Paw Prints

A Message from Ms. B:

Vacation is the opportunity to forget everything, wind down, and leave it all behind. And while on vacation we tend to forget everything, bills to be paid, appointments to be kept, and even passwords. Even students with their young minds tend to forget a lot. Many times, we hear, “we never learned that” or “we weren’t taught that last year”. The staff and students were very successful in making great strides in reversing the “Covid slide” last school year. We know you don’t want your students to forget everything they learned. Try reading as a family or cooking and doubling recipes or halving them. And let’s not forget that the 7th and 8th grade have summer work. There are quite a few 7th graders that have not even started the summer work or who started it but didn't finish the assignment that was due in June. Please make sure your student is looking at emails and Google classroom. Incoming 7th and 8th graders have work to be completed in both Math and English. We expect this work to be completed by the time school begins as everyone has had ample time to complete it over the summer.

As after school care continues to decline, Our Lady of Lourdes has decided to terminate the After Care Program for the 2021-2022 school year. This will allow us to allocate funds to other areas of need. We wanted to make sure our families had enough time to plan for their student’s after school care for the upcoming school year.

We hope you cicada free summer is going well! Ms. B

Tiger Families:  A Message from Ms. B:

Summer greetings! We made it through one of the most challenging and certainly the most “different” school years I have ever experienced. Our students did very well: They wore their masks, socially distance themselves, and stayed in class with the same people daily. I believe if our students can do this, they can do anything… including surviving the cicada onslaught! Some of our families have moved on “to high school” with their last Lourdes’ student and some families watched their first child graduate from Lourdes. Our 8th graders have closed a chapter in their lives and will be starting a new one this fall at their perspective high schools. 50% of our students have received a scholarship, totaling $268,750. This is an incredible testament to the parents’ support and students’ hard work. We are all so proud of your efforts and wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Our newly graduated 8th graders will be working on their summer reading assignments from the various area high schools (“Freshmen”, be sure to check with your high school that you are completing necessary work!) Our students (incoming 7th and 8th graders) also need to complete Math and English summer work. Each student has received an email regarding the work listed on Google classroom. For questions regarding work, contact either Amy Huwel at ahuwel@lourdes.org for English and Kate Eichhold at keichhold@lourdes.org for Math. Any other grades should take the time to read a book and study Math facts (addition, multiplication, etc.) Studies show that students who continue to read do better on standardized tests!

I certainly hope you enjoy your time this summer, relaxing. I know the school office will! During July the office will be closed and Mrs. DiTullio, Mrs. King, and I will have limited capacity. Right now, we are inthe office 7-12 (sometimes with Scout).

Just a few more days to go!

For back-to-school shopping, School Uniforms by Tommy Hilfiger will have one full promotional week this summer to get 10% off your order (plus free shipping on $99+ orders).  The school promotion will be held on 07/12 - 07/18/21.  Take advantage of these savings!

A Message from Ms. B:  Living in Cincinnati is always an adventure. We never know what the weather is going to be like on any given day and creepy bugs come every 17 years.  This Friday will be our first Field Day developed and executed by our 8th graders during a pandemic.  It is definitely going to be an adventure!  I am so excited by their willingness to serve the school and student body and their excitement and forethought in planning.  They are demonstrating what TIGER PRIDE really is and I couldn’t be more impressed and proud.  The 8th grade will be wearing bright, neon colors much like they would have worn in the spring concert.  Everyone else can wear Lourdes' spirit wear, blue, or white shorts and tops.  It’s supposed to be in the high 80s on Friday and we want the students to be comfortable but appropriate.  Please make sure your students wear gym shoes for the various events. Students can wear hats (for protection from the sun or the cicadas…) and should consider sunscreen.  Don’t forget, Christine’s hot lunch will be served on Thursday this week due to Field Day. If we have a rainout on Friday, Field Day will be on Monday, May 24.  We are still working hard and grades count up to the last minute; please continue to encourage your students to keep working hard!  We want to finish this challenging school year on a high note.  Our students have worked hard and followed the guidelines established by the CDC, Hamilton County, City of Cincinnati, and State of Ohio.  According to ODE (Ohio Department of Education) we will need to follow the current guidelines that have been established.  That’s okay, our students are the most resilient and respectful (I could be biased, but our kids are the “Best of the West!”).  We only have nine days, but who is counting?  Because we are still following all guidelines, our Awards Assembly that ends our school year will be virtual for our parents, guardians, and families, as well as for our students.  Students will be in their homerooms for one final day and awards will be announced virtually. Homeroom teachers will give the awards as we announce.  Things are looking up, Tigers!  We cannot wait to hug our students, work in small groups, plan activities and parties, and go on field trips.  WE can do it!  Take care and have a great week!  It’s a great year to be a Tiger!   Ms. B

A Message from Ms. B:

The month of May is very important to Our Lady of Lourdes and all Catholic Christians.  May is considered the month of Mary when many honor the Blessed Virgin Mary with devotions.  The traditional ritual at Lourdes includes crowning a statue of Mary.  On May 13th at 1pm in the church, our eighth graders will lead us in praying the rosary and will also crown the statue of Mary.  We invite you to celebrate this solemn event with us.  Seating in the church will be available on a first come, first serve basis and we will continue to follow our safety and health protocols regarding wearing masks and maintaining a safe social distance.  If you are unable to join us, you may view the ceremony on the Youtube channel: Our Lady of Lourdes Cincinnati.  Because the entire student body is unable to join in the church, we thought each individual class could honor Mary by taking some flowers to the grotto.  If you have a flower from your home garden or a store, we invite you to send it with your student.  They can add to it to the class vase for the grotto.

