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Enter to Learn. Go Forth to Serve.
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All Saints Day (Holy Day of Obligation) is November 1. G
od has called us to become saints, all of us! All Saints Day is a day to celebrate all the holy men and women who are in heaven. Do you ever ask a friend here on earth to pray for you? You can also ask the saints in heaven!
Commonly referred to as All Saints Day, the official title of this Holy Day of Obligation is the Solemnity of All Saints.
For more information on All Saints Day:
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FALL PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES THIS WEEK
O'Hara's Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held October 30 - November 1. Conference sign ups are online.
The deadline to schedule a conference is noon on Tuesday, October 29.
Parents wishing to schedule conferences must use the online scheduler to reserve times. Drop-in conferences cannot be accommodated.
Please CLICK HERE for the sign up link and to review instructions
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CHILDCARE AVAILABLE DURING CONFERENCES
After the Bell will be on-site for our conference days and will be providing drop-in care while parents attend conferences.
The fee is $5 per child, per drop-in, and is available for O'Hara students and siblings.
Hours for this care are as follows:
Oct. 30
- This is a HALF-DAY of school. After school care is available as normal. Drop-in care is also available for families who have conferences scheduled during the afternoon. The drop-in fee is $5/child during your conference times only.
Oct. 31 - NO SCHOOL.
There will be no regular After The Bell care. Drop-in care is available from from 7:15am to 3:15pm.
Nov. 1- NO SCHOOL.
There will be no regular After The Bell care. Drop-in care is available from 8:15 - 11:45am.
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HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION: FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1
Our school Mass on Wednesday, November 6 is scheduled to celebrate our devotion to the Saints. However, please note that this Mass DOES NOT fulfill the requirement for the Holy Day of Obligation on November 1.
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Invitation for families:
This year for the feast of All Saints, St. Mary Catholic Church is inviting families to come with their children to the 5:30pm (English) Mass or the 7pm (Spanish) Mass. Children can come dressed up as a Saint, and walk in the procession at the beginning of Mass in celebration of all the Saints. Please contact St. Mary with any questions: (541) 342-1139.
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FLU SEASON INFORMATION
Hello O'Hara families! Consider vaccinating your children and family against the flu this season.
- It protects against flu illness.
- It keeps kids healthy and in school.
- It keeps parents at work.
- It protects the herd, including our community members most at risk like our babies, elders and pregnant women.
Flu season is from early Fall to early Spring. Influenza can cause significant illness (like pneumonia) and death. It takes 2 weeks for your body to develop protective antibodies, so get your flu shot soon!
You can get the flu shot from your doctor's office or local pharmacist who can vaccinate children as young as age 7.
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O'HARA'S PUSH NOTIFICATIONS
As you may already have noticed, we are experiencing technical issues with push notifications coming from our O'Hara app. The issue is that the notifications are not popping up on the home screen of Apple devices. Messages are logging in the message center of the app, but the pop-up feature is not functioning properly.
Our app developer is working on the issue, and at this point, the fix appears to be a somewhat lengthy process that involves multiple parties including Apple and the Archdiocese. We are anticipating at least a few more weeks of work ahead of us. In the meantime, we encourage you to check the O'Hara calendar (accessible on the website and on the app) for the most current information. Thank you for your patience as we work to resolve the issue as quickly as we can.
(If you have a non-Apple device, and
are not experiencing a similar issue,
please let us know.)
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UNIFORM SHORTS REMINDER
Beginning on Monday, November 4, shorts are not permitted for students in Preschool - 5th grade. Students are permitted to wear shorts again when school resumes after Spring Break. Middle School students may wear shorts year round.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY 
Congratulations to our middle school students who competed in the District Cross Country Meet on October 23. The boys team placed 3rd overall behind Lincoln and Oaklea with two O'Hara students in the top 10. Nathan Sheley (7th grade) was 3rd overall and Dane Kokkeler (8th grade) was 9th overall. Both boys and girls teams had many 6th and 7th grade runners so next year should be another great year of XC!
