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.

Lord, our God, we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people. He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us. He is the Savior of us all".

Sunday December 1st, 2024

Good morning,

I hope everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. Wherever you celebrated Thanksgiving I hope you enjoyed the family and friends that were at your dinner table. As Advent begins, we should reflect upon how ready we are for Jesus' coming. Are you preparing for it with the same fervor that you prepare for Christmas through shopping, cooking, decorating, etc.? Are you looking forward to that day when He will return? Are you preparing for the spiritual celebration of His birth? In school for the these weeks leading up to Christmas we will be asking the students to reflect as well to have them understand the true meaning of Christmas. This upcoming week grades 3-8th will be going to confession on Wednesday and then we will have our school Mass on Friday where we will be awarding our peacemakers for the month of November which was thankfulness. Please join us if you are able to. Also on Friday after Mass we will be having our picture retakes for anyone who was absent the day we had picture day or for anyone that would like to get a new picture. We only have fifteen school days until our Christmas break. I am sure these next three weeks will be very busy and fly right by. I hope everyone has a great week ahead and as always please reach out with any questions or concerns.

In Mercy,

Bill Delaney

Our annual Christmas Tableau will be held on Thursday December 19th at 7pm. Students will arrive at 6:30pm. More information will follow in the coming weeks. Please know that the expectation is that all students participate in this annual school tradition.

As we have done in past years, we will continue with automatic re-registration for all current students in grades K to 7th grade for the 2025-2026 school year. Any family that does not plan to return next year must contact Julie Bebey at jbebey@olmrcs.com by Wednesday, December 18th, 2024. All returning families will have their FACTS accounts charged the $300/family re-registration fee in January. If you have any questions, please speak with Julie Bebey. Thank you in advance for your commitment to OLM and catholic education.

2025-2026 financial aid is now open. Please log onto your FACTS account to apply. To be considered for financial aid you must fill out an application through your FACTS account. If you have any questions please send your questions to grants@olmrcs.com.

Reminders

- Please remember to fill out all the school forms that are on FACTS.

- If you are changing the way your child is going home please call the main office before 1pm.

- If your child is absent from school please email attendance@olmrcs.com.

- Make sure to have all your clearances up to date if you are planning on volunteering in the school or with any clubs.

Please remember that your child needs to be 24 hours fever free and vomit free without medicine before returning to school. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community healthy.

As we are moving towards the winter months of the year here are a couple of reminders if we have a delayed school day or closure.

- OLM follows Upper Dublin school district. If Upper Dublin closes school for weather or is delayed, OLM is closed or delayed. A text, call and email will be sent out.

- If another school district closes and Upper Dublin is open, OLM is open. Those school district's that are closed will not provide busing. You will be notified if that occurs.

- If OLM is closed for a weather related reason we will be running on an asynchronous learning day. Your child's teacher will send work that will have to be completed through google classroom or via email.

12/5- Dress Down Day ($2 Student Council Christmas Shopping).

12/6- First trimester ends.

12/7- Ambler Parade (1pm)

12/9- Christmas Tree lighting (6:30pm).

12/10-12/11- Secret Santa Shop

12/13- Dress Down Day (Ski Club).

We proudly report that the Class of 2025 students were awarded the following scholarships. We congratulate these students and their families! We will continue to update this list in the weekly Sunday Mercy Messenger. Please continue emailing or providing scholarship documentation to Mrs. Maher. (cmaher@olmrcs.com)

Charlotte Chiappa - Founder’s Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School

Izzy Eliason - St. Therese Academic Scholarship - Lansdale Catholic High School

Will McMullen- Founder’s Academic Scholarship- Lansdale Catholic High School

Grace Womelsdorf - Music Scholarship -Gwynedd Mercy High School

Grace Womelsdorf - Presidential Academic Scholarship - Lansdale Catholic High School

Grace Womelsdorf - Academic Scholarship - Archbishop Wood Catholic High School

Test Prep Program for 6th & 7th Grade Students

Facilitators

● Mrs. Caroline Maher - Math

● Mrs. Rita DiCarne - ELA

Goals

● Prepare students for the high school entrance exams as well as Terra Nova Testing

● Complete a multitude of practice questions/problems

● Learn test-taking strategies

Sessions

● Sessions will run on Mondays and Thursdays from January 9th - February 20th.

