Falcon Flyer
COVID 19 ED 10
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday, May 21:
9-10am, End-of-Year Drop off/Pick-up
7pm: 8th grade Graduation Procession (see information below)
Friday, May 22:
9-10am, End-of-Year Drop off/Pick-up
11am: Kindergarten Graduation Procession (see information below)
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!
Reminder!
Just a gentle reminder that ALL school-issued items MUST be returned on May 21 or May 22. These items include, but are not limited to:
-cheer uniforms (unless paid in full)
-checked out ipads
-8th grade graphing calculators
-library books
-TRACK spikes and other school issued athletic equipment
-any other items issued or checked out by the school
8th Grade Graduation and Procession
YOU ARE INVITED!
Our 8th graders will have a celebratory parade starting at 7pm, this Thursday, May 21st, in the parking lot of the church and Kukral. The 8th graders will be decorating cars and parking in the middle parking area with their decorated cars! WE ARE INVITING ALL FATIMA FAMILES AND PARISHONERS to join us for a procession parade to honor our 8th grade graduates!
ALL FAMILIES MUST ADHERE TO SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES AT ALL TIMES. While we know that it will be hard to stay in your cars, and 6-feet apart, it is a requirement of the Archdiocese and the Church that we do so, so PLEASE ADHERE TO THESE GUIDELINES out of respect for the Archdiocesan guidelines.
All cars wishing to participate in the parade, please meet and line up in the CHURCH parking lot (see map). Around 7pm, the lead car (one of our teachers or staff), can start the procession through the parking lot and around the gym side entrance and exits. The 8th graders will have their cars parked and decorated in the middle of the Kukral/Fatima parking lot (see the BLUE Xs on the MAP). As cars drive by to honk and wave, our 8th graders will stand there to wave and be congratulated. Please see the attached map for the parade route!
Again, all social distancing guidelines MUST be followed. We very much want and invite everyone to participate in the procession for our graduates, but please stay in your cars during the parade and procession. This ensures we are following the Archdiocesan and state social distancing guidelines.
We ask and encourage our parade participants to decorate their cars, honk, wave, and come out to support our 8th grade graduates! See you at 7pm, Thursday! (You may start arriving anytime to decorate your cars in the parish parking lot!)
KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION
- Starting your child's education off with the right foundation is so important, and we are honored and humbled that you have chosen to do that with us at Our Lady of Fatima. May we continue to partner with you in your child's education, as each one of them is a true gift from God.
- As the year closes, it is time to celebrate our Kindergarteners accomplishments with our traditional Kindergarten graduation. Sadly, we cannot have a ceremony as we normally would, however, we still plan to honor our Kindergarten graduates with a school-wide procession. The parade will start at 11am! Please see map below for the procession route. Please note that this is opposite of 8th graders. In this parade, the KINDER families will process and drive through, while the onlookers park to honk and wave.
ALL FAMILIES MUST ADHERE TO SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES AT ALL TIMES. While we know that it will be hard to stay in your cars, and 6-feet apart, it is a requirement of the Archdiocese and the Church that we do so, so PLEASE ADHERE TO THESE GUIDELINES out of respect for the Archdiocesan guidelines
- Please read below for more details:
- Kinder families can meet in the courtyard between the school and ECC wing starting at 10am to decorate their cars. The parade route will start here.
- Kinder cars may process through the first entrance at Fatima (where cars enter to drop off and pick up), and go through the drop off/pick up awning.
- Under the awning they will pick up their Kinder diploma and take pictures.
- They will then process down the length of the parking lot to the end exit, and wrap back up 9th street and enter way down at the end to loop back again.
- The parade will process 2X before finishing back in the courtyard where they started.
- Families, parhisoners, EVERYONE is invited to park around Fatima (in parking spots) and down the length of the parking lot to honk, wave, etc. Feel free to decorate your cars too!
END-of-YEAR PICK UP
Teachers have been busy gathering any and all items your scholar might still have in rooms, including mats, journals, and left over supplies. On Thursday and Friday, we will have end-of-year pick up. Any items families still need to drop off may also be dropped off this time. This includes library books, cheer uniforms, ipads, and any other school-issued items.
