Enter to Learn. Go Forth to Serve.
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Sunday, December 15, 2019
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This is the third week of Advent and the Joy candle is lit. A fun way to celebrate Advent is with this
Advent Blooms activity
. Advent is a time to prepare for the coming of Jesus. This is a season to pray, ask for forgiveness, and seek peace. In this activity, children color the Christmas cactus blooms to represent when they shared God’s love with others.
Dynamic Catholic
offers this prayer for the third week of Advent, “Dear Jesus, help us focus on you during this busy season. May we stay aware of the joy you bring into our lives. We want to find you in the everyday moments and come with hearts of gratitude to your manger on Christmas. Amen.”
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TUESDAY: ADVENT MASS
This Tuesday, December 17, is our Advent Mass. All students are required to wear Uniform Mass dress. Please read below for details.
Dress Code Reminders:
All boys
must wear a white button down shirt and a plaid uniform tie, with khaki or navy uniform pants. Shorts are not permitted.
All girls
must wear one of the following:
Plaid uniform skirt & white button down shirt
Plaid uniform jumper with collared white shirt underneath
No pants or shorts are permitted
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TUESDAY - THURSDAY: FREE PARENT SEMINAR
O'Hara parents are invited to attend one of 3 free Cyber-bullying Sexting Prevention Parent Trainings presented by the Eugene Police Department. Sessions will be conducted by Detective Richard Wistocki (Ret.), who is a nationally-recognized high technology child crimes specialist with 30 years of experience in law enforcement. Sessions will be held at South Eugene High School, from 6:30-8:30pm on December 17, 18 & 19.
Click here for more information
.
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WEDNESDAY: MIDDLE SCHOOL UGLY SWEATER & JEANS
Students in grades 6-8 are invited to wear an
Ugly Christmas Sweater & Jeans
on Wednesday.
Participation is optional.
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WEDNESDAY: AUCTION DECORATIONS WORK PARTY
It takes many hands to help create the amazing decorations that will transform our school for Auction night! Please consider helping at one of our Decorations Work Parties;
click here to sign up
!
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THURSDAY: SILENT AUCTION INCENTIVE
Drop off a donation of a complete basket for our silent auction by Thursday, December 19, and be entered to win! (limit: 1 entry per family). The winner will choose between 2 prize options: 10 FIP hours -or- 1 tuition raffle ticket at our 2020 auction. (These baskets are separate from class packages)
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FRIDAY: SPECIAL DRESS OPTION
Students & staff are invited to participate in a special dress option on Friday. Christmas themed or red / green tops may be worn with jeans.
Participation is optional.
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FRIDAY: HALF-DAY
This Friday, December 20, is a HALF-DAY.
Students will be released at 11:45 / Noon. We wish all our families a safe and wonderful Christmas Break. Classes resume on Monday, January 6.
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ALL WEEK: O'HARA SWEATSHIRTS FOR SALE
There are a limited number of (Lands' End) O'Hara logo sweatshirts available for sale. These will be available in the office all week ($20 each).
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ALL WEEK: JAMBA JUICE STAMP CARDS FOR SALE
As an Auction Fundraiser this year, we have
Jamba Juice
stamp cards for sale - $10 each! These cards would make great stocking stuffers! Each card is good for EIGHT $3 medium smoothies (or eight $2 small smoothies) and ONE FREE small smoothie at your local Jamba. That's about $20 in savings! O'Hara earns 50% of each card sold. If you have questions or would like to buy a stamp card, please see Michelle Campbell in the development office.
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HOT LUNCH CHANGE COMING IN JANUARY
Our kitchen is excited to announce a big change to our lunch program starting January 2020. Our lunch program is in its third year of continuation, and it is only through the support from the school community that we are able to provide a healthy lunch program for our kids. We are dedicated to serving high-quality, healthy meals that our kids love.
At the onset of the program, in order to provide nourishing meals at a low cost, we opted for a healthy lunch catering service to supply our daily lunches. At the time, it was a good fit for our community. However, due to supply and cost issues, we have decided to make a change.
