Our Lady of the Mountains School - Paintsville at 405 Third Street, Paintsville, KY 41240 US - News
News
Important Dates
Spring Break is scheduled to take place from March 29th through April 2nd. Standardized Testing Week will take place during the week of April 5th. Parents are requested to avoid scheduling any doctor appointments from April 5th through 10th. A special thank you to parents who have volunteered to supply healthy snacks for our students during test week.
2010 2nd Annual Walk-a-Thon
OLM will host our 2nd Annual Walk-a-Thon on Thursday, April 15th. Students will circle our course around the school as many times as possible within the one hour time limit, and collect pledges from sponsors for their efforts. Our goal is to raise $2,000 to maintain and upgrade our programs and facilities. A special incentive plan is underway to encourage participation by all students and to maximize our fundraising efforts. Students can earn rewards such as Progressive Free Dress Passes, a classroom ice cream party, and the chance to win several awesome raffle prizes. We are praying for great weather, great participation, and great fun for all!
Golf Tournament
Stay tuned for details regarding our Annual Golf Tournament!
PTO Meeting/Social Studies Fair
On March 18th, the PTO will host the Social Studies Fair in the 3rd floor ballroom. Students in grades 3-7 have been devoting significant time and hard work to their projects. The theme of the fair is "Innovation -- Changes in History". The 3rd and 4th grade students chose projects based on the Social Studies Unit they are currently discussing and learning. Students are hard at work completing papers and visual aids on the subjects of The Civil Rights Movement, the cotton gin, Brown vs. the Board of Education, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Topics chosen by students in the 5th and 6th grades include Lydian Coins, airplanes, computers, the X-ray, the gun, and the long bow. Several topics selected by the 7th grade class include Barbie Dolls, the television, tanning beds and ballet. Students will be present at the meeting to discuss their final projects with teachers, parents and the judges. Refreshments will be served at the meeting. We look forward to seeing all our school families there!
Catholic Schools Week
Our Lady of the Mountains celebrated National Catholic Schools Week during the first week of February. The PTO sponsored a Teachers Appreciation Lunch on Tuesday, Feb. 2nd. Students in grades 5-7 attended Mega Mass at Christ the King Cathedral in Lexington with all other Catholic Schools in the diocese. Students, teachers and chaperones enjoyed lunch at Joe Bologna's and an afternoon of ice skating at the Lexington Ice Center. OLM also hosted a spaghetti dinner at St. Michael's Church and raised over $600 for the Adopt-a-Student fund. As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, we are particularly thankful for our wonderful school, our superb teachers and staff, our devoted parents, and our super-star students. Where would we be without you?
Snow Days
This winter has been rougher than most in terms of snow storms and dangerous travel conditions. To date, we have had to cancel school 8 times due to winter weather. Thanks to the extra time built into our school days, we will only have to add 2 days onto the end of the school year. Spring break will remain intact. Hopefully the worst is behind us and we can remain on schedule to dismiss school for the year on May 24th.
Art Club
The OLM Art Club, which was organized this past fall, continues to meet on a weekly basis. The program has been very successful, with students from Kindergarten through 6th grade eagerly anticipating each lesson. Students have been challenged to draw portraits of each other and also completed a self-portrait. Other topics have included straw painting, animated cartoon characters, creating designs utilizing both warm and cool colors. A special thank you to school parent and local artist Angelia D., who is providing her expertise to our students in the area of art. The Art Club will continue to meet every Thursday after school dismisses until the end of the year.
Magazine Sales
If you are interested in renewing a subscription for a magazine that you have purchased in the past through the school, fear not! Magazines will be available to purchase on line at www.qsp.com. Simply log onto QSP.com, click the "shop now" link (bottom right of page), enter our account number (425006344) and locate the magazines you wish to purchase. OLM earns 40% of your purchase!
The Cookbooks are here! The Cookbooks are here!
