December, 2010

Principal’s Corner

But Mary was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:29-30

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We have only three weeks left for the first semester of this school year. It has been very busy and eventful, and the second semester doesn’t look as if it is going to be any different.

The month of December is going to be quite busy with the finishing of units, taking of tests and exams, and preparing for the Christmas Program. This will mean a mixture of stress and excitement for students, you, and the teachers.

December 3 begins our book fair and runs through the 9th. On the opening of the book fair we will have a special treat. Author Mr. Tim Champlin, the grandfather of two of our students, will have his new book Tom Sawyer and the Ghosts of Summer available. He will be at the library from 11:30 until 2:30 to sign copies for buyers. If you wish to purchase one and cannot be here, you may send in your request with $10. All proceeds are benefiting the 8th grade trip to Tybee Island.

December 3rd is also the Home and School sponsored Evening with Santa. This is always a great event for the children. Preceding this will be the Knights of Columbus Fish Fry in the PLC. Look for more information in the Fanfare.

December is also a time when we all become involved with service to others. Our month begins with “Hats on Day” sponsored by our sixth graders in honor of their fellow student Amanda Swartout. This is our second year to be involved with this nationwide fundraiser for “The Foundation for Children with Cancer”; it was introduced to OLPH by Mrs. Miller last year.

As in the past several years, we are again working with Catholic Charities collecting items from our “Giving Trees” for eight families in need. There are still ornaments on the trees to be taken. The gifts need to be brought to the school by December 10th.

Finally, we have another $1 out of uniform this month to benefit one of our grade levels. This has been such a huge success; thank you for your child’s participation. This month’s event will take place Wednesday, December 15. The grade level will be announced that Monday.

December 8th is the feast of the Immaculate Conception and a Holy Day of Obligation. We will have an all school mass that morning. Join us if you can.

Our annual Christmas program will be Thursday, December 16th. For those of you who are new at OLPH, this school wide program has been in existence almost as long as the school has, and it gets better every year. I encourage all students and families to be in attendance that evening. This tradition will get everyone in a holiday mood.

The end of the nine weeks is December 17, and it is also the last day of school before the Christmas break. The students will return on January 5th. All of us at OLPH wish all of you a wonderful and blessed Christmas and New Year.

God Bless,
Jeri McInturff

November, 2010

“Sing to him, sing his praise, and proclaim all (God’s) wondrous deeds!” –Psalm 105:2

Dear Parents/Guardians,

What a strange ending we had for October; at least we know that Parent Alert works. Here are some reminders about school closings:

• There is no need to call us if Hamilton County closes their schools; not always do we follow their schedules. We will make our decisions with St. Jude and Notre Dame, and we will send out a Parent Alert informing you if the decision is to close.
• If we do not close, you always have the choice of picking up your student anyway. We try to make the best decisions for the safety of the children. But, ultimately, you are the final decision makers for your children.
• If you receive a missed call from us, please listen to your voice mail. Our phone was ringing off the hook because people called us back without listening to the message.
• Not always can we get through to the TV stations. But, we will be sending emails and posting it on our website and Parents Web in addition to the Parent Alert you receive.
• If you change your phone number, it is vital that you give us the new number immediately. If we do not have the correct number, you won’t get the Parent Alert.

We have some exciting news to share with you. We have received a grant of $1850 to go towards making OLPH a Green School through RecycleBank Green Schools Program. This will be in conjunction with our Outdoor Classroom. Thanks to Kathy Sumrell for applying and being awarded this grant.

While I am sharing news with you, we are investigating the feasibility of adding a pre-school to our campus. There was a survey put into the Sunday bulletins this week. If you or anyone you know is interested, but have not seen the survey, please contact Teresa Hennen. We would like to make a final decision by the first of the year; so, this input is very important.

In this same vein, we are having an Open House for prospective Kindergarten parents on November 11. Again, contact Teresa Hennen for more information and to RSVP.

