Mercy Messenger
Issue 21 ~ Sunday January 28, 2024
Through the intercession of Our Lady of Mercy, we commit ourselves to living the Good News of Jesus through Works of Mercy. Our rigorous academic program unleashes creative energy for the pursuit of knowledge and nurtures a hope-filled vision for Catholic leadership. We live out our relationship with God by respecting the dignity of others and providing service to the global community that fosters unity, understanding, and compassion.
Beginning Prayer- Opening of Catholic Schools Week
Bless Our Lady of Mercy and the many people who advance our mission. May our building be a home for those who seek to grow in faith, knowledge, and service of others. May our community always support one another and exhibit hospitality to newcomers. Fill our minds with knowledge and wisdom.
Principal Update
Sunday January 28, 2024
Good Morning,
Welcome to Catholic Schools Week. Each year we celebrate Catholic Schools Week beginning on the last Sunday in January. This year marks the 50th anniversary of this annual observance. Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration of the Christ-centered, faith-based education that students receive in the 102 elementary, 15 secondary, and 3 special education schools in the five-county metropolitan area comprising the Archdiocese. The national theme for Catholic Schools Week 2024 is “United in Faith and Community.” This year we have many fun and exciting events planned. OLM is kicking off Catholic Schools Week with our open house today at 11am until 1pm. Please join us if you can. Some other events that we are having throughout the week is our middle school religion bee, bagels with buddies, school wide assemblies, national junior honors society induction, school wide bingo with prayer partners and on Friday to close out the week we are having our annual Thon dance to help support pediatric cancer and our teacher vs 8th grade volleyball game. A full list of events are listed below.
I want to thank the home and school for all of their effort and support in organizing and planning these fun events for our school community. I look forward to seeing those of you in the building who are able to make some of this exciting events. Thank you for all that you do to support catholic education and I hope you have a great week ahead.
In Mercy,
Bill Delaney
Message from Archbishop Nelson Perez
Mini Thon
The fifth grade is sponsoring our annual Mini-Thon on Friday, February 2nd in the gym. Our Mini-THON will help us raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund, an organization that assists families facing the battle against pediatric cancer. All students will enjoy a morning of dancing and fun! Dancing will take place from 9:00 - 10:15, and the 8th graders will take on the teachers in a volleyball game beginning at 10:30. All students should wear their OLM gym uniform or gym sweatpants with their Mini-THON t-shirt. Mini-THON t-shirts will be distributed during the week of 1/29. A limited amount of extra t-shirts were ordered. Contact Ms. Timlin (stimlin@olmrcs.com) if interested. Parents and families are most welcome to join us for this fun morning!
If you would like to make an additional donation to the Four Diamonds Fund, donations can be sent to the office (cash or check payable to Four Diamonds). If you would like to make an online donation, please follow this link: OLM Mini-THON Online Donation
We greatly appreciate your generosity, and we are looking forward to this wonderful event!
Reminders
- Please do not get out of your car to get your child during car line. It is not safe to walk in the parking lot during dismissal. Thank you.
- Please do not drop your child off at school before 7:30.
- Please remember to fill out all the school forms that are on OptionC as soon as possible.
- If you are changing the way your child is going home please call the main office before 1pm.
- If your child is absent from school please email attendance@olmrcs.com.
- Make sure to have all your clearances up to date if you are planning on volunteering in the school or with any clubs. (See Wednesday communication for more information)
A Look Ahead
1/28- Catholic School Weeks begin. Open house 11-1 pm. See schedule below.
1/30- Bagels with buddies last names A-L 7:30-8:15 am.
1/31- Bagels with buddies last names M-Z 7:30-815 am.
2/2- Family Fun Night 6-10 pm.
2/9- Ski Club.
2/9- Progress Reports sent home.
Class of 2024 Scholarships
We proudly report that the Class of 2024 students were awarded the following scholarships. We congratulate these students and their families! We will continue to update this list in the weekly Sunday Mercy Messenger. Please continue emailing or providing scholarship documentation to Mrs. Maher. (cmaher@olmrcs.com)
Benjamin Bell
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Presidential Academic Scholarship- LaSalle College High School
Neumann Scholarship- Full scholarship for four years to any Archdiocesan High School
Megan Bell
ASP Academic Scholarship- Gwynedd Mercy High School
Misericordia Academic Scholarship- Gwynedd Mercy High School
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Mount St. Joseph Academy High School
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Neumann Scholarship- Full scholarship for four years to any Archdiocesan High School
Max Bieak
St. Therese Merit Academic Scholarship - Lansdale Catholic High School
Kate Bruner
ASP Academic Scholarship- Gwynedd Mercy High School
Trocaire Academic Scholarship- Gwynedd Mercy High School
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Mount St. Joseph Academy High School
Founder’s Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Christopher Homa
Trustees’ Academic Scholarship- Roman Catholic High School
Viking Academic Scholarship - Archbishop Wood High School
Henry Lemanowicz
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Brother E. Francis McLean, FSC Academic Scholarship-LaSalle College High School
Neumann Scholarship- Full scholarship for four years to any Archdiocesan High School
Emery Lewinski
St. Therese Merit Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Sean McErlean
St. Therese Merit Academic Scholarship - Lansdale Catholic High School
Viking Academic Scholarship- Archbishop Wood High School
Annabel Miller
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Mount St. Joseph Academy High School
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Neumann Scholarship- Full scholarship for four years to any Archdiocesan High School
Finn O’Donovan
Founder’s Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Principal Academic Scholarship- LaSalle College High School
Nora Schmalbach
St. Therese Merit Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Caroline Sellers
ASP Academic Scholarship- Gwynedd Mercy High School
Founders Academic Scholarship- Mount St. Joseph Academy High School
Lulu Smith
Mercy Academic Scholarship- Merion Mercy High School
Alumnae Academic Scholarship- Merion Mercy High School
Makenzie Smith
Dance Scholarship- Academy of Notre Dame de Namur High School
Total as of 12/9/23: $917,000
Honor Band
Congratulations to Henry Lemanowicz for making the Archdiocese of Philadelphia middle school honor band. Henry plays the trumpet. The concert will take place on Friday, February 23, 2024 at Archbishop Wood High School.
