Mercy Peek & Ponder by Mr. McGrath
Volume III Issue 24 Sunday, February 26, 2017
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
WEEKLY REFLECTION: Lent is an invitation
Lent is a season of being invited by God in a deeply personal way. “Come back to me, with all of your heart,” our Lord beckons. "We will," we respond, but we aren’t quite ready yet, our hearts are not prepared. We want to squirm, evade, avoid. Our souls not yet perfect. We are not ready for God to love us.
Yes, of course we want to have a deeper relationship with God, we tell ourselves earnestly. And we will….Soon. God calls to us again: Come back to me, with all of your heart.
Ok, ok, I really will. Just a few more things to do at work. Let me spend a little more time in prayer first. Let me get to Reconciliation. Let me clean my room, tidy my closets. Check my iPhone ….
Come back to me, with all of your heart.
It is an extraordinary invitation to each one of us. To me in a personal, individual way. God invites me to drop the defenses that I hold up between myself and God. All God wants is for me to realize that my standards, my way of judging and loving are so very different from God’s way, and so much smaller. God offers an entire Lent season, an entire lifetime, of loving me unconditionally, no matter what I have done or how much I think I have hidden from God.
From the first day of Lent, the Ash Wednesday readings make God's call to us clear: “Return to me with your whole heart.”
“A clean heart create for me, O God,” Psalm 51 offers. “Give me back the joy of your salvation.” That is exactly what our loving God wants to give us, the joy of salvation.
Look up there on the road ahead of us: our loving God is jumping up and down for joy. The invitation to us has been heard. We have returned home!
Come back to me, with all of your heart. That is the invitation of each day of Lent. Today is the day to accept it.
Upcoming Events
February 27
Penny Monday
February 28
Missionary Assembly, all grades
Nickel Tuesday
March 1
School Mass, 10:30AM
Dime Wednesday
March 2
Quarter Thursday
March 3
Any Coin Friday
Father/Daughter Dance - "Rock the Rainbow"
School Gym, 7PM-9:30PM
March 6-10
Book Fair
Join Us to DIne & Donate At the Fireside Grille - All Day/Eat-in or Take-Out
Monday, Mar 6, 2017, 11:00 AM
Fireside Bar & Grille, South Bethlehem Pike, Ambler, PA, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
2017 Parent Survey
At Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School, we are committed to providing the best for our students and families. Your feedback will help us identify what we do well and what we need to improve.
Please complete this confidential survey, answering questions based on your overall experience. The following link will take you to our 2017 Parent Survey. It will take you about 10 minutes to complete. Please complete the survey by March 8.
PARENT SURVEY AVAILABLE HERE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3ZR25GP
If you have any questions about the survey, please e-mail Mrs. Bebey at jbebey@olmcatholicschool.com. Thank you very much for your time and continued commitment to OLM.
The OLM community - students, parents, faculty, staff - raised $700 during the month of February 2017 for ONE Refugee child. Special thanks to the O'Brien Family - Mark (6) & Timothy (4) for the help!
Father/Daughter Dance "Rock the Rainbow"
Date: Friday, March 3rd
Time: 7:00-9:30
Place: School gym
Cost: $7 per person (maximum of $25 per family)
Any Questions, please email Denise Schmalbach at dpschmalbach@gmail.com
Please volunteer to help by using the below link:
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/70a0f4badac2ca64-rockPlease see the attached flyer for details and RSVP information
Book Fair 2017
Get ready to celebrate the love of reading with our upcoming Scholastic Book Fair in March! We will have many fun reading activities and events planned for your child as part of the Fair. We hope you can join us.
This year, one of our Book Fair goals is to help the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer with their school in Tanzania. The Chamazi Montessori School in Tanzania provides education to over 450 children from Preschool to Fifth Grade. The children’s needs are many but we can help provide desks, meals, shoes, and other school supplies.
One of the ways we can do that is through the Scholastic All for Books program. With your help, donations will purchase books for our school and help our cause, the children of Chamazi Montessori School. In addition, Scholastic Book Fairs® will match monetary donations with a donation of up to $1 million in books from The Scholastic Possible Fund, which distributes books to children in need through various organizations.
Please donate to our Coin- a- Day Challenge (see below). With every donation, your child will sign a donation book slip which will be displayed on our “Giving Tree” at our school. On behalf of the students and teachers of Our Lady of Mercy and the Chamazi Montessori School, THANK YOU!
Join us in our COIN-A-DAY Challenge
February 27 – March 3
To benefit
The Chamazi Montessori School in Tanzania
And
Help our Classroom Libraries
Manic MONDAY! Bring in PENNIES!
Terrific TUESDAY! Bring in NICKELS!
Wondrous WEDNESDAY! Bring in DIMES!
Thrilling THURSDAY! Bring in QUARTERS!
Fabulous FRIDAY! Bring in ANY COINS OR BILL!
Scholastic matches donations with a donation of up to ONE MILLION DOLLARS in books to charities such as the Kids in Need Foundation!
