Mercy Peek & Ponder by Mr. McGrath
Volume III Issue 14 Sunday, December 11, 2016
Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School
Email: jmcgrath@olmcatholicschool.com
Website: www.olmcatholicschool.com
Location: 29 Conwell Drive, Maple Glen, PA, United States
Phone: 215-646-0150
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Our-Lady-of-Mercy-Regional-Catholic-School-1427959374084742/?ref=bookmarks
A Christmas Reading with Winston
Friday, Dec 16, 2016, 11:45 AM
Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School, Conwell Drive, Maple Glen, PA, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Upcoming Events
December 12
Choir performs at the Villa, 1:30PM
December 13
Report Cards
December 14
Mission Collection
Class Mass Grades 6,7,8 9AM
December 15
Mrs. Nowaczyk's trip to Horsham Senior Center
First Grade trip to the Arden Theater
St. Catherine of Siena Confirmation, 6PM
December 16
Dress Down Day ($1.00 suggested) to support the Student Council's toy charity
Christmas Reading with Winston, 11:45AM - 1PM (in OLM library)
December 20
Our Lady of Mercy presents "Mary's Advent", 7PM (in church)
December 21
Student Council's Christmas Accessory Day (see below)
Grade 5 Class Mass, 9AM
Christmas parties, 2PM
December 22 to January 2
Christmas break
School Office is also CLOSED
January 3
Classes resume
Confirmation at Saint Catherine of Siena Parish: Thursday, December 15th at 6PM
OLM Student Council presents "Christmas Accessory Day"
Ugliest Christmas Sweater Contest (optional): For anyone for wears an ugly Christmas sweater, there will be a contest for the ugliest sweater. Winner receives a week (5 days) of free lunch in the cafeteria.
There will not be a collection.
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM YOUR OLM STUDENT COUNCIL.
Advent Week #3
Our waiting during this Advent season quickens with the appearance of John the Baptist in today’s Gospel.
John was obviously a very charismatic person whose personality and message seem to have caught the attention of many. We’re told that many people came to him to repent of their sins and be baptized. Some must have believed that he was the promised Messiah, even though we hear him deny it very clearly.
John could have become impressed with his own popularity, but he understood from the beginning that he had another mission. He was to testify to the Light who would come after him. With great simplicity and humility, he calls himself “a voice in the desert.” His message has an urgency about it: “Make straight the way of the Lord!” God is coming to his people, so make your hearts ready. What a wonderful example for all of us in the OLM community!
We carry on John’s mission, and our message is the same: “Make straight the way of the Lord!” We are not preparing for Jesus’ coming as Redeemer as John was. Redemption has been accomplished once for all when Jesus died for our sins and rose to share with us his new life. We are preparing ourselves and our world to receive Jesus when he comes again in glory with salvation for his people.
St. Paul tells us how we are to live as we deliver our message: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in all circumstances give thanks.” Our message and the way we live become the same. Our role is to become more and more open to God’s working holiness in us and through us to others. God, who has called us to be holy, is trustworthy, as Paul tells us; therefore he will do this great work in us.
As we continue our Advent waiting, may we listen carefully to John’s message and make straight the way of the Lord through our daily efforts to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. “Come, Lord Jesus; do not delay!”
OUR PEACEMAKERS FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2016: SERVICE
Our Peacemakers of the month help us to maintain and strengthen our OLM community. During the month of November, students were asked to look to Saint Catherine LaBoure and work to be people who practice Christian service.
Our Lady of Mercy School embraces the virtues of our faith and look to the saints for inspiration and guidance.
"Do not shut yourselves in your small world, but be open to others, especially to the poorest and neediest, to work to improve the world in which we live. Be men and women for others, real champions in the service of others"~ Pope Francis
For Christians, service is not something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. Jesus came "to serve" and "to give" - and those two verbs should define your life on earth, too. Students were taught to begin to shift their focus from "Who's going to meet my needs?" to "Whose needs can I meet?"
The following students have been chosen as Peacemakers of the month for November. They exercised true Christian service by doing things for others. We offer them a big OLM CONGRATS!
