2024-2025 Lower School Back-to-School Information

Lower School Key Contacts
In order to foster positive and productive family communication and relationships, you can find a list here of key faculty to contact if you have particular questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Student Circle of Support
At Sacred Heart Greenwich, we support both the academic and social-emotional development of each student through individualized and programmatic resources.  You can find the Circle of Support document here.

Student and Parent Portals
As we prepare for the upcoming academic year, please take time to visit both the school website and the Parent Portal where you will find essential information for the beginning of school. Please read everything carefully, including the Updated Family/Student Handbook, and make sure to update/sign all necessary forms, which were due by July 19, 2024 and August 1, 2024.

Parent/Student Handbook
The Sacred Heart Greenwich Student Handbook provides detailed information about important school policies and procedures for the entire school, with a specific section covering all aspects of life in the Lower School. Please read the entire handbook closely and ensure that you sign off on the acknowledgment form in the Parent Portal.

School Supplies
Every Barat Center and Lower School student should bring the following items on the first day of school:

  • a water bottle 

  • a backpack 

  • a pair of rain boots and a rain jacket to be left at school
    (To note: In order for your student to fully enjoy and participate in our outdoor programming with Mustard Seeds, in the winter months please send winter boots, gloves, a scarf, snow pants, and a coat. We go out in all weather!)

All other school supplies are provided. 

For Barat Center students, please also bring the following on Orientation Day:

  • a picture of your family (4x6 or 5x7)

  • a baby picture (4x6 or 5x7)

  • a recent individual picture of your child (4x6 or 5x7)

  • an extra set of clothing to be left at school

  • a beach towel to be left at school

  • one small stuffed animal to be left at school to be used during rest time 

  • photos to decorate your child’s cubby

Please note: Our cubbies/ lockers are narrow; wheeled backpacks with metal frames and other bulky bags will not fit in our cubbies/lockers so please keep this in mind when looking for a bag. For Kindergarten - Grade 4, we also recommend a separate sturdy bag to store PE clothing during your child’s swim unit (a swimsuit, goggles, and a bathing cap).

Lower School Schedule
The Barat Center and Kindergarten school day runs from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. The rest of the Lower School will be in class from 8:00 am to 3:10 pm. The Lower School runs on a five-day schedule.

The School does not print a paper version of the master school calendar. Instead, the master calendar can be viewed by logging into the Parent Portal and clicking “Calendar” in the heading. Check back with the calendar often as sometimes dates and times will shift.

Arrival at the Lower School
Lower School students may arrive as early as 7:45 am and wait in the “early room” until 8:00 am. Students may enter the building through the front of the Gillespie Science Center. All students need to report to their classrooms at 8:00 am or will be marked tardy.

Afternoon Car Dismissal
The Barat Center dismisses at 3:00 pm from the sidewalk behind the Barat Center. Kindergarten dismisses at 3:00 pm from the back of the Gillespie Science Center by the bus loop. Grades 1–4 dismiss at 3:10 pm from the front of the Gillespie Science Center in the main circle. 

Families with both Lower School and Middle School daughters will pick up their daughters at 3:10 pm at the Science Wing front entrance to the School. To be sure that our car pick-up process is both safe and efficient, here are some ways that you can help us to make dismissal as smooth as possible:

  • Place your “last name tag” on your dashboard to help teachers identify your car. Name tags will be provided to new families during Orientation. If you have lost your name tag from previous years, email Marion Kieltyka (kieltykam@cshct.org) by August 15th so that we can have a new one made.

  • When approaching the Gillespie Science Center, stay to the right and pull up as far as possible to allow multiple cars to load at once. Please remain in your car, and the teachers will help your daughter into the car.

  • Please do not leave your car in the circle to enter the building.

  • For Barat Center students, when you drive around to the sidewalk behind the Barat Center, please stay in one line. Do not create a second line as it would not be safe for children to cross in between cars. Please buckle your child in as swiftly as possible to keep the car line moving.

