FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE
Our Lady Queen of Heaven School :: September 9th, 2014
The FHS is a monthly on-line school newsletter. It will be emailed to you through School Reach. There will be weekly reminders of important events and activities that are planned for the upcoming week.
Dear Parents and Members of the OLQHS Community
The New Middle School Building has been given a name! The building has been named after Monsignor Gaddy, the individual who has inspired us to continue to grow into the finest educational facility and faith community, where we build a Foundation of Faith which leads us to the threshold of our Faith.
Monsignor James M. Gaddy Building
I believe the school year started off great. Carline has had a few ups and downs but for the most part it is going great. The Middle School Carline drivers must remember that in the afternoon, if you are in the left lane of the driveway you turn left and if you are in the right lane you must turn right. I am afraid if people do not follow this procedure, we may see an accident. I appreciate all of you following the new procedure; it was developed over many months.
The staff and students have been very patient as we get everything up and running. I want to thank the Kindergarten and Pre-K parents for being so understanding about the late start. I love having the little ones over here. They will brighten anyone’s day. I feel the rooms have come out very well thanks to all the efforts of our teachers and the parents who so willing gave of their time.
The students are absolutely loving and using the new playground. It is amazing how many of them fit in and around the playground at one time. The boys are throwing and catching their footballs again. I am sure no one is missing the pea gravel.
The punch list is getting shorter and shorter. I am hoping that by the end of September we will have everything in place. We are in the process of buying new crosses for the class rooms in the new building so the Bishop can bless them at the dedication on October 23, 2014. We looked and looked for something beautiful and appropriate. If you would like to donate a cross to a classroom, please contact the main office and ask for Mrs. Jackson.
The grading scale has changed this year. The thought behind the change is to be more in line with St. Louis’s and with the public schools. The purpose of grading is to measure a student’s academic progression.
The Grading scale is now:
A 100-93 Outstanding
B 92 -85 Very Good
C 84-77 Good
D 76 -70 Weak
E 69 -0 Not fulfilling requirements
As our students move up the different grade levels, it is important to allow them to take more and more responsibility for their own learning.
OLQHS is an incredible place to be.
Ms. JoAnn
"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows."
- Sydney J.
Back to School Family Rosary Night
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Following 5:30pm Mass
Rosary starts @ 6:15pm
Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church
Hosted by CDA Court 1785
This is for the families of the OLQH, OLGC, and Christ the King parishes.
The rosary is for children and their families and is being offered for a blessed new school year.
NOTE: You may bring your Rosary or one will be provided.
Heavenly Fish Fest 2014-2015 is already here!
Register now for the Heavenly Fish Fest coming up Saturday, October 4, 2014. The weigh-in will be held from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm at Prien Lake Park. Come out to enjoy a fabulous fish fry and prizes for all!
Registration and sponsor information can be found here on the OLQHS website under the “Support OLQHS” tab. For more information or questions, contact Megan O’Quin at moquin@olqhs.org
Instant Wisdom
The Importance of Math Fluency
Math facts fluency refers to the ability to recall the basic facts in all four operations accurately, quickly and effortlessly. When students achieve automaticity with these facts, they have attained a level of mastery that enables them to retrieve them for long-term memory without conscious effort or attention.
Brain imaging studies have shown how the progression from effortful processes, such as finger counting, to automatized retrieval is associated with actual changes in the regions of the brain involved in mathematical computation (Rivera, Reiss, Eckert and Menon, 2005).
So why focus on math facts?
Math facts fluency leads to higher order mathematics
Through automaticity students free up their working memory and can devote it to problem solving and learning new concepts and skills (Geary, 1994). Quite simply, a lack of fluency in basic math fact recall significantly hinders a child’s subsequent progress with problem-solving, algebra and higher-order math concept.
Fluent math facts mean less confusion
Math facts are important because they form the building blocks for higher-level math concepts. When a child masters his/her math facts, these concepts will be significantly easier and the student will be better equipped to solve them faster. If the child spends a lot of time doing the basic facts, he/she is more likely to be confused with the processes and get lost in their calculations.
