April 13, 2012 Newsletter.pdf - St. Pius X / St. Leo School

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St. Pius X / St. Leo School 

Newsletter April 13, 2012 

DONNA WALTER CHOSEN FOR NATIONAL 

DISTINGUISHED TEACHER AWARD 

Donna Walter, eighth-grade language arts teacher here 

at St. Pius X / St. Leo School, has earned the 2012 

Distinguished Teacher Award from the National Catholic 

Educational Association (NCEA). 

Mrs. Walter was honored at an awards ceremony during the association's 

annual convention April 11-13 in Boston, MA. 

"I want each student to realize that the lessons of the Gospels are relevant 

today and to apply them to the choices they make," Mrs. Walter said in 

describing her educational philosophy. "They should know that being your 

brother's keeper means the student beside you in class, an opponent on a 

team, the orphan in the slums of India, a parent or the restaurant waiter. 

All need to be treated with dignity and respect." 

Principal Joyce Gubbels cited Mrs. Walter's work over the years to 

increase her knowledge of hatred in the world and develop study units on 

the topic. "She works so hard to help students understand and respect 

each other's diversity," Gubbels said. "She makes students and staff 

aware of educational opportunities in our community to further their 

knowledge of the Holocaust and interfaith affairs." 

Mrs. Walter was one of 12 teachers who received NCEA's top award for 

teachers this year. 

"Our Distinguished Teacher Award winners have demonstrated 

exceptional ability, dedication and results as Catholic educators," said 

Christian Brother Robert Bimonte, executive director of the NCEA 

Department of Elementary Schools. "They also have earned the high 

regard of the peers, students and parents they work with every day. In 

In This Issue 

National Teacher Award 

Registration for 

2012-2013 

Volunteer Appreciation 

Dinner 

Honor Roll Students 

Social Skills 

School Grounds 

Clean-up Day 

Race for Education 

Golf Outing 

Staff Appreciation Day 

Dress Down Day 

Financial Aid Applications 

Bag N' Save Receipts 

1 of 7 4/13/12 8:54 AM


honoring these teachers, we acknowledge the outstanding teachers in all 

Catholic elementary schools." 

For source information, click here. 

IMPORTANT REMINDER 

Tuition information for the 2012-2013 school year was sent home in the 

March 22nd newsletter with the youngest or only child. The March 22nd 

newsletter is accessible on the school's website. Registration for the 

2012-2013 school year will be held on Thursday, May 

3rd from 3:30-7:00 p.m. in the school cafeteria. It is 

important that you are able to attend this registration time 

and remit full payment of the non-refundable Registration 

Fee for each of your children ($100 for each of your first 3 

children, $50 for 4 th child and no fee for 5 th or 6 th child). You may pay any 

additional amount over the minimum Registration Fee at this time also. 

THANK YOU TO VOLUNTEERS 

We are constantly so impressed with 

the number of parents, grandparents 

and parishioners who are willing to be 

involved in many different ways with 

our school. We thank you from the 

"bottom of our hearts" for all the 

service and help you provide to the 

teachers and students. 

There will be a volunteer appreciation Mass and brunch on 

Thursday, April 26th at 8:30 a.m. If you volunteer in our school, 

please plan to attend. 

We will be inducting Donna Ervin and Annie Shahan into our Volunteer 

Summer Solutions 

Health Hint 

STAFF APPRECIATION 

DAY 

Tuesday, April 17th, has 

been designated as Staff 

Appreciation Day at 

SPSL School. Please 

honor your child's 

teacher assistant(s), our 

library assistants, liturgy 

assistant, resource 

teacher assistant, 

maintenance personnel, 

cafeteria personnel, 

sacramental coordinator 

and secretary, math 

coordinator, technology 

specialist, speech & 

drama coordinator, 

C.A.R.E. coordinator, 

development 

coordinators, alumni 

coordinator, office 

personnel, and extended 

care staff with a note, 

poster, prayer, small gift, 

etc. on this day. They 

are an important part of 

our school day and share 

their time and talents 

with all of our school 

family.Positive affirmation 

is very meaningful to 

everyone and is held in 

high regard by the 

teachers and 

administration of this 

school and, hopefully, 

also by the parents. 



