"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."
Feb. 4th Newsletter
February 4, 2016
Dear OLG Families,
Catholic Schools Week
This has been an amazing week. We started by celebrating our wonderful OLG parents and caregivers. I enjoyed the creativity of the appreciation videos, coupon books, and artistic cards that our students lovingly created. Thank you for your kind notes for staff members on Tuesday; you made our day! The lunch by Laredos, a gift to staff from the Parent Org, was a delicious and thoughtful treat. What a wonderful concert yesterday evening! We are indeed blessed with teachers who help our students sing and play instruments joyfully and perform confidently. Many thanks to all of you who sent in muffins this morning; what a delight to see our students interacting with their “special person,” proudly giving tours, using “conversation starters” to get to know their guest better, and sharing a special time together at Mass. Tomorrow will be another full day, as we celebrate our amazing OLG students.
Although I sent an email after our Open House on Sunday, I want to thank our Parent Org officers, class reps and volunteers again. You have generously given so much time and energy to partner with our staff in making this week a special one for everyone. We are tremendously grateful!
In the course of this week, I have had quite a few people point to an event or encounter with a student or staff member and say emphatically, “That’s why we’re here at OLG,” or, “That’s why we’re committed to Catholic education.” For instance the family member who shared the note a child wrote to another grade level teacher, thanking her for being so gentle when she spoke with her about running in the hall; the parents and grandparents who remarked about the poise and grace of our student lectors on Sunday; and a parent who witnessed a middle school student giving a tour and said, “Who wouldn’t want their child to grow up like that?”
Studies show that graduates of Catholic schools are highly engaged citizens. The Service Organization Appreciation Day projects on Wednesday revealed the depth of connection our students have with their service organization. I love hearing them talk about their experiences, whether it is at Angeline’s Day Center, Providence Mount St. Vincent, Fauntleroy Creek, the Over 65 Dinner, cleaning the church in which our community worships, visiting veterans at the VA Hospital, learning about and supporting Westside Baby, or engaging in their self-chosen and designed 8th grade Juan Diego Graduation Service Project.
Earlier this week, I heard students in Mrs. Hieger’s class engaging in a mock caucus. They are so adept at critical thinking about real world issues, asking articulate and thoughtful questions, and persuasively speaking about their convictions and values. I look forward to their evolving leadership!
Speech Tournament Congratulations!
OLG was well represented at the Seattle Prep Speech Tournament during the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. Four students participated in the annual competition.
Seventh grader Emily and eighth grader Cristian delivered humorous speeches, and eighth graders Mikee and Cyrus competed in the dramatic category. Cyrus and Cristian also took part in the impromptu category.
“It was competitive,” Emily said. “It’s fun to compete against people who are better, because you learn from it and can make yourself better by watching those people and their techniques.”
Cristian, a speech team veteran, earned outstanding honors at the tournament. He placed first in the senior humorous category and second in senior impromptu. Most impressively, he was awarded the highest honor of the competition – top overall male in the entire tournament! This award included a scholarship to Seattle Preparatory School.
Congratulations to Cristian and to our dedicated OLG speech competitors!
Tomorrow is the final day for our Student Council Catholic Schools Week Food and Dollar Drive for St. Vincent de Paul!
Please help us fill the shelves of our local St. Vincent de Paul Chapter during these cold winter months. Thank you!
Survey Reminder
Please remember the Disciple Maker Index: Measuring Spiritual Growth and Parish Engagement Among Disciples. The survey is open now through Ash Wednesday, February 10th. Your voice matters!
Please see important information about this year’s OLG Auction below!
Tickets on Sale Now for the Auction!Seats are filling up fast!
Please Join us at the OLG Auction & Gala, An Evening in Paris on February 27th at the Brockey Center! Did you miss the registration deadline? You’re not TOO late yet! Seats are still available, but they are filling fast! We may have to announce we are Sold Out very soon, so please register now! Register online or send your RSVP card and payment to the school.
Live Auction Sneak Peak!
Lake Chelan Vacation home for a week! Year Round Availability for the first time on this beloved live item; summer is calling! Take your family or friends to the fun in the Chelan sun! Bid on this perfect vacation getaway in our live auction!
Are you unable to attend, but want to support our fund a need, or bid on that class project or fabulous vacation? We can provide a ghost bidder to accommodate your bidding requests. Please contact your auction chairs for more details.
Volunteer Opportunities for the Auction!
Do you need volunteer commitment hours? Well, the auction definitely needs YOU! We need everyone to pitch in and help with transportation and set-up in the morning, and tons of help the night of the event! Please sign up to volunteer or email your auction chairs.
