From the Desk of the Principal…September 1, 2026

Dear OLA Families,

As we head into our third week of school, it is wonderful to see our students and new families settling into the routines of OLA. Our classrooms are busy, friendships are forming, and our campus is once again filled with the joy and energy of our students. We are so grateful for each of our families and for the wonderful sense of community you help create at OLA.

🌍 A Special Visit from the Sisters of Notre Dame

We were truly blessed to welcome the Sisters from Kenya, who shared with our students about St. Julie’s School and the children they serve. St. Julie’s was founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame, giving our two school communities a very special connection.

Our students had a wonderful time learning about life at St. Julie’s and discovering how their contributions through OLA Works of Mercy directly benefit the school and its students. The Sisters helped our children recognize something we can sometimes take for granted—the tremendous gift of a Catholic education and the opportunities we have to learn, grow in faith, and serve others.

Their visit was also a beautiful reminder that our Catholic community extends far beyond our own campus. Through our prayers, generosity, and acts of charity, our students can make a meaningful difference in the lives of children across the world.

❤️ Grandparents & Special Friends Day

Next week, we look forward to one of our favorite OLA traditions—Grandparents & Special Friends Day on Friday! We are excited to welcome these very special members of our extended OLA family to campus and celebrate the important role they play in the lives of our students.

We will also celebrate our Student Council Induction Mass, recognizing our student leaders as they begin their year of service to our school community. We pray that they will lead with kindness, responsibility, faith, and a true spirit of service.

There is so much to look forward to as our school year gets underway. Thank you for your continued partnership and for helping make OLA a community where we are truly Anchored in Faith as We Learn, Serve, and Shine!

📘 Check Out Our Updated Handbook!

Our Parent/Student Handbook has had a little “face lift”! The updated layout makes it easier to read and access important information. Please take a moment to view it online and familiarize yourself with the helpful resources inside.

Here’s to a blessed and successful school year together!

Week 23 in Ordinary Time

✝️ Today’s Readings – Challenging Our Assumptions

1 Corinthians 2:10–16

In today’s Gospel, the people are amazed by Jesus because He speaks and acts with an authority they did not expect. Jesus challenges their assumptions about who should teach, who should lead, and even how God might choose to work in their lives.

We can sometimes do the same thing. We form ideas about people before really getting to know them. We may decide who we should listen to, who can teach us something, or even who can be our friend. Yet God often surprises us by working through people and circumstances we might not expect.

As we begin this school year with our theme of Community, today’s Gospel is a beautiful reminder to keep our hearts and minds open to one another. Every person in our community has gifts to share. When we take the time to listen, welcome others, and look beyond our first impressions, we may discover God speaking to us in unexpected ways.

A thought for today:

✝️ Lord, open our hearts to Your Spirit. Help us listen without judgment, welcome one another with kindness, and recognize Your presence in the people You place in our lives. Amen.

APA BOARD CORNER

Save the Date: OLA’s Annual Halloween BOO-Gie Bash will be on Friday, October 30^th. If you’re interested in assisting with planning, please contact the APA Board.

 We are also in need of parent volunteers to help with the following positions/tasks:

 2^nd Vice President: attend monthly meetings in person or virtually and help plan events and activities

• Co- Treasurer: support the Treasurer in duties and attend monthly meetings in person or virtually

• Restaurant fundraiser contact: flexible role that can be done entirely from home and would involve communicating with restaurants and helping organize fundraiser details

• Communications: assist with updating and creating flyers and emails for APA events and activities

 Please reach out to apaboard@olaventura.org or text APA President Susan Cazares at 925-963-1697

✨ Thank you for helping us kick off the year with joy and community spirit—we’re looking forward to a fantastic school year together!

Volunteers Needed! If you are interested in lending your time as a Room Parent for the 2026-2027 school year please contact Jill Capra. This is a great way to be involved and knock out those volunteer hours!

805-256-5455

jillysdsu@hotmai.com

Calendar Highlights  

         Extended Day Care registration packets are available in the school office. 

Contents of Weekly Brown Envelope

Please remove contents, complete and return any forms in the signed Brown Envelope every Wednesday. 

• Scholastic Book Fair Info Flyer

Virtue of the Month August & September

✨ Virtue of the Month: Charity

Our school participates in a Deanery-wide virtue program that helps our students grow in faith and character by focusing on a particular virtue each month and learning about saints who modeled that virtue in their lives.

Our Theme for the Year: Community

This year, our theme is Community. Throughout the year, we will help our students understand that God calls us to live in relationship with one another. A strong Christian community is built when we care for one another, recognize the dignity of every person, share our gifts, and work together for the good of all.

