Our Lady of Charity School Newsletter

Dear Parents, Teachers, parents, and students across the Archdiocese will once again have an opportunity to participate in the 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of our school, and it will allow you to share your thoughts about OLC. It will be administered online, and I will send you a link in the next week or so. Based on survey responses last year, we made important revisions to our math and religion programs, and to our school marketing plans. For example, many students indicated that they do not often “pray by themselves.” Perhaps you can model or talk to your son or daughter about the importance of daily prayer, and what prayer can do for a person. Our food drive for Catholic Charities of Cicero was a great success Thank you for helping us with this service project that benefits families from our local community. Many students in the nation are struggling with anxiety and depression, and oftentimes parents are also struggling with how to support their student. If you are the parent of a middle schooler, you may find the following resource helpful: A Parent’s Guide to Supporting The Anxious Adolescent.

We have a great raffle this month in which you can make extra cash: a 50/50 split the pot raffle. Tickets are $20 and they are sold in the office. 50% of the money collected will go toward the winner and the other 50% to our school. There is no limit on how many tickets you can buy: the more you purchase, the more money you can win. The winner will be announced Friday, March 4.

Free tuition for one month, if you refer a child who enrolls at OLC! Contact our marketing director, Ms. Rosales.

Get VIRTUS training to volunteer: Go to our website for info: olc-school.org

Important dates: Monday, February 21: no school; Presidents’ Day Thursday, February 24: all school Mass, grades K - 8 at 1:00; parents are welcome Wednesday, March 2: early dismissal; 30 minutes before the regular time Monday, March 14: no school

Wednesday, March 16: early dismissal; 30 minutes before the regular time Friday, March 25: no school; staff development day Monday, March 28: no school (please note that this non-attendance day for students is not on the school calendar)

Yours in Christ, Frank S. Zárate, Jr.,

Ed.D. Principal (708) 652-0262

fzarate@olc-school.org

OUR LADY OF CHARITY SCHOOL WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Dear Parents, If you missed parent-teacher conferences yesterday, fear not! You can always email your child’s teacher and set up a conference at a mutually convenient time. Phone conferences work, too. Students this year have worked on several service projects on their path to become saints, scholars, and leaders in the community. We had the Thanksgiving collection for the homeless through Franciscan Outreach, and yesterday we finished our food drive for Catholic Charities of Cicero (at 14th St. and Austin). During Lent (begins Wed., Mar. 2) we begin a new community service project: each classroom will have a Catholic Relief Services rice bowl in which students can deposit coins or bills. More than $250 million has been given through CRS Rice Bowl to support programs that prevent hunger and poverty around the world. Of that, $62.5 million went to programs in the U.S. and $187.5 million went to CRS programs overseas. Does your child get an allowance? Children have to learn to do things from the goodness of their heart. Boys’ basketball Spirit Night is this coming Mon., Feb. 14. JV game at 6:20; Varsity at 7:10. Come out to the St. Mary of Czestochowa Social Center (corner of 31st St. and 50th Ave.) and support the team! Saint Valentine’s Day is Monday: Students may wear red, pink, or white and come out of uniform. The Feast of St. Valentine was established by Pope Gelasius I in honor of St. Valentine of Rome, who died on Feb. 14 in 269 A.D. Interesting... Free tuition for one month, if you refer a child who enrolls at OLC! Contact our marketing director, Ms. Rosales. Get your VIRTUS training to volunteer: Go to our website for info: olc-school.org

Important dates: Wednesday, February 16: early dismissal; 30 minutes before the regular time Thursday, February 17: all school Mass, grades K - 8 at 1:00; parents are welcome Monday, February 21: no school; Presidents’ Day Wednesday, March 2: early dismissal; 30 minutes before the regular time Monday, March 14: no school

Wednesday, March 16: early dismissal; 30 minutes before the regular time Friday, March 25: no school; staff development day Monday, March 28: no school (please note that this non-attendance day for students is not on the school calendar)

Yours in Christ, Frank S. Zárate, Jr., Ed.D. Principal (708) 652-0262 fzarate@olc-school.org

OUR LADY OF CHARITY SCHOOL WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

February 4, 2022

Dear Parents, Well this has been an unusual week, to say the least, but we are glad to be back in school and you are probably glad we’re back, too!

Catholic Schools Week:

• Thank you, parents, for your food drive donations, and also for the many offers we received from you to bring donuts and coffee for the teachers today. Due to the two snow days, the food drive will now end on Feb. 10, so keep those donations coming. All food items will be given to Catholic Charities, right here in Cicero.

• Congratulations to our Knights of Columbus spelling bee winners: 1st place goes to Anabel Rodriguez in 4th grade; 2nd place to Galilea Macias in 4th grade; 3rd place to Abigail Rodriguez in 8th grade. Anabel now qualifies for the regional spelling bee in Lansing.

• Thank you to the seminarians who visited with our 7th and 8th graders to talk about their own stories and their call to vocations: Mr. Peter Famera from St. Terrence in Alsip, and Mr. Juan Carlos Vargas from Five Holy Martyrs in Chicago. Parent-Teacher conferences are on Thurs., Feb. 10, 12:30 - 6:00 PM. Conferences will be virtual, via Zoom. February conferences are at your request or at teacher request. I sent you the link to sign up earlier this week.

Early bird registration for next school year is 50% off the regular registration price. Register your child now for next year and the fee is $200. The fee increases to $400 beginning this coming Sunday. Contact Ms. Candelaria Rosales at the school today to register. Free tuition for one month, if you refer a child who enrolls at OLC! Contact our marketing director, Ms. Rosales. On Feb. 10 we will automatically re-enroll your child for next year and apply the registration fee to your FACTS account. If you do not plan on registering for the 2022-23 school year, contact Ms. Rosales no later than Feb. 5. The registration fee is non-refundable. Get your VIRTUS training to volunteer! Go to our website for info: olc-school.org

Important dates: Thursday, February 10: parent-teacher conferences (virtual), 12:30 - 6pm; students dismissed at 11:30

Friday, February 11: no school; staff development day

Wednesday, February 16: Early dismissal; 30 minutes before the regular time Thursday, February 17: all school Mass, grades K - 8 at 1:00; parents are welcome Monday, February 21: no school; Presidents’ Day Wednesday, March 2: Early dismissal; 30 minutes before the regular time Monday, March 14: no school Monday, March 28: no school (please note that this non-attendance day for students is not on the school calendar)

Yours in Christ, Frank S. Zárate, Jr., Ed.D. Principal (708) 652-0262 fzarate@olc-school.org