A Christmas tradition at OLQA School each December is to donate gifts to families that are less fortunate. Each classroom was assigned a specific family and was asked to bring in a wrapped gift for Catholic Charities. Thank you for your generosity and participation.
A VERY special thank you goes out to Kathleen Nielsen for graciously opening up her home every Wednesday at 9:15 a.m. during the school year to pray the rosary with OLQA School parents.
She kindly invites you to bring your special intentions and rosary for this precious prayer time. And, there is no pressure if you are a little rusty. Mrs. Nielsen and friends will help you! She even welcomes the little ones. She’s listed in the school directory if you would like more information.
The PSA Annual Christmas Luncheon was held on Tuesday, December 4th. It was a joyous occasion watching our littlest Angels, Kindergarten-4th Graders sing beautiful Christmas Carols while the 8th Grade students served refreshments. Thank you to Mrs. Landis, Dr. Lamb, and Mrs. Hoppe for all the effort that went into those well-trained voices. Thank you to Christy Frank and Sophie Kubichek, PSA VP(s) of Programs for hosting a lovely, holiday afternoon with festive décor and delicious food, and to the countless volunteers that helped make this event special. Thank you to Mrs. Van, Mrs. Donovan, and the 8th Graders for their excellent service at the luncheon.
Held November 27th – 29th, the OLQA’s Annual Scholastic All-Star Book Fair was fun for students, as well as profitable for our school! Let’s take this opportunity to thank Christie McKenna, Aiza Fargas and all the wonderful volunteers that made it happen.
OLQA’s kindergarten students enjoyed their traditional Thanksgiving Friendship feast. Teachers provided the students with their Thanksgiving snack and the little ones decorated their own Indian headdress or Pilgrim hat to wear during the festivities. This was an event they will always remember!
The week following Halloween, Brownie Troop 2915 and Junior Scout Troop 915 teamed up with our community to collect donated candy as a small gesture of appreciation to our U.S. Soldiers. Thank you to every OLQA student that generously donated and to our Brownie Troops for your help!
Our troops collected an astounding 356 pounds of candy that was distributed to our United States Soldiers. Amazing job!
October 31st, It was a very SPOOKtacular day when each student had a chance to show their creativity by bringing in a carved or decorated pumpkin, writing a Halloween-themed poem or creating Halloween Artwork. We had a tremendous level of participation and all entries were voted upon. Here are the PUMPKINS , POEMS & ART WINNERS:
Poem Winners
Charley Connelly, Halle Parker, Ellie Scalzo, Ava Klausner, Brooke Rosenberry, Julia Bocan, Ava MacDonald, Katie Lowe, Kemper Rodi, Samantha Finnegan, Jordan Held, Stella Pozzuoli, Lily Avigdor, Joseph McClendon.
Halloween Art
Alex Lallande, Bethany Bogart, Aidan Saeedi, Jonathan Lama, Ryan Krall, Nikolina Sentovich, Ella Baskurt, Dylan Sprague, Stella Pozzuoli, Avery Lallande, Katerina Fargas.
Pumpkin Winners
Aidan Tierney, Kyla Grant, Leah Smith, Charlie Krogh, Mikhail Polny, Isabella Castillo, Ian Saeedi, Romina Ortiz, Taylor Morales, Ashlee Morales, Renata Ortiz, Kieran Spradlin, Aaron Saeedi, Kate Slagle.
Big thanks to Kristi Johnson and Trina Saeedi, our PSA Enrichment Chairs, for starting off the students’ Halloween festivities in a fun and creative way. Also, many thanks to the PSA Room Mom Coordinators, Ashley Rodi and Keree James, all the Room Mothers and volunteers that made this day so fun! 
THE ANNUAL RED RIBBON WEEK COMES TO OLQA SCHOOL October 22 – 26
Monday:
“I Pledge To Be Drug Free”
Tuesday:
“Red Ribbon on the Fence for Each Class”
Wednesday:
“Hats Off To a Drug Free School”
Thursday:
“Sock It to Drugs”
Friday:
“Run From Drugs Fun Run!!!”
Scenes from the week….
The morning of October 15th parents watched on as their children departed for a week long Outdoor Science Camp near Running Springs. Students learn about ecology, botany, animals, and astronomy while having fun. Both 6th grade teachers, Ms. Nealey and Mr. Landero accompanied the students. A tradition at OLQA School is for these campers to receive a warm homecoming from the OLQA student body and faculty – and that they did!
A very sincere thanks to our Room Mothers for planning and organizing our grade level parent parties! Our Room Mothers do a tremendous job of coordinating these community-building events for OLQA School. We all look forward to them each year!
A couple recaps…
On Saturday, the 8th Grade parents celebrated their last Parent Party with old (and new) friends at the home of Cindie and Bert Selva. The 8th Room Mothers Christy Frank, Lisa Garcia, Weng Luna and Cindie Selva were thrilled with the great turnout and the wonderful weather. A taco man prepared tacos to order and each parent took home a caramel apple, made by three of the Room Parents’ daughters, to be enjoyed by each 8th Grader.
The Kindergarten Parent Party took place on Friday, September 28 at the Wine Gallery in Corona Del Mar. A crowd of about 48 parents enjoyed an evening of wine tasting, appetizers and new friends. Room Mothers Bridget Larkin and Christine Paidosh would like to thank everyone for making the evening such a great experience. Thank you Room Moms!
The 2nd Grade Parent Party took place on Friday, November 16th at the home of Angie and Tommy Reyes. A good night was had by all, which included great food and a fabulous DJ and dance floor. Miss Gipson and Mrs. Fallace even graced the event with their presence for a bit! Thank you to the Reyes family for opening up their home in such a hospitable way as well as to Room Mothers, Stephanie Lowe and Kerri Wilson.
Scenes…
