“Lent is a time to return to what is essential. Fasting is the spiritual training ground where we shed the things that weigh us down. Almsgiving, charity, will be a sign of our compassion towards those in need, Prayer will give voice to our desire to encounter the Father. In God no act of love, no matter how small, and no generous effort will ever be lost.”

Pope Francis

Important Dates:
• Thursday, March 2 – Art Day
• Tuesday, March 7 – School finishes at 2:00 pm (Youth Cat is still Available)
• Tuesday, March 7 – Student-Led Conferences – Starts at 2:00pm, doors close at 6:00 pm
• Thursday, March 9 – Registration Packages are Due
• Thursday, March 9 – Hip Hop Performance 1:30 in the gym
• Friday, March 10 – Last Day before Spring Break – 3:00 dismissal
• Monday, March 27 – School Re-opens
• Thursday, April 6 – Holy Thursday – Noon Dismissal
• Friday, March 7 – Good Friday – School and Office Closed
• Easter Monday, April 10 – School and Office Closed
• Friday, April 28 – Professional Day – Friday and Office are Closed

Art Day
The students at OLM will be participating in their 7th Annual Art Day, Thursday, March 2nd. This year’s Art Day is inspired by the Canticle of the Sun prayer by St. Francis. Students will be creating a Gallery of Gratitude based on the canticle and by creating unique frames for their artwork. All students are encouraged to dress up as an artist for the day. Costume suggestions include berets, aprons, scarves, overalls, oversized shirts, painted shirts and hats.

Grow and Glow – Student-Led Conferences
When: Tuesday, March 7
Time: Anytime from 2:00 p.m. to 5:40 p.m.
Doors Close at 6:00 pm
No registration is required. Come anytime!
Student-Led conferences are a time to celebrate your child’s learning and progress. This conference focusses specifically on your child’s reading and writing progress, as well as the other aspects of their learning.
Please note: This is a shortened school day. 2:00 pm dismissal

Hip Hop Performance:
Thursday, March 9, 2023 at 1:30pm
The students are to come to school dressed in their hip hop costumes.
Grades K – 7 are to wear a pair of blue jeans that they can move in. Students are encouraged to wear some kind of accessories, i.e. hat, bling, bandanas, glasses or other accessories to add Hip Hop flavor to their costume. Please accessorize!
The colour for the tops are as follows:
Gr.7 – Black
Gr 6 – Grey
Gr 5 – Blue
Gr 4 – White
Gr 3 – Red
Gr 2 – Orange
Gr 1 – Yellow
Gr K – Green

“How can we safeguard and cultivate the peace of Jesus? He himself points to three wellsprings of peace, three sources from which we can draw as we continue to nurture peace. They are forgiveness, community, and mission.”

-Pope Francis

Important Dates

• Monday, February 6 – Personal Care Drive Begins
• Tuesday, February 7 – Skating Grades 3,5 and 7
• Thursday and Friday February 16 and 17 – SCHOOL CLOSED
• Monday, February 20 – Family Day – SCHOOL AND OFFICE CLOSED
• Wednesday, February 22 – Ash Wednesday
• Thursday, February 23 – AGM – 7:00pm in the gym
• Thursday, March 9 – Registration Packages DUE
• Friday, March 10 – Last day before Spring Break
• Monday, March 27 – School reopens.

For all school events, please check the OLM calendar page.

Tax receipts
Tax receipts will be given out on Tuesday, February 7. Please check your eldest child’s backpack.

Personal Care Drive
From February 6-10 the Leadership Club students are asking the school to “Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve” and participate in our Personal Care Drive. With the number of homeless people and families in need growing within our community, we at OLM are striving to help out in a very small way.

The OLM Leadership club will be collecting personal care items to donate to local food banks within our community. Your help is greatly appreciated. Donations can be brought to the classrooms. Items being collected are as follows:

• Primary Grades (K-3)
  • Dental care – toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, mouthwash
  • Baby items – Diapers, baby food
• Intermediate Grades (4-7):
  • Men’s care – shaving cream, razors, deodorant shampoo, conditioner, soap
  • Women’s care – women’s hygiene products, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, soap

Let’s come together as a religious community and Wear Our Hearts on Our Sleeves for those in need.

Mabel’s Labels Fundraising
Mabel’s Labels Annual Warehouse Sale is here! Everything from labels, tags and more is on sale for up to 50% off! Over ten different Mabel’s Labels products are on sale – so get them before they’re gone, you’re not going to want to miss this!
Here’s how you can get in on the sale:

1. Visit campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for “Our Lady of Mercy School (Burnaby)“
2. Choose the “Sale” tab at the top of the screen.

