Our Lady of the Assumption School

✝️ Today’s Readings – Character Matters

Proverbs 21:1–6, 10–13

Today’s readings remind us of a simple but important truth: character matters.

In Proverbs, we hear that while we may look at outward appearances and actions, God looks at the heart. He calls us to live with integrity—to speak truthfully, act justly, show compassion, and pay attention to the needs of others.

In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that we are closest to Him when we hear the Word of God and put it into practice. Our faith is not meant to remain only in our prayers or words; it should be visible in the way we live and treat one another.

This message connects beautifully with our virtue of Charity and our school theme of Community. For our students, living their faith can happen in very ordinary moments: welcoming someone who feels left out, helping a classmate, speaking kindly, standing up for what is right, forgiving someone, or noticing when another person needs encouragement.

As parents and educators, we have the wonderful responsibility of helping our children understand that strong character is developed one choice at a time. When we choose what is good, just, and loving—even when no one is watching—we are putting God's Word into practice.

A thought for the week:

🙏 Lord, guide us in the way of Your commands. Help us to listen to Your Word and live it through charity, justice, compassion, and love. Amen.

APA BOARD CORNER

🎟️ It’s Raffle Time at OLA!

Be sure to check those brown envelopes—raffle tickets are coming home today!

Our annual raffle is OLA’s biggest fundraiser and our only raffle of the year, and we need the support of our entire school community to make it a success. Every ticket sold helps support our school and students!

Each family is required to sell a minimum of 10 tickets, but the more you sell, the more opportunities you have to earn some Spook-Tacular prizes—including a chance to win a “Free-Mester” tuition voucher at our Halloween BOO-Gie Bash on Friday, October 30! 🎃

🎟️ Returning Your Raffle Tickets

As you sell your tickets, please return the completed ticket stubs along with the money collected to the school each week. You do not need to wait until all of your tickets have been sold to turn them in.

Weekly turn-ins are important! Each time you return sold tickets, your family will receive credit toward the raffle incentives and prize opportunities outlined on the Raffle Flyer.

Please make sure:

• The ticket stubs are completely filled out and legible.

• The ticket stubs and payment are returned together.

• Your family's information is included so you receive proper credit for your sales.

• Sold tickets are turned in regularly so students can qualify for weekly incentives and prizes.

👻 BONUS WEEK!

Sell and turn in 20 tickets by Thursday, October 1, and receive 5 BONUS entries into the “Free-Mester” tuition voucher drawing!

Be sure to review the Raffle Flyer in your brown envelope for complete information about class, family, and school incentives.

🎃 Save the Date – Halloween BOO-Gie Bash!

Mark your calendars for Friday, October 30 for OLA’s Annual Halloween BOO-Gie Bash!

If you would like to help plan this fun community event, please contact the APA Board.

🤝 APA Volunteers Needed

Our APA is also looking for parent volunteers to assist with:

• Co-Treasurer – Support the Treasurer with duties and attend monthly meetings in person or virtually.

• Communications – Assist with creating and updating flyers and emails for APA events and activities.

Please contact apaboard@olaventura.org or text APA President Susan Cazares at 925-963-1697 if you are interested in helping.

✨ Thank you for supporting OLA and helping make this year's raffle a success. When our families work together, we strengthen the wonderful sense of community that makes OLA so special.

Anchored in Faith, We Learn, Serve, and Shine! 🐬

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. 

• "BOO-GIE" Bash Raffle Tickets

• Skating Plus Fundraiser Flyer

• Scouts Flyer

• Works of Mercy Flyer

• OLA Parish Men's Retreat Flyer

Picture Day

We had a great picture day today. All students were photographed. If you have not ordered a picture packet there is still time.

Paper orders can be turned in until Friday, September 25th to the school office.

Online orders can be placed through the link below until Friday, September 25th. https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001401318

Virtue of the Month 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.

Sports at OLA

🏃‍♀️ Cross Country is Off and Running! 🏃‍♂️

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Cross Country Off to a Great Start!

Our OLA Cross Country teams are off and running! Congratulations to all of our elementary and middle school runners on a fantastic start to the season. We are so proud of the effort, determination, and great sportsmanship our Dolphins showed at their first meets!

🐬 Elementary Cross Country

Our first elementary meet was held on Thursday, September 17, at Camino Real Park, and OLA had an outstanding day! This was also our host meet, and we are tremendously grateful to the many parent and family volunteers who gave their time to help make the event such a success.

Top Elementary Girls:

• 🥇 Evie Bart (5th) — 1st out of 129 runners, 6:29

• Caroline Barnard (5th) — 6th, 6:58

• Everly Cazares (4th) — 14th, 7:18

Top Elementary Boys:

• Jensen Fink (4th) — 11th, 6:31

• Andrew Navarro (4th) — 16th, 6:39

• Leonardo Calderone (5th) — 32nd, 7:11

View the full elementary results here.

Our next elementary meet is Thursday, September 24, at Monte Vista Middle School in Camarillo.

🐬 Middle School Cross Country

Our Middle School team competed in its first meet on Friday, September 18, at Kimball Park. We may have a small but mighty team this year, but our runners gave it their all on the 2.05-mile course. Congratulations to everyone who competed!

Top Middle School Girls:

• Naomi Isbell (8th) — 14th out of 113 runners, 14:38

• Kori Deleon (8th) — 68th, 19:31

• Jadyn Way (6th) — 89th, 21:48

Top Middle School Boys:

• Luke Kuske (6th) — 39th out of 123 runners, 14:47

• Grason Fredell (6th) — 67th, 16:03

• Gordon Fredell (7th) — 108th, 18:33

View the full middle school results here.

OLA Middle School competes in Pool B this year.

Our next middle school meet is Friday, September 25, at Soule Park in Ojai.

👏 Congratulations to all of our runners! Thank you to our coaches, volunteers, and families for encouraging and supporting our students.

Our cross country athletes are a wonderful example of our OLA motto, “Anchored in Faith, We Learn, Serve, and Shine.” They learn the value of perseverance and discipline, serve their teammates through encouragement and good sportsmanship, and shine by giving their very best while representing OLA with pride. Most importantly, they remain anchored in faith, recognizing that their talents and abilities are gifts from God.

Go Dolphins! 🐬

Game schedules for both Flag Football and Girls Volleyball will be out soon.

💙 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

• 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.

• 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

• St. Raphael School October 3rd , Call: 805-967-2115

• St. Maximillian Kolbe Church, October 13th,

  Call : 818-991-3915

• St. Paschal Baylon Church October 20th , email: https://tinyurl.com/mvfepa98

• St. Anthony Church (Oxnard) – Saturday, October 30th

  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