Our Lady of Mercy School

All of our teachers have blogs. They are listed in the sidebar and are available for you and your children to see news and assignments pertaining to their class. They will be updated regularly. We encourage you to read them from time to time. If you use an RSS reader, like Google Reader or Bloglines, you can even subscribe to them and be updated as soon as new posts are published.

Here’s how one video producer describes the process.

The Tech Savvy Marketer explains how to subscribe to a blog

For more information, here’s a good series of short videos explaining what RSS is and how to use Bloglines.

Here’s the first is a series. Click on the video when it’s done to see more.

How to Use Bloglines

The Computer Club field trip to the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, CA is scheduled for Friday, April 11, 2008. We will be traveling by chartered bus, departing OLM at 7:40 AM. Please have your child here no later than 7:15 AM in the back carpool loop.

We will be visiting the Tech Museum of Innovation between 9:30 AM and 3PM, during which time will be exploring the hands-on science and technology exhibits. We will also be viewing a movie in the IMAX theater at the museum. It is best to bring a brown-bag lunch. While there is food available for purchase, time constrains may not permit us to do so. All bag lunches will be stored at the museum. We will eat at Cesar Chavez Park across the street. We will depart for home about 3PM and arrive back at school by 5PM.

The cost of this trip will be mostly covered by the Computer Club treasury from our cookie sales earnings. Thank you for your support and for providing the delicious cookies and goodies. To meet the total cost of the trip, including bus fee and IMAX tickets, all students are asked to pay $10 which they need to turn in with the attached permission slip. If this is a problem, please contact me. The students may bring extra money for purchases at the museum gift shop.

Dress for the trip will be free (but appropriate) dress. Small items such as radios, music players, books, computer games, etc. may be taken on the bus, however we cannot be responsible for lost or damaged items. Personal DVD players are not allowed on school field trips and must be left at home. To secure items of value, a small number of lockers are available for 50 cents near the elevator on the Ground Level and on the Lower Level.

Drivers/Chaperones will be eight parents plus myself. Our PRIMARY CHAPERONES are Esmerelda Reese, Danielle Wood, Andrea Beltz, and Silvia Woodley. The PRIMARY CHAPERONES will be riding on the bus with the students. Our SECONDARY CHAPERONES (title is not at indication of their importance) are Carriane Hall, Diane Taylor, Anne Frederique, and David Pilkington. These chaperones will probably not fit on our 21-seater bus and, therefore, should be prepared to drive in caravan. Secondary chaperones are encouraged to ride together by private car. They will not be driving any students on this trip. Thanks to all those who offered to drive/chaperone this trip. Your assistance is necessary for a successful trip.

Please complete the field trip permission slip and return it to Mr. Somers no later than Monday, April 7, 2008. The emergency data forms that you filled out at the beginning of the school year will be used for our trip. If you have any changes, please complete a new one in the office ASAP.

Computer Club Field Trip Perm Form (PDF)

 Fall 2007 Podcast Elective: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This episode was recorded, edited and produced by the Fall 2007 Podcasting elective class. It features 3 Christmas-themed dramas written by Bob Snook. They are available, along with many others, for public use at www.thewestcoast.net/bobsnook. Many thanks to Bob Snook for allowing us to use his scripts. Enjoy!

 OLM Schoolwide Learning Expectations: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In order to help students and parents learn and understand the OLM Schoolwide Learning Expectations, Mr. Somers has recorded them and has posting it here. Listen to it now, right in your browser, or download it by right-clicking here and playing it on your computer of MP3 player. We suggest that you play it frequently as repetition aids in the learning process. What a great way to learn the SLE’s!

Here’s the text…

SCHOOLWIDE LEARNING EXPECTATIONS

Students graduating from Our Lady of Mercy School should be:

1. Active faith-filled people who:

a. Know the basic teachings of the Catholic Church
b. Live the Gospel Message through service
c. Participate in the faith life of the Church by celebrating the liturgical seasons and Catholic traditions

2. Effective communicators who:

a. Read, write, and speak with understanding
b. Listen attentively
c. Respond respectfully

3. Responsible citizens who:

a. Share their time, talents, and treasures with their community
b. Exercise personal responsibility and stewardship for the environment

4. Successful learners who:

a. Demonstrate a strong foundation in basic subject
b. Use current technology and research skills
c. Practice effective problem solving
d. Understand that learning is a life-long process

REMINDER:
The Computer Club will begin weekly meetings on Monday, Sept. 17 from 2:30-3:30PM.  See you then!

Students in grades 4-8 that are interested in joining the Computer Club for the 2007-2008 school year must submit an application and $5 dues to Mr. Somers by Friday, Sept. 7, 2007.  Space is limited and only the first 30 students will be accepted, so act soon. The application form is available below.
Computer Club Application 2007 (MS WORD DOC)

Check out our new Student Gallery page to see how OLM Students are using technology as a tool to produce content, instead of consume it.  More will be added as time goes on.

Our Spring Field Trip is now scheduled for Friday, April 20, 2007. Our destination is Yosemite National Park for photography and fun. We will leave school at 7:30 AM (sharp) and return by 5PM. We will need approximately 4 driver/chaperones. Parents, if you are interested in being a chaperone, please let me know in writing with your name, phone number and the number of passengers that you can carry (besides yourself). All gas and park entry fees will be provided. Note: All chaperones must be fingerprinted and have the appropriate insurance papers on file in the school office. Stay tuned for more details.

~Mr. Somers

 A Shipment of Mute Fate [33:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This Old Time Radio Show originally aired in 1947 as part of the radio series, “Escape.” This production was a result of a Fall 2005 podcasting elective class under the guidance of Mr. Somers.

We hope you like “A Shipment of Mute Fate”. Comments and questions are welcome Enjoy!

And now, “A Shipment of Mute Fate”, a radio play by Les Crutchfield, based on a story by Martin Storm. Download (15 MB) it now or subscribe to the feed in iTunes and get this and other episodes downloaded to you computer automatically.

What’s a podcast, you say? Check out this wikipedia entry to find out what we are talking about. To subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, click here. To use another RSS aggregator, add this link your your subscription list.

 First Grade Tongue Twisters: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The First graders have been using a program called Letter Sounds (Sunburst) in the Computer Lab to create tongue twisters. They have recorded their favorites for you.