Enter to Learn. Go Forth to Serve.
Saturday, April 11, 2020
NEW UPDATES & INFORMATION FOR OUR FAMILIES
SCHOOL CLOSURE EXTENSION LOGISTICS

With the extension of the building closure through the end of the school year, our Leadership Team is working on a plan to get additional necessary resources to students and provide a time for students to collect remaining items from their desks, classrooms and lockers. We will finalize our plan and will share that plan with our families very soon.
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE & FAMILY RESOURCES

Please visit our Holy Week Schedule , where we have activities for Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday posted. Please enjoy all of these resources! 

Fr. Mike Schmitz, a well-known Catholic priest and speaker, has put together this helpful video about how Catholics should respond to Covid-19 . We hope you find this resource valuable.
PROGRESS REPORTS & SPRING PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

Progress Reports will be emailed to parents on Tuesday, April 21. They will look a bit different this semester because of the transition to digital learning:

For students in preschool through 2nd grade , expect fewer grades and more written descriptions, including narratives of how your student is doing academically and goals for them for the remainder of the school year. 

For students in 3rd through 8th grade , there will be no citizenship grades on the progress report. Teachers will address behavioral strengths or areas for growth in comments as needed.

Conferences: Conference days will be April 23 & 24.

Typically, our spring conferences are by teacher request only. We have decided, due to our unique circumstances, to try conferences in a different way to make them more meaningful for each family.

Next week, you will receive an email for each of your students where you can select your conference preference. You will have a few choices for what would be most helpful for you at this time.

These will be the conference choices available:
  • I do not need a conference at this time. 
  • I would like the teacher to reach out to me via email.
  • I would like a phone call conference.
(For grades 5 and up, this will look slightly different since the students have multiple teachers.) 

There will not be specialist conferences but they are available via email for questions. 

Please note: there will be work posted for students on conference days, but teachers will NOT hold email office hours. 
20-21 TUITION PAYMENT OPTIONS - Please make changes by Monday, April 27.

If you are a returning family , your account information and payment plans have been rolled over to your FACTS 2020/2021 account. If you need to add a student, update any contact or student enrollment information, or wish to change your payment plan or account information, please log into your account (instructions below) and do so. 

The deadline for all returning families to complete this process is Monday, April 27.

If you have any questions about payment processing or need assistance completing this setup process, please contact Mrs. Plant , our business manager. You may also contact a FACTS representative at (866) 441-4637 with any questions. For more information, view the FAQ's or the how to flyers provided by FACTS.

Login Instructions:
Step 1: Click THIS LINK to be directed to the FACTS website. 

Step 2: Login or create an account for your family
-If you've used FACTS in the past to apply for tuition assistance, you will use that same account information to login.

-If you do not have an account, please create one to use going forward. 

Step 3: Choose the green button that says "Set up a payment plan" and then select "begin."

Step 4: Complete all 7 steps, following the timeline prompts across the top of the screen. 

-Make sure to add ALL students who are enrolled for the 20/21 school year. Please enter student grade levels for next year, not the current year. 

-There is a $10 processing fee for the 2-payment plan, and a $45 processing fee for the 10-month or 12-month plans. There is no fee for a 1 time payment plan. There is a 2.85% fee charged for using a credit card. These fees are assessed by FACTS.

-If there are multiple parties who will be making payments on your account, you will have the option to designate an additional party in the final step.

Step 5: Upon completing all steps, click the green "Done" button to complete your setup process. 

Once your setup process is completed, O'Hara will then finalize the balance due for your account. A confirmation, including the amount owed and payment schedule, will be emailed to you for your review and confirmation. If you applied for scholarship/tuition assistance, we will notify you in the next two weeks how this will affect your payments.
SPIRIT WEEK: April 14-17

Let’s have some fun as a community this week! These are suggested themes for each day; families are welcome to participate, but it is entirely optional. We’d love to see pics of our students each day: tag us on social media, or send them to: pictures@oharaschool.org.

Tuesday: Swag Day
Wear all your accessories: hat, crazy socks, sunglasses, ties, jewelry & more! 

Wednesday: Favorite Shirt Day / Favorite Team Day
Wear a shirt (or entire outfit!) that reps your favorite team. Or, wear your favorite shirt/outfit (of any variety).

Thursday: USA Day/ Thankful Thursday
Let’s show our American spirit! Wear any combo of Red/White/Blue. 

Additionally, on this Thankful Thursday, we’d like to encourage our students & families to send cards to the Veterans' Home in Lebanon. This center was one of the first locations in Oregon hit hard by Covid-19. The location has been closed to outside visitors since early March. Señor Hernandez’s daughter is a CNA at this location and has offered to help facilitate the distribution of our cards. Cards can be notes of thanks, notes of inspiration, pictures meant to bring cheer to lonely individuals, etc. 

Please mail your cards directly:
The Edward C. Allworth Veterans' Home
600 N 5th St.
Lebanon, OR 97355

Friday: O'Hara Spirit Day
Wear any O'Hara gear you have: gospel t-shirt, sports sweatshirt, uniform top, JAT shirt, etc.
CLUBS

O’Hara will offer 2 online clubs this Spring. O’Hara parents Jun and Xiaodi Li will be hosting the Computer Club and the Chinese Club via Zoom meetings. Spots are limited to 10 students per club. There is no fee for digital clubs. Students who were already signed up prior to digital learning days will be included in the clubs and will have any fees paid reimbursed.

