Students Meet Author & Illustrator at Woozles!

As part of the TD Canada Grade One Book Giveaway and organised by Woozles and Penguin Random House Canada, the students were invited to meet the author and illustrator of Mr. Zinger’s Hat.  Author Cary Fagan read the story to a captivated group and there was a discussion and sing-a long.  Illustrator Dusan Petricic enthralled the students with his drawing skills.  The children returned to school with their own signed copies of the book.

Thank you for the pictures Mrs. O'Halloran!

FA Cooking Club Society

The Fountain Academy Cooking Society cooks again!  They made Pasta al Forno. It was a big hit. The gentlemen are displaying the pan before it went in the oven. Then the last picture is the finished product (as it's being consumed).  Thank you for the pictures Mrs. Paula Simpson-O'Brien.  Looks delicious!  They even set the table!  Way to go, guys!

A Reflection on Trip to France by Emma Hamlyn, Gr. 6

In November 2014, my parents and I travelled to France to visit the WWI battlefields. 

We specifically wanted to see the Beaumont Hamel site because my parents are from Newfoundland. When we arrived we stayed in Paris for a couple of nights and toured the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. Then we took a train to Arras where we met our guide Richard.  Richard was a British marine and spy!! He took us to Beaumont Hamel, Vimy Ridge and a few other battle sites. We even had lunch at a castle! Richard knows a lot about WWI so we learned a lot. At Beaumont Hamel, we learned about the battle on July 1, 1916 when most of the NL Regiment was killed. There is a famous tree there called the Danger Tree where a lot of the men died. We also learned a lot about what the life of a soldier would have been like then. The trenches there are the same trenches that the soldiers lived in. The next day we drove to Belgium to see the Menin Gate Memorial and in the afternoon I visited a Sacred Heart school in France.               

On Remembrance Day, we went back to Beaumont Hamel by ourselves for the ceremony.  They sang O Canada and the Ode to Newfoundland and then read a letter from a soldier home to his mother the day before he died. Mom cried and I think Dad did too. We met a group who were visiting from Memorial University and some of them found the graves of their relatives. I thought it was really cool that most of the people working there were Canadian university students. 

written by Emma Hamlyn, Gr. 6C

Thank you for sharing this with us, Emma.  Well done!

Alum, Amanda Vaughan, Visits to Discuss Nutrition

Amanda Vaughan, SHSH Class of 2011 and a recent graduate of Acadia University (B.Sc. in Nutrition), came to Mrs. Bekkers' grade 9 science classes on Tuesday morning to do a presentation on nutrition and healthy eating.  The students were particularly interested in this topic as they have been studying cell structures, cell division, and the various nutrients needed by the body to build healthy cells.  Thank you, Amanda, for an excellent presentation!  (Thank you for the pictures, Mrs. Bekkers!)

Christmas Fair Nov. 21st!

Sacred Heart Christmas Fair is Saturday, November 21st from 11-3pm.  Please spread the word as there will be fabulous food, games room, toys, books, treasures, craft sale, raffle, bingo, bake table and a silent auction

Sacred Heart Alums Receive Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award from Prince!

Sacred Heart Alums, Gillian Crosby and Carley Bekkers, Class of 2013, with Duke of Ed coach, Jared Griffiths, at yesterday's Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award ceremony at the Halifax Central Library. The awards were presented to the girls by His Royal Highness Prince Edward. There were 59 recipients from across Canada. 

Sr. Wachter's Blog: Sacred Heart Charism

Sacred Heart Charism 

In October, I was in Mexico to participate in the international conference of heads of Sacred Heart schools. We represented 49 schools in 19 countries - from the Congo, Egypt, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, to Europe, Autralia, New Zealand and the Americas. Held in a new location every four years since 2000, this conference focuses on qualities that form our Sacred Heart identity.

Despite differing widely in cultural context, governance, and social make-up, our Sacred Heart Schools share the same charism (pronounced care-ism). Charism describes our spirit, mission, traditions - in short, our Sacred Heart fingerprints, DNA or that "special sauce" that makes us who we are.

Charism is a gift, something we continue to “catch” from the vision and spirit of our founder Madeleine Sophie Barat. We are challenged to understand Sophie's fuel and energy, her reality and personality, and today we are called to articulate this with our students and for ourselves. Our charism is rooted in Sophie's experience of God's love and the way she was impelled to share this through her schools. For Sacred Heart folks, our charism is not static, it asks us to be open to the movement of God's love in our community. We are to listen, ponder, and articulate with words and actions the vision, energy, and mission expressed in our Goals and Criteria. Resting on our storied past is not consistent with our charism; on the contrary, we need to understand our history, as well as our current context and the movement of the spirit in 2015 as we interpret the way forward in our schools - wherever we are around the world.

We convey our charism incompletely because it is always in process. 

Our attempt is itself part of making our charism more complete.

This blog is one attempt to put language on what is beyond words. As we grow in understanding and make this charism our own, we experience belonging, alignment, coherence. It is personal and living. Charism involves movement within our hearts and heads that we can’t force or fully control. We can only open ourselves to it.  We know the charism fits when it leads us to the essence of our being, to a sense of union and joy – to truth.  We know it fits when we are drawn and impelled to share it with others.

With students at Colegio Sagrado Corazon, Mex. DF

Conveying Our Charism, Three Examples:

When I was 14 years old and in my first year at Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Omaha, I was drawn into the story of Mater Admiriabilis. Sr. Shirley Miller captivated me/us as she described the painting in personal terms, and invited us to consider our own current symbols of security, faith, work and play. Sr. Miller described Congé, and gave us the chance to plan this surprise on Mater’s special day.  

Last week, I enjoyed a reunion in Léon with José, Luz Rachel, and Jessica - recent ESL alums of our school. Tears stung their eyes as they spoke of relational experiences at Sacred Heart School of Halifax. 

I had lunch with two alums of SH/San Luis Potosi who have children considering enrolling at SHSH for a year of ESL. Upon meeting one another, we instantly understood and trusted the other. Of course, we discovered we know people in common, but more importantly we share the same fingerprints on our hearts, minds, and souls. 

Our Sacred Heart Halifax students claim this charism that asks each to be utterly and uniquely herself/himself. Each belongs, and our family is a global, local, and personal experience.