● Please note - Sessions 5, 6, 7, & 8 are once per week

● Sessions will be completed before the high school practice exams

Fee

● $250 for 10 sessions

Due Date

● December 20, 2024

Payment Options

● Check: Please make it out to “Rita DiCarne”

● Venmo: @Rita-DiCarne

Required Text: Peterson’s Master theTM Catholic High Schools Entrance Exams 26th Edition

ISBN: 978-076894586 Amazon Link

● Must be purchased before the start of class

● If you took the class last year, this is the same text we used last year.

Questions - Contact

● Mrs. Maher - cmaher@olmrcs.com

● Mrs. DiCarne - rdicarne@olmrcs.com

Session Date Time

1 Thursday, January 9 3:15 - 4:45

2 Monday, January 13 3:15 - 4:45

3 Thursday, January 16 3:15 - 4:45

4 Thursday, January 23 3:15 - 4:45

5 Monday, January 27 3:15 - 4:45

6 Thursday, January 30 3:15 - 4:45

7 Thursday, February 6 3:15 - 4:45

8 Monday, February 10 3:15 - 4:45

9 Thursday, February 13 3:15 - 4:45

10 Thursday, February 20 3:15 - 4:45

Snow days if needed - Monday, February 3rd, Monday February 24th, Thursday, February 27th

Test Prep Program for 6th & 7th Grade Students

Registration

Please print

Student’s Name _____________________________________ Grade_____________

Emergency Contact

Name ______________________________ Phone #_____________________

Payment Method

______Check payable to “Rita DiCarne”

______Venmo @Rita-DiCarne

Parent/Guardian Signature __________________________________Date______________

The OLM community will be working in conjunction with the St. Vincent DePaul Society at St. Catherines to raise money to buy Christmas gifts for local families that are in need. Student Council will be sponsoring a pajama dress down on Thursday, December 5th. We are asking for a minimum $2 donation from each student. We have received wish lists with various items for us to purchase with the money our school collects, and Student Council will be going Christmas shopping during the week of 12/9. If you would like to purchase a specific gift or gift card, please contact Ms. Timlin at stimlin@olmrcs.com. We thank you for your generosity! See the attached flyer for more details.

Believe it or not, it is already time to place your order for the 2024-2025 OLM yearbook!

To order a yearbook, please follow the steps listed below:

1- Go to https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A07266900

2- Under the "Yearbook" heading, click "Buy Now" and continue following prompts to order the yearbook

3- Complete the remainder of the order by entering the following:

- Student First Name

- Student Last Name

- Grade

- Homeroom Teacher

4- Please continue following the prompts. All orders will be paid online via credit card. Please be sure to keep your receipt to verify that you did order a yearbook!

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL 8TH GRADE STUDENTS DO NOT NEED TO ORDER A YEARBOOK AS THIS IS ALREADY INCLUDED IN GRADUATION FEES!!

LAST DAY TO ORDER YEARBOOKS: March 23, 2025

We need parents to prepare the float for the Ambler Parade. Please get in touch with Julie Bebey if you can help. Most work will be done at night at a parent's home.

• This year we invite you to contribute to an optional gifting holiday fund. We are asking for a suggested $10.00-$20.00 donation per family. The collected amount will be used for the staff, specials, front office, lunch staff to have a nice holiday gift from the families. Checks can be made out to OLM. Please put in the memo “optional gift giving”. On the envelope, please put the attention of HSA – Optional Gift Giving. Please have all donations in by Friday, December 13th. For additional information, please see the attached flyer for more details. **Traditional teachers’ gifts will be coordinated by homeroom parents who will be reaching out to you.

• We need parent volunteers to help with Ski & Board Club Monday Pretzels. One person is asked to pick up pretzels at 8 am at the Philly Pretzel Factory Horsham, deliver them to the school, and help sort and distribute them. We need another parent to meet at the school at 8:15 am and help sort/distribute them. Please use the SignUp Genius link to volunteer for a day or two. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4DA9A62CA2FD0-51172154-2024#/

This holiday season, we’ve partnered with Minted where you can save 20% and Minted donates back 15% to the school. Shop holiday cards and gifts on minted.com/holiday and use our promo code: FUNDRAISEMERCYREGIONAL.

