Mercy Peek & Ponder by Mr. McGrath
Volume III Issue 15 Sunday, December 18, 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
New Peek & Ponder: Monday, January 2, 2017
From the Desk of the Principal ....
At Christmas it is easier to see the wonder of things. I am not sure whether the wonder wells up closer to the surface and things actually have more of a glory or whether things look the way they do because we are looking at them with more wonder in our eyes.
Is the wonder in the things, or is it in us? I would say it is in both. Certainly, things take on a special wonder at Christmas. Our homes are decorated with lights, wreaths, bells, etc.
Christmas has the power to quicken our sense of wonder because it turns us into children. Children have a wonderful sense of wonder.
What is waiting for Christmas like?
HOPE?
EXCITEMENT?
DREAMS?
I remember the doubts that I had in my mind when I was younger. I was told that if I misbehaved, I would find when I got up Christmas morning, coal in my stocking instead of gifts. Since I misbehaved, I knew that if justice was served, coal it would be. But when I can downstairs on Christmas morning, I was always surprised with many wonderful gifts.
Under the tree were not all, but enough of the things I had hoped for, wished for, and written Santa about to make me still certain these many years later that Christmas is a wonder and Christmas morning a dream come true.
Christmas in not getting things, because Christmas is not things at all. Christmas is a wonder. And it is for wonder.
Christmas is believing. Christmas is hoping. Christmas is dreaming. It is a holiday holy to humanity’s dreams and hopes.
That is why Christmas is, first of all, the Christmas Story. The birth of Christ is the birth of humanity’s best dream and highest hope.
This is my prayer for all of you this Christmas:
May there always be room in your heart for divinity to find a birthing place.
May you be holy as the angels were,
faithful as the shepherds were,
humble as the cattle were,
wise as the Wise Men were.
May you have the MERCY Mary had
and the understanding Joseph had,
and may the blessing of the Christ child be yours,
not because of His birth long ago,
but because His love is born in you today!
On behalf of the pastors, the OLM Board of Directors, the faculty and staff, and myself, have a holy and happy Christmas and a Healthy 2016. Thank you and good night.
Upcoming Events
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
Home & School General Meeting
Sunday, Jan 8, 2017, 07:00 PM
OLM Cafeteria
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
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 #4
Lord, our God, we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people.
He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us.
He is the Savior of us all.
O Lord,
let your blessing come upon us as we light all candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ's promise of salvation.
May He come quickly and not delay.
We ask this in His holy name. Amen.
Class of 2017 Scholarship Awards
Gwynedd Mercy Academy:
· Megan Emmerling: Misericordia Academic
· Devon Sweeney: Trustee Academic
Mount St. Joseph Academy:
· Julia Norton: Alumnae Academic
St. Basil Academy:
· Grace Toriello: Music and Academic
· Melanie McGill: Mother Josephat Award
· Megan Emmerling: Academic
LaSalle College High School:
· Robert (Ted) Nagle : Presidential Academic
· Lucas Braccia: Presidential Academic
Archbishop Wood:
· Margaret (Meg) Waltrich: Academic
· Lucas Braccia : Academic
Lansdale Catholic:
· Gavin Mook: Academic
Total Scholarships as of 12/16/16: $214,000
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.
OVER 300 students already! REGISTRATION OPEN TO NEW STUDENTS IN ALL GRADES K-8.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR!!!
- 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, 12/18
Elisabetta Scutti
Monday, 12/19
Tuesday, 12/20
Mayolo Contreras-Morales
Paul Spear
Noelle Herron
Wednesday, 12/21
Kevin Maguire
Meghan Denin
Declan Doherty
Thursday, 12/22
Friday, 12/23
Gary Martin
Mikey Contorno
Saturday, 12/24
Katie McMullin
Sunday, 12/25
Monday, 12/26
Jack Donnelly
Emma Greenhalgh
Meghan Klemick
Tuesday, 12/27
Bridget Bell
Wednesday, 12/28
Abigail Rosenbaum
Thursday, 12/29
Friday, 12/30
Father Leva
Saturday, 12/31
Roman Nunez
ALTAR SERVICE THIS WEEK 9AM
Tuesday: Andrew Boles
Wednesday: Ciara Peyton
Thursday: Siobhan Brogan
Friday: Mark O'Brien