We hope this letter finds you well. As we prepare for the February Recess, here are some important updates:

Mission and Vision Committee

We are forming a committee to work on the Core Values, Vision and Mission of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy.

We are looking for a small group of dedicated parents to come together to create the future of OLMCA with us. We are asking for your unique perspective, opinions and a willingness to work in an active forum to share ideas and plan for next steps. We will create the vision that will shape the future of OLMCA along with its policies and curriculum.

The first session will be held February 27th from 6-9pm in the Gymnasium. The following sessions will be determined once the committee is set. Committee members will be asked to do homework and really hone-in on what OLMCA is about.

RSVP Here: https://goo.gl/forms/rxlAXt0pLiNLJlK82

OLMCA Religion Bee

Last week Mrs. Ray held our annual Junior High Religion Bee. Violet Dutton (Grade 5), Isaiah Phillips (Grade 5), Anna Dry (Grade 4) and Madeleine Fong (Grade 4) will be representing our school in the Middle Grades Regional Diocesan Bee. Representing OLMCA at the Upper Grades Regional Bee will be Naomi Goya (Grade 6), Sofia Tavares (Grade 6), George Burke (Grade 8) and Vanessa Berletti-Papa (Grade 7). Congratulations to all our students. We are so proud of you!

All About Our New Recess Program

Our new recess program is in full swing as we continue with the second and final week with E3 Sports leading the way. We have tested a variety of setups for indoor and outdoor games, and are feeling great about our findings and progress.

What’s New:

• Outdoor recess has 4 stations for students to  choose from: basketball, jump roping, soccer and spikeball.
• Instead of sending the students back to the classrooms, indoor recess now takes place in the gym and parish hall, directly after lunch. Students can choose to jump rope, play basketball, hula hoop, spike ball or board games.*Please make notice that a minimum of TWO lunch duty parents are required.
• The Recess Monitor role has been created to help setup and store play items; these are students selected by teachers and awarded a dress down day after providing service for 2 weeks.
• A Recess Committee is being formed to help ensure our new recess program continues to run efficiently, adapts to new changes and fosters growth. A Recess Volunteer Guideline will be shared this week to communicate responsibilities.
• The gym will now have a dedicated place for students personal belongings during recess (coats/outerwear), and visual aid tools will be installed to help conduct physical education messages and lessons.

 

We hope you share in our enthusiasm with launching this new initiative to help our students grow. In order to ensure a seamless transition AFTER E3 Sports has finished, we would like to emphasize the importance of “lunch duty” volunteers, whom also manage recess. The E3 Sports team has proposed a recess program that can continue to be successful, with the condition that every lunch/recess period has 2 adults for supervision, especially for indoor recess. If every student had one adult volunteer once a month, we would have coverage for the entire school year.

We urge you to revisit your availability, and maybe consider a close friend or relative (Virtus trained) that can fulfill the lunch duty volunteer requirements and help ensure students enjoy their recess time with more play. As a reminder, Lunch Duty shifts are K-3 from 11:25-12:20pm, and 4-8 from 12:10-1:00pm.

To sign up for Lunch Duty this month click here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0E44ABA82BA2FA7-lunch6

To join the Recess Committee email haa@olmercyca.com.

 

Third Annual St. Patrick and St. Joseph Party

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2019, 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM

70-01 Kessel Street, Forest Hills, NY

(Lower Church Hall – Entrance by Side Elevator and Juno Street)

ADVANCE TICKETS REQUIRED: $50/PER PERSON  Hot buffet Irish and Italian Cuisine, Rolls, Antipasto, Salad and Dessert  Monsignor McGuirl’s Famous Irish Soda Bread  Wine, Soft Drinks, Ice, Tea and Coffee (BYOB the Hard Stuff) Music by DJ Dave Brennan of Afino Entertainment Irish Step Dancer, Céilí Dancing, and All Time Dance Floor Hits

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE RECTORY

FOR MORE INFO: 718-268-6143 / EMAIL OFFICE @MERCYHILLS.ORG

Checks payable to “Our Lady of Mercy” – Noting “St. Patrick/St. Joseph

Have a wonderful and enjoyable break!

