"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."
March 3rd Newsletter
March 3, 2017
Dear OLG Families,
Kentucky Derby Auction!
If you have an item or certificate that you need to pick up, please stop by the school office either before or after school on Monday, March 6th. We are so very grateful for our wonderful Auction Chairs, Alder Kuhn and Fabiola Prechtel, who planned and implemented such an incredible event. There was a great spirit in the room, and so much generous support of our school. We are blessed with the awesome volunteers and Auction Committee members who supported our Auction Chairs and want to especially recognize Laura Vornbrock and Laurie and Andy Robbins for all of their behind-the-scenes support and help. A report will be given at the State of the School Meeting.
State of the School Meeting – Next Wednesday
On Wednesday, March 8th, we will hold our annual State of the School
Meeting in the School Hall, from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. Don’t miss this important event to participate in sharing with other OLG parents/guardians and stakeholders, learn about priorities for the next school year, hear a budget overview, and celebrate highlights of the current school year. This evening also launches the re-enrollment process for the 2017-18 school year. Register and sign up for childcare here!
Distinguished Teacher/Staff Excellence Award
The annual Distinguished Teacher/Staff Award recognizes one teacher or staff member for excellence. That teacher or staff person receives a stipend for summer travel and pledges to bring the fruits of that trip back into the classroom or school.
The award allows OLG School to showcase its indispensable faculty and staff, one individual at a time, and underscores the important roles of refreshment, experience and inspiration in the learning process. Anyone may nominate a teacher or staff member.
You may complete the nomination form online. The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 10, 2017, so don’t delay!
This is such a wonderful opportunity for our teachers and staff! I hope that you all will take the time to nominate one of the many special people who help us make OLG a very special place to learn and grow!
Referral Incentive Program
Thanks to our OLG School community for sharing the word about the great education at OLG!
Rice Bowls for Lent
Lenten Rice Bowls were sent home with students yesterday!
Join us for OLG’s Annual Day of Service
“Lent is a favorable season for opening the doors to all those in need and recognizing in them the face of Christ.”
– Pope Francis, Message for Lent 2017
Join with other OLG parishioners on Saturday, March 25th as we head out to eleven service sites in the greater Seattle area to learn, to serve and to spread God’s love. Some of the perennial favorites are back as well as some special opportunities to meet migrants and refugees in our community. After a year of focus on mental health in our community, there is also an option for serving at a housing complex for adults coping with persistent mental illness struggles. For more information or to register, visit our website.
Extracurriculars for Spring and Summer
We’re excited to bring Sing Out Seattle back to OLG beginning in April. We’re also looking forward to offering coding with Coding with Kids this spring, building on the excitement of Hour of Code and follow-up coding that has taken place in many of our classrooms this winter. Watch for more details about these and other program offerings; a registration link will be emailed out shortly.
Mark your calendars for OLG Summer Extracurriculars the week of June 19th – 23rd. We’re working hard to get the details finalized and registration opened up by the end of next week! We’ll have something for everyone K-8. We will also offer programming Wednesday – Friday, June 14th – 16th, since we get out on a Tuesday this year.
OLG Parish Vacation Bible School will be the following week, June 26th – 30th.
Congratulations!
The following five kids correctly guessed when the alevin in our salmon tank would turn to fry:
Isaac, grade 8
Wyatt, grade 2
Garrett, grade 2
Lena, Kindergarten
Stella, grade 4
Remember – No school next Friday, for an archdiocesan curriculum day. OLG teachers will attend a training focused on meeting the needs of diverse learners in the classroom. We are grateful for the opportunity to spend a day deepening our learning and practice as educators and sharing with colleagues from other schools.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!
Get in the Loop!
Ready to climb over walls, crawl through mud, and test your mettle on a host of exciting challenges? Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish is inviting YOU to Loop the ‘Lupe, a fun new event featuring an obstacle course, a fun run/walk 5K, plus special events for seniors and young kids. Loop the ‘Lupe will be held June 4, 2017 at Walt Hundley Playfield in West Seattle (just across the street from OLG). Loop the ‘Lupe is a fundraiser for debt reduction and ongoing maintenance of OLG’s gym facility, the Walmesley Center. The Center is a very important part of the West Seattle community, serving more than 8,000 kids and families per year with free community meals, athletic events, social outreach functions, blood drives, and more! Please register now to get an early registration discount, and/or donate to our GoFundMe site!
We look forward to sharing an update about this success of this year’s auction at the State of the School Meeting on Wednesday, March 8th. We hope to see you there!
Next Parent Org Meeting
Tuesday, March 14th in the school Math Lab, starting at 6:30 pm.
