Parent Teacher Conferences (Nursery-Grade 8)

The First Trimester will conclude on Monday, December 2^nd. Report Cards will be distributed on Thursday, December 5^th. There is a 12:30PM dismissal for all students. Conferences will be conducted from 1-3PM and 6-8PM. Your child’s teacher will send out notices in advance about scheduling conferences. Please note that accounts must be fully up to date for you to receive your child’s report card. We will be giving courtesy letters to families that are not fully up to date. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mrs. Alleva at dalleva@olmercyca.com or 718-793-2086.

Hot lunch will be served at 11:30 for all students. There will be extended Care from 12:30PM-6PM.

Fourth Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon (Grades PreK-8)

Thank you to all the parents that have generously offered to donate and volunteer for our Thanksgiving feast on Tuesday, November 26. This will be a schoolwide celebration in the Church basement. Grades PKA-3 will celebrate from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and Grades 4-8 will celebrate from 12:30-1:30p.m. We are still accepting donations currently! Remember that all students participate in this luncheon for free, regardless of whether their family donates. As this is a day of celebration, students may “dress up.” Mrs. Vaccaro and Mrs. Roy have been working tirelessly to make this a day to remember!

Thanksgiving Collection for Food Pantry

The Our Lady of Mercy Food Pantry is a part of our Ministry that seeks to create a hunger free community by sharing our abundant blessings with God’s people that are in need. Your donations help us keep the shelves stocked so we can provide nutritious food for our needy neighbors in and around our community. We are asking for your help in dropping off food, monetary donations or gift cards.

We will be collecting Thanksgiving food until Wednesday, November 20. Thanksgiving care packages will be made and distributed on Saturday, November 23. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the rectory at 718-268-6143. Thank you to all the families that have already donated to the pantry!

We have reached our pie goal! We have collected 30 pies for the food pantry!

HAA Survey

Please remember to complete the parent survey online by next Tuesday November 26th. This survey is an effort to better understand the needs and wants of our school community, and an opportunity to share your thoughts and feedback on how you envision OLMCA  can support you in meeting the education goals you have set for your child and/or student. Results of this survey will be shared and considered when setting new school initiatives in January 2020. A few additional notes about the survey:

• There are 5 questions with multiple choice answers; it should not take more than 10-15 minutes
• We ask that one survey per student is submitted at minimum by a parent guardian; two is the maximum
• The survey is anonymous

Questions or concern, please reach out to me directly. Thanks for your participation. 

Parking Hazards

We are asking for your help during drop off and pickup. There has been an increase in illegal parking and many of our neighbors have called to complain. Safety is our number one priority at OLMCA and we do not want to see any of our students hurt, or worse..

What can you do to help?

Please Do Not: 

• Double park
• Block driveways of our neighbors
• Park in no parking zones 
• Block crosswalks
• Block school entrances 
• Honk your horn repeatedly
• Drive aggressively 
• Drive fast

Thank you in cooperation in this matter. Your input is always appreciated and we would love to hear any feedback from the parents. Thank you for keeping the area around OLMCA safe for our students.

Important Reminder

Wednesday, November 27 is a 12:30p.m. dismissal. Hot Lunch will be served at 11:30AM for students in PreK-8. There is no Extended Care on this day. Classes will resume on Monday, December 2^nd.

Just a friendly reminder that all Volunteer slips for our Thanksgiving Feast on November 26^th were due today. We have extended the due date to Monday, November 18^th. We would ask if you can please send the slip and/or contribution to your child’s teacher no later than Monday, November 18^th so we can begin organizing for this celebration. If you are unable to volunteer, kindly send in your $5.00 donation. Thank you in advance to all the families that have already volunteered to help or sent their donation. We are looking forward to another wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.

Digital Photography Grant

A grant of $5570 from the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Trust will be awarded to Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy for a Digital Photography course for Seventh and Eighth Grade! In a cross-curricular unit with Art and Library, students will be exposed to the history of the camera. In addition, students will learn and analyze famous photographs in history. Students will also learn the power of the photograph. In Library and Literacy, students will study famous photographs and describe their impact on history. In Art class, students will learn techniques to take successful photos. Students will also learn proper editing techniques.

A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Tizjana Fejzullaj and Mrs. Jessica Orlov for their vison. Thank you to Ms. Sue Jo Feeley, Mrs. Karen Hoffman, and Ms. Jessica Russo for researching cameras and materials for this project. Stay tuned!

Fourth Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon (Grades PreK-8)

Thank you to all the parents that have generously offered to donate and volunteer for our special feast on Tuesday, November 26. This will be a schoolwide celebration in the Church basement. Grades PKA-3 will celebrate from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and Grades 4-8 will celebrate from 12:30-1:30p.m. We are still accepting donations currently! Remember that all students participate in this luncheon for free, regardless of whether their family donates. As this is a day of celebration, students may “dress up.” Mrs. Vaccaro and Mrs. Roy have been working tirelessly to make this a day to remember!

