OLC Newsletter 6/22/2026

June 22, 2026 Newsletter

"Inspired by our faith, Our Lady of Charity School provides the intellectual and moral foundation for children to become saints and scholars, disciples of Christ and leaders in the community."

⭐ NEW THIS YEAR: Mandatory August Open House

📅 Thursday, August 13🕢 7:30 AM – 12:00 Noon

Parents (or another family member) must attend with their child to:

✔ Meet the teacher

✔ Drop off school supplies

✔ Take VanGogh Photographers school pictures

Students should dress in their Sunday Best!

🎓 Congratulations, Class of 2026!

Our Lady of Charity School's 80th Graduation Ceremony took place on June 3. Mass was celebrated by Bishop Jose Maria Garcia-Maldonado. Commencement speeches were delivered by Anabel Rodriguez, Marianna Sastoque, Galilea Macias, and Michael Rodriguez.

May God bless the OLC Class of 2026 as they begin their high school journey!

👩‍🏫 Welcome New Teachers

We are pleased to welcome two new faculty members for the 2026-2027 school year:

Yuliana Camacho – First Grade

• Dominican University graduate

• Completed student teaching this spring in Mrs. Morini's second grade classroom

Sandra Martinez – Art, Physical Education, and Spanish

• OLC parent

• Experienced substitute teacher at OLC

📘 Changes to Our Curriculum

• Handwriting: OLC will adopt the Zaner-Bloser Handwriting program. Cursive instruction continues through 4th grade.

• Reading (Grades 2–5): We will implement Magnetic Literacy, a Curriculum Associates program based on the Science of Reading.

📱 Social Media Reminder

We have seen an increase in concerns involving student group chats, text messaging, and social media activity occurring outside school hours.

Parents are encouraged to actively supervise:

• Social media accounts

• Messaging apps

• Group chats

• Online activity

  
  

While the school will address bullying, harassment, threats, and behavior that affects student safety or the school environment, we cannot monitor every interaction that occurs on personal devices outside school hours.

Please save evidence, contact other parents when appropriate, notify law enforcement regarding threats or criminal conduct, and inform the school when online behavior is affecting a student's well-being or school performance.

Let us work together to promote Christian charity, kindness, and responsible digital citizenship.

💄 Grooming and Appearance Reminder

Please remember that makeup, nail polish, and hair dye are prohibited at school.

These policies support our mission of fostering modesty, simplicity, and respect for the dignity of every child. We seek to create an environment where students are valued for their character, faith, and accomplishments rather than external appearance.

Students who are out of compliance will be referred to the office.

⛪ Sacramental Parent Meetings

Confirmation Parents (8th Grade)

📅 Tuesday, August 25🕡 6:30 PM📍 OLC Church

First Holy Communion Parents

📅 Wednesday, August 26🕡 6:30 PM📍 OLC Church

📋 School Supply Lists 2026-2027

☀ Summer Office Hours

The school office is open throughout the summer:

Monday – Thursday

7:30 AM – 12:00 Noon

Frank S. Zarate, Jr., Ed.D.

Principal

📞 (708) 652-0262

✉ fzarate@olc-school.org

OLC Newsletter 4/17/2026

April 17, 2026

Dear Parents,

I hope you all had a great Easter break with your family. Confirmation this week was beautiful. Thank you to Fr. Waldemar, to Bishop Lombardo, and to all 8th grade parents.

In listing the PTO members in my last newsletter, I inadvertently left off the name of Ms. Chantel Bruno. Ms. Bruno is a long time and valued member of the PTO who assists us with book fair, special events, classroom activities, and more. Thank you to Ms. Bruno and to all the PTO members for all that they do for our school.

Art to Remember orders have arrived and will be sent home today! They look fantastic.

Our fundraiser at Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers held on March 19 netted us a profit of $419. Thank you to Mr. Ricardo Macias, father of 1st grader Alonzo, for his support with this endeavor. Next school year the PTO is planning a once a month restaurant fundraiser at Raising Cane’s, Portillo’s, McDonald’s, Culver’s, and more. 

We’re bringing back our Snowball fundraiser next school year, but we will host the event in the newly redecorated gym at the St. Mary of Czestochowa Social Center. We hope all families will attend this OLC parent dinner dance.

Do you know someone who would be interested in teaching art, physical education, or Spanish one or two days a week in the 2026-2027 school year? If you do, please have him or her contact me by phone or by email (see contact information below). A bachelor’s degree is not required. English fluency would be nice, but is also not a requirement for these positions.

