Mercy Messenger
Issue 22 ~ Sunday February 4, 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
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 February 4th, 2024
Good Morning,
This past week was a terrific Catholic Schools Week. I can not express my gratitude enough to the home and school association for all the fun events that they planned for OLM. A special thank you to the 5th grade teachers Ms. Timlin and Ms. Carney for organizing and planning our annual Thon dance to end our Catholic Schools Week. Congratulations to the 8th grade for winning volleyball game against the faculty. These two events have become a fantastic OLM tradition. Thank you to all who planned and participated in all the events of the past week.
Looking ahead to this upcoming week, on February 9th progress reports for the second trimester will be sent home. Can you believe that we are half way through the school year? Please take a look at your child's progress and review it with them. If there are any questions or concerns please reach out to your child's teacher. Thank you for all of your continued support of OLM and I hope everyone has a great week ahead. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out.
In Mercy,
Bill Delaney
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
2/9- Ski Club.
2/9- Progress Reports sent home.
2/14- Ash Wednesday 9 am mass.
2/14- Ski Club.
2/16- Professional Development Day. No School for Students.
2/19- Presidents Day. No School.
SUNDAY STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Congratulations to Ben Bell '24 on receiving the following scholarships to:
Presidential Academic Scholarship - Lansdale Catholic High School
Presidential Academic Scholarship - La Salle College High School
Neumann Scholarship - Full scholarship for four years to any Archdiocesan High School
The OLM community is very proud of Ben and all his accomplishments!
Class of 2024 Scholarships
We proudly report that the Class of 2024 students were awarded a grand total of $917,000 in scholarships. Congratulation to all.
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
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 9th. 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)
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 - Friday March 8th, Registration now open!
Registration is now open 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! See the flyer for more details.
To Register: Father Daughter Registration
- To Volunteer or Donations:http://tinyurl.com/OLM2024dance
OLM Run for Mercy 5k & 1 mile fun run/walk – March 16th!
Mark your calendars and start training. The OLM Run for Mercy 5k & 1 mile fun run/walk will take place on Saturday, March 18th at 10:00am. If you would like to volunteer and join the 5k committee, please reach out Kristin Butler at Kmbutler333@gmail.com.
Catholic School Week – THANK YOU!
Thank you to everyone who came, participated, and enjoyed catholic school week. We could not have done it without everyone's continued support for our teachers, staff and the children. Thank you to our Chairs Maggie Insogna, Jenny Contorno, Martha Cook, and Carla Puelo. Also a thank you to Metropolitan for catering the teacher luncheon that took place on Thursday.
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.
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.
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
2/6
Riley Pohl
Henri Penska
2/7
Mrs. Bebey
Veronica Brown
2/9
Harrison Creed
Altar Servers
Tuesday 2/6
Sophie Samson
Will McMullen
Wednesday 2/7
Henry Lemanowicz
Declan Doherty
Thursday 2/8
John Contorno
Mikey Contorno
Friday 2/9
Ryan Duffy
Harry Ellis