Junior High Math Bee

Yesterday Ms. Feeley held our annual Junior High Math Bee. I am pleased to tell you that after many grueling rounds, Michael Murphy (Grade 8) will be representing our school at the Diocesan Math Bee. Congratulations to Evan Tan (Grade 6) for coming in as our runner-up and alternate. Congratulations to all our sixth, seventh, and eighth graders that participated. They exhibited such confidence as they answered challenging questions in front of an audience!

Scholastic Book Fair Update

The 2019 OLMCA book fair was a huge success! We made over $3,000!!!! It could not have been done without your support and generosity! With our profits, our school will be able to purchase many new books.  The winners of the Quarter Drive is Third grade. They will be able to dunk water on members of our faculty after the Race for Education. Thank you for your support! Congratulations, 3^rd Grade! We would like to offer special thanks to Ms. Alyssa Loscalzo, and our wonderful and dedicated volunteers. Without you, our Book Fair would not have been possible!

E3 Sports Update

Today we launched our two week school wide Recess & Gym program with E3 Sports! Here are some details about the program:

RECESS: Outside recess will be setup with multiple play stations, to also include an option for “free play.”

GYM: All gym classes will follow reinforce the philosophy of movement and healthy living; every week students will introduce a different theme. Classes will follow a 3 point class structure: 

1. Word of Week: Introduces a new word and it’s meaning in several contexts according to age group. 
2. Movement Puzzle: Introduces a new fitness movement challenge
3. Game: Introduces a fun game that requires active play and sportsmanship skills. 

This week E3 Sports and our PE teachers will follow the following program for gym:  

1. “Nutrition” as the Word of the Week
2. A “Jumping Jacks” Movement Puzzle
3. A game of  Spike Ball using trampolines provided by E3 Sports

 As a reminder, E3 Sports has partnered with OLMCA to provide guidance on how we can restructure and improve our gym and recess programs. This two week period is the opportunity for E3 Sports to train our staff and volunteers, and test and customize our programs to fit our need. E3 Sports has a transition plan when this two week program end so we can continue practicing  this new philosophy. Note: This program was funded by our Winter Wonderland event.

E3 Sports will begin the Kindergarten and 3rd grade “extra gym class” residency programs Feb 26th until June. These residency programs were funded by the Kindergarten and 3rd grade parents/families.

Box Tops Update

Thank you all so much for your continued support of the Box Tops Program! For the 2018-2019 school year, so far we has raised $517.30. With this additional collection of over $120, that will bring us up to almost $640! With all of the fun and exciting updates going on in the school, this money will continue to help enhance our children’s educational experience at OLMCA. 

Our next collection is a crucial one! The last Box Tops submission eligible for payment this year happens to be on March 1. This means that the school will receive one last check before the end of the school year based on what we collect between now and the submission date. Let’s finish out the year strong! Box Tops will continue to be collected through May, with proceeds going towards the next school year’s goal. 

Next collection: Friday, February 22.

Some reminders and updates:

• Please remember to put a name on your child’s submission sheets, baggies or envelopes. Otherwise, they will not get credit for their contribution.
• Remember to keep Bonus Box Tops separatefrom the collection sheets.
• Ensure that all Box Tops are not expired. 
• Some new products participating in the Box Tops Program are select NESTLE PURE WATER BOTTLES (found at Sam’s Club and Walmart) and select PAPER MATE PENS and PENCILS.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out: kmlindo@gmail.com (Kristine Montes, mom to students in Nursery & 5th Grade)

Catholic Schools Week

The theme for the National Catholic Schools Week 2019 was “Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.” It was an incredible week! Many of our students joined us on Sunday, January 27 for Mass celebrated by Monsignor McGuirl. Afterwards, many of our current families took a tour of OLMCA at our Open House.

 For Student Appreciation Day, E3 Sports organized fun and cooperative games for our K-8 students. Career Day was a tremendous success thanks to all of parent speakers. Their passion for their professions was evident during their presentations. Finally, Our students in Grades 6-8 created Google Slide presentations about our mission statement to share with our younger students. You can view their work on the school website under the Mission & Philosophy section. They truly showcased what a special community that we have.

