August 2007
NEUMANN
SCHOLARSHIP
This year
Our Lady of the
A&L Doors
Conestoga Title Insurance Co
Sahd Salvage
Union National Community Bank
Anonymous Donor
The dates are listed on your calendar. This is an important opportunity to meet your child/ren’s teachers and get an insight into the procedures and expectations for the 2007-2008 school year. The evening will begin at 7PM in the respective building cafeteria to go over the schedule for the evening.
DRESS DOWN DAYS DRESS CODE
On dress down days students may only wear sneakers. They
may wear t-shirts or sweatshirts as long as the wording or pictures are
appropriate to be worn by a student attending a
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
This will be a year of celebrations. Each month a
particular class will be announcing a special activity to celebrate our 10th
birthday. The first of many celebrations will be on September 7th.
All students are asked to bring a birthday card that will
be placed in a basket as they enter the church for
MIDDLE STATES ACCREDITATION
The review team from the Middle States Association will be
visiting us in April. We are meeting as a faculty in October to work on the
Strategic Plan. If you are able to assist in any way please contact the school
office.
ANGEL CARE SUBSTITUTE
Mrs. Kloidt is the director of Angel Care, the after-school program.
There are times throughout the year that she may not be available and we are
looking for someone who would be willing to help out as an Angel Care
substitute. This would be a paid position and the hours are 2:45 to 6:00.
Sometimes we will know ahead of time and other times it may be that day. Please
contact the school office if you are willing to lend a hand.
2006 – 2007 BUDGET
For the fiscal year 2006 – 2007 Our Lady of the Angels met their
budget expectations. We did NOT run at a deficit. I am grateful to the
pastors and parishioners who so generously subsidize Catholic education in
HANDBOOK
In an effort to keep the handbook up to date it is included
in the front section of your child’s homework journal. Each child will be given
a journal on the first day of school. We hope this works but again like any
change there may be challenges so please let us know so that we can address
them. We have been requiring that all students have and use their homework
journal. The journal should be taken home every night and then brought back to
school the next day. The journal may
also be used as a communication tool by the teacher. There will be a form in your child/ren’s
journal that we ask you sign after reviewing the handbook with your child.
SEPARATE CHECKS
There
are times during the year when checks are being sent to the office for a
multitude of reasons (lunch, tuition, gym uniforms, stationery, scrip,
etc.). This can become very confusing so
we are asking that you write separate
checks so that the money can be deposited in the correct account. Please
indicate on the check which account is to be credited.
CLASSROOM VISITS
Parents are not to visit the classrooms before or after school. Teachers are required to supervise the students in their care which requires them to be physically and mentally present. They are unable to do that if parents are standing at their door attempting to have a conference.
OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS
FACULTY AND STAFF
K3 &
K4 Mrs. McGrath
K5 Mrs.
Zeamer
1st Mrs.
Williams
2nd
Mrs. Detz
3rd Miss
Buchheit
4th Mrs.
Benko
5th Mrs.
Collins
6th Mrs. O’Donnell
7th Mrs. Barninger
8th Mrs.
Fischer
Flex Teacher Mrs.
Wickenheiser-Roach
Library/ Art Mrs. Spicer
Computer Mrs. Carey
Gym
Mrs. Chmiel
Music
Mrs. Grochowski
IU Reading and Math:
Mrs. Lardner PB
Mrs. Murphy EB
(Mon, Wed, and Fri)
Speech:
Mrs. Sweitzer
Guidance: Mrs.
Foster
Secretary: Mrs.
Diffenderfer (EB)
Administrative
Assistant: Mrs. Crumbling (PB)
SECURITY
Our goal is to provide a safe learning environment for your children. All doors are locked at 8:05 and are to remain locked during the day. Students have been instructed not to open the door for anyone. Parents are buzzed into the building and then come to the office to sign the visitors' book. When they leave the building they are asked to sign out.
*EMERGENCY FORMS*
Of all the forms you will be completing this year this is
probably the most important. Please
make any changes on the enclosed form using the enclosed purple pen. Also
throughout the year as information
changes please send the new information in writing to the school
office. These forms are necessary for the welfare of your child. If this form is not received and updated
the school will not be held responsible for decisions made on your child’s
behalf.
SCHOOL YEAR VACATIONS
Trips
during the school year have been on the rise. There is a form, enclosed in this
envelope, which is to be completed prior to your trip. The form is also
available at www.ourladyoftheangels.org. This also serves as an excuse note. Please do not request work prior to
the trip. Teachers will keep
track of what your child has missed and give it to them when they return to
school. Understand that it is the child’s responsibility to make up the work,
projects and tests.
WE SAVE…
Listed below are the things that Our Lady of the Angels School saves that benefit the students and teachers:
1.
