TBT: Scouting for Food

In late November, the OLS Cub Scouts patrolled the streets in our neighborhood to collect donations for Scouting for Food. Shown here, the 1st grade Tiger den encountered a house with a pyramid of food to donate! Thanks to generous neighbors like this one and the dedicated work of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts throughout the region, Scouting for Food collected 2.2 million items of food, the third highest total in the program's 32-year history.

Rosaries at DuBourg House

 A few weeks ago, members of our ProLife club went to DuBourg House to pray the rosary. The students joined the retired residents in an afternoon of quiet prayer that both groups enjoyed immensely.

Pink Out

In honor of breast cancer awareness month, OLS students pulled out their favorite pink shirts. Each student was invited to donate $1, wear pink, and celebrate with pink cupcakes at lunch. Students raised $140 for breast cancer research! Thanks to all for your support of this important cause. 

Feeding the Poor

Last week, the members of our ProLife Club initiated a food drive for our parish's St. Vincent de Paul food pantry. Our families were generous, as always! The students collected 160 non-perishable food items on Tuesday, and other donations trickled in throughout the week.

The food they collected will be used to help provide assistance to families living within our parish boundaries. The spirit of St. Teresa of Calcutta is alive at OLS!

In the Hallway

 

 

OLS students continue to learn about Mother Teresa and strive to use her life as an example of how they, too, should live.  These signs were spotted in hallway. 

The students also had a simple lunch day last week and held a canned food drive for the poor this week!

Seats and Feet Drive

Over the last two weeks, the Home & School Association invited OLS families to participate in a drive to support families who lost everything during the recent floods in Louisiana. Our students brought in bag after bag of new socks, new underwear, and new shoes to help provide some basics for students at another Catholic school: St. Thomas More in Baton Rouge.

A table overflowing with donations from our families.

While we had hoped we could send something to these families in need, we were absolutely floored by the tremendous response! OLS proves once again that our community's generosity knows no limit. By the numbers, we collected:

• 26 pairs of shoes
• 445 pairs of underwear
• 390 pairs of socks
• 8 undershirts
• 45 letters from our students to theirs

We filled 9 boxes and shipped them out last week. Thank you for your support and concern for the families at St. Thomas More!

Blue Day

Last week, 4th grader Aiden G organized a fundraiser to support prostate cancer research. After losing his dad to this disease, the cause is near to his heart. Aiden encouraged all students to bring $1 to school and wear a blue shirt of their choice. Each student who made a donation received a cupcake, too.

With the support of the OLS student body, Aiden exceeded his fundraising goal! Thanks to all for your generous support.

Preschool Service Project

During Advent, the preschoolers talk and learn a great deal about the birth of baby Jesus, the importance of this one tiny baby, and the struggles of the Holy Family at the time of His birth.  Thus, during this time of preparation, the OLS preschool families worked to Fill the Manger by donating items to Our Lady's Inn and the families they serve.  The children placed their donations in the manger in the hallway outside their classrooms, so they can watch our collection grow until break.

For more information about Our Lady's Inn and their mission, please visit their website at https://www.ourladysinn.org/ 

Happy Thanksgiving!

OLS students are always known for their generosity, but around Thanksgiving, they work especially hard to help those in need. During Tuesday's all-school Mass, students were invited to bring a non-perishable food item to stock our parish's St. Vincent de Paul food pantry. They filled many boxes and helped make a difference in the lives of the many families who rely on our donations.

Over the weekend, OLS Cub Scouts also worked to feed the hungry. They patrolled the streets in our neighborhood on a cold morning in rain-turned-snow to collect donations for Scouting for Food. Along with other Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts throughout the region, they collected almost 2 million items to feed the hungry in our city.

The OLS Wolf den bundled up to collect bags of food.

On this Thanksgiving, we wish you a day of peace and joy with family and friends.

Mario Kart Tournament

Last Wednesday, the OLS Student Ambassadors sponsored a unique fundraiser for the missions: a Mario Kart Tournament. It was a huge success! (For our non-video game readers, Mario Kart is a series of go-kart-style racing video games created by Nintendo.)

