International Exchange between Sacred Heart Halifax & Sacred Heart Atherton, California!

Two of our high school exchange students Maddy and Sebastian and elementary school student, Elena, daughter of Sra Rojo, attended classes at Sacred Heart School in Atherton, California recently.  Sra Rojo was on a professional exchange and brought her daughter.

Maddy and Sebastian found a painting of Mater Admirabilis at Atherton!

 Sra. Rojo gets hands on at the Sacred Heart Atherton farm!

 Elena had a fantastic week with the Sacred Heart Atherton fifth grade class

Monica, Elena & Maddy send you greetings from the RSCJ at Oakwood (retirement home for the Sisters!)

Rich Dioli the Director of Schools with Monica

Elena on Elena Ave!

Maddy address the Sisters at the Oakland retirement home.

 James Everitt, Principal of Sacred Heart Preparatory 
(the Upper School of gr 9-12) with Monica

Elena going for lunch

Sister Catherine Roach, RSCJ with Maddy

Sr. Clare Pratt, rscj, Director of the Oakland Retirement home welcoming 

Maddy, Elena and Monica!

Elena with some of her new Sacred Heart Atherton friends.

Maddy and some of her new Sacred Heart Atherton friends

It is wonderful to build this bridge between our schools in Atherton & Halifax!


Below are photos taken by Barb Martell in Atherton California when she was there for the 
Janet Erskine Stuart Conference in July 2013.  
This is their Aquatic Centre!  How would you like to go on an exchange there!

Entrance to Aquatic Centre

Entrance to Aquatic Centre

Stained Glass of Mater Admirabilis

William Ryan Proceeds to International Competition!

William Ryan, Grade 6, proceeds to the International PGL French Dictée Competition to be held in Montreal in May.  This competition will be televised.

Good luck, William!  We are very proud of you!

Mme Fitzgerald (William's French teacher), William and Mr. Tugwell, Principal of the Sacred Heart Elementary School

Dr. Michael Ungar Presentation on April 2nd at SMU

Wednesday, April 2nd at SMU 
Scotiabank Theatre from 7-9pm

In late January, the staff from the ACIS schools in Halifax had a combined PD day.  Our keynote speaker was Dr. Michael Ungar from Dalhousie University.  He spoke about resilience building in children and how that relates to teachers and community.  As part of his offering, he will be having a parent/community night for our parents/community members.  It will take place the evening of Wednesday, April 2nd at SMU's Scotiabank Theatre at 7-9pm.  It is open and free to anyone who would like to attend.

Please see his bio below.  He was a fantastic speaker at our PD day and will surely be a hit in April.

As a family therapist, Dr. Michael Ungar has become concerned that we may be keeping our children too safe for their own good. If we adults think back to when we were young, didn’t the risks we take and the responsibilities we had help prepare us for the challenges we would face later in our lives? Didn’t those experiences make us more resilient? Over his years of practice, Michael has seen a disturbing trend: a connection between all the security we offer children and troubling behaviors like anxiety, a lack of responsibility for one’s self and others, drug abuse, early sexual activity, and a lack of respect for adults. In this presentation, Michael will discuss ways to offer our children and teenagers the right amount of risk and responsibility. He will share what he has learned from families who have found ways to provide their children with the ‘risk-takers advantage’, helping them to grow up to be competent, caring contributors to their families, schools, and communities.

Michael Ungar, Ph.D. 
Network Director, CYCC Network 

Co-Director, Resilience Research Centre
Dalhousie University 

Sacred Heart School Presents Arabian Nights April 23, 24, 25

Sacred Heart School presents "Arabian Nights" April 23, 24, 25 at 7:00 p.m.  Mark your calendar!

Bailey Francis, Gr. 11 Wins Prestigious National Award - Vimy Pilgrimage Award

We are very proud of Bailey Francis, Grade 11, who has won a prestigious national award, the Vimy Pilgrimage Award.  Out of hundreds of applicants from across the country, Bailey Francis, a grade 11 student at the Sacred Heart School of Halifax, was selected to participate in this program, which recognizes the actions of young people who demonstrate outstanding service, positive contributions, notable deeds, bravery or leadership. This story highlights the achievements of local youth, but also builds into a larger narrative about the celebrations for Vimy Day in April as well as the campaign to mark the centennial of Vimy Ridge in 2017. 

The Vimy Pilgrimage Award consists of a fully funded, week-long educational program in Vimy, France, to study Canada’s tremendous First World War effort. This week, scheduled for April 5 – 12, 2014 and organized by The Vimy Foundation, will include classroom education and daily field trips to important First World War sites. The Battle of Vimy Ridge was not simply a First World War battle; students will learn how this event was Canada’s coming of age. 

The students who are participating in the program this year will have a particularly unique experience, as the Honourable Justin Fantino, Minister of Veterans Affairs, will be joining the group for Vimy Day on April 9, 2014 to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. 

The students will also have the opportunity to be present for the breaking ground on the new Education Centre to be built at the site. This 22,000 sq. ft. (1850 sq. m.) facility will be officially opened at the 100th centennial of the Battle at Vimy Ridge, April 9, 2017, and will also mark the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Confederation. 

