April 1-7 Continuation of Easter Vacation

 
April 10th - 15th Standardized Testing

Each spring the School administers the Terra Nova Standardized Assessment at all grade levels. Different grade levels are required to complete different portions of the test, so testing, which is administered in the mornings, may last three or four days depending on the grade level. It is very important that your children be in school and on time these days. This year the Terra Nova tests will be administered April 10th - April 12th and April 15th for those grades requiring a fourth day. There is nothing that children need to do to prepare for these tests. Teachers generally incorporate good test taking skills as part of their lessons throughout the year, and the content is targeted to the grade level for assessing proficiency. The best preparation is a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast.

 

April 11th - Out of Uniform Opportunity/Guest Speaker

Sister Mary Diana, of the Dominican Sisters of Nashville, and also a practicing medical physician, will be speaking at 7:00 p.m. at St. Michael Hall on the topic, "Faith, Medicine, and Morality." Sister is an engaging speaker and a talented physician who is abreast of the many controversies in the medical field and the impact they have on the physician's conscience and on us as patients. This is a presentation of interest and relevance to all adults and young adults. You are guaranteed to learn something fascinating and to see the world a bit differently at the end of the evening. An out of uniform pass will be available for the children of any parent who attends.

                                                                                                                      

April 13th Registration for Summer Camps

OLMC School is partnering with Newport News Parks and Recreation to put on Summer Camps at the School. To participate in these camps, it is necessary that the children be registered with NNPR. They have a one day price special deal of $10 for this registration. This is required of all participants whether you attend one week or all summer. The early bird price is $25 for registration and the full price is $40. On April 13th, the $10 special is a one-day deal that must be completed at the new Denbigh Community Center located at 15198 Warwick Blvd., N.N. 23608 757-812-7900. The actual camps will be held at OLMC School. 

                    

April 20th The Night of the Auction - Puttin' on the Ritz

The Auction is the School's most exciting fundraiser. On April 19th many hands will be decorating, cooking, and preparing for the Auction on Saturday night. Your children have been making class projects which will be auctioned off on that evening. Other popular items for auction include opportunities for your children to play putt-putt with your teachers and friends, laser tag, bowling, weekend get-a-ways, as well as a host of items on silent auction tables. It is a joyous feel-good event that does a tremendous amount of good for the school.

• The fund-an-item is an item selected by the Principal, usually under the advisement of the School Board, which is targeted at the auction. Anyone who wants to support the fund-an-item can offer a bid at any level. This great community effort in the past has helped to build the gym floor and to put an LCD projector in every classroom. This year's fund-an-item is to outfit every classroom with an iPad and the ability to project the screen for whole class instruction. The fund-an-item is explained in advance of the auction for the sake of anyone who wants to make a donation toward it but who will not be able to attend the auction. This year the item will directly impact the classroom instruction.

April 23rd at 2:00 - performance for school assembly

April 25th at 6:30 - performance for parents and guests

 

April 24th Faith Day

Last year OLMC School had its first Faith Day. Students spend the day in their Faith Families with a catechist teacher and a support teacher all day. Many students attested that this was their favorite day of the entire school year last year. It is wonderfully balanced with prayer, physical activity, learning, and fun. The day is intended to provide the opportunity, time, and space for the students to encounter Jesus Christ and be renewed in their faith. Special t-shirts are a highlight of the day. While there will be only one design, there will be as many color t-shirts as there are faith families, so each family takes pride in being a team. Students may wear jeans this day, even though we will start the day with Mass. The outline of the day follows:

• Mass
• Procession to the School Gym
• Break/Snack
• First activity - based on a gospel passage
• Talk by Father John David
• Lunch (everyone packs a lunch)/Recess/Prayer
• Second activity - based on a gospel passage
• Whole school prayer time in the gym with Adoration, music and singing
• Benediction 2:30
• Dismissal - normal time 

Students in grades 7/8 are invited to dress up and come to the social. The DJ plays a wonderful array of music while the children dance, play or socialize.

 

April 30th Interims

This marks the home stretch for students in the academic year. Any student who is recommended for summer remediation or for retention will receive a notification in this interim report. If the student is in grades 5-8, the letter will come home without a report card since grades can be checked on Edline.

 

Preparation for 2013-2014 Academic Year

• At Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, registration is a process that occurs each year. If you have not already registered for the next school year, this is an important next step. The business office will send out contracts before Easter to be signed and returned.
• Summer reading lists for your child's rising grade will be provided prior to the OLMC night at Barnes and Noble in May. 

 

 

Looking Ahead to early May

 

May Crowning and Grandparents Day

This generally falls on the first Friday in May. Many grandparents from near and far attend Mass with us this morning and visit the school for celebrations and performances. The statue of Mary is brought over to the Church from the middle school building. Immediately following Mass the 2nd grade forms the honor guard and the 8th grade process toward the statue, while one girl crowns Our Lady in honor of her month of May. In many churches this is done on May 1st, the beginning of the month, but we do this on the first day we have school Mass, which is usually on Friday. This is also a soft dismissal and students are checked out of the classrooms with parents by 10:50 followed by a normal carpool at 11am for any children who did not leave with grandparents.