NEWSLETTER for FEBRUARY 8, 2008

Saturday, February 9                        Power of the Pen Competition (first level)

Monday, February 11                        Advanced Band during lunch

Tuesday, February 12                       1 p.m.—All-School Penance Service

                                                     6:30 p.m.—Together Tuesday for Grade 2 (OLSH and CCD)

                                                     7 p.m.—PTO meeting in lower level of Parish Center

Wednesday, February 13                   7 p.m.—First Reconciliation for Grade 2

Thursday, February 14                      VALENTINE’S DAY

                                                     Scoliosis screening for students in grades 5 through 8

Friday, February 15                           NO SCHOOL

LOOKING AHEAD…

Monday, February 18                        NO SCHOOL—PRESIDENTS’ DAY OBSERVED

REGISTRATION REMINDER: This is just a reminder to all families who have students currently enrolled at OLSH that registration forms, along with the registration fee, were due on Friday, February 8. If you forgot to send in your form and still want to ensure a spot for your child in next year’s classes, please send in the form and fee NO LATER THAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11. Registration will be opened up to all interested families beginning February 11.

PUBLIC RELATIONS: Our Public Relations Committee is mailing personalized invitations to prospective families from the Parish communities of OLSH, St. Saviour, and Sts. Peter and Paul to encourage them to attend our Kindergarten and first grade information night on Thursday, February 21. If you know a family who has preschool-aged children who may not be on any of the above lists, we ask you to contact Yvonne France at eyfrance@fuse.net; and we will mail an invitation to them next week. Please include the child(ren)’s name and mailing address. Our best advertising is you—so spread the word about our great school!

K/GRADE 1 INFO SESSION: As mentioned above, this informal meeting will be held in our cafeteria on Thursday, February 21, at 7 p.m. If you currently have children attending OLSH and will have a new Kindergartner or first grader for 2008-2009, please join us!

ADVERTISING OLSH: We’re sending home today to every family a magnet advertising OLSH. Please feel free to display it where you think best in order to make people aware of our school. We’d also like to thank the school families we’ve contacted about putting yard signs up at their homes. We tried to contact people from all school districts where current students live. If we didn’t contact you and you’d like to “plant” a sign in your yard, call the school office. We’d be glad to send one home with your child. Thank you!

PANCAKE BREAKFAST: A great big “thank you” to all who ate and/or worked at the Pancake Breakfast on January 27 during Open House. It was a bigger-than-expected success with a profit of $1200! Thank you also for making Open House such a welcoming event!

POWER OF THE PEN: The Power of the Pen is a statewide writing competition for seventh and eighth graders. Representing OLSH are: seventh graders Holly Daniels, Darcie Gorsuch, Elizabeth Guye, Emily Janszen, Grace Kallenberg, and Hallie Sansbury; and eighth graders Erin Deeds, Kyle Gordon, Theresa Guye, Gabe Rapp, Nick Todd, and Joey Walsh. These students have been meeting with Mrs. Eggenberger for the past several weeks to hone their writing skills. The first level of competition will be this Saturday, February 9. These students are to be commended for using God’s gifts to the best of their ability. We wish them luck on Saturday and will keep you posted on their progress.

FIRST RECONCILIATION: Keep in your prayers our second graders here at OLSH School and those who attend OLSH CCD as they prepare for and make their First Reconciliation next week.

PTO: Join us for our upcoming PTO meeting next Tuesday, February 12, at 7 p.m. in the lower level of the Parish Center. Babysitting will be available. Our major topics to be discussed include the formation of the nominating committee for elections, the Progressive Dinner, and our illustrator visit. We will also begin making some important choices that will affect the budgeting for next school year.

LENT AT OLSH: The theme for Lent 2008 is “Help Carry the Cross.” We are trying to encourage the students to perform acts and make sacrifices that will help others—doing rather than giving things up. This is done for the good of others, not for praise or credit. (“Your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you.”) There is a large open outline of a cross in the front hallway for the students to try to fill with hearts. When a good deed is done, the student may tape a cross up within that outline on the wall. No name or action is written on it. We will challenge the student body to get it all filled in by the end of Lent.

Here are the dates for Stations of the Cross during this Lenten season: Friday, 2/8, 2/22, and 3/7—“Stations in the Round” beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the church and progressing through the school hallway; Friday, 3/14—“Shadow Stations” at 1:30 p.m. in the Activity Center; and Holy Thursday, 3/20—“Living Stations” at 1:30 p.m. in the church. (In addition, the “Living Stations” will be presented for the parish and all interested school families on Tuesday, March 18, at 7 p.m. in the church.) Feel free to join us as we pray any (or all!) of these Stations of the Cross.

