St. Pius X / St. Leo School Newsletter
May 10, 2019
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WE
SAY THANK YOU TO VERY SPECIAL SPSL COMMUNITY MEMBERS!
It is hard at this time of the school year as we say goodbye to members of our SPSL community. We are so grateful that they have shared their time, talents and treasures with our SPSL community and they will be greatly missed.
Mrs. Sarah Stratman - Grade 7 Teacher
Mrs. Gabrielle Dalton - Grade 5 Teacher
Miss Mary McGuire - Grade 5 Teacher
Miss Becky Wessling - Grade 4 Teacher
Mrs. Jenny Howard - Resource Teacher
Mrs. Carol Drvol - Music Teacher
Mr. Larry Stephens - Art Teacher
Mrs. Cindy Grasmick - Library Assistant/Extended Care Co-Director
Anastasia Borne - Extended Care
Mrs. Mary Greiner - Business/Personnel Coordinator
Mrs. Julie Gallegos - Development Assistant
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(Second and eighth grade students participating in our first annual Mission Day - "Mission Possible".)
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(Students enjoying the Race for Education.)
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DIAPER DRIVE
The 7th graders are hosting a diaper/baby item drive through May 16th to support Mater Filius, Nebraska. Mater Filius is a Catholic apostolate created to help women facing unexpected pregnancies who find themselves without support. Mater Filius provides housing, counseling, medical care, emotional, and spiritual support free of charge to the women they serve. They are in most need of diapers at this time, but would also welcome donations of new clothing, blankets, or other baby supplies. Donations are being collected at school and can be placed in the marked boxes outside of your child’s homeroom. Thank you for your support. To learn more about Mater Filius please visit their
website.
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St. Pius X / St. Leo School is a diverse community forming students in the Catholic faith to excel in academics and service to others.
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2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR
Please reference the school website for information pertaining to the new school year (e.g. calendar, supply list, used uniform sale) . The information can be found
here
.
If your child(ren) will not be returning to SPSL for the 2019-2020 school year, please let us know by calling the school office at 402-551-6667 or by emailing Kathy Graney at kathy.graney@spsl.net.
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DISTRICT SPEECH COMPETITION
Six students from our school participated in the District Level of the Eastern Nebraska Speech Contest. The contestants were: Audrey Ehlers, Carly James, Gabe O'Doherty, Sophie Owens, Lilly Risch Bakhit and Kenadie Rudloff.
We are proud of all our students who competed. We had two students who qualified for the state tournament. Congratulations to Audrey Ehlers who placed third and to Sophie Owens who placed first. Our school also was the first place winner for the school team competition.
The state level of the Modern Woodmen/Eastern Nebraska School Speech Contest was held on May 7 in Hebron, Nebraska. Sophie Owens placed second overall. Way to go Sophie!
Many thanks to the teachers and parents for helping the students prepare for the contests.
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SPEECH CONTEST RESULTS
ST
The SPSL 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Speech Club had a successful season. Congratulations to all the Speech Club members for their hard work and victories! The results of the speech competitions can be found
here
. Thank you to alums who helped the Club and to all the parent and family volunteers who helped make the season so successful. A special thank you Mrs. Jen Martinez for her awesome leadership of the Speech Club!
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All current SPSL parents and friends are invited to an over 21 event at SPSL on
Saturday, June 1, 2019 (6:30-10:30 pm)
to kick off summer! This event will be held outside near the soccer fields and will feature live music by Alum Jack McLaughlin followed by music
dee-jayed by Alum Austin Sage. Prairie Fire Pizza and beverages will be available for sale. This is a great way to celebrate the end of the school year and usher in summer with your friends in the SPSL community. Registration information can be found
here
.
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GOLF TOURNEY
Have you registered for the 15th annual St. Pius X / St. Leo School golf tournament? The $90 entry fee includes an 18 hole golf scramble, cart, prizes, dinner & FUN! The golf tournament is Saturday, May 18 at the Knolls Golf Course, beginning at 1:00 pm.
Click
here
for the registration form. Please call Bernadette Martens-Chapman at 402-551-6667 with any questions. The deadline for registering is Monday, May 14.
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USED UNIFORM SALE
It's time to pack up the jumpers, skirts, skorts, pants, sweatshirts and even soccer shirts that your children have outgrown and prepare them for the SPSL Used Uniform Sale. Donations should be dropped off at Elizabeth Biggs' house at 6701 N 118 Ave by July 15. Call Elizabeth at 402-253-4935 with any other questions. The used uniform sale will be held on Saturday, July 20 from 8:00 - 9:00 am at St. Leo Church.