On behalf of the entire faculty, I would also like to thank all of the parents for their generosity in making Teacher Appreciation Day such a success. We were able to provide each teacher and teacher aide with a $50.00 gift card. We are truly blessed to have such an amazing community here at OLMCA.

OUR LADY OF MERCY CATHOLIC ACADEMY

Show off your special talent (dance, sing, magic tricks, play an instrument, poetry) at the

TALENT SHOW

When: March 31, 2019 1:30PM  

Where: Parish Hall (Church Basement )

Who:  Students in Grades Kindergarten to 8^th

Tickets: $5 funds will be used to buy classroom items for all classes (teacher’s wishlist)

^{!!Participants and Children under 3 are Free!!}

^{Talent Show tryouts will be held in the Parish Hall at 3 PM on the following days :} 

^{Tuesday, March 5, 2019}

Thursday, March  14, 2019

^{Monday, March 18, 2019}

^{Tuesday, March 26, 2019}

^{If you wish to participate, please sing up with Mrs. Lillian Coca}

^{You can speak with her directly or email her at lilly_moon20@yahoo.com}

It has been amazing start to Catholic Schools Week. Thank you to all the families that attended our Catholic Schools Week Mass last Sunday. I am also delighted to share that Mrs. Korinne Manno (Nursery Aide) delivered a healthy baby boy last night. Baby Giovanni Giuseppe (8 lbs. 1 oz, 21 inches) and mom are doing just fine! We are delighted to have the newest member of the Mercy family here at last!

Physical Education Update

Please join me in welcoming Gregory Veras and Halina Niepokoj to Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy. Mr. Veras will work with our students in Grades K-4 on Mondays. Mrs. Niepokoj will be working with Nursery, Pre-K, and Grades 5-8 on Thursdays and Fridays. Both are experienced gym teachers and we are excited to see how they transform our Physical Education program.

It has been an incredible few weeks for our students in the gymnasium. Tennis lessons with Luke Jensen and his team of coaches have been quite the success. From Nursery to Eighth Grade, our students have begun to learn the fundamentals of tennis. We are excited to share that the coaches will return for additional classes this Thursday and Friday. In addition, the coaches will train our new physical education teachers so that tennis will be a continued program at OLMCA.

Our partnership with E3 Sports kicked off today. The team of coaches from E3 Sports organized games and activities for Student Appreciation Day. Continue to visit our Facebook page for regular updates!

Progress Reports

Progress Reports will be distributed to students in Grades 1-8 on Friday, February 8. We ask that you sign and return the reports by the following Monday. The teachers will keep these reports on file until the second report card conference. I would like to remind you that all grades are regularly posted on Option C!

World’s Finest Chocolate Sale

The World’s Finest Chocolate Sale concludes on Monday, February 4. There are additional boxes of chocolate available in the office. There is still one golden ticket that has not  been claimed! Congratulations to Colin Shum (Grade 4) for receiving the first golden ticket. He received a ONE pound bar of chocolate! If you have any questions, please contact the office.

Re-registration for 2019-2020

Priority registration for current students and their relatives has begun. Families must be current on this year’s tuition to register for next year. It is imperative that you return the form as soon as possible to ensure that your child has a seat for the 2019-2020 school year.  Please be sure to send in your re-registration form as soon as possible so that we can guarantee you a seat.

Financial Aid

Financial aid applications for students in Grades K-8, who attend a Brooklyn or Queens School or Academy opened on Monday, January 14. Once you have registered for next year, you can apply online for a Diocesan scholarship. Families who apply during the first round are the only ones eligible for the maximum scholarship. For more information, please visit: www.futuresineducation.org.

Scholarship Deadlines:

• Families who received an award last academic year: March 29, 2019
• New families: April 29, 2019

Candy Grams

Students/Teachers/Staff/Parents will be able to send a candy treat to anyone in the school starting on Thursday, February 7. Students will be able to choose the treat and then fill out a card. Candy Grams will be sold during lunch and distributed on Valentine’s Day. Some of the choices include: Skittles, Starburst, Hershey bars, chocolate-covered pretzels, and more! All proceeds will go toward graduation expenses for our fantastic eighth grade class! You will receive more information next week!

