Mercy Messenger

Through the intercession of Our Lady of Mercy, we commit ourselves to living the Good News of Jesus through Works of Mercy. Our rigorous academic program unleashes creative energy for the pursuit of knowledge and nurtures a hope-filled vision for Catholic leadership. We live out our relationship with God by respecting the dignity of others and providing service to the global community that fosters unity, understanding, and compassion.

Let us soak up the long days and warm sun. May our feet walk on sandy beaches and our heads rest on thick grass under blue skies. This summer, God, may our breathing slow and our hearts open. God help us to be present to all that is so that we might best see all that might be.

Sunday August 18th, 2024

Good morning,

Today is the first mercy messenger of the 2024-2025 school year. I hope everyone is having an enjoyable and relaxing summer. We are only 17 days away from our first day of school on September 4th. Faculty and staff have been hard at work getting the building ready for the upcoming school year. Camp Mercy concluded this week with another fun and successful summer season. A special thank you to Mrs. Harris and Ms. Carney for running a fantastic summer camp. This week you will be getting a welcome email from your child's new homeroom teacher. If you do not receive an email by Thursday 8/22 please let me know. If your child is in pre-k or kindergarten you should have received a welcome letter in the mail. There are several forms on FACTS that need to be read and signed. The handbook and technology policy is under resource documents on your FACTS family portal for you to read. Please have these important forms completed by 9/4. Be on the look out next week for a communication from the home and school association. My next communication will be on 9/1. I wish everyone a peaceful and relaxing final two weeks of summer. If there is anything that I can help you with please do not hesitate to contact me.

In Mercy,

Bill Delaney

9/3- Teacher Organizational Day- No Students

9/4- First Day of School for Students

9/6- 9 am School Mass.

9/6- Ice Cream Social 6:00-7:30pm.

9/11- Back to School Night- Grades 6-8. From 6:30-8pm.

9/11- Class of 2025 Meeting for Parents in Cafe- 8-8:30pm.

9/18- Back to School Night- Grades PreK to 5. From 6:30-8pm.

9/24- Mercy Day Prayer Service 10:00 am in Church. (Installation of Student Council and NJHS Officers)

9/27- Dress Down Day. More information to follow.

9/30- OLM Golf Outing.

August 19th - 29th: 8am - 1pm.

August 30th- September 2: Closed

The class of 2025 will take the AOP High School Placement/Scholarship Test on Wednesday September 25th in school. This test is only for Archdiocese of Philadelphia High Schools. More information on this test will be given at our back to school meeting on 9/11.

Below is the form for the 2024 High School Test Prep course that is taught by Mrs. DiCarne and Mrs. Maher. Please reach out to them with any questions.

EPI student supply packs can be picked up starting Monday August 19th from 8-12pm.

OLM will begin to offer instrumental lessons from Band for Today beginning in the fall for grades 4-8th grade. In September there will be an assembly to demonstrate these instruments to the students. These lessons will take place during the school day. Piano lessons will continue to be offered by Mr. Ferraro. Partial scholarships may be available. In September more information about the program will be coming out. Please visit the bandfortoday.com website for more information.

Our school counselors, Mrs. Parkhill and Ms. Gawthrop, are excited to be back at OLM this school year! Mrs. Parhill and Ms. Gawthrop work as a team to provide school counseling services to the students and families at OLM. Along with direct service, we will provide information to you through the “Counseling Corner” every week. We look forward to the upcoming school year and being able to be a resource to you and your family.

Ms. Kim Gawthrop has 19 years of counseling experience in the school setting and this is her 5th year at OLM. Ms. Gawthrop’s schedule varies, however, she will be at OLM most days and can be reached at kgawthrop@mciu.org.

Mrs. Kristie Parkhill has 17 years of school counseling experience and this is her 2nd year at OLM. Mrs. Parkhill will be in the building on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and can be reached at kparkhill@olmrcs.com.

Please feel free to reach out to Ms. Gawthrop and Mrs. Parkhill with any questions or concerns you may have throughout the year.

Our wonderful Home and School Association will be sending out their own communication the week of the 25th. Please be on the look out. We thank them for all that they continue to do for our school community.

Help needed in overseeing the middle school tennis club. Tennis club runs September thru October. If interested please email hsa@olmrcs.com

• Interested in joining the 2024-2025 HSA?

