Mercy Peek & Ponder by Mr. McGrath
Volume II Issue 13 Sunday, November 29, 2015
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
First Sunday of Advent
Come, Lord Jesus! Come and visit your people.
We await your coming. Come, O Lord.
Scholarship Awards for the Class of 2016 as of 11/25/2015
We are so happy and proud to announce scholarship awards to the following students in the OLM Class of 2016. The list will be updated as more awards are announced.
Shannon Reilly:
Mount St. Joseph Academy: Founders Academic Scholarship totaling $30,000 over 4 years
Maeve Gallagher:
Mount St. Joseph Academy: Fontbonne Academic Scholarship totaling $20,000 over 4 years
Micaelina Carter:
Mount St. Joseph Academy: Fontbonne Academic Scholarship totaling $20,000 over 4 years
Maggie Fitzpatrick:
Mount St. Joseph Academy: Eugenia F. Comerford ’37 Alumnae Award totaling $12,000 over 4 years
Carrie Johnston: Gwynedd Mercy Academy: Legacy Scholarship totaling $12,000 over 4 years
Thomas McLaughlin: Bishop McDevitt: Lancer Leadership Scholarship totaling $6,000 over 4 years
TOTAL AS OF 11/25/15: $100,000
STATEMENT OF ARCHBISHOP CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. CAP. REGARDING EDUCATION TAX CREDITS
Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) are vital programs that assist many thousands of needy children. They do it by enabling Pennsylvania businesses to donate to qualified scholarship organizations. Donor companies then receive a tax credit, within specified limits, against their Pennsylvania tax liability. The resulting scholarships benefit children whose families meet certain low income criteria.
Unfortunately, the Department of Community and Economic Development is currently unwilling to issue authorizations to firms ready to make contributions to qualified scholarship organizations.
The real world result that flows from the refusal to issue contribution authorizations is to prevent companies from gaining the approvals they urgently need in order to make contributions and secure the resulting tax credits required for the current calendar year. This creates a very serious problem. If these contributions are not made, then scholarships will not be available for thousands of students who attend Catholic and many other private schools. In the case of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, this immediately builds pressure for school closures as early as next year, because the EITC and OSTC scholarships are vital to parents’ ability to afford their children’s education.
This situation is time sensitive, because the end of the year rapidly approaches. The administrative details of the programs require authorizations for companies and actual contributions to the scholarship organizations before year end.
I ask Catholics and all persons who support good educational options for the poor to contact Governor Wolf today via this website – https://governor.pa.gov/contact/ -- and to ask for his support in issuing these authorizations.
+Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Philadelphia
Upcoming Events
November 30-December 4
Spanish Club's Pulsera Project
November 30
Classes Resume
December 1
Grade 1 Class Trip to the Keswick Theater
Confessions, grades 3-8, 1PM
Confirmation, St. Catherine of Siena, 4PM
December 2
Class Mass, Grades 6-7-8
December 3
Grade 6 Class Trip to U of P & Cathedral
Lansdale Catholic Visits OLM
December 4
End of First Trimester
Jr. High Dance, 7:30PM
Looking Ahead
December 7
Second Trimester Begins
December 8-10
Santa Secret Shoppe
December 8
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
School Liturgy - Blessings of Service, 9AM
December 10-11
Second Grade Bake Sale at lunch
St. Catherine of Siena Confirmation
We are over 240! Discount and Guaranteed Placement Ends 11/30/2015
During our four weeks of re-registration over 240 currents students have registered for next year! We thank you for your commitment to the Mission of OLM. Our Lady of Mercy continues to evolve with many new and exciting ventures in the works!
As a reminder:
If you register by 11/30/2015, discounted registration fee is $200 per family.
Placement for the 2016-2017 school year is guaranteed until 11/30/2015 as we will be accepting new registrations starting 12/01/2015.
Our registration fees cover: the cost per student of the student information database (MSP), Religion books, certain instructional classroom supplies, and administrative fees for the operation the FACTS system. Please note, registration fees are non-refundable.
Pulsera Club
Our Lady of Mercy's Spanish club will be partnering with an organization called the Pulsera Project to benefit the people of Nicaragua. The organization was founded by a group of young people from the United States who went on a service trip to the country and saw firsthand the extreme poverty that Nicaraguans are suffering; a majority of the population lives on two dollars or less a day and work up to 15 hours daily in sweatshops. The Pulsera Project employs both adults and teens to make friendship bracelets ("pulseras" in Spanish) to help them get out of the sweatshops and to spend more time with their families while also earning much higher wages.
