Heart Beat Weekly Online Newsletter

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less. - Mother Theresa

Dear Sacred Heart Families,

C.S. Lewis, the great Christian writer and storyteller, said that, "Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses." If we really consider the implications of this idea, it's clear that we have an awesome responsibility to each other. Lewis says, "There are no ordinary people!" So many people among us are extraordinary exemplars. Here are a few:

Mrs. Lambert and Mrs. Biss, organizers of the One Heart Week
Mrs. Ratra and Mrs. Blanc-Zoco for heading up the Innisbrook fundraiser drive.
Mrs. Ball and Mrs. Perone for leading an active school development effort.
Mrs. Verhofstadt for the extra time she puts in with the Student Council.
Mrs. Parra for collating and getting the School Directory published.
Mr. DeLorenzo for his work with the students involved in the Thursday Liturgies.
All the Sacred Heart family drivers for their patience at pick up and drop off times
All the parents who are hosting a class Parent Social. (Brave souls!)
Mrs. Zoco for teaching Spanish, and Mrs. Hayden for her work in the Library.
All the parents on the support committees (eg. Technology and Finance)
All the parents who have volunteered for SAC positions.
Mrs. Numann for helping out for 5 hours at our table at the Education Fair last Saturday.
Mr. Ramon Perez for vacuuming up the wasps on the field.

There are no ordinary people... certainly not! Thanks to all of you, mentioned and unmentioned, who go the extra mile in making Sacred Heart an extraordinary and excellent school.

FACILITIES IMPROVEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Last week, I mentioned the people and vendors crucial to the success of our summer facilities improvements. Unfortunately, I forgot to mention Mrs. Tanya Guerrera. My sincere apologies to Mrs. Guerrera for that! Mrs. Guerrera, an architect, was instrumental in getting the air conditioning units permitted, coordinated and placed. She offered her services to us free of charge and we are most grateful for her services to our community.

INNISBROOK FUNDRAISER: The fundraiser ended yesterday. Thanks again to Mrs. Ratra and Mrs. Blanc-Zoco for all of their hard work. It takes dedicated people to make a success of these events, and we are very thankful for their enthusiasm and dedication.

ONE HEART WEEK: Monday was the Scavenger Hunt. Today is Sportsmanship day. Wednesday, the teachers will work on Anti-bullying with their students. Thursday will be our regular mass and donuts.

LAPTOPS: We took delivery of 16 new MacBook laptops, as well as a new laptop cart, a few weeks back and we are almost finished rolling them out. This purchase was funded in part by Ms. Schelgel's Teacher of the Year $10,000 award from Comcast. Also as part of the purchase, we've included a comprehensive technology in-service opportunity for the teachers. We are now in phase 2 of our laptop rollout. All of the student MacBooks will be updated with the latest operating system (nicknamed "Snow Leopard") and the latest version of MS Office (Word, Powerpoint, Excel), iWork (Keynote, Numbers, and Pages) and the iLife suite of applications. Phase 3 involves the older iBooks. These will also be repaired, as needed. I'm excited about these updates to our Technology tools.

TECH CHALLENGE: Mr. O'Leary wins my first Faculty Tech Challenge prize. It's offered to the first teacher whose class completes a project with an important tech component. His class completed a project using Power Point. Mr. O'Leary will accompany me next week on a "road trip" to another school, in another diocese, where learning and technology are well integrated.

IMPROMPTU LUNCH: Online ordering begins this week. Please be aware that although this new service is very convenient for parents and our bookkeeper, there is a cost of $1.50 per order. No matter how many lunches are ordered for a given month, the convenience fee cost is still $1.50, and it goes to the online service provider. From the school's perspective, this service is going to save us a lot of headache and money. Thank you for understanding.

INSERVICE DAY THIS FRIDAY (Student Holiday): All of our math teachers will be attending level-specific (primary, middle, Jr. High) math in-services all day. The rest of us will be working on our accreditation self study document.
Have a nice week!

Tom Pulchny

Picture Day: Thursday October 1, 2009

Parents don't forget that your students will be taking their school pictures on Thursday October 1, 2009. Order forms went home today in the Tuesday envelope. For those parents who need extra order forms, please stop by the school office.