• The Home & School Association is a parent-led organization dedicated to supporting the OLM Community. We aim to engage students, parents, and teachers to foster the community spirit that makes OLM so special. HSA organizes events, fundraisers, and resources throughout the year. This includes Catholic School Week events, Biennial Adult Social, Trunk or Treat, Father/Daughter Dance, Tennis Club, Ski Club, Middle School Hayride, student assemblies, appreciation events, a variety of fundraisers, sponsoring the 7th Grade Nancy Reilly Memorial Scholarship, 8th Grade Scholarships, and much more.

  HSA is more than just a parent-teacher organization. It is an essential component of the success of our school, proving every day that we are a community, and we need you! We need parent engagement to continue our work. No matter what your family schedule is, whether you have younger or older children, or work in the home or outside, there are things you can do to participate in the school community.

  We have several board positions open and need your time and talent.If you have any interest in joining the HSA board next year, please feel free to complete the form linked below. It is a questionnaire so we may get to know what you are interested in. We meet every month either in the morning (8:15am) or in the afternoon (1:00pm). If you are interested please email HSA@olmrcs.com.

  
  We welcome you to check out our website, www.olmhsa.wixsite.com/2021, or follow and interact with us on social media, FB @olmhsa or Instagram @olmhsa.

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School is proud to provide extended services for our students through CARES program. Afternoon CARES will operate from 3:00 – 6:00 pm on days when OLM is in full session. Unfortunately, due to the lack of interest, Morning CARES WILL NOT be offered during the 2024-2025 school year. Our CARES program is designed to provide a safe and secure environment for students while providing students with an afternoon light snack, outside play (weather permitting), homework time and organized activities. All rules and policies of the school, outlined in the OLM Student-Parent handbook, apply to CARES. For the safety of all children, a parent or designated adult must sign out your child.

The pricing for the 2024-2025 school year is as follows:

After CARE pick up before 4:30 pm $18.00

After CARE pick up after 4:30 pm $20.00

After CARE pick up from 5:30 pm – 6pm $22.00

Late Fees: Students who are picked up late will be assessed a late fee, which will be added to the daily fee.

6:00 – 6:30pm Additional $25.00

CARES fees will be processed at the end of the month through your FACTS accounts. There is a $35.00 family registration fee to cover start-up costs associated with the program.

TO REGISTER PLEASE USE THIS LINK:

https://forms.gle/QnU7WcXdjX4rtS2q7

DROP IN CARES SERVICE

At OLM we recognize that situations may arise in which parents need to utilize CARES, but they have not formally registered for the program. For these days, we are pleased to offer our “Drop-In CARES” services. This Drop-In service provides the same hours and same benefits as our regular CARES program and can be arranged by calling the main office before 2:00pm. The cost of this service is: $25 per student when pick up before 4:30pm, or $30.00 per student when pick up after 4:30pm. Late fees will apply past 6pm.

EARLY DISMISSAL DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER: CARES WILL NOT be available on days that school dismisses early due to inclement weather. On this occasion, please contact the front office to advise how your child should go home (bus or car).

If you have any questions, please contact the CARES coordinator at esolanodeguerra@olmrcs.com

ALL uniform rules will be enforced. Please review the general uniform rules that are listed below and are in the student handbook.

● Girls’ kilts must be no shorter than two inches above the knee. After a second warning, they must wear navy blue tights or school-issued pants until the skirt/kilt is at the appropriate length.

● All students must wear OLM uniform pieces with logos. They must be purchased from one of our two approved vendors: Flynn & O’Hara or Lands’ End.

● All formal and gym uniforms must be purchased from one of our two approved vendors: Flynn & O’Hara or Lands’ End.

● NO LOGOS, Nike Elite sports socks, or the like are permitted with the school uniform except on gym days.

● Sneakers must be worn on gym days, even on a dress-down day.

● Girls may wear post-earrings or small hoops.

● Belts must be worn with pants or shorts by both boys and girls.

● Only the neckline of a plain white undershirt may be visible under the shirt.

2024 OLM Golf Classic

Are you ready to Tee it Up for the Kids?

The OLM Golf Classic is a great way to kick off the year.

Sign up as a foursome or as a single. Not a golfer, consider a sponsorship or join

us for the cocktail reception.

DATE: Monday, September 30, 2024

PLACE: Blue Bell Country Club

Time: 11 am Registration Opens

12:30 Shot Gun Start

Register Today at tinyurl.com/olmgolf2024

See the attached golf brochure for sponsorship and golf information.

For more information, contact Julie Bebey at jbebey@olmrcs.com