Campbell
2. Turkey
Hill Moo Caps
3. Rednar Receipts
4. General Foods Box Tops
Supplements the cost of field
trips
for the 2007-2008
school year
5. Ink Cartridges for Printers
Consumable supplies for the
Technology
department
6. Discarded Cell Phones
Technology fund.
Enclosed in this envelope is information on all of these items. Please take a little extra time and help your school.
EXCUSE NOTES
For your convenience we have enclosed some excuse blanks that are to be completed when your child is absent. The parent is to complete the form and the child is to bring it to school when they return. The form does indicate the procedure that will be followed when a form is not returned. This form is also available at our website www.ourladyoftheangels.org.
FRIDAY MASSES
It is important that you check your calendars for the location of the Friday Mass. Students are dropped off at the site where the Mass is celebrated. Only under extenuating circumstances do we change the location.
MONTHLY STATEMENT
Each month in the Family Envelope you will receive a financial statement if your payments are not up to date. Please take the time to review the statement and call at that time if you have any questions.
VOLUNTEERING
Abiding by the guidelines set by
the Diocese, Our Lady of the Angels School does require that all volunteers who
have contact with the children have a State Police Check, Child Line check, TB test, view a video provided by the
Diocese, complete the information in the Volunteer Handbook and attend an
Orientation meeting. This year the meeting is schedule for October 9th
at 7PM at the
UNIFORMS
Students are to wear their school uniforms the first day of school. If you are ordering new gym uniforms we ask that your students wear dark shorts and a white tee shirt until the new ones arrive. We do not keep a stock of gym uniforms because of the cost involved. The uniforms are ordered in September and December and usually arrive in three weeks. There are sample sizes on display at the school offices and they will also be available at the back to school nights.
CHANGING MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Please make every effort to have transportation plans made prior to your child’s arrival at school. If your child/ren will be changing how they go home please put it in writing and send it to your child’s teacher. There may be times when you have to call school and leave a message but we ask that this not become a practice.
Our Lady of the
*** If there is
nothing in writing and no phone call, the child will be sent home using their
regular mode of transportation. This will be the practice even if the child
says they are to do something different. You are the parent and we will only
follow your instructions.***
This newsletter is also available at www.ourladyof theangels.org
SPECIAL THANKS
We would like to
express our gratitude to the family of Bill Elliot for naming Our Lady of the
Angels as a memorial. Bill has returned home to his Father and our prayers are
with his family.
MONEY
All
money sent to school is to be in an envelope and clearly labeled with the name,
homeroom, amount and its designation. You were provided with a zippered pouch
with your family name written on it. All money envelopes as described are then
placed in the zipper pouch.
Our Lady of the Angels will not be held responsible for any lost or stolen money that students are carrying with them.
TEACHER COMMUNICATIONS
The teachers of Our Lady of the
SMOKE FREE
Our Lady
of the Angels is a smoke free school property. There is no smoking permitted on
school property during the school day, at extracurricular activities, or school
functions. We are role models for our children.
FIELD TRIPS
Field trips are for educational or spiritual purposes.
There are no class trips. Teachers may request chaperones from time to time. Chaperones
must be on the approved volunteer list and are responsible for the group of
students assigned to them, which may or may not include their child. We are
grateful to our volunteers. During this time in our country, chaperones have a serious
responsibility.
SCHOOL HOURS
Students may enter their classrooms at 7:55. Our day
begins with prayer at 8:05. With the exception of students that ride buses
students are not to arrive before 7:55 unless there is a note on file.
Dismissal for grades 1 – 8 is at 2:45. The
STATIONERY FEE
When parents pay this fee the teacher provides all the necessary supplies. This eliminates students not having the tools for a successful year. The fees are as follows:
K3: $10
K4: $20
K5: $35
Grades 1
– 8: $25
All
supplies with the exception of a book bag will be provided. Students do not need
to bring anything on the first day of school except their book bag.
LUNCH MENUS
The
monthly menu will be sent home in the Family Envelope and will be posted on the
website. In your envelope there will be a menu for each child. You are to write
the child’s name and homeroom at the top and circle if they want a sandwich
OR are packing with milk OR packing without milk on a particular
day. If they want the entree you circle nothing. If a menu is not returned the
child will be served the entrée until we receive the menu. The menu must be returned by the due date listed on the
menu. The menu included in this envelope is to be returned on the first day of
school. The teachers will not be taking lunch count each day. Last year there
were numerous times when children forgot their lunch and parents had to be
contacted. It is not our intention to deprive children lunch. When the menu indicates that the child is
packing it is the parent’s responsibility to assure that the child has a lunch.
Please do not send in lunches purchased from fast food restaurants. We do
not always have extras and our records need to be accurate for the government programs.