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EWEB'S DRAWING CONTEST
O'Hara students have placed in EWEB's annual drawing contest. Morgan Yasenchak was awarded 1st place, and John Mason Portz and Alice Crenwelge tied for 3rd place. This year's theme was "Brought to You by Electricity..." 5th grade enjoyed guest speakers from EWEB informing us how we can make a difference with energy conservation in our community.
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COSTUME STRUT IS WEDNESDAY
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Parents, grandparents and special guests are invited to join us for the Costume Strut on Wednesday. Feel free to grab your seat in the gym after drop off, the event will start at 8:30am and is a fun O'Hara tradition.
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HALLOWEEN COSTUME GUIDELINES
-No devils, gothic characters, anything immodest, violent or unkind toward others.
-No cross-dressing.
-Sleeveless costumes require an undershirt with sleeves.
-No blood or weapons as part of any costume.
-Masks are allowed during the Costume Strut but must be taken off for the remainder of the day.
-Masks should not be scary or violent.
-No costumes of a political nature. (This means no President, previous Presidential candidates, or former President costumes)
Please note:
-Students who are not in compliance with our guidelines will not be permitted to participate in the costume strut and will be asked to change into uniform.
We want our Halloween festivities to be a fun celebration for all our students. Thank you for partnering with the school to ensure success.
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VETERANS DAY ASSEMBLY - MONDAY, NOV. 4
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INVITATIONS
Postcard invitations to our Veterans Day assembly were mailed out to all our families last week. We encourage you to extend the invitation to any grandparent, family member, special family friend or neighbor who has served, or is currently serving, our country.
Please note: the assembly is not open to the general public, so we ask that the invitation not be posted on social media feeds.
Thank you to O'Hara students & siblings Luke & Zoƫ Manning for our postcard artwork this year!
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PICTURE DEADLINE TOMORROW! 
As part of our Veterans Day Assembly again this year, we would like to collect photos of O'Hara parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. that have served our country. We will use the photos to make a slide show. We would prefer photos of veterans pictured in uniform.
If you would like to participate, please email your photo(s) to
mmeador@oharaschool.org
and include the following information: Name, Branch of Service, Rank, Dates served and also the connection to O'Hara (for example, John Smith's grandfather). The deadline to submit pictures & info is tomorrow, Monday, October 28. Thank you!
*If you sent pictures over the last few years, no need to send them again, we will include all the pictures from previous years. If you'd like to send updated information or a new picture, please feel free to do so.*
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TIPS FROM THE MATH AND READING ROOM
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This week's topic: Homework space
Homework can be a huge source of anxiety and stress for kids AND parents. Here are some tips for creating a homework space that works!
1 -
Find a space that works! This can be a shared office space, a cleared kitchen counter space with a stool, or a family dining room. The goal is to have a proper chair and table rather than working on a floor or having their work in their laps. They should have the space to spread out all of their materials. A space where you can monitor your child and offer support as they complete their work is ideal. The space should be well-lit and free of distractions (TV, radio, cell phones, etc.).
2 - Have supplies on hand and ready to go. Depending on the age of your child, you should keep appropriate supplies on hand for projects and homework. You can store items in cups, containers, desktop files, or fun caddies. Items may include colored pencils, scissors, glue, pens, erasers, rulers, clock, calendar, etc.
3 - Set a routine. Juggling sports, chores, and family life can be overwhelming for everyone. Set a time that works for your family for your child to complete their homework. Give breaks as needed or break homework completion into chunks of time. Check in with your child to see how they're doing and offer help as needed. Create a list of classmates your child can contact when they forget an assignment.
4 - Keep it consistent and reassess as needed. When you have a designated space, all the materials needed, and a regular homework routine, you eliminate some of the stress that can occur with the task of completing homework. And if you notice that the space just isn't working? Reassess your chosen space until you find something that works for you and your child. You can also hit the internet for some great homework space ideas and materials that may be just right!
Have a great week and Happy Halloween!
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SCOREBOARD OPERATOR AND SCOREKEEPER NEEDED
We are in need of volunteers to run the scoreboard and be the scorekeeper at home middle school basketball games. Time spent volunteering counts for FIP hours, and no prior experience or ties to the team are necessary. Games begin at 4:30pm, and usually wrap up by 7:30pm. Contact our athletic director,
Mr. Milliron,
if you are interested or want to learn more.