On November 18, our eighth graders will have their “Etiquette Luncheon”. This is part of our wonderful FOCUS program. For those of you who are not familiar with this program, FOCUS stands for Friendship, Opportunity, Christian Faith, Unity, and Self-Respect. This is a special program for our eighth graders which “focuses” on Christian values, leadership, and transition.

The soccer season is here. The teams got a bad start with the weather and had to cancel a couple of games. These games have been rescheduled, and now we are looking forward to an exciting season. Please join us at the games, if you can. Basketball will be starting shortly.

The $1 Out of Uniform Days have been very successful. Thank you to Home and School for this wonderful idea and to you for your participation. Third grade was the recipient of October’s donations, and they ended up with $300.

November is going to be another busy and short month due to Thanksgiving. Remember we will have the Monday after Thanksgiving off for “Bishop’s Day”. There was an extra day built into our calendar to cover this “holiday”; therefore, we will not have the problem of last year.

This year is going swiftly, and this is the month we reflect on all we have and give thanks. I am so thankful for being a part of such a wonderful school and community. We are so blessed, and our successes could not be without your support. So, thank you.

Sincerely,
Jeri McInturff

October, 2010

I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made, wonderful are your works. ---Psalm 139:14

October 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Fall is officially here. By the 8th of this month, we will have officially finished the first quarter of the school year—only three quarters more to go. Wow! In addition, the school year is getting busier and busier with all types of activities going on.

I don’t mean to repeat our calendar to you in these letters, but there are happenings that do warrant reminding:

• No school for students Friday the 1st because of teacher-in-service in Knoxville.
• Blessing of the animals is scheduled for Monday, the 4th .
• The Living Rosary will be put on by the eighth graders on Friday, the 8th. This is always a great event, all parents are invited. Look for more information to come.
• The eighth graders will be in Wesley Woods from the 13th until the 15th. This is always a great event for them. It is their retreat, and they come back more closely bonded. Please remember the students and the success of their retreat in your prayers.
• Home and School has a meeting on the 13th. Because the eighth graders will be on retreat, there will be no babysitting. Don’t let that keep you home. Your Home and School Committee has been very hard at work and need your support.
• Oct. 18-22 is Fall Break. Enjoy and stay safe.
• The Oktoberfest is the 23rd and 24th with the Ram Run on the 23rd. This is a great event and our one big fundraiser for Home and School.
• Our third $1 Out of Uniform day will be on the 27th.
• Parent Conferences will be the afternoon and evening of the 27th. The teachers will be sending more information home on this. Please try to attend these conferences; if you cannot make it on this date, reschedule. These conferences are not only for parents of struggling students, but for all parents. We have these conferences on a Wednesday afternoon and evening so we can accommodate more parents than on a Friday afternoon. We also like for the students to accompany their parents to these meetings; it is important that they hear what we are talking about. Because these meetings add extra time to teachers and students, we have only ½ day on the 29th.

This month has seen the resurgence of the Booster Club. They have some exciting plans. Look for their meetings in the Fanfare and try to attend.

Our Creative Arts Guild (CAG) continues to be successful and do wonderful things for our children and the arts programs. Their meetings are always announced in the Fanfare also, they would love for more participants.

Nature’s Place is coming along. The paved walk is completed, thank you to the volunteers who worked so hard on their weekends. We are now waiting for the delivery of the wood for the building of the planters. Once these are completed, students will be doing some planting. The other features of the outdoor classroom are also being planned and will be put in as time and acquisition of supplies allow.

As football, volleyball, and cross country wind down, new sports are gearing up; look for the information in the Fanfares on Fridays.

Thank you for all of your continued support, and have a wonderful October.

God Bless, J

Jeri McInturff

September, 2010

Principal’s Corner
September 2010

[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:7


Dear Parents and Guardians,

Already the month of September is here. The students are now into a full swing of things with their classes, sports, and other activities. We have had a great beginning. We are looking forward to cooler weather, changing colors, and continued positive school and learning environment.

