Sacred Heart School

October will be a busy month at Sacred Heart, with several important events and activities planned for our students and families. Please mark your calendars for the following:

1. Blessing of the Pets – October 2
In honor of the Feast of St. Francis on October 4 and his love for all of God’s creation, we will have a Blessing of the Pets on Friday, October 2. Parents may bring their pets through the afternoon carline, and Fr. David will offer a special blessing for each pet. We look forward to celebrating this beautiful tradition with our Sacred Heart families!

2. Fall Break – October 7–12
There will be no school during Fall Break. Classes will resume on Tuesday, October 13.

3. Student-Parent Conferences – October 15–16
Student-Parent Conferences will be held on Thursday, October 15, and Friday, October 16. Teachers sent a link on Monday, September 28, for families to sign up for a conference time.

Please refer to page 30 of the Student-Parent Handbook for additional information regarding conferences. These conferences are required by the Diocese, and students must attend the conference with a parent or legal guardian. Each student will have one scheduled conference time.

Friday, October 16, will not be a traditional school day. Students only need to come to school Friday for their scheduled conference time. We will not have class. Students attending their conference on Friday do not have to wear their school uniform. The legal guardian must be present. You may not send someone in your place.

4. PTO International Festival – October 16
We are excited to celebrate our first-ever PTO International Festival on Friday, October 16! More information about this exciting event will be shared soon. The table sign-up is below.

5. Red Ribbon Week – October 26–30
We will celebrate Red Ribbon Week October 26–30. Students will have opportunities throughout the week to participate in activities that promote healthy choices and making good decisions. More information will be coming soon.

6. Halloween Trick-or-Treat – October 30
Our students will enjoy a school-day Halloween Trick-or-Treat on Friday, October 30. We will be asking families to help us with candy donations. More information about donations and the event will be shared as we get closer to the date. Students may wear halloween shirts and jeans.

Check below for PTO announcements!

The Week Ahead:

October 2: Blessing of the pets in afternoon carline

October: 7-12: Fall Break

October 13: Students return to class

October 15-16: Required Parent Conefrences - more details to follow

October 15: PTO Fall Fundraiser Reward

October 16: PTO International Night Festival

Looking Ahead:

October 19: Bishop Kopacz will visit and pray the rosary with our students at 8:30. All are welcome.

October 26-30: Red Ribbon Week

October 30: School trick-or-treat; students may wear halloween shirts and jeans.

Mark your calendars! Everyone is invited to the Christ the King Fall Festival Saturday, October 10. Please see the flyer below. They need vendors and volunteers!

Many students wore their new PTO Spirit T-shirts today for denim day!

PTO Trivia Night - Donations needed!

Our annual trivia night will be here before you know it! Please contact Allison Baskin or Lena Collins if you are able to help or lead in securing donations for our silent auction. This is a great and easy way to earn your service hours!

Mrs. Baskin - abaskin@shsm.org

Mrs. Collins - lcollins@shsm.org

PTO will be selling Dippin' Dots!

PTO Dippin' Dots were a big hit! We will offer more soon!

Our PTO will be selling Birthday Grams this year!

If you would like to purchase a special birthday treat for your child from PTO, please click the link.

https://forms.gle/fgcqesYuao8hYRWi8

Link to host a table at the International Food Festival:

- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0444A5A72BA2FFC16-65406045-international#/

❤️

At Sacred Heart School, we take seriously our role as stewards of God’s creation. Our recycling efforts are not only important environmental practices, but also valuable opportunities to teach our students about responsibility, sustainability, and respect for the Earth.

We have several ongoing and new recycling projects that both students and families are invited to support:

🌱 Plastic Recycling Project – Trex Challenge
We are collecting soft plastics, such as grocery bags, bread bags, and other plastics that stretch slightly. These items will be sent to Trex, a company that recycles them into durable outdoor products. Be sure that the plastic bags do not have food residue in them!

♻️ Aluminum Can Collection

We ask parents to bring in aluminum cans to support our ongoing recycling efforts. A designated trailer is often parked in our school parking lot for easy drop-off. If the trailer is not on campus, please bring cans to the main entrance of the school during school hours.

Our Mission

Sacred Heart School is a Catholic environment dedicated to developing young people whose actions reflect knowledge, respect, and integrity.

Our Vision

Sacred Heart Students thrive in a diverse and ever-changing world.

Our Beliefs

We believe…

• all students and staff bring something positive to the classroom and school.
• God loves all students and staff unconditionally.
• we should all use our gifts and talents to serve God and to care for and serve one another.
• students deserve a rigorous, well-rounded education.
• we should embrace diversity.

Sacred Heart School is fully accredited through Cognia, the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools, and the National Catholic Educational Association.

School accreditation is a vital part of ensuring high-quality teaching and instruction in a safe and supportive learning environment. It provides accountability, fosters continuous improvement, and affirms that our school meets rigorous educational standards.

Recently, the Catholic Diocese of Jackson participated in a system-wide Engagement Review conducted by Cognia. We are proud to report that our Diocese met all eight required assurances and received an Accreditation Status along with an Index of Education Quality (IEQ) score of 389 out of 400. For context, the average IEQ score for a school system is 296.

The Engagement Review highlighted several noteworthy strengths, including:

• System leadership that demonstrates a strong and intentional commitment to fulfilling the institution's Catholic identity, mission, and guiding principles.

• Active support and engagement from stakeholders, resulting from that commitment.

• A culture of continuous improvement, particularly in the areas of Catholic identity, collaboration, data-informed decision-making, and a shared focus on students’ experiences and needs.

• A leadership model that prioritizes system-wide success while allowing individual schools to create pathways that reflect their unique academic and spiritual goals.

We are deeply grateful to the staff, parents, and students who participated in the review process. Your contributions were essential to this achievement.

We look forward to continuing our commitment to excellence—both academically and spiritually—as we grow in faith and learning together.

In addition to Cognia, we are accredited by National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) and MidSouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS)