Kids are Kids

People think that as teachers we have the best jobs in the world because we (supposedly) have three months of vacation every summer and weeks off of school during the school year for vacation. Hmmm, well here's a shocker: we do have the best jobs in the world but not because of vacations. Our best days as teachers are filled with smiles from children, thank you's from parents, and understanding from one another. Kids are kids and kids have faults just like adults do, thank goodness each day we start anew with God. Some kids can sit in their seat without reminders from teacher, some kids bring their homework to school each day complete, some kids are happy and helpful to everyone they meet. Some kids cannot, do not, and are not. But, we love them just the same because they are God's children. They are not perfect and we recognize that and meet them where they are. As parents, many of us have had the same struggles you have. So, talk to us when you need to vent & let us pray for patience, peace, and always love for your family. Do the same for us!

Hot Lunch and Helpers

Every day we have nutritious lunches for our students. Of course, some lunches they prefer better than others. It seems Pizza Thursday is always a bit hit with most kids ordering pizza which is usually served with salad and a dessert. This year we have been getting Little Caesar's Pizza. The kids like it and the price is right. One of our great parent volunteers picks up the pizza from the Shaw & Fowler store and gets it to school by 11:15, ready for our first lunch at 11:30am. Monday and Tuesday our lunch is catered from Moving Feast. We enjoy a varied menu each month; baked chicken, spaghetti, lumpia, and even breakfast of pancakes and bacon for lunch. The kids think that is "cool." Each Wednesday a local restuarant delivers us either baked potatos or chow mein along with a fortune cookie. We thank Flamous Grill for serving our students and our school so well. We couldnt provide lunches each day of the week without the efforts of our Hot Lunch coordinator Ms Chavez and her assistant Ms Claudia Melgoza. Together they make sure we have a menu and order form to order our lunches each month and they make sure there are volunteers to serve lunch to the students. Thank you!

First Graders and Jump Rope

I had such a great time this week with excited 1st graders learning how to jump rope. I watch the 4th graders jumping and singing songs while they jump that I forget that jumping and singing is not that easy for a first grader. As a matter of fact, it can be quite challenging. The most difficult thing about jumping rope for a first grader seems to be the timing. Their little feet just want to go up into the air before the rope starts turning and by the time the rope is back on the ground their feet are on top of it! They try so hard and I really think that in another couple of weeks they will be able to sing while they are jumping. I'm ready for some Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn around......Keep practicing first graders. You're doing a great job.

Festival is September 12th

Plan to come and join us for our first fundraiser of the school year. From 12:00-8:00pm your family, friends, and neighbors are invited to eat, listen to music, play games, get your face painted, win a cake at the cake walk, enter the Bake-Off contest and more!

Play Bingo~Visit the Car Show~Throw a pie at your teacher~

A fun day is planned for all. Thank you to our great committee of hardworking parents getting ready for the day.

First Day of School

The students are back! Yeah! Student Council led us in prayer and Father Robert blessed our school year. Our teachers were here early this morning getting the final touches put on classrooms and Ms Chavez was ready to greet Day Care kids. Morning Day Care is now in Room 4, which is the former Computer Lab. Even if you are not in 4th grade you are welcome to stop in and see what a great job Ms Garcia did in turning the space into a welcoming place for her class this year. More later and even some pictures too thanks to Mr. Baker, our resident photographer. Blessings for a beautiful and prosperous year of learning.

Raffle Tickets for Sale

Our annual Festival will be held on Sunday September 12 on the school grounds and at Notre Dame Hall across the street from 12:00-8:00pm. Plan to attend after Mass on Sunday!

Raffle Tickets are now on sale. All OLPH school families should plan on selling at least two books. Sell chances to win $ to your family members, neighbors, and friends.

Volunteers are needed to help with the Silent Auction and Game Booths. If you haven't already signed up, call the school office today.