The week following Labor Day marks the mid-point of our first nine weeks. The teachers will be sending progress reports or getting in touch with any parent whose child seems to be having some struggles. Please keep up with your student’s progress on Parents’ Web, and if you have any questions or concerns, contact the teacher for clarification or help. We want all children to be successful, and we need your help and support to make this happen.

This month is a very busy one (actually, all of our months are busy); so, it is important that you read the Fanfares and keep up with the information on ParentsWeb. We are in the process of updating our website; please continue to use this as a resource, also.

In addition to our sporting activities, the highlights of the month will include pictures on September 22; Chick-fil-A evening on September 23, and $1 out of uniform (the classroom to receive the benefits will be announced later) on September 29.

All of our students are fortunate to be learning Spanish from our native speaking parent volunteers. These classes meet once a week for 45 minutes. Because of this limited time the children have in classes, they may be getting homework. As you know, homework is an important component of learning because it provides necessary practice. Please check with your students to ensure that they are completing and turning in any assignment given them. Their teachers are volunteers, and they are giving their time because they genuinely care about our children and are passionate about them (the children) learning Spanish. They appreciate your support in helping them to give your children a wonderful learning experience.

OLPH Nature’s Place is under construction. The pace is a little slower than we had anticipated; however, it is developing and we are very excited about it. There have been several volunteers working on specified Saturdays, and I extend a huge “Thank You”. A special “Thank You” to Matt Stovall and Tripp Brown (Brown Brothers Const. Co.) for all that you have contributed. There is a lot more to be done, and Kathy Sumrell will be sending out notices on this. If you can contribute anything to this project, it will be very much appreciated. We are still hoping for students to do some planting and get some use of the area this fall.

We would like to remind you about our Homework Policies for students who are absent. Please refer to the handbook on page 9. There is no reason to request homework for the first day of a student’s absence. If the student returns after one day, the teachers will help him/her get all of the information personally. If the student is out for more than one day we will be happy to gather the materials to be picked up. There is time allowed for make up of homework for ill students.

Please forgive my redundancies, but again I need to address morning drop off and afternoon pick ups. First of all, I know we don’t have a perfect system—there just isn’t one. The system we use now is the best one we have come up with that provides safety for students and expediency for parents.

In the mornings, please drive to the ramp outside the gym for your students to exit the car and walk into the building. If you need to park in the parking lot, your child/children need to be walked to the ramp, no matter what the age of the child. Also, in the morning, there are two entrances—one that goes between the football field and church and the other goes behind the gym. These lines merge to one in front of the ramp. If you are parking in the parking lot, do not use the entrance behind the gym because you are driving in front of another line coming from a different direction. It would be safer to use the entrance between the field and church.

All classes, except for kindergarten, end at 3:10. However, the younger children are ready for pick up earlier than the others because the older children go back to their homerooms to gather their belongings. So, for safety and expediency we have asked the following: Kindergarten parents are the only drivers to exit through the archway between the school and church. The crossing guard cannot safely direct traffic with several exits full of cars. The other cars are to enter one of the lanes in the back of the gym to pick up. Preferably, those who have younger children and no one in middle school, use the lane closer to the building pick up the student and drive off as the middle lane is stopped waiting for their children to come out. The lane furthest from the gym is the passing lane—no cars should be waiting in that lane. The younger children are taken to the gym and when their driver pulls into the lane in view of the teacher on duty, the teacher calls for the student/s listed on the car tag/s on the dash board. The students walk from the gym to the car, and the teacher makes sure they are put into the vehicle safely. If a parent wishes to pick up the student from the gym, he/she needs to have the car tag so the teacher on duty knows who to release. Without this information, someone could unknowingly release a student to an unauthorized driver; we are always thinking of the safety of the children. At about 3:20 all students who are left in the gym are escorted to the back of the building to join the older children. Both car lanes are then in full use, with the third lane still being the exit lane. If you are one of the parents picking up a student in person and parked in the school parking lot, you are to use the exit lane behind the gym to pass waiting cars. If you are parked in the church parking lot, you are to exit the access road.

