"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."
OLG Newsletter – Jan. 28th
January 29, 2015
Dear OLG Families,
Catholic Schools’ Week Re-cap
What a week it has been! Our amazing Parent Org officers, class reps, and others, led by Erin Stampe and Ann Manning, provided wonderful tours and hospitality for Sunday‘s Open House. Our students who assisted were greatly appreciated, as well! On Monday, we explored mathematics, with special on-site programs led by Pacific Science Center staff. Students learned about fractals, codes, symmetry, probability, pentominoes, and much more! We were able to enjoy this program thanks to our generous School Fund Drive donors, as part of our extracurricular program expansion! Tuesday, our students shared tokens of their appreciation for all that you do on Parent/Caregiver Appreciation Day. During the day on Wednesday, each class created a special thank-you (a bouquet of cards, a video, etc.) for the service organization that they partner with throughout the year. Then we all came back in the evening for a phenomenal Winter Concert featuring our preschool/pre-k through fifth grade classrooms, the 4/5 chorus, the 6-8 band, and our middle school choir. Special thanks to Ms. Sager, Miss McKamey, and Mrs. Milanese, for eliciting so much talent in such a joyful way from our students! This morning, we tried something new, with our Special Persons’ Day beginning right at 8:20 with breakfast treats and a classroom visit, followed by Mass and a blessing for our special guests!
Friday, we will wind down with an all-school movie, popcorn, and pajama day. Students may bring a blanket, small pillow, or stuffed animal to sit with in the School Hall as we gather in Faith Family Groups for the movie. Many thanks to Parent Org for planning a special Staff Appreciation Lunch for tomorrow as well, before we launch into the afternoon’s accreditation work.
Sparkle! Auction Update
Be sure to check out the Parent Org Facebook Page and “LIKE us on facebook” to view a brand new video highlighting class projects and more!
Safety Reminder
We have recently learned of two incidents in which young adolescent students were robbed early in the morning on the way to school in West Seattle. One incident took place at the bus stop on 35th, near the reservoir. The other took place this morning near 20th Ave. SW and SW Holden, and the robber was armed. In both cases, the student’s backpack was taken. Additionally, a flasher incident involving a man in a gray mini-van took place near Chief Sealth and was reported by a high school student. Please see the safety tips from the Seattle Police Dept. and encourage your child to walk with a companion or in a group and to report anything suspicious to a trusted adult.
Honor Band Welcomes Seven OLG Students
Thank you to all of the students who auditioned. We are so proud of you! Congratulations to the following band members selected to represent our school in the 2015 Honor Band!
I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to all of you who volunteered your time at the open house this past Sunday! The day was great success, and it was remarkable to see our community share all the amazing experiences and opportunities OLG has to offer with prospective families. You left no doubt in anyone’s mind how much we love and appreciate our school! A special thank you all the Parent Org Class Reps who stationed themselves throughout our classrooms, served tasty refreshments, and helped carefully carry auction projects to and from the classrooms. It was a pleasure to work alongside each and everyone one of you.
A quick reminder: Our next Parent Org Meeting is Tuesday, February 10th at 6:30 PM in the school math lab (located across from the front desk on the main floor). Everyone is welcome. Please join us!
OLG Sparkle! Auction & Gala
RSVP Deadline
Be a part of this amazing night on Saturday, February 28th!
Invite your family and friends. Please don’t delay; the RSVP deadline is FRIDAY! RSVP Online or send in your rsvp card today!
Great Auction Items
You don’t want to miss out on these great items!
Florida Vacation Home, Bathroom Remodel, Emerald City Comic Con tickets, Class Projects, $1000 cash raffle…and much, much more!
Online Auction
For the first time, we will hold an online auction on our auction website. Friends and Family will be able to bid and buy online to help support OLG. The online auction will open Feb 12th – Feb 23rd. Watch for more info coming soon!
Facebook Page
Do you want to keep up to date about the auction? Get a sneak peek on items like the Florida Villa, Millersylvania Tent Cabin before the catalog has arrived! “LIKE” us on facebook
Questions?
Please contact auction chairs, Laura Vornbrock and Laurie Robbins by
Welcome back to school and to a new year. I always like coming back after a break. Everyone is happy to be back, happy to see one another, and P.E. classes are nothing but fun. No disagreements, everyone is gracious; we are happy to be around each other.
Then as weeks pass, there are more disagreements and less patience. Reminds me of family. And this is why I love the OLG community. Learning how to get along with others when there is conflict and recognizing the good in everyone, because like a family, we can’t avoid one another. We just need to get along. And we do.
