"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."
May 5th Newsletter
May 5, 2016
Dear OLG Families,
Spring is definitely in the air at OLG, but so much learning is happening each day in the classroom, around school, and on some exciting field trips!
Welcome, Mr. Michael Stein-Ross!
The biggest news is that we hired a middle school science/Spanish teacher! Michael Stein-Ross will be joining the OLG staff in the fall, but before that he will be moving back to the US from Venezuela, where he is currently teaching. Mr. Stein-Ross has a strong commitment to ecological education and sustainability and has overseen the creation of two school gardens and has taken students for a week of environmental education at Camp Waskowitz. He was named Burien Teacher of the Year for leading his sixth grade class at St. Francis of Assisi through an inquiry-based, interdisciplinary project that culminated in the creation of a campus rain garden that also served as an educational site for the wider community. Our interview team was thrilled that Mr. Stein-Ross chose to come to OLG. We were impressed with his understanding of middle school students, his commitment to collaboration, innovation and curriculum integration, and his passion for fostering curiosity and a love of learning. He also brings a strength in teaching the reading-for-information and technical writing skills that are critical for success in science education. Mr. Stein-Ross shares OLG’s commitment to educating confident leaders who will make a positive difference in the world. We are confident that he will be an excellent addition to our faculty!
GiveBIG Update
An enormous “thank you” to our tremendous donors. You donated $11,320 (before stretch funds are added), which was a combination of new donations and fulfillment of existing School Fund Drive pledges. Thank you for your generosity and for taking advantage of GiveBIG stretch funds to increase the value of your gift!
See below for curriculum updates, an exciting summer service opportunity for graduating 8th graders and recent alumni, important CYO news, and more!
Help count laps, set-up, clean-up, slice oranges & earn hours toward next year. Contact Sarah Sarah Housknecht or Linda O’Keefe with any questions.
Pledge
Encourage your runner to collect pledges from family and friends. Please list all pledges on the form including online pledges. Runners can be given a per lap challenge, or a flat donation. (Pledge Forms are Due on Friday, May 13th by 9:00 am.)
Collecting Donations
Use the website! Super easy! This is the preferred method of pledge collections and for paying invoices at the end of the event. Send the link to out-of-town friends and relatives. Have children be safe when asking neighbors.
The Rock-N-Roll Jog-a-thon is free dress day. We challenged runners to dress a “little Rock-N-Roll” for the event…t-shirts, tutus, crazy socks, bandanas…just be sure the runner is school-appropriate and can run!
Prizes
Runners must turn in a pledge sheet to qualify for prizes!
OLG Bulldog Rock-N-Roll Sunglasses – 1 per runner
Most Laps – $50 West Seattle Runner gift certificate (top boy & girl)
Most Money Collected – $25 Target gift card
Top Runners In Each Class – Pizza & Ice Cream Party
Most Rock & Roll Outfits – Pizza Party Invites
Class Challenge! If the class tops the laps from last year (as a class) the class will win a free dress day! Challenge numbers will be given to each class before the jog-a-thon.
The OLG Parent Org Needs You!
The Parent Org is our partnership as parents with the school administration and faculty to ensure the success of our school. We invite you all to become more actively involved in this working relationship and help our school soar to new heights this next year! Our next Parent Org board meeting is coming up on Tuesday, May 17th at 6:30 pm in the school math lab and we want you there! You don’t have to sit on the board to attend the meetings. We want to hear your thoughts and ideas. Come and share your concerns, offer solutions and help make a difference in your children’s school!
Do you want to be a part of something amazing? There are many important roles on the Parent Org Board that need to be filled for next year. If you have been thinking about getting more involved, now is your chance. OLG needs you! Please click here for a list of our current volunteer needs for the 2016/2017 Parent Org Board. Positions are filling fast (several have been filled since last Thursday), so volunteer today!
Upcoming Events
Friday, 5/13/16 – Jog-a-thon
Tuesday, 5/17/16 – Last Parent Org meeting of the 2015-16 school year! All are welcome – Join us!
Wednesday, 6/1/16 – Field Day (9:30 am – 11:30 am) followed by lunch provided by Parent Org
Last week, the 7th and 8th grade classes went on a joint field trip – while the other third of middle school was off enjoying the outdoors at Camp Hamilton – to the International District and St. James Cathedral.
For both classes, the flash immersion into the International District served as a firsthand connection to the backdrop of a novel both classes have studied, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Having grown up around the ID and frequenting it on almost a weekly basis, I did my best to guide 70 students and parents on a nine-block trek through local businesses, streets and restaurants referenced in the best-selling novel. At the end of the brief tour, we all enjoyed a family style dim sum lunch at House of Hong. I promptly claimed the leftovers for my lunch the next day, which really ended up being more of a mid-morning snack. No shumai left behind.