We are excited to report that the OLM Cookbook “A Tradition of Excellence” remains available for purchase! But be warned -- they are selling fast! More than just recipes, the OLM cookbook contains detailed sections outlining the history of the Mayo Mansion as well as the school itself. The finished product contains over 330 recipes and is jam-packed with pictures (old and new), stories of the boarding school days, and funny anecdotes from alumni. Full color student art work is also featured throughout the book. The price of the cookbooks is $20.00. Arrangements to purchase the cookbook can be made through the school office at 606-789-3661, or by e-mailing Sue M. at jeddison123@yahoo.com. We can ship the cookbooks anywhere in the US for a flat shipping fee of $5.00, regardless of the number of cookbooks ordered! We would like to thank Sharon Thompson, Food Editor at the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper for publishing a story about our cookbook in the November 5th edition of the paper. As a result of her article, we have sold a tremendous amount of cookbooks to customers outside our local community. At this time, only a limited amount of cookbooks remain available for purchase. So don't miss out! Order your cookbook now! They are perfect for gift giving!
Computer Lab
OLM continues to benefit from the major renovation to our computer lab! OLM was the beneficiary of an IBM charitable program and received the equivalent of $25,000 worth of computer materials! The upgrade included 16 state of the art computers with flat screen monitors, and a laser printer. The computers were set up by Mr. Compton’s CISCO class from Paintsville High School. In addition to the computer lab upgrade, other technological changes occurred throughout the building. More computers were added to several classrooms, and all classrooms are now on-line. In addition, a generous donation by McDonald’s of Eastern Kentucky allowed a new computer workstation to be added to the library. This new work station includes 3 computers with updated software. Our students participate in formal computer classes, taught by Ms. Marsha Richardson, on a weekly basis. Developing computer skills is also addressed when students work with their primary teachers on special projects in standard curriculum classes such as Social Studies and Language Arts..
Halloween
Children from grades K-7 participated in Trick-or-Treating in downtown Paintsville on Friday, October 30th. Everyone enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather and the children were creative (as always) with
their costumes. Older students (also known as "Big Buddies") helped look after their "Little Buddies" under the watchful eyes of teachers and parents. This is truly one of the best things about being a part of the OLM family -- come and watch the way our older students interact with their younger schoolmates -- guaranteed to warm your heart! We would also like to thank all the businesses in downtown Paintsville for their generosity during the annual Halloween activities. We appreciate all you do for our children!
Book Fair and B.E.A.R Week
Our annual Scholastic Book Fair was held during the week of November 9th-13th in the first floor hallway. Special events included “Muffins for Mom” on Monday morning and a family night Chili Supper on Thursday evening. Children were provided with an opportunity to make a wish list of their favorite books, and a classroom wish list was generated by each teacher. A special thank you to the parents who donated their time to run the fair and to Trina V. for coordinating the event. The timing of the book fair was perfect –everyone needed some new reading material for the ever popular BEAR (Be Excited About Reading) week, which started on Monday, November 9th. Each classroom competed for the coveted BEAR trophy by counting minutes read by students. Friday, November 13th was the annual BEAR pajama day. Students (and teachers) were invited to wear pajamas to school for comfort during our full day reading extravaganza! Pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, a stuffed animal, and favorite reading material from home were encouraged. In addition, parents, grandparents and family friends signed up to read to the classes. The total of reading minutes was 137,000 minutes! Congratulations to the 3rd and 4th grade class, who finished first and won the BEAR trophy. We say everyone who participated in BEAR week and spent quality time reading together is a winner!
Honoring St. Francis -- Animal Blessing
The annual St. Francis Animal Blessing took place on October 9th after school was dismissed. Families were encouraged to bring their pets and participate in our traditional ceremony. This year, dogs were the pet most frequently spotted at the blessing, although one family did bring their bearded lizard! Thanks to all who participated in this special blessing with Father Terence Hoppenjans, pastor of St. Michael Church in Paintsville.