The 5th-8th grade students were invited to form teams of four and enter the contest for a small fee. Four teams competed against each other, and the races were closely contested.  The winners of Wednesday's tournament were Clayton, Amy, Connor and Dylan. All the gamers gave the event two thumbs up!

Kudos to Ambassadors Vincent, Jack, George, and Ben who spearheaded this activity and did all of the organizing and planning.

Preschool Gives Thanks

The Preschool Yellow Room is getting ready for Thanksgiving. They have much to be thankful for, including "my mom," "when my brother plays with me," and "my video games!" It's never too soon to start teaching gratitude!

Preschool will attend their first all-school liturgy, the school's Thanksgiving Mass on Tuesday, and will participate in the non-perishable food drive at that Mass. All are welcome to join us for Mass!

Penny March

Last week, the students participated in a Penny March to benefit the roof and the missions. On Tuesday, the students brought coins, marched around the gym, and dropped the coins into a basket. They continued to march until they ran out of coins. The fun continued on Thursday as one representative from each class marched with their classmates' coins. With upbeat music and 8th graders serving as emcee, the whole student body cheered and anxiously awaited to see who would be the final class marching. Ultimately, the 8th grade representative was the only one left.

Both students and faculty had a fabulous time and raised over $200! They will hold another Penny March soon. Thanks to the Ambassadors and Mrs. Ryan for planning such a fun event for a good cause!

Pink Out!

On Monday, the OLS community wore pink to help support cancer research. For a $1 donation, students could dress in their favorite pink shirt and enjoy a pink cupcake at lunch. The halls were filled with brightly-clad students and faculty as they joined together to make a difference in the countless lives affected by cancer.

Through the OLS Pink Out, we donated $139.75 to the American Cancer Society! Thank you for your generosity and your support of this important cause.

Pan y Amor

Through the efforts of the ProLife club and the generosity of our student body, OLS helps to support an Archdiocesan program called Pan y Amor or Bread and Love. This mission program provides for the physical and spiritual needs of children in Bolivia, Kenya, Uganda, and Colombia. By donating to this program, our students learn compassion and practice living the way Jesus did.

Our donation this year is going to Madre de Dios (Mother of God), a home for girls age 6-17. Located in Cochabamba, Bolivia, this home provides education, health care, and counseling for approximately 45 young girls. Please join us in praying for the girls of Madre de Dios and for their caregivers!

Spirit Saturday #15

 

OLS is proud of a very generous middle schooler, Ben K., who donated to the ProLife Club a significant sum of money that he was lucky enough to find in a store.  After being unable to locate the owner, he chose to donate this money rather than keep it for himself.  It is wonderful to see the virtue of generosity and charity lived out by one of our students. Way to go, Ben!

Advent Giving Tree

OLS parishioners and school families participate in the Advent Giving Tree program, which helps provide Christmas gifts to needy families in our area.  Some of our 7th grade students are helping to collect, organize, and distribute the gifts as part of their Confirmation service hours.  Our community has been exceptionally generous in donating to this program this year.

Just a small portion of the gifts OLS has purchased for needy families.

We will take a break from our regular posts while our faculty, staff, and students enjoy their Christmas break.  All of us at OLS wish you and your family a blessed Christmas and a joyful new year!

Student Reporter News: Socks for CF

Samantha L. reports on a recent fundraiser to raise money for a good cause:

On Monday, October 6, students were allowed to wear crazy socks for a $0.50 or more donation.  We are raising money to help put an end to CF, Cystic Fibrosis.  Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that affects mostly the lungs but also the pancreas, liver, and intestine.  Difficulty breathing is the most serious symptom and results from frequent lung infections.  Also, this affects the child's life span.  All proceeds will be put towards a foundation for finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.  The Sakamoto family personally knows a nine year old boy named Charlie with Cystic Fibrosis, and OLS is donating all proceeds for Socks for CF in his name.  Let's end CF together!   --Samantha L.

A few of our students sporting crazy socks to support the fight against CF.