Old Mission Montessori News

Attention OMMS Parents!

As you probably know, Christmas in July is our largest and most profitable fundraiser of the year. All proceeds go directly to the operating costs of the school and directly benefit your children. The Live Auction always has the potential to bring in quite a profit and we are currently seeking items – both large and small – to auction off! If you own your own business (or know someone who does) and are willing to help out the school by donating an item, it would be greatly appreciated! (Many times these donations are tax-deductible.) Anything from restaurant gift cards and hotel/resort stays to smaller items for our themed auction gift baskets are welcomed. If you have something that you would like to donate or have questions about the process, please contact: Ellen Vandaveer at (760)237-6655 or by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. '; document.write(''); document.write(addy_text62909); document.write('<\/a>'); //-->\n This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The fair hours for the public are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. and will once again be held under the trees on the beautiful grounds of the historic Mission San Luis Rey Parish. Our address is 4070 Mission Ave, Oceanside, CA 92057. Get Directions

SAVE THE DATE,
June 29th @10.00 am! Oceanside will be holding its Independence Day Parade. Join our Mission San Luis Rey community and help represent Old Mission Montessori School! We need parade marchers to walk alongside our Mission float! Celebrating its 215th anniversary, “The Mission” will be the parade’s Grand Marshall. Oceanside celebrates its 125th anniversary.

Eoilchange Gift Cards are now available
The school office now has Eoilchange gift cards for sale so you may grab one without the wait. They are $40 for three oil changes. Our school earns $20 for each card sold! What an easy way to earn extra money for our school! We’ve earned $125 for our school so far this year.

Bring in Your Box Tops!!
We are still on track to reach our goal for the year. Please bring in an envelope or baggie of the box tops you have collected so far this year. Bring them in anytime to the little blue box in the office on the East wall. Thank You for your support! Keep clipping!!

Christmas in July –
RAFFLE TICKET TIME
It is that time of year again; time to start gearing-up for OMMS’ biggest fundraiser, Christmas in July (CinJ)! Per the Tuition Agreement, each family has been given 100 tickets to sell or purchase. You may sell them to friends, family, co-workers, or purchase them yourself. Tickets issued to families may not be sold at any school or parish event. Raffle tickets stubs and monies are due no later than May 31st, in the front office. If you would like additional tickets, please contact Lisa Caso, Raffle Ticket Chair, at 760-521-6841 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Congratulations to Lauren M., who placed first for her essay that was submitted to the Serra Essay Contest. She placed in the top ten of the “first places”, out of forty-three Catholic schools in San Diego County.  Lauren, we are so proud of you!!  Well done!

MISSION 2 $AVE
Don’t forget that this Thursday is Credit Union Day. Come and make a deposit. Remember, the class that has the most deposits this month will win a party from the Credit Union.  So lets get out there and SAVE!!

“Night at the Mission” Winetasting
This is your last chance to buy tickets to “The Night at the Mission Wine Tasting” event, scheduled for this Friday, May 10th. Tickets are available in the front office for $30. The price at the door is $35.00.

Jamba Juice will be on sale this Friday, May 10th, during the students’ school lunches. No need to place an order in advance. If you would like to participate, just send $3.00 with your child on Friday.

Father Joe’s Villages 2013 TOWERthon
Want a way to get your athletes in shape and give back to the community? Look no further! Toussaint Academy, a school for homeless youth and a partner of Fr. Joe’s Villages, announces the 2013 TOWERthon. Compete as a team, racing the stairs, staying fit and raising money to help homeless youth become college bound. Local San Diego High School athletes are encouraged to participate as a team. Wear your team jerseys and show your school spirit. For Information and Registration visit www.towerthon.kintera.org.

Our 2nd annual NIGHT AT THE MISSION is only a few days away! This event promises to be a wonderful evening, a time for mingling with friends while enjoying the beautiful gardens and grounds of our historic Mission San Luis Rey. If you have not yet had an opportunity to purchase your ticket, why not stop by the office or you are welcome to purchase them at the door. Remember Friday evening, May 10, is Mother’s Day in Mexico, why not join us and celebrate Mother’s Day all weekend long!!

CHANGE IN DATE FOR SPRING PROGRAM
Please note that we found it necessary to make a change the date of our Spring Program due to an unexpected conflict in Mr. Tom’s schedule. Our annual Spring Program which this year will include our Primary through Senior Elementary Students will be held in the Serra Center on Thursday, June 6, at 6:30 p.m. Thank you in advance for your consideration due to this unexpected change and we apologize for any personal inconvenience as a result of this change.

