Summer Newsletter June 30th
A NOTE FROM OUR HEADMASTER
Dear Families,
I’m including below a number of important pieces of information. Please make the time to read this Newsletter carefully and thoroughly, since this information is important for helping all of us be ready for the start of a new school year on August 24, 2026.
Thank you, families, for your “yes” to Sacred Heart Academy!
In His Most Sacred Heart,
Sean Nolan
Headmaster
SUMMER 2026 INFORMATION
ACTION ITEMS
SHA SUMMER CAMPS
New This Year! Banter & Bourbon: Please consider joining Sean Nolan, Greg Guest, Matt Currie, Pat Power, and Adam Bartlett for conversation and bourbon. We’ll be talking about Pope Leo’s encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas”. Space is limited to ensure a quality and engaging conversation. The conversation will be over two evenings, from 6:30pm-8:30pm, on Tuesday, July 14th and Wednesday, July 29th. Sign-ups here.
Music Summer Camp- Join Deacon Fish for one OR two days this summer. Tuesday, August 11th and Wednesday, August 12th, 9AM-Noon, with an option to add private voice lessons. Open to incoming 5th-9th graders. To register and learn more click here.
Football Summer Camp - Our annual Football summer camp will be held from July 13th to the 17th. It will be held at Holy Spirit. To register your son please follow this link. If you have any questions, please reach out to Joe Hyland at jhyland@shgr.org
THEATER
SHOW ANNOUNCEMENTS for our 26-27 MS and HS theater productions will be emailed to this year's cast lists on July 1st at 8 AM! Anyone may check out our shgr.org/theaterarts webpage after that date for all the audition info. It's going to be another great year of theater arts at Sacred Heart!!
ATHLETICS
High School Girls Basketball Meeting - There was a parents meeting on Monday, June 1st with new coach Mr. Ken Bolter and Mrs. Stephanie Roop. Any parents who are interested in high school girls basketball are welcome to contact the Athletic Directors to reach out to Mr. Ken Bolter.
Varsity, JV and 7/8 Volleyball - Please follow this link to register your daughter for HS and/or 7/8 Volleyball. VB Registration.
GRACEAC Fall Registration - Registration for Fall Sports through GRACEAC will open on Friday, May 15th and close on Monday, June 15th. If you would like to register you can do so through the GRACEAC website. Do not register your 7/8 girl with GRACEAC since we will not be competing in the GRACEAC league for that level.
HIRING
Families, Sacred Heart Academy is looking for three roles for the upcoming year. Please consider helping us and please consider sharing with your network if you know of anyone who might be interested in and qualified for one of these roles:
- Lunch/recess monitors - Sacred Heart Academy is looking for paid or volunteer parents to help with lunch and recess from 11am to noon every school day. We are looking for three individuals who will commit their time to being present each day for lunch and recess from 11am to noon. This role will ease the burden of time off of our teachers, enabling our elementary staff to collaborate, plan, and engage with students, families, and each other.
- Director of Marketing & Communication - Sacred Heart Academy’s Advancement office will be restructuring and hiring a new role. Please review and share with anyone who might be a good fit. Director of Marketing and Communications
- Seeking New Yearbook Advisor - Are you creative, organized, and looking for a fun way to get involved? We're seeking a new yearbook advisor for the 2027-2028 school year. Nicole May will serve one more year before stepping down as her youngest graduates, making next year the ideal time to assist and learn from her experience. Interested? Yearbook Advisor Duties Want more information? Contact office@shgr.org or yearbook@shgr.org.
Meet our new staff! New Faculty/New Roles
ROAD CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
Garfield Avenue between Butterworth and Fulton streets will be reconstructed this summer by the City of Grand Rapids. The Sacred Heart parking lot is available, but should be entered from the east. The first phase of construction, which has already begun, is from Butterworth to Dayton, including the Dayton/Garfield intersection, which is currently not available. That first phase is scheduled for completion by the start of the school. The second phase is from Dayton to Fulton, and is scheduled to start after the first phase and finish by mid October. More information will be shared as the school year approaches.
PREPARATION FOR THE NEW
2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR
One-page Academic Calendar
AUGUSTINE TERM 2026
End of Year Communication 2026
Sacred Heart Community,
The faculty and administration of Sacred Heart Academy are excited for the start of the school year on August 24th for all full time students. CEC students in grades 7-12 are welcome to sign up for Augustine Term Courses taking place Wednesday August 26th-Friday August 28th. St. Augustine often wondered at the beauty of nature and admired the world as God’s creation. It is fitting that through the Augustine Term we hope that our students experience the same. For the benefit of the community I wanted to provide some further information on the start of the school year, specifics for the term, and forms needed for August 26th.
In Christ,
Peter DeWitt
Assistant Headmaster
Monday, August 24th
All full time students will start the school year with Homeroom followed directly by Mass. Freshmen will gather in the library prior to Household sorting. Lower school students (K-6) will be in uniform and will go from Mass to their classrooms for the first day of school. The Lower School will follow this schedule throughout the week.
