Sacred Heart Schools
On Board!
Winter 2015
A Newsletter for Trustees, Leaders & Lifelong Friends of SHS
Work to begin on 4 new classrooms Phase 1 of Masterpiece begins with facilities expansion
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giant crane parked in the middle of the Sheridan Road playground will be a familiar sight this summer, as construction begins on four new learning spaces. The rooftop playground on the South Wing will be converted into four stateof-the-art 5th grade classrooms. The repurposing of the 5,000 square-foot space was designed by Wight & Co., a leading school architectural firm. Work will begin on the four state-of-the-art classrooms (see Thanks to the initial genschematic above) on June 15, 2015. erosity of current trustees and the Masterpiece Campaign leader- propriately sized spaces,” Jeff Jozwiak, Chairship team, the $2 million needed for the man of the Board of Trustees, said. “A master construction has been raised. Bulley and plan was developed five years ago by Wight & Andrews, a well-known construction firm Co. with the input of the Schools’ administrawith extensive school experience, has been tion and the Buildings and Grounds Commitretained to begin work on June 15, 2015. tee. These classrooms are a key element of this In the meantime, behind the scenes work comprehensive master plan.” is taking place, including design, permits, The major construction and enclosure of bidding, approvals and fabrication. Bulley the space will be completed by late August, and Andrews will be on site over spring with interior construction continuing through break to begin prep work. mid-November. “Move-in seems likely to be How was the decision made to move the at Christmas break, to be conservative,” Brian 5th grade into these new rooms? “We focused McGuinness, CFO, said. on the highest and best use of our current Turning a rooftop playground into classfacilities, the alignment of divisions and rooms posed unique challenges to the design getting students, faculty and staff into ap- and construction teams. “The logistics of set-
INSIDE: See what the Annual Fund has supported in 2014-15 Network exchange program in its sixth year Students learn programming ting the structural steel, mechanical equipment and other elements, which requires positioning a significant sized crane on the playground, are challenging,” Jozwiak said. Fortunately, the decision-makers at the school when the South Wing was built planned for the possibility of additional classroom space on this level. “We are thrilled that our 5th graders will be moving into large, bright spaces that will facilitate learning and collaboration among teachers,” Nat Wilburn, Head of Schools, said. The classrooms will be equipped with technologies to support excellence in learning, as promoted by the Masterpiece Campaign. “We are grateful to the wonderful donors who made this possible.” The 4th floor rooms vacated by the 5th grade will be reconfigured into a Lower School science lab, putting it adjacent to many LS classrooms. The existing LS lab will become the new Primary School discovery and science center. This work will begin in summer 2016, based on the current trajectory of the campaign and the anticipated support of the Sacred Heart community. More information on the Masterpiece Campaign can be found on page 2.
Parent Ed
Practical education for every member of the community
school is making a bold move into the fu- practices and strategies, in conjunction with facility and ture, recognizing that as the world contin- technology improvements, that will help every student ues to evolve, you can’t sit still,” says Patrick and teacher reach his or her potential. The initiative’s Ryan. “You have to invest in the growth approach will employ state-of-the-art methods to identify and respond to each stuof your faculty, invest in dent’s strengths and challengprograms that allow your “With the campaign, the school es more effectively, as well as children to get the benefit is making a bold move into the integrate professional coachof what we know about future, recognizing that as the ing for continuous develophow they best learn and world continues to evolve, ment throughout the faculty. develop. We as members you can’t sit still.” Many of the programmatof the Sacred Heart comhe $9.2 million Masterpiece Campaign - Patrick Ryan H‘81, Honorary Chair ic initiatives for Excellence in munity have an opportuis emerging into an exciting community Teaching and Learning are alnity to invest in making phase. The product of a strategic planready being implemented and that a reality.” ning process that concludes during the 2013-14 will be expanded and more The centerpiece of the school year, the campaign launched quietly last Masterpiece Campaign is an initiative for fully integrated as funding from the campaign kicks in. summer and is making wonderful strides. Now Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Sa- These include instructional coaching, use of teaching with most current trustees and campaign leadcred Heart. This effort is a set of principles, assistants, the hiring of a Curriculum Coordinator, a ers having committed their support, fundraising “push-in” approach for both enrichment and Learnprogress is already allowing Sacred ing Assistance programs and formative assessments to Heart to get started on the work support a more individual approach to each student’s the campaign lays out. learning style and academic progress. Lydia Ryan and Patrick Ryan, Additionally, construction begins this summer (and Jr. H’81 are serving as Honorary continues into next school year) on four new learnChairpersons, with seven additioning spaces on the rooftop playground, adjacent to the al couples leading the effort as CoMulti-Purpose Room. (See front page for more on faChairs. Parents of current students cility upgrades.) at all levels are well represented Increasing the endowment for financial aid is anin the volunteer leadership, as are other pillar of the campaign. The scholarship program, alumni spanning three decades. central to Sacred Heart’s mission of socioeconomic diSeveral campaign leaders are hostversity, is, of course, ongoing. Building the financial aid ing private events this semester to endowment will bolster its sustainability as an institushare the campaign plan with their Co-Chairs Jeff and Lisa Jozwiak (pictured right), hosted a peers. luncheon for the campaign leadership on February 6. Also pictured: tional priority. “With the campaign, the Co-Chairs Jeff and Julie Hesse (l) and Nat Wilburn (center).
