February 24, 2023
Dear Parents,
Please join me in welcoming two new staff members to OLC:
Ms. Roberta Breiding will be teaching first grade at our school for the remainder of the school year. Ms. Breiding grew up in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, and attended Visitation Catholic Elementary and High School on Garfield Boulevard. She earned her B.A. in Special Education from Northeastern Illinois University, and her M.A. degree in Reading is also from Northeastern. Roberta began her career in education teaching sixth grade at St. Agnes of Bohemia School in Chicago, however for the bulk of her career she served as a reading specialist in Komarek School District 94 in North Riverside. Ms. Breiding is always kind, patient, and professional, and we are delighted to have her at OLC.
Ms. Christina Martin replaces Ms. Carrie Slaymaker next week as our speech and language pathologist from Cicero School District 99. Ms. Slaymaker is moving to another position in District 99, and though we are sad to see her go, she leaves us in competent hands. Ms. Martin has a B.S. degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Illinois State University in Bloomington. Her M.S. degree in Speech and Language Pathology is from Marquette, a Catholic university in Milwaukee. She previously worked as a counselor in the Maine-Niles Association of Special Recreation in Morton Grove. Welcome, Ms. Martin!
Our new after school program with SGA has an important modification in the requirements. Students in grades PK - 4 must be Berwyn residents. This has to do with SGA's funding. As a result, we are going to participate this year only in the 5th - 8th grade program. We hope that SGA can expand the program next school year to include all students. Participants in the SGA 5th - 8th grade program have to be residents of Berwyn or Cicero. I’m sorry that this wasn't explained to you earlier, and I apologize for any inconvenience. In order for students to participate and begin activities in the SGA 5th - 8th program, parents must enroll the child in the program by completing the application process. To do that, please email me your name and contact number and an SGA staff member will reach out to you. Students who are not enrolled in the SGA 5th - 8th grade program and students in grades PK - 4 grades may still participate in our regular after care program, supervised until 6:00 pm by Lisa Johnson and Cathy Hamilton, at a daily cost of $10.
Rice Bowls: Each classroom now has a Catholic Relief Services rice bowl, and students can deposit a donation into it for Lent. The money collected for this service project helps fight hunger and poverty locally and around the world. Last year we collected $521. Each class has one bowl. We are encouraging children to add any coins to it daily, even pennies.
Lost & Found: Did you know we have a Lost & Found box? If your child loses a sweatshirt or other item at school, be sure to check the box (located near the office).
Summer School: The tentative dates are Monday - Thursday, June 12 - July 13. The tuition will be significantly lower than last year. More information later.
OLC School is hosting a Pop-Up shop Arts & Crafts Fair at the St. Mary of Czestochowa Social Center on March 4 and 5. If you have a small business and would like to reserve a space, contact our school marketer, Yashica Zuniga, at yzuniga@olc-school.org. We will be renting out 25 spaces that are about 8ft x 8ft. It is $30 for one day and $50 for both days.
School Mass schedule (parents welcome to join us): March 3: 9:00, English March 24: 9:00, English No school Mass on Mar. 10 or Mar. 31
Important dates:
Wednesday, March 1: World Compliment Day; students who compliment three people today can wear their favorite flannel shirt to school instead of their uniform!
Friday, March 17: no school
Friday, April 7 - Sunday, April 16: no school, Easter break
Saturday, April 29: 1st holy Communion at 1:00
Yours in Christ, Frank S. Zarate, Jr., Ed.D.
Principal (708) 652-0262
fzarate@olc-school.org