Upcoming Events

• Friday, February 1: 12 PM Dismissal
• Pretzel Money Due on Friday, February 1
• Friday, February 8: Progress Reports Distributed
• Pizza Money Due on Friday, February 8
• Thursday, February 14: Pizza Day
• Monday, February 18: Mid-Winter Recess Begins
• Thursday, February 28: HAA Meeting at 8:15a.m. in the Parish Hall

We are so excited for the start of Catholic Schools Week! We will kick off the week with Mass at Our Lady of Mercy Church on Sunday, January 27 at 10:00a.m. followed by refreshments in the Parish Hall. Come take a tour afterwards with our student ambassadors and learn about OLMCA through the eyes of our students. Please continue to check out our Facebook page as we showcase highlights of this fun and exciting week.

State of the Academy

This is a friendly reminder that Thursday, January 24 at 7:00p.m. will be a State of the Academy Meeting. During this meeting, you will have an opportunity to meet members of the School Board.  You will hear an informative presentation about current happenings and our plan for continuous improvement. The meeting will be conducted in the school gym. Please enter through the side door. We look forward to hearing to seeing all of you there.

Mission and Vision Committee

We are looking for members of the parent community to be a part of our Mission and Vision Committee. We will have our launch meeting on Wednesday, January 30 from 8:15-9a.m. to begin initial planning. The goal is to develop vision statements with input from the faculty, students, and parents. If you are not able to make it and would like to contribute or learn more about how you can help, please e-mail me directly at dmccann@olmecyca.com.

World’s Finest Chocolate Sale

The World’s Finest Chocolate Sale is underway! Did you know that there are still TWO golden tickets that haven’t been claimed yet? The prize is a delicious one pound bar of chocolate! If you would like to purchase additional chocolate, please contact the office!

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Wednesday, January 23

8:30-9AM: Nursery 1

9-9:30: Nursery 2

9:30-10: PreK1

10-10:30: PreK2

10:30-11: PreK3

11-11:30: PreK4

 

Thursday, January 24

8:30-9: First Grade

9-9:30: 7R

9:50-10:20: Fourth Grade

12:30-1:00: Third Grade

1:10-1:40: Second Grade

2:00-2:30 Eighth Grade

 

Friday, January 25

9:00-9:30: Sixth Grade

9:50-10:20: 7L

10:40-11:10: Fifth Grade

The West Side Tennis Club’s  Director of Racquet Sports, Luke Jensen and, Associate Director of Racquet Sports, Akemi Kinoshita and their staff  are participating and have been approved by the United State Tennis Association (USTA) to act as Community Partners in their Net Generation initiative.

Net Generation developed a school curriculum with school-based physical education classes and their teachers in mind. The training they provide is customized and designed for everyone regardless of experience in playing tennis. As a participant in this program, OLMCA will receive age appropriate tennis rackets, nets, balls and instruction on how to execute the program.

I am happy to announce that Mr. Jensen and Ms. Kinoshita selected OLMCA as their first Net Generation partner.  As a result, West Side staff members will on site Tuesday, January 22^nd, Thursday, January 24^th and Friday, January 25^th to provide tennis instructions to our students during their normal gym periods.

For your information, I am providing you with a (digital) copy of a flier that describes the expertise and experience that Mr. Jensen and Ms. Kinoshita have. Once I select a new gym teacher, he/she will be provided with this training.  

Finally, Luke Jensen, winner of the French Open doubles in 1993, will personally conduct some of the classes!   I am confident that our students will learn a great deal and have fun while doing.

Catholic Schools Week

January 27^th-February 1^st

Sunday, January 27

Celebrating Our Parish

Join us for a special school mass at 10 AM. Students should come in their full uniform. This will be a day where parishioners, community members, and the school come to celebrate the importance of Catholic Education. Hospitality to follow in the Parish Hall! We will also be holding an Open House for prospective families!

Monday, January 28

Service Day

OLMCA will participate in a Service Learning Project. During the day, students in Grades 4-8 will work on projects with our younger students! Scholastic will provide matching funds in the amount that we collect and use it to provide books for underprivileged children.  This is a wonderful way to better both our school and the lives of children in need.