I know this information is a bit wordy; however, I get more comments, questions, and concerns on this subject and these procedures than anything else. Our main goal is the safety of your children. I know schedules are tight and many times we are in a hurry to be elsewhere, but most of the time we have everyone out of here within twenty to twenty-five minutes. I, myself, have been a parent in a car line waiting and frustrated—I do understand. I do appreciate your patience, understanding, and support.

Have a blessed and wonderful month.

Jeri McInturff

August 2010

Principal’s Corner
August 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome back to those of you returning, and a welcome to those of you who are new. The summer has gone fast, but we are ready of a good and exciting new school year.

The summer has been busy as we have done some renovations on campus. Our girls’ bathroom located next to the cafeteria has been completely redone, and the boys’ has been updated. We have new carpet in St. Patrick’s Hall. The grounds have been worked on, but the heat and lack of rain has not helped us. Finally, we have been working on Nature’s Place (outdoor classroom).We have two new teachers we wish to welcome: Mrs. Nicole Tinney in the sixth grade and Mrs. Katie Workman in the 7th grade.

Tomorrow morning (Thursday) is registration day. For those of you who have never done this, it is an easy process, but does entail a lot of stopping at various tables and writing different checks. We will all help anyone who needs guidance or help.

Students start Monday morning. There will be several teachers on duty to help direct students (and parents, if necessary). All students (except kindergarteners) should enter at ramp door. If a parent is walking with a student to the ramp or school, the car may be parked in a parking space. However, if a student is walking to the building without an adult, they must be dropped off at the ramp. We do not want students walking across the parking lot by themselves.

By the same token, there will be several teachers on afternoon duty all week to help with dismissal. The younger children will be dismissed from the gym, while the older ones will go directly to the back of the gym. New car tags are being given out at registration. Please use these tags; the old ones are no longer valid.

The first all school mass is August 13. Last year, Father Jim introduced the Mass of the Holy Spirit (nicknamed the Red Mass) to us. This is a traditional way of opening the new academic year. We are adding this tradition to our many special events, and August 13 will be celebrated as the Mass of the Holy Spirit. The children may come out of uniform that day as long as they wear a red top. As always, the out of uniform clothing must adhere to our guidelines which are in the calendar/handbook.

On August 18, we are having our first Home and School meeting and our Open House. Look for information to come home for this. At the Home and School meeting you will get more information on the upcoming events they are sponsoring including the $1 out of uniform days.

All events will be posted on the Fanfare which we send out weekly and post on our website as well as posted on RenWeb. Again, welcome and thank you for your support of our school.

God Bless,
Jeri McInturff

May Principal's Corner

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you – John 14:27

Dear Parents/Guardians,

There have been many years that I have thought, “Will May ever get here?” However, this year I am saying, “I can’t believe May is already here”. This school year has flown, and it has been a good one. Thank you for all of your support—without it we could not be as successful.

Speaking of successful, we received our scores from the various tests. You will be receiving your child’s/children’s results in their report cards. However, I do want to share some of the data and brag about your children and our teachers. In February we administered the TCAP (State of Tennessee) Writing Assessment to the 5th and 8th grade students. The scoring on this assessment is from 1-6. 1=deficient; 2=flawed; 3=limited; 4=proficient; 5=strong; and 6=outstanding. This is our second year for taking this test. We had no 1’s or 2’s; we had one 3 in fifth grade. All other students scored 4, 5, or 6. In 5th grade we had 20% of the students score a 6; 32% score a 5, and 44% score a 4. In 8th grade we had 17.6% score a 6, 46.4% score a 5, and 35.7% score a 4.