Cheering for OLPH

This summer our Cheerleaders practiced with Ms Shawna Pribble at LaBella Dance and learned dances and cheers that will WOW us during our Sports seasons. The group attended cheer camp at Clovis High School and we are proud of them! Cheerleading is open to girls in grades 4th-8th. Join this energetic and enthusiastic group this year by calling the school office for more information. GO COUGARS

Vacation Bible School

This week our summer school students join many other OLPH church and school students for a week of praise and fun! We have been enjoying the crafts, songs, fellowship, and new friendships during Vacation Bible School. This is the final week of summer school and we will end on Friday with a party. Thank you to our teachers Mr Washington, Mrs. Forcey and Mrs. Melgoza for a terrific summer of learning and new adventures. We look forward to next summer!

Keeping our Skills Strong

Summer school begins at 8:30am each day with prayer and pledge. Then it's time to divide up into groups. Coach Washington takes group B first and they stretch out and then practice basketball and volleyball drills. I take group A first and we begin our lessons: Math facts, spelling and sight words, reading, and Art. During Session One of summer school we are focusing on the Art of Henry Matisse, Georgia O'Keefe, and Pablo Picasso. I am very proud of our students (and parents) for making the commitment to summer school and yes, homework each evening. I hope that all our students are practicing their math facts, learning new vocabulary, and getting lots of exercise during the summer months!

It's summer and It's quiet

The school year has ended and as much as we all look forward to some much needed relaxation, it becomes very quiet at school without the kids! Mrs. Robertson, Mrs. Forcey and I have been working in the office to finish up the school year and ready for summer school. Many parent have dropped by to pick up a report card or buy some SCRIP and shared summer plans. There are many families traveling around the U.S. and out of the country as well. Sister Pilar left on Saturday to Spain for the summer. Whatever you are doing be safe and have fun. Know that we are keeping busy and planning for another great year at OLPH! We are in need of a New Family Coordinator and Festival Chairpeople so if you want to get your 30 hours done before school even begins just give us call in the school office (559) 299-7504.

Our New Web Site

Isn't it fantastic? Mr. JP Nunez our wonderful parent, very talented graphic designer and Technology School Board member created it for our school. He has been working on the site for a few months now and we are proud to have it up and running. So far only rave reviews! The site can be easily navigated and is filled with so much information for our current and potential families. Now that the site is up we can begin to edit and revise. Be patient with us during this process and definitely let us know what you would like added to the site so that it is most helpful for you. We thank Mr Verne Farley our (almost alumni) Tech Dad for his initiative in building our former school web site and partnership with Mr Nunez as our new site was built. WE are truly blessed at OLPH School.

JogaThon 2010

This year our JogaThon was held at San Joaquin Memorial High School. The students ran or walked around the track while others ran the obstacle course or jumped rope. We thank Coach Washington for setting up the obstacle course. We thank our moms Mrs. Mross & Mrs. Andrade for planning and organizing the day. In between activity, students took a break and enjoyed fruit, granola, bars, and water all donated by local businesses and families. Many kudos have been given to this year's JogaThon T-shirt. All students received their shirt in time to jog in it looking good each lap of the way! Monies are being returned and counted this week and prize winners will be announced Monday after morning prayer. Thank you to all that sponsored students laps. We appreciate your support.

Fresno County Science Fair

Today our 6th and 7th grade students visited the 57th Annual Central California Regional Science Fair held at the Fresno Fairgrounds. The students were inspired by the projects and came away with lots of ideas. Mrs. Forcey worked with four of our 8th grade students to prepare projects for judging at the Fair. Thank you Mrs. Forcey and thank you students for representing our school very well!

K-2 Dental Screening

All Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students are screened by

Dr. Ngo annually. This service is soley to provide for early detection of dental problems that may arise before the childs next dental visit. The dental screen is not a thorough exam such as that done at the dental office. A visual inspection is completed of the teeth and surrounding tissue. An assessment is made and recommendations sent home to parents if further treatment is needed. http://www.mysmilekids.com/ Visit this site to learn more about Dental Health!

Science Fair 2010

Our annual Science Fair was held on Tuesday. All 5th-8th grade students entered a project, either individually or in a small group. This year we also had grades Kindergarten-Third grade exhibit their class Science Fair Project. We are proud of all our winners and students for working hard through the Scientific Method to learn more and share with others. We thank Mrs. Forcey for coordinating this event and to all our judges: Parents, Friends, School Board members, Father Robert & Father Craig.