Tuesday, January 29

Student Appreciation Day

On this special day, we recognize our outstanding student body with a special dress down! Students will also play fun and exciting sports games with E3 Sports! Students will also participate in a Bingo game! See what other surprises we have in store!

Wednesday, January 30

Career Day

Students will think about their dream career. By focusing on faith and service, students will use their God-given talents to the fullest later in life. On this day, students will come to school dressed in their selected profession. On this day, we will be inviting our parents to speak about their careers!

Thursday, January 31

Mission Day

On this special day, our students will complete activities connected to our Mission Statement. 

Friday, February 1 (12 PM Dismissal)

Teacher Appreciation Day

On this special day, we will honor the hard work of our dedicated teaching staff. We will be having a special movie day and presentation! What fun!

This is reminder to attend the Home Academy meeting Thursday at 7pm. We will host a “mixer” with wine and cheese to welcome new parents, meet E3 Sports coaches and discuss our new physical education residency, and follow up on items from December’s HAA meeting. As a reminder, the December meeting notes and action items have been posted here: https://olmercyca.org/haa–meeting-minutes/  HOPE TO SEE YOU!

We hope that your 2019 is off to a fantastic start! Ballroom dancing is back at in full swing at OLMCA for our Fifth and Eighth Graders! The playground has many new additions thanks to feedback from our parents and teachers! We have an exciting new sports residency program gearing up to start. This is all thanks to our wonderful parent community!

Home Academy Association Meeting

This is a friendly reminder that there is a Home Academy Association meeting on Thursday, January 17 from 7:00-8:00p.m. in the school gymnasium. Please enter through the side door. All parents are welcome to attend. We hope to plan fun and exciting events for our students in the coming months. This will be a chance for you to learn more about E3 Sports. The meeting will be from 7pm to 8pm in the OLMCA Gym, followed by a Parents Mixer! Cheers! Bring your favorite cocktail, mocktail and hors d’oeuvres to share from 8pm to 9:00pm. Raise a glass and have a bite with this AMAZING PARENT COMMUNITY! Join US!

A formal agenda will be distributed early next week.

Re-registration for 2019-2020

Priority registration for current students and their relatives will begin on Monday, January 14. Families must be current on this year’s tuition to register for next year. It is imperative that you return the form as soon as possible to ensure that your child has a seat for the 2019-2020 school year.  Please be sure to send in your re-registration form as soon as possible so that we can guarantee you a seat.

Financial Aid

Financial aid applications for students in Grades K-8, who attend a Brooklyn or Queens School or Academy will be open on Monday, January 14. Once you have registered for next year, you can apply online for a Diocesan scholarship. Families who apply during the first round are the only ones eligible for the maximum scholarship. For more information, please visit: www.futuresineducation.org.

Scholarship Deadlines:

• Families who received an award last academic year: March 29, 2019
• New families: April 29, 2019

World’s Finest Chocolate Sale (Nursery, K-8)

Our school will be conducting our only mandatory fundraising candy sale starting on Thursday, January 24. We will be selling World’s Finest Chocolate Products – truly delicious chocolates that have been sold for years by schools and organizations. One taste will tell you where they got their name and you are sure to find people in your neighborhood who have been World’s Finest fans for years.

You will receive additional information about the chocolate sale in the coming days.

Professional Day for Pre-K

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

There is no school for students in Pre-K on Wednesday, January 16. Teachers and teacher aides will be attending a workshop. School is still in session for students in Nursery and Grades K-8. There is Early Morning Drop-off and Extended Care for students in Nursery and K-8.

Professional Day for Nursery, Grades K-8

Friday, January 18, 2019

There is no school for students in Nursery and Grades K-8. Teachers and teacher aides will be attending a workshop on Friday, January 18. School is still in session for students in Pre-K. There is Early Morning Drop-off and Extended Care for students in Pre-K.

Upcoming Events

• January 17: Home Academy Association Meeting 7PM
• January 23- January 27: Scholastic Book Fair
• January 23: Pajama Story Time Nursery-2 (2:30-3:30PM)
• January 24: Mic Night Grades 3-8 (3:30-5)
• January 27: Catholic Schools Week Mass (10AM)
• February 1: 12 PM Dismissal

Have a blessed January! Thank you for your continued support of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy.