Dear Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Victory Families,

I’m going to put my cards on the table: I think you should read more poetry. I think you should read poems together as a family, and I think you should read poems on your own.

Growing up, I hated poetry units in school. The poems that our English teachers put in front of us felt like riddles that the teachers were asking us to unlock. Half of the poems we read made no sense at all. The other half seemed like perfectly ordinary thoughts dressed up in unnecessarily complicated language. Why couldn’t the poet just say what he meant?

Maybe you, too, feel the same way as the result of your schooling. Here’s the good news: there is another—decidedly less modern—way to approach a poem. Before asking, “What does it mean?” we can ask a much simpler question: “What do I notice?” It could be a sound, an image, a phrase that makes us laugh or reminds us of something we thought we had forgotten, or the way that a series of words sounds when we speak them out loud. It’s okay to linger over a delightful line without needing to explain it. Some of the loveliest things in life cannot be explained without destroying them.

We do it naturally with music. I listen to my favorite songs again and again because there is something in it worth returning to, and not necessarily because I’ve understood it completely. I can listen to “Band on the Run” by Wings a hundred times without fully comprehending the undoubtedly complicated musical mechanisms that make it one of my favorite songs. I just like the way it sounds. Why can’t we do that with poetry, too? We can.

Poetry helps us practice something that has become a lost art in the past 25 years: paying attention.

For Christians, that habit of attention is the most important gift that we can give to our children. We know that creation is the work of a loving God, and that the people and things before us deserve our care. Poetry can help us attend to them more closely. It can also give us words for gratitude, sorrow, wonder, and praise. It is no accident that so much of Scripture comes to us as poetry, or that the Church returns to the Psalms day after day. I would even go so far as to say that the Mass—the source and summit of our Catholic faith—is an embodied poem in which we all participate.

So I'll say it again: I think you should read more poetry. Read one poem out loud with your family this week. Choose something short. Read it over dinner or before bed. Ask which line someone liked, or what picture stayed in someone’s mind. Let it lead to a conversation. If you don’t know where to start, read something by G.K. Chesterton, John Milton, George Herbert or John Keats. If you’re looking for something more contemporary, find a poem by Dana Gioia, Ryan Wilson, James Matthew Wilson, Benjamin Myers, Seamus Heaney or Malcolm Guite.

Our Lady of Victory, Mother of the Divine Poet, pray for us!

Peace in Christ,
Randy

Congratulations to this week’s winners of the Virtue Awards! You know what you did…

Charity - Joseph Urban
Fortitude - Eleanor McAdam

Congratulations to October’s athletes of the month! Keep up the hard work!

St. Joan of Arc Award:
Eleanor McAdam
Cross Country

St. Sebastian Award:
Mikey Hadro
Cross Country

Hello everyone!

Our drama teacher, Mrs. Christina Ouyang recently had her baby! Sweet Joanna Faustina Tsuchin Ouyang was born on October 26th at 12:55am. To take care of Christina, Joanna, and the family, there is a meal train. Please consider signing up for a meal! And say a prayer for them both as well :)

This link will take you to the meal train:

https://mealtrain.com/nyoy07

Thank you all!
Rhianna

As we weigh the possibility of adding soccer to our sports program, one of the biggest factors of this decision is whether or not we will have enough athletes to fill a roster.

If you have a student that would be interested in playing soccer at OLV, please fill out this interest form:
https://www.jotform.com/build/262884944695175

Please be aware that a recent scam email was sent impersonating Randy from a Gmail account. Official OLV emails will always come from an address ending in @ourladyofvictorydenver.com.

If you receive an email claiming to be from someone at OLV but sent from an unfamiliar address, please do not assume it is legitimate. When we need to contact you, we will use our official OLV email addresses or Jupiter Ed.

Thank you for your vigilance!

Don't forget about Chess Club! The club meets every Thursday after school until approximately 4:45 p.m. Carpooling is available!

Chess Club is also a team, and its first competition is coming up in November. New members are welcome!

For questions, please contact Alexandra Harden at Alzharden1912@outlook.com.

The OLV Spirit Store is now open! Shop online and pick up the orders at OLV the week of November 30th—just in time for Christmas! The store closes tomorrow, October 30.

Link to Store

Order by: October 30, 2026
Delivery Week of: November 30, 2026

Our parking lot received fresh paint over the weekend, including numbered spaces and seven designated visitor spaces. If you’re joining us for morning Mass, please park in a visitor space and leave the numbered spaces open. Although some numbered spaces are not yet assigned, all will eventually be in use. Thank you for helping us establish this habit now!

The Athletics Program is looking for one more coach to add to the basketball program this year. We will have a C Team for boys and are looking for someone to manage 0-2 practices a week for our C team players. The time commitment is extremely minimal compared to JV and V and there are no games.

Please email Delaney Nalen if you know anyone who might be interested and is a good fit!

athletics@ourladyofvictorydenver.com

Before the season begins, we will hold team expectation meetings. This information can also be found in SportsYou.

Boys’ Basketball

• Date: Monday, November 9

• Time: 3:45 PM

• Location: Chesterton Commons Gym at OLV

• Who: Coaches, Athletic Director, parents, and players

Girls’ Basketball

• Date: Tuesday, November 10

• Time: 3:45 PM

• Location: Chesterton Commons Gym at OLV

• Who: Coaches, Athletic Director, parents, and players

All are encouraged to attend if available!

OLV's basketball programs will be using SportsYou for this 2026-2027 season. The calendars are uploaded into the app and the coaches are in the app already. Please download the SportsYou app to get in the know on games, practice schedules, and any updates from the coaching staff. It is pertinent you are in the app by the beginning of November.

