FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE
Our Lady Queen of Heaven School :: December 10th, 2014
The FHS is a monthly on-line school newsletter. It will be emailed to you through School Reach. There will be weekly reminders of important events and activities that are planned for the upcoming week.
Dear Parents and Members of the OLQHS Community
After the first of the year, we will be doing a pilot program with the 8th grade students. We will be issuing them Chromebooks to be used for the enhancement of their education. We have purchased the Chromebooks through a grant. Each student will be issued one. The school will own the Chromebooks so it will be easier to maintain and monitor what it is used for. There will be a specific policy outlining the criteria for the use of the device. Each child and parent will be required to sign a contract. There will be a fee of $50.00 to cover the price of insurance, apps, charging stations, and the required cover. My grandchildren in North Carolina are using them and they know they must charge them each night and bring them to school each day. When they get home and sit down to do homework they use the chromebook but when they want to go online for their own knowledge/use they use their own computer, ipad, or phone. Never once did it occur to them to use the school’s device.
The focus of the Chromebook Program at Our Lady Queen of Heaven School is to prepare students for their futures in a world of digital technology and information. As we navigate the 21st century, excellence in education requires that technology be seamlessly integrated throughout the educational program. Increasing access to technology is essential for the future. The primary learning tool of these 21st century students at OLQHS will be the Chromebook. The individual use of Chromebooks is a way to empower students to learn at their full potential and to prepare them for the real world of college and the workplace. Chromebooks encourage students to solve problems and think critically by stimulating analytical thinking. Technology immersion does not diminish the vital role of the teacher. To the contrary, it transforms the teacher from a director of learning to a facilitator of learning. Learning with Chromebooks integrates technology into the curriculum any time, and any place. Learning results from the continuous dynamic interaction among students, educators, parents, and the extended community.
"It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope." ~Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
Educational example of the use of Chromebooks
“On a crisp fall morning before Halloween, Jill A. Raspen's 6th grade English class at Ridgeview Middle School here offered a glimpse of those theories—and that technology—in action.
Students huddled in groups of three or four, discussing "Maniac Magee," a popular middle-grades novel. While one group typed notes about author Jerry Spinelli's use of metaphors, others detailed his use of personification, characterization, and other literary devices.
The whole class was simultaneously editing the same Google Slides presentation, with each group responsible for creating one page of a common document.
"I think it's better than writing on paper," said 11-year-old Paul Beltran. "You can see each other's work, you can give suggestions, and if something is wrong, you can help each other."
Midway through the period, Ms. Raspen called upon the groups to present their slides.
"You have access to all this information," the eight-year veteran of the district told her class when the presentation was complete. "Now, I want you to use each other's thinking. What two pieces of evidence from someone else's slide can you use to explain what makes this book awesome?"
Students typed for 10 minutes, then submitted their work via a Google Form (a basic online survey) that Ms. Raspen created. Their responses automatically populated a spreadsheet, which the teacher was already reviewing as her charges filed out the door.
In years past, Ms. Raspen said, she taught an analog version of the same lesson. Students worked in groups to create posters, took part in a "gallery walk" around the room, and wrote their book reviews by hand. Editing involved an exchange of paper drafts that could take days.
Chromebooks haven't totally changed the way she teaches, Ms. Raspen said.
But they have made her classroom more efficient, offering more time to get students working together and providing tools that allow her to give more timely and detailed attention to her students' work.
They get so much more feedback and they use it so much more than when writing by hand," she said. "It's pretty huge."
Ms. JoAnn Wallwork
Make a year-end gift to the Cornerstone Capital Campaign!
Thank you for all who have contributed to the Capital Campaign. We are currently at 98% of our overall goal of $3.5 million. If you are looking to make a charitable contribution before the year end, please consider OLQH School. With your help, we are providing the best possible facilities and learning environment for our current students and those for years to come. For information on making a donation to the Cornerstone Capital Campaign, visit http://olqhs-cornerstone.jimdo.com/ or contact Megan O’Quin, Director of Advancement, at moquin@olqhs.org or 477-7349.
Layers of Legacy - Bricks
If you would like to purchase a brick for the middle school courtyard, please fill out the form, which was sent home with your child or make your order online at: http://www.brickmarkers.com/donors/olqhs.html. Bricks may be purchased in increments of $100, $250, $500 and $1,000. The deadline for this order will be January 9, 2015. We hope you will join us in making a lasting tribute, paving the way for generations to come! Please contact Megan O’Quin at moquin@olqhs.org for more information.
Instant Wisdom :: Gift of Wonder . . . . . Rev. Alfred McBride
"Each year, God asks us to shed one more coat of awareness, one more dream state and come alive to the vision of God’s plan for each of us and the world-at-large.