In March our 5th and 8th grade students took the National Catholic Education Association’s religion test. This is the third year for us to take this. The national average for the 5th grade composite score is 71%, and ours was 81%. We had 29.2% score in the advanced whereas the national average is 14.1%. For the 8th grade the national average is again 71%. Our students ranked 85%. We had 44.8% of our 8th graders place in the advance category while the national average is 16.7%.

Also in March, our 1st through 8th graders took the IOWA Test of Basic Skills. This year the test was an updated one with new norms. We were nervous because we knew that the scores would be lower than previous years due to these new norms. We received the data, and sure enough our percentiles were lower than we hoped. However, after further analysis, we discovered that although the percentiles were lower, our grade equivalencies were still above average and very good. We now know that the scoring bar has been set higher, and we must work to meet those expectations—we are up to the challenge. The composite grade equivalency scores are: 1st grade-2.3; 2nd grade-3.1; 3rd grade-4.5; 4th grade-6.1; 5th grade 7.6; 6th grade-8.9; 7th grade-9.8; 8th grade-13+. I will publish the individual skills grades at a later date.

There are transition meetings going on. Parents are being invited to level meetings in which their students will be next school year in order to become acquainted with the teachers and the expected program. These meetings are very informative and are in place to make the parents feel more comfortable for the coming year. The teachers will also do something similar with the students.

Upcoming events:

• We begin May with the 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C. Please pray for safety and good weather for us.
• May 13th the 4th grade will be going to Nashville.
• May 17th is the Kindergarten Celebration.May 17th is the 8th grade awards day luncheon.
• May 18th is the 8th grade exit mass and celebration.
• May 21st is the 7th grade Growing in Grace Celebration.
• May 25th is the last day of school and our Field Day.

We have a lot of projects planned during the summer. If you are available to help with any of these, we would love it. There will be work on the Nature Place (outdoor classroom), working on the grounds, painting and cleaning the rooms/buildings, etc. Notices will be sent out.

With your child’s/children’s report cards you will get information on summer reading and the supply lists. Continue to check our website and Fanfares for other information.

Again, thank you for all your support this school year. It has been a great one, and I am looking forward to next school year.

God Bless,

Jeri McInturff

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.

Psalm 118:24

Principal’s Corner April 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We begin this month with our Easter break. Although the time has flown this year, it has been very busy; therefore, we are looking forward to this break for a quick breather before we head into the home stretch. When we return on April 12, the teachers will be working frantically to get in the last of their teaching units and to keep the students engaged while preparing for all the special events we have coming in the next weeks.

First, I would like to update you on our outdoor classroom. If you have been on campus, you know that the area has been cleared out except for the trees and bushes. These (trees and bushes) will be taken out during Easter break. Mrs. Meinert has begun, with the help of students, parents, and teachers to work on the Stations of the Cross which will be mounted in the area. We have challenged the students to come up with a name for the area. Many good ones were submitted. We have carefully looked at and discussed the entries, and then we had a marketing expert give us advice (we want to do this right). One of the names submitted was “The Nature Place”. Our advisor suggested this to be the name. She suggested that the word “classroom” gives a child a preconceived notion of what they will experience in that space, and that “The Nature Place”; or better, “Nature’s Place” (at O.L.P.H.) is more welcoming. The generic name of “nature” will connote the type of area it is and it can become to each child what he/she wants it to be; i.e. a place for learning, reflection, exploration, etc. Therefore, we are going with this name. Other names that were suggested were good and may or may not be misleading or misunderstood for the purpose of the space. However, some of the names may be used to designate special areas such as the garden, science area, music area, etc. Next on the list is to set a date for the formal groundbreaking followed by the bulldozing, etc.

Spring sports are underway. O.L.P.H is represented in baseball, track, tennis, and golf. Thank you to all of the coaches and parents for your help and support.

Another big event is coming up at the end of the month—Grandparents’ Day. This year it is April 30. Kathy Sumrell has sent out requests for updates in grandparents’ addresses and information. Invitations will be sent out shortly. As always, we are planning a wonderful experience for the grandparents with a mass, brunch, entertainment by the children, a book fair, and the art show.

