News from Our Lady of Fatima

Our Lady of Fatima Parish School

January 6, 2011

OLF Newsletter

The Love of Christ Urges Us On

Dear Parents,

lola Over the Christmas holiday, we received news that my husband was selected to attend the Naval Warfare College in Newport, Rhode Island this fall. We are so proud of him and his accomplishments in the Marine Corps. It is bittersweet as I am filled with excitement but also with great sadness that I will be leaving my position at Our Lady of Fatima Parish School so that our family can join him.

I assure you, I am on the job 110% until July. Having so much lead time allows our school plenty of time to search for a qualified and appropriate replacement. I look forward to working with the new principal to make the transition as smooth as possible. Our Lady of Fatima School is in a positive position for continued growth. It is also very important to me that he/she is made aware of what makes OLF so very special, each one of you.

I have enjoyed my time here at OLF more than I can possibly express and my family has been so blessed by this community. Thank you for the support, guidance, and encouragement you have provided during our time here. I look forward to another great 6 months... seeing the hall to (almost) completion, enrolling our 2011-2012 students, and celebrating the graduation of the class of 2011.

Yours truly, Mrs. Tipton

PLEASE NOTE

Included in your Yellow Folder Today:
ASC Bills, At Home with Your Faith, local restaurant coupons, and Knights of Columbus Financial Beacon

Quick Links

January 2011 Calendar

Drop off for January

Dismissal for January

SCRIP Info & List

SCRIP Ralphs Registration

Upcoming Dates

January 7

Mass 8:30

January 11

2:00 Dismissal

January 13

OC Philharmonic 10:40

SMCHS Info. Night

January 14

2nd grade Disneyland Band

January 17

No School MLK Day

DUE TO CONSTUCTION and LIMITED SPACE, the parent meeting originally scheduled for Jan. 18 is cancelled.

Newsletter Submissions

Please submit newsletter information to Michele Russi at michelearussiolf@gmail.com by Wednesdays at 9:00 AM.

From Father Jack

DEAR OLF SCHOOL PARENTS

As Pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish and School, when Julie told me the news of her move, I was deeply saddened by our loss of such a pastoral and professional school leader that she has been for us. As a chaplain in the military, I rejoiced that Clay is being recognized for his leadership and service to the Marine Corps and to our country. I am also deeply grateful to Julie, Bailey, and Riley, for their commitment to their family and in their support of Clay's mission, as all of our military families do.

I spoke this week with Mr. Dhuyvetter, Superintendent of Catholic Schools. He and his staff are already mobilizing their process to advertise the principal position here at OLF. An interview committee will be formed in order to choose our next principal with the same qualities of vision, integrity, and dedication to our students, families, and parish that Julie has brought to us over these past few years. Julie promises that she will give 110% in her time with us, and I have no doubt that she will because that is what she has done for her seven years at OLF Parish and School.

May the Lord continue to watch over OLF in our journey of faith, and may He bless the Tipton's with confidence and grace in their future!

Construction Update

Under Construction Thank you to everyone for your patience during drop off and dismissal. PLEASE LOOK FOR AN EMAIL FROM ME over the weekend. It is likely we will be switiching to the back driveway ONLY effective Monday, January 10th. I will not get final confirmation until Saturday. PLEASE look over the diagrams attached so you are familiar with the changes when we go to the back drive way. It should be better as there will not be the narrow passing points we have experienced this week. Again, PLEASE drive slow and carefully! :-) Mrs. Tipton

Curriculum Corner: Technology Integration Units

Great things are happening at OLF! Beyond Technology and OLF are teaming up to put technology to use! Check out our integration unit topics for the upcoming weeks!

MAP
Sorting and Patterns Math

1st Grade
Numbers and Addition Math
2nd Grade
Class Surveys Math
3rd Grade

Animal Habitats Science

4th Grade
California Population and Weather Social Studies and Science

5th Grade
OLF Cafe Math

6th and 7th
Parts of Speech Language Arts

8th Grade
History of the Atomic Structure Science

HELP???? Strategic Planning Committee

Thank you so much to Linda Gould and Deb Russell for volunteering to serve on our communication committee! We still need a few more participants. Our first meeting will be January 12 at 7:00 a.m. in the science room. If you have interests in writing, marketing, editing, photography, layout/design, or website skills... this is the committee for YOU!

