Dear Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Victory Families,

Happy Feast of Saint Monnica!*

The feast day of Saint Monnica delights me for several reasons, not the least of which is because it’s a fulfillment of the deathbed request that she makes to her son, Augustine, which he recounts in his Confessions: “All I ask is that you remember me at the altar of the Lord, wherever you may be” (IX.11.27).

With her motherly heart, Monnica is simply asking her once-wayward and now recently baptized son, Augustine, to pray for her after she dies. She has no idea that he will, one day, become a saint and Doctor of the Church who will write a book that chronicles her virtues as a woman, wife, and mother. And she has no idea that she will, one day, join him as a canonized saint because of the words that he wrote in that book. What the likely illiterate Monnica asked of her son on her deathbed in Ostia is now fulfilled by the universal Church every year on August 27th. And it was fulfilled in and through the intercessory prayers of her son.

Monnica asks the Lord to bring her son to the waters of Christian baptism; the Lord gives her Saint Augustine of Hippo. Monnica asks her son to pray for her after she dies; the Lord gives her her very own feast day celebrated by more than one billion Catholics around the world.

In other words, Monnica could never---even in her wildest dreams---begin to comprehend just how incredibly God would answer her humble prayers. We would be wise to remember that , our Lord is never outdone in His grace.

Saint Monnica, pray for us! Our Lady of Victory, pray for us!

Peace in Christ,
Randy

PS, I also want to wish the members of House Augustine a very happy patronal feast day tomorrow. If I know anything about Saint Augustine, I think he would be very happy to know that this week's Headmaster's Note is about his mother.

*As my friend and OLV dad and Latin scholar, Kevin Clemens, reminded me: this is the way that Augustine spells his own mother’s name in the original Latin of Confessions.

Dear OLV Families,

As we continue to adjust to life on our beautiful new campus, we have heard feedback from our neighbors about student parking on the surrounding streets. We knew that parking would be a pressure point for the community when we purchased this property, and it will likely remain so until we are able to expand our parking capacity on campus, which is a long-term desire that will require resources we do not yet possess.

At the start of the year, we gave our students clear instructions about parking. They are not to block driveways or fire hydrants, play loud music, speed, or otherwise drive unsafely. We have also asked students to spread out rather than concentrate on a single street, avoid parking on curbs or sidewalks, avoid parking more than one car at a house, be considerate of residents, and make every effort to be good neighbors. Thus far, our students have impressed us with their willingness to abide by these requests.

Unfortunately, we have had some instances of students inadvertently blocking or parking too close to fire hydrants, mailboxes, and spaces designated for trash cans, as well as parking on sidewalks. Fielding calls from understandably upset neighbors and pulling students out of class to accompany them while they move their cars is not a good use of anyone's time and has not cast the school in the best light with all of our neighbors.

While these are public streets and students are permitted to park there, we also need to be mindful of our neighbors. This is particularly important, because the City of Littleton has enforcement options that could place a significant burden on both the school and our students if we are not responsive to reasonable complaints.

As we work to find a long-term solution that works for both OLV and our neighbors, I am reaching out with three requests:

1. Please review the parking instructions above with your students. It might even be worthwhile to accompany your student on a practice run on a Saturday or Sunday. While teenagers are still learning to drive and park their vehicles, they must learn how to park safely and correctly when parking on the streets around campus.

2. If your student drives to school, please fill out the form below. This will help us quickly identify the owner of any vehicle that is parked incorrectly so that we can address the issue promptly. https://forms.gle/sXLHz4vyBnArK8P7A

3. Please encourage students to carpool to campus with other OLV students whenever possible. I realize that carpooling can be challenging with after school athletic practices, but even a few cars off the surrounding streets each day will go a long way to demonstrating our good will to our neighbors.

As we continue to assess concerns raised by our neighbors, please know that we are likely to update our parking guidance in the near future.

