"Our Lady of Guadalupe School fosters Gospel values, inspires academic excellence, and develops service and leadership. We face this as a sacramental community united and empowered by the Holy Spirit."
April 13th Newsletter
April 13, 2017
Dear OLG Families,
Holy Thursday Soup Supper
We hope you’ll join us for this evening’s Soup Supper in the School Hall, before our Holy Thursday service. Doors open for the Soup Supper at 5:30 pm, and the service begins at 7:00 pm! Each year, the soup is prepared and served by the school staff. You are invited, but not required, to bring your own bowl and spoon! This year, Ms. Zbaracki has generously volunteered to come back to lead the soup preparation; thanks, Ms. Zbaracki! Bring your Rice Bowls to church this evening.
Stations of the Cross
The seventh grade led us prayerfully through the Stations of the
Cross on Tuesday, adapted from the immigration-focused stations put out by the Jesuit Relief Services. They were reverent and expressive, and Paolo’s piano music enhanced the experience!
Cinco de Mayo Jog-a-Thon
Seize the opportunity to gather sponsors for this year’s jog-a-Thon over Easter break. The big day is right around the corner. Friends, neighbors, co-workers and family members can all pledge right on the event website. See the Parent Org section for information about volunteer opportunities.
8th Grade Lion King Musical – May 16th
Don’t miss your last chance to see this year’s 8th graders perform as a class! There’s a buzz around school as we catch glimpses of rehearsals and hear the roar of the lions right here on campus! There will be two performances – a school assembly matinee at 2:00 pm and the evening show at 7:00 pm – both in the Walmesley Center!
I wish you and your family a blessed Easter! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!
‘All the arts are brothers, each one throwing a light unto the others.’
– Voltaire
Rich learning is filled with natural integration. How do the arts, culture, and history intersect? What about science, art, and faith? First graders learn best when the learning is varied, active, and naturally integrated across curricular areas.
Spring has sprung! First grade is buzzing with learning on all fronts!
First grade loves hands-on learning! We are in the midst of our life-cycle unit. What fun it is to explore the lifecycles of the salmon, the mealworm, and the painted lady butterfly simultaneously. The mealworms are intriguing and bit ticklish as they crawl up our arms. We watch our painted lady caterpillars transform from wiggly caterpillars, to sleek chrysalis, into beautiful butterflies. We observe and record our observations in a myriad of ways. We are skilled at scientific journaling and descriptive writing which helps us record and share our observations with accuracy. We’re also taking video records and creating photo models.
Celebrating the Resurrection!
Most importantly we recognize these creatures as symbols of new life and the butterfly as the perfect symbol of the Resurrection.
As we prepare for the holiest of days we use our very special hand-crafted Stations of the Cross project and symbols to support our quiet meditative prayer during Holy Week!
G’Day, Mates! We are deep in our study of Australia and enjoying our adventure. We delight in the richness of Australia’s culture and history. The music and art fascinate us. So far we have tried our hand at making artistic boomerangs and Aboriginal style painted animals. The week after break we’ll be making didgeridoos; which is possibly the world’s oldest musical instrument. We have discovered much about the history of Australia and have come to realize how much it mirrors the history of our own country. The unique animals fascinate us, too! We have just set off on a digital quest through this interesting land. We are using the iPads to “visit” some amazing places. As we journey through Australia we are recording our learning in our Australia Quest booklets.
Art class has been popping with color this spring as OLG students have been exploring different techniques using paint!
Kindergarteners used paint along with cut paper to create mixed media collages of fishbowls after viewing and discussing Henri Matisse’s famous painting, The Goldfish.
First grade learned about painting in layers when they designed birdhouses, painted the background, and then used bright colors to add decorative patterns.
Second grade embraced the joys and challengesof color mixing when they created their Kandinsky-inspired circle color studies and Blue Dog paintings influenced by the work of George Rodrigue.
Third grade used a printmaking technique to create their own mandalas, after discussing the similarities and differences between mandalas from around the world. The process involved pressing their design into a quarter-circle foam plate, and then creating four prints around a central point to create a circle. I was impressed with the students persistence because many of them wanted to give up or start over when their first print didn’t look how they expected. We took a moment to reflect on how we can use challenging moments in the artistic process as opportunities to grow. After that first print, we assessed what could be changed to make improvements – More paint? Less paint? Deeper grooves? Etc – then made changes as needed to each subsequent print. These mandalas are on display right now and if you look closely, you can see the progressive improvements as you look at each print in the circle.
Fourth grade had fun creating SUPER-BRIGHT pandas using fluorescent tempera paint. We talked about pairing contrasting colors for maximum color-popping effects.