Archdiocesan Honors Chorus
Congratulations to Grace Womelsdorf, Kylie Youngers, and Izzy Eliason for being named to the Archdiocesan Honors Choir. Over 85 students from the surrounding Catholic schools were selected to participate. The concert will be on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at Cardinal O'Hara High School.
Blossom in Stem Program (Spots still open.)
Gwynedd Mercy Academy is offering their Blossom in Stem Program to our 6th, 7th and 8th grade female students. This program is meant to enhance and expand their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Once a month, students from Gwynedd and their Stem teacher Mr. Berger will come to OLM to facilitate and aid them in performing Stem related activities and experiments. The club is free to our students and is open to 20 girls per session. There will be 9 sessions and it will be after school from 3-4pm. Below you will find a link for the sign up list. Thank you.
Counseling Corner
Starting at the end of January Mrs. Parkhill will be doing weekly classroom lessons in the Pre-K classroom focused on social-emotional development. It has been found that early exposure to social emotional learning helps to foster emotional intelligence, empathy and positive behavior. Over the next few months Pre-K students will gain a better understanding of themselves, their emotions, how they relate to others and how to be a good friend. Through various lessons and activities Mrs. Parkhill hopes to lay the foundation for academic success and personal growth.
From the Nurse's Office
If your child test positive for Covid-19 please follow the CDC guidelines. If you have any questions please contact the nurse's office at nurse@olmrcs.com.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html
Please remember that your child needs to be 24 hours fever free and vomit free without medicine before returning to school. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community healthy.
Ski & Board Club
Ski & Snowboard Club
- The next trip is Friday, February 2nd. The students will spend the half day on the mountain. If your child is part of the ski & board club please consider volunteering for the trips, https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4BA8AF2FA46-44432645-2024#/. If you have any questions, please contact Bea Lemanowicz at bml@lemanowiczlaw.com
We need parent volunteers with Ski & Board Club Monday Pretzels. One person is asked to pick up pretzels at 8am at the Philly Pretzel Factory Horsham, deliver to the school, and help sort/distribute. We need another parent to meet at the school at 8:15am and help sort/distribute them. Please use the sign up genius link to volunteer for a day or two. Our Lady of Mercy Home and School Association: 2024 OLM Ski & Board Club Pretzel Sale Volunteers (signupgenius.com)
Catholic School Week – January 28th – February 2nd
Catholic School Week is a great week for everyone. Kicking off with masses at each parish Sunday January 28th. Tuesday (last name A-L) and Wednesday (last name M-Z) will be bagels with buddies. Family Fun Night will take place on Friday, February 2rd in the OLM gym. See the “go to” flyer for everything you need to know about this amazing week. RSVP for Bagels with Buddies and Family Fun Night along with volunteering for the teacher luncheon sign ups! We are still looking for volunteers to help with the luncheon on Thursday. Please consider signing up.
Designer Bag Bingo – THANK YOU!!!!!
Thank you to all that came out to our rescheduled date for Designer Bag Bingo! We are so lucky to have such support from parents, teachers, friends, family, and the community. Special shout out to our event chair, Katie Sacchetta, and all those who helped behind the scenes to make this event possible.
Coffee with the Principal - Tuesday, February 6th
Please join Mr. Delaney for coffee and pastries on Tuesday, February 6th at 8:00am in the cafeteria to meet other parents and ask questions that you have. This is an informal event. We look forward to seeing you there.
February Dine & Donate
HSA will host their next dine and donate on Thursday, February 22nd from 11:00am to 9:00pm at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza in Horsham. Mention you are there for the OLM dine and donate. 20% of your bill (excluding alcohol) will be donated back to the school.
Father/Daughter Dance - SAVE THE DATE!
Mark your calendars for the annual Father Daughter Dance. The event will take place on Friday, March 8th at Our Lady of Mercy. So get ready to parTAY on the dance floor! More details to follow soon.
