OLC NEWSLETTER 1/26/26

January 26, 2026

Dear Parents,

Well today’s cancellation of classes was certainly unplanned. I’m not sure how you felt about it, but I imagine that many of your children didn’t mind. 

You may be wondering why we don’t have to add days to the school calendar in June or have e-learning when school is canceled for snow days, etc. This is because Illinois law sets 176 instructional days as the minimum for most schools, and most districts adhere to that number. However, for decades 180 was the traditional national norm, and that is the number of instructional days in our OLC calendar. This provides us with a built-in cushion for snow days and emergencies, so we do not have to add days at the end of the year or do e-learning (which is inconvenient for a lot of families).

January 25-31: Catholic Schools Week – 

Tuesday: Pajama Day for all grade levels; Dance Party (PK-4)

Wednesday: Senior Citizen Day; celebrate the 100th day of school by dressing up as a senior citizen

Thursday: Jersey Day; Mass at 9:00; 7th and 8th grade talk with Fr. Slawek on his work in Kenya and on exploring vocations

Friday: Character Day and Knights of Columbus Spelling Bee; dress up as your favorite character from a book movie, or TV show; Basketball Spirit Night at the St. Mary Social Center Gym. Any student who shows up for a game may come out of uniform on Mon., Feb. 2. Boys’ JV at 6:00; Boys’ Varsity at 7:00 and again at 8:00

The Academic Bowl planned for tomorrow has been postponed until Feb. 3.

Fun Lunch: Friday, January 30 (pizza)

We are excited to welcome prospective families to one of our Open Houses! This special event offers a wonderful opportunity to tour our school, meet our dedicated teachers, connect with other families, and experience firsthand what makes Charity such a welcoming and special community. 

Open House Dates: Jan. 28, Jan. 30, Feb. 11 and Feb. 25

Open House Hours: 8:30AM-12PM

No appointment is necessary. Please tell your friends and remember that you can earn up to $1000 in tuition credit if you refer a family that enrolls at OLC in the 2026-2027 school year.

Parent-Teacher Conferences are on Thursday, February 5, from 12:30-6PM. Students are dismissed at 11:30, and there is no after care and no SGA. Conferences are by parent or teacher request only, virtual or in person. More information will be sent to you this week.

Friday, February 6: No school; staff development day

As we begin the new year, we hope it has brought you a renewed sense of hope and purpose. We are grateful to all who support our school through prayer and action, allowing us to continue providing a faith-centered education for our students. God has richly blessed OLC. Thank you for being an important part of our community.

God bless you!

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

Principal(708) 652-0262 

fzarate@olc-school.org 

OLC NEWSLETTER 1/13/26

January 13, 2026

Dear Parents,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break. December is always a happy month in schools.

Be sure you are signed up for text messaging to stay informed about current and upcoming news and events. 

Bernie’s Book Bank is a non-profit organization that sources and distributes free, high-quality books to children to increase book ownership and literacy. Bernie’s recently donated bags of books for all our students in grades PK-7, about 8 books in each bag. What a great end of the Christmas season gift!

Friday, January 16: Basketball Spirit Night at the St. Mary Social Center Gym. Any student who shows up for a game may come out of uniform on Tues., Jan. 20. Boys’ JV at 5:30; Girls’ JV at 6:30; Boys’ Varsity at 7:30

Monday, January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day / No School

Wednesday, January 21: Early release day

Friday, January 23: Kids Night Out from 6:00-9:00 PM in Halpin Hall. Dance party, karaoke, crafts, and fun!

Fun Lunch: Friday, January 30

January 25-31: Catholic Schools Week – 

Monday: Blue Out (wear blue to show school pride!) and Cross Picture Day (students will be photographed from the balcony in church while in a cross formation); 

Tuesday: Pajama Day; Academic Bowl; Dance Party (PK-4)

Wednesday: Senior Citizen Day; celebrate the 100th day of school by dressing up as a senior citizen

Thursday: Jersey Day; Mass at 9:00; 7th and 8th grade talk with Fr. Slawek on his work in Kenya and on exploring vocations

Friday: Character Day and Knights of Columbus Spelling Bee; dress up as your favorite character from a book movie, or TV show; Basketball Spirit Night at the St. Mary Social Center Gym. Any student who shows up for a game may come out of uniform on Mon., Feb. 2. Boys’ JV at 6:00; Boys’ Varsity at 7:00 and again at 8:00

I would like to remind parents of the importance of speaking with your children about the seriousness of any language related to school violence, whether on or off campus. Such language can deeply affect our school community and may have serious consequences for a student’s future. Please know that this reminder is purely proactive, and there has been no incident at the school.