Masterpiece Campaign makes strides
Dr. Madeline Levine (above), nationally noted psychologist, will be giving a workshop at Sacred Heart on April 22.
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hildren don’t come with an owner’s manual, but the Sacred Heart Parent Ed series tries to help. As the world changes, parenting styles need to evolve to properly address the new challenges that arise. Members of the Sacred Heart community recognized this need and developed the annual Parent Ed series to provide relevant hands-on education and support. The Parent Ed program focuses on a variety of topics including developing better parenting skills, being responsible digital citizens, internet safety, grit and resiliency, as well as single-gender education. This year, mindfulness is a topic of focus. Ideally the Parent Ed speaker will speak to both faculty and parents to ensure that everyone receives the same message. The program is balanced between nationally recognized speakers and smaller, more focused parent chats. Vicki Ginn, President of the Parents of the Heart, regularly attends Parent Ed events. She finds that they help address modern day parenting concerns, adding “thank you for the opportunity to learn more as a parent!”
On Board! A newsletter published for Trustees, Leaders & Lifelong Friends of SHS. Editors:
Diane Fallon Sam Sinkhorn 6250 N. Sheridan Rd Chicago, IL 60660 773-262-4446 www.shschicago.org
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What’s the Annual Fund supporting in 2014-15? As of Jan. 31, the Sacred Heart Annual Fund has raised more than $730K in cash gifts! Below are just some of the things—big and small—the Annual Fund has helped to support in 2014-15 so far.
Exchanging hearts 8th graders participate in internetwork exchange program
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he Sacred Heart Middle School exchange program allows students to grow and experience life in a different Sacred Heart community for a week. Sheridan Road has participated in the exchange program Margaret Fleming (middle) hosted Mary Kate for approximately six years, and it is ever Luetkemeier of The Rosary January 26-30. growing. Due to the popularity of the program, Stephen Puricelli, Head of Middle School, receives many applications. Students must demonstrate on their application how they will be positive ambassadors for Sheridan Road at their host school. Once submitted, each application goes through a blind review process by Mr. Puricelli, Nat Wilburn and MS advisors. After thorough consideration, two girls and two Every year, more schools in the boys are picked and paired with students Network are open to the Middle School from across the country. student exchange, and as a result, For the first time, Sacred Heart will every year SHS students have more send two Hardey 8 students to St. Charles, options available to them. Mo., and Houston, Texas. Academy 8 students will head out to Bryn Mawr, Pa., and New Orleans, La., with whom Sheridan Road has exchanged in recent years. Every year, more schools in the Network are open to the Middle School student exchange, and as a result, every year Sacred Heart students have more options available to them. The exchange has become a favorite part of the year, with everyone happily welcoming the new students into the Sheridan Road community. This year’s exchange students are anxious and excited to both visit their host city and host their new friends from across the country. Margaret Fleming (A8) hosted Mary Kate Luetkemeier from The Rosary in New Orleans in January. Both girls said Mary Kate fit in immediately with the students of Academy 8, with Mary Kate sharing that Sheridan Road felt very similar to The Rosary. With the exception of class times, uniforms and temperature, she felt at home. Mr. Puricelli agreed with the girls, saying if it weren’t for Mary Kate’s slightly different uniform you’d think she’d been here all along.