Supporting Home & School
- Interested in Volunteering?
- We are always looking for new ideas, suggestions, and volunteers! If you have any interest in volunteering please feel free to fill out this interest form: tinyurl.com/OLMVolCalendar24.
- If you are interested in joining the board, we would love to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out via email at hsa@olmrcs.com. We welcome you to check out our website, www.olmhsa.wixsite.com/2021, or follow and interact with us on social media, FB @olmhsa or Instagram @olmhsa.
Title I Survey
Please remember to return your Title I survey back to school by Friday February 9th. This survey is important in determining funding for income eligible families. Thank you for your help with this.
January 28 Open House Lawn Sign
Help us kick off Catholic Schools Week with the best Open House event yet! We are looking for families that live on highly visible roads or neighborhoods or have a business to help promote the Open House on Sunday, January 28, 2024. You can pick up your sign at the main office or during morning car line drop off. If you need your sign delivered or need other arrangements to get your sign, please contact Julie Bebey. Signs will be ready to be displayed by January 10th. If you have any questions, please contact Julie Bebey@ jbebey@OLMrcs.com.
Please click here to sign up. https://forms.gle/zjwC2aKQPjMhMLY46
If your sign is in good shape after the open house, you can return it to OLM or contact Julie Bebey and she will arrange pick up. Thank you!
St. Alphonsus Blood Drive
Saint Alphonsus Parish is hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Friday, February 2nd in the Parish Hall! Each pint of blood we collect can help save up to three lives and will touch the lives of so many more. Click this link to schedule a donation time.
Schedule a Blood, Platelet or Plasma Donation | American Red Cross
Find the nearest Red Cross blood, platelet or plasma donation center. Make a difference in someone's life, give the gift of life.
Winter Weather
As we are moving towards the winter months of the year here are a couple of reminders if we have a delayed school day or closure.
- OLM follows Upper Dublin school district. If Upper Dublin closes school for weather or is delayed, OLM is closed or delayed. A text, call and email will be sent out.
- If another school district closes and Upper Dublin is open, OLM is open. Those school district's that are closed will not provide busing. You will be notified if that occurs.
Re-Registration for the 24-25 School Year
All returning families will have their FACTS accounts charged the $300/family re-registration fee in January. If you have any questions, please speak with Julie Bebey. Thank you in advance for your commitment to OLM and catholic education.
8th Grade Scholarships
If your 8th grader has received a scholarship to any high school please send a copy of the letter to Mrs. Maher cmaher@olmrcs.com so we can recognize your students amazing accomplishments.
2024-2025 Financial Aid
2024-2025 financial aid is now open. Please log onto your FACTS account to apply. To be considered for financial aid you must fill out an application through your FACTS account. The deadline to apply is February 29th. If you have any questions please send your questions to grants@olmrcs.com.
Uniform Policy
Please remember that all students should be wearing our winter uniforms. ALL uniform rules will be enforced. Please review the general uniform rules that are listed below and are in the student handbook.
● Girls’ kilts must be no shorter than two inches above the knee. After a second warning, they must wear navy blue tights or school-issued pants until the skirt/kilt is at the appropriate length.
● All students must wear OLM uniform pieces with logos. They must be purchased from one of our two approved vendors: Flynn & O’Hara or Lands’ End.
● All formal and gym uniforms must be purchased from one of our two approved vendors: Flynn & O’Hara or Lands’ End.
● NO LOGOS, Nike Elite sports socks, or the like are permitted with the school uniform except on gym days.
● Sneakers must be worn on gym days, even on a dress-down day.
● Girls may wear post-earrings or small hoops.
● Belts must be worn with pants or shorts by both boys and girls.
● Only the neckline of a plain white undershirt may be visible under the shirt.
Car Line Procedures
To keep our students safe and the car line moving in the afternoon, please:
- Do not get out of your cars. A faculty member will help your child get into the car.
- DO NOT PASS cars in front of you as there may be children getting into their cars on the driver's side. Please be patient and stay in line as you exit the school property, following the car in front of you.
- Do not stop in front of your child. Pull up as far as you can (up to the gym doors) to allow the most cars to load at one time. Please pull right up to the car in front of you.
- Do not speed. The speed limit is 10 MPH while driving on any part of the school property. Please be mindful of your speed.
- Do not use your cell phone while driving in the parking lot.
- WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE PUT A SIGN IN YOUR PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WINDOW IDENTIFYING YOUR LAST NAME. This will help us find your child(ren) faster.
- If you need to buckle your child into their car seat, please do so in the circle near the exit of the property.
Birthdays this week
1/29
Alexandria White
1/31
Sarai Maselko
Joseph Kozar
2/3
Tessa Hastings
Connor McDaniel
Altar Servers
Tuesday 1/30
Ryan Romano
Patrick Romano
Wednesday 1/31
Jaxson Carroll
Cassidy Carroll
Thursday 2/1
Maeve Graham
Seamus Graham
Friday 2/2
Thomas Hungerford
Robert Wilkin