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VOLUNTEER NEEDED FOR VETERANS DAY ASSEMBLY PREP
1-2 volunteers are needed to hang artwork in the gym in preparation for our Veterans Day Assembly. The project will take about 1 hour, and can be done on Thursday, October 31 or Friday, November 1. Please contact
Michelle Meador if you can help.
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LINKS: 
Reminder for students with the Annual Plan:
Please remember, the default meal selection for your student is the hot lunch. If your student would like the Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Vegetarian option, then that option must be selected in the online ordering system at least 2 weeks prior to the meal date.
If your student would like to select the Salad Bar and/or the Hoagie Sandwich option instead of, or in addition to, the Hot Lunch, that selection must be made in the online ordering system by 9am.
Volunteers are needed to help in the kitchen, please contact
Tracy if you can help.
Hot Lunch Contact:
Tracy Whalen, Kitchen Manager (541-485-5291 x 303). Email is the best way to contact Tracy.
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EXCHANGE STUDENT HOST FAMILIES NEEDED
Again, this year, O'Hara Catholic School proudly welcomes Francis Bacon School to be a part of our Catholic and educational community. This winter (February 17 through March 1), 8 students (5 boys and 3 girls) from Mexico will be attending O'Hara Catholic School with a desire to master English. Caring and committed host families form the backbone of our international student program. Sixth grade host families are preferred, but the opportunity is open to all Middle School families.
Would you and your family prayerfully consider opening your hearts and home to an international student this school year?
Host a
student from Francis Bacon School
and impact their world and yours!
Families who host an exchange student earn 10 FIP hours. For more information contact
Rich Hernandez.
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COMMUNICATIONS INFO FOR OUR FAMILIES
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NEW CONTACT INFO?
If your family has a new address, phone number, email address, etc., please make sure to update us with your new information. Please fill out
this form
, or email
Barb Whitford
if you have updates to share with us.
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O'HARA WEBSITE UPDATE
O'Hara uses a password protected portion on our website for important resources for our families. The password is: HOUSE
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EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS FROM O'HARA
Please make sure to add the following email addresses to your safe senders list and/or your address book to ensure you receive O'Hara's weekly email bulletins (sent each Sunday afternoon during the school year) and other important updates:
Parents wishing to add an additional email address (work, grandparent, nanny, etc.) to our weekly bulletin distribution list should email that request to:
communications@oharaschool.org.
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O'HARA'S APP FOR SMARTPHONES
O'Hara also uses our app to send push notification reminders for special dress days, early release days, Mass days and more. We request that all parents download our app.
O'Hara's app is available
HERE, or by searching the app store for: web4u ocs
The app includes quick access to the following:
School Calendar
Student Lunchtime Schedule
Dress Code
Weekly Bulletins
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SCHOOL CALENDAR
O'Hara uses a Google calendar as our school calendar. Parents can access this calendar via our app and our website. It can also be added to iPhone calendars. Please visit our
school calendar page on our website for the link to add the calendar to your phone.
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CONTACT INFO FOR O'HARA STAFF
All O'Hara staff members have a school email address. Email addresses are set as follows: John Smith = jsmith@oharaschool.org
There are a few exceptions to note:
Click
HERE for a complete staff listing.
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ONLINE PICTURE MANAGEMENT
New this year, O'Hara is using
Vidigami- an online picture management tool designed specifically for schools. W
e will be using their secure media management system as the place for our school photos. This online system allows for faster and more efficient picture uploads and organization for both parents and staff. In addition, Vidigami offers an app (available in the app store) so users can upload pictures directly from their smartphones.
The use of Vidigami replaces submitting pictures to our pictures@oharaschool.org email address.
In September, we launched the parent side of our system and all parents received an email (from Vidigami) with instructions for setting up their account. If you enrolled after September, or need your invitation email resent, please contact Amber Ferrari.
Vidigami is the only private and secure system designed exclusively for school communities to store and share photos and videos. Made available to users in the O'Hara community via invitation only, Vidigami closely follows and adjusts to changes in state, federal and international data privacy laws to ensure privacy for our families and community.
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"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
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Joshua 24:15
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