Hall of Fame this morning in gratitude for their many years of volunteer 

service. We look forward to seeing you. 

HONOR ROLL 

We are pleased to announce the names of the 7th and 8 th grade students 

who have made Honor Roll for the third quarter of this school year. In 

order to be placed on the honor roll, the family handbook states the 

criteria. It says: "If the average of all subjects is 94.5% or above and 

there are no N's or U's in general conduct, the student will be placed on 

the First Honor Roll for the quarter. If the average of all these subjects is 

89.5% to 94.4% and there are no N's or U's in general conduct, the 

student will be placed on the Second Honor Roll for the quarter. Students 

on either Honor Roll receive a special certificate of Academic 

Achievement in their report card each quarter they are on the Honor Roll." 

We are thrilled to say that 68% of our 8 th grade students made the Honor 

Roll for the third quarter. There were 28% of the 8 th grade students on the 

First Honor Roll and 40% on the Second Honor Roll. This is outstanding 

for the 8 th grade students! The students are: 

First Honors for 8th Grade: 

Natalie Ashbrook, James Brennan, Megan Brohman, Matthew Brooks, 

Kellyn Daly, Jeremy Davis, Delaney Freese, Madison Golden, Isabella 

Herrera, Kassandra Hodgen, Alex Homan, Hannah Johnson, Brandon 

Kreikemeier, Elizabeth Loschen, Grant McCoy, Maureen McKillip, Marena 

Modica, Riley Pelster, Greta Portis, Colin Potrzeba, John Richter, Caitlin 

Ricker, Aaron Salzman, Carly Schmitt, Isabel Tine, Mary Townley, Chloe 

Trecek, Jana Tucker and Allison Zuerlein. 

Second Honors for 8th Grade: 

Connor Albin, Scotty Ashby, Nathan Boomsma, Julia Boynton, Jack 

Braswell, Tara Cannon, Emily Cheloha, Nicolas Crinklaw, Leo Ehlers, 

Evan English, Julia Ervin, Ciera Farrens, Elizabeth Geske, Grace Goaley, 

Owen Godberson, Anna Goeman, Matthew Harrison, Payton Hurlburt, 

Lauren Jadlowski, Emily Kudlacek, Audrey Lipari, Clare Longo, Elliana 

Marshall, Emily McKenna, Kaitlyn McKenna, Nicholas Pavel, David 

Qualls, Tessa Quinlevan, Anna Reynolds, Ian Salzman, Nathan 

Schimonitz, Elizabeth Sheehan, John Timmerman, Jackson Tripp, Elisabet 

Tucker, Connor Tucker, Colleen Vogel, Margaret White, Thomas White, 

Emily Witzenburg and Alexandra Zacharias. 

Looking at 7 th grade we had 74% make the Honor Roll for the third 

quarter. This included 45% being placed on the First Honor Roll and 29% 

receiving Second Honors. The students are: 

First Honors for 7th Grade: 

Chris Banker, Kaitlyn Baysa, Rosa Brown, Will Cambridge, Jake Cimino, 

Roger Cimino, Brett Comstock, Sydney Deras, Kevin Freestone, Maggie 

Gerards, Erin Goaley, Emma Herold, Jake Jarzynka, Lucy Kain, Ben Kastl, 

RACE FOR 

EDUCATION BEACH 

PARTY / DRESS DOWN 

DAY 

Congratulations to the 

SPSL Students, grades 

Pre-K - 8th, for bringing 

in 6,247 mailing labels 

for the annual Race for 

Education. The school 

met the goal and 

exceeded last year's 

number of mailing 

labels. The students will 

have a designated dress 

down day Thursday, April 

19, 2012 with some fun 

beach day activities. The 

students may also wear 

beach clothing such as 

Hawaiian shirts or shorts 

if they choose. No 

swimsuit attire, 

sleeveless and/or halter 

style tops, or grass skirts 

may be worn. The 

regular rules for shoes 

also apply this day; no 

sandals or flip flops may 

be worn for safety 

purposes. See below for 

the dress down rules: 