Math fact automaticity affects performance – not only in maths
In later elementary, students have longer and more complicated computations to complete to check their understanding of various concepts. At this stage, if a student does not have his/her math facts committed to memory, he/she will spend a disproportionate amount of time figuring out the smaller calculations and risk not completing the test. This not only affects their performance in math class, but will also in other subjects, such as science and geography.
Less math anxiety
Math can be compared to languages in some ways. Just like you have to learn to combine letters into words and words into sentences – and we have strategies like phonics and sight words to help kids to learn to read - math facts are the foundation blocks for learning the next level of maths. There is rote learning involved in both language and math mastery. Math anxiety starts when children fall behind and can’t keep up. To avoid these anxieties, students’ early elementary years should focus on learning the foundation math skills needed for later years – math facts are among those important math skills.
Caught You Being Good this week at OLQHS!! Let’s Celebrate!
- Taylor Myers and Zoe Bergstedt going above and beyond to help out two of their classmates. Thanks for being a team player, girls!
- Brenda Foshee reported that Kyle Lebato turned around to open the door for her to the front office.
OLQHS Carnival 2014
Save the Date for the OLQHS Carnival – Sunday, October 19, 2014!
You will be receiving information soon about volunteering, ticket sales, etc.
Stay tuned!!!
Sunday, Oct 19, 2014, 09:00 AM
3908 Creole Street, Lake Charles, LA, United States
Layers of Legacy :: Bricks
The bricks are back!
If you would like to purchase a brick for the middle school courtyard, please fill out the form, which was sent home with your child or make your order online at: moquin@olqhs.org. Bricks may be purchased in increments of $100, $250, $500 and $1,000. The deadline for this order will be January 9, 2015. We hope you will join us in making a lasting tribute, paving the way for generations to come! Please contact Megan O’Quin at 477-7349 for more information.
Fast Start Rolls Out in September
Fast Start, an at-home parent –child reading routine for grades Pre K and Kindergarten is now underway at OLQHS. The program was developed by Timothy Rasinski, Ph. D. to improve early literacy, word recognition, comprehension, and fluency abilities. Fast Start is research based and has been proven to help make children successful readers. Poems and rhymes, coupled with activities to do with your child, make an excellent tool for parents looking to be involved with their child’s reading development.
To learn more about Fast Start you can attend the parent orientation which will be offered on Tuesday, September 9th at 10am and 4pm in the Kindergarten quad. Kindergarteners brought home their first poem on September 2nd. The Pre K will begin the program on September 16th.
OLQH uses several of the tools developed by Dr. Rasinski to include the 3-Minute Assessment for the monitoring of fluency and comprehension in the 1st and 2nd grades as well as Word Ladder vocabulary activities in grades 1 – 3.
Mrs. Courville’s 6th grade honored the Statues of Mary and the children in the new Marian Courtyard
OLQH Advanc-ed/SACS Evaluation set for Spring 2015
It has already been five years since the Advanc-ed Quality Assurance Team evaluated our school. They will be returning in March of 2015 to evaluate OLQH once again.
The evaluation procedure has changed quite a bit since they last came, but the process by which we look at our school remains much the same. We will perform a self study based on the following standards:
Standard 1—Vision and Purpose—team leader—Mrs. JoAnn Wallwork
Standard 2—Governance and Leadership—team leader---Kelly Babineaux
Standard 3—Teaching and Learning—team leaders—Adrienne Zembower and Tina Fink
Standard 4—Resources and Support Systems---team leader—Jane Piraro
Standard 5—Using Results for Continuous Improvement—team leader—Chris Crosby
Throughout the year we will be asking parents, students, teachers, grandparents and community member to provide us with feedback. This may be in the form of a survey, stakeholder meeting, interviews…etc… Please be open to accepting these invitations. Our team will guide you through this process.
Your input is vital in assuring that Our Lady Queen of Heaven school continues to move forward and provide the best education possible for the children entrusted to us.
Thank you,
Kelly Babineaux
About Our School
Lake Charles, LA 70605
Phone: 337.477.7349
Fax: 337.477.7384
Email: drivero@olqhs.org
Website: www.olqhs.org
Location: 3908 Creole Street, Lake Charles, LA
Phone: (337)477-7349