Any parent who sent a check last week with the purple informational flyer, your check is being returned to you in the Tuesday Envelope. Fill out the order form and attatch the same check. Return order form and check to your child's classroom.

Students remember to brush your teeth, wash your face, and comb your hair. Young ladies in Grades 5-8, please do not wear makeup.

Open House at St.Francis

We would like to invite all parents and students to attend our annual Open House on Sunday, November 1st from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Tours leave from Raskob Gym every 15 minutes, and last about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Registration is not required and you are welcome to join us when it is most convenient. Saint Francis High School is located at 1885 Miramonte Avenue, Mountain View, CA.

Open House at Queen of Apostles
Don't Miss Your Chance to hear from 6 Catholic High Schools!

Parents of students in grades 6-7-8 are invited to a High School Information Night at Queen of Apostles on October 6, 2009.

Six high schools will each give three twenty-five minute presentations. They have been assigned to the following classrooms:

Archbishop Mitty High School Community Center
Bellarmine College Preparatory Geary Hall
St.Lawrence Academy Classroom 8
Notre Dame High School Classroom 7
Saint Francis High School Classroom 6
Presentation High School Classrooms 4 & 5

Each of the above schools will have a representative give a presentation and answer question during a twenty-five minute session which will be repeated at the following times:

7:30pm - 7:55pm Session I
8:00pm - 8:25pm Session II
8:30pm - 8:55pm Session III

Seating for each session is limited, but you are assured the opportunity during one of the sessions to hear the presentation of the schools of your choice. In order for the first session to begin promptly at 7:30pm, you are invited to be at Queen of Apostles at 7:15pm.

Impromptu Reminder

Reminder from Impromptu: Ordering for the month of October is now available online. It will close at 6 p.m. next Sunday October 4, 2009. The new user code is: 120impshcsca. Any questions please contact us at: impromptulg@aol.com for 408-605-1777

Click on the link below for Impromptu's Website:

Imromptu Catering Website

Kids Week
by One Heart Team
.
The One Heart team has been busy planning the Family activities for the school year. The week of September 28 through October 1 will be "One Heart Week". During this time the Saint Families will get re-acquainted, and new students will be placed with their Saint Families.

The week's activities are outlined below:

Monday, September 28 - Scavenger Hunt and a cold treat after the hunt.
Tuesday, September 29 - Mrs. Foehr will be discussing "Sportsmanship" in an assembly format. Some kids will help by performing skits, etc.
Wednesday, September 30 - Each class will take one period to read a story about anti-bullying and/or do an activity that deals with anti-bullying.
Thursday, October 1 - The students will be sitting together in Family Groups at Mass. Donuts will be shared at the lunch tables after Church.
At lunch time, the students will "Mix-It-Up"(eat with a new friend from any grade).

The One Heart Team is looking forward to another rewarding year.

Sports News

The schedules went out last Thursday, (9/24). I hope you have yours!
FOOTBALL PARENTS please make sure you read the
letter that came with or on the back of your schedule--we will be playing on 2 no school/Wasc days!

SO HERE WE GO WITH THE 1ST WEEK OF THE SPORTS YEAR:
            9/29     7VB is at Mary at 3:45, 8-1VB is at Mary at 4:45 & 8-2VB is at
                        Mary at 5:45
            9/30     7/8 FB plays Holy Spirit at 3:45
            10/1     5VB plays Holy Spirit 1 at 3:45 & 6VB plays Mary at 4:45
            10/2     5/6FB is at Andrew at 3:45
NEXT WEEK:
            10/5     8-1VB is at Lucy at 3:45, 6VB is at Lucy at 4:45, 7VB is at
                        Lucy at 6:00
            10/6     5VB is at Holy Spirit 1 at 3:45
            107      7/8FB plays Lucy at 3:45, 8-2VB is at Clare at 4:45
            10/8     5VB plays Mary at 3:45, 8-2VB plays Mary at 4:45 & 8-1VB plays
                         Mary at 5:45
            10/9     5/6FB plays Holy Spirit 5 at 3:45

GO MUSTANGS!!!!!!!!