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Duke University in Durham, NC sponsors a Talent Identification Program (T.I.P.) for seventh grade students. In order for a student to qualify, they must score at or above the 95th percentile on the standardized Terra Nova Tests in the math, science, language, reading, social studies or total composite area. This past school year, 28 of our 88 seventh grade students (32%) met these criteria.
Twelve of these students chose to take the ACT or SAT assessment that is primarily designed for above-average high school students in the eleventh and twelfth grades. Out of these 12 students, four of our students are invited to a State Recognition Ceremony at the
University of Nebraska at Lincoln later this month for their outstanding work on these assessments. The four students are: Schuyler Achola, Martha Engel, Giuliana Weber and Scarlett Wharton. Martha Engel and Giuliana Weber also qualified for the Grand Recognition Ceremony at Duke University. Congratulations students!
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STUDENT COUNCIL
The members of the 2018-2019 SPSL Student Council are the following students: 5th graders - Elliot Nelson, Thomas Walsh and Maeve Wharton; 6th graders - Nathan Bluvas, Seamus Haney and Grace Peklo; 7th graders - Paul Hansen, Carly James, Leo Ramsey and Vaughn Stubby; and 8th graders - Anna Mertz, Katie Peklo and Andrew Yochum. Some of the activities the Student Council led include: the Pulsera Project, food drive collection, EPS baby bottle drive, two pep rallies and spirit week. These students along with their coordinator, Miss Mary McGuire, were great leaders for our school. Thanks for leading us and showing us fun ways to help others.
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LAW DAY ESSAY WINNER
The Omaha Legal Professionals Association have sponsored a Law Day ceremony for decades. As part of Law Day, the Association invites eighth graders from the Omaha area to submit an essay in response to a topical Constitutional issue posed by the Association. The Association awards cash prizes for the top three essays each year, and the winners, along with their parents are invited to the Law Day luncheon, which also honors local members of the legal community. SPSL School has participated in the past four Law Day essay competitions, and seven of our students have earned a top three award out of the twelve given. This year, Peter Sullivan earned third place for his essay on the importance of the First Amendment and received a $100 prize.
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LET'S GIVE TOGETHER
SPSL is participating in Omaha Gives!, a 24- hour fundraising event organized by the Omaha Community Foundation. The event will be held on Wednesday, May 22 from midnight to midnight. This year, to help us earn an hourly prize, we are asking our parents to make their donation in the 5:00 am hour (from 5:00 am to 5:59 am). Or, because May 22 is the second to last day of school, we encourage you to pre-register your donation today. To do so, visit www.omahagives.org. Click the Sign Up button in the upper right corner, enter your contact information, and then pick St. Pius X / St. Leo School. The minimum gift amount is $10 and the money raised will go toward tuition assistance. For more info on Omaha Gives!, visit their website at
www.omahagives.org. Remember to spread the word to your family and friends and post about your Omaha Gives! donation on social media with the #OmahaGives hashtag.
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OPEN HOUSE FOR THE 2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR
Open House for Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade will be held on Tuesday, August 13, 2019. The Open House will be from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. The classroom lists will be posted near the classroom areas that evening for students to find out who their teacher will be for the 2019-2020 school year. Families are invited to tour the school, visit the classrooms, visit with teachers and purchase Subway sandwiches in the school cafeteria. Sandwiches will be available from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. A percentage of the profits from the sandwich sales are given back to the school. Students may bring their school supplies to their homeroom either this night or the first day of school.
The first day of school for Grades K to 8 will be Thursday, August 15. School will begin at 8:15 am and will dismiss at noon (no lunch served) on August 15 and 16.
Students will attend school full days, 8:15 am until 3:25 pm, beginning on Monday, August 19.
Three day and five day Pre-Kindergarten classes begin on Monday, August 19. Two day Pre-Kindergarten classes begin on Tuesday, August 20.
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NOTE TO PARENTS OF 5TH/6TH GRADE STUDENTS
Our 5th and 6th grade musical next November 14 will be "Hairspray JR.". Information about auditions will be emailed to parents of current 4th and 5th grade students before the end of this school year.
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There will be a dodgeball tournament held during the St. Pius X Parish Festival on Sunday, June 2. Please see the attached flier
here
for more information.
