Mercy Peek & Ponder by Mr. McGrath
Volume III Issue 9 Sunday, November 6, 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
OCTOBER PEACEMAKERS - VIRTUE OF KINDNESS
Our Peacemakers of the month help us to maintain and strengthen our OLM community. During the month of September, students were asked to look to Saint Faustina and work to be people who practice Christian kindness.
Our Lady of Mercy School embraces the virtues of our faith and look to the saints for inspiration and guidance.
"From the Cross, Christ teaches us to love even who do not love us. This is true Christian kindness" ~ Pope Francis
Kindness is to be felt rather than to be EXPLAINED. It is better to experience it than to try to explain what it is. Moreover, its home is in the heart rather than in the BRAIN.
When closely looked at, kindness seems a very DIFFICULT virtue; or we might say that kindness is not so much a single virtue, as a happy mixture of many. Sometimes it takes the form of a special affection, manifesting itself by gentleness, love, mercy and graciousness. Sometimes it takes a more active form, inspiring zeal and generosity.
That so many virtues need unite to build it up proves the worth of kindness.
Kindness is truly defined as that feeling in the soul which inclines a person to wish well to others, and to seek to do them good. Kindness begins its work by making the kind person think well of others, and feel for others.
Kindness is a retiring virtue. It is not striking like genius, nor noisy like valour; in silence and in the dark it does good. Kindness is not of the proud plants which flower only on the heights, it loves the fertile lowliness of hidden valleys, it is among those humble virtues.
The following students have been chosen as Peacemakers of the month for September. They exercised true Christian charity by doing things for others. We offer them a big OLM CONGRATS!
Kindergarten
Madeline Curcio
Maddie McGuire
Mikey Contorno
1st Grade
Jack Powers
Sean Morris
Anna McVeigh
2nd Grade
Joaquin Guerrero
Caileigh Butcher
3rd Grade
Oscar Contreras- Martinez
Cole Harbison
4th Grade
Olivia Palme
Taylor Montoute
5th Grade
Maddie Norton
John Nagle
Katie McGuire
6th Grade
Andrew Boles
Tristen Helmick
7th Grade
Matthew McGettigan
Gary Martin
8th Grade
Katherine Wesztergom
Colin Dowdell
Annalise Womelsdorf
Upcoming Events
November 7
Professional Development Day #1 - No School for students
November 8
Election Day - No School
November 12
Home & School Adult Social
November 14
Club Day #4/STREAM Academy
November 15
7th Grade Trip to Graeme Park
November 18
Dress Down Day to support our Food Drive
ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL
School begins promptly at 8:00 AM. Students may enter the building after 7:30 AM and should be in the gym for morning assembly no later than 8:00 AM. There are many students who are still in car line at 8:00 AM and are walking into the building (and into morning assembly) late. It is disruptive to the assembly and important information and announcements are sometimes missed. Please make every effort to arrive at school on time. Late slips will be given to students who arrive after 8:00 AM.
OCTOBER @ OLM - LIVE NICE!
This initiative was started by a local elementary school student and raises money to support positive youth programs and anti-bullying organizations. This initiative has already raised money to teach anti-bullying, to support Philly Girls in Motion, to provide for friendship benches at a local elementary school, and to support the Mercy Project. This Project provided blessing bags to the homeless in Philadelphia and Upper Darby.
MERCY IN ACTION
OLM celebrated Halloween with students accessorizing their uniforms with orange and black, Halloween socks, jewelry - all their spooky finery. In keeping with the Mission, we asked each child to make a small donation to raise funds for a bench in honor of Jenna Demar, age 7, who was tragically killed in a car accident in Upper Dublin a few weeks ago.
We are proud and happy to announce that OLM- its faculty, students, and families, raised the $1,000 to pay for the bench!
The bench, with cooperation from Upper Dublin Township, will be placed in one of the parks in Upper Dublin. We will follow-up with the details as they become available.
This is who we are as a school community. MERCY abounds at OLM and it is vitally important to not only know God and serve God, but make HIM know through Works of Mercy.
OUR BOX TOP WINNERS!
Ms. Timlin and Miss McGill had the winning classes for the fall Box Tops contest. Our count showed that one class had 351 and the other had 352, so it was too close to call! They will both be awarded an ice cream party. We are expecting a check in December for just over $1,500. This is the total from our year end contest last school year and the fall collection. Those little pieces of cardboard really add up!
Our next contest will run from now until February 15th. The top class will be awarded with a doughnut or cupcake party! We will also have our year end pizza party prize again this year. The class that turns in the most Box Tops over the entire school year will win this delicious prize. Please keep sending them in monthly in a baggie or envelope with the teacher's name. All will count towards the next contest and the year end contest. Get the kids to look through the kitchen cabinets and see how many they can find. Please contact Eileen Wisniewski edw1972@yahoo.com with any questions.
November's Service Project
From Your OLM Ambassadors of Mercy:
Please Help Us Put a Meal on Every Table
Each student is asked to bring in one or more of the
items asked below to be eligible for the November 18th Dress Down Day:
K-1: Boxed Crackers, Canned Tuna Fish
2-3: Juice Box Packages, Box of Cereal
4-5: Peanut Butter/ Jelly, Canned Mixed Vegetables, Potatoes, Carrots, or Kidney Beans
6-8: Canned Fruit (single serve or snack pack), Spaghetti Sauce, Canned Pasta products (ravioli, Spaghettios, etc.)
Please bring your items into school from
Monday, November 14th to Friday, November 18th.
All items benefit the Saint Catherine of Siena
Saint Vincent dePaul Food Pantry.