Dress Down / Theme Days
Dress down days or theme days have been created to build community and school spirit. In addition, they help students recognize certain topics or events in a special way. It is a way for students to become actively involved through participation.
Dress Down Theme Days for the rest of the school year are as follows:

• January 19, 2023 – Hat Day – Students are to come dressed up in colourful outfits which coordinate well with their artistically created hats, adorned on their heads.
• February 14, 2023 – Valentine’s Day Gear – Students can wear Valentines Day traditional colours of pink or red. Hearts, bows and arrows…anything that represents the day.
• April 27, 2023 – Career Day – Career exploration is an important topic for elementary students. Introducing young children to potential career options early on in school can keep students focused and engaged in subjects throughout middle and high school. Students are to come dressed as a profession they would like to grow up to be.
• May 25, 2023 – Matching Day – Students partner with another student and dress in the same outfits

If students wish to participate in Dress Down/Theme Days, the cost is $2.00.

Popcorn Sales
Popcorn sales will occur on the following dates:

• January 12, 2023
• February 22, 2023
• April 22, 2023

The cost is $1.00 per bag. Popcorn will be distributed at lunch time. Students may only purchase one bag.

Treat Sales
Treat sales will take place on the following dates:

• January 27, 2023
• February 10, 2023
• April 14, 2023
• May 12, 2023
• June 7/14/21, 2023

Frozen treats, candy bags and chips are examples of items that will be sold. The cost of the items will be between $1.00 – $2.00.

Hot Dog Days
Hot dog sales will take place on the following dates:

• January 25, 2023
• March 1, 2023
• April 29, 2023
• May 24, 2023

The cost for one hot dog, juice box and chips is $5.00. Individual hot dogs can be purchased for $3.00 each.

“Goodness is hidden, silent; it requires slow and continuous excavation. Because God’s style is discreet. He does not impose himself. He is like the air we breathe-we don’t see it but it allows us to live.”

-Pope Francis

Calendar
Please refer to the the Calendar page for up to date events/activities scheduled during this busy time of the year.

Cold and flu season
The cold and flu season is well underway, and together we want to do everything we can to prevent the students from getting sick. Inevitably, however, they will catch something from somewhere.

The Ministry of Education and Child Care, in collaboration with the BC Centre for Disease Control want to ensure that all parents are aware that their child should not come to school if they are sick and unable to participate fully in routine activities.

Families can support this practice by being diligent in doing the daily health check every morning before their child comes to school. The daily health check means regularly checking to ensure they (or their child) are not experiencing symptoms of illness (including but not limited to COVID-19 symptoms) that would limit their ability to participate fully in regular activities before coming to school to prevent spread of communicable diseases within the school settings.

If a student develops symptoms at school:

• Masks are available for those who are sick and the people assisting them
• Students who are ill will be asked to wait in the office for their family member to pick them up
• The student’s parent or guardian will be contacted and asked to have their child picked up as soon as possible
• Custodial staff will clean and disinfect the area and the surrounding areas the person used
• The person should stay home and follow public health advice on when to return to activities. Most people can return to school when their symptoms have improved, and they feel well enough to participate in regular activities.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), research shows that the health of students is linked to their academic achievement and their social and emotional well being.

Here are a few tips for cold and flu season to help stop the spread

1. Start off with a healthy meal. Providing your child with a healthy meal not only gives them enough energy to focus it keeps their immune system in shape.
2. Get a good night’s rest. A sufficient amount of sleep helps fight off sickness because a good sleep has a major effect on your child’s immune system.
3. Good hand washing – keep little hands clean. One of the most important ways to stop the spread of germs is hand washing. The benefits of hand washing have been emphasized more than ever over these past two years, and it still remains incredibly important for preventing the spread of cold and flu germs. Make sure to teach your children to wash their hands before eating, touching their faces, and when returning from school. Washing for at least 20 seconds can help eliminate germs and keep your whole family much healthier.
4. Healthy habits and good hygiene. Cover your cough! Respiratory illnesses such as the flu or common cold are spread airborne. Continue to reinforce your child habits like sneezing and coughing in their elbow helps prevent others from getting sick and washing his or her hands after he or she sneezes.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth or face. Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth.
6. Sanitize – Common areas or high-touch areas are disinfected with antibacterial disinfectant. This includes surfaces, door handles and cabinet pulls, the refrigerator and microwave, toilet seats and bathroom faucets.

Student- Led Conferences – Thursday, Dec. 1
Student-led conferences are a time for the students to celebrate and show their families the work they have accomplished this term and the ebb and flow of their class.

Thursday, Dec. 1st is a late start.
Classes will begin at 12:55 for students. However, there will be supervision starting at 8:15 a.m. for any student who needs to come to school.

There are four Student-Led sessions that parents can choose from. Families do not need to sign up for a specific time. But instead may attend any ONE of the following sessions:

3:15 to 4:15 or 4:15 to 5:15
Doors will be closed from 5:15 to 6:00p.m.
6:00 to 6:45 or 6:45 to 7:45
Doors close at 8:00p.m.