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June 1, 2009
Registration is Open for 2009-2010 School Year: Take advantage of the opportunity to register your children for a quality, affordable Catholic education. We are accepting applications for next year Monday through Friday from 8:00 -3:00 or by appointment. Call the School Office, 847-623-4110, for more information.
Graduation Banquet: Academy of Our Lady 8th grade students celebrated their upcoming graduation at their banquet on Friday, May 22. The school gym, the setting for the banquet, was beautifully decorated in the school colors by a team of 8th grade parents. The students and their parents enjoyed a night of great food, wonderful memories and lots of dancing. We are very proud of the class of 2009!
Earth Day: The entire student body at Academy of Our Lady participated in an Earth Day celebration on Friday, May 8. Students were involved in a variety of activities around the Waukegan community. Many classrooms walked to neighborhood parks to clean up garbage and have picnics. Others worked on our school property to clean up or plant a garden. The day came to a close as our school planted a tree near the rectory in memory of Mrs. Jane Baker, a long time teacher at Lakeshore Catholic Academy and Academy of Our Lady.
Talent Show: On Friday, May 8, Academy of Our Lady presented the first annual Talent Show in honor of Mother’s Day. Over 40 students participated by singing, dancing, and performing a wide variety of talents! Our mothers were delighted to be greeted at the door with a rose and later enjoyed a door prize raffle. Many thanks to Nettie Mojarro, Kristel Wilkins, Doug Klatt and Jennifer Franco for their help in producing such a successful show!
Family and School Association Meeting: The Family and School Association meeting for May will take place on Monday, May 11 at 6:30 pm
Scholarship winners make us proud! Congratulations to Mercedes Jasso and Bridgett Riverol who were awarded scholarships to attend Woodlands Academy in Lake Forest in the fall. We are very proud of them and happy that they will continue to receive an excellent Catholic education during their high school years. Well done, ladies!
Daniel Murphy Scholarship Finalists: Academy of Our Lady is extremely proud to announce that three of our 8th grade students were finalists in the process to select Daniel Murphy Scholars. The mission of the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund (DMSF) is to provide four-year high school scholarships and educational support services to 8th grade students who demonstrate academic potential in order to ensure that they are properly prepared for college. Our finalists were: Marco Aguilar, Jessica Ayala and Bridgett Riverol. Marco and Jessica were awarded the scholarship on February 24, 2009. Bridgett is on a waiting list for the scholarship and hopes to receive news about it by mid-March. Congratulations 8th grade students!!
Fun Fair 2009: Kudos to Mrs. Brattkus, Mrs. Wegrzyn, our wonderful teachers and staff, and the members of the Academy of Our Lady Student Council for a very successful and fun filled Fun Fair! The fair took place on Friday, April 17 and was very well attended. Families came in for some food and all the traditional fun fair games such as cake walk, pig racing, pirate treasure, bean bag toss, mini bowling and ring toss. The Dobitki table, as always, was a great success with many people enjoying this game of chance and receiving wonderful prizes! We thank all the Family and School Association members and enthusiastic volunteers from Stevenson High School who helped run this event.
Appreciation Mass for Father Gary: Academy of Our Lady celebrated Father Gary with a very special tribute during the Mass of Friday, April 17, 2009. After Communion, each class read a line of an acrostic poem in his honor. Father Gary then joined the children in the school cafeteria for cake and refreshments. We wish Father Gary a future filled with blessings and our deepest gratitude!
Living Stations of the Cross: Academy of Our Lady eighth grade students presented a moving reflection on Jesus' passion and death to a large group of student, family and community members on Friday, March 27. Directed by Mr. Chevere, AOL eighth grade teacher, and featuring Enrique Garza who depicted the sufferings of Our Lord, this re-enactment provided everyone attending, and especially our young people a way to relate the Lenten message to our own lives.
Career Day: The students at Academy of Our Lady participated in a Career Day on March 23. We had a variety of professionals come in to speak to our children about their careers. Several parents from Academy of Our Lady participated in the event: Ms. Gonzalez, Ms. Guzman, Mr. Mann and Ms. Diaz. Waukegan Police Department Detective, Tim Ives, volunteered as a speaker and a member of the St. Joseph’s parish, Stan Taylor, came to show us a presentation on his volunteer efforts in Tanzania building a school for AIDS orphans. Our students were inspired by the wonderful presentations that they heard. Who knows what the future has in store for our students!
Other News:
Congratulations to students in the Third Quarter Honor Roll!
Architectural Tour: On Friday, March 20, a group of 5th grade students from Woodland School in Gurnee came to visit Immaculate Conception Church. They are in a gifted math program and studying architecture. Their teacher contacted Mrs. St. Claire about touring the inside and outside of the church. Mrs. Pat Moran gave them an excellent tour of both and provided them with an extensive history of our church. The students each had a digital camera and were very busy snapping photos of the beautiful architecture on the interior and exterior of Immaculate Conception. We are very proud that our church has attracted visitors that appreciate the history and building.
Academy of Our Lady takes pride in our efforts to encourage positive relationships among our students. We have had 2 assemblies on Bullying. Our 5th – 8th grades participated in an assembly performed by Boom Troupe. The assembly focused on role playing by the actors in which students learned about the different types of bullying, as well as preventing bullying. The assembly also gave the students great strategies on how to handle a bullying situation.
Our Kindergarten – 4th graders attended an assembly by Rick Allen. He performed a magic act and incorporated the subject of bullying into his act. Mr. Allen also gave the students examples of bullying behavior, as well as strategies to prevent and dissuade conflicts. He even levitated one of our students during his performance!
