Paw Prints

A Message from Ms. B:

Thank you to all who prayed ardently that the rain would wait until after Field Day! We were blessed with beautiful weather and lots of smiling faces. During Covid, we developed the idea that the 8th graders would sponsor Field Day, organize it, develop the games and roles, and run the games, as a way to give the 8th graders something to help them “forget about Covid” for awhile. Never did I think it would be as rewarding and awesome as it has turned out to be. Have you ever seen huge 8th graders playing a game with 22 tiny kindergartners, “acting” like they are losing? The joy in both kids’ faces and genuine smiles warms the heart. With our volunteer moms, dads, and special friends, the events were fun, organized, and well executed! Thank you to everyone who gave an immense amount of time to making this work for another year!  

Shoutouts to ALL volunteers who came ready and willing with smiles and courage, PTO board and members (Mrs. Pierson did you get Q102 again for us?), Mr. Chastang and Mrs. Broxterman for our t-shirts, Mrs. Tebelman and Mr. Jones for steering the students in the right direction during planning, the junior high teachers who had to switch schedules and teach “on the fly” sometimes, Mrs. King who loves schedules and the Excel program, all the teachers for trying to participate, and Scout the dog for coming and allowing EVERYONE to pet and love her. Another year of success due to all of your time and willingness to help the 8th graders insure the school get the most out of the day!  

There will be some changes to our procedures next year that will hopefully help with distractions and interruptions to our school day. The amount of lost time due to tardiness, things (such as lunches) being dropped off, and phone calls home for forgotten work was irreplaceable and effects your students’ learning. We cannot afford this! This summer, every Tuesday you will be receiving a text/email that will outline a few changes. We appreciate your willingness to adapt and follow these procedures.  

This week is sadly our last. Yes, we teachers are much like students who cannot wait for the last day of school (we love snow days too!). The purging of all of the old projects and papers, putting away decorations, and fondly looking at notes from students. It’s all bittersweet (at least until that first sleep in day!) and by the end of July we will start to anticipate the start of school. As Mr. Hyman said, “my favorite school day is the first day of school!” For teachers, it’s our favorite day too but we certainly love that last day when it comes!  

Let’s enjoy the last three days and pray for a beautiful evening on Wednesday for Graduation.  

Peace,  
Ms. B 

A Message from Ms. B:

According to the History Channel: “Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”

Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home—for a special service.  

Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.”

The origins of Mother’s Day as celebrated in the United States date back to the 19th century. In the years before the Civil War, Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs" to teach local women how to properly care for their children.

These clubs later became a unifying force in a region of the country still divided over the Civil War. In 1868 Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” at which mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.”

Happy Mother’s Day to all the staff accidentally called mom once and all the mother’s who have been called mom by the wrong kiddo!

Peace,  
Ms. B 

A Message from the Office

As we approach the end of the school year at Lourdes, there is still much to look forward to! In addition to finishing strong academically, we have some exciting events on the horizon. Our annual Field Day is just around the corner, promising a day full of fun and friendly competition. And, of course, we can't forget about our upcoming Graduation and Awards ceremony, where we will celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of our students. So let's keep up the hard work as we prepare for these special events. The end of the school year may be near, but there's still plenty of excitement and opportunities to come at Lourdes!

Please keep Ms. Bessler in your prayers as she battles pneumonia. Her strong leadership and unwavering dedication to our school have been invaluable, and we look forward to her return to Lourdes soon. Let's come together as a Tiger family and send prayers and positive energy her way as she recovers. We miss her and wish her a speedy recovery.

Thank you to all of our Tiger families who helped our teachers feel appreciated this week!

A Message from Ms. B:

Congratulations to our newest Communicants!  Our second graders made their First Holy Communion on April 29th; what an exciting day!  

The next few weeks are going to fly by as it usually does this time of year. There many schedule interruptions and changes, end of year projects, and events planned. Let’s hope we make it to the end on a positive note for everybody. Be sure to read Paw Prints to keep up to date.

It is also important to remind all students that end-of-the-year events, field trips, and “parties” are not a given right but a privilege that every student earns through good school attendance, good grades, and good behavior. Should a student not meet the expectations, they might not have the privilege to participate. Please discuss this with your student.

Peace,
Ms. B 

A Message from Ms. B:

After Friday afternoon’s Safety Talk, I think that our students are able to quickly and creatively problem solve in the event they see something or hear something. We discussed various scenarios in small groups and large groups. We planned, developed, and agreed that, for the moment, we are prepared! Sadly, we can never be completely prepared for anything that might happen on campus involving an intruder or active shooter.