"Dress down" means 

casual attire including 

t-shirts, shorts, jeans, 

sweatpants, sweatshirts 

and blouses. We ask 

that the t-shirts are in 

good taste without 

offensive 

language/graphics. They 

may not display musical 

groups, advertise 

drugs/alcohol or display 

guns, weapons or 

violence. Sleeveless 



Abby Lang, Elise Langenfeld, Hannah Lofshult, Sarah McMeen, Lauren 

Novacek, Will Novacek, Joey Novotny, Jillian Potrzeba, Alex Preston, 

Adam Rieschl, Lina Satpathy, Kylee Schultz, Emma Shoemaker, Sydney 

Stolze, Beau Stuckey, Nick Swan, Will Tjaden, Rachel Walet, Erin Walter 

and Madison Yosten. 

Second Honors for 7th Grade: 

Taryn Andreasen, Josh Baker, Madison Blaine, Kevin Brown, Michael 

Brown, Sam Buechler, Jack Burns, Luke Findley, Julia Hautzinger, 

Heather Helms, John King, Bella Kirk, Audrey Lane, Casey Maciejewski, 

Maddie Merrill, Jennifer Novotny, Jude Peal, Greg Petersen, Krissy 

Schulte, Max Strehle, Drew Wilderman and Cole Worthy. 

From the list of honor roll students you can see we have many students 

who are studying very hard and keeping their behavior in check! Our 

thanks to these students for their hard work and to their parents for the 

wonderful support they provide to their children. It takes the students, 

their parents and the teachers working together to succeed with such 

outstanding academic achievement. Congratulations to all! 

SOCIAL SKILLS 

Rob and Beth's Spring Field Trip 

"Hooray!" cried Rob and Beth. They were very excited. They had just 

learned that they were going on a field trip to the Strategic Air and Space 

Museum. Rob and Beth knew they would have an opportunity to 

participate in several exciting activities. When they arrived at the museum, 

Rob and Beth met to decide what activities they would like to try. They 

knew that Participating in Activities would require them to 

appropriately request to be part of an activity, cooperate with others 

in the group by taking turns, use a pleasant voice and accept 

winning or losing appropriately. Rob and Beth both knew that these 

social skills were important, especially the winning or losing part. They had 

both seen friends lose their temper when losing a game and "talk trash" to 

other kids when they had won something. Rob and Beth knew those 

behaviors showed poor sportsmanship and, that their actions reflected 

upon their family and their school, they wanted to behave appropriately. 

Rob and Beth enjoyed their activity very much and took great care to use 

their social skills training. When the activity was finished, Rex, the activity 

director, stopped them and praised them for their outstanding social skills. 

He looked at them and sincerely thanked them for being such good role 

models for the group. He told them their behavior had made the entire 

activity more enjoyable for everyone involved. He then asked them if they 

would like to help him in the future and possibly go to work for the 

museum when they were older. Rob and Beth were very excited! Later, 

Rob said to Beth, "Did you notice how Rex used his social skills? When he 

was showing appreciation he looked at the person and used a 

pleasant, sincere voice tone. Next he said thank you for ..., he 

specifically described what we did that he appreciated and gave a 

shirts and bare midriffs 

are not allowed. Jeans 

and sweatpants must be 

without holes and tears. 

If leggings are worn, they 

must be accompanied 

with an extra long 

sweater, blouse or skirt. 

