From the Desk of Doug Goltz, CAO
As July ends, we are preparing for the upcoming school year. The first day of school for the 2026-27 year will be Wednesday, August 12. The Sacred Heart Open House is scheduled for Monday, August 10, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM. This event will be held picnic-style, with food and refreshments provided. It offers an excellent opportunity for families to visit their children’s classrooms and meet their teachers. Special thanks to Mary Darveau for her efforts in making the school look beautiful and well-prepared for the new year. Additionally, the Open House provides an opportunity for families to make tuition payments for the upcoming school year.
This summer, several projects have been completed, and we anticipate completing all improvements by the start of school. The RAC gym floor has been refinished thanks to the generosity of Dan Pfister (Class of 2001) and Hillyard, Inc. of St. Joseph, resulting in significant cost savings and maintaining the floor’s excellent condition. Read in this newsletter about the painting done by several volunteers of the school’s hallways. Other summer projects include Tiehen exterior painting, installation of new epoxy flooring, and new paint in the south restrooms, locker rooms, hallways and preschool room, along with new plumbing fixtures. Additional enhancements include new wall padding in the gym, replacement windows on the upper north side, and new gutters on the south side of the classrooms. Funding for these improvements has come from the Shrimp Feed, Scrip programs, the Sacred Heart Golf Tournament, Seatback proceeds, donations, and volunteer efforts. Thank you to all who have contributed.
The level of volunteer involvement at Sacred Heart has been both encouraging and inspiring. As we begin the new school year, we would like to emphasize the importance of active participation from ALL families. Volunteering helps keep our costs down. We need our crew of volunteers to grow so all our families contribute in this way. Currently, tuition covers only about 30% of the total cost of educating our students; the remaining funds are generated through fundraising, parish assessments, the Sacred Heart Foundation, the Support Our Teachers Fund, and volunteer support. There are numerous ways to volunteer, including ticket-taking, concession stand assistance, various odd jobs, auction support, line judging, serving as junior high and junior varsity referees, snow removal, activity bus driving, and assisting at fundraisers. Details are available on the last page of the 2026-27 Student Handbook, which is posted on the Sacred Heart website.
Our Husker Seatback Fundraiser has significantly contributed to our school. Since its inception in 2019, Seatback volunteers have helped raise $247,520. These funds have facilitated renovations of nearly all school restrooms, the installation of our new playground surface, school vehicles, enhancements to teacher insurance, acquisition of classroom interactive boards, and recent improvements to Tiehen. The fundraiser has also enabled us to increase teacher salaries substantially. Without this support, we would not be able to accomplish both the needed physical improvements and our teachers’ salary increases. We will continue participating in the Husker Seatback program during the 2026 Nebraska football home games. We are committed to seven home games, with each volunteer earning $125 for our school. Bus transportation is provided, and we aim to have at least 57 volunteers at each game—matching our bus capacity. Families and individuals are welcome to participate, including those outside of Sacred Heart, offering a valuable way to support our school, enjoy a Husker game, and have our efforts funded by outside sources.
Sacred Heart School – a family educating heart, mind, body and spirit for this life and the next. Thank you.
Doug Goltz, CAO