SAVE THE DATE in Celebration of MARY
Please remember that you are invited to share in our celebration of MARY by joining us for Mass on Friday, May 17, at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel. Directly after mass we will have a special procession to adorn MARY with flowers to honor her as the mother of Jesus.

Tuesday, May 7th, Girls Basketball vs. Nativity, Away Game

Thursday, May 9th, Student Banking Day

Friday, May 10th, Non-Uniform Day
Friday, May 10th, “Night at the Mission” winetasting event

Friday, May 17th, Enrollment Packets due
Friday, May 17th, 11:00 am all school Mass, Crowning of Mary, 12:30/12:45 pm dismissal

Saturday, May 18th, First Holy Communion, 11:00 am, Serra Center

Friday, May 24th, Spirit/Field Day

Monday, May 27th, Memorial Day, NO SCHOOL

Thursday, May 30th, Jazz Recital

Friday, May 31st, 11:00 am Elementary Mass, 3:00/3:15 pm dismissal

Thursday, June 6th, Spring Concert (Please note date change.)

Please remember that attendance is a priority, but not when your child is ill. Parents we ask that you check your child before you send them to school. Please look for obvious signs of illness such as: fever, coughing, “runny nose”, vomiting, diarrhea, or if your child complains of a sore throat, stomach ache or you notice that your child is lethargic; these symptoms could be an indication of the onset of a virus or an illness. PLEASE assist us in eliminating the “sharing” of unwanted viruses and illnesses by being observant and listening to your child. Remember to keep your child home when s/he is ill and notify the school if your child is seen by the pediatrician and diagnosed with something communicable to others. Also please continue to remind your child to wash their hands often, this valuable habit benefits everyone. Once again thank you for helping us to keep our school healthy!

6th GRADERS RETURN………
Last Friday our tired, but happy 6th graders returned from a week of delightful sunshine, numerous activities and lots of FUN mingling with other 6th graders at YMCA Camp Marston in the mountains of Julian! They arrived while we were in mass and several could barely contain their excitement upon seeing their other OMMS friends and of course their parents. On Monday morning all were still energized, sharing memorable experiences, reliving some through photos and discussing their “favorite” camp counselors, all with unusual “nicknames”! Thank you to all of our parents who helped provide these students with such a long lasting experience plus a special thank you to Ms. Denise, for dedicating her time and spending the entire week with our OMMS 6th graders at camp!! The 6th graders even designed special camp T-shirts with our OMMS and Kings Logo to wear at camp; these T-shirts can also

Don’t forget to bring $3.00 to purchase your Jamba Juice this Friday, April 12th. Flavor choices will be Mango or Strawberry. (Transition through 8th Grade). It will be for sale during lunch times.

We are still on track to reach our goal for the year. Please bring in an envelope or baggie of the box tops you have collected so far this year. Bring them in anytime to the little blue box in the office on the East wall. Thank You for your support! Keep clipping!!

DO YOU STILL NEED 2ND SEMESTER PARENT PARTICIPATION HOURS? LAST CHANCE!!
The Night at the Mission Wine Tasting event, Friday, May 10th, is the last big fundraiser for OMMS and a great opportunity to get in those parent participation hours to fulfill your commitment to the school. We need help serving and cleaning up. Please call Cheryl McKean, 760-721-4628, for more information.

Sharkey’s will donate 10% of any service, purchase, or birthday events to OMMS. Friends and Family are welcome. You must bring in the flyer from OMMS to receive the donation. Military still receives a 10% discount on haircuts. This fundraiser will run from April 1st – July 31st! They are located at 4635 Frazee Road (In-N-Out parking lot, next to Cold Stone). Please call ahead to book your appointment.

Students: You can open a Mission Federal Youth Savings Account on Thursday mornings, during the month of April or you can go to the Oceanside Branch, 125 Old Grove Road, (near Lowe’s). Deposit as little as 25 cents on Mission 2$save Days and you’ll receive a savings passbook and can check your account online to watch your savings grow.

Our Mission Fed representatives will be available this Thursday morning during drop off. The classroom that has the highest number of Mission 2 $save deposit transactions at our school will win a fun party for the classroom!

Do you feel as if you have been invited to an event, but uncertain of the reason? Hopefully this will help clarify what this annual event is all about! Instead of “take your child to work day”, this event is the reverse it is “take your parent to school day”! Basically it is an opportunity for the parents, guardians or that special someone in your child’s life to follow them through their “work” morning to actually see first-hand what takes place within a Montessori classroom (if that is possible), plus it provides an opportunity for your child to reveal a sample of their daily work routine to their honored guest! The day begins at

Friday, april 19th 8:30 a.m., in the classroom then at 11:00 we celebrate Mass in the Serra Center and afterwards everyone is invited to tour other OMMS classrooms; this is a wonderful opportunity to visit the next level of academics within our educational program. We encourage all families to take advantage of this opportunity to see what OMMS has to offer and have your questions answered by the teachers within the various levels.

