Back to School

Classrooms will be full again in August. Here, Margaret Lyons, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Cleveland, visits students at Our Lady of the Lake

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I remember the excitement surrounding the start of a new school year when our five children were in elementary school.  We would spend hours at Schoolbelles on Lakeside Avenue choosing jumpers, skirts, pants and shirts.  Then there were the all-important school supplies, choosing just the right book bag, pens, pencils, and notebook assortment.  This was always a special family time.  We would wonder which teacher each child would be assigned and counted down the days to that first day of school.  Now, years later, as a principal, I always try to put myself in our parents’ place and remember how exciting, but also stressful this time of year can be!  It can be especially challenging if you happen to be starting at a new school.  At Our Lady of the Lake School, we try to be as welcoming, supportive and encouraging as we can be.  We understand that families are sharing their precious children with us for a good portion of each and every day.  That is why we work very hard during the summer months to have everything in place for the start of our year together.  What can we look forward to in our 2016-2017 school year?  Here are a few thoughts:

1. Daily prayer, weekly liturgies,  all daily activities and lessons deeply rooted in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ
2. Highly involved and supportive families
3. Safe and secure environment – physically and socially
4. Two classrooms in every grade with credentialed, highly competent, enthusiastic teachers
5. Small class sizes
6. Daily Spanish class for grades six through eight
7. Off site, hands-on learning experiences-museums, Cleveland orchestra, historical sites, 8th grade trip to Washington D.C., nature centers
8. STEM program including activities twice a week for grades three through seven, along with a school wide STEM week in October culminating with a STEM showcase day open to our entire community
9. Enrichment program
10. Tutoring and Intervention offered daily
11. Counseling services available three days per week – individual, small group and school wide
12. Art classes three times per week
13. Music classes three times per week
14. Band program
15. Wilson Reading Program for grades K-2 to ensure student success
16. A Chromebook for every student in grades six through eight
17. iPads available daily for all students
18. Campus wide WiFi with technical support
19. Online grading and notification system for families
20. After school care program until 6:00 p.m. with a variety of activities for students
21. After school clubs and activities – Chess club, Sewing club, Grub club (after school snack/food preparation and nutrition for our younger students), guitar lessons, Spanish club – just to name a few
22. CYO sports program with an active Boosters organization

This is just a short summary of some of the many ways that we serve our families at Our Lady of the Lake.  We look forward to our new school year with anticipation and excitement.  God bless all of us during these remaining days of summer.