Peace in Christ,
Randy

Each week, our faculty awards different students that they notice exemplifying heroic virtue. There are awards available for each cardinal and theological virtue, but they are only given out if they are seen in a students.

Congratulations to this week’s Virtue Award winners!

Kolbe Pries: Charity
Raditya Muljadi: Prudence
Declan Doran: Fortitude
Michael Young: Justice

COLORADO YOUTH SPORTS GIVING DAY BEGINS SEPTEMBER 1, 2026 @ 6:00 PM MT.

Your gift goes further on Youth Sports Giving Day! It's playoff season for Colorado youth sports: get ready for 15 days of giving where every dollar gets supercharged. Dollar-for-dollar matching begins @ 6:00 PM MT on September 1, 2026 from the 1:1 Match Pool giving more Colorado kids a shot at sports.

New this year: You can give through a donor-advised fund (DAF), IRA, or wire on ColoradoGives.org and your gift unlocks its own dollar-for-dollar match from the brand-new America250 Fund — a $250,000 dollar-for-dollar match just for donors giving online with DAF, IRA or wire contributions.

When these two match pools are exhausted, the donation boosters don't stop. Every remaining gift made online is matched at a percentage rate through the Incentive Fund — so your generosity stays in play right to the final whistle on September 15 @ 11:59 PM MT.

All gift matching applies to online gifts made on ColoradoGives.org only — including DAF, IRA, and wire gifts. To keep the playing field level, matching dollars from the 1:1 Match Pool + America250 Fund caps out at $150,000 per organization to celebrate as many participating youth sports programs as possible.

Please consider giving!

Parents! Please fill out your preferences for the committee you wish to serve on for this new school year! (Preference form linked here.) New families feel free to read about the different committees here (https://www.ourladyofvictorydenver.com/volunteering).

*Please note it is an expectation that each family will complete 30 volunteer hours per year. With that, each family will be placed in a committee, thus this is your opportunity to share your desired placement!

Thank you!

A reminder for our returning families and an announcement to our new families: all attendance-related updates can be sent to the front office via email at attendanceolv@ourladyofvictorydenver.com or via phone at (720) 599-3227.

If their early release is communicated ahead of time, students will find an early release slip with their name on it on the bulletin board in the Chesterton Commons.

If a student needs to arrive late, he or she will be excused from the classes missed, assuming there has been parent permission.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the front office!

At all volleyball and basketball games, both home and away, there will be an admission fee. This is a standard practice through CHSAA and the 5280 League, and OLV now follows the same policy as a member of the league.

For home games, the admission fees help support OLV Athletics by helping cover the cost of game officials. OLV will accept cash only at the following rates:

• $5 for seniors and children

• $7 for adults

• $20 maximum per family

The good news is that these fees directly benefit OLV Athletics!

For away games, the family discount will not apply. We recommend bringing cash to away games, although admission policies and payment methods vary by school. Some schools may accept payment through an app or another digital method.

Reminder to drop off a check or cash to Ms. Nalen for XC ($175) and Volleyball ($310).

This is a reminder that tomorrow, Friday, August 28, will follow our new Friday bell schedule and will be an early dismissal day. Advisory will begin promptly at 7:30 AM, and students will proceed directly to their 1st period class at 7:50 AM.

Mass will take place at noon in the gym with Fr. Daniel Ciucci. Students will be dismissed at the conclusion of Mass, around 12:30 PM. Fr. Ciucci will also offer Confession for 15-20 minutes after the conclusion of Mass. As always, parents, siblings and members of the community are welcome to join us.

Please plan accordingly for pickup.

During this exciting and active first week of school, many of our students have made changes to their schedule. As a reminder to all parents and students, this academic year, Our Lady of Victory instituted an add/drop deadline. The last day to add or drop any Fall semester courses is Wednesday, September 30.‍ ‍

We are happy to make changes before then, but please keep this in mind as you or your student navigates these first few weeks of classes. Thank you!

The New Parent Mixer is an evening designed for new families to connect, make friends, and get a taste of the warm community that makes OLV so special. It is going to be a great party! There will be specialty drinks and great company. You will not want to miss!