Kindergarten
Logan Curcio
Michael Cabulong
Marissa Vandiver
1st Grade
Ella Pensabene
Megan Bell
Vincent Vacchiano
2nd Grade
Gavin Moore
Billy Moffa
3rd Grade
Reese Miller
Katie McMullen
4th Grade
Anthony Gentile
Kelsey New
5th Grade
Jeffrey Cunningham
Angela Lafond
Steven Detwiler
6th Grade
JP Romano
Bella Gentile
7th Grade
Finn Loftus
Sarah Hughes
8th Grade
Lucas Braccia
Hunter LaBree
Siobhan Brogan
Virtue of the Month: Obedience
Our virtue of the month of December is Obedience
Pope Francis says, "Do not be afraid to cast yourselves into the arms of God; whatever he asks of you, he will repay a hundredfold."
Anyone who is serious about obtaining Everlasting Life in Heaven will do all he can to increase in the virtue of obedience. For without it, one will never please the Lord, Who is our benevolent Creator and MERCIFUL Master.
Yes, we are actually obliged to be obedient--it is our solemn duty. And in the future, God willing, we will see that it helped us to attain the crown of perfect beatitude--the unending face-to-face vision of the Most Blessed Trinity--in Paradise.
What do we mean by the virtue of obedience?
A very famous Jesuit priest, Father John Harden wrote the following about obedience - "The moral virtue that inclines the will to comply with the will of another who has the right to command."
Therefore, a person who is rooted in obedience submits his will to the one who possesses legitimate authority over him.
The virtue of obedience commits us to obey the will of God.
Students will be recognized at the School Liturgy on Friday, January 6, 2017.
Prayer to St. Juan Diego
Saint Juan Diego, you who were chosen by Our Lady of Guadalupe as an instrument to show your people and the world that the way of Christianity is one of love, compassion, understanding, values, sacrifices, repentance of our sins, appreciation and respect for God's creation, and most of all one of HUMILITY and obedience ...
You who we know is now in the Kingdom of the Lord and close to our Mother ...
Be our angel and protect us, stay with us as we struggle in this modern life not knowing most of the time where to set our priorities.
Help us to pray to our God to obtain the gifts of the Holy Spirit and use them for the good of humanity and the good of our Church, through the Heart of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the Heart of Jesus.
Amen.
Lollipops for Sale
The 7th & 8th grade will be selling lollipops every Thursday from now until supplies run out. All the proceeds are going to the Annual Giving Fund as their gift.
The lollipops are $1.00 each. Thank you for supporting our efforts.
Student Council Christmas Service Project
Collection Dates: 11/30, 12/07, 12/14, 12/21; Dress Down Day: 12/16
ATTENTION CLASS OF 2017!
Parents of the Class of 2017. Please read about the Maguire application and the benefits of this program. All applicants must also complete the Smart Aid application at http://www.smartaidforparents.com
THE DEADLINE IS 12/16/2016.
The application is available at: http://www.aopcatholicschools.org/2017-2018-maguire-scholars-program-application-final/
OVER 200 students already! FIRST DEADLINE IS FAST APPROACHING!
REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR!!!
It's that time of year and we want to make sure our current families have the opportunity to re-register for the 2017-2018 school year before we open registration to new families.
- Register by 12/16/16 and the registration fee is discounted to $200 per family.
- Register by 3/31/17 and the registration fee is $250 per family.
- Anyone not registered by 3/31/17 will be automatically re-registered at $350 per family.
In order to opt out of re-registration, please contact Julie, our Advancement Director, at jbebey@olmcatholicschool.com.
A letter and the re-registration form was sent home to students. To re-register, simply fill out the family name, your parish, child(ren) name(s), grades they are going into and any NEW family member joining OLM. Send in the formalong with your payment to OLM in an envelope labeled "Registration". The registration payment must accompany the form.
SMART AID FOR 2017-2017 IS NOW OPEN! Click the link above to apply.
Smart Aid Information
The new ONLINE application is available. Click the Smart Aid Button above to access the application. The Priority Deadline is 12/31/2016.
OLM SCHOOL CODE 91026
OLM families are encouraged to complete and submit and application. This application will handle all financial aid for OLM (and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia) - including BLOCS, Heritage of Faith Funds, and other scholarship opportunities - both system-wide and at OLM.
