This has been quite a week, and we were only in school for four days!
Today we celebrated the feast of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, and the sun came out! Archbishop Mancini was the presider at our all-school liturgy and he spoke about St. Madeleine Sophie’s desire, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, to establish schools for girls. Our school was founded in her lifetime and it has had an impact on the lives of many young women, and now young men, for over 160 years.
At noon we had the 10 Year Dinner for the following students who have been at Sacred Heart for 10 years: Hannah Bekkers, Laura Bullock, Gabrielle Fader, Rory Flynn, Rebecca Foster, Anya Friesen, Emily MacNeil, Katie McKay, Emma McLean, Sarah Polley, Fareeha Quraishi, Shifa Quraishi, Caroline Rajda, Jasmeen Sidhu and Rena Tom. Something to celebrate; congratulations, girls!
At the end of the school day the faculty and staff had an opportunity to celebrate colleagues who are marking mile-stone years of service. In Sacred Heart High School we recognized Mrs. Chris Horne, Mrs. Carolyn MacKenzie, Miss Patricia McMullen and Mme Charlotte Riley who have been at Sacred Heart for 20 years. How blessed we are; thank you for the gift of self that you bring to Sacred Heart each day!
Regional Track and Field took place this week. Congratulations to Bailey Francis, Gr. 10 who came 2nd in the triple jump and Jessie Wile, Gr. 8 who came 4th in the 100M. Both girls advance to Provincials next week. Hats off to all who participated in track and field; conditions have been far from ideal this year and yet many accomplished personal bests.
Wednesday was a House Colour Day so that we could have a school-wide photograph. Our hope was to have it outside, but the weather didn’t co-operate. At 10:15 the whole school gathered in the gym and the photograph was taken. Then Sr. Wachter, accompanied by ‘headmistress for the day’, Mrs. Margaret Fountain, announced Congé which, in Sacred Heart tradition, is an in-school holiday. We had a spirited House relay race, won by Barat House, and then all celebrated with cake. I would like to extend a big thank you to Ms. Grant who worked with teachers from the elementary school and Fountain Academy to plan the day. In the afternoon we enjoyed a performance of Legally Blonde at Neptune.
Yesterday we had our end of the year Choir and Audeamus Concert. This was a sneak preview of the Spring Concert which takes place this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Ms. Dawson is an outstanding choir director and we have very talented students. All are welcome to attend the concert.
The Band Concert, highlighting our Intermediate and Senior Bands as well as our Jazz Ensemble, is on Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. Our Band Director, Mrs. Linda George-Wegner, has grown our band programme and they are now quite impressive. All are welcome to attend.
Spirit Gear – earlier this week an email went out to parents from Mark James, President of the Parents’ Guild, regarding the new line of Spirit Gear that students can purchase. Today was the deadline for orders with a June 14th delivery date. However, orders can be placed at any time throughout the year (delivery time is three to four weeks and we will call you when the order comes in). Students will able to wear Spirit Gear on Fridays.
Debate Camp, August 19th – 23rd – This is a message from Brian Casey our debate coach. Please consider whether your son/daughter should come to the Sacred Heart/Fountain Academy debate camp ($400 for the week, which includes meals). It is open to students going into grades 7-11. Students are placed according to experience, so that a new debater will not be overwhelmed by those who are more experienced. Last year’s students came from every province except PEI. This is an excellent opportunity for bright students to connect with others who are like them. We are also looking for billets for about twenty four students. Most will arrive on the afternoon of Sunday August 18th. Depending on flight arrangements, some will depart on Friday August 23 in the evening, and some on Saturday August 24th. As a thank you to those who take a billet, we offer your son or daughter $100 off the camp fee if they wish to attend. However, the real benefit is that we get to practice and debate against students from across the country. As in past years, we have registrations from Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal.
Please email Mr. Casey at bcasey@eastlink.ca if you would be willing to take a billet, or if you wish to sign up your daughter. There are brochures in the school for students who are interested.
Class Parents for 2013-2014 – The Parents’ Guild is hoping to have class parents for the upcoming school year in place before we leave in June. We very much appreciate the contribution that class parents make to the school and I encourage you to consider putting your name forward. Application forms have been sent out to parents; please contact Judith Crosby at djcrosby@ns.sympatico.ca if you have any questions about the role of class parent.
Next week is our last full week of classes before exams. The Last Will and Testament on Tuesday is an opportunity for the student body to celebrate and bid farewell to our graduates, and for the graduates to express their gratitude. This is a fun, but often emotional event. At our Awards Celebration on Thursday we recognize extra-curricular involvement and achievements, and we acknowledge and thank our student leaders.
Congratulations to Julia Wiseman for earning the Lady Baden Powell Award!
On Saturday, many of our Elementary Families met at school for blue face paint and fun in the gym before heading to the start of the Bluenose youth run. Our children had a great time with Shredder, the Shark mascot for Fountain Academy, our Gr. 7-12 boys' division. Shredder encouraged our young runners along the 4km course, and proceeded to entertain many young Haligonians in the Metro Centre after the race. We are grateful to Shredder and to his guide for the day, Head Boy Armand Caron!
Sacred Heart School of Halifax is Canada's top high school debate team.
