OLC NEWSLETTER 3/3/26

March 3, 2026

Dear Parents,

Our annual World’s Finest Chocolate sale begins this week. Chocolates will be sent home tomorrow. Each family will be responsible for selling 2-1/2 boxes of chocolate (100 bars at $2 each). Each box is $80, therefore each family will be responsible for selling $200 of chocolates. The money is due by April 2. Families will be billed for the fundraiser balance before each fundraising event ends to ensure participation. We appreciate your help with this important sale.

2nd trimester report cards will be sent home this coming Thursday. Be sure to ask your child for it.

There is no school on Friday, March 13.

We have purchased the new Gaga Ball Pit, but we still need the wood for the walls. We’ll have another Raising Cane’s fundraiser on March 19. Please plan to go to Raising Cane’s Riverside that evening and bring your entire family!

Don’t forget Family Bowling Night on Monday, March 23. This is the last week to purchase tickets. No tickets will be sold at the door.

We are in Lent, and Easter vacation will be here soon. We will be on break beginning Good Friday, April 3, and we return to school on Monday, April 13.

Finally, please support our Student Council Lenten season food drive running until Friday, March 20. Send your child with any of the following: pasta, oatmeal, cereal, canned foods, peanut butter or jelly. 

Thank you for all you do for our school.

Yours truly,

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

Principal(708) 652-0262 

fzarate@olc-school.org 

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