Dates To Remember

Feb. 8 Skating Grades 2, 4, 6
Feb. 9 Primary Hip Hop Performance at 1:00pm
Feb. 10 Grade 7 Grad Photos & Team Photos
Feb. 16 – 17 Catholic Educators Conference
School Closed
Feb. 25 FHC Mass #3 at 5:00pm
Feb. 29 Pink Shirt Day

Registration Meeting

The registration meeting will be held on February 28, 2012 at 7:00pm in the school gym. Registration packages for the 2012- 2013 school year will be handed out at the meeting. Those attending the meeting will have priority given to them in regards to the participation program. For any families unable to attend the meeting, the packages will be sent home the following day with the eldest student.

Primary Hip Hop Performance

The primary students (Kindergarten – Grade 3) will be putting on their hip hop performance on Thursday, February 9th at 1:00pm in the school gym.

Pink Shirt Day

Wednesday, February 29th is Pink Shirt Day. Students and staff are asked to wear pink and to bring in a toonie. If the student is unable to wear pink, full uniform is required.

Pink shirt day was originally started as a protest against a bullying incident at a Nova Scotia high school (Central Kings Rural High). The original event was organized by David Shepherd and Travis Price, two senior students who took a stand against a freshman student being bullied for wearing a pink shirt. They bought and distributed 50 pink shirts to students who also took a stand against bullying. This act of leadership provides a great example to our OLM students.

TravelSmart

The TravelSmart program now being delivered to Our Lady of Mercy Elementary is a whole school sustainable and active transportation program that educates students about the impacts of transportation to our health and the earth. It is also a student leadership program offered to select students in grades 5-7. This program is sponsored by TransLink and is fully funded so there is no cost to participating schools. See the attached flyer for more information.
Learn More

Report Card Covers

Report card covers and the blue tech sheets are due back to the classroom teacher, no later than Friday, December 9th.

Christmas Concert Tickets

Tickets will be going home on Friday, December 9th with the eldest student.

Early Lunch

There will be early lunch Monday, December 12 and Tuesday, December 13. Lunch will be from 11:30am – 12:30pm.

Late Start Reminder

On Wednesday, December 14th and Thursday, December 15th classes will begin at 10:00 a.m. There will be supervision at 8:00 a.m. and students will be allowed in the school at 8:45 a.m. just like a regular school day. However, for any parent who wishes their child to sleep in, academics will not begin until 10:00 a.m.

Christmas Concert DVD

A souvenir DVD of the 2011 Christmas Concert will be available for purchase. Please fill out the attached form and return the form and payment to the classroom teacher no later than Monday, December 12th.
Download Order Form

Christmas Concert Tickets

The Christmas Concert Tickets order form will be emailed early next week. There is a maximum of 4 tickets per family. We are requesting a monetary donation to help offset the costs associated with this production. The suggested donation is $2.00, but any amount would be greatly appreciated.

Donate Toiletry Items for the HomelessIn conjunction with St. Thomas More, OLM is collecting toiletry items for the homeless. It would be extremely appreciated if you are able to donate any of the following items:

• Toothbrushes
• Individual sized toothpaste
• Shaving razors
• Individualized sized shampoo
• Individualized sized conditioner
• Bars of soap
• Combs
• Deodorant

Students can either bring the items to their classroom or put the items in the donation boxes near the office.

Thank you.

Vow of Silence in the Elementary ClassroomThis year, on November 30, youth around the world will participate in Free the Children’s Vow of Silence campaign and stay silent in solidarity with children who are denied their human rights and their voice. This campaign was initiated by Michel Chikwanine who was only five years old when he was abducted by rebel soldiers from a soccer field in Congo and was forced to become a child soldier.
Imagine not having a voice; not being able to speak or stand up for your rights. It is a reality that children in the world are subjected to exploitation, forced to live in poverty, and denied basic human rights.

At the school assembly on, Tuesday, November 22, 2011, two Grade 7 students explained the Vow of Silence to the student body. The teachers have also been explaining that every person has human rights. These are basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to regardless of their nationality, gender, race, religion, language, etc.