Once again the Padres are hosting Catholic Schools’ Night on Friday, April 12th. The Padres will be playing the Colorado Rockies. This is always a great family event. Not only do we receive a great
discount on the tickets but up to 15 students from our school are able to participate in the pre-game ceremony by lining the outfield along with other Catholic Schools. Our school name will be listed on the scoreboard and the Swinging Friar will visit our students in the stands sometime during the game.  The order form for the tickets is attached to this week's newsletter. The deadline to order tickets is Friday, March 8th. Please make checks payable to OMMS.

In being parents we sometimes hear of situations that happen within our child’s’ life at school and perhaps have questions or concerns about the circumstances. Please listen and ask your child
about the details surrounding the situation, ask how it was resolved and then if you have questions or concerns please contact the teacher. Teachers are known for the ‘eyes in the back of their head’ , but in reality it is impossible to see everything. Teachers are there to assist every child, but can only do so if they are aware of the incident in a timely fashion. They are made aware through
personal observation or communication by either the student and/or the parent. Teachers have a desire to assist all students in developing strategies to not only resolve conflicts, but empower them to stand up for what is right. Therefore to assist your child and adhere to the protocol discussed during classroom orientations encourage your child to communicate with the teacher verbally or via a
written note and we request that you communicate with your child’s teacher(s) and if necessary the teacher will then communicate with the other parents. Focusing on this strategy will ensure
timely assistance, help eliminate misunderstandings,  encourage confidence and growth within each student plus provide opportunities for all students to discuss conflict resolution strategies during
their classroom community meetings. Remember education is continuous and an essential component to education is social development.

Boys’ soccer and girls’ basketball permission slips are due this Friday. Forms are in the office or see Ms. Saundra.  Congratulations to those who participated in Saturday’s NCPL Track Meet: Isabella, Evan S., Zion, Royce C., Ryan, Cadence, Rachel, and Ashley. They were awesome! Also we would like to thank all the parents, who helped out as well as cheered on our OMMS athletes.

OMMS P.E. needs “fill” dirt to fill in holes and ditches on the field at the south east side of school. As soon as the field is ready, our students will be able to play kickball and softball, as well as
use the perimeter as a “mini” track. If you can assist us, please contact the school office. Thank you.

This year not only did we change venues for our annual Science and Art Fair, but our Middle School students were given an opportunity to combine knowledge with their creative ingenuity to bring
about an Invention Fair. The students received support from their Science teacher, Ms. Lida, but the Inventions were their own design. I must say this approach “sparked” enthusiasm; their inventions were quite impressive, purposeful and several adults were heard to comment “we should market these ideas”! The Science Fair itself is a culmination of studies and projects that begin as early as our Primary level; everything builds upon what students have learned or experienced as this approach fosters a strong foundation. Our Junior and Senior Elementary students spoke to all who stopped by their projects to explain the Scientific Method with respect to the project they chose to submit. All were excited and enthusiastic about sharing their project; it is always wonderful to witness students engaged in their own learning!

On behalf of all we would like to extend a special thank you to Ms. Lida for providing the POWER POINT PRESENTATION so all could view OMMS Science and Art in action. We also would like to thank our older students, Miss Susan, Ms. Lida, Ms. Cyndi, Ms. Erika, Ms. Janie and Mr. Sharp for their “many hands”, hands that were necessary to assist with preparations and setting up the venue in the
McKeon Center..... teachers and students working together for a common goal! We certainly hoped you found the Science projects/ inventions educational and enjoyed the glimpse into the
creative Art offered at OMMS! Thank you for joining us last Thursday and we certainly hope to see you this Thursday for our Annual Book Fair and Spaghetti Night; remember same location the
McKeon Center.

For anyone interested in obtaining their own copy of the 2013 ART POSTER you can place your order in the main office. A single copy will be $36; if we order more than 4 then the cost will be $30.

We are beginning to plan our theme and decorations for our OMMS Concert, Wed, June 5, 6:30pm – 8:00pm.  Do you have any small size metal coffee cans or large (empty) bean cans, etc.? Just drop them off at the school office and thank you for your help!

Spring has arrived and as you begin that “spring cleaning” remember, our Christmas in July Sister Gladys booth is collecting used household items (no clothing). Just drop them off here at the school
office.