"The older we get, the harder this is to do. As children we had a sense of wonder. Our eyes were wide open and drinking in the fascinating gifts we beheld…Our thirsty souls could not have enough of the wonders of creation.
"Then, somehow, we grew too old to dream. We are tired of the abundance of the world, or at least grew weary of keeping up with the feast of life, and stepped away from the banquet of life.
"The natural gift of wonder God gave us as children was meant to be kept alive…Instead we let wonder go to sleep. We entered the typical dream state of most humans.
"Why else does Jesus tell us today, ‘Stay awake!’…Advent says, ‘Wake up and realize the gifts of love you have received.’
"…Psychology says, ‘Let go.’ Spirituality says, ‘Wake up.’ In both cases there is a withdrawal from the busyness of daily life (our dream state) and a waking up to the subconscious and spiritual depths of ourselves."
Fluency Instruction
Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately and quickly. When fluent readers read silently, they recognize words automatically. They group words quickly to help them gain meaning from what they read. They read aloud effortlessly and with expression. Fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Because fluent readers do not have to concentrate on decoding the words, they can focus their attention on what the text means.
Fluency develops gradually over time and through substantial practice. At the earliest stage of reading development, a student's oral reading is slow and labored because they are just learning to "break the code" - to attach sounds to letters and to blend letter sounds into recognizable words.
Fluency is not a stage of development at which readers can read all words quickly and easily. Fluency changes, depending on what readers are reading, their familiarity with the words, and the amount of their practice with reading text.
Caught You Being Good this week at OLQHS!! Let’s Celebrate!
- Last Friday, Mr. Tyrone was cleaning up the fencing and stakes he used to keep the students from the areas of the playground that were being worked on. He must have used some plastic fasteners which he cut and were left on the side walk. As I was walking back from the Middle School, I noticed them. The 3rd grade was coming back from the gym and 3 boys noticed the fasteners on the ground too. Samuel Kennison started picking them up and Kade Nugent and Gray Guillory followed Samuel’s example. The fasteners were cleanup quickly. I want to thank these boys for taking pride in their school and for undertaking a task they did not have to. Boys, you made my day!!! JoAnn Wallwork
- Thanks to 5th graders, Abby Craven, Zoe Armstrong, and Emily Cobb for making posters to encourage their fellow students to recycle their water bottles. The girls understand the affects of recycling on our environment. Awesome job, girls. OLQHS is proud of you.
Excellent Attendance
Being in school everyday means your child won’t miss out on learning. Try to schedule appointments and family trips outside of school hours. If he asks to stay home “just because,” remind him/her of what he’ll miss, such as his reading group or art class. Explain that he can be absent if he’s sick or if there’s a family emergency.
OLQHS is a Cell Phone Free Zone
Please when driving through carline; remember that school zones are cell phone free zones. The crossing guards as well as duty teachers have noticed that there are quite a few people who are on their cell phones while picking up their children. When the Louisiana legislature voted the cell phone free zones into law, I am sure they were concerned with the safety of the children of Louisiana.
OLQHS Annual "Run for Others"
Our Lady Queen of Heaven School's "Run For Others" will be held Feb. 28th this school year.
Saturday, Feb 28, 2015, 07:00 AM
3908 Creole Street, Lake Charles, LA, United States
OLQHS 5th Grade Students
5TH graders participated in the annual Global Monster Project along with other schools around the world. Partners worked on an assigned body part and made it according to the description given by other participating schools. They had to work together to decide how they were going to make their assigned part and attach each part to create the entire monster. The description of each body part included specific shapes and measurements. In the end the monster is given a name and a picture is submitted to the Global Monster website for all other schools to view. In art class Mrs. Foshee had students draw their own personal monster.
In addition, 5th graders also enjoyed their annual pumpkin decorating contest. There were so many creative ideas! Our winners for the contest were Ally Hinton, Camdyn LeCronier, Kat Daley, Dhara Brassieur, Hallie Marie Kleckley, Jonah Fontenot, Christopher Abrahams and Kade Bouillion. The best overall winner was Molly Lafargue.
The year 2015 marks the 125th anniversary of Ellis Island as an immigration station. Fifth grade students are participating in the Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest which celebrates that anniversary. Students have been doing research and using facts along with creativity to create a piece of historical fiction in which they imagine what the experience might have been like for an immigrant child in 1892. This project allows students to learn about American history while also learning about how to do research and how to follow the writing process. Winners will be announced at the end of the year.
