crusader chronicle - Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Our Lady of Perpetual Help School
CRUSADER
Volume 25
New Albany, Indiana
CHRONICLE
Rise up, Respect, Rely on God
February 17, 2016
Dear Our Lady Families,
Thank you for accessing this week's newsletter. As always, we have a lot going on. Please read on to hear of some of
the details!
Wedding Bells for Mr. Q and Ms. U! Congratulations to our Kindergarteners who celebrated the recent marriage of Mr. Q
and Ms. U and will forever remember that Q always needs U. It was a lovely event with special music by Mrs. Balser's
mom, Sondra Albers. What an engaging way to make learning stick! Thank you, Mrs. Balser and Mrs. Bush!
Congratulations to Girl Scout Troop 2197 (our Juniors & Cadette) for being voted "Best Overall" presentation at the
World Thinking Day event held this past weekend! The girls researched and presented the country of Australia to guests.
They dressed in local costume or as animals common to Australian territory such as the koala bear, kangaroo, dingo,
wombat, emu, or Tasmanian devil. Troop 2197 put together a wonderful presentation which included samples of fairy
cake (a local treat served at birthday parties), local dance, vocal and instrumental music. Troop members include Lilly
Tappel, Laney Dykes, Ivy Hasenour, Jill Burnette, Morgan Schoen, Reese Upton, Leah Robinson, Kalena Martin,
Madyson Blume, Madison Mullis, Katelynn Clemmons and Madeline Beeler. Congratulations, on the creative work and
this accomplishment! (You can see the award-winning plaque in our showcase by the office.) We're so proud of you,
girls!
Jumprope and Hoops for Heart Results Wow! Can Our Lady excel in full force for great causes! The total amount
raised for the American Heart Association was $12,516 ($7,536 was in online donations) Top Fundraisers: Jordon
Riddick-$375; Santana Bennett-$315; Micah Summers- $295; Will Brewer- $275; Derrick Smith- $275; Conor Wolf$260; Grant Dierking- $250; Gavin Hudson- $250. Top donations raised by class: Gr. 4- Mr. Stemle's class- $1189;
Gr. 7– Ms. Jackson’s class- $1145; Gr. 5– Ms. Summers’ class- $1115; Gr. 3– Mr. McGuire’s class- $955; Kdg.– Mrs.
Bush’s class- $894; and Gr. 2– Mrs. Snook’s class- $891.
Conservation Education Last week, Grades K-4 saw the program Space Station Conservation sponsored by Duke
Energy. Now, school families can sign up for a free energy kit and save more energy at home. If 75 families from Our
Lady sign up for this free kit by May 31, we will be entered into a drawing for $10,000! So far, Our Lady of Perpetual
Help School has saved 6,844 kilowatt hours by signing up for 29 free Energy Kits. Go to MyEnergyKit.org.to get your
free kit today!
ISTEP Review and Practice We are reviewing and preparing our students for the first round of ISTEP+ testing which
will begin at Our Lady on March 2 as students take a paper and pencil test of applied skills. Reviewing test taking skills
and how to thoroughly read and write strong answers to writing prompts is a genre all its own. The more we review and
practice, the more at ease our students are for this heavy-weight assessment.
Fish Fry The Athletic Committee Fish Fry was a huge success! NJHS did a great job assisting with the prep, serving
and clean up at Friday's event. With fish dinners, pizza, beverages and desserts, the event offered delicious food,
wonderful fellowship and a respectful, family atmosphere to enjoy one another. Thanks to all who attended and especially those who donated desserts. Students who brought a dessert may be out of uniform on Thurs., Feb. 18. Thank
you! We hope you’ll make the next Fish Fry on Fri., Feb. 26.
Student Leadership NJHS is also meeting to plan improvements in our courtyard by the
pedway while Student Council plans ISTEP Mania events, a pep session and Middle School
March Madness Games. At Our Lady, there is always something fun to look forward to along
with our studies!
Enrollment Time! We are enrolling students for the 2016-17 school year now so we can
budget, plan, staff and order supplies and equipment. Please register your child by March 11
and save on the registration fee. Let parishioners, friends, neighbors and relatives know about
our school. Feel free to make an appointment and let me hear your thoughts on what is great
and what needs attention as we continually improve with the help of each Crusader! We are touring families and often
have students shadow for the day. Our children are very welcoming and candid in telling others about the school.
A Catholic education makes a difference for a lifetime. See the difference an Our Lady education will make for your
children or grandchildren, too.
Main Event We need your talent, energy, creativity and salesmanship! It's time to give a final push to raffle ticket
sales! We have $50 and $100 tickets left. Ask alums, community members, businesses you frequent and colleagues to
buy a ticket or share in purchasing a few. Don't put this off! We are only 17 days away from Main Event 2016! Email
Rikki McGuire at rmcguire@olphna.org to see how you can help.
Also, the Acquisitions Team decided not to have our Musical Theater students perform at the start of The Main Event
on March 5, so I wanted to get that news to you in case parents were deciding on logistics for their children that night. No
worries--we will find another opportunity for our students to showcase a few numbers at a school or parish event.
Lent How's it going with your focus on Lent? We participated in Stations of the Cross yesterday. The Walk to Jerusalem program is underway as time spent in prayer and exercise gets charted as miles in our parish-school walk this Lent.
The WaterStep Project has begun! Gr. 5-8 students will learn more at a program today.
Please donate new or clean, gently used shoes to the bins located throughout the
school. Shoe donations earn water treatment equipment to make safe water and save
lives throughout the world. WaterStep just informed me that we will be focusing our efforts on Flint, Michigan. The funds we ultimately raise through shoes donated will help
children 0-6 years old who have lead poisoning.
This Saturday, WaterStep is having a big celebration with the media looking for schools
to "tell their stories of why we wanted to help" between 10:30-11:30 AM. This would be
a perfect opportunity for Our Lady of Perpetual Help School to receive attention for one
of the many successful service projects we do! Dear Families, please email your classroom teacher if you can be at WaterStep at 625 Myrtle Street in Louisville on Sat.,
Feb. 20 with some shoes and tell our story! Thank you for considering this and responding to your teacher if you'll be there. The event is from 9:00-12:00, and we will be showcased in the 10:30-11:30 AM hour.
That's it for now! Have a prayerful, safe and loving week,
Mary Ann
Activities Calendar
Thurs., Feb. 18—Out of Uniform Day for students who brought dessert to the Fish Fry on Feb. 12
Thurs., Feb. 25—2:00 Stations of the Cross
Fri., Feb. 26—Deanery Academy Olympics at Providence; Fish Fry 4-7:00 PM at Our Lady Gym
Mon., Feb 29—Happy Leap Day! Mix-It-Up Luncheon
Tues., Mar. 1—Spirit Day; Reconciliation Service for Grades 2-8 at 9:30 AM in Church; ISTEP
Testing begins
Wed., Mar. 2—Week One, 6:00 PM in Wagner Hall
Thurs., Mar. 3—2:00 Stations of the Cross
Sat., Mar. 5—6:30 PM—The Main Event—in the gym at Our Lady (see attached information sheet)
Fri., Mar. 11—End of Third Quarter Grading Period; Last day to register your child and pay $50 fee.
Mon., Mar. 14—Third Grade I-READ begins
Thurs., Mar. 17—Happy St. Patrick’s Day
Fri., Mar. 18—All School Mass; March Madness Games, Gr. 5-8
Sun., Mar. 20—Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week (Consult the church website for information)
Mon. & Tues., Mar. 21-22—Parent-Teacher Conferences
Tues., Mar. 22—Grades K & 1 to Stage One
Fri., Mar. 25—8:00 AM Good Friday Service/Day of Reflection; 3:00 PM Passion Service in Church
Mar. 28-April 8—NO SCHOOL—SPRING BREAK; Snow Makeup Days if necessary begin with April 8,7,6,5,4.
Counselor’s Corner
Dear Parents,
I hope everyone enjoyed their extra day off on Monday; I know I did with my girls!