Former SHS teacher/parent publishes new book ev. Kara Wagner Sherer, who R taught 5th grade at Sacred Heart from 1997-1999 and served as
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1. Visiting artists like... Rosemary Wells; Child’s Play Touring Theatre; Sue Black; Q Brothers; Kevin Coval; Mac Barnett and Jory John, authors of The Terrible Two (pictured above); and Dana Michelle Cook
2. New hot dog costumes for the beloved Christmas Hot Dog Lunch
3. More than 4,370 student community service hours: creating a peace book & peace bench, building free library “bird houses” (pictured above), Misericordia cleanup, Camp Rosenthal, food, coat & shoe drives
4. More than 22 field trips, ranging from the Museum of Science and Industry and Adler Planetarium to Camp Rosenthal (pictured above) and Kroll’s Fall Harvest Farm
5. Seventy-eight extracurricular programs from Glee Club (pictured above) to Robotics; Amharic language class to yearbook
6. 5% raise pool for Sacred Heart faculty
campus minister from 1999-2000 has published her first book: Many Paths: Reflections on a Christian Journey. This book of short reflections comes from her Sunday sermons at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Chicago, where she is the priest. Rev. Wagner Sherer, who is also the mother of alumnae Madeleine A’10 and Carlisle A’14, visited campus on February 24 to discuss her book Kathleen Edwards, LS religion teacher (l) pictured with members of the Sacred Heart with Rev. Wagner Sherer (r). community.
Hour of Code Initiative Programming fosters critical thinking and collaboration
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ark Zuckerberg was a computer programmer by the age of 12, Bill Gates wrote his first program at 13 and Marissa Mayer, current CEO of Yahoo!, was the first female software engineer during her time at Google. It’s without question that these three programmers have changed the way the world works. Graphic design, mathematics, web design, app development, engineering and medicine—there are no limits to what can be influenced by the hands of a coder. This is why Sacred Heart’s Technology Department is committed to introducing the basics of computer coding to as many students as possible. “Participating in ‘Hour of Code’ in December was the perfect way to kick off this initiative,” Christina De La Peña, Director of Technology, said. Essentially, “Hour of Code” is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anyone can learn the basics. This is Sacred Heart’s second year participating in this global initiative. Last year, two grades (6th and 8th) participat-
ed, but this year, 1st through 6th grade, as well as 8th grade, practiced coding. Additionally, Sacred Heart parents Jennifer Wesley and James Koh, who are both Google employees, visited different Sacred Heart classrooms to facilitate. “Hour of Code” teaches coding in a variety of ways, including creating interactive Emersyn Huxhold and Chloe Padelara (A4) practice coding. games, stories and animaing to take risks and make mistakes [while tions or completing tutorials, to name a coding],” Nancy Jones, Tech Integration Spefew. Students practiced coding on iPads, cialist, said. Chromebooks and desktop computers. Coding also fosters collaboration among However, coding can be learned on any peers. During “Hour of Code,” many studevice, and a lot of free apps teach students coded together, and dents how to write those who coded individcode, Kristin Lager“It felt great to teach my parents ually were eager to supquist, Tech Integrasomething new because they port one another. tion Specialist, said. usually teach me new things.” Additionally, Jones beSo, why teach stu-Hardey 3 student lieves coding taps into an dents how to code? unused skillset for many According to code. students. “You never know who might have a org, 60% of math and science related jobs hidden talent,” she said. will be directly related to computer proAlthough the “Hour of Code” initiative gramming by the year 2020. However, takes place only one week out of the year, stuonly 2% of current math dents have continued coding both inside and and science students are outside the classroom. majoring in computer proBecause her Hardey 3 students were so gramming. Aside from the excited about coding, Jessica Hotz created a vocational benefits, coding homework assignment that asked students equips students with esto show their parents how to code and then sential life skills, no matter reflect on the process. One student said, “It what career they choose. felt great to teach my parents something new Because writing code because they usually teach me new things.” is much like writing a When the Technology Department was sentence, one small error asked whether they planned to participate in (or typo) could render the the Hour of Code next year, their response code meaningless. Howevwas a resounding “yes!” er, mistakes while coding For more information about “Hour of often prove to be fruitful Code” visit www.code.org. by enhancing a student’s troubleshooting skills, as well as creativity. “I think the joy of accomplishment Parent and Google employee James Koh helps Bennett DuRoss and Alex Weitzel (H1) learn coding via interactive games on the iPad. makes students more will-