Flannel pants and/or 

pajama pants may NOT 

be worn. Shorts are "in 

season" so may be 

worn. We recommend 

that students not wear 

any clothing that is too 

tight or too short. As 

with any school day, the 

sock, shoe and jewelry 

code are in effect, except 

that the students are 

allowed to wear any 

color of socks and any 

shoes that have the 

heels and toes closed. 

Please check the Family 

Handbook if you have 

questions regarding 

these policies. 

FINANCIAL AID 

APPLICATION 

DEADLINE 

REMINDERS 

If you have a FAIR 

financial aid application, 

the deadline is April 

16th. If you have a 

Children's 

Scholarship Fund 

application, the deadline 

is April 27th. If you are 

in need of a financial aid 

application you can 

contact the school office, 

(402) 551-6667 to 



reason it was so beneficial. He then offered future help or favors." 

Rob laughed and said, "Beth did you know that Rex used to go to our 

school?" Rob and Beth then laughed together, realizing that Panther 

Social Skills can be used for the rest of their lives and could help them get 

a great job. They were very excited! Hooray! 

April Social Skills 

Participating in Activities 

1. Appropriately request to be a part of an activity. 

2. Cooperate with others in group; take turns. 

3. Use a pleasant voice. 

4. Remember to accept losing or winning appropriately. 

Showing Appreciation. 

1. Look at the person. 

2. Use a pleasant, sincere voice tone. 

3. Say "Thank you for..." and specifically describe 

what the person did that you appreciate. 

4. Possibly give a reason it was so beneficial. 

5. Offer future help or favors on your part. 

EVENTS 

April 14 Gr 2 First Eucharist practice 

April 14 State competition for Destination Imagination - Kearney 

April 15 Gr 2 First Eucharist 

April 16 Kindergarten Round-Up 8:45-10:15 a.m. or 1:30-3:00 p.m. 

April 16 No school for current Kindergarten students 

April 17 Staff Appreciation Day 

April 18 Gr 2 & 8 Partner Mass 

April 18 Gr 7 & 8 Variety Show - gym at 2:15 p.m. 

April 18 Fazoli Night - 78th & Cass - 5:00-8:00 p.m. 

April 19 Gr 4 Mass 

April 19 Dress Down Day for meeting Race for Education labels goal 

April 19 Gr 7 & 8 Variety Show - gym at 2:15 p.m. 

April 19 Woodmen Speech District Competition - gym - 4:15 p.m. 

April 20 NOON DISMISSAL - no lunch served, no Pre-K classes 

Teachers meet in Professional Learning Communities 

April 21 School Grounds Clean-up, 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 

April 25 Gr 4 Reconciliation - 1:30 p.m. 

April 26 Gr K & 5 Partner Mass / Volunteer Appreciation Mass & Brunch 

April 26 SPSL Day at Sam & Louie's-76th & Cass and 120th & Blondo 

April 27 Newsletter emailed to parents and also posted at www.spsl.net 

April 27 Race for Education 

April 27 Dress Down Day 

April 28 Archdiocesan Math Contest held at St. Vincent de Paul 

April 29 Pastor Appreciation Day 

May 1 Mass Gr 1, 2 & 3 at 8:30 a.m. 

May 1 Culver's Night - 120th & Miami - 5:00-9:00 p.m. 

May 2 Mass Gr 7 & 8 at 8:30 a.m. 


May 3 Final Registration for 2012-13 School Year 

- cafeteria - 3:30-7:00 p.m. 

request one. 

BAG N' SAVE 

RECEIPTS 

Please save your cash 

register 

receipts 

from Bag 

'N Save 

and turn them in to the 

school office. Bag 'N 

Save will donate $1 for 

every $150 in receipts. If 

everyone would bring in 

their receipts they could 

add up to lots of money 

for SPSL School! Bag 'N 

Save will donate up to 

$2,000 to each school. 

Receipts need to be 

dated anytime from 

February 1, 2012 thru 

April 15, 2012. Thanks 

for helping with this easy 

fundraiser! 

Summer Book 

Ordering 

Summer Solutions books 

are available again this 

year for purchase. 