But

We can be more aware and sensitive to the needs of those in our classes.
We can be more observant with our surroundings and with people.
We can empower our students, talk with them at an age appropriate level, and continue to remain vigilant.

The Lourdes’ faculty and staff take your students’ safety and health seriously. We continually seek grants to upgrade safety equipment around campus and in the school buildings. We have added Mrs. Brown, licensed social worker and school counselor, to our staff to work with students individually and as small groups. She works on social skills, problem solving, conflict and stress managements.

As parents and teachers it is imperative that we work as partners and speak with our students keeping our lines of communication open about safety. Please encourage your students to talk with you, a friend, or a teacher. I think this is the greatest take away from our Safety Talk.

It is also important to remind all students that end of the year events, field trips, and “parties” are not a given right but a privilege that every student earns through good school attendance, good grades, and good behavior. Should a student not meet the expectations, they might not have the privilege to participate. Please discuss this with your student.

Finally, we have reached the beginning of Easter Break, right in the middle of Holy Week. Everyone is tired and ready for the end of the school year but, we cannot give up, we must keep preparing. Today Fr. Jim talked about how we need to be ready and prepare for Easter and Jesus’ resurrection. We can continue to prepare and invite you to celebrate Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Mass with us here at Lourdes. Fr. Jim quoted, “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. Not only was he telling us to prepare for Jesus but to prepare for everything in life that we might encounter. 

Peace,
Ms. B 

A Message from Ms. B:

Tiger Families we have a lot of events planned for the upcoming spring months. Monday is our first TAG (Tigers Always Giving) day in awhile. We are collecting $1 or a brand new pillow for the New Life Furniture Bank. There is more information in the attachments. Any student who participates, can be out of uniform on Monday.

Tuesday we have an Early Release schedule that will allow the staff to work together in a religious in-service, learning about how to “Embrace Gratitude and Live in Hope”. These Early Release moments are valuable to the staff in helping us grow professionally.

Testing is wrapping up and we will only have a few other tests to take and then we can refocus our energy on the last trimester. One thing to note is the “Safety Talk” we will be holding in the homerooms on Friday. The upper grades will be discussing with each other various scenarios that could happen and how to appropriately react (in light of the “swatting” prank at Elder earlier this week). The littles will be discussing this as well but on a level they can understand and won’t be too scared. We know that we cannot plan for everything but we want our students to feel strong and powerful in a scary situation. It is important to remind all students that end of the year events, field trips, and “parties” are not a given right but a privilege that every student earns through good school attendance, good grades, and good behavior. Should a student not meet the expectations, they might not have the privilege to participate. Please discuss this with your student. 

Peace,
Ms. B 

A Message from Ms. B:

Happy Birthday to Scout! What a great day for one of the cutest pups in town! The 3rd grade sang “Happy Birthday”, we watched an Irish jig that the entire school participated in, we saw the “mess” in the Kindergarten and first grade rooms made by Mickey O’Malley, and ate a lot of treats. Someone is going to sleep well tonite! Our 2nd graders fairytale plays were amazing and will be on Facebook soon. We still have IOWA testing next week and hope to finish that soon! Next week should be relatively “normal”. (At least we are hoping!)  

We certainly hope that you receive all of the luck of the Irish and "May your joys be as deep as the valley. Your troubles as light as its foam. And may you find sweet peace of mind. Wherever you may roam." 

Peace,
Ms. B 

A Message from Ms. B:

It felt like spring just earlier this week and now we have a chance of snow. Of course, in true Cincinnati fashion, it will probably snow on Opening Day! Baseball in the snow.  

It never ceases to amaze me how busy we are and just how much we accomplish. We are getting close to the end of the year, with one more trimester left. It is our hope that our students have achieved success in their grade level and have pushed themselves (with our partnered support) to work hard and reach their academic goals. However, in the event a student does not pass one of their classes, they will be required to attend summer school or receive credit by a licensed tutor.  

Unfortunately, if a student should fail two or more classes, they will need to repeat the grade at a school other than Lourdes. Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen to our students! How can you help?  

• Check Progress Book and ensure your student is completing their homework and participating in    classwork.  
• Ask to review your student’s planner or look at their Google classroom.  
• Work on homework with your student, reading aloud or reviewing math facts.  
• Communicate with your student’s teachers by email or phone call.  
• (My personal observation) Limit your student’s use of  technology, including their phone and other devices.  TikTok and Youtube are a “rabbit hole” that waste so much time.

Every student needs review. Speaking of every student needing review, the four-legged students need review of the commands we use. Scout gets ornery at times and doesn’t want to do her commands, so we have to use some rewards such as her treats. Rewards are sometimes necessary to get her to do the things she needs to do.  

