From The Principal's Desk - December 2009

Dear Parents,

It is so hard to believe that I am writing the last newsletter of the calendar year. Sunday sees the start of Advent and thus begins the preparations for the Christmas season. Can it really be here?

The refurbishing of the church entrance has completed its initial phase and it is lovely. Not a fundraiser, this was more of a self-funded improvement project. Because our variable Midwestern weather adversely affected the walkway into the church, the decision was made to improve the walk to make it truly accessible whatever the season. Rather than use capital improvement funds, the Parish Council opted to take the route of a paver project so that the purchase of bricks would pay for the improvement. The results speak for themselves! As we progress through the next phases with the sale of additional bricks, Father Walter has generously earmarked any profit to be directed to the school.

Enclosed in the brown envelope please find a flyer about our marketing committee. We are casting a wide net for volunteers for two reasons. Paramount in this endeavor is the fountain of great ideas that can be generated by tapping the creativity of a larger group. Secondly, many hands make light work! By dividing the tasks into small, workable pieces, we are not over taxing a couple of dedicated volunteers. Please consider joining the people who have already agreed to be part of this vital team!

Our school board is also looking for new members. Diocesan guidelines ask schools to construct a membership of nine, with the pastor and principal being ex-officio members. Currently, we have a wonderful group of six parents serving on the board. If you would like to contribute to OLP in a more global way, please consider joining the board.

We have begun our weekly Masses as a school. Our tradition has been to celebrate liturgy only on First Fridays, but we have expanded that schedule for several reasons. As Catholics, we firmly believe that the Eucharist is at once the source and summit of our lives. By coming together as a community to share Eucharist, we acknowledge the importance of this tenet of our faith. We communicate to our students that we are sincere in our belief when we provide them with this opportunity. We are working closely with our priests to plan liturgies that engage the children fully while we keep an eye on length. The Friday liturgies are taking the place of formal religion classes on Fridays so we are striving to fit them to the time allotted to the classes. The final decision-making piece was the declaration by Bishop Sartain of a Year of the Eucharist across our diocese. All schools will be celebrating weekly Masses as a result of the bishop's decision.

Have you heard about the success of our first garage sale? Working under a limited budget of time, Mrs. Erin Savage, Mr. Joe Schager, and their team worked with boundless energy to pull off the most organized garage sale ever seen in these parts! The sale added well over $9,000 to the HSA's coffers. Not at all bad for a one day sale! Our hats are off to the remarkable job done by so many dedicated volunteers!

Additionally, our first business fair was quite successful. Through the hard work of Mrs. Connie McDavid and Mrs. Karen Schuth, over 40 local businesses were gathered in our gym for the opportunity to present to the community their services. Contacts were made which will help focus on local businesses when choices are made for services. During this economic downturn, it will be beneficial to give business to those providers who are our neighbors and fellow parishioners. An added bonus was a nearly $3,000 profit for our HSA!

Mark your calendars for December 3rd, especially if you have a toddler who will be ready for preschool in the fall or if you have a neighbor who does. We will be hosting a coffee with Mrs. Tara McFadyen, our preschool teacher. Beginning at 10:00 A.M., this open house will give parents and their children the opportunity to drop by, check out our preschool room, and meet our teacher.

Our electronic grading system, TeacherEase, allows parents of students in the third through eighth grades to monitor their children’s progress online. In order to be able to do so, we must have an accurate email address in the office. If you do not have internet access at home, you may use facilities at the public library. A free email inbox can be established through gmail which will allow you to access your child’s information. A librarian will be able to walk you through the process of establishing an email account. Once you have established an email address, please let us know so that you may be added to the data base for purposes of student updates.

One form of communication that we are introducing this year is the Crusader Chronicles. It is a newsletter that will be published weekly with contributions from our OLP community. While we are currently providing a hard copy, the time is fast approaching when this news will be available only electronically or through the church bulletin. If you have any contribution or announcement that you would like to share with the school community, please contact Mrs. Diane Corson with your news.

We have been truly fortunate in the number of cases of flu. Our number of absentees has hovered right around the 10-13 range, with most of the children out for something other than flu. There is a nasty cough going around to which we attribute the majority of our absences. As you know, very few doctors are confirming a diagnosis of swine flu and typically only when symptoms are serious enough to warrant hospitalization. Office visits may result in a diagnosis of Type A Influenza, but this covers a myriad of strains. Please don’t assume that any child or teacher who is absent is suffering with H1N1; that is simply not the case. Continue to practice the common sense approach you have already taken (plenty of sleep, no return to school until a child has been symptom free for 24 hours) and we will do the same (frequent hand-washing, disinfecting oft-used surfaces, encouraging coughing into the crook of the arm). Working together, maybe we will be able to keep this flu season at bay!

With Thanksgiving this Thursday, I am particularly mindful of that for which I am grateful. As I gather with my family for dinner, there will be 424 unseen children who I include in my litany of gratitude, flanked by their parents, surrounding my table. This is a community that I have come to admire, respect, and even love. When I reflect on life, I cannot imagine what I have done to deserve such riches. To be a part of this community is humbling in the extreme. To be allowed to serve these children, in the company of such a fine faculty, is a gift for which I will always be deeply thankful. Please know that I am grateful to God, and to you, for putting me in this place at this time. Bless you for your kindness.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Mrs. Mickey Tovey
principal@olopdarien.org