Mercy Messenger
Issue 16 ~ Sunday, December 10th, 2023
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- Second Sunday of Advent
God of power and mercy open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Principal Update
Sunday, December 10th, 2023
Good Morning,
I hope everyone is having a blessed and holy advent. This past Friday we went to 9am Mass to celebrate the Immaculate Conception. The peacemakers for the month of November (empathy) were awarded. The list of the winners are below. The virtue of the month for December is generosity. Our commissioner of religious activities Emery Lewinski talked to the students about what generosity is. She explained that generosity is more than just giving money. Generosity is the act of giving without expecting anything in return, helping those in need, sharing with others, and treating others with respect and kindness. With this being the season of giving please model this important virtue at home with your children.
On Wednesday the 13th your child will be bringing home their report card for the first trimester. I have looked over and initialed each one. Please sign the envelope and return it to school. If you have any questions or concerns please contact your child's teacher. I hope everyone has a great week ahead and only 8 days until Christmas break. Thank you and go Eagles.
In mercy,
Mr. Bill Delaney
Peacemakers for the month of November (Empathy)
Pre K
Meredith Joyce
Kindergarten
William Brennan
Penelope Michalski
Angelina Dugan
1st grade
Sean McGinley
Dominic Vogler
George Maier
2nd grade
Madelyn Gallagher
Peyton Peterson
Julia Finley
3rd grade
Ruthie Hagan
Evelyn Amoroso
4th grade
Jackson Ryan
Lewis Clark
Memphis Smith
5th Grade
Carolyn Brady
Alex Reyes
6th Grade
Nemesi Ladino Gutierrez
James McGeehan
7th grade
Carter Launer
Brynn Hamersky
8th grade
Sean McErlean
Thomas Maselko
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
12/12-12/13- Bake Sale.
12/13- Report cards sent home.
12/20- Christmas Tableau.
12/21-1/3- Christmas break.
1/3- Pastors Holiday- No School.
1/4- School resumes.
1/5- 9 am Mass.
Class of 2024 Scholarships
We proudly report that the Class of 2024 students were awarded the following scholarships. We congratulate these students and their families! We will continue to update this list in the weekly Sunday Mercy Messenger. Please continue emailing or providing scholarship documentation to Mrs. Maher. (cmaher@olmrcs.com)
Benjamin Bell
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Benjamin Bell
Presidential Academic Scholarship- LaSalle College High School
Benjamin Bell
Neumann Scholarship- Full scholarship for four years to any Archdiocesan High School
Megan Bell
ASP Academic Scholarship- Gwynedd Mercy High School
Megan Bell
Misericordia Academic Scholarship- Gwynedd Mercy High School
Megan Bell
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Mount St. Joseph Academy High School
Megan Bell
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Megan Bell
Neumann Scholarship- Full scholarship for four years to any Archdiocesan High School
Max Bieak
St. Therese Merit Academic Scholarship - Lansdale Catholic High School
Kate Bruner
ASP Academic Scholarship- Gwynedd Mercy High School
Kate Bruner
Trocaire Academic Scholarship- Gwynedd Mercy High School
Kate Bruner
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Mount St. Joseph Academy High School
Kate Bruner
Founder’s Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Christopher Homa
Trustees’ Academic Scholarship- Roman Catholic High School
Christopher Homa
Viking Academic Scholarship - Archbishop Wood High School
Henry Lemanowicz
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Henry Lemanowicz
Brother E. Francis McLean, FSC Academic Scholarship-LaSalle College High School
Henry Lemanowicz
Neumann Scholarship- Full scholarship for four years to any Archdiocesan High School
Emery Lewinski
St. Therese Merit Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Sean McErlean
St. Therese Merit Academic Scholarship - Lansdale Catholic High School
Sean McErlean
Viking Academic Scholarship- Archbishop Wood High School
Annabel Miller
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Mount St. Joseph Academy High School
Annabel Miller
Presidential Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Annabel Miller
Neumann Scholarship- Full scholarship for four years to any Archdiocesan High School
Finn O’Donovan
Founder’s Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Finn O’Donovan
Principal Academic Scholarship- LaSalle College High School
Nora Schmalbach
St. Therese Merit Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School
Caroline Sellers
ASP Academic Scholarship- Gwynedd Mercy High School
Caroline Sellers
Founders Academic Scholarship- Mount St. Joseph Academy High School
Total as of 11/29/23: $883,000
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.
School Musical
REGISTRATION CLOSES IN 6 DAYS
We are very pleased to announce that OLM will be presenting Shrek The Musical JR. as its 2024 spring musical! Students in grades 1 through 8th grade are invited to participate. All students who wish to participate in the show (not stage crew at this time) are required to register by December 15th. All information can be found by clicking here.