Upper school students (7-12) will go from Mass to Cebelak Hall and start their Household Orientation Day. Upper school students may wear jeans, khakis, or shorts (length 2-3 inches above the knee), a Sacred Heart top, and athletic shoes.
Tuesday, August 25th (New to this year)
All full-time students will have a classroom orientation in the morning followed by Household and Homeroom activities in the afternoon. The classroom orientation will have students follow their schedule of classes for the school year for roughly 20 minutes each class. This schedule will be provided to students on Monday during their Household Orientation Day. Upper school students may wear jeans, khakis, or shorts (length 2-3 inches above the knee), a Sacred Heart top, and athletic shoes.
Wednesday-Friday, August 26-29
The Upper School (7-12) will attend Mass and then move to their elective course for the day. Upper school students may wear jeans, khakis, or shorts (length 2-3 inches above the knee) and a Sacred Heart Academy shirt. (Various Course Offerings may have slight variations for what is appropriate dress. Any variations will be communicated by the instructor.)
- Note, we are not running strictly two day electives this year. Some courses may be 1, 2, or 3 day electives. Please pay attention to this when choosing your electives for Augustine Term.
Elective Sign-Ups will be sent out in Late July or Early August
We are still in need of “Experts” to run Augustine Term courses. If you are interested please reach out to Peter DeWitt at pdewitt@shgr.org.
HANDBOOK UPDATES - Jubilee Days, Socks, Tardy Policy
2026-2027 Family Handbook
Handbook Update for Jubilee Day
Sacred Heart Academy is dedicated to cultivating culture. One way we elevate this priority is through our attempt to create a calendar that follows the liturgical priorities of the Church. We live liturgically. We strive to create an environment that ebbs and flows with the life of the Church. Jubilee Days support this goal as a particular and concrete way of living the true leisure that defines the entire approach of the Academy’s common life. While the world around us often creates days to celebrate with little intention, the Church shows us when to fast, when to pray, and when to celebrate with the utmost intention. The Academy desires that on Jubilee Days staff and students take notice of the celebrations of the Church on that given day. The Feast of the current Jubilee day should be clear to students and an appropriate celebratory feel should mark the school day. Jubilee Days will be known for the freedom with which they are celebrated, and the tone of our approach: because of the Incarnation, we seek freedom and celebration above all for the sake of relationship, with the Lord and with our neighbor.
Jubilee Days for each school year will be shared with families by the start of the new school year through official Academy communications.”
Three notes:
- This update tries to prioritize subsidiarity, noting that “Jubilee Days will be known for the freedom with which they are celebrated”. I would encourage you and your family to discover for yourselves what works best for your family in how to celebrate these days. This policy is intended to offer that same freedom and responsibility to the faculty, and all those entrusted with formation here, for their own classrooms or spaces. The best formation happens at the intersection of freedom and responsibility. Our Lord, when asked, tells folks to “come and see”, and that invitation is extended to every member of the Sacred Heart Academy community.
- This update pulls back on specific rules or negatives, intentionally so. Assessments might be developmentally appropriate and fitting for the day for some students and not others. Homework to share your favorite saint with your parents might be a really excellent way to mark All Saints Day. Having a practice or rehearsal, building a family/team gathering, these might all be really wonderful expressions of the Jubilee Day, depending on the day itself and the people involved. Who is most of all positioned and able to make that decision? Or, said another way, to whom has that decision been entrusted by the Lord? The parent, teacher, coach, or director. So, as Headmaster, and with the full support of the School Board, I’m here sharing a policy that I believe will best allow each individual to discern how Jesus Christ is moving them to act in their own sphere.
- Here is a list of all of the Jubilee Days for the 26-27 academic year. I would invite your family to consider how you might live these days best, and I’m sharing that same invitation with faculty and others.
Reasoning - this simplifies the current policy, takes away the need for parents to excuse/not excuse tardiness, and creates a clear line for consequences and administrative communication. In essence, this gives all students 5 tardies per term with no consequence, just because life happens. After that, there is a consequence for every tardy no matter if excused or unexcused.
Tardiness - Students are considered tardy for school if they arrive at their Homeroom after 7:45 a.m. There are times when delays occur due to weather or unexpected heavy traffic, which is why we allow students a number of times to be tardy before consequences are issued (see below).
Consequences for Tardiness:
After the 3rd time in a term a student arrives late to school the Administration will communicate home and work to support the family to arrive at school on time.
If a 5th tardy occurs within a term the Administration will communicate home to understand the reasoning behind the continued late arrival and communicate with families the seriousness of continued tardiness and the consequences. All tardies moving forward will result in a detention. (or similar consequence barring Administrative exemption)
If a 7th tardy occurs within a term another detention will be issued. The Administration will arrange a meeting with parents and students to discuss the ongoing issues and determine how the family and school need to proceed going forward in regards to consequences and continued participation within the school.
