from OUR LADY of GOOD COUNSEL SCHOOLGoodNews

FALL • 2015

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Our Lady of Good Counsel School611 Knowles Ave, Southampton, PA 18966215-357-1300 · www.school.olgc.org

G O O D N E W S S T A F F

contributors to this issue:

building on foundations of FAITH

NEWS from PIE (Partners in Education)We are off to a great start this year with our fundraising efforts! So far, we have successfully completed the KidStuff book sale, the Scholastic Book Fair, the Dance-A-Thon, and the Yankee Candle sale. We also hosted the Ice Cream Social celebration to welcome everyone back to school in August, and Trunk or Treat to celebrate the fun and festivity of Halloween. Our ever-popular Santa Shop was held from November 30 through December 2, 2015!

PIE is always in need of volunteers to help out with socials and fundraisers. Often volunteers can help from home or in the evening. If you have time to give, please consider volunteering. If interested send an email to olgcpie@olgc.org with your contact info. Please make subject line VOLUNTEER. This year PIE is using Signup Genius to organize volunteers for events. Once we have your email you will be included and can decide if an event fits your schedule!

Mark the following dates in your calendar for upcoming PIE events!

Quizzo: Saturday, January 23, 2016. A fun night of trivia for parents. Get your team ready! BYOB event.

SweetHeart (Father-Daughter)Dance: Saturday, February 12, 2015

Remember to shop AmazonSmile. OLGC receives a percentage from your purchases. This does not affect your cost at all; you still get the same great shopping at the same great price!

•KatieCampbell •CallistaGartland •JakeWilliams

OLGC Student Named Neumann Scholar by Katie Campbell

Congratulations to Gianna LaMena, our eighth grade student who has been named as a 2016 Neumann Scholar by the Connelly Foundation! She is one of only five recipients of the Neumann Scholarship in all of Bucks County. This great honor entitles Gianna to a four-year scholarship of standard tuition to an Archdiocesan high school. The Neumann Scholars Program is respected and recognized by prestigious colleges and universities locally and nationally, and the recipients are actively recruited. At Our Lady of Good Counsel, twenty-three of our eighth grade students met the academic requirements to sit for the exam. These included: attaining a score of 90% or better in the Total Battery Score in the Terra Nova testing; attaining a score of 92% or better in every major academic subject on the report card; and obtaining a CSI (Cognitive Skills Index score which is similar to an IQ test) of 120 or better. To have so many students eligible to sit for the exam, as well as having one of our students named as a Neumann Scholar is a tremendous honor and achievement for Our Lady of Good Counsel School! It is truly a testament to the fine education students receive at our school, and to the excellence of the teachers providing that education! Congratulations to all of the students who sat for the exam! A special congratulations to Gianna LaMena for her outstanding performance! We are so proud of you!

SAVE THE DATE!Catholic Schools Week will be celebrated January 31 through February 5, 2016! A week of fun and festivity is planned with an art show and a multicultural theme!

CYO Varsity Soccer by Jake WilliamsIt was an exciting season for the OLGC Varsity soccer team! Under the outstanding leadership of Mr. Ken Woodring, the team persevered to a 3-2-3 record. During a nail biting final game against St. Alphonsus, the Cougars rallied in the second half in an attempt to move on to the finals. Unfortunately, the team fell short and the season ended. The Cougars were well represented by eighth graders at the Region 11 CYO All Star Game which was held on November 15, 2015. Congratulations to Deirdre Harney, Michael Matthews, Gavin McDade, Tommy Newman, Michael Rosenbaum, Jake Williams, and Brian Woodring for being named to the All Star team. A special congratulations goes out to Mark Wilicki who received the award for Outstanding Sportsmanship. The team would like to thank Mr. Woodring for his many years of service to the CYO soccer program.

A Few Words of ThanksAn enormous thank you from the OLGC school community and our Partners in Education organization (PIE) is extended to Brian and Noreen Nolan and their company “Home Works by Brian”. While Mr. Nolan was attending our back to school ice cream social, he noticed that one of the picnic tables in the playground area was in desperate need of repair and replacement. He removed the old picnic table and replaced it with a beautifully crafted, sturdy, brand new picnic table for our children to enjoy. The Nolans gave of their time, resources, effort, and talent quietly and we are very grateful. Many thanks to the Nolan Family and Home Works by Brian for this upgrade and their generosity!

Mrs. Mitchell wants to thank everyone for sending in their art fee in a timely manner. With the money we collected so far, we purchased new paper cutting scissors, decorative scissors, watercolor pencils, charcoal and drawing pencils, and upgraded paints and other art supplies that are more in keeping with the Archdiocesan curriculum for art.

Kudos!Katie Campbell was selected for the 2016 Archdiocesan Honor Band. She will represent Our Lady of Good Counsel School in the concert on February 12 at Archbishop Carroll High School and March 22 at the Kimmel Center.

All Saints Day by Katie Campbell & Callista GartlandOn October 29, 2015, OLGC School celebrated the feast of All Saints. Students in grades kindergarten through third dressed in the garb of their favorite saint, and paraded through the halls. St. Patrick, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and the Blessed Mother, Mary, were seen as all the children processed over to church for a special prayer service dedicated to our beloved saints.

