Board Hosts 9th Annual Benefit

A Partnership Network School
IN THIS ISSUE
NEWSLETTER
SPRING / SUMMER 2014
VOLUME IX, ISSUE 2
Board Hosts 9th
Annual Benefit
On Tuesday, June 3rd, friends of Sacred
Heart joined students and school staff
for the 9th Annual Yankees Benefit,
sponsored by the Sacred Heart School
Board. Even the rainy weather could not
put a damper on the event, which built
on the success of recent years with a
record number of adult attendees.
Guests met students and staff in the
Sacred Heart rectory for a pre-game
barbecue of classic ballpark food.
During the cookout, supporters got to
know students and staff in a casual,
family atmosphere. After everyone was
fed and energized, the crowd marched
down to Yankee Stadium to watch the
Yankees take on the Oakland A’s.
A total of 60 guests and 30 students
enjoyed the 2014 Yankees Benefit. The
evening is always exciting for the Sacred
Heart students who attend since many,
despite living close to the stadium, have
not had the opportunity to see the
famed Yankees in action. Eighth grader
Samuel K. had a great time meeting the
guests. "I liked talking to the guests
because they really wanted to learn
about us. Going to the game with my
Chess Open
2
Eighth Grade Graduates
2
Museum Program
3
Student Recognition
3
Parent Spotlight
4
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE
SHHighbridge.org/Alumni
classmates was a lot of fun too!"
SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS
Thanks to the hard work and dedication
of all of those involved, the event raised
over $16,000. All funds raised go
toward academic enrichment programs
at Sacred Heart. This school year,
enrichment programs including
Saturday TACHS preparation and
weekly after-school activities ensured
that our graduating students were
competitive high school applicants.
Donations of any amount make a difference.
The success of June’s event would not
have been possible without the support
of the Sacred Heart School Board, who
invited friends and family in addition to
sponsoring student tickets. A special
thank you goes to Ted Burdick, who
works to coordinate the event from
beginning to end each year. We are
already looking forward to reaching the
decade mark at next year’s 10th Annual
Yankees Benefit!
Below are some of our greatest needs.
$250 Supplies for students
$500 Academic field trip for one grade
$1,000 Scholarship for a deserving student
SHHighbridge.org/support-us
Supporters and students enjoying the game.
DEAR FRIENDS,
It has been an exciting year of learning and growth here at Sacred Heart School. As
I look back, I am amazed by the extraordinary dedication shown by every member
of our school: students, parents, faculty, administrators, and our valued supporters.
As one of the six schools in the Partnership network, Sacred Heart has seen growth
and change. We have increased our staff to better meet the needs of our students,
parents, and community. The school enrollment is rising and we made changes to
our building to promote safety and security. The faculty continues to be trained to
deliver excellent instruction based on the Common Core standards.
The enthusiasm of the Sacred Heart family has allowed us to realize
unprecedented achievements. We look forward to continued success and
improvements.
Several hard-working eighth graders were
rewarded with tickets to the Yankees game.
Until September,
Abigail Akano, Principal
Students Meet and Compete at Chess Open
The Sacred Heart auditorium was
transformed into a chess arena on
Friday, April 11th, for the First Annual
Partnership Network Chess Open.
Students from the six Partnership
network schools participated in the
event, which was organized by Chess
NYC and the Partnership for InnerCity Education. Over 100 kids from
grades Pre-K to 8 played in the Open.
The afternoon kicked off with a brief
introduction before students were
paired off for their first match. After
Eighth graders ponder their next moves.
Photo courtesy of Robin Bowman.
the instructors announced the start of
the match, the auditorium fell into
complete silence as students focused
all their energy on the board in front of
them. Following the first match,
participants were rearranged for 2nd
and 3rd matches according to their
results. When the final round came to
an end, students had pizza and snacks
to refuel after a solid two hours of
chess. The top 10 finishers in the
elementary and middle school age
groups received special recognition,
and all students received a trophy to
acknowledge their fantastic effort.
Sacred Heart showed talent with three
students in the top ten of the middle
school division.
Chess has been a popular part of Afterschool programming at Sacred Heart
since it began in 2012. Chess NYC
provides weekly chess lessons to
students of all ages in the general
After-school program. Chess
instruction is also part of our 8th grade
after-school enrichment. Many
students had little exposure to chess
before their lessons at Sacred Heart,
Luca makes a move during his first match.
Photo courtesy of Robin Bowman.
but they have quickly taken to the
game.
First grader Luca T. has been building
his chess skills all year in After-school.
He thinks playing chess is great
because, “you get to play a game but it
also teaches you how to think and
make smart choices.”
Sacred Heart is grateful to all who gave
their time to put on the Partnership
Open, especially the Partnership for
Inner-City Education and Chess NYC.
Bright Futures Ahead for
Graduating 8th Graders
As this school year drew to a close, the
Sacred Heart family said its goodbyes
to the Class of 2014. On Friday, June
13th, the departing 8th graders entered
Sacred Heart for the last time as
students before their graduation
ceremony.
Graduation is always bittersweet, but
we are confident that our 8th graders
have very exciting futures ahead of
them. The Class of 2014 has benefitted
from Saturday TACHS preparation
classes, a mandatory after-school
program and the addition of Secondary
School Advisor, Ms. Alexis Suib. These
programs, along with the academic and
character develop that every Sacred
Heart student experiences, led to great
success in high school admissions.
54 out of our 57 8th graders applied to
Catholic high schools and all 54 were
accepted. High schools that our
graduates will attend this fall include:
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Cardinal Hayes
St. Raymond HS for Boys
St. Raymond Academy
Cardinal Spellman
All Hallows
For many Sacred Heart parents,
making ends meet to provide tuition
for private high schools is a struggle.