Artist in Residence Program
Through a grant funded by the Kentucky Arts Council, Our Lady of the Mountains completed a week long Artist in Residence Program during the week of October 12-16. The program topic this year was "Connecting the Classroom to the World: The Power of Theatre!" We were thrilled to welcome drama instructor Katharine Mapother, who worked with our students and teachers on drama, theatre, and the performance arts. Ms. Mapother is an actor and singer who has performed for over 25 years throughout Kentucky, the United States and around the world. In the classroom, Mrs. Mapother's overall goal is to help young people trust and express themselves. She believes this can allow students to break through perceived limitations to become more self-accepting, open, empathetic and hopeful. Ms. Mapother has a MA in Educational Theater from New York University and a BA in English from Notre Dame. Currently, she is based in Louisville and works as an actor, teaching artist, and arts education consultant. She is rostered with the Kentucky Arts Council and is happy to collaborate with teachers and students throughout her home state. Students showcased their new skills in a Drama Performance on Friday, October 16th. The Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade class acted out a traditional African folk tale entitled "Mabela the Clever". The students explored the exciting world of Mabela the mouse and the ensuing chaos when the Cat comes to her village and invites the mice to join The Cat Society. Mrs. Terry and Mrs. Wiley joined in helping the children create a series of tableaux (frozen pictures) to help tell this narrative story in dramatic form. The 3rd and 4th grader performed "Maballa the Clever -- the Sequel" After hearing the folktale and using drama activities to explore the character of the Cat in a more in-dpeth way, the students worked with Ms. Cybriwsky to think about and select what happens to the cat after his mouse adventures. Together, the class made a series of tableaux depicting this idea and brought them to life through improvisation (acting without a script). The 5th and 6th grade, working with Mrs. Lewis, summarized each chapter of A Wrinkle in Time, a time honored young adult book, writing from the perspective of one chosen character. In this way, they created unique monologues, each from a different perspective. Using drama techniques, the class edited and brought these monologues together to share the complete story of three adventurous children on a fantastic journey. The 7th graders memorized, interpreted, and acted out the historical poem "Paul Revere's Ride". The students created images, sounds, and movements to demonstrate the meaning of each stanza. In doing this, the students actively used their actor's tools to gain new understanding of poetry as well as understanding of this important event in American history. It was an impressive showcase indeed! This is the third consecutive year OLM has offered an outstanding Artist in Residency Program for students at all grade levels. Thanks to school parent, Miriam S., who secured the grant and made the arrangements for this Teacher Initated Program. At Our Lady of the Mountains School, we will continue to pursue additional opportunities to supplement our curriculum in the Arts and Humanities to ensure our students receive the multiple benefits of a well-rounded education. We would like to extend a big thank you to Citizens National Bank, The Highlands Foundation, Pointe of Joy Performing Arts and Supporters of OLM for providing matching funds for the grant from the Kentucky Arts Council. We appreciate your generous support!
Apple Day
Our Lady of the Mountains School, like the entire town of Paintsville, celebrated the 47th annual Apple Day Festival during the first week of October. This year’s big event took place on Friday, October 2rd and Saturday, October 3th. Our students participated in the academic contests sponsored by the Kentucky Apple Festival Committee, which were held Friday morning in front of the Bandstand. OLM was well represented in the art, penmanship, adding match, and spelling bee competitions. All our students were self-assured and confident as they approached the microphone on the big stage! We congratulate Ariella D. and Adaline D. who were winners in the art competition for the second year in a row! Special thanks to 1st/2nd grade teacher Lorie Wiley, who coordinated the Academic Contests for OLM.
OLM’s 27th annual Apple Day Turtle Trots took place on Friday, October 2nd, in the pre-school playground. Over 400 local businesses and individuals support this event by sponsoring a turtle in the race. The popularity of this Apple Day tradition was evidenced by the yellow turtle posters hanging in storefronts across the county. Monetary prizes and trophies were awarded to the top 3 finishers, and every sponsor received a hand-decorated turtle poster. A special thanks to school parent Jean R. for coordinating this huge fundraiser to benefit the OLM scholarship fund. Winners this year were: 1st place: "Mother Goose", sponsored by The Learning Tree Preschool; 2nd place: "Rossi", sponsored by Cafe on Main; and 3rd place, "Bumble Bee", sponsored by Braden Ramey.