During Catholic Schools Week, Academy of Our Lady was fortunate to have Mr. Rich Rubietta (Pastor Rich) who brought his love for God to our students through song. Much of his focus was on empowering students to be kind and compassionate to others. The whole school, including teachers, were singing and dancing together!
Spaghetti Dinner: The eighth grade students and parents are excited to report that their February 20th Spaghetti Dinner was a great success. They served many delicious dinners and all profits will be applied to their Springfield field trip in May. The eighth graders and their parents worked hard selling tickets, setting up, serving and cleaning up!
A very special thanks to Juan Retana Jr., from Retana’s Pizza Pasta & Ribs, who contributed to this fundraiser by giving an excellent price on such a delicious spaghetti dinner. It is wonderful to be able to work with local businesses who are interested in contributing to our school’s efforts.
What a treat! The Symphony Orchestra from St. Benedict/St. John’s University from Minnesota, led by David Arnott, will be visiting the Academy of Our Lady on Monday, March 2 and will offer a concert to our students at 8:30 am. We are looking forward to enjoying some delightful music!
Altar Servers learn from Sister Yuliana: A dedicated group of young people are learning about the important role the Mass plays in the faith life of Catholics. Twice a week they stay after school to prepare themselves to serve Our Lord and our Catholic community as altar servers. We pray for Sister Yuliana and the mission of these children. God bless you all!
AOL is going GREEN: Our teachers, students, and parent volunteers are working together to protect our environment and to strengthen our love and respect for Mother Nature. Please support our efforts by saving the labels and bottle tops and putting them in the boxes at the back of the churches. You can help our students and our environment by participating. It’s easy and so very rewarding!
Volunteer needed: The Academy of Our Lady is looking for a volunteer to help in the school Library. Flexible hours. If you are interested, please call Mrs. Margaret St. Claire. 847.623.4110.
Weatherbug®: Academy of Our Lady has installed an exciting weather station at our school. It is a scientific-grade weather station which is linked with WGN news. It provides local weather conditions on a display unit in the school and reports the conditions to WGN-TV. In addition, the teachers are using Weatherbug as a learning tool for their students to incorporate data collection, graphing and measurement. AOL obtained Weatherbug through a grant and was fortunate to have the expertise of staff members, maintenance crew and our technology specialist to complete the installation. Link to Academy of Our Lady’s WeatherBug®
Volunteers Needed: The Academy is looking for volunteers to tutor our students. If you think you have the gift to help students develop to their potential, please call Mrs. Margaret St. Claire to find out about the wonderful opportunities for volunteering.
Phone: 847.623.4110
Registration Now Open for the Academy of Our Lady:
• New families welcome!
• Pick up registration packets from school office
• Monday through Friday 7:30 am to 3:30 pm
• Give your child the gift of a Catholic education
• Solid academic program
• Affordable, safe and caring environment
Call 847.623.4110 for more information.
Pre-School Program:
Would you like an excellent program for your 3 or 4 year old?
Academy of Our Lady Pre-Kindergarten program offers a state-approved program in a caring environment, certified teacher, free bus service, free snacks and free field trips to interesting places. All this and much more for less than $2.50 an hour!! Registrations are now being accepted.
Call 847.623.4110 for more information.
Come join the school with a heart that embraces all!
Dear Friends of Academy of Our Lady,
Special greetings from the teachers and staff, from our coaches and volunteers, from our students, and from me, your principal! We want you to know that all of you who have so generously supported our school with your prayers as well as financial support are deeply appreciated and all your special intentions are remembered in our prayers.
This is such an exciting time at the Academy! Looking back on this year past we count our blessings and are thankful for our all achievements so far! We have welcomed new teachers, including Sister Annie, Sr. Gladys and our Pre-K teacher, Mrs. Grieb. We have been blessed with new students from far, (California) and near! Sacramental preparation is once again a strong component of our curriculum and we are so pleased to have the return of our band program led by Deacon Clark. Our music teacher, Mrs. Conover directed our band in its first recital of the year and the school community was delighted by the children's voices lifted in praise at our Christmas program. We heard, "Silent Night" sung in its original German version as well as 5 other languages including English, Spanish and Tagalog!
Our new parent organization, the Family and School Association is actively participating in fundraising, volunteering, and assisting teachers and students. Our students continue to participate in Student Council learning leadership and service to the community. We also have our young poets participating in our after school, "Poetry Slam" class as well as the school newspaper.
Thanks to our dedicated coaches and parents, Athletics a are very important part of our school and our teams continue dazzle, especially in their new uniforms thanks to a generous benefactor!
The list of accomplishments continues. Despite the economic hardships many of our families are facing, we continue to grow thanks to the kind support of wonderful people like you who believe in our children and who believe in our school. May Our Lord bless you and your families abundantly in 2008!
Sincerely,
Sandra Prez, Principal
Academy of Our Lady
Calling All Parents! "From pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, Catholic schools constitute the best school system in Cook and Lake counties." (Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I.)
Everyone is welcome! Academy of Our Lady encourages parents to visit our school and to see for themselves that Catholic education is the best choice for their children. We are now accepting new students for this school year now in progress in our 3 and 4 year old pre-K program and in 1st through 8th grade. In some groups enrollment is limited. Call 847-623-4110 for more information or to make an appointment to tour our school. Affordable, safe and academically rigorous education is available NOW for your children.