OLQA NEWS September 9, 2020

SAVE THE DATE: OLQA Virtual Back-to-School Night! Thursday, September 24

We will have several sessions beginning at 6:30 p.m. More information to follow.

A NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear OLQA parents,

As we begin this unprecedented school year, we know that there will be challenges but there will be many beautiful opportunities to grow in faith as a community. We feel blessed to have the opportunity to open while many of our local schools remain closed and online. When we created the Reopening Plan, it was in order to plan diligently for the safety of our students and staff to return. Now that we are open, we acknowledge that, as stated in our reopening plan, “This COVID-19 pandemic is fluid and unpredictable; therefore, our plan remains subject to change as new information becomes available.” Over the course of the past two days, through our own observations and in communication with the Orange County Health Department, we recognize that we may continue to experience changes due to revised guidance and regulations.

While our children are together in one classroom, it is not always possible to physically be six feet apart, therefore we wear masks due to local and state requirements. Our students are doing a fabulous job so far! We will keep building our stamina with our new routines to keep us all safe during learning. We will take mask breaks and ensure that students know they can take them off at recess, snack, lunch, in outdoor learning spaces, and PE. The desk shields are great and are making a difference but the Health Department maintains they do not protect like a face covering. At OLQA, we are choosing to do what is recommended and safest. As you know, we offer a fully online learning program for families that are not comfortable with our current health policy and procedures.

Each day, we learn and adapt to this new environment. Next week, I will offer parent Zoom meetings by grade levels, to continue to share our plans and address concerns. Parents will have an opportunity to submit questions in advance. Please look for the dates and times to be published for the meetings.

Our pledge continues to be to do the very best we can and we ask for your prayers. Trust our teachers, as I do, to communicate if your student is struggling. If you have concerns, please reach out to your student’s teacher. It is in OLQA’s best interest to stay positive and we ask that you please be patient as we navigate these uncharted waters. In order to stay open, we are called to do our part, and to respect each other’s beliefs and perspectives. Thank you for your continued support and grace. We are confident that this will be a great year and look forward to thriving and growing together as an OLQA community.

Blessings,

Julie Tipton

Pope Francis calls us to “Confront COVID with unbounded love”!

SPIRIT ROCK IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR! Our OLQA Spirit Rock is an opportunity to share exciting events with our school community by painting your own message. Parents, students, and staff may “Rent the Rock” to recognize a student’s birthday, show school spirit, wish a team good luck, thank a teacher, etc. To sign up: CLICK HERE

MEET MS. WARDELL, ONLINE TEACHER K, 1, and 2 (She will also be joining our in person K&1 classes in the afternoons)

My name is Anna Wardell, and I am from San Diego, California. I currently live in Long Beach, where I received my bachelor's in education and teaching credential from CSU Long Beach. In my spare time, I enjoy relaxing at the beach, watching movies, and hanging out with my kitty, Miley. My reasons for becoming a teacher stem from a passion of wanting to influence others in a positive way and inspire greatness in our future generations. I believe our differences are what make us special, and it is important to accept one another for who they are. I love guiding students to succeed and helping them grow academically, socially, and personally. I love collaborating and conversing with others, and enjoy learning new things. I always keep an open mind and strive to learn from my experiences and from interactions with others. I am so excited to officially start my teaching journey!

FOR TK-GRADE 6 ONLY

ALL STUDENTS Thursday and Friday are minimum days with school starting at 8:10 a.m. and ending at 12:10 p.m. Gates open at 7:45 a.m. for drop off and at noon for pick up. The blue line gate closes at 12:10 p.m.
We will be back to regular hours starting on Monday, September 14. We will send one more Back-to-School Special Edition on Friday with details for next week.
We will have Extended Day available for working parents ONLY beginning 9/8 that are on an Extended Day Agreement for Hourly or Flat Rate Plan. We are unable to provide Drop In Service at this time. Agreement Form: HERE.

LOOKING FOR A GREAT OLQA ADDITION!

We are looking for an IA Kindergarten/Extended Care (1:00-6:00 p.m.) If you know of the perfect candidate, please email mvillamor@olqa.org.

CHOICE LUNCH LUNCH STARTS NEXT WEEK! Welcome to A La Carte! Take full control of ordering lunch with the easy-to-use, customizable, contactless lunch option from Choicelunch. To set up an account, order online, and info, please CLICK HERE.

Our Lady Queen of Angels - Pray for Us!