You may have or may not have heard that we are losing two teachers next school year. Ms. Ginny Fones is getting married and will be moving out of the city to be with her husband. Mrs. Carole Miller is retiring after 32 years with O.L.P.H. They will both be greatly missed.

Reminders:

• The virtue for the month of April is “Joy”.
• April 14, 6:00 P.M.—Meeting with eighth grade parents to finalize the Washington, D.C. trip.
• April 15—Pictures by Lifetouch. See the Fanfare for further information.April 28, 5:00 P.M.– First Holy Communion Practice.
• April 28, 6:00 P.M. – Final Home and School meeting for this school year.
• May 1, 10:00 A.M. – First Holy Communion.
• As stated earlier in the year, there will be no “Perfect Attendance” awards this year because of the flu season we had.
• If you have not yet sent in your pre-registration for next school year, please do.

I wish each and every one of you a wonderful and holy Easter. We will return to school Monday, April 12.

God Bless,

Jeri McInturff

March, 2010

But I say to you that listen, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Luke 6:27-28

Dear Parents/Guardians,

March is going to be a very busy time for us as we continue our Lenten journey towards Easter as well as our preparation for, and the taking of, our standardized tests. Strange that I think both of these journeys in some sort of parallelism; however, both of these are very important to us—one spiritually and the other academically.

One of the most incredible events our eighth graders put together for our school and the parish is the Living Stations. They have already begun planning and rehearsing this. If you can make it to our presentation on Friday, March 26, please do. I promise you that it will be one of the most inspirational events you will attend.

As I said, we will also be taking tests this month. The National Religion Assessment will be taken by the 5th and 8th graders on March 11th & 12th. The IOWA’s will be taken by 1st-8th graders the following week (week of March 15th), and the COGAT’s will be taken by the 3rd, 5th, and 7th graders the following week (March 23rd-25th). There will be more information going out on this, but we do ask that the students get plenty of rest and bring a healthful snack for those days. Do not make any dentist or other appointments for those mornings. The testing will be in the mornings only.

The following are other happenings of the month:·

• Tuesday, March 2—Read Across America·
• Wednesday, March 3, 6:00-8:00 P.M.—Science/Math night through the Creative Discovery Museum. This evening will be for all ages. Hope to see you there.·
• Saturday, March 6, 5:30 P.M. Mass—Celebration for all scouts at OLPH. Dinner to follow at PLC.·
• March 8-10—UTC Science Fair. We will be having many great entries from our middle school there. ·
• Wednesday, March 10—Kindergarten Open House from 6:00-7:00 P.M. for prospective families.·
• Thursday, March 11—Talent Show from 6:00-7:00 P.M. This should be a fun evening for all.·
• Friday, March 12—End of the third nine weeks (Can you believe it?!?!)·
• Monday, March 15—Teacher In-Service Day. No school for students.·
• Wednesday, March 17—Report cards go home. (Happy St. Patrick’s Day)·
• Thursday, March 18—Open House for all prospective families grade 1-8 from 4:00-6:00 P.M.·
• Monday, March 22, 6:30 P.M.—School Committee Meeting.·
• Wednesday, March 24—Home and School Meeting.

We will begin our Easter Break with Good Friday on April 2nd. Hopefully, I will be able to get my April’s Principal Corner out before we go on break. Until then, have a wonderful March.

Sincerely,

Jeri McInturff

February, 2010

A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Psalm 51:12

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Another month is gone and our shortest calendar month will indeed seem to go even faster. Every month I look at the calendar and wonder how we can squeeze so much in such a short time. But we do, and most of the time we do it successfully. Of course this nine weeks we have had even more challenges due to the heating unit and the weather.