The Art World
The Artsonia Hall of Fame has new members. They are Second Grader Katie Rapp, Third Grader Mary Katherine Meche, Fifth Graders Christopher Abrahams and Lora Sharpe, and Eighth Grader Will Gage. Congratulations!!
Now is the time to get your little angels Artsonia merchandise with their own artwork on it. A big sale is going on for Greeting Cards (Folded and Flat), Ornaments, Coffee Mugs, and the NEW Keepsake Tins. There are also on sale magnets, key chains, and luggage tags which make great stocking stuffers. Remember, the Fine Arts Department receives 20% of each sale.
You need to put the following important date on your calendar. February 20, 2015 is Artsonia T-Shirt Day. Your student may wear any Artsonia T-Shirt and blue jeans on that Friday. They may wear last years if it still fits, or buy a new one with this year’s artwork. They may wear their Artsonia T-Shirt on ANY T-Shirt Day during the rest of the year.
Congratulations again to Emma Matt for her beautiful artwork on this year’s Our Lady Queen of Heaven’s Advent Card. It is absolutely perfect!!
Have a Very Happy and Blessed Christmas,
Brenda Foshee, Art
OLQH RECYCLING PROGRAM NEEDS YOUR HELP!
To All OLQH Parents,
I am asking for your help in the participation of our latest recycling program at school. We have three separate projects we are collecting for which include drink pouches, lunchable type packaging, and plastic dairy containers. All of these programs require a minimum weight on what is collected before a shipment can be sent in to earn points. Although so far we have collected some of these things from what the kids are bringing in their lunches, I need your help collecting these items at home too. Items collected at home can be put in the bins in the cafeteria. The drink pouch program has a special offer that if we send our first 5 pounds in by the end of November, we get a large number of points which can be redeemed for things for the school. The pouches can be from any brand. Please squeeze out as much of the juice from the juice pouches and rinse out lunchable and dairy containers brought from home. I collect all the items every Friday, and they are all cleaned out and juice is drained before they can be shipped. I look forward to more participation from all students and parents. If you have any questions about the program or what can be recycled, please call or text me at 513-6103.
Sincerely,
Staci Boudreaux
Fall Box Tops Contest
Over 13,000 Box Tops were collected since the beginning of school and we have mailed in nearly 30,000 since our last contest.
Keep sending in your box tops our next winners will be announced at Family Fun Day.
OLQHS New Science Laboratory
Yearbook News
Students who were on the very long waiting list for the 13-14 yearbooks have been contacted and a few people decided not to purchase a yearbook. We have a few left from last year. If you would like to purchase one, please send $35 (checks payable to OLQH) attention Mrs. Babineaux or Mrs. Beverung.
Reminder: Deadline to order 2014-2015 yearbooks is March 21, 2015. Information on ads will go out after the first of the year.
OLQH Advanced/SACS Evaluation set for March 19 and March 20, 2015
Students need attention to the uniform/dress regulations.
Let’s begin with the boys’ hair. The uniform code found on page 11 of the Handbook is very clear. The boys’ hair should not touch the eyebrows or the shirt collar. It can be no longer than the middle of the ear lobe. If you are in doubt, have your son shake his head a few times and if that perfectly coiffed and gelled do falls to his eyebrows, he needs a haircut.
With the girls and boys it is NEVER permissible to have color treated or highlighted hair. Contrary to popular belief, Jell-O does NOT wash out!!!
Socks have been a big issue with some of the boys. They must be plain white, black, or navy blue—NO LOGOS. A few boys are trying to sneak by with neon-colored socks that are clearly not part of the uniform.
A few of the girls need attention to their skirt length. Have your daughter kneel down and measure from the floor to the bottom of the skirt. The skirt should be no more than 4 inches from the floor.
Thank you,
Kelly Babineaux
ASBESTOS STATEMENT
EACH YEAR PARENTS MUST BE INFORMED THAT THE SCHOOL HAS COMPLIED WITH ALL NATIONAL STANDARDS REGARDING ASBESTOS ON CAMPUS. CERTAIN VINYL FLOORS AND THE PANELS THAT ARE BELOW THE QUAD WINDOWS WILL HAVE TO BE HANDLED APPROPRIATELY IF EVER REPLACED. OUR REPORT INDICATES THAT EXISTING ASBESTOS IS IN GOOD CONDITION AND WE HAVE THE HIGHEST RATING GIVEN. YOU ARE WELCOME TO EXAMINE THE ASBESTOS FILE IN THE OFFICE IF DESIRED.
About Our School
Lake Charles, LA 70605
Phone: 337.477.7349
Fax: 337.477.7384
Email: drivero@olqhs.org
Website: www.olqhs.org
Location: 3908 Creole Street, Lake Charles, LA
Phone: (337)477-7349