Bus Transportation
Bus riders in grades K-4 will be dismissed at 3:25 pm from the bus loop. 

All parents received communication regarding bus transportation and should ensure they have registered with their respective local districts for bus services. If your daughter is eligible to ride the school bus, it is your responsibility to make the necessary bus arrangements with the transportation department of your local Board of Education. If a bus arrangement is made, please fill out the Bus Signup form in the Parent Portal.

Any questions or concerns regarding regular bus or van transportation to and from school should be directed to the Business Office.

Change of Departure
In case of an individual early dismissal or change of regular transportation (car pick-up or bus transportation), please complete a Change of Departure form in the Parent Portal. Call the Lower School office when you arrive and your child will be escorted to your car. A written request from the parents/guardian is required any time a child will leave the school with someone other than a family member or by other than the usual means of transportation.

After-School Programming: Extended Day, Tiger Time, and Music Lessons
For an additional fee, Sacred Heart Greenwich offers three after-school programs for families: 

The Extended Day program runs Monday through Friday from the end of the school day to 5:00 pm as a drop-in or regular sign-up. Students in the Barat Center through Grade 1 engage in a variety of different fun crafts/projects, while children in Grades 2-4 complete their homework. Extended Day programming begins the first day of school, Wednesday, September 4.

Please contact Lisa Lyons-Young, the program director, for more information. 

The Tiger Time enrichment program is also available to all students in the Barat Center through Grade 4 to offer  learning experiences that engage students beyond the classroom. Offerings range from athletic courses (i.e. soccer, swim, etc.) to the arts (i.e. mosaics, clay creations, etc.) and run from the end of the school day until 4:10 or 4:30 pm. Tiger Time programming begins Monday, September 16.

To sign up for Tiger Time, visit the Parent Portal and click on the Tiger Time Sign-up button. Please contact Lisa Lyons-Young, the program director, for more information. 

Music Lessons are offered on campus or virtually for students in K-12. Lessons are also available for siblings who do not attend Sacred Heart Greenwich. Lessons are taught by highly qualified instructors in piano, voice, guitar, clarinet, saxophone, violin, viola, cello, and flute. Students may sign up for 12 lessons that are 30, 45, or 60 minutes long. Lessons begin at 3:15 pm and end by 6:00 pm. Students can sign up Extended Day before their lesson begins and afterwards if needed. To sign up for lessons visit the Parent Portal, and click on the After-School Music Program Sign-up button. Please contact Marian Campana, the program director, for more information. 

Please note: There is no after-school programming offered on half days or before holiday weekends/breaks. For your convenience, we have listed below the days that there will be no Extended Day or Tiger Time:

2024–2025 

10/11

Columbus Day

11/14 

Parent Teacher Conferences

11/26 

Grandparents and Special Visitor Day

12/13

Christmas Concert

12/20 

Noon Dismissal Christmas Break

1/17

Dr. MLK Jr. Weekend

2/12 

Mid Winter Break

2/27

Parent Teacher Conferences

3/7

Spring Break

4/17 

Easter Weekend

5/1

Art Show

5/23

Noon Dismissal Memorial Day Weekend

5/30

Last Day of Class


Snack/Lunch
All Barat Center and Lower School children receive snacks and lunch as part of their tuition. If you would like to send an additional snack or lunch for your child, you may; however, we ask that you kindly remember that we are a peanut/tree nut-free school and do not permit candy, gum, or soda. Please note: Sharing snacks and lunch from home is not permitted.

Uniforms
Students must be in uniform each day. Here is a link to the Barat Center and Lower School uniform requirements. No nail polish or jewelry should be worn to school except for stud earrings and religious medals. Lower School students may not wear make-up. All articles of clothing should be clearly marked with the student’s name. 