Mabel's Labels will donate 20% of all purchase totals made through our storefront! Visit campaigns.mabelslabels.com and select Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School (Maple Glen). All coupon codes and promos are valid through our storefront and shipping is always free!

• Interested in joining the 2024-2025 HSA?

• Want to be more involved with events at school. Feel free to complete the interest form: tinyurl.com/2425OLMVolCalendar. As the event becomes closer we will pass your information to the chair of the event. We welcome you to follow and interact with us on social media, FB @olmhsa or Instagram @olmhsa.
• 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.

Welcome back to OLM!!

At OLM the students are our top priority and we are excited to serve your child through our Lunch program. In this letter you will find some important information about the program, what it is included in every meal and payment options.

OLM Lunch Program and Meal Plan:

Full lunch: $5.00 and includes:

- Main Entree (two different options every day)

- Side Dish

- 2 fruits AND 2 veggies

- 1 drink (milk, small water bottle or 100% juice)

Menus are posted in the school website under the "Lunch Program" tab and are included in the school's communication that is sent home at the beginning of each month. In addition to the two main dishes daily options, we offer seven alternate lunch choices on a daily basis. Snacks, bottled drinks and A la Carte items are not included in the meal plan, but they are available to be purchased every day and can be bought with or without buying the meal.

As in past years, we will continue to offer Fireside (boneless wings) and Chick Fil A once a month. A Google form will be posted in the school communication so you can register for these lunches. Although payment is not necessary at the time of ordering, we kindly ask that you make sure that your account has enough balance to cover such lunches, otherwise your orders won't be processed.

This year we are merging the lunch program with our FACTS system. As in the past EVERY STUDENT is provided with a NEW PIN number. This PIN number can be found in your FACTS Family Page: All you have to do is select your child from the middle drop down menu and find his/her 5 digit number -on the left hand of the screen- labeled ID Number, system. We kindly ask that you help your child memorize his/her number as this will help us speed up the check out process.

Lunch FAMILY accounts can be funded through your financial link in the FACTS family portal.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at esolanodeguerra@olmrcs.com

Looking forward to serving your kid!!

Mrs. Eugenia Solano-DeGuerra

OLM Cafe Food Service Director/CARES Director

BEGINNING PIANO LESSONS AT OLM!!

Payment: Every 4 lessons in the amount of $100.

Lessons will be scheduled upon receipt of first payment.

Payments may be made through PayPal. FJFJR@comcast.net

Or Venmo at….. @Frank-Ferraro-12

Lesson details:

Private lessons, 30 minutes each, once per week, during school hours.

Teachers will be contacted regarding lesson times. Parents will be informed of their child’s lesson time.

We will begin lessons in October!!

Please purchase this piano book: Alfred's Basic Piano Library Lesson Book, Bk 1A: Book & CD

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0739024833/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_c_u6L.xbJENWRFZ

Many Blessings,

Frank Ferraro

Piano Instructor

band@olmrcs.com

Morning Car Line: For everyone's safety please do not park your car and walk your child over in the morning. Please stay in the car line and drop your child off on the sidewalk. Thank you for your cooperation.

To keep our students safe and the car line moving in the afternoon, please:

• Do not get out of your cars. A faculty member will help your child get into the car.
• DO NOT PASS cars in front of you as there may be children getting into their cars on the driver's side. Please be patient and stay in line as you exit the school property, following the car in front of you.
• Do not stop in front of your child. Pull up as far as you can (up to the gym doors) to allow the most cars to load at one time. Please pull right up to the car in front of you.
• Do not speed. The speed limit is 10 MPH while driving on any part of the school property. Please be mindful of your speed.
• Do not use your cell phone while driving in the parking lot.
• WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE PUT A SIGN IN YOUR PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WINDOW IDENTIFYING YOUR LAST NAME. This will help us find your child(ren) faster.
• If you need to buckle your child into their car seat, please do so in the circle near the exit of the property.

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.

12/1

George Federici

12/2

Zyonne Knight

12/3

Aubree Kulp

12/7

Ms. Timlin

Tuesday 12/3

Robert Wilkin

Paul Geppert

Wednesday 12/4

Lori Erb

Simon Schmalbach

Thursday 12/5

Michael McGettigan

Declan Doherty

Friday 12/6 (School Mass)

Luke McDonald

Harry Ellis

Abigail Klein