We would like to extend a big Thank You to Mr. Ricardo Macias, father of 1st grader Alonzo, for organizing our fundraiser at Raising Cane’s on December 18. We made a profit of $345 toward the purchase of our Gaga Ball Pit, which we hope to install in early spring. We will have another fundraiser toward this purchase soon:

This is what our Gaga Ball Pit will look like. Have you seen one before?

Yours truly, 

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

Principal(708) 652-0262 

fzarate@olc-school.org 

OLC Newsletter 12/04/25

December 4, 2025

Dear Parents,

School calendar change! We are NOT having an early dismissal day on Wednesday, December 17; the early dismissal day has been moved to Thursday, December 18 instead. Students will be dismissed 30 minutes before the usual time on Dec. 18. Please make a note of this change.

Uniform reminders: The blue hooded sweatshirts may only be worn on gym days; black jeans are not allowed; boots must be exchanged for school shoes in the classroom. 

Parking lot reminders: Please be courteous of fellow parents while driving in the lot. If you want to watch your child enter the building, please park your car in one of the spaces; don’t block the cars behind you waiting for your student to enter. The speed limit in the lot is 5 mph when children are present.

Don’t forget Breakfast with Santa this Saturday at 10:00 here at OLC.

This coming Sun., Dec. 7, we will have an all school Mass at noon sponsored by the 4th grade. All students and their families should attend if at all possible. We’ll have refreshments after Mass in Halpin Hall. 

We need volunteers for our home basketball games. Get your volunteer hours completed and support our students. No Virtus training is needed. Here are the dates: https://forms.gle/4zCKP5pAqEYiZH6K8

Santa’s Secret Shop opens next week. This is an opportunity for children to experience the joy of choosing their own special holiday gifts for family and friends. The shop is here at school and is supervised by parent volunteers. Please contact the school office this week if you can assist. Proceeds benefit the Class of 2026. 

Roller Skating began yesterday. The skating unit is a lot of fun for students. Be sure to ask your child about it. If you would like to volunteer and help out, call the school office at (708) 652-0262 ext. 201.

Next Friday, Dec. 12 is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We will have a reenactment of the apparition of the Virgin to St. Juan Diego as performed by our 3rd graders. This will take place at the 9:00 Mass and will include traditional songs sung by the 4th graders. This is also Grandparents Day at OLC for all students in grades PK-8. Students may invite up to two grandparents (or VIPs) to Mass. After the service, there will be tamales and beverages for the grandparents in the classrooms (grades K-5); middle schoolers will gather with their grandparents in the lunchroom. The gatherings will end at 10:30 so that we can prepare for the lunch periods.

Our Ol’ St. Nick’s Auction is open, and we’re offering front row seats at the Christmas concert as well as a handcrafted olive wood crucifix from Bethlehem. The auction closes on Dec. 12 at 8pm. If you’re interested in bidding, follow this link: 

https://olcps.betterworld.org/auctions/ol-saint-nicks-auction

Our Piano Recital is at 5:00pm on Tues, Dec. 16, in Halpin Hall.

The last day of school before Christmas vacation is Fri., Dec. 19. There is no Chess Club meeting that day. OLC will be closed for Christmas break from Dec. 20-Jan. 4. School resumes on Mon., Jan. 5.

Though we are in the midst of basketball season, we are already looking ahead to springtime when we hope to have a second OLC soccer season. With the help of one of our dads, we are planning to join a local Catholic school league based in Forest Park. 

Our Christmas Concert is on Wed., Dec. 17, at 6:30pm in OLC church. All students in grades PK-8 will perform. Students please arrive by 6:15 so they’re ready to begin on time! Students should wear their Sunday best, preferably Christmas colors such as green or red; white and black are also acceptable. Please be mindful of the additional relatives you invite. Grandparents and some extended family members are welcome. While we have a large church we want to ensure that all families are seated comfortably. 

The Christmas car raffle drawing is scheduled for Christmas Day at 2:00pm at St. Mary of Czestochowa’s Makuch Hall.

Wishing you and your family a blessed and joyful Christmas season, filled with peace, hope, and the light of Christ. I hope to see you at the concert on the 17th.

Yours truly, 

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

Principal(708) 652-0262 

fzarate@olc-school.org