July 12, 2023
"Do something, get moving, be confident, risk new things, stick with it, and get on your knees. Then be ready for big surprises."
~ St. Angela Merici
Dear Sacred Heart Schools Community,
To many, the cry “school is out” heralds the beginning of summer. My family always loved the unstructured time of summer. We spent summertime with family and friends, summer camps, sports, playing, swimming, and a little travel. My children grew tremendously over the summer physically and emotionally, and we always grew closer as a family. I could see the same growth in my students at school as they entered the start of a new school year. For all students, summer is an important break and a time to mature, both physically and emotionally, to be ready for the knowledge and learning forthcoming in the fall.
School may be out, but the Ursuline campus is bustling with activity. With the mission of teaching the whole person, our summer camps are a time to explore, imagine, perform, play, create, engage, lead, learn, and make friends in a less structured setting. A schedule of 65 summer camps gives our whole community opportunities to experience SHS through theatre, dance, art, music, athletics, enrichment, and academics. What we hope for and what we’ve seen is for our 1000+ summer campers to grow in ways they have yet to experience and discover strengths and talents.
New summer classes at SHA allowed our students to complete a class this summer and open their schedule in the upcoming year for other course offerings and electives. Some of our incoming freshmen tackled their first high school class in physical education and met new classmates along the way. Students also took advantage of summer classes in Financial Literacy, Algebra 2, and Theology.
Summer also affords time to travel and explore other countries, cultures, and customs. Our world travelers at SHA learned everything from another language to a surfing lesson during their trip through Portugal. Another group is preparing now to head to Appalachia to provide a summer art camp to students in Kermit, WV.
Whether it is teamwork or pushing yourself for your personal best, sports allow students to hone their skills, work as a team and win and lose together. This summer, SHS gave our students time to play their favorite sports through the many camps on campus, and fall tryouts are right around the corner.
As a teacher and then an administrator, summer provided me with prep time for the upcoming year. Those of us at school this summer are working hard to make sure our programs, schedules, and faculty are poised for a successful upcoming school year. Our faculty have enjoyed training programs like the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and other professional development opportunities. As we continue to create innovative learning spaces and modernize our facilities, we are working to update numerous areas of our schools.
Our school leadership and administrative teams are working diligently to ensure the 2023-24 school year is our best yet across the Ursuline campus. Their dedication to excellence is both inspiring and motivating.
Finally, we feel blessed, thanks to the generosity of many donors, to be restoring the beautiful Chapel of the Immaculate Conception. Our campus will be ready for the 2023-24 school year!
I hope you enjoy the remainder of summer break with your families and are as excited about the future of Sacred Heart Schools as we are.
Wishing you and your family a blessed rest of the summer.
Together in heart,