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NOTES FROM THE NURSE
Our school nurse, Karen Bakewell, would like to say Thank You to all the volunteers that helped with the various screenings throughout the school year. The volunteers' help ensured that the screenings ran smoothly.
Just a reminder for students who will be in Kindergarten or 7th grade this fall - health physicals and updated immunization records are due to the school office before school begins in August.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Join us in celebrating St. Pius X / St. Leo School at our annual fall fundraiser. It will be held on Saturday, October 26 at Creighton Prep. More information to come.
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CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOLS' SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
The following students were presented with scholarships on February 12. Representatives from each of the high schools listed below presented the following students with academic scholarships:
Creighton Prep - Trevor Gregg, Caleb Hans, Anderson Lopez, Patrick McMahon and Peter Sullivan; Duchesne Academy - Katie Coppard, Eleanor Horn and Abi Mihulka; Marian High School - Audrey Ehlers, Kate Hoppe, Maggie Morris and Sophia Tripp;
Mount Michael High School - Will Brewster and Aiden Brink; and Roncalli Catholic High School - Daniel Kampe, Molly McGill and Caitlyn Pierce. Congratulations to all of these students and their parents who support them in their academic endeavors!
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IMELDA NOLAN SCHOLARSHIP
This year's recipient of the Catholic Daughters - Court Mary Immaculate #2182's Imelda Nolan Scholarship is Natalie Piskorski! Only one of these scholarships is awarded each year to an Omaha 8th grade girl who currently attends a Catholic grade school and who will be entering 9th grade in the fall in a Catholic High School. Congratulations, Natalie, on being honored with this scholarship!
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ROTARY AWARD WINNERS
Four of our 8th grade students were selected as Rotary Club Honor Roll students. This award is given to students in the 8th grade for their outstanding achievements in leadership, presence, scholarship and character. This year's worthy recipients of the Downtown Rotary Honor Roll Award will be: Manuelli Bakou, Aiden Brink, Lacee Houghtaling and Maggie Morris. These students will be honored at a luncheon on May 16 at the CHI Health Center. Congratulations to these students!
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EXPLORE FLOOR
SPSL is excited to announce that we will be transforming the library and computer lab in to an interdisciplinary area called the Explore Floor. The Explore Floor will allow teachers to expand their current curriculum and help our students learn how to be problem solvers. Look for more information in the upcoming months.
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SPSL SOCCER CLUB
FALL 2019 REGISTRATION
Registration information is not yet available for Fall 2019. Please check the SPSL Soccer Club website often for information regarding sign up (
www.spslsoccer.com). The fall season games normally start after school commences in the fall and wrap up by the third week of October.
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THANK YOU
Thank you to all who provided delicious treats for faculty and staff birthdays this year. Your generosity is appreciated. The birthday treats were a HUGE success! Thank you to Connie Schartz for coordinating the weekly treats.
Also, thank you to the Straight from the Heart group for all of the support given to provide wonderful treats to teachers and staff throughout the school year. Special thanks to all of the families whose donations made these special days possible. Many thanks to Jen Naughton and Jenny ten Bensel for all their time spent in coordinating all of the Straight from the Heart fun days!
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PARISH HAPPENINGS
St. Leo Parish will be hosting Vacation Bible School June 3-6 from 9:00 am - noon. All children from age four through 5th grade (in fall of 2019) are invited to attend. If you would like to register your child(ren), please complete the registration form (included
here
).
Both St. Pius X and St. Leo Parish are in need of volunteers for their parish festivals. St. Pius X will hold their festival on Sunday, June 2. To sign up to help with their event, please click
here
. St. Leo will hold their festival on Sunday, September 8. More information on the St. Leo Festival will be shared on the church's
website
this summer.
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MCS NEWS
Congratulations to Caleb Hans (trombone), Heidi Hans (flute), Patrick McMahon (alto saxophone), Sam Newell (baritone), Alex ten Bensel (tuba) and Tanner ten Bensel (french horn), for being members of the MCS Honor Band this school year. All of the SPSL band students performed in a concert on May 6 at St. Margaret Mary. Many thanks to Mrs. Joan Lovgren for her time and dedication to the band students here at SPSL.
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Want to learn how the every day things you do – eating, reading, traveling, surfing the web, shopping, can earn money for St. Pius X / St. Leo School? Click here for a list of all our
on-going fundraising efforts
.
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p:402.551.6667
f:402.551.8123
6905 Blondo St, Omaha, NE 68104
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