Putting faith into education for 55 years!

“Catholic Schools afford the fullest and best opportunity
to realize the fourfold purpose of Christian education,
namely to provide an atmosphere in which the Gospel
message is proclaimed, community in Christ is experienced,
service to our sisters and brothers is the norm and worship
of God is cultivated.” (U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops, 2005)

Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School will celebrate 60 years in 2015. I wonder if the Benedictine and Felician Sisters had a sense of what they started back in the 50’s and 60’s? Did they really know what all their hard work and sacrifice would come to mean? It is this vision of a parish school at OLA to serve children and their families that we have inherited and this tradition we continue to offer – a Catholic education of faith, academic excellence and service.

As you know, Catholic schools are not like public schools, nor are we like private schools. Catholic parents and teachers know and understand the inextricable bonds that link faith and education. We know that our actions and words demonstrate an awareness of ourselves beyond just our personal needs and wants. Catholic schools exist for and within a community far beyond the schoolyard. OLA school functions within our community, but we are forming and preparing children who will serve as the parents, teachers and leaders in tomorrow’s world.

I am pleased and humbled to report that once again OLA students consistently score highly on Catholic High School entrance tests. Grade equivalency scores for our eighth graders in 2012 show them scoring between grades 10 and 13 on the annual standardized tests. Fully 100% of our graduates who apply to Catholic High Schools are accepted, and are subsequently accepted at four-year colleges and universities. Another measure of success is that our students perform strongly against other Catholic elementary schools in both academic and sports competitions. In the annual Los Angeles academic decathlon, where we compete against over 100 other schools, OLA students consistently place in the top 10 as individuals and the top 15 schools overall. And this year we took first place at overall at the Damien High math competition. Our after-school sports teams earned the “Best in the East” title for CYO for 2012. We offer a range of after-school sports through CYO that is unavailable in other school systems, including football, basketball, volleyball, track and field, soccer, golf, and bowling. Simply put, OLA students do more and go farther!

OLA students represent a wide range of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. In recent years our families have been hurt by the financial crisis, and many now qualify for financial aid. Unfortunately some were forced to withdraw as the burden became too much. In November, I launched the Catholic Education Foundation’s “Million Dollar Challenge,” a matching grant offer for all those families who need help. The OLA community responded overwhelmingly. Alumni families and parishioners opened their hearts and checkbooks to help our students to stay and continue at OLA. Our goal was $13,000. To date I have received an overwhelming $29,244. We will receive a match of $13,000 for this year and the rest is being reserved for next year’s appeal so that we can receive a match for every dollar that was donated.

By choosing to support Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic school there are the tangible long- and short-term results for the students directly, but we too are blessed by the deep roots, our traditions and our heritage. We are deeply indebted to the community for the continued support of the students and families. I am confident that with this support we are securing a bright future both for the students and our society.

I would like to invite new or prospective families to come and see the way we educate the whole child. Simply call the school office to arrange a convenient time to take a guided tour of the classrooms so you can see our teachers and children in action.

Bernadette Boyle, Principal
January 2013

Check out the school calendar:

September	January	May
October	February	June
November	March
December	April

View/Print the PFA calendar for 2012-2013

View the narrative of the school's history compiled in 2005 for the 50th Anniversary of OLA School, including color photos on front and back pages.

Catholic Schools: Putting Faith into Education