Fifth grade created some eye-catching abstracted circles after viewing the geometric-abstraction paintings of Sonia and Robert Delaunay. They got to immerse themselves in the process of mixing colors, and experimenting with texture and design. Some days it looked like they immersed themselves in the actual paint (but what’s art without a little mess, right?)
Sixth grade practiced their drawing skills by creating observational sketches of their own shoes, and then using splatter painting techniques to liven them up. We looked at the abstract paintings of Jackson Pollock, and got to experience how different motions changed the way paint landed on the page.
Seventh grade learned about depicting movement using line and shape as they drew koi fish swimming and painted them. They also created small-scale landscape paintings after viewing the vibrant landscapes of David Hockney.
Eighth grade used acrylic paint to create a variety of seascapes and practiced creating a color palette by mixing primary colors and adding white to create different tints. I enjoyed seeing them create everything from serene sunsets to stormy seas.
Our final large fundraiser of the year, the Cinco de Mayo Jog-a-thon, is right around the corner and we need your help to make it a fantastic success. You can sign up to help by following this volunteer link . Please help by counting laps, slicing oranges, setting or cleaning up. This is always a fun volunteer opportunity.
You can also help by taking advantage of
our event website to make your 100% tax deductible donation. Be sure to forward the link on to family, friends and neighbors and ask for their support.
Remember the Cinco de Mayo jog-a-thon is a free dress day. We are encouraging “fiesta wear.” Prizes awarded for the best outfits in each class! Maracas, sombreros, serapes and zapatos de correr encouraged!
Thank you for the support of our school. Please pray for sunshine!
Mother’s Day is right around the corner! Support OLG School while celebrating Mom! Order Scrip by May 9th to have gift cards in time for Mother’s Day on May 14th.
Volunteer Hours for the 2016-17 academic year end on April 30th. You have until May 15th to get those entered. Hours for the next academic school year begin on May 1st.
We prayed, fasted and gave alms-and now we celebrate Easter joy! Our Lenten journey with CRS Rice Bowl ends as we encounter our risen Lord. We reflect on our brothers and sisters whom we have walked with in India, Zambia, El Salvador, Mexico, Ethiopia and Hawaii. And we commit to bring Easter joy to each person we meet in our daily lives. If you haven’t already, please remember to turn in your CRS Rice Bowl donations at the parish office or via the Sunday collection (you can make checks out to “OLG” with “Rice Bowl” in the memo). You can also donate to Rice Bowl via your online giving account. Thank you for helping to change lives around the world!
Youth Migrant Project: Summer Mission Trip for Teens
The Youth Migrant Project is back! Once again we’ll be teaming up with St. Mary’s and St. Anne’s for a fun and life-changing week. Jennifer Ibach and JC Santos will help lead the trip, which is open to all graduating 8th graders (or 14+ years old) through graduating high school seniors. We stay at St. Charles in Burlington and work in a variety of migrant ministries in the Skagit Valley, including distributing food and clothing, creating a fiesta for the children in a camp, and attending Mass in a camp. In addition to serving, we will learn about migrant life and reflect on our faith in light of these realities. There are two mandatory preparation meetings on May 21st and June 11th, both at 5:00 pm at St. Mary’s. The cost of the trip is $200 but partial scholarships are available. Because there are three parishes participating, space is very limited. If you are interested in attending or have questions, contact Jennifer Ibach at (206) 935-0358 ext. 120. Applications are available in the parish office and online and are due Monday, May 8th.
Fostering Futures: Foster Care, Adoption & Advocacy Forum
There is a critically high number of foster children in Washington State, and that number continues to rise. You are invited on April 25th to learn more about how you can get involved in volunteer opportunities, providing temporary care or adoption. Presenters include current foster parents, Catholic Community Services, a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Volunteer and a Child Welfare Social Worker. This event is from 7:00 – 9:00 pm at St. Luke’s Auditorium (322 N 175th St, Shoreline). Register here Co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of Seattle.
Living with Dignity and Freedom from Oppression
How can we stand in solidarity as faith communities with our immigrant brothers and sisters? How are human trafficking and today’s immigration crisis linked? Join us at Seattle First Baptist Church on Thursday, April 27th from 7:00 – 8:30 pm to learn from experts in the community about how to support immigrant human trafficking survivors and what resources are available to them. Presenters include Joanne Alcantara from API Chaya and Giselle Cárcamo from the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center (IPJC). The second half of the gathering will focus on how to empower those in your church community who may be facing exploitation and abuse, but who might be afraid to come forward. For more information contact the Missions Office or 206-382-4580. Register here.
Our Lady of Guadalupe School & Parish acknowledges that we are on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past and present, and honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.