Scout turns three this week and we always celebrate on St. Patrick’s Day, which is Friday. Students can wear green tops or dog-themed tops to celebrate. With the help of Ms. Melisa, at lunch students will be able to have an ice cream treat courtesy of Coach Dude and I. We hope that this reward and celebration will keep encouraging students to work hard and complete their homework.  

Peace,
Ms. B 

A Message from Ms. B:

I am so proud to be a Tiger and the principal of such a vibrant and inclusive community! We have many things of which to be proud.  Our academics are competitive with many other schools in the area, as evidenced by our IOWA scores, for example. We consistently meet benchmarks and make one year of growth or more, specifically in Math. We are piloting a testing program that might replace IOWA and provide more individual instruction on skills in both Reading and Math. We are looking to improve our Reading program and have started looking at the various options from each publisher. We are looking into a stronger grammar program, writing program, and phonics (for the younger grades). This is exciting and welcomed news for our students and it allows the principal to get involved with our academics on the classroom level. (And she is so very happy to get her “hands dirty”!) Our 8th graders went to Mrs. O’Connor’s 1st grade class to help with their research project. They were looking up mammals, birds, and reptiles. It was great to see them working together. The 3rd graders today were writing in their journals and they were focusing on animals too!  

Speaking of animals, Scout came to school the other day and invited herself to many classes. When we would go back to the office, she would get “grumpy” and  “demand” to go back into the classrooms! Scout definitely likes to be with the kids.

Our Flex Time built into the schedule, is a great opportunity for our students to work on their classwork/homework, ask for extra help in a subject (I saw an 8th grader working with Mrs. King on Math), look at Progress Book and ask teachers about their grades, or join one of our clubs (Comic Club, Academic Team, or Tiger Leaders).  

Mrs. Routt and her junior high drama classes have been working hard on their speeches in preparation for the Western Hills Speech Contest. She is also helping the 8th graders with their spring production (To Be Announced soon!) that they will produce together from "top to bottom". They direct, act, and create sets and props. This year, Mrs. Ruwe, Ms. Craig, and Mrs. Busam (our resident carpenter), are teaching the 8th grade students in STEAM class how to make the various scenes needed using the tools we have in the STEAM Lab. The things we are doing are amazing and even I can’t believe it sometimes!

We finally feel like we are emerging from a cocoon as the beautiful butterflies we are. Our students are what make Lourdes a vibrant place. I love walking down the hallway and chatting with our students who each bring a different perspective and unique outlook on life. I hope that all of our families are registering! We are starting to fill up and have a Waiting List for a few grades. The good word is being shared to friends and family that Lourdes knows their A,B,C’s (Academics, Behavior, Catholicity) and that We Are Family! 

Peace,
Ms. B 
 

A Message from Ms. B:

Promise: a declaration that something will be done.  

Sometimes during Lent, we “give up” something, practicing self control. At our Mass on Wednesday, in Fr. Matt’s homily, he challenged us with, “being better on Easter Sunday than we are today”. This could be the most challenging thing I have been asked to do. I can easily give up something but to improve myself as a “human” and to remain that better person…that’s difficult.  

I can come up with many ways I can be a better principal. I can write out goals and ways to measure my progress but does that mean I’m a better person than I am today? I can always be a better friend, calling and meeting up with people. I can be a better wife and do some laundry every once in awhile. Perhaps Fr. Matt meant something more.  

He spoke of “giving alms” and how that might be a sacrifice and could help make us better people. I could give money to charity or donate items to St. Vincent dePaul but is that enough? I think some of our students (who don’t have jobs and have to rely on their parents for transportation) could give their time and talents. We are supposed to share our God-given talents with each other. Like our students, I could tutor little kiddos, read to elderly neighbors who are lonely or help out our village fire department with paperwork.  

Time is precious and we are already pressed for more. We rush around trying to get everywhere fast and first. We hurry to practice, then hurry home for dinner. Giving time to a person or organization is challenging. Fr. Matt challenged us to be a better person and I am challenging myself to giving up time for someone else.  

Peace,
Ms. B 
 

A Message from Ms. B:

What an exciting week! The Western Hills Speech Contest was held Thursday night for 8th grade students from several schools. Our 8th graders presented with poise, grace, and the other speaking skills they learned in Drama class. Congrats to all who presented! Our 7th graders will have the opportunity next month. Thursday morning we celebrated Grandparents Day with our 5-7th grade. This is the first year we have celebrated our grandparents and special friends with all of our grades in a smaller setting. 8th graders will have a special day all to themselves in the spring, closer to graduation.   

Peace,
Ms. B 
 

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