Given the weather predictions for scattered thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow, given that fields are already soggy, given that Sunday is predicted to be sunny (allowing for the fields to dry) and given that Monday is predicted to be partly sunny, the school administration and P.E. teachers have made the decision to postpone Field Day to our rain date, which is MONDAY, MAY 13.

All Field Day activities — the mass, the parade, the picnic, the events and the awards ceremony—will take place on Monday.

Tomorrow (Friday) we will have lunch in the cafeteria. (It will be Monday’s lunch menu). Please remember to send a lunch with your child on Monday if you will not be here to bring a lunch for the picnic.

The end-of-year band concert originally scheduled for Monday will be rescheduled. Watch for upcoming announcements.

What a fun evening we had at the Academy on Saturday, May 4! Our 39th annual Chemin de Fer auction was truly a G’Day Down Under. Four hundred and thirty guests were in high spirits imagining themselves in the Great Barrier Reef and the Australian outback—easy to do while surrounded by incredible, amazing and transformative decorations that covered nearly every square inch of Rauch Memorial and enhanced the Playroom and White Center.

Our yearly Chemin auctions have become memorable occasions—and not just for their ability to raise a good amount of money to supplement the school operating budget (though that is certainly their raison d’être). In addition to being the largest fundraiser of the year, Chemin provides the opportunity for hundreds of guests to enjoy an elegant dinner, visit with Academy parents and friends, and win exciting, one-of-a-kind auction prizes (puppies, quilts, trips, parties and more) within once-familiar spaces that are exciting, new and fun. All of the work necessary to put on these extravaganzas supports the larger work of Sacred Heart education here at the Academy of the Sacred Heart.

John and Melissa Gisi and Michael and Vanessa Fritsche were at the helm as we traveled to the Southern Hemisphere for Chemin 2013. Not only was it a G’Day, it was a good night, as well, for ASH. Final results will be announced in the weeks ahead.

CHEMIN DE FER PHOTOS

KABANCE.COM PHOTOS available for purchase

Capping a week in which we celebrated St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, Mission Day was a happy occasion for students to support Goal III projects—and have lots of fun in the process!

View MISSION DAY PHOTOS.

We look forward to celebrating the Feast of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat and Mission Day on Thursday, April 25. Mass at 10 a.m. in Rauch Memorial will be followed by Mission Day games, booths and fun.

Mission Day is a long-standing tradition in Sacred Heart schools across the Network. In early years the monies supported missions of the world; now the funds are distributed to many agencies locally, nationally and internationally. Children are encouraged to bring approximately $10 for the day’s activities.

Thanks to our Eighth Class students for organizing an exciting Congé yesterday! An unexpected play day is a long-time tradition in Sacred Heart schools the world over. Ours kicked off mid-morning with an all-school conga line in Rauch Memorial, with fun and games continuing for the remainder of day.

Conge 2013 – Academy of the Sacred Heart from Academy of the Sacred Heart on Vimeo.

Congratulations to our 49 Fifth Class students who graduated on Thursday from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program under the auspices of the St. Charles City Police Department. Officer Hayes has met weekly for ten weeks with the class to discuss how to act in their own best interests and how to resist peer pressure when facing high-risk, low-gain choices such as the use of alcohol, drugs or tobacco. Fifth Class parents were on hand to see their children graduate from the program.

Angelina H., Bridget H. and Grace H. won the D.A.R.E. Essay Awards (one per homeroom), and Richie S. was awarded the D.A.R.E. Citizenship Award.

Well done, Fifth Class students and teachers! Special thanks to Officer Hayes, Mrs. Ahlheim, Mrs. Horner and Mrs. Strother.

Congratulations to our Eighth Class students for winning second place in the 2013 Excellence in Mathematics Contest. More than two dozen schools from the St. Louis area took part in the March 16 contest at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley. This was the first time that the Academy competed in this 35-year-old math contest, in which students in grades 6–8 compete in grade-level teams. The combined total of our top four finishers’ scores determined the Academy’s second place win in Division 1.

Math teacher and coach Mrs. Lisa Delicath said, “I was particularly proud of our kids because they did most of the practice on their own.”

Accolades to Niles B., Morgan B., Mariana G., Kerrie K., Danny M., Quinn S., Veronica S., Ethan W., Adam W. and Clara W. for a job well done!

Congratulations to our Eighth Class students, all of whom were accepted recently by their first-choice high schools. In the fall, the 67 members of the Academy Class of 2013 will be attending 15 area high schools. We are very proud of each and every one of them!

Students and staff alike will join forces to support Project Peanut Butter on Friday, March 22—the last day of school before Spring Break. Project Peanut Butter aims to prevent malnutrition all around the world with a revolutionary therapeutic program founded by Dr. Mark Manary, who developed a special peanut butter food for severely malnourished children.

To raise funds for the Project Peanut Butter initiative, Academy students will be able to wear pajama pants and T-shirts on Friday for a donation of $2. In addition, a Bake Sale of peanut butter goodies will be held during all lunch periods that day; each item will cost 50¢. (There will be non-peanut butter items for children with allergies.)

• Learn more about Project Peanut Butter on the Project Peanut Butter website.
• Read more about what the Academy will do to support Project Peanut Butter on Friday, March 22.

The Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, located on the Academy campus, has a new website: www.duchesneshrine.org.

The Shrine is a lasting tribute to the Academy’s foundress, the French missionary Religious of the Sacred Heart who brought formalized education and a zeal for sharing the love of God to the Missouri frontier in 1818. Previously, information about the Shrine could be found on a page of the Academy’s website. Now, the new Shrine website is host to more easily navigable information about Philippine, the richness of her life, a history and description of the Shrine, and how one can plan a visit, support the Shrine through donations and purchase items from the gift shop.

Please visit and take a “stroll” through the virtual Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne at duchesneshrine.org.

Happy faces young and old filled the hallways and classrooms of ASH on Grandparents Day, Sunday, March 10. After a 10 a.m. liturgy in Rauch Memorial, these special members of the ASH family were treated to refreshments and personal tours of the school given by their grandchildren. The students described how they spend their days here, and learned what school was like for their grandma, papa, nana or pop. What a fun day! We were delighted to welcome grandparents, and love sharing ASH with them.

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