New Faces and the Final Countdown

Dear Our Lady of Grace School families and friends,

As you all wind down your holiday, Mr. Manifesto and I have been busy planning out the year, overseeing the remodel, and gathering the materials that we will need to welcome back our colleagues on August 5.

Two new instructors join the OLG family

This year we are blessed to welcome two new instructors. The first is our new Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten English teacher, Mrs. Sligh (pronounced “sly”). She comes to us from another Catholic school in the area — she wanted to be closer to home — and in addition to her academic preparation she is also a drama professional, so we are excited to be able to add our own after-school drama program to student electives.

This year we will also be welcoming a new Spanish teacher for second grade, Sra. Hernandez. She comes to us from “La Escuelita,” so in addition to her professional formation in Colombia, she will be overseen by Sra. Corzo, whose program recently obtained the same accreditation as our school. In addition to teaching 50% of the second-grade curriculum, Sra. Hernandez will be teaching conversational Spanish to the rest of the school. Please help us welcome them both.

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Please help us welcome them both — they each bring gifts that will reach far beyond their own classrooms.

Education in Virtue comes to OLG

On another note, one of the most important responsibilities of a Catholic school principal is to oversee the religious formation of the students, particularly insofar as passing on the truths of the Catholic faith. This year, the Diocese of Oakland has teamed up with the Dominican Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to introduce a program called Education in Virtue to all the schools in the diocese.

Part of my duties will be helping our teachers bring this program into the classrooms. It is a big task, but one that I know will reap benefits for years to come.

Thank you to our Saturday workers

Mr. Manifesto and I look forward to welcoming all the workers this coming Saturday. I will never be able to thank each of you enough, but please know that the teachers and all of us who work at OLG are extremely grateful to all who will give up a few hours of their time so that our teachers will have the opportunity to prepare for their students in a timely manner.