OLC welcomes new principal, announces classroom changes
Our Lady's Christian School is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Rebecca Carey as Principal. Mrs. Carey was most recently Assistant Principal and Acting Principal at St. Luke School in McLean, Virginia, and previously served in the Diocese of Erie. She was a faculty member at Saint Andrew School where she taught and served on the administrative team. Mrs. Carey is very excited about coming to OLC and meeting all the faculty, students and families. She will begin her responsibilities here on Monday, August 2nd.
Primary Grades
We are blessed to have a significant increase in enrollment to our Pre-K and Kindergarten for the upcoming year. We currently have approximately 60 children registered for kindergarten. While we could put 30 in each class and still meet state guidelines, this would not offer the best educational environment for these children. Instead, we are making plans to have three kindergarten classes. Mrs. Blakeslee, who has previously taught 2nd grade and kindergarten at OLC, will join Mrs. Huya and Mrs. Squeglia in teaching kindergarten this year. We will also have two kindergarten aides, Mrs. Perry and Mrs. Winghart, who is moving over from the preschool.
By contrast, we currently have 27 students registered for next year’s6th grade. Last year, there were two 5th grade classrooms with 13 students in each class. Having a small class size has its advantages; however, it made it difficult for students to work in groups, offered less diversity and fewer opportunities for social interactions. This year, the sixth grade will be combined into one class. This will offer the students a better experience academically, spiritually and socially. We have three excellent teachers who have many years of experience teaching classes of all sizes:
- Mrs. Donnelly will teach 5th & 6th Science, and Social Studies and Religion to her 5th grade homeroom.
- Mrs. Tolhurst will teach 5th & 6th Language Arts, and Social Studies and Religion to her 5th grade homeroom.
- Ms. Cairns will teach 5th & 6th Math and Social Studies and Religion to her 6th grade homeroom.
They will work together closely to ensure the students receive an excellent education and have a terrific year.
In other primary grade changes, Mrs. Joan Hall will teach 2B, and Mrs. Lascuola will teach 3A.
Middle School
After 41 years of excellence at OLC, Mr. Eisert will be retiring at the end of the upcoming school year. For 2010-11, he will teach 8th grade social studies and will mentor the new teacher who will succeed him in teaching 7th and 8th grade Social Studies and Religion. He’ll also prepare other faculty members to take over special activities such as Raider TV, middle school leadership development, and graduation.
Mrs. Aardsma will teach 7th and 8th grade math this year.
To sum things up, this year we’ll have a new principal and new teachers in half-day preschool, computer, library and middle school Social Studies and Religion. We are in the process of hiring, and depending on the talents and experience the new teachers bring, additional adjustments could be made. While a number of current teachers will teach different grades next year, we are blessed to retain a depth of knowledge, experience and mastery within our faculty that few other schools attain.
We are looking forward to a great school year! Parents will receive the annual packet of information in August, and kindergarten and preschool families will also receive a letter from their teacher. Until then, enjoy the rest of the summer to the fullest, and please feel free to contact the office at 838-7676 with any questions.