On Saturday, October 3rd, OLM sponsored our second annual Southern Barbeque on the school’s spacious front porch. Patrons were invited to enjoy a delicious dinner, plus a nice spot to sit and rest after a busy day at the festival. The dinner featured a choice of entree -- pulled pork, beef brisket, or a full or half rack of ribs. A choice of 2 made-from-scratch side dishes (baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, or macaroni and cheese), fresh rolls and a beverage were also included. The feedback received from patrons was very positive and included “Best Bargain in Town!” “We hope this is an annual event!” and “Delicious!” Over 100 dinners were sold, and many disappointed customers missed out on the ribs, as they quickly sold out. Next year, be sure to get to the Barbeque early and don’t miss out! Thanks to school parent, Miriam S. for coordinating this event.
We would also like to thank all the patrons who utilized our spacious grounds for parking during the festivities. Hats off to school parent, Patrick B, for coordinating this fundraiser. Apple Day is certainly the busiest part of our fundraising year, and we could not come close to reaching our goals without the incredible support of our parents, friends, community, and Fundraising Chairs, Heather P. and Jenni G. Thanks to all and God bless!
Cross Country Team
This fall, OLM once again fielded a super Cross Country team! Our season recently wrapped up after competing in 4 meets, 2 road races, and the Regional Meet hosted by Harlan County. Due to interest throughout the school, two teams participated in the 12-week program. Students in grades 4-8 were actively involved in meets, races and practices designed to facilitate competitive running appropriate for the middle school level. Students in grades 1-3 participated in activities and games designed for fun and to improve overall physical fitness and endurance. Our younger team practiced on Mondays and Wednesdays immediately after school dismissed. Favorite running games included Squirrels and Chipmunks, Stride and Jump, and Relay Races. Because the "younger kids" have consistently put forth a good effort, they were invited to compete in 2 elementary level meets in October. The older students practiced on Tuesdays and Thursdays, on the school grounds, at the Paintsville Recreation Center or at the Paintsville Lake Trail.
Congratulations to all our runners who participated in competitions throughout the season. We had many ribbon winners at each event. A special congratulations to our first place winners including Gabe C., Helena C., Maura F., and Ben M. To celebrate our great season and the efforts of our runners, a pizza party was held during lunch on Friday, November 6th for all cross-country participants. Students enjoyed pizza, fruit, vegetables, and cupcakes, posed for a team picture, and received trophies.
After the fall Cross-Country Season was completed, we were thrilled to receive special recognition from the other area coaches from Region 9. OLM 6th grader Maura F. was voted "Middle School Female Runner of the Year"! 7th grader Gabe C. was voted "Middle School Male Runner of the Year"! And 8 other OLM runners were voted onto the All-Region team. We are so proud of our team, and can't wait until next season!
Influenza
Our Lady of the Mountains School continues to receive updates from the Center for Disease Control an Prevention concerning the H1N1 virus. Please know that most schools do not need to shut down to contain the disease as many did last spring. The following guidelines have been issued by the CDC and are designed to decrease student and staff exposure to the H1N1 flu. OLM has officially adopted these policies:
- Those with flu-like symptoms should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever reducing medications. Students/Staff should remain at home even if they are taking antiviral medications. No student who vomits during the night should be sent to school the following day.
- Students and staff who appear to have flu-like symptoms will be sent to a separate room until they can be sent home.
- Students and staff need to exercise the basic foundations of influenza protection: remain home when sick, wash hands with soap and water frequently, and cover mouths and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
OLM's Prayer Rug
OLM’s Prayer rug Our Lady of the Mountains School was the recipient of two very special gifts. A personalized, hand-embroidered prayer rug was sent to the school from a transportation unit working with the U.S. military in Iraq. Transportation foreman Joseph M. is the uncle of an OLM student in ...
Fundraising Activities
Fundraising Activities As we evaluate what is unique about Our Lady of the Mountains that sets us apart from other schools, our family-like atmosphere is one of our predominant attributes. The involvement of all families in the various fundraising activities helps foster this sense of community. ...
Haven of Saints
After a very successful year, OLM is proud to continue our unique and innovative service program known as “Haven of Saints”. This program incorporates our service projects and former Big/Little Buddy Program into a comprehensive new format designed to benefit our students by providing them with a ...