Thursday, August 27
7:00–9:00 p.m.
Hadro Family Home
1598 W. Meadowbrook Rd., Littleton, CO

Please RSVP to Lizzie Hadro at hadroelizabeth@gmail.com

4:20 p.m. - Boys (D2)
4:30 p.m. - Girls (D2)

At D'Evelyn High School Course:
10359 W Nassau Ave

"Home" vs. LPRCS at South Suburban Sports Complex Friday, Aug 28
(JV starts at 5 pm and varsity around 6 pm)

"Away" vs. JPG at Lourdes Monday, Aug 31
(JV starts at 4:30 PM and varsity around 5:30 pm)

"Away" vs. BRAVE Eagles at Brave Church Englewood (off Hampden) Thurs, Sept 3
(VARSITY GAME ONLY - NO JV - Game starts at 5 pm)

Come join us for our Fall 2026 installment of the Common Sense Speaker Series!

Dr. O. Carter Snead is a Professor of Law and Bioethics at the University of Notre Dame, and he is a leading voice on issues such as human dignity, medical ethics, and public policy. He is an expert in applying legal, philosophical, and Catholic perspectives to contemporary bioethical questions.

What It Means to be Human: Bioethics, Assisted Reproduction, and Human Flourishing
Date: Monday, September 14, 2026
Time: 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Location: St. Thomas More Catholic Parish, McCallin Hall (8035 S Quebec St, Centennial, CO 80112)

The event is free and open to all. Drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

Interested in learning more about Christendom College? Join Christendom College’s Director of Admissions, Sam Phillips, for an evening at the Gideons’ in Littleton. He will share how Christendom prepares students to thrive in college and beyond, with an integrated Catholic education, strong academics, and opportunities in athletics, the arts, study abroad, and more.

Tuesday, September 15 | 7:00–8:30 p.m.
The Gideon Residence | Littleton, Colorado

RSVP to Elisabeth Gideon at gideonfamily@gmail.com for the address.

As we settle into our new campus, we realize how grateful we are for our new beautiful home. It is making us truly excited to welcome prospective families for our Open House!

Please share this event’s details with any families you know might be interested! These are children who will be classmates with yours!

Date: Saturday, September 19
Time: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: 7018 S. Prince St., Littleton, CO

The flyer can be found in the photos above, and the RSVP link is here.

Did you know that the Chesterton Schools Network is but one (albeit the primary) initiative of the Catholic lay apostolate known as the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton, headquartered in Minneapolis? The Society’s mission is to evangelize through education, inspiring all to lead holier, happier lives through the example of our patron GKC. Do you want to get to know him better? The Society is offering all students, parents, grandparents, and faculty/staff of Our Lady Of Victory a free 1-year digital subscription to its flagship publication, Gilbert! The articles, written by Dr. Dale Ahlquist and other Chestertonian scholars, are inspiring, pithy, and downright funny. Mrs. Reuter’s father, Fr. Doug Grandon, authored his conversion story in the latest issue. Don’t miss out; sign up today (from this form) today!

*Teachers, please feel free to use your personal email!

Join the St. Mary Catholic Parish community for the Marian Festival on Saturday, September 12, from 4:00–9:00 p.m. This year’s celebration is especially meaningful as St. Mary commemorates 125 years as a parish and 75 years of its school, along with the 250th anniversary of our country and 150th anniversary of Colorado.

The evening will begin with Mass at 4:00 p.m., followed by a procession and crowning of Mary. The festival will continue with dinner, live music and dancing, carnival games, and a special surprise show. The Marian Festival is a beautiful opportunity for families and friends to come together, honor our Blessed Mother, and begin the new year of parish and school life in joyful celebration.

Saturday, September 12 | 4:00–9:00 p.m.
St. Mary Catholic Parish | Littleton

You can learn more and register here!
https://www.stmarymarianfestival.com/