A few reminders:

  1.  All students should be in uniform on the first day of school. If you have not received the uniform order by the opening day of school, your child may wear appropriate substitute clothing until the uniform arrives. 

  2. The navy blue cardigan with the School monogram is part of the formal “dress” uniform and is a required purchase. Your daughter will be required to wear it on all-school mass days and picture day. 

  3. On PE days, Barat Center children may wear their PE uniform and the PE sweatshirt and sweatpants. For students in K - Grade 4, we ask that your daughter come in uniform and wear her PE shirt and shorts/leggings beneath her uniform jumper. The PE uniform can be purchased through the online bookstore through the Parent Portal.

  4. Uniform shoes: Students are permitted to wear a neutral, solid-colored sneaker to school (such as navy or white). Students in K - Grade 4 are required to wear a flat black, blue, or brown tie or loafer shoe on all-school mass days and picture day.

Cellphone and Smartwatch Policy
Cellphones and smartwatches may NOT be used during the school day or after-school programs by any Lower School student. Should such a device be discovered outside of a child’s backpack, it will be collected and returned only to the child’s parent by the Head of the Lower School. Please see the Parent/Student Handbook for more information or click here to read the Cellphone and Smartwatch Policy.

Online School Forms
Please log in to the Parent Portal (or, press “Expand Menu” on the School website and then press “Community Login”) to complete the many school forms due. Medical forms should be submitted to Magnus Health, which you can access by clicking the Magnus button in the Parent Portal. Forms were due earlier in the summer, so please submit if you have not done so already.

Health Office
Also please remember that we cannot administer any medication to your child, non-prescription drugs included, without either the completed Permission to Administer Medication form which can be found on the  Parent Portal or a signed note from your physician. All medications must be in their original prescription bottles.

Policy Regarding Students with Severe Peanut and/or Tree Nut Allergies
We have developed a peanut/tree nut-aware environment at Sacred Heart Greenwich. This policy includes all nuts and tree nuts, as well as peanuts and tree nut products. We do not serve peanut butter sandwiches, and the food service provider does not prepare foods that contain peanut/tree nut oil or peanut/tree nut products. For more information on this policy, please consult the Lower School Handbook.

Birthday & Holiday Celebrations
All Barat Center and Lower School students may wear school appropriate dress up clothing (i.e. no pajamas, jeans, or sweatpants) on the day they celebrate their birthday.

All birthday celebrations for Barat Center and Lower School students are FOOD-FREE. Each student will be given a white T-shirt to decorate and have classmates sign it for his or her birthday and  will also get to choose an item from a special birthday bin.

All food for holiday parties, organized by class parents in collaboration with classroom teachers, must be ordered through FLIK in order to protect our students with allergies.

Summer Work
The Lower School teachers have prepared engaging and thoughtful assignments for each grade level starting in Grade 1. These carefully crafted assignments balance learning and fun, encouraging students to explore new interests, reinforce academic skills, and develop their talents. Please click on the links below.

Important Upcoming Dates
Orientation: Tuesday, September 3 at 8:30 am
All Barat Center and Kindergarten students, as well as new students in Grades 1-4 & their parents will meet their new teachers, see the classrooms, and take a tour of Sacred Heart Greenwich. 

First Day of School: Wednesday, September 4 at 8:00 am
We can’t wait to welcome you back! Barat students will be in school until noon during the first week back on campus, while students in Kindergarten through Grade 4 will dismiss at their regular times. See more details about dismissal above.

Parents’ Association Welcome Coffee: Friday, September 6 at 8:30 am
All parents are invited to join the Parents’ Association in Hayes Hall for coffee and muffins, as well as casual and informative conversation. You will have the chance to meet Parents’ Association Board Members, Class Parents, and Event Chairs and learn about all of the upcoming events for the year and how to get involved.

Back-to-School Night: Wednesday, September 11 at 5:30 pm
Please save the date for the Lower School Back-to-School Night for parents. More details will follow.