Paw Prints

A Message from Ms. B:

One of the hardest things about education is the amount of money it takes to run a great school. Schools are non-profit and our products are little humans. It’s hard to generate money that doesn’t necessarily produce an item or a commodity. This is especially challenging for a Catholic school that only receives a fraction of public money. Why am I telling you this? Because the easiest way for our school to generate some money and have a good time doing it is through Lourdes-a-palooza.  

This adult only, fun event was devised to make money for the school during the boring winter months. For a few hours, parents and friends work the festival party atmosphere and generate money that directly goes to the school! This one evening will help pay for the quality and consistent staff that teach your students. It helps to pay for the heat and air conditioning and updates to our facilities. This is the easiest way to give back to the place that provides a Christ-centered and rigorous education in a safe and healthy environment. Your students deserve the best and it costs only a little bit of time. Please consider signing up to work or donating a gift to auction.  

Have a fabulous week! We enjoyed celebrating Catholic Schools Week with your kiddos. 

Peace,
Ms. B 
 

Catholic Schools Week By:  Harper Muccillo, The Tiger Leaders, and NJHS Members

Some of you may know Catholic Schools Week as a five-day period filled with arbitrary activities. However, that is not the case. Catholic Schools Week is a week of thanks and gratitude to our ancestors in faith.  

The year is 1783 in Philadelphia. In an attempt to preserve and teach the Catholic faith, the first Catholic school was opened. This inspired the appearance of more than two thousand Catholic schools around the country by the 1920s. We would like to thank these brave men and women for establishing safe spaces to teach children about the Catholic faith.

Today, Catholic Schools Week takes place the last days of January into the first days of February. This week we not only celebrate with fun and wacky days and activities that go on; we also celebrate and honor all the people that have helped to make Catholic education what it is today.  

We would like to thank our teachers for all the time and work they put into our school. We would also like to thank our students because without them, we wouldn’t be able to have a school filled with learning. We want to thank the families and parishioners that are involved in our school, as well as all the people that have helped make Our Lady of Lourdes a great Catholic school.

A Message from Ms. B:

It’s so difficult to navigate the world right now. We are bombarded with so many outside forces that sometimes it can be overwhelming. Our job, in partnership with the parents, is to help our students navigate this world appropriately and with courage.  

During Catholic Schools Week, we are reminded why Catholic schools are unique and special places. It is our faith. We all pray together once a week as a community. We pray every morning. And we pray every afternoon. Our faith will help us navigate the ugliness we might face.  

Together we help our children live in a world that we want them to live in and we help them make it a better place. That is what makes Our Lady of Lourdes so special. We have a partnership with families, and we have our faith in Jesus, who helps guide and protect us every day.

And that is why Catholic Schools Week is so important for us as a community. We celebrate what makes us unique. Every day we will celebrate those people who help us receive a quality Christ-centered education. Thank you to those who have made Our Lady of Lourdes such a great place to be every day! Have a fabulous week!

Peace,
Ms. B 
Proud OLL Alumnae  
Class of 1986 

A Message from Ms. B:

After a week of fairly nice weather, it seems like we will be hunkering down for more cool weather. As a matter of fact, snow is forecasted for Sunday. This is just a reminder that we follow Oak Hills School District NOT CPS. This can cause some confusion in transportation but Mrs. DiTullio and I will make sure to communicate those updates to you. If Oak Hills has school but CPS does not, there would be no transportation. CPS also does not have bus service when delays are called or for early dismissals. We will be happy to clarify if the weather causes one of the scenarios.  

Congrats to our 8th graders! Many of our 8th grade students received their acceptance into their first choice schools at our various Catholic high schools! What a testament to the hard work and sacrifice our families and staff have put into the education of 37 students. We had a class meeting with our 8th grade talking about how their Lourdes’ journey is not over as well as learning their A, B, C’s. Their Academics remain an important part of the final piece. They must complete homework and continue to study. We send their final grades/report cards to the high schools in May. Positive Behavior is a continual learning process for all students. They are still learning that every choice has a consequence, whether positive or negative. We hope they learn how to overcome adversity with help of friends, family, and faculty as an advocate for themselves. Finally, Catholicity and Community. Our faith is the reason why we come to Lourdes and pray at Lourdes. We are Family: Lourdes’ Family and the Lord’s Family. We are all people and we are all part of the human race. We continue to pray and demonstrate the respect and dignity all humans deserve. It’s certainly hard work but very rewarding!

This is why Catholic Schools Week is so important for us as a community. We celebrate what makes us unique. Every day we will celebrate those people who help us receive a quality Christ centered education. Thank you to those who have made Our Lady of Lourdes such a great place to be everyday! 

Peace,
Ms. B 

A Message from Ms. B:

I hope the first week back found everyone in the swing of things. It can be a challenge for some but we just keep at it! We are hopeful that the second half of the school year will also find the students working to their fullest potential. Because we are very aware of the support (and gentle reminders) some of our students might need, we are having Winter Conferences. We will be inviting the families of those students who are in danger of failing multiple classes (grades 4-8) which might require students to repeat the grade or take summer classes in order to pass. Our students in grades K-3 will be invited as well for those who are not making progress or mastering the skills needed to be promoted to the next grade. Thursday, January 19, we have an Early Release scheduled. Conferences will begin at 1:15 and will finish at 5pm. If you feel you need to meet with your students’ teachers and did not receive an invitation, please do not hesitate to reach out.