Thanksgiving Collection for Food Pantry

The Our Lady of Mercy Food Pantry is a part of our Ministry that seeks to create a hunger free community by sharing our abundant blessings with God’s people that are in need. Your donations help us keep the shelves stocked so we can provide nutritious food for our needy neighbors in and around our community. We are asking for your help in dropping off food, monetary donations or gift cards.

We will be collecting Thanksgiving food until Wednesday, November 20. Thanksgiving care packages will be made and distributed on Saturday, November 23. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the rectory at 718-268-6143. Thank you to all the families that have already donated to the pantry!

Our goal is to collect 30 pies for the Thanksgiving bags. As of right now, we have 12/30 pies. Please help us to reach this goal!

HAA Survey Wishlist Survey

In effort to better understand the needs and wants of our school community, and because we value your input, we have created an online survey for you to complete. This survey is an opportunity to share your thoughts and feedback on how you envision OLMCA  can partner support you in meeting the education goals you have set for your child and/or student. 

The survey will be shared digitally by the end of the school day on Wednesday, November 13^th. Please complete the enclosed 5 question survey by Tuesday, November 26^th. It should take you 10-15 minutes to complete. Results of this survey will be shared and considered when setting new school initiatives in January 2020. 

Please join on Thursday, November 14^th from 7-8PM for our next Home Academy Association meeting in the school gymnasium.

Breakfast with Santa

Saturday, December 7^th

The HAA is looking for your help to organize Breakfast with Santa. We are planning a party to remember! If you would like to volunteer or donate for this event, please contact Mrs. Lillian Coca at lilly_moon20@yahoo.com to share your ideas or learn how you can help.

Upcoming Fundraiser

Believe Christmas Catalog

As you know, OLMCA is sponsoring a Holiday Gift sale. The sale offers a wide variety of items including chocolate, gift wrap & accessories, jewelry, and a wonderful selection of gift items.

Sale Dates: Tuesday, October 29^th to Tuesday, November 12^th.

Thank you to all the parents that have already supported this fundraiser! If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Alleva at dalleva@olmercyca.com

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Red Ribbon Day at OLMCA

The Red Ribbon Campaign was started by the National Family Partnership in 1980 along with a handful of concerned and determined parents who were convinced they should begin to play a leadership role in youth drug prevention. On Thursday, November 7^th, we are asking all students and staff to dress in red to acknowledge this important day. Our guidance counselor has already worked with many of the classes  to educate our students on the dangers of drugs and the importance of making positive choices.

Latin Night

Latin night was quite the success; the HAA raised $3,000 in tickets, food, drinks and raffles. The DJ played a great assortment of Latin inspired music, and a performance by a Latin woman dancer was a great surprise. Thank you to all those who contributed and attended, especially to the Latin Night committee.

Monica Zurita
Yulieth Bran-Ortiz
Salvador Hobaica
Lillian and Julian Coca
Biviana Giraldo
Jeanette Ronquillo
María Holloway 
Andreia Christie
Drea Iny
Marlyn Goya
Rosa Peguero
Gloria Saldarriaga
Carolina DeLeonardis
Jenny Iuliano
Claudia Jalajel
Melissa Rober
Irma Gianni
Elaine Gonzales Koo
Carlos Paduani
Paula Deist

We are hoping to be able to add this to our ANNUAL events and celebrate every year…maybe with childcare options! 

Upcoming Days: November 8 and November 11

There is no school for students in Nursery and K-8 on Friday, November 8. Teachers and teacher aides will be attending a professional development workshop. School is still in session for students in Pre-K. There will still be Breakfast and Extended Care for Pre-K students.

School will be closed on Monday, November 11 for Veterans Day.

Breast Cancer Awareness Thank You!

I am extremely overwhelmed at the success of our Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser. The Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy raised a total of $1132. All proceeds were donated to Ms. Revette Hinkson’s Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness. Our Eighth Grade class also hosted a Bake Sale that contributed to the success of this special event.

On behalf of Ms. Hinkson, I thank you for your generosity and sharing your stories with us. The success of this event truly demonstrates the mission and vision of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy. If you have a cause or charity that is close to your heart, please let us know. We are happy to organize a fundraiser!

Breakfast with Santa

Saturday, December 7^th

The HAA is looking for your help to organize Breakfast with Santa. We are planning a party to remember! If you would like to volunteer or donate for this event, please contact Mrs. Lillian Coca at lilly_moon20@yahoo.com to share your ideas or learn how you can help.

Upcoming Fundraiser

Believe Christmas Catalog

As you know, OLMCA is sponsoring a Holiday Gift sale. The sale offers a wide variety of items including chocolate, gift wrap & accessories, jewelry, and a wonderful selection of gift items.

Sale Dates: Tuesday, October 29^th to Tuesday, November 12^th.