Please be advised that when a substitute teacher is here, you may need to pick up your child after school in the parking lot and not on the street. The sub needs to see you and verify that you are the correct person to pick up the student, and this can't be done when the parent is sitting in a vehicle parked on the street. Also, be sure to exercise extreme caution when driving in or out of the parking lot, as not all children look, as you know.

Do you want to earn 5-10 volunteer hours from the comfort and privacy of your living room? We need someone to organize a May Chess Club tournament with the chess club sponsors at the schools of St. Giles, Ascension, and St. Celestine. For details, call the school office at (708) 652-0262 ext. 201.

• Monday, April 20: financial aid deadline to renew Archdiocese scholarships

• Friday, April 24: fun lunch

• Tuesday, April 28: Cybersafety/social media safety training with Officer Gaspar for students in grades 5-8

• Thursday, April 30: progress reports sent home

• Friday, May 1: May Crowning Mass at 9:00

• Saturday, May 2: 1st holy Communion at 1:00; photos start at 11:00 in Halpin Hall

• Monday, May 4: clinic here for free dental exams; you can still sign up (call the office for a form)

• Wednesday, May 6: Early dismissal

• Wednesday, May 6: author visit for grades 4-8. The author’s name is Duncan Tonatiuh, and he's the author of several children's books including Separate is Never Equal, which is based on true events in 1940s California, and The Princess and the Warrior, which retells an Aztec legend about two well known volcanoes outside Mexico City.

• May 4-8: iReady testing for grades K-8; make sure your child is present and well rested every day this week. It’s also Teacher Appreciation Week.

• Friday, May 15: Winter/Spring Sports Assembly (follows 9:00 Mass)

Remember to sign up for May Fest (May 30-31) to volunteer. You can earn hours in any category for this school year or for next year.

Yours truly,

Frank S. Zarate, Jr., Ed.D.

Principal(708) 652-0262 

fzarate@olc-school.org 

OLC Newsletter 3/31/26

March 31, 2026

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your support of our Student Council Lenten season food drive. We collected hundreds of items (thousands?). Special thank you to Ms. Ximena Velazquez and Mr. Isaac Chavez for their contributions to this successful Easter event.  

We are having a schoolwide dress down day this coming Thursday, April 2. Students may come out of uniform if they wear Easter (or springtime) colors – no charge. Thank you to the Student Council for this last minute suggestion.

Plan on attending our May Festival the weekend of May 30 and 31. We will have games, food, and lots of activities. If you can assist us with the activities that weekend, please contact Ms. Garcia in the school office. Volunteer hours can be applied in any category, for this school year OR for the 2026-2027 school year, whichever you prefer.

Do you know someone who would be interested in teaching art, physical education, or Spanish one or two days a week in the 2026-2027 school year? If you do, please have him or her contact me by phone or by email (see contact information below). A bachelor’s degree is not required. English fluency would be nice, but is also not a requirement for these positions.

Thank you to all the members of the PTO who have worked so hard on fundraising for our school this year:

Fr. Waldemar Latkowski 

Lily Cardoso 

Juan Delgado 

Maria Galvez

Karina Garcia 

Carmen Hernandez

Gabby Loya 

Rosamar Mallari 

Stephanie Martinez 

Sylvia Martinez 

Juliana Morini 

Gabriela Orozco 

Estefania Palafox 

Tania Reyna

Guadalupe Rodriguez

Phoebe Unzueta 

Ximena Velazquez

Erika Zambrano

Frank Zarate Jr.

Our PTO Officers for the 2026-2027 school year are as follows:

President: Stephanie Martinez

Vice President: Lily Cardoso

Treasurer: Sylvia Martinez

Secretary: Carmen Hernandez

• Early dismissal: 4/1 and 4/15

• Stations of the Cross: 4/1 at 8:30

• Easter Egg Hunt: 4/2 at 2:00

• Track & Field permission slips are due by 4/2; fee can be paid after break.

• Confirmation at 7:00 PM on 4/14 at St. Mary of Czestochowa Church

• FACTS Application deadline for financial aid is 4/20. If you are receiving Archdiocesan aid, you should have completed your application by 3/29.

• Dental exam group here on 5/4 (free check up)

• Please remember that the $300 fee on FACTS was for registration for the 2026-2027 school year.

Wishing you and your family a blessed and joyful Easter filled with peace and hope.

Yours truly,

Frank S. Zarate, Jr., Ed.D.

Principal(708) 652-0262 

fzarate@olc-school.org