Our school community gives us countless opportunities to practice this—from welcoming someone who feels left out, to helping a classmate, serving those in need, praying for one another, and treating everyone we encounter with kindness and respect.

❤️ September Virtue: Charity

Our virtue this month is Charity:

“Loving God with all your heart, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Charity is more than simply being nice or generous. It is the love that comes from God and teaches us to love Him above all things and to love others because they, too, are children of God.

Charity can be lived through very simple actions: including someone, offering encouragement, sharing what we have, forgiving, helping without being asked, praying for someone, or noticing when another person needs a friend.

As we begin a new school year centered on Community, charity is a wonderful place to start. When we choose to love and serve one another, we strengthen the community God has entrusted to us.

🌸 Preschool: St. Gertrude

Our preschool students will learn about St. Gertrude, who had a beautiful love for Jesus and loved spending time with Him in prayer.

For our youngest students, St. Gertrude reminds us that we can show charity by loving Jesus and being loving toward others. We can share, use kind words, help a friend, and remember to pray for the people we love.

Even the smallest acts of kindness can show someone the love of Jesus.

🤲 Grades 3–5: St. Vincent de Paul

Students in grades 3–5 will walk with St. Vincent de Paul, who dedicated his life to serving people who were poor, sick, lonely, or in need. He did not simply talk about loving others—he put his faith into action.

St. Vincent teaches our students to notice the needs of people around them and then do something to help. Charity might mean including someone who is alone, giving generously, helping without expecting anything in return, or standing beside someone who is struggling.

His example reminds us that when we serve another person with love, we are serving Christ.

💕 Grades 6–8: Venerable Laura Vicuña

Our middle school students will learn about Venerable Laura Vicuña, a young person whose deep faith and love for her family shaped the way she lived her life. Despite facing difficult circumstances, Laura remained devoted to God and showed remarkable compassion, courage, and concern for others.

Laura's story is especially meaningful for young people because she demonstrates that you do not have to be an adult to live a life of great faith and charity. Our middle school students are challenged to think beyond themselves—to consider how their words, choices, friendships, and actions affect others.

Her example reminds us that charity sometimes requires sacrifice, courage, forgiveness, and choosing what is good even when it is difficult.

🏫 Building Our Community Through Charity

Throughout the month, we encourage our students and families to ask:

How can I show God's love to someone today?

If each of us answers that question through our actions, our classrooms, homes, parish, and school will become stronger communities rooted in Christ.

May this month help all of us grow in charity as we continue to live our school mission—Anchored in Faith, We Learn, Serve, and Shine.

📚 OLA Scholastic Book Fair is Coming! 📚

Mark your calendars! The OLA Scholastic Book Fair will take place September 8th through September11th. This is a wonderful opportunity for students and families to find great books and support our school at the same time.

Be sure to check the flyer enclosed in this week’s brown envelope for more details, including times and special events.

Volunteers Needed! Parents, we would love your help with the Book Fair. It’s a fun way to be part of the excitement and earn parent hours. Please contact the school office if you are available to volunteer.

We look forward to seeing you at the fair!

🚗 Afternoon Dismissal Reminders 🚗

Thank you for helping our dismissal process flow smoothly in the afternoons!

• Please have your name sign in your window during dismissal. If you need one, contact the school office.

• Be mindful to leave openings for our neighbors’ driveways when waiting to move down Dunning Street—this is both for safety and to be courteous.

• If your child is going home with another family, please email the office directly by 11:00 am at olaoffice@olaventura.org.

• Parents walking up to pick up students: Please find a school staff member and give them your family name. This helps us ensure we call your students quickly and safely.

  Thank you for your cooperation!

What's for lunch? ~  Choice Lunch

Click Here to Order 

🍎 A Few Things to Know When Ordering with Choicelunch

• ⏰ Ordering Deadline: Full menu orders must be placed by 9:00 a.m. the day before lunch is served.

• 🥗 Late Orders: After the deadline, you can still order an entrée-only lunch until 9:00 a.m. on the day of service (or until lunches sell out).

• ❌ Cancellations: Lunches may be canceled up to 9:00 a.m. the day before for 100% credit. After that time, the lunch will be delivered to school and no credit is given.

• 💻 Questions? Visit the FAQ here: Choicelunch Help Center

School Uniforms by Tommy Hilfiger, our school's uniform provider, is offering 20% off orders of $50 or more from September 2 through September 8.

Use promo code 926TWTOFFE at checkout on orders of $50 or more. Please note the code will ONLY work during these days of the promotion: September 2 through September 8. Orders ship in 3 days or less on average, so it is a great time to stock up for the year.

Sports at OLA

🏃‍♀️ Cross Country is Off and Running! 🏃‍♂️

Cross Country season officially began this week, with the first practice on Monday . It was wonderful to see our student athletes lace up their shoes and hit the trails with energy and excitement. A couple of emails have already gone out with details on how to sign up, along with practice and meet information.