Thank you to all of the parents that have already supported this fundraiser! If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Alleva at dalleva@olmercyca.com

In anticipation of Thanksgiving and remembering all we are thankful for, we would like to have our Fourth Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon on Tuesday, November 26^th. This will be a schoolwide celebration in the Church basement. Grades PKA-3 will celebrate from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and Grades 4-8 will celebrate from 12:30p.m.-1:30p.m.

We would like the children to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast and with the help from the parents we are hoping to continue to make this an annual celebration. In order to make this a success, we are asking for help from each grade Each grade will be asked to provide one specific item to add to our Thanksgiving buffet. We will need about 10 families from each grade to help make this a success. We understand that many families are very busy this time of year, so if you are unable to help, please kindly make a donation of $5.00 which will help with any extra expenses we may incur. We would ask for you to kindly fill out the form below (check all that apply) and return it to your child’s teacher no later than Thursday, November 14^th. The sooner we receive the volunteer forms the sooner we can begin preparation for a wonderful day planned ahead.

The following items are requested to be brought in by each grade: All other food items will be catered this year!

Pre-K Paper plates, forks, knives, spoons, cups (Thanksgiving themed)

Kindergarten: Desserts (Cupcakes, brownies, cookies, donuts, cornbread, muffins, etc.)

First Grade: Drinks (Water, Apple Juice, Apple Cider) single-serve is requested

Second Grade:  Desserts (Cupcakes, brownies, cookies, donuts, cornbread, muffins, etc.)

Third Grade: Drinks (Water, Apple Juice, Apple Cider) single-serve is requested

Fourth Grade: Desserts (Cupcakes, brownies, cookies, donuts, cornbread, muffins, etc.)

Fifth Grade:  Drinks (Water, Apple Juice, Apple Cider) single-serve is requested

Sixth Grade:  Desserts (Cupcakes, brownies, cookies, donuts, cornbread, muffins, etc.)

Seventh Grade: Drinks (Water, Apple Juice, Apple Cider) single-serve is requested

Eighth Grade: Desserts (Cupcakes, brownies, cookies, donuts, cornbread, muffins, etc.)

It has been another eventful and memorable October at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy. From an incredible 90^th anniversary celebration of Our Lady of Mercy to our very first Latin Night, it has been a true showcase of our school’s spirit.

Many of our 8th graders were blessed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit during their Confirmation on Friday. The ceremony was beautiful. The choir led by Ms. Altieri did an outstanding job performing the post Communion song. A special thank you to Rev. Monsignor McGuirl, Father Greg, and Ms. Leone for helping to form the students in their preparation for this special sacrament. Thank you to our Parish Religious Education Director, Mr. David Powell, for organizing the ceremony.

Halloween Parade Update

Due to inclement weather, please note the following changes to OLMCA’s Halloween Day:

• Indoor Parade for Nursery, Pre-K, and Kindergarten will conclude with a Halloween song (Parents are welcome to attend)

• In lieu of a parade, Grades 1-8 will participate in Bingo in the Parish Hall
• Grades 1-4 from 9:30AM-10:15AM (Parents are welcome)
• Grades 5-8 from 10:30AM-11:15AM (Parents are welcome)
• All other activities remain scheduled as planned

Student Council

Congratulations to our newly elected student council representatives. All students did an outstanding job with their campaign from witty slogans to inspiring speeches. We are so excited to see how they bring their ideas into fruition.  

President: Joseph DiBartolo

Vice-President: Naomi Goya

Treasurer: Zachary Louis

Secretary: Julian Montes

All Saints Day

Students in Grade K-8 will attend the 10AM Mass on Friday, November 1 for All Saint Day. You will also be in for a very special presentation from our Second Grade Class. Mrs. Starace’s class has been hard at working learning about Saints. All parents and family members are welcome!

Breakfast with Santa

Saturday, December 7^th

The HAA is looking for your help to organize Breakfast with Santa. We are planning a party to remember! If you would like to volunteer or donate for this event, please contact Mrs. Lillian Coca at lilly_moon20@yahoo.com to share your ideas or learn how you can help.

Professional Day for Nursery, Grades K-8

Friday, November 8

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

School will be closed for all grade levels on Monday, November 11^th for Veterans Day.

Wall of Fame

Wall of Fame began on Tuesday, October 1^st. Students in Grades 1-8 have the opportunity participate each month. All students that have earned Wall of Fame for the Month of October will earn a dress-down pass and free ice cream.

To earn Wall of Fame, students must:

• Be prepared for class
• No unexcused lateness
• No unexcused absences
• No missing homework assignments
• Classwork is complete
• No uniform violations
• No detention/disciplinary issues

Have a wonderful rest of the week.

Here is our November calendar:

Unity Day

October 23, 2019

Wear and share ORANGE in support of Bullying Prevention.

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy is encouraging students and staff to join a national movement in support of an inclusive, nurturing environment for all.

Unity Day, the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month, has been recognized in the United States since 2011. To participate in Unity Day, individuals, schools, communities, and businesses wear or display orange to show support for students who have been bullied.

Students will complete different activities in their classrooms on Unity Day.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/unity-day.asp