Detentions are served during lunch recess for 5th-8th grade, and Tuesdays after school for 9th-12th grades. Lower school (M-4th) teachers and the administration determine age-appropriate consequences. Detentions are issued according to the attendance record on Infinite Campus.
Exceptions: ongoing tardiness due to medical/health or family reasons can be discussed with the administration and an exemption may be applicable.
Handbook Update for Uniform Changes - Sock
Former handbook policy:
- Black or white knee socks worn with the uniform skirt. Black or white socks or tights must be worn with slacks, as well. (no logo showing)
Policy for 2026-2027:
- Black or white ankle length or higher socks worn with the uniform skirt or slacks. (no logo, emblem, swoosh, words, or additional colors showing
LANDS’ END Uniform Sales - Lands’ End is gearing up for an exciting summer of savings! While they’ll be running promotions all season long, our school’s exclusive promotion schedule is already locked in — and it’s packed with great opportunities for families to save big.
35% DISCOUNT CODES -
- June 27 - July 3: DESK35 (PIN: 5287)
- July 4 - 10: NOTEBOOK35 (PIN: 5461)
- July 11 - 17: READ35 (PIN: 2525)
https://www.landsend.com/signup-school/
VIRTUS - All volunteers must be VIRTUS trained and all drivers must submit a Driver Information Sheet. See VIRTUS Registration Instructions. Forms must be completed BEFORE transporting students. Please return this form to the office or via email to Sara Klooster.
Student schedules note - Student class schedules are going to become available through Infinite Campus in the coming weeks. Those schedules are uploaded into Infinite Campus as families sign tuition contracts in Finalsite. The first batch of student schedules will hopefully be ready on July 15th, for all students who have signed tuition contracts by July 10th. The Academy will then release student schedules, based on signed tuition contracts, every two weeks after July 15th. If you have trouble logging into Infinite Campus, or have never logged in before, please contact Helen Kennedy (hkennedy@shg.org) for assistance.
School Supplies
This year we are introducing a new School Supply List Generator, developed by a SHA parent. All you need to do is simply enter your students' names and grades, and the generator will create a shopping list for you, with the option of grouping the list by child or by item. If you have any questions about this list, or any feedback, please send it to Helen Kennedy
CEC Information
- CEC - 1/2 Partnership Information
- CEC - 3/4 Partnership Information
- CEC - 5/6 Partnership Information
- CEC - Entering 5th grade Summer Recommendations
- Classical Enrichment Course Books & Materials
OTHER ACTION ITEMS
ALUMNI NOTES
Calling all Alumni and Recent Grad Parents - Your graduate wants to attend our 3rd Annual Alumni Gathering on Tuesday, July 28th from 5-7pm! Located on the Rooftop of the Varnum Law Building, alumni will have the chance to catch up with other grads and staff with food, drinks and a beautiful view of the city. Click the link to RSVP.
Attention Recent Grad Parents - SHA is working on a new annual publication that will be a summary of the year and we are planning to highlight our alumni, past and present. Since we do not have emails for our latest graduates, we are counting on you to forward this Alumni Form to their personal email so they may be included in our first edition. For questions contact Amber Hiske.
Rosary Fridays for the intentions of the Sacred Heart community - After mass on Friday mornings throughout the summer, please join us in praying the rosary together. We will meet in the front pews facing Mother Mary. If you are not able to join in person, you are welcome to join spiritually at 8:40am. All are welcome! We will pray from June 12 through August 21.
Sacred Heart is going to Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s Beatification! - Join us as we bus down and back to MO for the Beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Bus fare $100/pp Open to families and students (Students in grades 8-12 will be allowed to attend on their own, in a limited capacity, based on our chaperone quantities)
Office hours over the summer
Calling all Alumni and Recent Grad Parents - Your graduate wants to attend our 3rd Annual Alumni Gathering on Tuesday, July 28th from 5-7pm! Located on the Rooftop of the Varnum Law Building, alumni will have the chance to catch up with other grads and staff with food, drinks and a beautiful view of the city. Click the link to RSVP.
Attention Recent Grad Parents - SHA is working on a new annual publication that will be a summary of the year and we are planning to highlight our alumni, past and present. Since we do not have emails for our latest graduates, we are counting on you to forward this Alumni Form to their personal email so they may be included in our first edition. For questions contact Amber Hiske.
Rosary Fridays for the intentions of the Sacred Heart community - After mass on Friday mornings throughout the summer, please join us in praying the rosary together. We will meet in the front pews facing Mother Mary. If you are not able to join in person, you are welcome to join spiritually at 8:40am. All are welcome! We will pray from June 12 through August 21.
Sacred Heart is going to Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s Beatification! - Join us as we bus down and back to MO for the Beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Bus fare $100/pp Open to families and students (Students in grades 8-12 will be allowed to attend on their own, in a limited capacity, based on our chaperone quantities)
Office hours over the summer
- The office staff will work remotely through July 31, 2026.
- August 3 through August 14 - 9am to 1pm, Fridays closed.
- August 17 - 9am to 3pm