Summer Solutions 

provides the necessary 

review and practice that 

allows students to retain 

important math and 

language arts skills over 

the summer break. 

Order by April 29th and 

the books will be shipped 



May 4 NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - Staff Development Day 

for teachers 

May 7 Music in Catholic Schools Band Concert - St. Margaret Mary's 

Raynor Center - 7:00 p.m. 


May 9 Mass Gr 7 & 8 at 8:30 a.m. 


May 11 Last newsletter of the school year emailed to parents and 

also posted at www.spsl.net 

May 14 Gr 8 Graduation practice - St. Leo Church - 8:50 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

May 15 PreSchool students & families picnic & fun - 11:00 a.m. 

-1:00 p.m. then dismissed for the year 

May 16 Gr 8 Graduation Mass - St. Leo Church - 9:00 a.m. 

May 16 Pre-K Program - gym- 2:30 p.m. then dismissed for the year 

May 16 Fazoli Night - 78th & Cass - 5:00-8:00 p.m. 

May 17 Ascension of the Lord Masses: Gr Pre-K, K-3 at 8:30 a.m. 

and Gr 4-7 at 10:00 a.m. 

May 17 Gr 8 Graduation Ceremony - St. Leo Church - 7:00 p.m. 

May 18 Gr K Program - 8:30 a.m. then dismissed for the year 

May 19 Golf Outing - Tara Hills Golf Course - 1:00 p.m. 

May 21 NOON DISMISSAL 

May 22 Gr 1-7 Closing Mass at 8:45 a.m. 

May 22 Last day of school - 11:00 a.m. Dismissal 

YOU ARE INVITED TO A PARTY - A WORK PARTY! 

Everyone is invited to help clean up the school grounds on Saturday, 

April 21st from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. If possible, 

please bring a rake and gloves. Lunch and beverages 

will be provided. Please come and lend a hand. This 

effort saves a considerable amount of money. In case 

of bad weather, the work party will be April 28th. If you 

have questions, call the school office, 551-6667. 

RACE FOR EDUCATION 

Below you will find the schedule for the annual Race for Education. A note 

will go home as the day gets closer asking for volunteers to help 

throughout the day. 

9:00 - 9:50 1st Grade & 8th Grade 

10:00 - 10:50 2nd Grade & 5th Grade 

Morning Pre-Kindergarten will join the group at 10:30. 

12:00 - 12:50 4th Grade 

Afternoon Pre-Kindergarten will join the group at 12:30. 

1:00 - 1:50 Kindergarten & 7th Grade 

for free directly to SPSL. 

Parents will receive their 

order sometime in early 

May. For ordering 

information, please click 

here. 

HEALTH HINT #12: 

Cutting Back on Your 

Child's Sweet Treats 

* Serve small portions - 

share a candy bar or split 

a large cupcake. 

* Sip smarter - offer 

water, 100% juice or 

fat-free milk to thirsty 

kids. 

* Use the check-out lane 

that does not display 

candy. 

* Choose not to offer 

sweets as rewards. 

* Make fruit the 

everyday dessert. 

* Make treats "treats," 

not everyday foods. 

(For more information: 

source link ) 

SPSL ON-LINE 

For more information 

about SPSL school, 

please visit our website. 

Click here! 



2:15 - 3:05 3rd Grade & 6th Grade 

2012 SPSL GOLF OUTING 

REGISTER TODAY FOR THE 8th 

ANNUAL ST. PIUS X / 

ST. LEO SCHOOL 

GOLF TOURNAMENT 

SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2012 

1:00 p.m. Shotgun Start 

TARA HILLS GOLF COURSE 

For more information e-mail: 

jackie.schaffner@spsl.net 

The registration information is also on the 

school website: www.spsl.net 

Forward email 

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St. Pius X / St. Leo School | 6905 Blondo | Omaha | NE | 68104

April 13, 2012 Newsletter.pdf - St. Pius X / St. Leo School

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