Alumni News:
I believe Austyn Carta-Samuels is the starting QB for the University of Wyoming. Steve Sloan (03 Dalton) is a line backer for the UCLA Bruins. On 9/30 I'll be at the Mitty-Francis VB games watching 6-10 of our alumni play each other!

CHECK YOUR CAMERAS PLEASE--I am still in need of last years 8th boys VB picture and last years 7/8 SB picture. Also if you have any pictures from last years track meet and or the walk-a-thon I'd like to finish up my scrap book. This year I'll be starting a new one.

Special Note: The Sports Calendar will be updated on the school website and the link to the calendar will be in the next Heart Beat Weekly!

Have an awesome week, Sandy

Faith Formation
by Patrick DeLorenzo

Take MST

The Music Spirit Team is doing a great job. Mrs.Wyant is very excited about all the potential for this group. So if you are still interested please join MST at lunch time on Wednesdays. If it is a short Wednesday the MST will gather from 12:30-1:10 pm in front of the church for lunch and rehearsal. The MST has the full practice Wednesday nights in the church from 7-8 pm for all those in grades 3-8. Don't miss this opportunity to give back to God the musical gifts He has given you! Questions call Mrs.Wyant at 408-867-4103.

Bible Study
When: Starting Thursday, October 8
Time: 9 am, right after the school Mass
Where: Parish Center
Who: All are welcomed
Topic: The Uniqueness of John's Gospel: The Message

If you have never studied the Bible I guarantee that you will find it fascinating. We are studying John's Gospel and why it is so unique. Patrick DeLorenzo will lead a 30 minute lecture, followed by some life application to God's Word, followed by time of sharing and questions. The class will take place in the Parish Center from 9-10:30 am. Please come with a Bible and if you do not have one Patrick will make some recommendations on Thursday before you purchase one. For more infomation call Patrick at the Faith Formation office at 408-867-1530

FAITH
Jesus said, if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible for you." People ask me a lot how do we increase our faith? The Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing of the word of God. So we need to read God's word, take it in and I would recommend reading in the New Testament - especially the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Pope John Paul II stated, "faith is increased when we share our stories of faith." Think about the times when you felt closest to God. Relive those times when you felt close to God. In the Hebrew tradition they have the term barakah, this term means God remembering His people and in turn the people remember God. When the people remember a significant moment in Jewish history they become present to that moment and all the blessings of God also become present. So for us to remember those times when we felt close to God brings with it the feelings and emotions of that past event. It is important for us to remember those significant times in our lives especially when doubt starts appearing in our life.

So when did I feel close to God?
My prayer times consist of conversation with God. I talk a lot to God and I will usually end my prayer by asking God what specifically about me do you love? In other words, we love all our children but there is something unique about each child that we love. Maybe it is the way they share, care, laugh or the insightfulness they might have or the carefree attitude they possess. So I ask God what is it about me that you love. I remember Him saying once, I like the way you take time to pray for people when you go jogging and that you offer up your run for those people. I must say I feel blessed when I done running, not only physically but also spiritually. We need to take the time to reflect, about when we do feel close to God and in that remembering we will be blessed.

Lastly, what is faith anyway? The Bible says, Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrew 11:1). Before you sit down on a chair you have faith that the chair will hold you. We don't think whether the chair will hold us or not, we have done it so many times we have faith it will. Our faith in God is like that at times - we know He is around, we know we can talk to Him, we know we can trust Him. Sometimes we just need to be reminded He is there.

Grade 2 and Grade 8 Parents Please Note:

Grade 2 Parent/Child Reconciliation Meeting
Sunday, October 18 (10:15-11:30), Geary Hall

Grade 8 Parent/Child Confirmation Meeting
Sunday, October 18 (3:30-5:00), Geary Hall followed by Blessing of Candidates at 5pm Mass.

Christian Living Outreach Foster Care Walk

Sacred Heart School and Parish/Christian Living Outreach Opportunity

Are your children willing to go the extra mile? If so, there is a wonderful opportunity available to volunteer their time for a few hours to help support the Foster Children of Santa Clara Valley (KAFPA). This organization is hosting a 5K walk on Saturday October 24, 2009, and they need volunteers to help run it. This is a great way to fulfill your Christian Living Outreach hours for the 1st Trimester!

