Welcome Back to School!

Today was the big day! 200+ kids came to school with bags of school supplies in hand and parents in tow. We started the day with Prayer Service led by Student Council. We have a great group of Student Council members this year & I know they have lots of great ideas for our school. I'm excited for the year! Father Robert was here to bless our teachers, students, and our year of learning. He brought his dog Bosco. She's a good girl and stayed on the leash today. Mr. Baker, our wonderful camera happy dad-to-Alex, took lots of pictures so I'm sure I will get a disk tomorrow. So expect to see some pics soon of kids and OLPH School Life soon. I'm teaching 8th grade Religion this year with Father Robert. I feel very priveleged to have this opportunity & look forward to my time with a great class of students. Sister Pilar has been teaching 8th grade Religion and is now needed in 6th grade to teach Spanish. Did I mention we have a great staff?! So many smiles on faces today. I love our school~

After School Program

Registration prior to attendance is required for all students attending OLPH School Before and After School Program. The program provides a supervised framework of academics, crafts, creative activties and games for students. The program is for parent convenience as well as student safety. Enrollment and emergency forms can be found on our school web site and must be returned to the school office along with registration fee of $40.00 per family prior to attendance. Parents are encouraged to register their children for the program in case of emergencies. The Before School program is mandatory for ALL students who come to school prior to 8:00 am. The After School program is mandatory for ALL students that do not leave OLPH School at dismissal time. The After School program is open until 6:00 pm. Before & After School Programs begin on August 24th.

What makes our School Catholic?

Our Catholic school is an integral part of the Church's mission to proclaim the Gospel, build faith communities, celebrate through worship, and serve others.

The commitment to academic excellence, which fosters the intellectual development of faculty and students, is an integral part of the mission of our Catholic school.

Our Catholic school is an evangelizing, educational community.

The spiritual formation of the entire school community is an essential dimension of our Catholic school's mission.

Our Catholic school is a unique, faith-centered community which integrates thinking and believing in ways that encourage intellectual growth, nurture faith, and inpsire action.

Our Catholic school is an experience of the church's belief, tradition, and sacramental life.

Our Catholic school creates a supportive and challenging climate which affirms the dignity of all persons within our school community.

Dad's Work Day at OLPH

This morning six energetic dads made their way to campus at 6:00 am to begin some improvements before school starts on August 24. They replaced celing tiles in the computer lab, attached new bulletin boards outside each classroom, changed out light bulbs & ballasts, and gathered up odds and ends lying around that needed to be dumped. Thank you Dad's, you did a great job: Mr. Farley, Mr. Carrizalez (alumni dad), Mr. DiViccaro (school board dad), Mr. Dias, and two of our newest dads on campus: Mr. Nash & Mr. Huber. Thank you Mr. Farley for organizing this day for us. Look for the next Dad's Work Day date to be announced on our school web site. Mr. DiViccaro is currently compiling a list of people and businesses available to us when we need a plumber, painter, tree trimmer, locksmith, and more. We always like to utlize the talents of our own families when possible, so if you would like your name on the list, make sure to let us know in the school office and we will make sure Mr. DiViccaro gets your information. Future jobs to do: replace ceiling tiles in the office & spread and add blue chips in playground areas.

New Parent Orientation

On Wednesday night several of our new families met in Notre Dame Hall to get a jump start on learning more about our school. Our School Board Development Chair, Carlos Flores, began the evening with a prayer. Next I shared some information about our school and the WASC process and our Self-Study and Curriculum Guidelines. Next our Parent Club members shared some information about our fundraisers and monetary commitments parents are required to meet throughout the school year. One name you should be familiar with is Cathy Basham. She is our mom that takes care of logging all of the volunteer hours parents and family earn. All families are required to earn 30 Hours before May 2, 2010 in order to avoid paying $10 per hour not completed. This is really quite easy to do! Make sure to sign up for all of the events you would like to participate in this year. (form included in the summer packet) A chairperson will call you as the event is planned. More information about our Parent Participation Program can be found on our school web site. Our School Board Members introduced themselves lastly & our President, Shannon Farley, welcomed our new families. All families new to our school have been assigned a mentor family. Please be sure to communicate with them often and always when you are unsure about a school policy or procedure. This is going to be a great year!

Keeping our Kids Healthy

We are all well aware of that there is great concern for the upcoming flu season. According to the CDC there have been over 5000 hospitalizations associated with the H1N1 virus. CDC analysis supports the conclusion that the virus has caused the greatest burden on people younger than 25 years of age. The presence of this flu may be unavoidable but there are steps we will take to protect our students and staff:

• Frequent contact and communication with our parish health minister, county health department and Office of Education
• Encourage families to obtain the flu vaccine for all family members
• Remind both staff and students to stay at home if flu symptoms are present
• Teach kids to cough into their elbow and cover their cough
• Wash hands Wash hands Wash hands!
• Keep Purell containers in classrooms filled
• Encourage correct tissue diposal in proper receptacles
• Regularly clean door knobs, desk tops, telephones
• Have a plan in place for teaching students at home for extended length of time
• Have a plan in place should school need to be closed

We did it!

Today is the day we've been waiting for since March 6th. The day all our hard work paid off.The day that just gave us a great reason to celebrate. What day is it? The day we found out WE RECEIVED A 6 YEAR ACCREDITATION FROM WASC. Six wonderful years. I like the number six. Our School Board, Parent Club Board, Staff, Students, alumni and parishioners all had a hand in and contributed to the Self-Study we compiled before our WASC Team visited last March. The Catholicity of our school shines through each and every day at OLPH and we know that and we were able to share that with the team. Our academic standards and the love all stakeholders have for our school definitely sets us apart from surrounding schools. We are blessed! Take a moment to pray for our school's continued success. Then take a moment to hug your child and remind them what an awesome opportunity they are being given attending a Catholic school. Thank you everyone! You make me proud~

Uniform Ready?

One of the best things about Catholic School has got to be the uniform. Of course, that's from a parent perspective and definitely not the students. One day when their own children are in Catholic School they will appreciate not having to worry about what will be worn each day or what the other kids will be wearing. We have totes and totes and more totes full of donated uniforms in the school office. Stop by anytime to trade or purchase. A sample of the new Thursday Cougar T-shirt is in the office and a sample of the new navy Cougar short will be here soon. If you visit Dennis uniform ask them about the 1/4 zip sweatshirt that may be purchased to wear each day as well. Maybe all the staff should start wearing uniforms....

Weekly Communication

Every Tuesday an email is sent out to all families that begins with the Principal's Page loaded with information. Following the Principal's Page are additional forms and flyers such as hot lunch (once a month), fundraising information, events on campus and more. Please take time to read this each week. If you know someone that is not receiving the email and would like to, have them log on to our school web site and click the "Sign up" link to register online. If you have a question that isnt answered in the packet of information, please email me and I will be sure to include it in the next week's packet. Chances are likely that if you have a question, someone else has the same one. Also, if you would like to share some family or student news with our school community, just send me an email and I will be happy to include special awards, recitals, competitions, or other exciting information. Have a great end to your week!

Summer School Came & Went

It's hard to believe but today is August 1st and summer school is over. We had two three week sessions of summer school on campus this year. Mrs. Forcey and I planned great lessons and field trips and had lots of fun with the kids in attendance. We met some new friends and many of our great OLPH students were there as well. Not only did we practice writing, math, and spend time reading and taking AR tests, we did some great art projects and learned a few new things on the computer. We went bowling, to the Clovis Library, and we ended with a ice cream at Maggie Moo's and a movie at Sierra Vista Mall. Visit our school web site soon for School Supply Lists and get ready for school to start soon!