OLQA Family,

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas break and a great start to 2025! We're so excited to jump back into school after such a wonderful holiday season at school. Spirit week was a blast and we also had a beautiful Nativity Pageant to close out the holiday season. Thank you to the Sisters for making that happen. We've also attached the link to the Christmas Concert on Youtube to view.

As we enter into the new year, Academics are a high priority. This Friday will be Progress Report Conferences to help give students time to improve grades before the end of the term. Additionally, we will have NWEA MAP testing beginning next week. This will be crucial as a way for students to show growth and will also be linked to student incentives to recognize their growth and achievement.

Looking forward to a great start to 2025!

Mr. Sayer

Principal

Our Lady Queen of Angels School

Reminder that we will return from Winter Break on Monday January 6th with a regular school day with the doors opening at 7:45 as normal (or 7:15 for early drop off).

Friendly reminder that Friday 1/10 will be a 12 PM dismissal day. All students should wear their regular uniform to school.

Please be aware that we will have Progress Report Conferences on Friday 1/10 from 1:00 to 4:00. Make a point to attend, as they provide an opportunity to not just know your child's grade, but also make a plan to improve before the end of the term on Friday, 1/24.

We do Progress Report Conferences INSTEAD of Report Card Conferences to ensure parents can work with teachers to not just understand grades, but to create a plan to improve. It is highly IMPORTANT TO ATTEND Progress Report Conferences to best understand your child's current grades.

We are so proud of our students' wonderful Christmas Concert performance! We have recorded the show and posted the video on Youtube. You can see the link below to go back and watch the performance.

We wanted to give a couple updates for our Middle Schoolers as we enter into the new year. They are:

• Extracurricular Eligibility - For students to remain eligible for extracurricular activities (Basketball, Latin, Dance), they must maintain a B in conduct. Therefore if students receive 3 pink slips, in a quarter, an automatic C in conduct, they will lose eligibility to participate in extracurriculars.
• Class Point Update - As we raise expectations for our middle schoolers in class, the bar to earn recess each day will be moved up to 22 class points a day. This will help push each class as a community to be more focused, and therefore learn more, in their classes.

Please remember to bring in your Medical Forms. The flue shot is required for students in prek3 and 4! Students will need to be restricted from school if they do not bring proof of flu shot before 1/6. New York State requires all immunizations to be up to date and your child can be excluded from school if they are not completed.

Please ensure to bring the documentation to the main office this week if you need to bring proof of immunization.

We will start NWEA MAP testing next week. We are excited that we now have 1:1 chromebooks, but we're still setting them up. Once we're clear on the chromebook situation, we'll announce the testing schedule.

Basketball continues weekly with games and practices. If interested, come and join the teams (JV Boys, Varsity Boys, Girls) as they are a ton of fun and build character. Games will continue this week and can be found on the SE Tourney App and the link below.

Additionally the game schedule will be beginning. Below is the link to access the team schedules:

As a head's up, we will be having a general school fundraiser starting in mid January. We will be selling World's Finest Chocolate bars, with prizes going to the families that sell the most chocolate.

Reminder that the winter uniform has started. This means that students:

• Must wear a white dress shirt / blouse. They cannot wear the polo shirt.
• Boys will need to start wearing the tie with their white dress shirts.
• Students must wear the sweat pants with the gym uniform, no shorts.
• Students cannot wear winter boots, they must change into proper shoes at school

Make sure boys wear a tie with their regular uniform. Not doing this will lead to a uniform slip.

All 8th grade families should apply to Inner City Scholarship Funds high school aid program. It does not cover all tuition, but is a major help in making HS affordable. We will be sending home INDIVIDUALIZED scholarship applications with an INDIVIDUALIZED code for each student to apply.

Be aware, this is DIFFERENT than the individual HS financial aid application. You will need to complete Inner City Scholarship Fund financial aid application AND the school financial aid application to maximize your financial aid to HS.

We hope this newsletter finds you well and that your child is enjoying their summer. We are excited to share some updates and reminders with you as we continue to provide a nurturing and engaging environment for your children.

Program Highlights:

Fun and educational activities:

• Our dedicated staff has been working hard to plan a variety of activities that combine learning and fun. From arts and crafts to sports activities. We aim to keep your child engaged and entertained in a safe and inclusive environment.

Parent-Staff Communication:

• Open door policy: we value your input and encourage you to reach out to us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions. We are available to discuss your child's progress, any specific needs, or to address any other matters you may have. To foster a strong partnership between parents and our program we will be posting on the OLQA newsletter where we will be sharing updates about the program.
• Update contact information: Please inform us immediately if there are any changes to your contact information. It is crucial that we have the most updated information to reach you in case of an emergency.

Important Dates and Reminders:

• We are excited to open registration back up for OLQA after-school program. To ensure your child’s spot by completing the enrollment form.

We appreciate your ongoing support and trust in our after-school program. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us. Together, we can create an enriching and enjoyable experience for your child.

We will be implementing Early Drop Off again this year. Early Drop off will now start at 7:15 and go to 7:45. Students will go down to the cafeteria and can have breakfast. The cost is as follows:

• First Child: $50 a month
• Additional children: $25 a month per child

Any questions, email Ms. Dobrina at dcarrara@olqaeastharlem.org

PK Parents, please be aware that we will be making an adjustment to our PK tardy procedure. TAs have been missing almost all of breakfast, a key time where they are needed to assist with safety, clean up, and bathrooms. Moving forward, students need to be on time to attend breakfast. If students are late, we will hold them by the main office and bring them up with the TA at 8:25. This will help ensure that TAs are able to be fully present at breakfast to start the day.

Metro cards were given to students. If you have not received a metro card please reach out to Ms. Jenniffer. jengarcia@olqaeastharlem.org. There will only be one replacement if the child loses it.

We’ve noticed a recent trend where lunches are being dropped off after the school day has started. Please understand that we cannot disturb the class or leave the front desk to deliver lunches, and we are not responsible if a child does not receive their lunch. To avoid any issues, please ensure your child has their lunch with them at drop-off. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

Verification letters for students will be done on Wednesdays ONLY. Please note that creating verification letters takes time. Kindly allow sufficient processing time for your requests. Thank you for your understanding and patience!

Friendly reminder to ensure that you 1) enter from the 2nd Avenue door at dismissal and 2) leave from the 3rd Avenue door. This helps ensure a smooth traffic flow in and out of the gym.

Reminder that beginning of year forms can now be accessed on SchoolAdmin. They need to be completed by 9/8, so please ensure they are signed as soon as possible. The forms to complete are:

We are no longer accepting cash deposits. Please bring in a check or a money order. If you bring cash you will be turned away. Thank you families for understanding.

We suggest you pay online using FACTS. FACTS can also take payments in debit or credit card for your convenience.

Have any questions, feel free to reach out to us!

• Mr. Sayer, Principal = Email: james.sayer@olqaeastharlem.org; C: 929-390-1687
• Ms. Dobrina, Operations Leader = Email: dcarrara@olqaeastharlem.org
• Ms. Nieves, Academic Dean = Email: mnieves@olqaeastharlem.org
• Ms. Jenniffer, Operations = Email: jengarcia@olqaeastharlem.org