Beginning in January, the O'Hara kitchen will be handling all meal service in-house. The online ordering system will continue to function the same.
As a school, O’Hara strives to create an environment that our children thrive! We realize the importance of providing a healthy lunch for the success of our students. Not only does this change enable us to provide healthier, more nutritious meals, but it also allows us to take more control over our own menu, providing more of the menu items our kids want. And, we can maintain the current pricing structure, which allows our families to purchase healthy lunches at an economical cost.
We are looking forward to these new changes and we thank you for your continued support in making this lunch program a success!
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DEADLINE: SCHOLARSHIP ASSISTANCE FOR 2020-21
The Scholarship Application deadline is January 31, 2020.
To apply for financial aid for the upcoming 2020/2021 school year, please click
HERE
for the application link, or log into your FACTS account at the website
factsmgt.com
.
Assistance will not be allocated to families who do not complete a FACTS application.
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La fecha límite para la solicitud de becas es el 31 de enero de 2020.
Para solicitar ayuda financiera para el próximo año escolar 2020/2021, haga clic
AQUÍ
para ver el enlace de la solicitud o inicie sesión en su cuenta de FACTS en el sitio web
factsmgt.com
.
No se asignará asistencia a las familias que no completen una solicitud de FACTS.
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CONGRATULATIONS, MR. BROTHERTON!
In November, we shared with you the great news that Mr. Brotherton, O'Hara's 4B homeroom teacher, had been awarded the Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher Award for Eugene Post 293. On December 12, he was presented with his award at an Awards Dinner held at the Veterans Memorial Building.
Mr. Brotherton not only promotes citizenship in his classroom with lessons and community service field trips, he lives it- going above and beyond to watch his students' sporting events and doing other kind deeds for O'Hara families behind the scenes. Mr. Brotherton is a veteran of the Air Force. Please join us in congratulating Mr. Brotherton on this well-deserved award.
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NOVEMBER & DECEMBER FEEDBACK
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OPEN HOUSE SURVEY - PLEASE HELP US!
What makes O'Hara special for your family? Help us share our story to prospective families by answering some or all of the questions in our
short survey
. Your responses may be used in our Open House social media marketing. Thank you!
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O'HARA'S CHRISTMAS PROGRAMS
Thank you to Mrs. Leonard and our O'Hara students for all their hard work in preparing for two very wonderful Christmas programs! We would also like to thank Mr. Chris Fudge and the Whitaker family for making our webcast happen and Mr. George Helbling for managing our lights & sound.
If you have pictures to share from the Christmas Programs, please upload them to the designated folders on Vidigami.
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THANK YOU FROM OUR LIBRARIANS
Wow! What a busy three days! Thank you for the incredible generosity of the O'Hara community and our volunteers. We had a very successful Book Fair event. Total amount sold was $4,916.70. With Scholastic rewards and profit, the library selected 45 new books and we offered a free book to all our classrooms. This total came to $686.26. We earned an additional cash profit of $1,181.87. Our second Book Fair will be held May 4-6 in anticipation of our Summer Reading program.
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SCHEDULED VACATIONS & ABSENCES
If your family will be leaving early for, or returning late from, Christmas break, please send an email to
attendance@oharaschool.org
so we can mark your student(s) out. Thank you.
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A PROUD LEGACY. A VISION FOR THE FUTURE.
If you haven't yet had the chance to join us for an informational session about the capital campaign, please join us for our last session this Wednesday, December 18, from 5:30 - 6:30pm in the Art Room.
Please RSVP here
.
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CHRISTMAS VACATION & WINTER ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES
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BASKET, TOTE & BOX DONATIONS NEEDED
O'Hara's auction is looking for donations of baskets or totes that can be used to display silent auction packages - if you have unwanted extras at your house to donate, please drop them by the office.
Sturdy & large moving boxes are also wanted - O'Hara will be collecting boxes in preparation for storage for summer projects. If you have boxes to donate, please bring them by school at your convenience.