We also need delicious donated desserts! You earn commitment hours for your baking time. Please contact Jori McChesney, our Dessert Dash Chair, at 206-999-6778 for more details.
Online Catalog is Here!
You have all been waiting for this moment, to see the catalog online! Visit the auction website to prepare for the event and create your wishlist today. The hard copy event catalog will be delivered to those who registered in your FCE next week.
The Online Auction is Coming! February 11th – 22nd
Are you ready to begin supporting OLG next week with the online auction? Specific items in the catalog have been designated for Online Auction Availability, including the Amazing BUY A SPOT opportunities! Beginning Thursday, February 11th, you may purchase or bid on items included in the online auction at the auction website. This feature will close at 8:00 pm on February 22nd.
How do I Bid Online?
Buy a Spot is self-explanatory, no bidding required, just buy a spot!
You may purchase an item using the BUY NOW button. (This is the only way to keep it from floating to the event on 2/27.)
You may also bid on an item by entering your desired bid amount.
At the end of the online auction, if the current bid is LESS THAN the BUY NOW price, it moves to the silent auctions. Starting at the last online bid, if the item has no further bids at the event, you win with your final online bid.
Items purchased by online bidders may be picked up at school on March 2nd, 3rd or 4th.
Fourth graders have been transformed. They are now emigrants bound for Oregon Country. Our Storypath unit is called “The Oregon Trail”. I enjoy using this teaching strategy that engages students with problem solving and story telling. Storypath units integrate content and skills from many disciplines. While we are learning about history we are also reading primary historical documents, charts and maps. We are writing, reflecting and negotiating. We are creating art and composing a story. Fourth graders are asked to think critically about what they know, use prior knowledge to make sense of new information and connect personally to important social studies concepts.
Our setting is 1840-1863, various stops along the Oregon Trail. Fourth graders begin with creating characters and forming “family units” for the journey. Next we construct wagons, make our supply list and plan our route. Our plot will unfold in the weeks ahead. I sure hope we all make it safe and sound!
Join our parish community and nearly 14,000 Catholic communities across the United States in a life-changing Lenten journey with Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl. You can pick up your Rice Bowl at the Ash Wednesday Masses, where they will be blessed in our community. CRS Rice Bowls can be used to collect alms for people experiencing hunger around the world. They are also filled with wonderful educational and prayer resources to deepen your Lenten experience. This year, you can also get the free CRS Rice Bowl app for daily inspiration, follow them on Twitter and/or like them on Facebook. Remember, what you give up for Lent changes lives.
Knights of Columbus Youth Free Throw Competition
Our Lady of Guadalupe Knights of Columbus Council is sponsoring a Basketball Free Throw Competition for all boys and girls ages 9 to 14 as of January 1st. The competition will be held Saturday, February 6th at 2:00 pm at Our Lady of Guadalupe Walmesley Center gym (3410 SW Myrtle St., corner of 35th Ave. SW & Myrtle St.). Our Lady of Guadalupe, in years past, has had several State Champions.
Each boy and girl Council champion will be eligible to advance to the District competition to be held later in February. Participants are required to furnish proof of age (birth certificate, etc).
This Sunday, February 7th, we will have our Family Faith Sunday in the Walmesley Gym from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. and hope you can attend that, with our theme: “It All Comes Down to Mercy – Letting Jesus Find Us This Lent”. Lots of fun activities are planned in preparation for Ash Wednesday and Lent. We will have our Lord Lions, Good News Bears and Little Lambs as scheduled on February 7th.
Click here to learn more! about CYO sports at OLG!
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.
Lake Chelan Vacation home for a week! Year Round Availability for the first time on this beloved live item; summer is calling! Take your family or friends to the fun in the Chelan sun! Bid on this perfect vacation getaway in our live auction!
Fourth graders have been transformed. They are now emigrants bound for Oregon Country. Our Storypath unit is called “The Oregon Trail”. I enjoy using this teaching strategy that engages students with problem solving and story telling. Storypath units integrate content and skills from many disciplines. While we are learning about history we are also reading primary historical documents, charts and maps. We are writing, reflecting and negotiating. We are creating art and composing a story. Fourth graders are asked to think critically 
about what they know, use prior knowledge to make sense of new information and connect personally to important social studies concepts.
across the United States in a life-changing Lenten journey with Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl. You can pick up your Rice Bowl at the Ash Wednesday Masses, where they will be blessed in our community. CRS Rice Bowls can be used to collect alms for people experiencing hunger around the world. They are also filled with wonderful educational and prayer resources to deepen your Lenten experience. This year, you can also get the free CRS Rice Bowl app for daily inspiration, follow them on Twitter and/or like them on Facebook. Remember, what you give up for Lent changes lives.