Those families who applied in 16-17 will only need to:
1. Login in ( using the username and password from 16-17) www.smartaidforparents.com
2. Update their information
3. Submit and pay the $25 application fee
4. Return to the site and upload their 2016 taxes when completed but no later than 3/31/2017.
OLM's online Art Museum
Yearbook Orders
Believe it or not, it is already time to place your order for the 2016-2017 OLM yearbook! To order, follow the steps below:
1. Go to http://www.schoolannual.com/
2. Click on "Buy your Student's Yearbook" which is above the School Annual / Joston's logo.
3. Enter in school name, city, state, and then click "Go"
4. Enter in number of yearbooks to purchase, as well as child's homeroom / teacher and pay via credit card.
Please note that all 8th grade students DO NOT need to purchase a yearbook since it is included in graduation fees.
- All orders are due by January 31st!
BOX TOP NEWS
Don't forget that we have two Box Tops contests running. The next contest ends on February 15th, and the class with the highest total will win a doughnut or cupcake party! The end of year contest is for a class Pizza Party! The class that turns in the most Box Tops over the entire school year will win this prize in June.
Keep sending in your Box Tops every month. All Box Tops submitted count toward both contests. The holidays are a great time to look for Box Tops on products such as: Land O' Lakes butter and cheese, Hefty disposable products, Green Giant veggies, Reynolds foil baking pans, Food Should Taste Good chips, and many more! Here is a complete list http://www.boxtops4education.com/earn/participating-products
Finally, don't forget about the new Box Tops app. It's as easy as checking the app after you do your grocery shopping, looking for any items that you purchased, and snapping a picture of your receipt. This page explains it well: http://www.boxtops4education.com/bonusapp. Thanks to all who have already been using it. The earnings are added to our account every time you submit your receipts!
OLM’s 2nd Annual Designer Bag Bingo - Friday, January 27, 2017
Doors open @ 6:15 • Bring your family, friends, your favorite snacks and drinks! • $30 per person…or $275 for tables of 10, $220 for tables of 8 • Additional “special” bingo cards will be available to purchase
Email olmbingo2017@gmail.com for questions/ticket requests or RSVP with payment to JP Romano, (6-Opdyke) by Thursday, 1/19/17
*limited to first 250 people so act fast
* **proceeds benefit OLM Home and School Association
** ***Checks made payable to Our Lady of Mercy
*** ****Interested in donating a raffle basket, please let us know****
A MESSAGE FROM THE HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION...
The HSA is organizing another Teacher's Wish List. Last year, the OLM community provided so many important items to help our teachers provide the best education to our students. Please take a moment to look at this year's requests. If you are able to provide new or gently used items, please sign up!
Consider joining together with other families and don't forget about our specials teachers!
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0F48A5AC2CA0F85-teaching
When you have something ready, please contact the teacher it is for to set up the best way to get it to them!
Please contact Alison Bell, alisonL24@yahoo.com, with any questions!
We Can’t Do It Without You!
The Home and School Association sponsors a full calendar of social events, fundraisers, meetings and programs each year. Lots of volunteers are needed to help make this happen. Contact Mirella Palme at mirellapalme@verizon.net our volunteer coordinator to lend a hand!
To view a list of current volunteers and chairs/co-chairs, or to sign up as a volunteer, please https://sites.google.com/site/olmhsaweb/volunteers
Volunteer for Lunch Duty at OLM!
Two parent volunteers must be on-duty in the school yard - before the playground is open. This ensures the safety of ALL. Our active volunteer program not only provides valuable hands-on assistance through the school, but also benefits the children by reinforcing ties between the children’s individual homes as well as the community at large, and the school. The Lunch/Recess Duty Volunteer program is a great way to volunteer and become involved at the school.
Sign up for Lunch Duty at: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0d4daaa622a6f49-december
Birthday Blessings this Week!
Sunday, 12/11
Monday, 12/12
Ruby French
Tuesday, 12/13
Olwen Broomhead
Ava Conley
Wednesday, 12/14
Sean McCook
Hunter Labree
Thursday, 12/15
Will Thompson
Robbie Herold
Friday, 12/16
Andreana Mongone
Declan Hart
Madison Miller
Saturday, 12/17
ALTAR SERVICE THIS WEEK 9AM
Tuesday: Meghan Dennin
Wednesday: Charlie Johnston
Thursday: Anna Emma
Friday: Erin Doyle