Dear Parents/Guardians:

A LOT is going on at OLS since the New Year. We have had our traditional events and I am very excited to say many have attended our International Night and the Sweetheart Dance. We look forward to a Spring packed with fun-filled events.

Look forward for more information:

• Founders’ Day – Tournament of Champions – March 20
• Easter Party – March 25
• Mother-Son Bowling – April 1
• Auction Night – April 22

At the start of the 2022-23 school year, the administration put school and student safety at the forefront with the construction of the new security guard area. Over the Martin Luther King weekend and Christmas vacation, we installed a phone in every classroom, large gathering space and a new system in the school office. In the event of an emergency, the teacher will have a greater ease of access to administration and the authorities if needed.

We had an upright piano donated over the Christmas break to our school. The students and Ms. Torres are ever so grateful for this generous gift.

One of the best presents of 2022 was for our crossing guard, Miss Yvonne. Thank you to the many parents, staff, and former alumni parents who advocated and petitioned for a stop sign on 80th Avenue and 258th Street.

Special thanks to the many volunteers who helped with our school events such as the Christmas Sale, Scholastic Book Fair, Halloween Trunk or Treat, Ornament Sale, class collections, and many other behind the scenes work required to make our events and fundraisers run. Many of us see the end product, but do not realize the hours of work to get to that point. Our volunteers and class parents are vital to our School, and we do appreciate all that they do! Thank you for your time and talent.

Respectfully,
Joseph Venticinque
Principal

February 2023

Principal’s Notes

Registration is underway for all current students. If any student has a sibling that needs to register, a registration packet is available online on our school website (www.olscafp.org). Information about our open houses is also available on the school website.

The 2023/2024 Application for Tuition Assistance has opened. Financial aid is available for students in Grades K to 8, who attend a Brooklyn or Queens Catholic School or Academy. More information can be found by visiting www.futuresineducation.org.

A big congratulations to our 8th grade students. As always, they have made us proud and have received acceptances to many Catholic high schools, many students receiving full and partial scholarships to their chosen high schools.

Please note the Nurse’s phone number is 718-347-5134 which is different from the school number. Best practice is to put it as a contact in your phone, so you don’t miss an important phone call regarding your child. With the phone new system, we can now transfer you!

Friendly Reminders
A student’s absence should be reported to the school office by 8:00am. You can leave a message on our voicemail anytime during the night. Please tell us your child’s name, class and reason for absence. Remember all students should arrive to school on time. Please plan ahead for the inclement weather and unpredictable traffic. Students are only permitted to wear their gym uniforms on cold weather days when a Parent Alert text message has been issued.

Also, notes should be sent with your children in the morning regarding dismissal instructions such as whether they should go to Aftercare, being picked up by a different adult, etc. Please refer to the school calendar on our website (www.olscafp.org) for updated events, clubs, school closures and half days. Phone calls to the school office should be kept for emergency situations.

Please follow all safety and traffic laws around the school property. 258th and 259th Streets are One Way streets. No double parking, waiting for your child to be dismissed or blocking our neighbors. Please arrive early enough for your child to be in school at the posted time. Being on time is a great habit to form. A child who is consistently late/absent begins the day poorly, disrupts other students, teachers and most importantly their learning for the day.

Label all jackets, fleece sweatshirts, winter coats, lunch boxes, water bottles, etc. We have so many items in our lost and found. Students can visit during the school day. Parents can visit before or after school.