We are super excited to get running again and can’t wait to see the hard work and dedication of our amazing athletes throughout the season. 🌟

📌 Reminders:

• Please turn in the $65 registration fee per runner to the school office.

• Be sure to submit the Sports Permission Form as well (blank copies are available in the school office).

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our wonderful coaches:

• Stephen Isbell — 805-822-9341, 

  stephenandlizzy@

  gmail.com

Let’s make this Cross Country season a great one—Go Dolphins! 🐬

🏈🏈

This school year OLA is once again proud to be part of the CYO Sports Program!

CYO brings together Catholic schools in our area for fun, teamwork, and healthy competition.

🍂 Fall Sports

• Boys Flag Football

• Girls Volleyball

🌸 Spring Sports

• Boys & Girls Basketball

👉 Sports are open to grades 6, 7, and 8.

👉 Practices are held after school at OLA.

 👉 Games are played both here at OLA and at other local Catholic schools such as Sacred Heart, Saint Mary Magdalen, and St. Anthony.

**Our Flag Football team is off to a great start! There is still time to join. Practices will be held Monday's and Wednesday's from 3-4:30. Come ready to play with PE clothes, cleats, mouthpiece and water.

⚠️ We are in need of a Head Coach for Girls Volleyball this fall! Please contact the school office if you are interested!

💙 Thank you for supporting OLA Athletics—and as always…

GOOOOO DOLPHINS! 🐬

Stay up-to-date with access to events, documents, news from administrators, student stories, and even emergency notifications.

OLA School App Video

You can download the app for free on Google Play or Apple App Store.

Download for Android https://bit.ly/3HRxTwQ

Download for iPhone https://apple.co/3JwStCO

📋 Absent Reporting Reminder

If your child will be absent from school, please complete the Absent Reporting Form.

You can find the form:

• On our OLA School App (tap the menu button)

• On our school website under Quick Links

Submitting this form ensures that a daily report is generated and shared with teachers so they are aware of your child’s absence.

✅ Thank you for helping us keep our records accurate and our communication smooth!

The digital marquee birthday flier is available in the school  office.  Announce your child's next birthday on the OLA marquee! Announcement cost is $15

School Office Hours

The best times to conduct school business in the office are:

Mornings

8:30 am - 12:00 pm

Afternoon

12:50 pm - 2:30 pm

Closed for Lunch(12:00-12:50)

After Dismissal hours:

3:00pm-3:30pm 

Please do not come in during dismissal. We are calling students for pick-up and are unable to give you uninterrupted attention.  The office is closed for lunch from 12:00pm-12:50pm, if your child needs to leave early from school Please pick them up before 12:00 pm or after 12:50pm. 

 Safeguard Training

Protecting God’s Children

Keeping the Promise Alive (Recertification)

Local Locations for August/September/October 2026:

Protecting God’s Children: 3 hours.     Please arrive on time.

Initial Certification Requirement

• St. Raphael Catholic Church (Santa Barbara) – Saturday, September 5th at 11:30 AM

  Email:

  office@srs805.org

• Our Lady of the Assumption Church (Ventura) – Saturday, September 19th at 9:00 AM in the Santa Cruz Room Call: 805-642-7966

• Our Lady of the Assumption Church (Ventura) – Saturday, October 3rd at 9:00 AM in the Santa Cruz Room Call: 805-642-7966

• St. Raphael Catholic Church (Santa Barbara) – Saturday, October 17th at 11:30 AM

  Email: office@srs805.org

Keeping the Promise Alive:  1 hour 30 minutes. Please arrive on time.

• St. Raphael Catholic School (Santa Barbara) – Saturday, September 5th at 9:00 AM

  Email:

  office@srs805.org

• Our Lady of the Assumption Church (Ventura) – Thursday, October 8th at 6:30pm in the Santa Cruz Room Call: 805-642-7966

• St. Raphael Catholic School (Santa Barbara) – Saturday, October 17th at 9:00 AM

  Email: office@srs805.org

There is an online option. If interested, please email olasafeguard@ola-vta.org.

Finger Printing

Fingerprinting Requirement

• Holy Cross Church (Moorpark) – Saturday, September 5th

  Call: 805-529-1397

• St. Anthony Church (Oxnard) – Saturday, September 12th

  Call: 805-486-7301

Student Learning Expectations (SLE’S)

OLA Students aim for the S.T.A.R.S when they: 

SHOW AND LIVE THEIR FAITH 

THINK CRITICALLY AND WORK COOPERATIVELY

ACTIVELY MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

RESPECT OURSELVES AND OTHERS

STUDY AND LEARN