Do you remember back to your childhood and the days where we played “kick the can” or “hide
and seek”? Those were the BEST days….I think back on them fondly! Nowadays, our kiddos have it
harder with all these distractions that we never had as kids. Our kids have video games, iPads, cell
phones, internet, and even TV has gotten a lot more mature on the family channels. Our kids have a lot
they are being exposed to, and it is hard as parents to monitor their every move. But when I hear young
kids at school talking about mature TV shows and video games with all this violence, it pains my heart.
It was easy when we were kids because all these distractions weren’t there…..but unfortunately they
are now. Please be aware of what games, TV shows, movies, websites your kiddos are watching, because
they may innocently come about more mature shows than they realize. Kids have a hard time separating
the video game and TV world from reality. Please have conversations with your kids about the difference and explain to them why they aren’t old enough to watch a TV show or play a video game yet. Let’s
have kids be kids again, because as we all know, they grow up way too fast!
Thank you for listening to my “good ole days” speech….
I hope our kiddos can look back with fond memories of their
childhood and remember being outside playing with their friends
instead of inside playing video games.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gilbert
Remember After-school Care and Child Care Ministry as you clear out
for spring cleaning. We can always use old dance and Halloween costumes; tap shoes; old dress-up clothing (no hats please, except hard
plastic); small table and chairs; blocks and toys not requiring batteries
(no stuffed animals please); games and puzzles; arts and crafts; and any
kind of balls. We need video games for XBOX 360 and Nintendo 64 -must be rated for ‘everyone’. No movies please. Thanks!
Indiana Private Education Income Tax Deduction 626
You may be eligible for a deduction based on education expenditures paid for each child who is enrolled
in a private school. You must be eligible to claim the child as a dependent on your federal tax return. An
education expenditure refers to any payment made for tuition, fees, computer software, textbooks,
workbooks, curricula, school supplies (other than personal computers) and other written materials used
primarily for academic instruction or tutoring, or both. Your deduction will be $1,000 multiplied by the
number of qualified dependents. Our Lady of Perpetual Help School’s state school code is B060.
from the cafeteria ————
HELP! We need help in the Cafe! it seems families have been gracious in paying their $50, but we
also really need volunteer help in the cafe. Each time you volunteer, $10 will be refunded to your
child’s café account for a maximum of 5 times ($50). Please call Sandy and offer a time or two this
second semester to help us at lunchtime. The students love our parent and grand- parent volunteers, and it's fun to see your child with their friends at lunch. It takes each of us giving a little to
make the load light. We know families are busy--maybe a grandparent can assist. Please email
Sandy with a few options at sgilland@olphna.org Thanks so much!
CLARKSVILLE ROTARY CLUB SPEECH CONTEST WINNERS
Providence High School was represented by three students in the
Clarksville Rotary Club Speech Contest this month. Two winners
are former students of Our Lady — junior Barrett Johnson won
second place and junior Juston Betz placed fourth. First place
was awarded to junior Bayley Wade. Congratulations!
Providence High School Honor Roll—2nd Quarter 2015-16
Congratulations to these students who attended Our Lady and
were named to the Providence High honor roll for the
2nd quarter grading period.
Principal’s List: Ben Popson, Ben Arnson, Brooklyn Belviy,
Juston Betz, Brooke Hayden, Hannah Hunter, Olivia Jenkins, Vonnie Smith,
Andrew Bittenbender, Austin Hughes and Adriel Nacpil
1st Honors: Landon Carrico, Allie Orberson, Ethan Roberson, Sarah Snyder,
Nick Berry, Carl Carney, Sam Conrad, Morgan Day, Mia Fougerousse, Barrett
Johnson, Jeffrey Krieger, Dawson Mitchell, Riley Quinn, Ally Tandy, Shea
Caylor, Ethan Furnish, Nathan Smith, Emma Wade, Lilly Bivens, Joe Denis,
Bradon Dykes, Megan Flanagan, Grace Hublar, Maria Makowsky, Hanna Mitchell
and Brandon Schafer
2nd Honors: Hannah Day, Joe Bivens, Eli Coker, Sean Morris and Thomas
Filmer