The following meetings are:

March 2 @ 7:00 a.m. and May 4 @ 7:00 a.m.

Please consider helping out this VERY IMPORTANT ministry for our parish school. If interested, please contact jtipton@olfschool.net.

MOMS IN TOUCH

Moms In Touch.........this is a weekly prayer meeting of moms from our school who would meet weekly to pray specifically for our children and our school community. It was led last year by Kelly Galvin and Sara Fortuna who are no longer at OLF school, so they asked me to continue their work. It is something I would like to offer our school and be willing to facilitate, but would like to get feedback on interest level and availability. I was thinking mon., wed., or thurs. mornings from 8-9 depending on the most popular response. Those interested, please email or call, Mary Martin, 949-246-2683 or themartins6@cox.net ...........thanks so much, Mary Martin

2011 - 2012 Scholarships

Financial Aid for 2011-2012: As of 01/05/11, only 5 families have applied at FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition) for tuition assistance for next year. OLF will begin looking at these applications in January. Even if you don't have the supporting documents at this time, please go through the process so that your request can be considered. All applications are done on-line. There are no paper applications to fill out. Please find the FAST link on the OLF website to fill out the application. There are large self-addressed envelopes in the office for you to send in your supporting documents.

Auction Update

auction It's regifting time for those Christmas gifts to OLF for our Auction!

SAVE THE DATE: April 2, 2011

Bring your neighbors, friends, and relatives. Always a fun night!

Mater Dei Info Night - January 11

Mater Dei High School invites families exploring options for high school to attend our second Info Night on Tuesday, January 11 at 7:00 p.m. Mater Dei is dedicated to the development of the whole person by providing outstanding academic, artistic, athletic, service and leadership opportunities for our students. Annually 99% of our students go on to college (including the Ivy's and other prestigious universities across the nation), and recently MD Athletics was ranked the #1 high school athletic program in the nation. Be a part of the tradition! For admissions information call (714) 754-1175 or visit www.materdei.org

St. Michael's Prep School Entrance Test

St. Michael's Prep School, ranked as one of the 50 top schools in the United States, is hosting a High School Entrance Test on Saturday, January 22nd at 8:30 a.m. St. Michael's serves young men of moral commitment and academic potential in a Catholic, five-day boarding setting. Financial assistance applications available till January 31st. Pre-registration required. For more information please contact the school office.

St. Michael's Prep School19292 El Toro Rd. Silverado, CA 92676, 949-858-0222 x237 Admissions@stmichaelsprep.org

San Clemente Youth Volleyball League

San Clemente Youth Volleyball League

JSerra Open House

6th, 7th and 8th grade parents
Please Join J Serra for their Open House on January 13th at 6:30pm in the JSerra Pavilion. For additional information, please contact
Karen Testa at 949.493.9307 ext. 2 or via email at ktesta@jserra.org

Screening of "Race to Nowhere"

Race to Nowhere is being shown at Trabuco Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Margarita on Sunday, January 23 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. See attached flyer for information.

Also here is a link to the website: http://www.racetonowhere.com/

CHOICELUNCH UPDATE:

If your child has an emergency lunch it is your responsibility to pay Choicelunch directly. Lunches cost $4.60 and there is an extra fee of $1.45 for the emergency lunches. Total of emergency lunches is $6.05. You just have to create an account with choice lunch and pay by credit card. www.choicelunch.com

Our Lady of Fatima Parish School Mission Statement

Our Lady of Fatima School is a Catholic parish elementary school. Our mission is to nurture individuals to discover their God-given gifts, to encourage them to use these gifts in the service of others and to empower them to be models of integrity and peacemakers who work for justice. We-parents, school staff, and parish community- collaborate in striving for excellence in the education of our children.