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
This year Mrs. Parkhill has been teaching monthly classroom lessons in all of the Kindergarten classes. Social-emotional learning is crucial in the early years and helps to foster emotional intelligence, self-awareness and social skills. Topics covered have been respect, whole body listening, sportsmanship and tattling. Last week classes completed a lesson on kindness by using the book “How Full is Your Bucket?” They learned what kindness “looks like” (sharing, helping) and what it “sounds like” (compliments, manners). Students were challenged to be bucket fillers at school and at home.
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
Bake Sale!
The 4th grade is hosting a bake sale to help fund their trip to Harrisburg. Please consider sending your child in with money to purchase items during lunch on Tuesday December 12th and Wednesday December 13th. There will be a variety of baked goods including gluten free and nut free options. There will also be prepackaged Oreos for kids with dairy, egg, peanut and tree nut allergies. Everything will be $1. Thank you!
Optional Gift Giving - EXTENDED UNTIL DECEMBER 15TH
This year we invite you to contribute to an optional gifting holiday fund. We are asking for a suggested $10.00-$20.00 donation per family. The collected amount will be used for the staff, specials, front office, lunch staff to have a nice holiday gift from the families. Checks can be made out to OLM. Please put in the memo “optional gift giving”. On the envelope, please put the attention of HSA – Optional Gift Giving. Please have all donations in by Friday, December 8th. For additional information, please see the attached flyer for more details. **Traditional teachers’ gifts will be coordinated by homeroom parents who will be reaching out to you.
Santa’s Shop - December 5th & 6th - THANK YOU!
We hope the kids had a great time shopping at the Santa Shop. Special thank you to our chairs, Kristin Butler, Maggie Insogna, and Dana Pomeroy. Also thank you to the many volunteers. Without your help we would not be able to run these special events for the kids.
Calling all Middle School Students!
Ski & Snowboard Club
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)
Registration is now closed! If you have any questions, please contact Bea Lemanowicz at bml@lemanowiczlaw.com
Designer Bag Bingo – SAVE THE DATE!
Get your dabbers ready! Back for another year Designer Bag Bingo will take place on Friday, January 19, 2023, in the cafeteria. This event sells out every year. This year's bags include, MZ Wallace, Lululemon, Anthropologie, Mark & Graham, Kate Spade, Dooney & Bourke, & Vince Camuto just to name a few. So, Gather your friends for your table and be on the lookout for the registration form on January 3rd. If you would like to donate a basket for this event please reach out to Katie Sacchetta at katie.sacchetta@gmail.com.
Holiday Card Season – Minted Gives back 15%
This holiday season, we’ve partnered with Minted where you can save 20% and Minted donates back 15% to the school. Now through December, shop holiday cards and gifts on www.minted.com and use our promo code: FUNDRAISEMERCYREGIONAL.
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.
Pastor Day Off
Monsignor Hennessy has granted OLM a Pastor’s holiday for all of the hardwork that we accomplished during Middle States. That holiday will be added onto CHRISTMAS BREAK! There will be NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, January 3rd! School will RESUME on Thursday, January 4th. Thank you Monsignor for this gift!!
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.
Re-Registration for the 24-25 School Year
As we have done in past years, we will continue with automatic re-registration for all current students in grades K to 7th grade for the 2024-2025 school year. Any family that does not plan to return next year must contact Julie Bebey at jbebey@olmrcs.com by Friday, December 15, 2023. All returning families will have their FACTS accounts charged the $310/family re-registration fee in January. If you have any questions, please speak with Julie Bebey. Thank you in advance for your commitment to OLM and catholic education.
8th Grade Scholarships
If your 8th grader has received a scholarship to any high school please send a copy of the letter to Mrs. Maher cmaher@olmrcs.com so we can recognize your students amazing accomplishments.
2024-2025 Kindergarten Commitment
If you have a younger child that you are considering enrolling in Kindergarten for the 24-25 school year, please complete this form. We need an idea of how many spots we need to save for kindergarten for our current families before the Sunday, Oct. 22 Open House.
This is NOT an official registration, more information will be sent at a later date. If you have any questions, please reach out to Julie Bebey at jbebey@olmrcs.com
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. 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
12/11
Jason Vo
12/12
Mrs. McGill
12/13
Ava Conley
12/15
Josephine Moser
Altar Servers
Tuesday 12/12
Lily Samson
Sean McErlean
Wednesday 12/13
Mikey Contorno
Faith Vandiver
Thursday 12/14
Patrick Romano
Ryan Romano
Friday12/15
Nora Schmalbach
Simon Schmalbach