The beginning of this month is very special for us because of Catholic Schools Week. I am not going to repeat all of our plans/schedule for the week in this communication because it has been sent out to you so many times in several formats. Please note the dates that parents are invited. We would love to have you. However, note that parents are NOT invited to the Friday mass at Sts. Peter and Paul. It is not because we don’t want you, but we just will not have the room. We will be seating 980 students, faculties from all three schools, and the priests from the deanery. This is a special time for the students and we want to make it as meaningful and comfortable as possible. Thank you for your understanding of this.

On February 2, the fifth and eighth grade students will be taking the TCAP Writing Assessment. Information was sent home to all the parents explaining the process and the scoring. If you are one of these parents and have not received the information, check your student’s book bag. If you still cannot find it, I can get you another copy of it. Just let me know.

On February 10th our basketball teams will be playing St. Jude School. Seventh/eighth grades games will be played at Notre Dame and the fifth/sixth grades will be played here. We will be having a pep rally that afternoon to inspire school spirit. Join us at both the pep rally and at a venue for the games.

Traditionally, January is Family Empowerment Month. But because our January was so hectic, we are designating February as our Family Empowerment Month. I have sent emails out to various grade level parent groups about workshops geared especially for them. If you are one of those parents, I encourage your attendance. Please let us know if you can attend so we can prepare for the correct numbers. Other activities for this month will be going home shortly.

I sent an email to all of you explaining Parent Conferences. I cannot emphasize enough how important these are. Your child/children do not have to be in academic trouble to attend these conferences. Also, bringing your child/children to these conferences is very beneficial. We’d much rather talk to/with the child than about him/her. He/she in return can understand that we’re working together as parents and educators to help him/her be successful. He/she can participate in the conversation and shed some light on out misunderstandings. So, please make an appointment to attend the Parent Conferences. Knowing that Friday was not a good day for most parents, we are holding them on Tuesday, Feb. 9, after school until 7:30. School will still dismiss at 11:30 on Friday, Feb. 12, as scheduled to compensate the time taken on Tuesday evening. During that morning of Feb. 12, the Spanish teachers have planned a special Cultural Day Program for the children. More information will be going home on that. Reminder: Ash Wednesday is February 17th.

Mark the date: On March 3 we will be having a "Family Biofuels Night". This will be a science/math evening of fun and learning on the topic of Biolfuels. This program is possible through the outreach program of the Creative Discovery Museum. Have a great February and pray that the Groundhog does not see his shadow so Spring will be here soon.

God Bless,
Jeri McInturff

January, 2010

Principal’s Corner
January 2010

This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm118:24

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Happy New Year!

We started this new year and school semester with some drama due to our heating situation that resulted in a delay of school opening. Thank goodness for our new Parent Alert System; it made things a lot easier. I am very sorry about any inconvenience; as a working parent, I know how difficult it is to get child care at the last moment. We do have a game plan for January 11th regardless of the heating situation in St. Patrick’s Hall. We will be giving out report cards Wednesday the 13th and have our awards ceremony (5th through 8th grades) on Friday the 15th. Please check our FanFare for all the weekly updates on upcoming pictures, basketball game schedules, lunch menus, and other pertinent information. We update the FanFare weekly and any other information that needs to be updated will be on our website as it happens, including school closing.
Reminder: There is a scheduled holiday this month; Martin Luther King, Jr. King Day is January 18th.

Before I go any further, I want to thank all of you from all of the staff for your generous Christmas thoughts, prayers, and gifts. But more than that, thank you for all of your wonderful support.

We have a Home and School Meeting scheduled January 20. We wish all of you would join us. To make it more convenient for our busy parents, the officers of Home and School have changed our monthly meetings to every other month. Parent involvement is a very important part of our school; we need you.

Our OLPH Science Fair is Jan. 21-22. If you want to see some outstanding work done by our middle schools students, you need to visit our PLC on these days and look at these displays. Every year I am blown away by the incredible products of our students.