(Parent Note: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly. This document lists the essential rights for all human beings and sets the standard for how we should behave towards one another so that everyone’s dignity.)

“Going Silent” has different interpretations. Our Grade 7 leaders have asked the primary students to refrain from talking between 12:00pm to 3:00pm. The intermediate students and staff have been given a more challenging Vow of Silence. We have been asked to refrain from talking or using electronic communication from 12:00pm to midnight. Therefore, when your child goes home we are asking you to encourage them not to text, email, Facebook, twitter etc. Instead we are asking students to pray, read, do homework or other silent activities.

Our hope is to raise awareness with our students. One young person who participated last year states, “I do it because a lot of people around here don’t realize that there are kids their own age across the world that aren’t in school, and are stuck doing manual labor every day. I think awareness needs to be raised so people see what life is like for people living in other countries.”

Another young person states, “We are giving a voice to the voiceless. By raising awareness I hope to inspire others to take action against the horrific conditions endured by some children. I believe one person can make a difference.”

For more information and informative videos please visit, www.freethechildren.com.

Support OLM School Apple Sales
OLM is selling Aurora Golden Gala, locally grown apples. These Aurora apples are grown in the Okanagan valley. The Aurora is a very rare apple. It is crisp, very juicy and very sweet. We also have a limited supply of Ambrosia and Jona Gold apples available.

OLM is selling these apples this weekend November 5 & 6 at OLM Parish after Masses and the apples are also available by filling out the attached form. The apples will go home with your child the week of November 7th.

Price: $5.00 for 10 apples. The attached order form and money will be sent to the office and your apples will come home the week of November 7th.

Download Form

Fundraising
It was recently brought to our attention that the notice that was emailed on October 21st had the due date for the Purdy’s Chocolates, Simply Delicious Cookies and Simply Delicious Cheesecake orders as Wednesday, December 2nd. This is incorrect and the date should have read Wednesday, November 2nd. The due date has been extended to Monday, November 7th. In order to have the goods delivered in time for Christmas we will not be able to accept any orders after this date. Please have the orders in no later than 9:00am on Monday, November 7th. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Skating Day/Red Colour Day November 9
Grades 2, 4, and 6 have skating on Wednesday, November 9th. Students in all other grades are permitted to dress in red as long as they bring a toonie to school on Wednesday.

Thank You For Your Generosity
Thank you to all those who donated candy and money for the Agape Ministry and non-perishable food for the Halloween for Hunger Campaign. We collected approximately 500 non-perishable food items for the Food Bank and $378.85 for the Agape Ministry.

All Hallows

Halloween is the night of October 31. The word means “Hallow’s Eve.” Hallow is the same word for ‘holy’ that we find in the Lord’s Prayer, and e’en is a contraction of ‘evening’. The word Halloween itself is a shortened form of “All Hallows Eve,” the day before All Saints Day. This holiday, properly understood and celebrated with all of its fun trappings, can be a way for us to deepen our understanding of our faith. The key to this understanding is close at hand for Catholics who understand the importance of the communion of saints.

Halloween isn’t just the way we end October. It is the way we begin November. On Halloween Night –the holy eve of All Saints’ Day – we begin the church’s month to remember the dead.

Take time to plan more than a costume. Start collecting pictures, letters or other reminders of relatives or friends who have died. Plan to pray for them.

