Mary Our Queen School News
MAY 15, 2015
Dear Parents,
We ended our last full week with the 8th graders’ Candle Lighting Ceremony that followed their last All School Mass
today. What a wonderful group of students! This has been a tradition here for a number of years. The 8th graders received
a lighted candle from Father Bob or me and they take that with them as a symbol of the Holy Spirit who is guiding them
on their life journey. Our thanks to the children’s choir and to Mrs. Renee Spicka for singing, “Go Light Your World”.
Our day ended with the Talent Show and it was a great show! Thank you to Ms. Fenton, Miss Moore, Miss Wright, Mrs.
Fisher and Mrs. Weinrich for all of their work with our students. Thank you to all of our parents and family members who
were able to join us for the program.
Thank you to our parent volunteers who helped us with Field Day on Tuesday. It turned out to be a beautiful day for our
kids. Special thanks to Mrs. Temme and Mr. Gatewood and their committee members for planning and coordination of
the events.
Our students celebrated Ascension Mass this past Thursday. Students in grades 5-8 attended mass at 8:15 a.m., and
students in grades K-4 attended mass at 12:10 p.m.
Last week we celebrated Cinco de Mayo and Home and School provided a delicious luncheon for our school and parish
faculty and staff. We thank our Home and School for all of the wonderful luncheons, meals at conference time and for all
the Tuesday Treats for the faculty and staff this year. We appreciate you!
We ended our day on last Friday with our annual SongFest program. Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend
last Friday. Our students did a terrific job! Special thanks to Mrs. Laferla for her direction and to Mrs. Temme for her
help with the program.
Thank you to those of you who attended one of the three Town Hall meetings. We appreciate the positive feedback that
we received and also the suggestions that were given. The PowerPoint presentation is attached with this newsletter for
those who were unable to attend. Please know that an audio recording of the Town Hall meeting will be available soon.
We will email you that information as soon as we have it available.
Congratulations to Miss Kathryn Wright who wrote a grant to the Omaha Archdiocesan Educational Foundation for
supplemental materials for a vocations unit in religion. The grant will allow her to purchase books titled The Meaning of
Vocations in the Words of John Paul II.
As we continue planning for next year, we do need to announce that some of our teachers and teacher assistants will be
leaving us. We are so grateful for their time with us at Mary Our Queen, and we wish them all God’s blessings. We will
hold our official good-byes during our last All School Mass together. Teachers bidding us farewell include Mrs. Stacey
Weinrich and Miss Michaela Quinn. Teacher assistants leaving include Mrs. Jackie Kmiecik and Mrs. Laurie Sobetski.
We will let you know of new faculty as that information becomes available.
Lots of good news to share! Congratulations to 8th graders Christina D and Kate T for being selected to receive the Big
Red Stars Award. This award is given out by the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and recognizes students for their
ability and leadership. We are so proud of you both!
Congratulations to the winner of the T-shirt design contest for Mustang March, 5th grader, Alex Z. Her design, “Follow
Jesus’ Footsteps”, was chosen and will be used for the T-shirts for next fall’s Mustang March. Congratulations, Alex!
Mrs. Chromy’s 6th grade class was the winner of the cookbook contest for Home and School. The students were rewarded
with ice cream sundaes at lunch on Wednesday. Way to go!
The following students recently received Positive Principal Referrals: 5th graders, Lily N, Ben M, Ava W, and Ben O. We
are so proud of all of you!
Sycamore: Please know that Sycamore will be down for maintenance in the summer beginning June 1. We have placed
the school calendar and the school supply lists on the school website, www.moqschool.org.
School Office: The school office will be open through June 12, and then closed the month of July. Please know that we
will be checking phone messages, email, and mail.
Reminders of upcoming events:
8th Grade Last Day, Monday, May 18
8th Grade Luncheon and 8th Grade Evening Graduation Ceremony, May 19
7th Grade Honor Roll at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20
Last All School Mass at 9:30 a.m., and Kindergarten Celebration following Mass with dismissal at 11:00 a.m. on May 21
August 13 is the Back to School Open House Night from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
It seems unbelievable that this is the last newsletter for the year, and the last one that I will write. I want to thank all of our
parents, students, faculty/staff, parishioners and Father Bob for the opportunity that was given to me six years ago to come
here as your principal.
We have accomplished much in the last six years and that is due to the help of Men’s Club, Knights of Columbus,
Squires, Ladies Guild, Catholic Daughters, Athletic Committee, Soccer Committee, Boy/Cub/Girl Scouts, Home and
School, School Board, Parish Council, Finance Committee, Legion of Mary, Building and Maintenance, Human Needs,
Vocations, MARQUEE, Mustang March, parish and school faculty/staff, parishioners and parents. Our religious and
academic program is thriving and the school building is in great shape. We are well on our way to the next 50 years.
Thank you so much for your partnership. It has been an honor to be part of this welcoming community. As I leave you, I’d
like to share a favorite quote with you:
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children; to earn the
appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in
others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” (Ralph Waldo
Emerson)
I pray that I have helped make Mary Our Queen “a bit better”. May God bless you all with His grace and goodness. Have
a safe and happy summer!
Peace,
Mrs. Lisa Nelson
Calendar Reminders
*May 21 – All School Mass is at 9:30 AM
*May 21 – 11:00 AM Dismissal (Last Day of School)
Lost and Found: The Lost and Found is currently located in the Narthex by the school elevator. There are many school
uniform sweatshirts, shirts, pants, and shorts, as well as gloves, mittens, hats, jackets, and shoes. Any items not claimed
by May 21st, will be donated.