Congratulations to our 2015-2016 Student Council Executive Board Members

Gavin McDade/President, Brian Woodring/Vice President, Secretary/Michael Matthews, Treasurer/Jake Williams

Student Council at large Kathleen Campbell, Monique Neiva, Casey Taylor

Homeroom Reps 8th grade:

Alexis Haupert, Thomas Newman, Daniel Guinter, Patrick O’Neill7th grade: Ashley Hanson, John Gori

6th grade: Adeline Gori, Andrew Stewart, Matthew McGill, Natalie Kraft

5th grade: Kayla Donaghy, Chad Beaver

Sciathlon by Good News StaffOn October 20, 2015, Villa Joseph Marie High School in Holland, PA, conducted their 26th annual Sciathlon. About 170 female students attended, representing 18 area elementary schools. These girls put their scientific knowledge to the test, completing lab-based activities and extensive rounds of questioning. Congratulations to our 7th & 8th grade girls who were chosen to compete in this prestigious science competition. The seventh grade team consisted of: Casey Benson, Amanda Cahill, Ciara Constance, Gabrielle Lyons, and Anna Peglow. Our eighth grade representatives were our seasoned competitors from last year: Katie Campbell, Stephanie Kraft, Gianna LaMena, and Casey Taylor. Alexis Haupert was a welcomed addition to the 8th grade team this year as well! Congratulations girls! We are so proud of you!

OLGC Students HELPING OUR

COMMUNITY

Alumni SpotlightCharlie Bricker, OLGC graduate, Class of 2013, received the Academic Excellence award at Archbishop Wood for Technology Communication for the school year 2014-2015. This award is given to one student each year, and was presented to him at an award ceremony on October 6, 2015. Congratulations Charlie! We’re so proud of you!

OLGC Class of 2011 graduates, Randy Kraft and Andrew Perong, entered the seminary this past September. Randy is studying at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, while Andrew is attending St. Josaphat’s Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Washington, D.C. Congratulations and best wishes to both of them!

Our Lady of Good Counsel Class of 1980 held their first ever class reunion on Saturday, November 28. After 35 years, the Class of 1980 reconnected, and had a few laughs. The night was great fun, food, and spirits as they walked down OLGC memory lane.

Pope Francis Visit and World Meeting of Families (WMOF) 2015by Callista Gartland

OLGC students welcomed Pope Francis with his arrival in Philadelphia on September 24, 2015 with excitement and joy! The students prepared for his visit by posing with their artwork of Pope Francis and a life-like cut out of His Holiness. The school community prayed the World Meeting of Families Prayer daily in anticipation of his visit.

I was fortunate to experience this once in a lifetime papal visit first-hand. My parents and I travelled down to Philadelphia to attend the World Meeting of Families. Each day opened with a celebration of Mass. OLGC was represented by Deacon Mark Kuhn, Reverend Dennis Gill, and some of our Knights of Columbus. I attended

the Youth Congress and presentations on the spiritual growth of families. We adored the relics of Saint Maria Goretti, Saint Terese Lisieux, Saint Pope John Paul II, and Saint Gianna Beretta Molla. We even saw Saint Gianna’s daughter, Gianna Emmanuela! At the Mary, Undoer of Knots grotto at the Basilica, we tied ribbons of prayer for family and friends. I was even interviewed by the Columbus, Ohio Dispatch! On Saturday, September 26, 2015, we spent the day at the Festival of Families, awaiting the Pope’s arrival. He arrived in the Pope mobile just before 7:30 pm, and drove around the crowd. Words cannot describe how I felt knowing I was in the presence of Our Holiness! To close out Pope Francis’ visit, I attended the mass simulcast and reception in the Monsignor D’Angelico Cultural Center. Overall, my experience was memorable and I was so lucky to be a part of it!

by Katie Campbell

Throughout the years, Our Lady of Good Counsel has always been searching for ways to help the community. This year has been no different as, over the past few months, our school community has been ready and willing to help. During October, the eighth grade students participated in the Knights of Columbus’ Baby Bottle Boomerang campaign where they distributed baby bottles after Sunday Masses. These bottles will be filled with monetary donations and collected. The collected bottles will help support single mothers and their children. On October 22, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the students, faculty, and staff participated in a “Pink Out” day, where everyone donated funds and dressed in pink. All donations benefitted The Breathing Room Foundation; an organization that provides assistance to families impacted by cancer. Finally, a canned food drive was underway during November to benefit the homeless in our area. Thanks to all the students who participated in these charitable events.

2015/2016 Student Council

OLGC Celebrates Grandparents’ Day by Katie Campbell

On October 20, 2015, the students of Our Lady of Good Counsel took time to show their love and appreciation to their grandparents. This eventful day began in the Cultural Center where a prayer service was held to honor our beloved grandparents. The children sang songs and recited special prayers to ask for God’s blessing on their grandparents. Next, the children in grades kindergarten through third entertained the crowds with seasonal songs and dancing on the stage. After the show, everyone enjoyed refreshments, while students in grades seven and eight visited with their grandparents. Later, all grandparents were invited to visit their grandchild’s classrooms, where beautiful artwork and projects were displayed. A “grand” time was had by all with over two hundred grandparents visiting!