grade this fall for the 2022-23 school year.
Sacred Heart is lucky to have the support of the Booster Club when it comes to funding purchases, as well as generous donations and contributions. At the start of this school year, every classroom was outfitted with brand new Promethean Boards, an upgrade from the SmartBoards. This technology is essentially another computer monitor for the classroom that offers touch-screen capabilities. Teachers and students can annotate when it comes to such activities as solving math problems. The upper grades can work on fractions while the lower grades can work on phonics or handwriting.
“The kids know how to run it really well,” said Hucker of the technology.
The school is in the very early stages of planning for the 100th anniversary of Sacred Heart School. More of a formal celebration will be reserved for the 2022 Gala. The hope to see a lot of alumni and kids in attendance this year.
Be on the lookout for more details to come…