This week I’d like to highlight the 7th grade garden project. There are two major elements to the project — native plants, to be installed in the beds in the SW part of campus; and a vegetable garden patch, to be installed in the grass patch adjacent to the southern wall of the church. At the moment we are in the midst of designing the vegetable patch.
Beyond the science of plants, soils and ecosystems, and the engineering practices of designing a garden, students are gaining broader life skills such as how to talk to an adult on the phone, how to email an expert, and how to cooperate in committee work. It is a huge undertaking and there are a lot of balls in the air at once, but the students are handling it all with grace and efficiency.
We will be pricing out our final design soon and seeking feedback from experts. Keep your eyes and ears open in the spring as we will be revealing the project more publicly as we prepare to break ground.
We encounter the Singh family in India, where a mother and father are using innovative farming techniques to feed their family amidst a flood. How is God inviting us to think outside the box in service to others this Lent? Visit the CRS website for more. You’ll find Stories of Hope from each of the featured countries as well as various reflections and activities. You can also download the Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl app for iPhones and Androids or sign up for weekly reflection emails.
Friday Night Stations of the Cross
During Lent, we are invited to walk more thoughtfully and closely with Christ. One wonderful way to do that is by following the pathway of the Cross. Join us for some quiet on Friday nights as we meditate on the self-giving love of Christ and seek to pattern our own lifestyle on His love. Guided Friday evening Stations of the Cross will take place on March 10th, March 24th and April 7th at 7:00 pm in the church (the same nights as the Knights of Columbus fish fries!). The meditations of the Stations will focus on a different theme each time.
March 10th: Remembering those around the world who experience daily suffering and poverty
March 24th: The Migrant’s Way of the Cross
April 7th: Praying the Stations with Pope Francis.
Praying the Stations takes between 30 to 40 minutes.
Who Should Come: Families with school age children K-8th grade. Younger children will have a harder time relating to the topic and the prayer environment.
The Stations of the Cross portray a picture story in 14 different “stations” of the pain and suffering Jesus went through for us from the time Pilot condemned Him to death until He was placed in the tomb after dying on the cross. Praying the “stations” has been a wonderful tradition during Lent.
By walking the path that Jesus walked for each of us, we come to love Him more and He is able to full us with His love. In this way, we open our hearts and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us and fill us with a deeper love and gratitude for Jesus.
Please come and join us in this special Lenten journey with your families. We also invite you to come and join us for the 11:00 am Mass and Fr. Jack will bless all of the symbols that you will receive from each station prayed. These symbols can be used to continue to pray the Stations of the Cross at home.
Lenten RSVP Series (Ritual, Sharing, Verse and Prayer)
Lent is less than a month away, and we are offering a six-week, parish-wide series based on the Washington State Bishops’ Pastoral Letter on poverty, “Who Is My Neighbor?” and the weekly Lenten Gospel. RSVP is designed to build closer relationships and foster a deeper spirituality in our parish community. It is a great way to get to know people and grow in your faith. Small groups gather in parishioners’ homes or at the parish to pray and reflect on the readings for the upcoming Sunday’s Mass. If you are new to the program, please fill out the form in the back of church or in this week’s bulletin. You can return it to the office or place it in the collection basket. You can also register online. There are a variety of options for meeting times to accommodate your schedule. For more information, please contact Helen Oesterle (206) 935-0358 ext. 108.
The OLG/CYO Golf tournament is scheduled for Saturday, May 20th at 7:00 am at West Seattle Golf Course. Lunch, awards, and a prize raffle will immediately follow the golf. Further information, along with sign-up sheets and sponsorship forms, will be available soon. If you have any questions, please contact Tom Colberg at (206) 618-1361.
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.
Ready to climb over walls, crawl through mud, and test your mettle on a host of exciting challenges? Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish is inviting YOU to Loop the ‘Lupe, a fun new event featuring an obstacle course, a fun run/walk 5K, plus special events for seniors and young kids. Loop the ‘Lupe will be held June 4, 2017 at Walt Hundley Playfield in West Seattle (just across the street from OLG). Loop the ‘Lupe is a fundraiser for debt reduction and ongoing maintenance of OLG’s gym facility, the Walmesley Center. The Center is a very important part of the West Seattle community, serving more than 8,000 kids and families per year with free community meals, athletic events, social outreach functions, blood drives, and more! Please 
at the State of the School Meeting on Wednesday, March 8th. We hope to see you there!
We encounter the Singh family in India, where a mother and father are using innovative farming techniques to feed their family amidst a flood. How is God inviting us to think outside the box in service to others this Lent? Visit the 