OLM will be having its first Pulsera sale the week of November 30. The Spanish club will be selling bracelets during both lunches Monday-Friday (November 30-December 4). Each bracelet costs $5 and comes with the name and a picture of the person who created it. It's a great way for the students to see who their money will be helping, to make it more "real." After the sale, our school name will be listed as one of the participants on the Pulsera Project's website.
For more information, please visit the Pulsera Project's website:
http://www.pulseraproject.org/
Additional Smart Aid Information
OLM SCHOOL CODE 91026
ALL OLM families are encouraged to complete and submit and application. This application replaces PSSA (BLOCS) and Smart Aid 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.
While we believe that Smart Aid will help us to more effectively and efficiently provide financial aid services to our families, we also know that the strategic use of financial aid is crucial to achieving and sustaining our enrollment goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who should complete this aid application?
A: Whomever the child resides with should fill this application out, whether it is a parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle, or legal guardian. There is a section within the application where you can enter contributions from non-custodial parents and relatives.
Q: Why do I need to input my spouse’s information if I am remarried and they are not legally responsible for my children?
A: Smart Aid’s calculation works off of the total household income, therefore including all income, whether the party is legally responsible for your children or not. Our system however, does take into effect your spouse’s expenses as well as their income. It is important to list all expenses that are asked of within the application.
Q: I do not have the required tax documents. HELP!
A: Include the most recent tax documentation you have available. If you are asked for a specific line from a tax document that you have not yet completed, please estimate the projected amount.
Q: How will I know if I qualify for aid or not?
A: We do not disclose information about the results of your application. All final tuition aid decisions, including notification of an award amount (if any); will be made by OLM. For the date award notices is anticipated to be March 2016.
OLM YEARBOOKS!
Believe it or not, it is time to our your 2015-2016 OLM yearbook! The cost of the yearbook is $20. All orders are to be completed online this year. Please no cash or checks! To place an order please follow the directions below. The Class of 2016 need NOT order a Yearbook as they are provided one as part of the Jr. High Dances.
The company is aware of a problem with online ordering and is working to correct it.
All yearbooks orders are due February 1, 2016!
SPECIAL REQUEST FOR 4TH TO 8TH GRADE LUNCH VOLUNTEERS
We welcome your assistance at Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School. We are most fortunate to have such an interested, committed and involved parent community. 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. OLM NEEDS YOUR HELP WITH LUNCH VOLUNTEERS! The Lunch/Recess Duty Volunteer program is a great way to volunteer and become involved at the school. Participating in our volunteer program is a wonderful opportunity to see your children at lunch and work with fellow parent volunteers.
Use the following link for Signup Genius web site:
December Virtue of the Month - JOY
Prayer to Saint Nicholas
O good holy Nicholas,
you who brought joy to children,
put in my heart the spirit of childhood
about which the Gospel speaks.
Teach me how to sow
happiness around me. Amen.
WE HAVE A WINNER....!
OLM Home & School News
- Secret Santa will be held December 8th, 9th and 10th ~ more information will be coming home with students the week of November 30th.
- Save the Date: Please save the date for Home and School's first ever Designer Bag Bingo on Friday, January 22, 2016 ~ Ticket information will be available soon.
- Box Top Collection: Home and School is looking for a few volunteers to help with the collection of box tops. This is a great way to volunteer from home. If you are interested, please contact Eileen Wisniewski at edw1972@yahoo.com
Winston Wear School Store
ARCHBISHOP WOOD PRESENTS "MARY POPPINS"
Birthday Blessings this Week
Koschineg, Connor Nov 30 - Monday
Campbell, Sean Dec 1 - Tuesday
O'Donnell, Jamisen Dec 1 - Tuesday
Miller, Annabel L. Dec 2 - Wednesday
Beniquez, Mariela F. Dec 3 - Thursday
Dolaway, Andrew Dec 3 - Thursday
Princivalle, Regina Dec 3 - Thursday
McCook, Thomas Dec 4 - Friday
Funk, Nicole Dec 5 - Saturday
Makoid, Alexis L. Dec 5 - Saturday
Moore, Gavin H. Dec 5 - Saturday
Playground at Lunch Recess
Tuesday, 12/01: Mrs. Reilly
Wednesday, 12/02: Mrs. Nowaczyk
Thursday, 12/03: Mr. Smith
Friday, 12/04: Mrs. Kennedy
Lunch Duty Sign-Up: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0d4daaa622a6f49-lunch4
Two parent volunteers must be on-duty in the school yard - before the playground is open. This ensures the safety of ALL.
Altar Servers 9AM
Tuesday, 12/01: Danny Bryce
Wednesday, 12/02: Connor Cunningham
Thursday, 12/03: Colin Hope
Friday, 12/04: Anna Emma