ST. PIUS X / ST. LEO SCHOOL 6905 BLONDO STREET OMAHA, NE 68104 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK JANUARY 25 – JANUARY 31, 2015 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK 2015 JANUARY 25 – JANUARY 31, 2015 "COMMUNITIES OF FAITH, KNOWLEDGE AND SERVICE.” ST. PIUS X / ST. LEO SCHOOL IS A DIVERSE COMMUNITY FORMING STUDENTS IN THE CATHOLIC FAITH TO EXCEL IN ACADEMICS AND SERVICE TO OTHERS. AT SPSL, WE ARE PROUD OF OUR STUDENTS, PARENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF AND THEIR OVERALL COMMITMENT TO MAKING OUR SCHOOL THE BEST IT CAN BE. WE ARE TRULY BLESSED. Following please find the activities for Catholic Schools Week. We hope to see you at your child/ren’s Mass. Special liturgies will occur on the following dates beginning at 8:30 a.m.: Students are to wear their regular uniforms and follow the uniform code for these Mass days: Tuesday, January 27 - Grades 6, 7 & 8 Wednesday, January 28 - Grades 3, 4 & 5 Thursday, January 29 – Pre-S, Pre-K, Kindergarten, Grades 1 & 2 We invite all parents to attend Mass with their children. We realize that re-arranging schedules to attend the liturgies can be extremely difficult or impossible for some parents. Attending with a grandparent, other relative, neighbor, friend or even another classmate's parents might make a fond memory for your children. We do not want students to be without someone at the Masses. Parents, please go to your child’s homeroom to pick up your child between 8:15 and 8:25 a.m. After 8:25, the teachers will take the students to the back of church to meet you. After the above Masses, we will be offering donuts, coffee and milk in the cafeteria. Also, the Book Fair will be available after these Masses in the Fr. O’Brien Parish Center – students must be accompanied by their parent (students will also be allowed to attend the Book Fair with their class at other times during Catholic Schools Week). Due to our space limitations we ask that families with last names beginning with letters A-L spend the first twenty minutes or so after Mass attending the Book Fair. Families with last names beginning with letters M-Z should go to the cafeteria for donuts first and after about 20 minutes then, if they are with a family member these students can move to the book fair. Once these students are finished in the book fair they will go back to their classrooms. DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD Dr. Julie Masters, a member of the 1975 graduating class of our school will be receiving the Distinguished Graduate Award on Wednesday, January 28, at the 8:30 a.m. Mass. We’ve also invited graduates of the classes of 1975, who graduated 40 years ago, to be with us for this liturgy and a breakfast following in Julie’s honor. Julie will also spend some time with our students on this day. BOOK FAIR – UNDER THE SEA! St. Pius X / St. Leo School will host a Scholastic Book Fair in the Fr. O’Brien Parish Center during Catholic Schools Week. The Book Fair will be open during Catholic Schools Week, Monday through Thursday, from 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Families may shop together on Sunday, January 25th from 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The Book Fair will be open after the special grade level Masses. Students who are accompanied by their own family member will have the opportunity to visit the Book Fair after Mass. SPECIAL ASSEMBLIES FEATURING THE OMAHA STREET PERCUSSION BAND AND MAD SCIENCE As part of our Catholic Schools Week celebration, we are thrilled to have back for another year, the Omaha Street Percussion Band, who will perform for our 6th grade students on Tuesday, January 27th. A unique Omaha musical ensemble, Omaha Street Percussion exists to bring the art of percussion to the public in a way that is tangible, obtainable, and exciting; demonstrated in such a way that promotes education, mentorship, and performance. They strive to accomplish this goal through their four teaching principles: Creative Expression, Mentorship, Teamwork and Cognitive Thinking Skills. Mad Science will entertain our Kindergarten through 4th grade students on Tuesday, January 27th. Mad Science transforms laboratory science into fun, interactive learning experiences for children in grades K-6. Their programs help to make science more fun and accessible. YOUTH FRONTIER RETREATS As part of our school’s continuing effort to “enable students to contribute positively to our society,” SPSL is excited to sponsor two retreats by the organization Youth Frontiers. Dedicated to “changing the way young people treat each other in every hallway, lunch line and classroom of every school in America,” Youth Frontiers will present the following retreats: “Courage” for 7th grade students on January 28th and “Kindness” for 5th grade students on January 29th. Special thanks to Kaji Loro, Cassie Petersen and Joseph McAuliffe for their invaluable assistance in applying for a grant from Youth Frontiers. Due to their writing talents and hard work we were awarded a $1,500 grant to defray the expenses of our Youth Frontier Retreats this year. Ali Sipkins, our YF liason, told me that the student essays authored by these 8th grade students "brought tears to her eyes" and the local YF representative, Susan Knox, said simply that they were "the best student essays that YF has ever read". The organization has asked permission to quote from their essays for future brochures and promotional materials. In short, they really knocked it out of the park. Thank you very much Kaji, Joseph and Cassie. EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS ATTEND SPECIAL MASS Our eighth grade students will attend a special Catholic Schools Week liturgy at St. Cecilia’s Cathedral on Thursday, January 29th. They will join other eighth graders from Catholic schools throughout Omaha. DRAMA CLUB PRESENTS Alice In Wonderland The SPSL Drama Club (made up of 7th and 8th graders) will perform Alice in Wonderland for our Kindergarten – 8th grade SPSL students the morning of Friday, January 30th. There will be evening performances at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 30th and Saturday, January 31st in the gym. The Drama Club has spent many hours rehearsing the play and designing sets, costumes, and props. It is sure to be entertaining and educational, showcasing lots of talent and creativity! JANUARY 30th: “DRESS DOWN DAY” – “PARTNERS SHARE FUN TOGETHER DAY” - “NOON DISMISSAL DAY” • All students may wear dress down clothes on this day. • Students will spend some fun time on this day with their partners in another grade or activities in their own grade. • Dismissal will be at NOON. Lunch will NOT be served. No Pre-K classes on this day. Parents, if you have neighbors/friends who might be considering sending their child/children to our school next year, please encourage them to call our school office at (402) 551-6667. Sometimes all that is needed is a little encouragement from someone to make the move to a Catholic school. Please help us in this recruitment effort. Thank You!