End of year report cards will be issued ELECTRONCIALLY by the end of day Friday. Families MUST be current on all tuition payments and have all school-issued items returned before final transcripts or school documents will be released, as per our handbook. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Sarah or Mrs. Lopez.
PICK UP TIMES:
Thursday, 9am-10am, LAST NAME Letters A-J
Friday, 9am-10am, LAST NAME LETTERS K-Z
We divided pick-up times by last name for easier pick up with siblings. Teachers will be outside to help distribute bags. We hope to have EVERYONE swing by to get their items.
If one of these two times doesn't work for you, please email Mrs. Sarah or Mrs. Lopez to set up an alternate pick up time if necessary.
The Desks Aren't Empty......
Dear Fatima Families:
This will be the last official Falcon Flyer of the 2019-2020 School Year. Our first Summer 2020 flyer will be out next week, complete with summer activities, summer reading list, IXL lessons, and other summer lessons to keep your scholar engaged and growing throughout the summer months.
The last few weeks, I have been working from campus a little more day, and I find myself walking halls and classrooms--praying, thinking, and seeing each scholar's face and hearing their sweet voices. To say that we have missed the kids would be an understatement! This time away has been nothing if not a reminder of why we do what we do--for love of the kids, their education, and helping to shape them in so many ways.
This year has been hard in many ways, but growth and change is always hard, because it pushes us to dig deeper into the core of who we are to face new challenges, and often forces us to confront parts of ourselves we don't always like. I think about the great heroes of the Bible: Abraham, Moses, David.....they all had to face the unknown, change, and struggle before growing into the men God created them to be. Fatima has had its share of changes in the last 5 years--at least three different principals, new staff, and both increasing and decreasing enrollments. Now, with the changes that COVID 19 is bringing to ALL schools, the question keeps coming up-- Will Fatima be ok?
The answer is a resounding YES! Fatima will be more than ok! Already we have almost 50 new and current families registered for enrollment for next year, and each day more get added. We are working on new incentives to help our families who need it most, as well as incentives to show our appreciation and loyalty to our families who continue to grow and change with us. Staff have resigned contracts, and we are already looking forward to next year.
We are working on plans for next year so that, no matter what happens with COVID 19, Fatima can accommodate and service ALL families and students. Our most exciting plan involves working with the ECC to be able to serve families Monday-Friday, no matter what regulations TEA or the state may impose. We know that many of our families are essential and must keep working. We don't want the stress of where your child will be educated and cared for to be anything you have to worry about. So we are teaming with ECC to make sure we are all here to keep learning going, no matter what happens.
As we continue to work hard to serve you, I want to thank all those who continue to support our campus, our staff, our parish, and each other. It takes a village! By the very nature of our job as educators, we need our students and families to teach! There is no WE without all of us in this together, learning, growing, and changing for the better. WE ARE A TEAM, and if COVID 19 and this entire year has showed us anything, it is that the support and love of our school, our teachers, our administration, our Church, and our families is the ABSOLUTE most important thing.
Even with all the changes, the one thing that stays the same, and will remain the same, is my commitment to our families, our staff, and most importantly, our children, to always do my absolute best for each of you. I will strive daily to be the best I can as a principal, educator, leader, and Disciple of Christ, because I always want to be worthy of the stewardship God has given me. I remember when I graduated college, my mom said to me, "Always remember each child that walks in your room was given to you as a gift from God." That resonates with me almost 20 years later (has it been that long already!?), and it is my promise to our families. We may not always see eye-to-eye, but I promise I will always do what I can to be my best for you.
In this last week of school, as we wind down and ease into summer, I don't see empty desks as I walk around campus. I see desks that miss their scholars, and are just as excited about having their seats full again as I am. I don't see empty desks. I see endless openings for learning, growth, laughter, and love. I hope you will be there for that journey.....because it just wouldn't be the same without you!
I am prayerful that our time together will be sooner than later. I miss our kids, I miss our Fatima families, and I look forward to when we can all be together again! Have a wonderful summer.
In His Love,
Mrs. Lopez