We are continuing the tradition of Lenten raffles. For many years, OLSH has supported the Cultural Center of Batahola Norte, Nicaragua. This is the Center that the late Sr. Margie (sister of former auxiliary clerk Mrs. Jan Otten) began in 1983. It has grown into a true oasis in a community that knows great poverty. Our Lenten raffles are one way students can donate to this worthy cause. Different items (donated by teachers) are raffled off each week; tickets are 25 cents each or five for $1 and can be purchased every morning before school in Ms. Schafer’s homeroom. The winners of each week’s raffle are announced after song practice on Tuesday mornings. In addition, each homeroom has a “Nica” jar in which students can deposit donations; every Tuesday, we will add the contents of each homeroom jar to our all-school container and will send that along with all raffle money to Batahola at the end of the Lenten season. We thank you in advance for your generosity and your encouragement to your children to be generous as well. Items to be raffled off next Tuesday (February 12) include: an OLSH blanket, a “Yahtzee” game with candy, a crocheted and a glow-in-the-dark soccer ball, a singing cow (“Be Happy”), and out-of-uniform passes.

There will also be a family Prayer/Bingo Night on Thursday, February 28, from 7 p.m. ‘til 8:30 p.m. More info on that as the date approaches.

HOOPS FOR HEART: A reminder that all donations for Hoops for Heart are due no later than next Thursday, February 14.

VALENTINE’S DAY APPAREL: Student Government invites all students to wear red or pink tops with their uniform bottoms (pants/skirts/jumpers) and Valentine socks on Thursday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day).

SCOLIOSIS SCREENING: Students in grades 5 through 8 will be screened for scoliosis by our school nurse, Mrs. Barbara Buckley, next Thursday, February 14. A letter from Mrs. Buckley will be sent home on Wednesday, February 13, to students in these grades.

CALLING ALL BOXTOPS: Mrs. Gorsuch is getting ready to send in our current supply of donated boxtops. Only schools with students in grades K through 8 collect these—high schools do not. So ask your friends, relatives, and neighbors to give you their boxtops to help OLSH out! We are asking you to turn in any that you currently have at home; you may continue to drop boxtops in the bins even after this collection.

CAMPBELL’S WINNERS: Congratulations to our January winners of out-of-uniform passes: Nick Gray (K), Joey Fortner (1-P), Claudia Garcia (3-P), Keith Chachoff (4-D), Sam Miller (4-T), Cody Kloth (6-G), Holly Nurre (7-E), and Theresa Guye (8-S). Send in your UPCs, and you may win next month! Winners are picked only from soup label UPCs, not boxtops. Send in only eligible UPCs and write your child’s name and homeroom on the back of each. Call Sandy Mitsch (791-4889) with questions.

GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL: Come to the OLSH gym this weekend to cheer on our girls in volleyball. Games on Saturday, February 9, are: 9 a.m.—OLSH vs. All Saints (Gr. 3); 10 a.m.—OLSH vs. St. Columban (Gr. 4); 11 a.m.—OLSH vs. St. Ann (Gr. 5); 12 noon—OLSH vs. Assumption (Gr. 7); and 1 p.m.—OLSH vs. St. Vivian (Gr. 7). Games on Sunday, February 10, are: 1 p.m.—OLSH vs. St. Gabriel (Gr. 6); 2 p.m.—OLSH vs. St. Ursula Villa (Gr. 6); 3 p.m.—OLSH vs. Good Shepherd (Gr. 7); and 4 p.m.—OLSH vs. All Saints (Gr. 4).

FLU: We are starting to see a rise in absenteeism due to illness. Please encourage good general hygiene and handwashing habits in your children. Please keep your child home if he has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher. He may return to school only after he has been fever-free for at least 24 hours without medication. Please make sure you do not send your child back to school after a stomach virus until he has been on regular food for at least 24 hours also. Thank you for your help in keeping us flu-free!

MENU for the WEEK of FEBRUARY 8

Monday…………cheeseburger on bun, tater tots, pears, animal crackers, milk

Tuesday………..grilled chicken on bun, mashed potatoes with gravy, mixed fruit, Goldfish crackers, milk

Wednesday……cheese quesadilla with salsa, corn, applesauce, cookie, milk

Thursday……….popcorn chicken, green beans, peaches, cinnamon graham crackers, milk

Friday……………NO SCHOOL