2025-2026 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 Success Initiative
We are dedicated to empowering every student to reach her full potential academically, socially, and emotionally. To support this mission, we are proud to introduce the Student Success Initiative, a comprehensive initiative offering personalized enrichment and support opportunities to inspire growth in every learner. This initiative solidifies our commitment to equipping each student with the skills and confidence to thrive and excel both in the classroom and beyond.

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, 2025 and August 1, 2025.

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. The handbook will be shared in the coming weeks, and we will send an email when it is ready for review. Every year, the Senior Leadership Team reviews the handbook to make updates and changes. 

School Supplies
As also listed on the Lower School Summer Site, please see below for information on school supplies. 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. 

BARAT CENTER
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

Every Barat Center student should bring the following items on the First Day of School:

  • A water bottle with a cap that closes
  • 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. 

KINDERGARTEN- GRADE 4
Every Lower School student should bring the following items  on the First Day of School:

  • A water bottle with a cap that closes
  • 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!)
  • An extra set of clothes: black or navy leggings, white shirt or PE shirt, socks, and underwear

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 (Grades 1-4) 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
Our Morning Meeting begins promptly at 8:15 a.m. Lower School students are asked to arrive at 8:00 a.m. An “early room” is available beginning at 7:45 a.m. for children who must arrive earlier. We ask that you drop your child off early only when necessary. Barat Center students may go directly to the Barat Center. The Barat Center doors open at 8:00 a.m. Barat Center students may take advantage of the “early room” if attending with an older Lower School sibling in K-4.

Students may enter the building through the front of the Gillespie Science Center. All students need to report to their classrooms no later than 8:15 am or will be marked tardy.

Afternoon Car Dismissal
The Barat Center: 3:00 p.m. from the sidewalk behind the Barat Center
Kindergarten: 3:00 p.m. from the back of the Gillespie Science Center by the bus loop 
Grades 1–4: 3:10 p.m. from the front of the Gillespie Science Center in the main circle 
Bus riders in K-4: 3:25 p.m. from the bus loop

Families with children in both the Barat Center and Lower School should pick both/all students at 3:10 p.m. at the Gillespie Science Center front entrance to the school. A Barat Center teacher will bring the Barat Center siblings over for dismissal and supervise them until they are paired with their sibling and placed in the car.

Families with children in both the Lower School and Middle/Upper School can arrange to have their Middle/ Upper School sibling pick up their Lower School sibling at 3:25 p.m. from the Lower School Library, except on Wednesdays when the Middle/Upper School have early dismissal. If you are interested in this option, please reach out to the Lower School Administrative Assistant Mariana Begonja at begonjam@cshct.org with the days requested and the name of the authorized pick-up sibling so we can properly arrange for coverage in the Lower School Library. If the sibling is a Middle School student, please also include Middle School Administrative Assistant Stefania A. Sicilia sicilias@cshct.org on the email to inform the Middle School as well. The older sibling must be listed on the Lower School Dismissal Authorization form. 

Please Note: 

  • A written request from the parents/guardian is required any time a child will leave the school with someone other than those noted on their Lower School Dismissal Authorization form or by other than the usual means of transportation. To ensure adequate supervision of our students, Lower School students who miss the bus or who are not promptly picked up will be escorted to the Extended Day Program in the Barat Center until their transportation is arranged. Students are not permitted to return to their classrooms or go to any other part of the building. Lower School students may not attend sporting events or other Middle or Upper School activities without parental supervision. Your support of these procedures is appreciated.

 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 Mariana Begonja (begonjam@cshct.org) by August 15th so that we can have a new one made prior to the First Day of School pick-up. 
  • 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 child 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 receive communication regarding bus transportation and, if their daughter is eligible for such transportation, should ensure they have registered with their respective local districts for bus services.  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 the school should be directed to the Business Office. 

For students who use school district bus service, parents should direct questions and complaints to the transportation division of their local school district. Students must observe safety regulations while riding school buses. Any serious misbehavior on the bus will be reported to the school, and action will be taken. Several school districts provide a 5:00 p.m. bus with a limited route for students participating in after-school activities. Lower School students who ride the bus must sign in upon arrival at school and sign out with their teacher before boarding the bus home. 

For students who use private bus service arranged via Sacred Heart Greenwich, parents should address questions and complaints to Heather Wund-Matos, Bus Coordinator (wundmatosh@cshct.org, 203-532-3144).

Change of Departure
All nonurgent medical, dental, and other appointments should be scheduled either after school or during vacations. Students may not dismiss early on a regular basis to attend extracurricular activities. 

In case of an individual early dismissal for an urgent matter, please complete a Change of Departure form in the Parent Portal. When the student is picked up, parents/caregivers must enter through the main entrance in Salisbury Hall and let the front desk know they have arrived for an early dismissal. The front desk will call the Lower School Office, and the Lower School Administrative Assistant will walk the child up to the front desk. 