Arrival time: 8:30am-registration (10:00 walk). Duration is as long as you can offer your time.
Location: History Park-Corner of Senter Rd. and Phelan Ave. in San Jose. (Next to Happy Hollow/Kelly Park).

They need youth volunteers (preferably 5th-8th graders) to help:

pass out waters and packaged snacks to the walkers,

registration, sign-in, passing out their merchandise,

cleanup at the end of the walk

If this sounds like something you or your kids would like to help with, please contact the 7th grade Christian Living Rep, Trudi Dionne-Reid at tdreid@comcast.net or fill out the signup sheets in the School office. The spots will fill up fast so please hurry! Deadline to sign up is Oct 9th @ 3:00pm.

More information click on the link below:
5K Walk Information

Christian Living

Our October monthly Christian Living and "Act as Christians in the World" Ministry Outreach is Goodwill Industries. Sacred Heart Parish will serve as a collection site the first weekend of October. A trailer will be parked on the premises from Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 30th through Sunday Oct. 4, 2009.

Here's what they will accept:

Gently used washed or dry-cleaned clothing, shoes, jackets, coats
Children's games and toys that have all the pieces, sports equipment, books and multimedia
Ewaste - electronics which include: monitors, computer hard drives, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice - wired or wireless, speakers, cords, cables
Recycle cell phones, ink and toner cartridges
Kitchen items, gadgets, plates, cups, coffee pots, bedding, lamps, vcr/dvd media
Here's what they cannot accept:
Mattresses and pillows, large appliances; washers, dryers, office furniture
Auto parts, car seats, snow skis, pianos or organs
Gas powered garden tools, camping equipment containing gas, oil or butane, fish tanks.
Hazardous waste, batteries, newspaper, magazines

Thank you for your generous support of our stewardship effort..

Kathy Lambert

Box Tops

Sacred Heart School needs FREE money and because you collect and clip Boxtops all year long, our school receives FREE money from Boxtops For Education. This year is no different. Please begin to send to school all Boxtops that have accumulated over the past couple of months. Please help out by clipping them down and submit with your child's name.

The month of October we will award prizes to our TOP CLIPPERS!

Thank you for your support!

Pre-Kindergarten Thank You's Thank You Flowers

by Mrs. Soto

Thank you to the Pallone Family for their donation of a refrigerator to Pre Kindergarten. Our snacks now stay yummy and cold.

A big thank you to Mr.Pesce for cleaning and organizing our playground. We love it!

Partners in Faith Partners in Faith Angel

Check out the October edition of Partners in Faith, it has a great article on Why Catholic bless their animals in October? In addition, there are some important feast days in October such as Our Lady of the Rosary, St. Simon and St. Jude. So check it out!

Click on the link below.
Partners in Faith October Edition

Feast of the Guardian Angels
Friday October 2

Perhaps no aspect of Catholic piety is as comforting to parents as the belief that an angel protects their little ones from dangers real and imagined. Yet guardian angels are not just for children. Their role is to represent individuals before God, to watch over them always, to aid their prayer and to present their souls to God at death.

The concept of an angel assigned to guide and nurture each human being is a development of Catholic doctrine and piety based on Scripture but not directly drawn from it. Jesus' words in Matthew 18:10 best support the belief: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."

Devotion to the angels began to develop with the birth of the monastic tradition. St. Benedict (July 11) gave it impetus and Bernard of Clairvaux (August 20), the great 12th-century reformer, was such an eloquent spokesman for the guardian angels that angelic devotion assumed its current form in his day. A feast in honor of the guardian angels was first observed in the 16th century. In 1615, Pope Paul V added it to the Roman calendar.

Heart Beat Weekly Deadline for Submissions

The procedure for placing articles, information, flyers or announcements in our weekly Tuesday bulletin is as follows: All "blurbs" are due by email to the school office by Friday of each week at noon. Please send your emails to c.parra@sacredheartsaratoga.org

Non-Discrimination Information

Sacred Heart School does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and/or ethnic origin, age, sex or disability in administration of educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.