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AUCTION 2020: HAVANA NIGHTS
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Thank you to the following businesses for sponsoring this year's event:
TITLE SPONSORS
PLATINUM SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS
Allegiance Medical
SILVER SPONSORS
HAPPY HOUR SPONSOR
AFTER PARTY SPONSOR
TUITION RAFFLE SPONSOR
COOKIE SPONSOR
PICK OF THE LIVE AUCTION RAFFLE SPONSOR
DESSERT DASH SPONSOR
SILENT AUCTION VALENTINE SPONSOR
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SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES NOW AVAILABLE
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CLASS PACKAGES
Each grade has been assigned a basket theme;
click here to access the class package list
. We are asking families to participate in their class packages as they are comfortable and able to do so by bringing in an item (or more) from the list. Thank you to
Kristin Oeming
for chairing our Class Packages this year!
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SILENT AUCTION
O'Hara's silent auction contributes more than $25,000 annually to our auction revenue and is an important and exciting part of our event. We count on generous donations from our families and the community to put together baskets and items to offer our attendees. Our
Wish List
is published online for individuals who want to contribute a basket to our Silent Auction but are not sure what to bring.
Have an idea that's not on the list? Or, have a connection to a local business you think would donate? We're all ears! Contact
Amy Quiring
.
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DONATE + WIN!
Early donations help us tremendously with our organization and set-up schedule. So, again this year, we're offering an incentive for bringing in a donation of a completed basket before Christmas Break!
Drop off a donation of a complete basket for our silent auction by Thursday, December 19, and be entered to win! (limit: 1 entry per family). The winner will choose between 2 prize options: 10 FIP hours -or- 1 tuition raffle ticket at our 2020 auction. (These baskets are separate from class packages)
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AUCTION FUNDRAISERS
A great & easy way to help our auction is by attending one or more of our restaurant fundraisers! Thank you to Nicole Roedl for organizing these fundraisers!
DECEMBER 9 - 16
As an Auction Fundraiser this year, we have
Jamba Juice
stamp cards for sale - $10 each! These cards would make a great stocking stuffer! Each card is good for EIGHT $3 medium smoothies (or eight $2 small smoothies) and ONE FREE small smoothie at your local Jamba. That's about $20 in savings! O'Hara earns 50% of each card sold. If you have questions or would like to buy a stamp card, please see Michelle Campbell in the development office.
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MARIST CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW DAY: JANUARY 11
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Preview Day
Saturday, January 11, 1 pm
Marist Catholic High School
All are invited to attend Preview Day and discover what makes the Marist experience positively different - and the impact a Marist education will have on your child.
- See why a faith-based, safe and welcoming community is the best learning environment.
- Meet our exceptional teachers, coaches, counselors and students.
- Explore the depth of our curriculum and the challenge it offers.
- Discover 50+ athletic programs and activities which inspire students to be their best.
- Preview ways that our beautiful campus, enrollment, class sizes and full high school experience are ideal for your student.
- Learn why Marist is the best investment you will make for your student and how our tuition assistance program can help make it a reality.
We embrace our mission to inspire students to reach their full potential. Marist graduates leave prepared for college and life beyond our halls.
Come see what Marist is all about!
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED OVER CHRISTMAS BREAK
Volunteers are needed to assist Mr. Leonard in cleaning O'Hara's floor cover over Christmas Break for the following dates:
Thursday, December 26 & Friday, December 27:
4 volunteers are needed.
Friday, January 3:
2 Volunteers are needed.
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AUCTION: PICKUP DRIVERS NEEDED
Volunteers are needed to make local donation pickups. These pickups will primarily take place in December and January, on an as-needed basis. If you would like to learn more or sign up to help, please contact
Amy Quiring
, Silent Auction Chair (541.220.9008).
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AUCTION: DECORATIONS WORK PARTIES
It takes many hands to help create the amazing decorations that will transform our school for Auction night! Please consider helping at one of our Decorations Work Parties;
click here to sign up
!
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AUCTION: SILENT AUCTION CALLERS
Volunteers are needed to make follow up donation request phone calls to local business donors. If you would like to learn more or sign up to help, please contact
Amy Quiring
, Silent Auction Chair (541.220.9008).