Is your student's skirt getting too short?  Do their pants have holes in their knees?  We are excited to now offer another option for ordering uniforms through Tommy Hilfiger.  Also, we have some new opportunities for next year such as EPI and Tommy Hilfiger but the old ways of purchasing school supplies and school uniforms will still be available.  Check out the flyer attached to PawPrints this week to see the selection.   

Ms. B

A Message from Ms. B:  We have finally entered the month of May.  May flowers, May Crowning, and Mayday. Webster’s defines mayday as: a distress signal used by emergency organizations.  While we might not be an organized emergency group (at least not everyday) or in complete distress, we certainly need your help.  This has been an unbelievably difficult year for all of us, especially our students and staff.  Families of students, grades 4-8 should have received a letter regarding student behavior, a formal “SOS”.  We need help from our most powerful partners.  I believe our staff has done a remarkable job of “edu-taining” our students this year.  In a time when we are asking for less screen time, there is the danger of increased screen time in class.  Rest assured, we are dividing time responsibly.  Rarely have I seen a class spend more than 15 minutes on a device.  Because of my previous high school teaching experience, I have kept my “finger on the pulse” of secondary school expectations.  The expectation is to use technology for more than just entertainment.  If we could “TikTok” the life of St. Bernadette, our students might remember her charism a bit longer, or their algebraic equations, or how to grow plants hydroponically.  We believe our students are more than prepared and will demonstrate their attributes more than adequately.  We just need to hold on for one more month!  We know everyone is exhausted: students, staff, and our families.  It has been a trying year but remember that it wasn’t too long ago that our students essentially missed an entire trimester.  We have worked hard to make up that time and ensure our students made substantial progress.  We did.  Our IOWA scores increased considerably in both Reading and Math.  Comparatively, we are more than competitive, academically, with our fellow Archdiocesan schools.  I have no way of scientifically reporting our behavior as it compares to other schools but I do know that our pride should propel us towards the top.  Your support and motivation has been invaluable and if we could have it just a bit longer, all of our students could finish the school year on a positive note.   Ms.B

A Message from Ms. B:  Wearing a mask is one of the guidelines we have required since the beginning of the year. Through grants and donations we have received face masks for students should they forget to bring one from home. We have calculated that we have distributed close to 2300 masks this year to students and we are reaching the end of our supply. Many of the same students are forgetting a clean mask that fits properly. We stated in our “Back to School Plan” the necessity for all parent/guardians to daily provide their student with a fitted clean mask. Please make sure to include a mask these last few weeks. Failure to do so will result in a call home to pick up your student and/or the inability to participate in scheduled events. This is considered one of their school supplies. We appreciate your compliance with established government regulations.
As the end of the year nears, we are doing our best to try and include some of the regular events such as Field Day but doing them with health precautions in place. We hope your students’ year is memorable for more than just being a “Covid year”. Our 8th grade will be planning and providing the school with Field Day! This is something new and exciting! Our 8th graders have started researching and planning Field Day for the school on May 21st. They will do everything from start to finish. Our hope is the day will be a fun one even wearing masks and “dodging” cicadas. Please remind your students that the cicadas are coming and they are harmless. (I have already explained to some young ladies that on Field Day, we will be wearing hats!)
We are asking you to remind your student that poor behavior choices will result in consequences. Our students have done their best to make good choices in a trying year. We know it’s been a bit boring (and a struggle) at times…staying in the same place, little group work, more homework and the novelty of coming to school and being with their peers wore off months ago. Please keep encouraging your students to be the best they can be…that includes completing homework for every class, positive classroom behavior, and fair treatment of others! We know this last bit of school will be challenging but Tigers are fierce and we can do it, if we work together! Have a beautiful week…even if the weather has forgotten to be warm!       Ms. B

A Message from Ms. B:

Our Hot Lunch Coordinators wanted to make sure everyone knows to check your orders…especially when we canceled Humberts and added Christines. Remember, during Lent we have hot lunch on Thursday and orders are due earlier. We want to make sure everyone has their lunch. I know we sometimes forget to order lunch before the due date or our students might not like the lunch choices (especially this year with limited choices due to Covid protocol) but I wanted to make sure everyone understands that this is also a fundraising opportunity. We receive a percentage from each vendor which is another benefit to our hot lunch program. When other hot lunches are brought in, it takes away from helping the school. Please reconsider this practice.

Please chat with your students about the academic and behavioral expectations as we work through the third and final trimester of the year. We would like everyone to end on a “high” note.

Have a wonderful week and enjoy the weather!   Ms. B

A Message from Ms. B:

Tuesday evening, our 8th graders made their Confirmation in a beautiful and reverent ceremony. Fr. Steve Angi celebrated the mass and rite and delivered a meaningful Homily. I want to thank the many individuals who helped in the preparation of the candidates as well as the “behind the scenes” details. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank our parents, guardians, and sponsors for preparing the Confirmandi on their spiritual journey.

This week we are continuing and completing the IOWA testing. We will be conducting make-up tests this week and hope everyone will be finished by Friday. Please chat with your students about the academic and behavioral expectations as we work through the third and final trimester of the year. We would like everyone to end on a “high” note.  Have a great week!    Ms. B