Computer Club 
The O’Hara Computer Club is entering its third year! Students can sign up to learn about computers in a fun way. This year will focus more on web design.   

Dates: April 17, April 24, May 1, May 8 
When: Fridays at 2pm
Where: Zoom meetings (link will be sent to participants)
Grades: 4-8
To sign up, use this link .


Chinese Club 
Chinese is the most widely-spoken language in the world. Join Chinese Club and learn Chinese! Students can learn basic Chinese characters, pronunciation (Ping Ying), and some useful daily dialogues.  

Dates: May 15, May 22, May 29, June 5, June 12
When: Fridays at 2pm
Where: Zoom meetings (link will be sent to participants)
Grades: 1-8
To sign up, use this link .

Please contact Mr. Milliron for more information
DIRECTORY UPDATES

Please update your directories with the following information:

Address Update:
Miles Hill Family
2785 Oak St. Apt. # 5
Eugene, OR  97405

New email for Delia Stephenson:
stephenson451@comcast.net
NEW ADDITIONS TO DIGITAL LEARNING: LIBRARY & STEM

Mr. Larson has added weekly STEM activities to a new page in our Digital Learning Directory.  Mrs. Booth & Mrs. Gori will feature an author of the week on their new page that includes suggestions for books to read. Both of these pages are optional resources for our families who wish to participate. 
HOT LUNCH ACCOUNTS

Mrs. Whalen is working to reconcile lunch accounts for the balance of the 19-20 school year.

Families who purchased annual lunch plans for 19-20 can expect to receive an email from Mrs. Whalen with information and options for a credit or refund.

Families who pre-purchased lunches in March will receive a credit in their account.

If you would like further information or need clarification, please reach out to Mrs. Whalen .
PARENT NEWSLETTER FROM NCEA  

The April edition of the NCEA (National Catholic Educational Association) newsletter included a parent memo with strategies & suggestions for our new digital learning environment. Click here to read the newsletter .
FIP HOURS

Our FIP hours requirement for families has been waived for this year. To those families who have already completed their hours for the year: thank you so very much.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR OUR FAMILIES

Each and every O’Hara family is an important part of our community. If this extended closure is bringing financial difficulty to your family, and you need assistance, please reach out. We want to work with families to provide tuition assistance as much as we are able. If your family needs additional support at this time, please reach out to Mrs. Plant , our business manager. 
REMINDERS FROM LAST WEEK
ENROLLMENT OPENINGS NEXT YEAR

O’Hara currently has a handful of spots available in the following grades for next year: Preschool, PreK, 1st grade & 3rd grade. If you have a friend or neighbor that is interested in O’Hara for next year, please have them email us at admissions@oharaschool.org .
20-21 CALENDAR DATES

Work on the 2020-21 school calendar is underway. Right now, we have the following dates to share with our families:
 
Start Date
Tuesday, September 8 (Passport Day) 
 
Christmas Break
December 21 - January 1 (first day back is Monday January 4)
 
Spring Break
March 22-26
 
Last Day of School
June 18
PLEDGE & PRAYER VIDEOS WANTED

Each school-day morning, Mrs. Conway’s parent email includes a link to the Pledge of Allegiance by O’Hara students. And each evening, we are posting a bedtime prayer by O’Hara students on our social media.

We would love to feature your student; please submit videos as follows:
BUDDY FAMILIES NEEDED FOR 20-21

We are already looking for Buddy Families for the 2020-21 school year. The job of an O'Hara Buddy Family is to welcome incoming families and answer any questions that they might have. If you are interested in signing up to be a Buddy Family for next school year, please complete this survey . We are hoping to start pairing up new families by mid-May.  
STUDENT VOLUNTEERS WANTED

Attention O’Hara 5th - 8th graders: Can you help us? We’d like to create a video library for our younger students of our older students reading stories out loud. If you’d like to participate, please send a video of yourself reading a short story to Mrs. Ferrari . Thanks to James Guerrero & EJ Roedl for sending in videos last week!
FREE INTERNET FROM COMCAST

Comcast is providing free internet through Xfinity for families in need. Please click here for more information .
PLEASE KEEP SENDING IN YOUR PICTURES!

We are still collecting pictures for our 19-20 yearbook. Please continue to send us pics of your students ( pictures@oharaschool.org ) or upload them to Vidigami . If you need help accessing your Vidigami account, please email Mrs. Ferrari .
ZOOM MEETING SECURITY MEASURES

O’Hara is utilizing optional Zoom meetings as a way for our students to connect with their teachers and each other. Per direction from the Archdiocese, we want to reiterate the guidelines surrounding the use of Zoom:

  • All sessions between teachers & students must be recorded.
  • Parents must sign a waiver in order for their student to participate.
  • Teachers and staff will use security settings that prevent outside parties from gaining access to the Zoom sessions.
COMMUNITY & RESOURCES

We are working to create as many community-building opportunities for our students and families as possible. Please follow our Instagram and Facebook page for prayers, live feeds, and activities your students can participate in! We want our students to remember they are an important part of our O’Hara community and we want to see their pictures! We encourage you to tag us in your posts, or send us pictures via email: pictures@oharaschool.org . 


Resources & links
We’ve added a resource page at the top of the Digital Learning Directory that includes links for families. We recognize that the sheer number of emails sent and links being posted can be overwhelming, so this document is just meant to capture and catalog these as we share them out on social media or via email. This document is just for reference and no action is required on your part.

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

- Joshua 24:15
O'Hara Catholic School
715 West 18th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97402
541.485.5291