SportsYou links for team calendars (download the SportsYou app and add in this code to add your team):

Boys: WF3D-J9ZQ
Girls: TZZ9-ZEDA

CHSAA medical forms are due to Ms. Nalen prior to Nov 16. You cannot participate in tryouts or practice without this form in and being cleared. The form is on the athletics website, and also here! Thank you!

Save the date for the upcoming Spring Formal! It will be held Saturday, April 17 at Holy Name Catholic Parish.

Juniors and Seniors: get your dancing shoes and formal attire ready to go!

The following priests will be celebrating Mass at Our Lady of Victory the upcoming week, October 30 - November 6. Please pray for our priests!

Fri, Oct 30: Fr. Daniel Ciucci
Mon, Nov 2: All Souls’ Day, No School
Tues, Nov 3: St. Mark Priest
Wed, Nov 4: Fr. Doug Grandon
Thurs, Nov 5: Fr. Adam Bradshaw
Fri, Nov 6: Fr. Daniel Ciucci

Volleyball Playoffs – Today, October 29 at 4:30 p.m.
Our volleyball team will compete for 3rd place in the CHSAA 5280 League at Front Range Baptist in Fort Collins.

Cross Country State Championships – Saturday, October 31
Our boys’ team and Eleanor McAdam will compete at the CHSAA 2A State Championships at Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs.

• Boys: 12:40 p.m.

• Girls: 1:40 p.m.

Join us in cheering on our athletes as they finish their seasons strong. Go OLV!

The next OLV STEM Club meeting will be Friday, October 30th from 1:00–3:00 p.m. All interested students are invited to join. This Friday, students will explore topics in lenses and optics relating to telescopes, microscopes and photography. Drinks & snacks will be provided.

Throughout the year, STEM club will explore hands-on projects involving astronomy, engineering, chemistry, electronics, programming, and more. The club will also field a team for the Lockheed Martin CyberQuest cybersecurity competition in the spring of 2027.

Interested in checking out Colorado School of Mines? OLV parents Jane Holman & Shawn Grady are organizing a trip for OLV students on Monday, November 2nd. We have 16 students registered so far with room for more. The schedule will be as follows:

11:00am: Meet at Starzer Welcome Center (1812 Illinois St, Golden) for Info Session
11:30am: Campus Tour
1:00pm: Lunch (bring your own!)
1:30pm: Meeting with current FOCUS missionaries at Catholic house (807 16th St, Golden)

Please email Jane at jane.holman@gmail.com if you or your student is interested in attending. Students who need a ride can meet at OLV at 10am on Monday morning. We will return to campus no later than 3pm!

Come join current OLV parents and faculty members for an informal night of drinks & conversation! We'll have a couple tables reserved at Prost Brewing in Highlands Ranch on Wednesday, November 4 from 6:30pm-9pm. Stop by anytime and enjoy some social time with fellow OLV parents.

Calling all movie lovers! Each month (November through March), a different faculty member will choose a film and interested OLV students will gather at a nearby home to watch the movie together. Seats will always be limited, so please RSVP each month if you'd like to join!

This month, we will kick off with The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) on Tuesday, November 17th from 6:30pm-9pm at the Murphy home.  In this warm adaptation of a 1939 short story, daydreamer Walter Mitty must learn courage and grit in order to overcome his natural reticence and live his life to the fullest. Come enjoy a great film, popcorn, and some deep thoughts by Ms. Genevieve Riley. Please RSVP to elise.a.murphy@gmail.com for details and to reserve a spot.

Note: OLV does not endorse these movies and parents should make their own prudential judgment about the appropriateness of the film for their students. All movies are selected in conjunction with faculty members and approved by Randy Aust.

St. Mary Littleton has been committed to hosting an annual Pro-Life Symposium to encourage teens to take the pro-life issue seriously and become personally involved in building a culture of life.

This year, they are especially calling all young men to attend. (Young women still more than welcome and encouraged to attend! Notice the familiar female face on the flyer 😁) The keynote speaker, Sean Corcoran, CEO of Men For Life, is eager to speak directly to young men about the important role they have in standing up for life and supporting women and families. (Good for young women to hear as well.)

The morning will include Mass with Bishop Rodriguez, a free breakfast, pro-life speakers, prizes, and ministry tables.

Saturday, November 7 | 8:15 AM–1:00 PM
St. Mary Littleton Catholic Parish

This is a great opportunity for our young men to hear from inspiring Catholic leaders and consider how they can personally make a difference.

You can register here!

Everyone belongs at the table! This fall, support the FIRE Foundation Denver and its mission to help students with disabilities thrive in Catholic schools while enjoying a delicious homemade pie.

Choose from Pumpkin, Cherry, Pecan, or Apple pies for just $25 each. Pies are generously donated by Bluepoint Bakery.

📅 Order by November 15
🥧 $25 per pie
❤️ 100% of proceeds support the FIRE Foundation

Scan the QR code on the flyer to place your order and help make sure every student has a place at the table!

The Archdiocese of Denver invites high school boys to attend an upcoming discernment retreat! These retreats offer young men an opportunity to prayerfully consider their vocation and grow in their relationship with the Lord.

Upcoming Dates:
Sunday, November 29, 2026

Location: Holy Trinity Center at the St. John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210

Register at denvervocations.com/events.

The Boettcher Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship that provides $20,000 per year for four years to scholars who attend any of the 16 listed colleges or universities in Colorado. The application deadline for this scholarship is 5pm on November 1st. The scholarship is open to any Colorado high school senior and 50 scholarships are awarded every year. Please find additional eligibility details, FAQs, and instructions on how to apply at https://boettcherfoundation.org/scholarships/prospective-scholars/.