The majority of the P.E. grade is based on behavior and sportsmanship; the rest is effort and participation. We have many physically active students who participate in many sports. I am continually reminding classes that the purpose of P.E. activities are to have them move continuously and work their bodies. It is not a competition and there is no winner or loser. We have many grey areas in our games, it may not always be right or wrong, but what is the fair thing to do. What if you are playing a game with younger siblings or maybe older adults, aunts, uncles, grandpa? Would you play the same or would you give your younger sister a head start or not run your fastest while trying to get Gramps out? We recognize our diversity within our classroom and aim to play with our best sportsmanship. That’s not to say we let Gramps slide all the time. It is fun to get one up on them but every once in a while give them a break. (Hint, hint, like when I play a game with you.)
January is a time for me to review the gym emergency procedures for fire, earthquake and Shelter In Place. Practice drills are unscheduled and classes will practice all three. I also review expectations regarding behavior and sportsmanship. We play many team games that require students to sort out “jobs” and how to share them, plan a strategy, and share their successes and mistakes. We like mistakes because that’s how we learn, and mistakes aren’t failures. It is also a time to modify, change, add or delete a rule; it is their game after all. We do this by voting, and majority rules!
Pre-K through grade 1 are beginning to do activities in groups, a lead up to teams. Relays, stations and working together to build a castle with six hula hoops are a few of the activities. First grade has been introduced to 54; they have not played a game yet but are getting the concept down.
Grades 2 and 3 enjoy 54, Steal the Bacon, Challenge Run and the Hula Hoop Toss. They use their math skills to add (or subtract) points in the Hula Hoop Toss.
Grades 4 through 8 have played all of those because it is good to go back and play some of the games you played when you were younger, a trip down memory lane. They would also play Medic, Ultimate Soak-em and Soak-em every PE, if they could. They will play more multiple team games this trimester, and middle school will begin volleyball. Just in time for the 8th grade vs Teachers game this spring!
Thank you for your support, your children and thank you for sending them to OLG!
Helen Oesterle
Pastoral Associate
New on our Parish Website
Nancy Holmes, one of our parishioners, and her daughter have been volunteering to help the immigrants who come across the Mexican border. You can see her daily posts, including photos, and learn more about how you can support this important ministry. www.olgseattle.org
“Joy of the Gospel”-
A Lenten Small Group Series
Join us for a six-week series where you will have a chance to reflect upon Pope Francis’ message of joy and where it can be found in the Lenten gospels. If you are not currently part of a small group and would like to join one or even create your own, now is the time to sign up either at our website or contact Helen at 206-935-0358.
“Father, I Abandon Myself into Your Hands”
A Lenten Day of Reflection: Begin this Lenten season by participating in a day of prayer and reflection on Saturday, February 21st, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm in the Pastoral Center. Lent is a time for us to step back from our busy lives and reflect upon our relationship with God and how we can live it out with greater integrity and faithfulness in our everyday lives. The theme of this retreat comes from a prayer by Blessed Charles de Foucauld entitled “Prayer of Abandonment”. This prayer will be our retreat. It will guide us, it will live in us, and it will reveal to us truths about who we are and our relationship with God. Presenter: Helen Oesterle. All are welcome to attend. For more information and to register, contact Helen at 206-935-0358.
Join us in the Walmesley Center before Ash Wednesday Mass for a Simple Supper with our community. We’ll be serving two vegetarian dishes from featured Rice Bowl countries Niger and Nicaragua. During Lent, OLG joins over 13,000 Catholic communities across the U.S. in participating in Catholic Relief Services’ Rice Bowl program. The program offers ways to dive deeper into traditional Lenten practices while raising awareness about global poverty and the work of CRS. Learn more at the Simple Supper or by visiting the CRS website.
Mid-Trimester Reports sent home January 29, 2015
Thursday NOON Dismissal
for Staff Accreditation Work
Pajama/Movie/ Popcorn Day January 30, 2015
Friday
Student Council “Dollar and Food Drive” for St. Vincent de Paul January 26-30, 2015
School Commission Meeting
February 11, 2015
Wednesday
6:00 – 7:30 pm
NOON Dismissal for Winter Conferences & Free Dress for students who came in uniform to CSW Sunday Masses February 12, 2015
Thursday
NO School for Conferences February 13, 2015
Friday
For Catholic schools everywhere, that we may joyfully live out our mission of educating students in faith, service, and leadership.
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.