Even families who are able to pay full
tuition at Sacred Heart find that the
cost increase for high school creates
difficulties. Thankfully, there are many
scholarship opportunities from the
high schools and outside
organizations. With the guidance of
Ms. Suib, several of our 8th graders will
receive financial support in the fall.
Five students were selected for the
Student Sponsor Partners (SSP)
This year’s FDNY award recipients with a
member of Ladder 49 after the 8th grade mass.
program, which provides a generous
amount of funding for graduating 8th
graders.
Ms. Suib was also instrumental in Yennina L.’s acceptance into the Jeter’s
Leaders program. Yennina will be
joining 2013 graduate Sata D. in the
prestigious leadership program.
Samuel K. will be attending Fordham
Prep in the fall and is prepared for
what comes next, saying, “I am
nervous but mostly excited because I
am ready for the next step.”
SHS Pilots Bronx Children’s Museum Program
Sacred Heart is thrilled to be a part of
an educational pilot program, Little
Friends of High Bridge (LFHB),
through the Bronx Children’s Museum.
The program provides an opportunity
for children in the Highbridge neighborhood to learn more about the landmark “High Bridge” and the
Harlem River, which are just a few
blocks away from Sacred Heart. The
Bronx Children’s Museum, Highbridge
Community Life Center, Bronx
Historical Society and NYC
Department of Environmental
Education launched LFHB as a way to
Museum educators show first graders a beaver
pelt and a replica of a skull.
celebrate the upcoming reopening of
the High Bridge.
The main goal of the program is to use
the High Bridge as a tool to understand
Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math (STEM) topics. Representatives
from the Bronx Children’s Museum
provided an introductory course for
the Pre-K through 2nd grade teachers
who are participating in LFHB. To
guide their instruction, the teachers
received resources including a book of
comprehensive lesson plans and digital
and physical picture sets of bridges,
rivers and river animals. Sacred Heart
students will also be some of the first
recipients of a book about the High
Bridge written by Bronx native and
Sesame Street star, Sonia Manzano.
One of the highlights of LFHB is the
Bronx Children’s Museum mobile river
exhibit. Since it is difficult to
coordinate field trips to the High
Bridge and Harlem River, the museum
has created a bus whose inside is
transformed into the riverfront. When
students boarded the bus, they felt like
Kindergarten students use magnifying glasses
to study the river exhibit on the bus.
they were on the banks of the Harlem
River even though they were right in
front of Sacred Heart!
Kindergarten student Diem J. felt like
she was on an adventure when she got
on the bus. “We pretended that we
were explorers! I saw a skunk,
chipmunk and squirrel!”
We are eager to continue the
exploration with LFHB next year!
Students Recognized for Unique Talents
Seventh grader Rachel A. gained
acceptance into the highly competitive
Oliver Scholars Program. Oliver
Scholars receive a wealth of support
and guidance throughout high school
and college in the areas of scholarship,
service and leadership. Rachel, who
plans on becoming a doctor in the
future, is excited for the road ahead. “It
will be a lot of work but I know I will
get a lot out of it and get into a good
high school and college.”
Sacred Heart has been working to
integrate technology like iPads, Smart
Boards and Chromebooks into the
curriculum across all subjects and
grade levels. One of our favorite
programs is an online resource called
Mathletics that makes math
entertaining for students while
providing useful data for teachers. Our
dedication to the program is evident in
the fact that third grader Diony R. was
ranked as the #1 student in the US!
Fourth grader Amaris V. received 1st
place in Senate District 29 for the New
York State Senate’s Annual Earth Day
Poster Contest. Amaris’ drawing was
selected out of dozens of entries from
students in the South Bronx, East
Harlem and Upper West Side. A large
replica poster of Amaris’ drawing will
be made to honor her achievement.
You can see the work of Amaris and
other Sacred Heart students posted on
the New York Senate Website.
Parent Spotlight: Nelson Rodriguez
Without the support of the community,
Sacred Heart would not have made it
through its 88th school year. Staff,
supporters and, of course, our Sacred
Heart families guarantee that the
school continues to be a safe and
nurturing learning environment.
We would like to recognize a parent
who has given his time to the school
over the years, Mr. Nelson Rodriguez.
Mr. Rodriguez has two children at
Sacred Heart, 1st grader Nelson, Jr. and
4th grader Marilin. “The choice to send
my kids to Sacred Heart School was
simple,” explained Mr. Rodriguez. He
felt that Sacred Heart offered a strong
academic program that was rare in other neighborhood schools.
Mr. Rodriguez is always willing to lend
a hand when needed at Sacred Heart.
When the boys basketball team needed
a coach, Mr. Rodriguez stepped up
despite the fact that his own children
were too young to play. When the
team needed to raise extra funds to
offset the costs of uniforms and
tournaments, Mr. Rodriguez
organized a bake sale. He stood with
the Sacred Heart basketball team
during lunch periods to sell snacks.
Mr. Rodriguez and his wife never pass
up an opportunity to attend Sacred
Heart’s family events like our
Halloween Party and Breakfast with
Santa. Even at these events, Mr.
Rodriguez is more than a bystander. At
last year’s Halloween Party he arrived
early, in full zombie costume, to help
cook part of the lunch that was offered
to guests.
Though the Rodriguez family moved
out of the neighborhood years ago,
they decided to keep their kids at
Sacred Heart. While many other
schools are closer to their home, the
kids continue to come to Sacred Heart
because of the teachers, administration
and staff. “I really appreciate the open
communication I have with them,”
Mr. Rodriguez elaborated. “I strongly
believe that they really want our kids to
be successful.”
Sacred Heart gives a great thanks to
Mr. Rodriguez and all of our parents
for their dedication to the school
through the years!
Mr. Rodriguez with his wife and children:
Marilin, left, and Nelson Junior, right.