For more information please check out the following websites:

www.catholicexchange.com
www.americancatholic.org

Dates to Remember

• Nov. 3 Grade 6-In School Retreat
• Nov. 4 Grade 7-Lifesaver Course
                 Grade – Babysitter Course
• Nov. 7 Grade 2-Vancouver Zoo Field Trip
• Nov. 9 Skating -Grades 2, 4, 6
• Nov. 11 Remembrance Day – School & Office Closed
• Nov. 14 Pro D – School Closed
• Nov. 16 Confirmation Mtg. 7:00pm Church Basement
• Nov. 19 FHC Enrollment Mass
• Nov. 26 Confirmation Enrollment Mass
• Nov. 29 Student Led Conferences – No School
• Nov. 30 Christmas Costumes Due

OLM Grade 7’s Take Leadership Roles

The Grade 7 school year is an exciting time for Grade 7 students. This is their last year in elementary school and they are the leaders of the school. As leaders of the school there is an expectation that each student is a role model for the younger students both in their behavior around the school and as leaders for the school’s outreach programs. To help support the students in their leadership role, all Grade 7 students were trained to be peer mediators and a group of 12 students (chosen by their peers) went to Me to We day.

Me to We day celebrates the positive actions schools are taking to make a difference in their communities and around the world. Through We Day, youth learn that it is cool to care.

Locally, our school continues to support the Imagine Project, local food banks and the Agape ministry.

Therefore, this Halloween the Grade 7 class has three initiatives.

• We will be collecting wrapped candy for the Apage Street ministry. This local ministry provides street youth with meals and treats throughout the year. We ask that your child
  donate a portion of his or her candy to this worthy cause. Please bring the candy to school by Friday, November 4, 2011.
• Halloween For Hunger: In our own communities, many people face hunger as a daily reality. Families throughout North America are trapped by unemployment. Under the stress of poverty parents have to make impossible decisions, choosing between putting a roof over their family’s heads and food in their stomachs.Halloween for Hunger is just around the corner! Join us on Monday, October 31st to go door-to-door collecting food donations for the Food Bank. Every year on October 31, young people trick-or-treat for the Halloween for Hunger campaign, collecting non-perishable food items for local food banks instead of candy. Halloween for Hunger gives youth a unique opportunity to help end hunger in their own communities and raise awareness of an often invisible local problem.

  Suggested non-perishable items include canned meat/fish, peanut butter, bags of whole wheat pasta/rice, pasta sauce, canned fruit/vegetables, cereal, baby formula, and baby food. Up to 25,000 people receive food from the Greater Vancouver Food Bank each week including the working poor, single parents, new immigrants, and elderly on fixed incomes.

  The slogan the students were taught at the assembly was “Trick or Treat or Food to Eat”.

  Quick Facts About HUNGER in Canada:

  - For one in six Canadian families, their wages are not enough to pay for food and other basic necessities.
  - In March 2010, 867,948 Canadians sought help from a food bank—the highest level of food bank use on record.
  - 28% of people helped by food banks are children and youth, and 51% of food bank-assisted households are families with children. 

   

   

  • Grade 7 Students are busy preparing the Halloween Fair for Monday, October 31st.- Primary students can come to school dressed in costume on Monday, October 31st. Some make-up is allowed as long as it is put on at home. No face masks or accessories such as wands, swords, guns, light sabers etc. are permitted.- Intermediate students can bring their costumes to school and change into them during lunch. No make-up or accessories as noted above are allowed.

    - Students are asked to bring a monetary donation which will be exchanged for tickets. (Any and all donations are welcome!) The tickets will be used to play games in the gym. Extra tickets can be purchased by bringing non-perishable food items.

    - The money collected will be donated to the Agape Street Ministry Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

    - Non-perishable food items will be donated to the local food bank.

  Skating Day/Red Colour Day November 9

  Grades 2, 4, and 6 have skating on Wednesday, November 9th. Students in all other grades are permitted to dress in red as long as they bring a toonie to school on Wednesday.

  Coming Soon ….Our Lady of Mercy School’s New, Colorful And Exciting Yearbook.

  Yearbooks will be bigger, better and brighter.
  You will receive 16 vibrant color pages bursting with school photos, special events and fun with friends.

  Don’t miss out on this quality keepsake of your time and school spirit at Our Lady of Mercy School.
  Come check out a copy displayed in our school showcase.

  This year will only happen once! Let your child remember it forever in this 2011/2012 keepsake.

  Watch for more exciting news and updates on this new development!!!