“A king’s secret it is prudent to keep, but the works of God are to be declared and made known. Praise them with due honor.” Tobit 12:7
September 1, 2010
Dear Parents,
As we begin to prepare for our next accreditation visit (Fall, 2011), I want everyone to know that we had only one recommendation not completed from the last accreditation visit (October 15-17, 2006). This recommendation was the hiring of a development director to be shared by the parish and school. Father John organized a search committee last spring to fill this position. Working through the summer months, the committee interviewed four strong candidates. The committee then recommended to Father John and me a final candidate for our review. I am pleased to announce that Mrs. Dorothea Bitler has been offered and has accepted this position. Mrs. Bitler comes to us as a long standing member of the parish. She also comes to us as a former parent of four children who graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School. Mrs. Bitler has a wealth of work experiences in development, from being the executive director at the North Carolina Museum of History Associates to being the executive director at the WakeMed Foundation. I know you will welcome Mrs. Bitler when she joins the parish and school staffs in early September. I want to thank the search committee for its excellent work: Mrs. Sherry Fadool (former OLL Development Director), Mrs. Pam Mueller (OLL Director of Admissions), Mr. Michael Pedley (Diocese of Raleigh Development Director), and Dr. Henry Zaytoun (Parish Council member).
On Friday, August 20th, I met with our fall student athletes participating in the boys’ soccer, girls’ volleyball, and boys’/girls’ cross country teams. I repeated as I do before each sports season that we have high expectations in terms of proper student behavior on and off the field, good sportsmanship, and a Christian attitude of respect toward their volunteer coaches at all times. I emphasized to the students that their primary reason for being at OLL is for their academic preparation. Therefore, if a student earns a grade lower than a C on a progress report, he/she will sit out one game. If a student earns a grade lower than a C on the report card, he/she will not participate in school athletics until there is academic improvement in that subject area. It is the teacher’s call as to when this academic improvement has taken place. Please note that students must have at least a C- overall average to tryout for a team. We maintain this policy because it is a privilege and not a right for students to represent our school in league sports. Although we want students to participate in athletics, we also want them to maintain academic standards and good behavior as role models for other students.
At the same time, I ask all parents and guests who attend our games to be role models for our school. Parents need to show good sportsmanship on and off the field/court, be humble winners and gracious losers, and continue to support our volunteer coaches. If a problem arises, we do have a chain of command to follow. Please discuss the issue first with the coach. If you are not satisfied, then discuss the issue with Mr. Lance Anthony our athletic director. Finally, if you have exhausted these two possibilities, you then may come to me. It is my hope that issues will be resolved with the coaches so that you do not have to move up the chain of command.
Next Wednesday, September 8th, Lifetouch photographers will be on campus to take individual student pictures. I am granting the students a Dress Up Day for this day. Dress Up Day means no jeans, no flip-flops (including Rainbows), no sports clothing, and no tee shirts. Students may not wear tight or baggy clothing. Boys need to wear a collared shirt. Girls need to wear tops that cover their mid-section. If students wear shorts, they need to be dress shorts or uniform shorts. Girls should not be wearing short shorts, sofies, or short skirts. Girls will be allowed to wear a denim dress or skirt. Please remember that spaghetti straps or bare shoulders are not allowed, including sun dresses with spaghetti straps or bare shoulders. Since these pictures will be used for official portraits in the school yearbook, we want all students looking their best. Of course, all clothing for this day must be appropriate for a Catholic school.
Allow me to close this week’s letter with the following announcements. First of all, I hope to see many of our parents at our first Home and School Association (HASA) on Thursday, September 9th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fallon Center. Second, thank you for your attendance at our Open Houses. I believe we are off to another great school year. Finally, Mrs. Wright and I are still noticing that drivers are on their cell phones when they come on campus to drop off or pick up the students. Please, for the safety of all of us, I am asking drivers not to use their cell phones during carpool.
Blessings,
Robert B. Scripko, Ph.D.
Principal