OLM's online Art Museum
2016 HALLOWEEN CANDY FOR THE TROOPS
To continue to make our MISSION come alive at OLM, we are asking our students to donate some of their Halloween candy to our troops through Operation Gratitude. From November 3rd - November 15th, OLM will be accepting donations of Halloween candy - not all, but perhaps a few pieces. Please place the candy in a plastic lunch bag and send to the main office.
Amazon Smile
Help OLM! Use Amazon Smile with your Amazon Account!
What is the AmazonSmile Foundation?
The AmazonSmile Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation created by Amazon to administer the AmazonSmile program. All donation amounts generated by the AmazonSmile program are remitted to the AmazonSmile Foundation. In turn, the AmazonSmile Foundation donates those amounts to the charitable organizations selected by our customers. Amazon pays all expenses of the AmazonSmile Foundation; they are not deducted from the donation amounts generated by purchases on AmazonSmile.
When first visiting AmazonSmile, customers are prompted to select a charitable organization from almost one million eligible organizations. In order to browse or shop at AmazonSmile, customers must first select a charitable organization. For eligible purchases at AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the OUR LADY OF MERCY!
Please click on this link to help OLM:
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!
SAVE the DATE ...
Kindergarten 2017-2018
Virtue of the Month: SERVICE
Our virtue of the month of November is Service
"Do not shut yourselves in your small world, but be open to others, especially to the poorest and neediest, to work to improve the world in which we live. Be men and women for others, real champions in the service of others." ~ Pope Francis
For Christians, service is not something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. Jesus came "to serve" and "to give"—and those two verbs should define your life on earth, too. Serving and giving sum up God's purpose for your life. Mother Teresa once said, "Holy living consists in doing God's work with a smile."
Students will be taught to begin to shift their focus from "Who's going to meet my needs?" to "Whose needs can I meet?"
We pray to Saint Catherine LaBoure to help us to serve others.
Students will be recognized at the School Liturgy on Thursday, December 8th.
OLM SKI & BOARD CLUB
Attention all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students! The OLM Ski and Board Club is preparing for a great season at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Lehigh Valley, PA! Please save the following dates for our six session ski package.
Registration and more information will be sent home in the coming weeks. See you on the slopes!
Friday, January 13, 2017
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Friday, February 3, 2017
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Friday, February 24, 2017
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
OLM THIRTY-ONE FUNDRAISER
Sale Dates: October 26th - November 16th
Home and School is sponsoring a special Thirty-One fundraiser in time to start your Christmas Shopping. Each family received a Thirty-One catalog today. Information on how to order is attached. If you have questions, contact Ms. Jeanine Duncan at dunk1026 @yahoo.com. Happy Shopping!!
A MESSAGE FROM THE HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION...
OLM Adult Social
TICKETS ARE ON SALE!
Saturday, November 12th ~ 7:00 - 11:00 PM
$25 per person (Includes food, beer & wine & DJ)
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
GIANT A+ REWARDS PROGRAM
Welcome to the start of a new school year and a year of A+ School Rewards. Beginning October 12, 2016 through March 17, 2017, Our Lady of Mercy will have the opportunity to earn cash through the Giant A+ School Rewards Program. Our School ID # is 26548.
All you have to do is: Log on to www.giantfoodstores.com/aplus to designate our school online using your Giant BONUSCARD - or - Call the A+ Hotline at 888 - 448 - 4642 for assistance.
Remember: If you registered your card last year, you DO NOT need to re- register this year. You can visit the website to verify the correct school assignment.
Also, don’t forget to encourage your friends and relatives to do the same. It could mean more CASH for our school. After you register your card, each shopping trip to Giant using your BONUSCARD earns CASH for our school. Each month, the amount of CASH awarded will be updated on the Giant A+ website.
You can track the amount of points you earn for our school by checking your grocery receipt and online when you create an account at www.giantfoodstores.com.
Our school will receive a check at the end of the program and the money can be used for any of our school’s educational needs.
Thanks for supporting our school.If you have any questions, please contact Janine Braccia at janinebraccia@comcast.net.
ST. ALPHONSUS CHRISTMAS BAZAAR
Do your holiday shopping at an Olde Fashioned Christmas Bazaar featuring OLM singers!!
Students from Our Lady of Mercy will entertain shoppers by singing Christmas music during the St. Alphonsus Parish Olde Fashioned Christmas Bazaar, held from 9 am to 3:30 pm, Saturday, November 19th, in the Parish Center. Kick off your holiday shopping by browsing the wares of nearly 40 vendors and enjoy music, food, home baked goods and raffle prizes. Children ages 3 - 10 can shop for gifts at the Secret Santa Shoppe and may even see Santa Clause himself! Admission is free. For more information, contact the parish rectory at 215-646-4600.
BELIEVE IN ME 2
Believe in Me 2 is a new art boutique and studio in Maple Glen. Their goal is to empower American artists, artists with disabilities, self-help organizations and thoses who have experienced a hardship and life changing event. More information can be found on the attached flyer or by visiting their website at www.believeinme2.com.
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:
Birthday Blessings this Week!
Sunday, 11/06
Monday, 11/07
Tuesday, 11/08
Michael Tyrell
Wednesday, 11/09
Luis Contreras-Martinez
Thursday, 11/10
Friday, 11/11
Saturday, 11/12
ALTAR SERVICE THIS WEEK 9AM
Tuesday: Elena Franklin
Wednesday: Kate Donovan
Thursday: TBA
Friday: Antonio Fabrizio