Send in your donations and fill-out a leaf with your name and grade for our GIVING TREE!
THANK YOU!
Reading Olympics 2017
Both the elementary and middle school Reading Olympics teams will be meeting on Friday, 3/3. The middle school team will be meeting at 12:05 in Mrs. Marano's classroom. Middle school Reading Olympics members should bring the books that they are reading and be prepared to quiz each other. The elementary team will be meeting at 12:35 in the library. Elementary Reading Olympics team members should also bring the books that they are reading as well their individual book lists and any questions that they have written about their books. As the competitions are both about a month away, please make sure that you are checking in with your child regarding their progress in reading their books for Reading Olympics. If you have any questions about Reading Olympics, please contact one of the moderators.
Villanova Basketball
The 5th grade will begin to sell chances for an autographed basketball signed by Jay Wright and the members of the Nova team. Chances are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. Chances will be sold the week of February 27th during lunchtime. Grades 4 to 8 can buy tickets on Monday and Tuesday of that week, and grades K-3 can buy tickets on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday any grade can buy chances during lunchtime. Thank you for helping the 5th grade make a Slam Dunk into the Annual Giving Fund.
Mrs. DiNenno, Ms. McGill, and Ms. Timlin
MERCY 5K - SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2017
The 5th Annual Run is scheduled for Saturday March 25, 2017. Registration is now open. Register before February 6th for early bird pricing! The homeroom class with the highest percentage of participation will receive a prize. Post race food courtesy of Fireside Bar & Grill. Happy running!
Click here for all the information:
http://www.olmcatholicschool.com/runformercy.html
A Shout-Out to our Students Runners:
This year, the classroom with the highest percent participation in the 5K will win Rita’s Water Ice - date to be set with teacher of the winning classroom.
Also, 5K age groups have changed to give our younger runners an opportunity to win prizes. New age groups: 9 and under - top 3 boys and girls
10-14 year olds - top 3 boys and girls
Our Virtue of the Month of February is Generosity.
Pope Francis says, "Christians know how to give. Their lives are filled with generous acts - often hidden - towards their neighbor."
The highest gift we can give to another is the gift of ourselves. Giving ourselves in this way epitomizes the virtue of generosity. The perfect example of generosity is God the Creator. By means of His generosity, He generated man in His image. For Christians, God's gift of Himself through Christ represents the ultimate form of generosity, and serves as a model for all human generosity.
Because God creates -- or generates -- man in His image out of His own generosity, a dynamic impulse toward generosity is implanted in the depth of man's being. As a consequence, to live authentically means to give generously. Personality and generosity, therefore, are virtually synonymous. To live authentically is to give generously of oneself. The great Thomistic philosopher, Jacques Maritain, underscored this unification of personality with generosity when he wrote: "Do not heroes and saints impress us as men who have reached the heights of personality as well as generosity?"
What are the limits of generosity? Since virtue is rooted in love, this question is tantamount to asking, "What are the limits of love?"
St. Bakhita will be our model.
Prayer to St. Bakhita
Loving God, rewarder of the humble, you blessed St. Josephine Bakhita with charity and patience. May her prayers help us, and her example inspire us to carry our cross and to love you always. Pour upon us the spirit of wisdom and love with which you filled St. Josephine Bakhita.
By serving you as she did, may we please you by our faith and our actions. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Students will be recognized at the School Liturgy on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 10:30AM.
SMART AID FOR 2017-2017 IS NOW OPEN! Click the link above to apply.
Smart Aid Information
The new ONLINE application is available. Click the Smart Aid Button above to access the application. ALL applications are due on or before 03/31/2017.
OLM SCHOOL CODE 91026
OLM families are encouraged to complete and submit and application. This application 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.
Those families who applied in 16-17 will only need to:
1. Login in ( using the username and password from 16-17) www.smartaidforparents.com
2. Update their information
3. Submit and pay the $25 application fee
4. Return to the site and upload their 2016 taxes when completed but no later than 3/31/2017.
A MESSAGE FROM THE HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION...
The HSA is organizing another Teacher's Wish List. Last year, the OLM community provided so many important items to help our teachers provide the best education to our students. Please take a moment to look at this year's requests. If you are able to provide new or gently used items, please sign up!
Consider joining together with other families and don't forget about our specials teachers!
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0F48A5AC2CA0F85-teaching
When you have something ready, please contact the teacher it is for to set up the best way to get it to them!
Please contact Alison Bell, alisonL24@yahoo.com, with any questions!
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
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: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0d4daaa622a6f49-february1
Birthday Blessings this Week!
Sunday, 02/26
Monday, 02/27
Danielle Froehlich
Tuesday, 02/28
Wednesday, 03/01
Rylan Rietzke
Thursday, 03/02
Brayden Kotzen
Matthew Emma
Patrick Sapp
Friday, 03/03
Megan Emmerling
Saturday, 03/04
ALTAR SERVICE THIS WEEK 9AM
Tuesday: Jimmy Johnston
Wednesday: TBA
Thursday: TBA
Friday: TBA