St. Pius X / St. Leo School Newsletter February 21, 2020
HEARTFELT THANKS

Ba Htoo, Ma Chaw, and their four daughters want to give a big THANK YOU for the warm and generous welcome they received from the SPSL community.  They arrived on November 14, 2019 from a refugee camp in Thailand, and came home to an apartment stocked with coats, clothes, furnishings, utensils, books, food, cash donations, and countless other items provided by the faculty, staff, parents, and students of SPSL.

Since November the family has been busy.  Ba Htoo is working the evening shift at a meat-packing plant to support his family. Ma Chaw takes adult English classes each day. The older three girls attend ELL classes at Benson West Elementary School, with plans to transfer to SPSL next year after getting a foundation in English. Thank you again for your kind support!
BOOK FAIR

Please plan on attending Family Night at the Book Fair next Thursday evening, February 27. The Pancake Man will be in the cafeteria from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. The Book Fair will be open until 7:30 pm in the library. Please enter the school through the east doors by the cafeteria. More information on the book fair can be found here .
TUITION ASSISTANCE

Tuition assistance information for the 2020-21 school year will be sent home with families next week who received assistance this year. If you do not receive a packet and are in need of one, please contact the school office at 402-551-6667 to request a packet.
16TH ANNUAL RACE FOR EDUCATION
  
Mark your calendar! Our annual Race for Education will take place on Friday, May 1, 2020. This fundraiser is a highlight of the year for our students and it helps raise significant funds for educational needs at St. Pius X / St. Leo School. For our Race to be successful,  we need your help .  

Race packets were sent home with your children today. Race labels are due back to school by Friday, March 6.
SCHOOL CROSSWALK

Please continue to use the crosswalk appropriately when crossing 69th Street (e.g. wait to cross until it says walk). The safety of everyone coming to and from school is of the utmost importance. Faculty and staff model this behavior by using the crosswalk when taking students to/from the east parking lot. Thank you for your help.
LENTEN THEME:
Inviting God on our Journey

This theme reminds us of the call to encounter God and allow him to guide us, giving us strength to live out our journey of faith and invite others to join us on our way.  
TEACHER
APPRECIATION DAY

Wednesday, March 25 is Teacher Appreciation Day. We hope this is a special day for our teachers. You can remember your child/ren's teachers with a special note, letter, card, poster, or prayer. Straight from the Heart will treat the teachers to lunch on this day.
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INTERESTED IN SPSL?

Do you know parents of new families who are interested in sending their child/ren to our school for the 2020-21 school year? Please encourage them to call the school office at
402-551-6667 to arrange a tour.
SUMMER SOLUTIONS

Summer Solutions books are available again to purchase for your children. Orders received by May 1, 2020 will be delivered to school before summer break begins. For more information on ordering the books, click here .
St. Pius X / St. Leo School is a diverse community forming students in the Catholic faith to excel in academics and service to others.
SAVE THE DATE

Please mark your calendar to join us for a night of celebration at the 2020 Luminary Awards on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 .   The Luminary Awards honor the teachers and community members who boldly lead, advocate, and represent the spirit of St. Pius X / St. Leo School. Our 2020 honorees hold the light for us to follow. Invitations will be coming home next week with your children.

This year's honorees include:
  • The Reverend George Kempker 'Volunteer of the Year' Award - Jen Mangan
  • The NCEA and SPSL 'Distinguished Graduate' Award - Tim Sutherland (1964)
  • The Sister Brigetta (Burns) 'Teacher of the Year' Award - Sue Kurtenbach
  • The Sister Viola (Miksch) 'Servant of Mary' Award - Marikay Schwaller
  • SPSL School 'Hall of Fame' Inductees - Tom and Margaret Hoarty
HUMMEL DAY CAMP

Many of you may be wondering about Hummel Day Camp for your child/ren this summer. Attached here is information on how the process will work regarding registration for Hummel.
SPSL DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT

Date:  Saturday, March 28, 2020
Location:  SPSL Gym
Time:  Grades 4-6 @ 4pm; Grade 7-Adult @ 7pm

To be eligible to play, each player must complete all the following no later than Thursday, March 26, 2020:
  1. Click here to register on Sign up Genius (choose a team in the correct bracket: 4th-6th or 7th-adult) 
  2. Read the Dodgeball Rules found here. 
  3. Complete a fully executed waiver for a minor or adult and return to SPSL office or michaela.smith@spsl.net (must have a completed waiver for each team member); and 
  4. Submit $5/player registration fee to SPSL office (payable to SPSL School).

Parent volunteers are also needed to help during the tournament. Please sign up here if interested.
SPELLING BEE

 On Monday, January 27th, the 7th and 8th grade held their annual Spelling Bee. The following 7th and 8th graders participated – Maria Buechler, Olivia Camerer, Grace Caskey, Martha Engel, Josie Gorczyca, Seamus Haney, Sidney Kitto, Delaney O'Doherty, Gabe O'Doherty, Leo Ramsey, Lilly Risch Bakhit, Xavier Sobetski, Connor Smith, Alex ten Bensel, Giuliana Weber, and Scarlett Wharton. The winner was Gabe O’Doherty, and the runner-up was Lilly Risch Bakhit. Both Gabe and Lilly showed remarkable knowledge going back and forth for 22 rounds!

On Wednesday, January 29th, the 5th and 6th grade held their annual Spelling Bee. The following 5th and 6th graders participated – Emily Berthelsen, Ta Blae Blut, Helen Christen, Evvy Drexel, Cal Ehlers, Henry Heimann, Kailey Hennessey, John Kelly, Madeline Larson, Nick Latka, Honora Pulido-Volkmer, Anyah Samuels, Chris Tollo, and Maeve Wharton. The winner for the second straight year was Maeve Wharton with Cal Ehlers and Kailey Hennessey finishing in a tie for second.  

Maeve and Gabe represented SPSL at the Metro Catholic Spelling Bee held at St. Mary’s School in Bellevue on Saturday, February 8th. Students from across the metro’s Catholic schools qualified to participate at this competition. Maeve advanced to the second round and ended in a tie for 29th place. Gabe advanced to the sixth round and ended in a tie for 9th place.

Congrats to our winners Maeve and Gabe, and thank you to both for being great representatives of our school! 
MICRO SOCCER
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The Spring Micro-Soccer season is still accepting registrations. If your Kindergarten or Pre-K child would like to spend an hour on Sunday afternoons learning the game and playing with their classmates, this program is a great way to start. Parents can still register their children for the upcoming season by visiting www.spslsoccer.com  by the March 1 deadline.
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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6905 Blondo St, Omaha, NE 68104