For more information about the Vimy Foundation and the Vimy Pilgrimage Award, please visit their website at https://www.vimyfoundation.ca/ and the 2017 Campaign site athttp://www.vimy100.ca/.

Anya Friesen, Gr. 10, Selected for Workshop in Computer Science!

CEMC Workshop in Computer Science for Young Women

Congratulations to Anya Friesen, Gr. 10, for being selected to attend the “CEMC Workshop in Computer Science for Young Women in June at the University of Calgary, which is a unique opportunity designed to ignite enthusiasm for computer science in interested female students from across Canada.  The young women invited learn that computer science is about much more than using and programming computers. Through lectures, labs and hands-on activities, the workshop explores the foundations and applications of computer science that have a profound effect on the world today. Lasting friendships develop as participants stay in on-campus residences for one week and enjoy many social events.”

Sacred Heart Welcomes Miriam Regan-MacNeil as the Director of Advancement

Sacred Heart School of Halifax welcomes Miriam Regan-MacNeil as she begins her position as the Director of Advancement today.  Welcome aboard, Miriam!

Sacred Heart School of Halifax was engaged in a search process for a Director of Advancement over the past couple of months. Adding this position will strengthen the School's fundraising and community outreach initiatives. It was a priority of the School's Strategic Plan.

Miriam Regan-MacNeil completed 15 years of experience with Centennial Hotels Limited, most recently as a member of the corporate executive team. Before Centennial, she was at The Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites and The Citadel Halifax Hotel - engaging in executive management and operations. She is an expert in human resources. Strong leadership and communications skills, strategic and business planning, and experience with successful event planning all combine to make Ms. Regan-MacNeil the ideal person to create this new position. As Director of Advancement Ms. Regan-MacNeil is a graduate of the Sacred Heart School Class of 1980, and a member of the Advancement Committee of the School's Board of Governors since 2011.

Establishing this senior position will allow the Sacred Heart School of Halifax to integrate communications, public relations, fundraising, and recruitment efforts.  Ms. Regan-MacNeil officially begins her new position on March 19, and she will work directly with all current members of the administration, faculty, staff, board of governors, parents, (current and past), alumnae/i (including alums of College Street School), the Religious of the Sacred Heart, and friends of the School.

Now in its 165th year in Halifax, Sacred Heart is privileged to advance its’ mission of education with a person who has lived the Sacred Heart philosophy most of her life. Ms. Regan-MacNeil brings creativity, energy, tremendous knowledge of the community, and years of professional experience, leadership, and expertise to the role.

Contact her at mregan@shsh.ca or 902-422-4459 office or cell 902-499-3053

Sacred Heart Alumnae receive Medical School Acceptances!

Victoria Bentley and Jill Carter,Class of 2008, and Heidi Bentley, Class of 2010 heard last week that they have been accepted into the Dalhousie Medical School Class of 2018.  They took their undergraduate degrees at McGill, Acadia and Dalhousie respectively. Jill is a Sacred Heart Lifer and Victoria and Heidi came to Sacred Heart in elementary. 

Congratulations, Jill, Victoria and Heidi!

Second Week of our March Break!

Sacred Heart School gets a two week March Break and this week we have a day camp for elementary school students.

European Trip during Our March Break!

Sacred Heart students have been on a European school trip during our two week March Break.  Yesterday they were in Rome viewing the original painting of Mater Admirabilis.

Congratulations to William Ryan, Gr. 6!

Our school champ in the PGL French Dictée competition went on to the next level and has been crowned Regional Champion!  

William Ryan in grade 6 is the top performer in the Atlantic Regional Finale of "La Dictée" P.G.L. in Atlantic Canada! 

Thank you to Mme Ann Fitzgerald who brought this new opportunity to our students. 

Congratulations!

Our Director of ESL in China!

Our Director of ESL, Mrs. Alison Boyer is in China this week on a recruitment venture and she sends back some news along with pictures of her trip.

Greetings from China!

It has been busy, starting with the arrival in Beijing. Here I met with our Chinese partners to discuss and review our recruiting needs in our ESL programme, student experiences, language levels, testing, communication and homestay process. The next days include school visits, student interviews and agency presentations in three cities:  Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai. 

 

I feel really proud of SH on these trips and I continue to see what a good opportunity attending Sacred Heart is for our ESL students coming from China and elsewhere.  And, of course, our students gain so much for welcoming these students into our school community.

Thank you, Alison and all the best for the rest of your trip! 

An Evening with Chef Dale: Alumnae/i Fundraiser

On Friday, February 28th, the Sacred Heart Alumnae/i Association held "An Evening with Chef Dale", the Executive Chef at Digby Pines who is also a past parent.  He was accompanied by an alumna Emma Strubank Adamski, Class of 2009.  It was held at the Ferguson home in Halifax.  It was absolutely delightful and all 32 people left having experienced the delicious menu from Chef Dale and the dessert prepared and demonstrated by Emma.  Our gratitude to Chef Dale, Emma and the Ferguson's for a fantastic and enjoyable evening.