January is Family Empowerment Month. We are planning some great parent opportunities for every grade level. Because of the holidays and the late beginning of the new semester, I haven’t been able to finalize all the plans; therefore, some of these may take place in February. The dates I do have confirmed are Family Honor for the 8th grade parents and students on January 29 & 30. This is a wonderful program that we have hosted for a few years. This year it will be at St. Stephen’s Church because our facilities were all booked. We always get great feedback on this program. The information has been out for a while; if you are a parent/guardian of an 8th grade student, this program is worth it. For further information you can contact Mary Pat Haywood. I am speaking to a facilitator for the combined parents of 6th and 7th grade students. He has had a busy schedule and has been out of town. I will get the information out to you after we confirm the date.

We are also working on a program for the 5th grade parents. We did this program with last year’s fifth grade parents and it was very successful. Again, when the date is firmed, we will let you know. Parents of 4th Graders, mark February 10 on your calendar. I have a dynamite facilitator coming in for you; more information will come to you soon. Parents of Kindergarten through second grade, you will be invited to attend mass with your children on on February 5 (end of Catholic Schools Week) and join your children for a fun presentation from a local author (Philip Rogers) of children books. You, too, will be getting more information soon. We hope these activities for Family Empowerment Month will be the beginning of another great tradition at OLPH. It is another step forward in our Strategic Plan of parent involvement and communication.

Fifth and eighth grade students will be taking the TCAP Writing Assessment on February 2. There will be a yellow flyer coming home with the students to explain this assessment and give you more information. This is the second year we are participating in this assessment; we had great results last year.

Catholic Schools Week begins Sunday, January 31. We have exciting plans for the week. Details will come soon, but below is a synopsis of what to expect:

Sunday, Jan. 31—10:00 Mass with a Pancake Breakfast to follow. Students will be participating in the mass and the 7th graders will be helping with the breakfast. The proceeds of the breakfast will go to Doug Owens who is the seminarian that our 7th graders adopted when they were 5th graders.
Monday, February 1—Community Day: Service-Learning/Community Outreach. The following grade levels will be collecting items throughout January for the community programs. (More detailed information will be coming out.) On Monday the students will be presenting their results to representatives of organizations at 10:00 in our gym.
Kindergarten-3rd: Salvation Army
4th-6th Animal Shelter
7th & 8th Ronald McDonald House
Tuesday, February 2—Student Spirit Day and Volunteer Appreciation Day. The students will be out of uniform with some type of OLPH logo shirt. We will have a Spiritual Pep Rally at 2:20 in the gym. All parents are invited. For our Volunteers, there will be a brunch after the 8:15 mass in the cafeteria. Invitations will be sent.
Wednesday, February 3—National Day and Crazy Hair Day. Students will write letters or make cards for military personnel or VA patients. If you have someone in mind who would appreciate receiving one, please submit his/her name and address to us. Also, students may get very creative with their hair that day.
Thursday, February 4—Vocations Day and Crazy Sock Day. A prayer Chain will be made for various religious and lay persons of our community. We are working on getting guest speakers for our students on vocations. Students may get very creative with their socks that day.
Friday, February 5--Culmination Celebration of the week. Grades 3-8 will join St. Jude and Notre Dame in a community mass at St. Peter & Paul Church at 10:00. The mass will be celebrated by the Bishop and co-celebrated by many priests of our Diocese.
(Sorry, there will be no room to invite parents.) Father Ragan Schriver will be addressing the students after mass. They will return to school for a pizza lunch provided by Home and School. The kindergarteners through second graders will be having mass at OLPH with parents invited. There will be light refreshments following the mass and a presentation by Philip Rogers, author of children books on God. They will have a pizza lunch provided by Home and School.

All of the above plans are not completed yet, and more details will be sent out as they become so.

I know this has been a look letter, and I hope I haven’t forgotten anything important. I do want to stress the importance of keeping up with information from your teachers on Parents Web and on the School Website for the community.

Have a wonderful and warm month.

Sincerely,

Jeri McInturff