We have a lot of activities and events coming up in the next couple of weeks so be sure to refer to the list of dates below. There are also Facebook reminders and texts sent. As always, you can contact your teachers or call Mrs. DiTullio in the office. Let’s have a great and healthy week. 

Peace,
Ms. B 

A Message from Ms. B:

Charlie Brown: Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?  

Linus Van Pelt: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about. "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"  That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.      

Enjoy the time with your families and friends.  

Peace,
Ms. B

Some helpful information for returning to school: Right now, kids are being kids, sleeping in, eating snacks whenever, and getting super excited about the holidays. Next week, the excitement will settle and the anxiety might start to creep in. A lot of our students suffer from more anxiety at certain times in the year. Returning to school after a long break (especially Christmas) proves to be a challenge for everyone. Try to keep 1 or 2 routines in place for your students so the transition back to school is easier. Getting up that first day will be difficult but with a little planning, it doesn’t have to be a fight. 

A Message from Ms. B:

"It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”. The Littles are preparing for their concert on Thursday evening, the 8th graders are busily creating masterpieces for the door decorating contest, and “Frosty Tinsel-Bottom” (the office elf) is wreaking havoc in the area. (Folks, moving around that elf is a lot of work…). The little elf door at the bottom of the stairs, the letters from elves, Grinch Day. Every year, we may complain a little about all of the work but seeing the smiles on the faces of the students, makes it worth it. But what does it really mean?

“Maybe Christmas,” the Grinch thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, …perhaps… means a little bit more.”  

As we prepare for the Christmas holiday, with the hustle and bustle, long lines, incorrect coffee orders, late Amazon packages, and general holiday hostility, let’s take time to slow down and admire the good in the world before us.  

There are those small daily miracles that God presents to us if we choose to see them. The smile on a kiddo’s face, the sun coming out after a long stretch of gloomy days, a friend calling to see how you are doing. This should be a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming and to Our Lord’s birth on Christmas. Let’s keep that as our focus when we start to get bogged down by the “holiday hostility”.  

Peace,
Ms. B

A Message from Ms. B:

What a weekend for sports…the Bengals played the Chiefs. It was also the Championship weekend for college football (sadly no BGSU, the finest MAC college up north). But for those of us who enjoy the finesse of a long cross, intricate foot work, and set pieces, another type of football beckons us, the World Cup.  

Soccer is one one of the most popular sports in the world. One of the the easiest games to play (and one of the cheapest), we would find a ball and play in the largest grassy area we could find and everyone would play regardless of age. It brought all of us together to compete for bragging rights. As long as we had four people, we were going to play. We supported, congratulated, and coached each other.  

Our staff is like World Cup coaches. Every homeroom, a team; every grade, a team. We all make up the team of Our Lady of Lourdes and our hope is to unify that team, much like I did in the neighborhood. Some days are easier than others but we know our students will go home, rest, and come back for the next day of training. We know our parents coach, encouraging their students to read, complete homework, treat others with respect, and to pray. It’s a constant job and worth it.  

So, as I watch the World Cup and hope for a win, I’m going to think about my coaching and how to best help our students “win”, in their Academics, Behavior, and Catholicity and how I can best support our staff, as well.  

Peace,
Ms. B

A Message from Ms. B:

A big thank you for your kind understanding for the unexpected two days “off”. I know it might have been challenging for some but we have had a high percentage of students sick with many types of illnesses. We just wanted to make sure they could be well enough for the upcoming holidays.  We have a full day on Monday and we dismiss at 11am on Tuesday. The “Littles” (grades K-4) will be spending the morning with their grandparents and our upper grades will be filling their brains with some last minute knowledge.

We certainly hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of family, even if your family is not in the room with you (nothing a little FaceTime can’t fix!), rest, and health.

Peace,
Ms. B

A Message from Ms. B:

When I teach students about creative writing, I tell them one of the best techniques is to think about the background of the characters included in the story. As I write, I want to know the characters’ motivation, why they do things, why they make the decisions that they do.

It’s similar to being a principal. I want to understand why a student may have made a poor choice. Sometimes I get the answers to that question and sometimes I don’t. At Our Lady of Lourdes we believe working with parents is a partnership and educating our children and academics, behavior, catholicity, and community.

It seems easy enough that students should come into a classroom and be ready to learn. We know that sometimes anxiety can prevent a student from coming to school on time. We understand that sometimes money is tight and breakfast isn’t eaten. We also understand that jobs might take precedence over homework. If families were to tell the school what’s going on in the background we might be able to help and do more with the students in the foreground.

How can you help in our partnership?

• Updating your Final Forms if there’s an address change.
• A phone call to Nurse Jessica to let us know that a student is suffering an illness, has a new medical diagnosis, or medication change.
• Talking with Mrs. Dittulio about why a student is tardy or how to do something, such as updating Final Forms.
• Reaching out to Mrs. King and asking if our student could meet with our school psychologist or our school counselor.
• Even reading Paw Prints (that Ms. B toils over weekly) and keeping up with communication from the office strengthens that partnership we have in educating your child.

Our Lady of Lourdes is a special place because our teachers continue to care even when the school day is over. That is why a working partnership allows us to better help your students.

As a principal I see the big picture, the foreground. I see each class, teacher, and child. I see each family in our backgrounds. As I try to help our teachers navigate lesson plans while considering all of the parts that make up each child, all we ask for is a little help from home.

Peace,
Ms. B