First Holy Communion

Congratulations to all the OLMCA students that had their First Communion over the weekend. It was a beautiful and moving Mass as our students strengthened their bond with Jesus as they received communion for the first time. Our second graders have been hard at work preparing for First Holy Communion. From visits with Monsignor McGuirl to lessons and projects with Mrs. England and Mrs. Starace, our students were so eager and prepared to receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. Thank you to Fr. Frank, the teachers and Ms. Tavares for organizing such a wonderful celebration of our Catholic faith. Thank you to our parents for their wonderful participation and partnership in the development of their spiritual development.

Mary Art Competition Results

Throughout the month of May, we remember Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus. As a reflection of all the cultures present in our schools and religious education programs, our 7^th and 8^th graders submitted pictures of Our Blessed Mother as their culture or country adores and celebrates her. I am thrilled to share that some of our student artwork was selected for a special showcase. Congratulations to Catalina Keating (Grade 8) who received Second Grade of all 8^th graders. Madeleine Fong (Grade 8) and Gongchen Liu (Grade 7W) earned Honorable Mention for their grade levels! We are so proud of all of our students!

i-Ready Diagnostic Test (Starting Week of 5/15 and 5/22)

All students in Kindergarten-8th grade will be asked to take the third round of the diagnostic test beginning on May 15th. Students will complete both the i-Ready Math Diagnostic and the Language Arts i-Ready Diagnostic. This will be the third time that the students are taking the diagnostic test and we look forward to sharing their results with you once we have completed the test for all students. 

For those who are not sure i-Ready is an online program for reading and mathematics that will help your student’s teacher determine your student’s needs, personalize their learning, and monitor progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows your child’s teacher to meet your student exactly where they are and provides data to increase your student’s learning gains. 

Learn more about i-Ready by watching this video! How can parents help their child prepare for an iReady assessment? Your child’s teacher administering the assessment uses pre-assessment instructions to explain the assessment to students. It is important for parents to encourage their children to try their best on the assessment. Since iReady is a general measure of student ability in mathematics, students perform best on the assessment in the same way they perform best in school—when they have had plenty of rest, attend school regularly, and have eaten breakfast

HAA- Time Change

Please be advised that next week’s HAA meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 18^th will not be 7pm in the school gym. Please join us as the HAA Executive Board discusses plans and events for the 2023-2024 school year. If you have any questions, please contact the HAA at [email protected].

Race for Education

We are excited to be hosting our 16th annual school wide Race for Education Fundraiser! 

During the event your student will run laps. We are looking for sponsors for completed laps.

GivingZone, our fundraising partner, has made it easy for you to collect pledges/donations from your network of family and friends. 

PARENTS CLICK BELOW TO GET STARTED -->> Simply click the following link and choose your student to get started:

https://www.givingzone.com/s/5Gv9oH74Yl/

Start SHARING TODAY and we will run our laps on May 26th!

SPRING BLOOD DRIVE

Sunday 14 May 8:45 am to 2:45 pm  Parish Hall

 38% of the population is eligible to donate.  ONLY 3% DO!  America is now in a blood supply crisis. How can you help?    Make an appointment to donate to save lives. Then challenge a friend to join you  Eligible donors: age 16 (with parent's signed consent form) to 76 years old and feeling well.   To make an appointment, please go to NYBC.org. Use the Donate Blood tab (under the New York Blood Center logo) and when the drop down appears, click on Schedule Donation. Click on the Sponsor Name Search tab and then enter Our Lady of Mercy. Enter 05/14/2023 in both the Start Date and End Date boxes, and click on Search. On the next page, click on Schedule and when the next page appears, choose Whole Blood or Automated Red Cell (double red cell donation) and then select your donation time.   You may also schedule an appointment by calling the Blood Center at 1-800-933-2566.   Masks are now optional during the donation process.   Remember to bring your donor card or your donor ID number, if you have one, and a photo ID on May 14th. Eat a good meal before donating and do not skip breakfast!

Save the Dates in May

Please be advised of the following important calendar events for May

Friday, May 12^th…Professional Day for Grades K-8. There is no school on Friday, May 12^th for students in Grades K-8. This is a regular day for 3K and PreK. There is Extended Care for 3K and PreK on this day.

Friday, May 26^th…The Race for Education! This is a 12:30pm dismissal for all students. There is NO Extended Care on this day. Success