If your child is being picked up early due to medical reasons/illness, the parent/caregiver should sign in at Salisbury Hall and go down to the nurse’s office to speak with the nursing staff and pick up the child.

After-School Programming: Extended Day, Tiger Time, and Hoff-Barthelson 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 p.m. as a drop-in or regular sign-up. Students in the Barat Center through Grade 1 engage in a variety of fun crafts/projects, while children in Grades 2–4 complete their homework. Extended Day programming begins the First Day of School, Wednesday, September 3. Please contact the Lower School Office 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 to the arts and sciences, and run from the end of the school day until 4:10 p.m. More information will be shared directly with parents in the coming weeks. When available at the beginning of August,  sign up will be available on the Parent Portal by clinging  on the Tiger Time Sign-up button. Please contact the Lower School Office with any questions.

After-School Music Lessons are offered on campus by Hoff-Barthelson Music School 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. Please contact Mrs. Eva Carrasquero,  the program director, for more information. 

Please note: There is no after-school programming offered on half days or before holiday weekends/breaks. 

Uniforms
Students must be in uniform each day. Please refer to the Barat Center and Lower School uniform requirements. No nail polish, fake nails, colored hair extensions, or jewelry may be worn to school except for stud earrings and small medals to be worn under the shirt. Lower School students may not wear makeup. Watches may be worn, but smartwatches are not permitted. All articles of clothing should be clearly marked with the student’s name. 

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. 

A few reminders about the updated uniform policy:

  1. As a point of clarification, while students are permitted to wear the flat navy or black rubber-soled tie, loafer, or Mary Jane shoes, they can wear their white sneakers every day, including on Dress Uniform days. There is no requirement to have a navy or black “dress shoe.” This is a change. You only need one uniform shoe. 
  2. Students in Kindergarten - Grade 4 should wear their PE uniform top (shirt and/or sweatshirt) and bottoms (shorts and/or sweatpants) from the SHG Bookstore on scheduled PE days. To note: The Black Watch plaid jumper is no longer required on PE days. Students should wear the PE uniform short-sleeve Sacred Heart logo t-shirt and PE uniform Sacred Heart logo gym shorts. When the weather gets colder, students should wear the  PE uniform crew neck logo sweatshirt, and PE uniform club fleece pants or leggings underneath the PE shorts are also permitted. Leggings alone are not permitted.
  3. 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. 

Lunch and Snack Program
The school provides lunch and snacks for all students in Barat Center through Grade 4 through our food service provider, FLIK. Students may also bring a snack and/or lunch from home. Read here for more information. 

Cellphone and Smartwatch Policy
Cellphones and smartwatches are not permitted during the school day, including after-school programs. If a student has a cellphone or smartwatch, she will be asked to put it in her backpack. If a student does not comply, then the school will collect the phone/watch and contact the student’s parents/guardians, who will need to collect it from the Head of Lower School. The item will not be returned to the student. If a student needs to contact her parents/guardians during the school day, she can have access to either a phone in the classroom or an office, if privacy is needed. The school is not responsible for the loss of any cellphones, smartwatches, or other electronic valuables brought to school from home. Please see the Parent/Student Handbook for more information.

Health Office
Sacred Heart Greenwich 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 Parent/Student Handbook.

Birthday & Holiday Celebrations
All Barat Center and Lower School students may wear civvies on the day they celebrate their birthday. Please see the “Non-Uniform Days (Civvies Days)” section of the Uniform requirements for more specific information.

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.

If a student’s birthday falls during the summer, on a weekend, or during a school vacation, you may coordinate a school day of her choice with the teachers for her to celebrate with her classmates. 

Please mail or email any birthday invitations for private parties. Invitations may not be distributed at school, as doing so can cause hurt feelings when not all are included. In addition, students should refrain from discussing birthday parties in school, exchanging birthday gifts in school, or leaving in groups from dismissal to attend a birthday party.

Classroom teachers and class parents will confer to plan these highly anticipated in-school holiday celebrations. All food for holiday parties must be ordered through our food service provider, FLIK, to align with our nut-aware policy.

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 the Lower School Summer Site for more information.

Important Upcoming Dates
Orientation: Tuesday, September 2 at 9:00 a.m.
All Barat Center and Kindergarten students and their parents, as well as new students in Grades 1-4 and their parents  will meet their new teachers, see their classroom, and take a tour of Sacred Heart Greenwich. 

First Day of School: Wednesday, September 3 at 8:00 a.m.
We can’t wait to welcome you back! Barat Center 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 5 at 8:30 a.m.
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 10 at 5:30 p.m.
Please save the date for the Lower School Back-to-School Night for parents. More details will follow.