Track Results: The track team competed at the St. Wenceslaus meet on May 2nd, where the boys were runner up and the girls were the meet champions. The results are below: 6th place: Maggie T in the shot put, Lindsay K in the discus, Mary Kate O in the hurdles, CeCe W in the 400 meter dash,
Katie C in the 800 meter run, the 4 x 400 meter relay team of CeCe W, Molly G, Katie C and Amelia Z, Ben N in the
triple jump, and Josh G in the discus
5th place: Miranda K in the long jump, Maria R in the triple jump, Maggie T in the shot put, Molly G in the mile, the 4 x
200 meter relay team of Carina M, Lindsay K, Kerry M and Caitlyn V, the distance medley relay team of Katie C,
Delaney W, Isabelle O and Ameilia Z, Elizabeth K in the 400 meter dash, Quintin H in the discus, the 4 x 200 meter relay
team of Quintin H, Sam H, Jack W and Ben N, and the distance medley relay team of Adler S, Andrew P, Will H and
Nate R
4th place: Maria R in the long jump, Ashley M in the high jump, CeCe W in the mile, Carolyn G in the 200 meter dash,
James C in the triple jump, Will R in the 100 meter, Ben N in the 400, and Jimmy B in the 200
3rd place: Distance medley relay team of Breanna S, Carolyn G, Caitlyn V and Kate K, the 4 x 100 meter relay team of
Kate K, Caitlyn V, Lindsay K and Kerry M, James C in the high jump, Will R in the 400 meter dash, and Josh G in the
200 meter dash
2nd place: Grace W in shot put, discus, and high jump, 4 x 200 meter relay team of Kate T, Elizabeth K, Carolyn G and
Breanna S, Isabelle O in the hurdles, the 4 x 400 meter relay team of Grace W, Carolyn G, Elizabeth K and Kate T,
Quintin H in the shot put, Thomas C in the 100 meter dash, the 4 x 100 team of Jackson W, Jimmy B, Will R, and Thomas
C and the 4 x 400 meter relay team of Jackson W, Will H, Nate R and Ben N
1st place: Kerry M in the discus, Breanna S in the hurdles and Kate T in the 400 meter dash, Sam H in the shot put and the
discus, Thomas C in the long jump and the triple jump
The PAL Championship Track Meet was May 9th at Burke High School. The girls’ team took 4th place and the boys’
team took 3rd place. Seventeen teams competed in the league. The individual results are listed below:
8th place: Sam B in the high jump and the distance medley team of Colleen S, Cate H, Kelly W and Meghan W
7th place: James C in the triple jump and the distance medley team of Isabelle O, Breanna M, Caitlyn V and Kate K, the 4
x 400 team of Amelia Z, Carina M, Katie C and CeCe W
6th place: The 4 x 200 meter relay team of Kate T, Carolyn G, Caitlyn V and Breanna S, Grace W in the hurdles, Josh G
in the 200, Quintin H in the discus, and the distance medley team of Joe S, Will R, Ben N and Nate R
5th place: Maria R in the triple jump, Joe S in the long jump, and the 4 x 200 relay team of Jimmy B, Will R, Josh G and
Joe S
4th place: Quintin H in the shot put, Grace W in the shot put and discus
3rd place: Sam H in the shot put, Kate T in the 400, the 4 x 100 relay team of Breanna M, Caitlyn V, Maria R and
Breanna S, and the 4 x 400 meter relay team of Kate T, Kate K, Elizabeth K and Carolyn G
2nd place: Grace W in the high jump and Thomas C in both the 100 meter dash and the long jump
Champions: Breanna S in the hurdles, Sam H in the Shot put and Thomas C in the triple jump
Omaha Gives: Omaha Gives! is a 24-hour online giving event organized by the Omaha Community Foundation to grow
philanthropy in Douglas, Sarpy, and Pottawattamie counties. The goal is to inspire the community to come together for 24
hours to give as much as possible to support the work of public 501c3 nonprofits in the metro area. This community givetogether begins at midnight on May 20th with a minimum gift of only $10, and there is no maximum. Bonus dollars and
prizes amplify charitable donations to make each dollar go farther. Please visit https://www.omahagives24.org on May
20th and donate to Mary Our Queen Church and School. All donations will be processed through this website. Parish 2 Parish Race: Like to run? Like to be part of a team? The 2nd Annual Parish 2 Parish Relay Race will be on
August 22, 2015. The race starts and ends at Mary Our Queen with stops at St. Stephen the Martyr, St. Wenceslaus and St.
Robert’s along the way. Interested? Get your team of 6 together (consisting of 3 men and 3 women) and sign up! Cost is
$150/team. Space is limited. Go to www.facebook.com/parish2parish?fref=nf or contact Matt Rasgorshek at
[email protected] for more information.
Summer Camps: Roncalli Catholic High School is offering Fine Arts and Sports summer camps for students in grades
3-8. For more information or to register for the camps, visit www.jrpride.org/camps.
MOQ Home and School Headlines
The Home and School Association is still looking to fill the following chairs for the 2015-2016 school year:
Hospitality/Special Events.
We are also still looking for dedicated people to shadow our Vice President and Faculty Appreciation chairs during the
2015-2016 school year.
If you have any questions, please contact Christine Jonaitis at [email protected].
MOQ Home and School Association – Together we make a difference!
Upcoming Events:
May 19
8th Grade Graduation, 7:00 PM
May 20
Gr. 7 Honor Roll Assembly, 2:00 PM
May 21
All School Mass, 9:30 AM
May 21
Kindergarten Celebration, 10:30 AM
May 21
11:00 Dismissal; Last Day of School
Lunch Menu: The lunch menu will be emailed to families on a monthly basis. If you misplace your monthly lunch
calendar, you may download a new one from the Featured Documents section on the Sycamore homepage or the
Resources tab on the school website.