Helen Osterle, our Pastoral Associate, led the tour of St. James Cathedral where our students learned a bevy of did-ya-knows pertaining to the history of the building and the faith of God’s people in the upper left corner of the U.S. From stories told on doors and stained-glass windows, to wood carvings on the ambo, to tales of resident ghosts, great fires and intentionality behind the ornate artwork, Helen did a masterful job of keeping our food coma induced audience engaged and interested in the facts and lore of our Archbishop’s home church.
Besides this fantastic experience, 8th graders seem ready to graduate, but before doing so, will be rehearsing for their annual class musical, preparing for their Guad Talks (see my website for details!) and will be busy studying for final exams. All is well in the realm, and with more sunny days comes a bubbling excitement for the joy of June.
Preschool and Pre-K love to use instruments: shakers for the Jamaican reggae Banana Boat song, rhythm sticks for a drum lesson, Boomwhackers and StoryBots app for a lesson on octaves. We love to sing the dynamics in John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt and we love to move and freeze to the drums or dance and sing to songs like “Shamrock & Roll”. We’ve learned about instruments in the orchestra and we’ve learned about rhythm on “The Music Show” through our wonderful Music Express subscription service. Every day is full of high energy and joy!
Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd have learned about drumming and trap sets, about octaves by using Boomwhackers and StoryBots, and about musical dynamics. We learned about sound vibrations that travel through air, solids, and then into our ears. We expel some energy by moving and freezing to the drum. We’ve learned about the orchestra through an app called Benjamin Britten’s Orchestra ID and we’ve traveled to Jamaica and Scotland via our Music Express Magazines.
3rd, 4th, and 5th have also learned about drumming and trap sets, about octaves by using Boomwhackers and StoryBots, and about musical dynamics. We learned about sound vibrations that travel through air, solids, and then into our ears. We’ve traveled to Jamaica and Scotland via our Music Express Magazines. We’ve taken musical dictation on the magnetic whiteboard and we’ve learned about (heart-throb!) Eric Whitacre and his Virtual Choir 4.0.
4th-5th Grade Chorus has been a shining example of leadership at mass. They learn new songs, 2-part harmonies, and rounds speedily. They’ve offered up several lunchtime “flash mobs”; the most recent one being “The Final Countdown”. I have great fun with this group!
The Spring Concert is on Wed., May 25 at 7pm and I’ll send out specific class information soon!
Youth Migrant Project Summer Mission Trip For Teens
St. James Cathedral, St. Mary’s and St. Anne’s are collaborating on a summer mission trip called the Youth Migrant Project and they’ve invited teens from OLG to join them! Mr. Santos and Jennifer Ibach will help lead this fun and life-changing week. We will be joining the group for the second half of their trip (July 5th-July 8th). The trip is open to all graduating 8th graders (14+) 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 22nd and June 12th, both at 6:30pm at St. James Cathedral. The cost of the trip is $200 but scholarships are available. Because there are four parishes participating, space is limited. If you are interested in attending or have questions, contact Jennifer Ibach at 206-935-0358 x.120. Applications are available in the parish office and online and are due Friday, May 13th.
There is a position available on the CYO Board starting June 1st. We meet roughly once a month. If you are interested and/or would like more information, please contact the Board.
Thank you, Todd Carlsen, for 7 years of service to our OLG community! (see Todd’s letter below)
To Father Jack and the OLG Parish/School Community,
I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you for the past 7 years to serve as the Athletic Director for CYO Athletics at OLG. On June 1st 2016, I will be stepping down as the director of CYO Athletics at OLG. I began this position back in April of 2009 when then AD, Jeff Jelden, stepped down and the parish needed a volunteer to run the program. Like Russell Wilson’s father said to Russell way back when, “Why not you?” I can say the same for me. Being the father of a kindergartner at the time, I knew I wanted to get involved and hopefully make a difference for our OLG community. I was honored to also be a member of the building committee of the OLG gym and see it built during my time at OLG. I have some great memories already of this building we are so fortunate to have here at OLG.
Our program has had tremendous growth in these past 7 years and continues to be successful because of our volunteer coaches and parents along with a strong CYO Board of Directors as well. I have made mistakes in running the program during this time and dealt with many challenges but I always have had our kids best interests first and foremost so they could have fun and make CYO a positive and memorable experience. CYO is a great community building ministry and it doesn’t work without the involvement of so many volunteers giving of their time and talent.
Thank you to everyone for a great 7 years and know that our OLG CYO program is left in good hands and will continue to grow and become even better. Co-AD Daren Monroe will now become the sole AD and be supported by the OLG CYO Board and Father Jack.
I have learned through many ups and downs during this time that our OLG community is a special place and I will always hold them close to my heart.
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.
Cathedral where our students learned a bevy of did-ya-knows pertaining to the history of the building and the faith of God’s people in the upper left corner of the U.S. From stories told on doors and stained-glass windows, to wood carvings on the ambo, to tales of resident ghosts, great fires and intentionality behind the ornate artwork, Helen did a masterful job of keeping our food coma induced audience engaged and interested in the facts and lore of our Archbishop’s home church.