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AUCTION: SPRAY PAINTING PROJECT
A volunteer is needed to spray paint baskets for the auction. The project can be done in early January. If you would like to help, please contact
Amy Quiring
, Silent Auction Chair (541.220.9008).
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ROOM PARENT FOR SPANISH WANTED
We are looking for a room parent for the Spanish room. The Spanish Room Parent will receive 10 FIP hours. Please contact
Barb Whitford
if you are interested.
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WIZARD OF OZ:
SPONSORSHIPS NOW AVAILABLE
Our 2020 drama production, The Wizard of Oz, is gearing up! Putting on such an event takes dedication from our production staff, cast members, and parent volunteers. We are asking our community for their support in sponsoring this thriving program. Click
HERE
to view our sponsorship opportunities for the 2020 production. The funds raised through sponsorships will go directly to the production of our performances and will help cover the performance rights, production costs, props, instruction time and programs. Please contact
Michelle Meador
with any questions.
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CHRISTMAS PLAYLIST
We took a staff survey and put together a spotify playlist that's a collection of our favorite Christmas songs. We've been enjoying listening to this fun collection of Christmas music and though some of you might enjoy it as well.
Click here to access the playlist
(you'll need a spotify account).
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INCLEMENT WEATHER DECISION AND NOTIFICATION PROCESS
If it becomes necessary to cancel or delay the start of school due to inclement weather, O'Hara families will be notified in the morning via an automated phone message. The information will also be posted on our
Facebook
&
Instagram
pages.
O'Hara typically follows Eugene School District 4J's decisions regarding weather delays and closures. However, we also take into consideration the larger geographic area that our O'Hara families live in and are mindful of what those travel conditions might include. The safety of our families and staff is our primary concern. A decision regarding school delay or closure will normally be announced by 6:30am in the morning.
Please note, in the event of questionable weather, we expect and encourage each family to make their own decision for safe travel based on location and circumstances. If your students will not be to school on time, please email
attendance@oharaschool.org
, or call the office.
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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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TIPS FROM THE MATH & READING ROOM
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This week's topic: Christmas Library Updates
We were looking through Amazon at the most popular Christmas books for children to add some new variety to our classroom library and found some great new releases as well as some much-loved favorites. If you're looking to update your library, here are a few that you can find on Amazon that your kids are sure to love (and make great stocking stuffers too)!
Ages birth - 3:
Little Blue Truck's Christmas
by Alice Schertle
Ages 3 - 5:
The Very Cranky Bear
by Nick Bland
Ages 3- 7:
The Christmas Wish
(Wish Series) by Lori Evert
Ages 4 and up:
The Mouse in the Hammock, a Christmas Tale
by Bethany Brevard
Ages 2 - 8:
Bear Stays Up for Christmas
by Karma Wilson
Ages 4 - 8:
Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever
by Matt Tavares
Ages 4 - 8:
How to Catch an Elf
by Adam Wallace
Ages 5 - 8:
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story
by Gloria Houston
Ages 3 - 10:
A Silly Milly Christmas
by Sheri Wall
Ages 8 - 10:
Krampus and the Thief of Christmas: A Christmas Novel
by Eldritch Black
Ages 7 -12:
Eddie Versus the Shadow Shifters: in the Battle for Christmas
(The Adventures of Eddie volume 1) by Brandon Stevenson
Ages 8 - 12:
Top Elf
by Caleb Huett
Ages 8 - 12:
A Boy Called Christmas
by Matt Haig
Ages 8 -12:
The Girl Who Saved Christmas
by Matt Haig
Ages 9 and up:
Issie and the Christmas Pony: Christmas Special
by Stacy Gregg
Ages 14 and up:
The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle
by Joanne Huist Smith
Ages 14 and up:
A Christmas Story
by Jean Shepherd
Happy Reading and we hope you have a Merry Christmas and a great holiday break!
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COMMUNICATION 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
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:
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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. We 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.
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."
- Joshua 24:15
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O'Hara Catholic School
715 West 18th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97402
541.485.5291
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