The great men of science are supreme artists. ~Martin H. Fischer

Spelling Bee

This year we welcomed nine schools to Notre Dame Hall for our annual Non-Public School Spelling Bee: St. Joachim, St. Lasalle, Our Lady of Victory, St. Anthony's, Mary Immaculate Queen, CK Armenian, Valley Crescent, Fresno Christian, and Clovis Christian. This year we encouraged schools to bring their best 2nd and 3rd grade Spellers to join our Level One competition. Almost100 2nd & 3rd students brought their knowledge of words and their enthusiasm to earn awards. Students in grades 4-8 also participated for a #1 spot in their Division and move on to the Fresno County Spell Off in March. 4th grade gets one more year to practice at our level before eligiblity to the Fresno County Spell. The day was filled with friendship and a great spirit of competition & we thank the many parents that accompanied their children. Thank you coaches for preparing your students! Students thank you for participating and we look forward to seeing you again next year.

You can't spell "brothers" without at the same time spelling "others

Our Students are 100 Days Smarter

February 8th marked the 100th day of school for the 2009-10 school year and if you listened closely you could hear a low murmur of excitement in the halls. Many students created remarkable projects made from 100 stickers, cheetos, beans, cotton balls, and more. Even though the 100th Day of school has come and gone, you can continue celebrating at home:

• Do 100 Jumping Jacks


• Write numbers 1-100 using different colored markers


• Collect 100 of different items and weigh them


• Read the book The Night Before the 100th Day of School by Natasha Wing


• Name 100 cities in the United States without looking at a map

Have fun and keep learning. There are less than 100 days left of school!

Jumping for a World Record

The current record for the most people jumping rope at the same time is held by Australia at 59,000 people. This morning we attempted to be a part of breaking the world record by joining 80,000 other people jumping at 9:00am for 10 minutes. We thank Coach Washington for coordinating this event and promoting health & physical fitness on our campus each day.

Geography Bee

Each year thousands of schools in the United States participate in the National Geographic Bee using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The contest is designed to spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography.

Here are some sample questions from the National Geographic Bee, along with ideas about how to look for clues within the questions that can help you figure out the right answers.

Which state has a climate suitable for growing citrus fruits—California or Maine?
You know that oranges and grapefruit are citrus fruits and that they grow in warm places. Since California's climate is definitely warmer and sunnier than Maine's, you correctly answer California.

Which country has the world's largest Muslim population—Indonesia or Mexico?
If you have studied maps showing world religions, you will know the answer immediately. If you haven't, you might reason that Mexico was settled by the Spanish, followers of Christianity not Islam. Either way, you correctly answer Indonesia.

The North Atlantic current brings warm waters from the tropics to the west coast of which continent?
From studying physical maps you know that the North Atlantic is the area of the Atlantic that lies north of the Equator and that the entire west coast of Europe borders the North Atlantic, so you correctly answer Europe.

Congratulations to all our participants in grades 4-8. Congratulations to Jessica in 4th grade! She earned the most points in today's Bee and will represent our school at the State level. We are very proud of Jessica and thank all her teachers, family, and friends that helped her to learn all that she has to win today.

Chalking the Doors

Thank you Father Robert for visiting campus today and blessing each classroom and the office with the holy water you brought from the Jordan River. May your blessing bring us health, peace, and joy during 2010!

Since the Middle Ages there has been a tradition in many Christian households that on (or near) the Feast of the Epiphany we pray for God’s blessing on our homes, marking the doorpost (lintel) with chalk (an incarnational image reminding us of the dust of the earth from which we were made). We mark the main door of our home
with the initials of the Magi and the numerals of the new year, connected with crosses: 20 + C + M + B + 10
The initials remind us of the legendary names of the Magi - Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar - and also stand for the Latin motto: Christus mansionem benedicat (May Christ bless this house) In the Book of Exodus, the Israelites marked their doors with blood so that the Lord would pass over their homes; but in this ritual, we mark our doors with chalk as a sign that we have invited God’s presence and blessing into our homes.