FEDERAL LUNCH PROGRAM
Our Lady of the Angels participates in the Federal Lunch
Program which allows us to provide quality lunches at a reasonable cost of
$1.75 a day. Milk is available for $.35 per day if your child is packing. Lunch and milk money may be paid weekly
or monthly. This program provides
eligible families with free or reduced lunches at a cost of $.40 per day. It
costs the school nothing. There is an application in this envelope for free and
reduced lunches. Please take advantage of this program and complete the
application if you feel you may be eligible. All information is confidential. If your financial circumstances change during the school year please
contact the office for a form. If you were eligible for the 2006-2007 school
year you will receive these benefits until September 7th. YOU MUST COMPLETE A NEW FORM EACH YEAR.
SCHOOL DELAYS AND CANCELLATION
Please note that this does not only apply to snow days.
There may be other times when delays, cancellations or early dismissals may be
necessary. This information will be announced on WARM 103 and WGAL TV. There is a modified schedule for K3 and K4 on these days. The
times are listed in the K3/K4 handbook. If your child rides a public school
bus they are to follow their delays and dismissals. As a parent I know that
when these things happen it causes many concerns. The best thing to do is to have
a plan in place for these events and inform your child of the plan. We ask that you don’t call the school
because that ties up the phone lines. If
school is dismissed early all planned evening activities will be cancelled.
SCHOOL CONCERNS
It is very important that there be complete unity
in authority between the teacher and parent. It is also important to withhold
judgment on what appears to be a grievance until you get all the facts.
1. Get your facts from the proper person.
2. Classroom teachers appreciate being called
first
when a problem becomes known.
3. Discuss your problem with the proper
person.
In most cases, the concern will be
resolved
with little difficulty. This act of
courtesy
will be greatly appreciated.
4. Should the above steps leave the concern
unresolved,
a conference with the principal
may be requested.
INTERNET
A permission form is
required before students are permitted to access the Internet. Please read the
information in your packet carefully. Teachers use the Internet to enrich the
curriculum. In the past some of our
older students have engaged in inappropriate conduct when using the Internet. I
would encourage parents to make every effort to know how your children are
using this technology. We are adding the following information to our Internet
policy:
“The internet is a public forum with unrestricted
access. For this reason, the school restricts permission for the posting of
information related to the school, our staff and our students on the internet.
No person is permitted to use images of the school, the school logo, school
staff, or students in any form on the internet or any form of electronic
communication without specific written permission from the administration. The
posting of any such information on any website, bulletin board, chat-room,
e-mail or other messaging system without permission, or the posting or
transmission of images or information in any format related to the
school, staff or students that are defamatory, scurrilous,
pornographic, or which could be construed as threatening or impugning the
character of another person is prohibited and will make any person involved in
the posting or transmission of such material subject to disciplinary action
deemed appropriate by the
Administration at the school and/or the Diocese of
WEAPONS
Nothing
resembling a weapon may be brought to school. That includes knives, guns,
slingshots, brass knuckles, screwdrivers, etc. whether they are real or toys.
MEDICATION
Students are not permitted to carry medicine to and from school when riding a bus or
walking. Parents are to bring the medication to school and if necessary pick it
up. This pertains to ALL medicine not
just prescription. We will be requiring a physician’s signature on the medication
form for prescription medications. This is for the protection of your
child/ren. Students can be suspended or expelled if they are carrying
medication on their person or in back packs.
THE PRINCIPAL’S BOOK
In each office there is a book that is referred to as the “Principal’s Book”. When children are sent to the office they sign this book. In the past if they signed the book three times they received a detention. I am amending this procedure. Each situation will be evaluated and the consequences will be determined based on each situation. Also parents will receive a form that must be signed informing them that their child was sent to the office and why. If the form is not returned the following day, parents will be contacted by phone.
EMAILS
Last year I began to inform parents using
their emails addresses. I would like to continue using this procedure. If you
have an email the easiest way for me to make sure it is correct is for you to
email me and then I will add your address to the parent group. Please email me
and on the subject line put “communication”.
WELCOME
We welcome the following families to Our Lady of the Angels School Community:
Joseph and Barbara
Slagle
Rebecca Vazquez
Paul and Michele Resch
Kevin and Lara
Kreider
Raymond and Marcy
McCarty
Jonathan and
Heather Grove
Shannon Ness
Charles and
Joseph Fry and
Angela Noll
Sean and Kristina
O’Donnell
Andrew and Emily
Sahd
Anthony and
Jennifer Mendez
Michael and Lori
Murphy
Timothy and
Crystal Aston
Kathi Winters
Shawn Blauser and
Rosemary Weaver
Anya Blymier
OUR
STUDENTS SHINE
Bryan Haberstroh represented his team, the Mountville Indians, at
the