St. Pius X / St. Leo School Newsletter November 4, 2022
FUNDRAISER SUCCESS!

Many thanks to all of the parents, grandparents, alumni, and friends of SPSL who gave their time and talents to make the Planting Seeds of Success fundraiser a success. We were excited to have record attendance and a sold out event bolstered by many sponsors and supporters. 
Our fundraiser would not have been possible without the support of our committee chairs, volunteers, and parents. Special thanks to Mike and Becky App, Kevin and Heidi Berthelsen, and Andrew and Colette Martin for their energy, enthusiasm, and commitment as the Fundraiser Chairs this year.

The winner of the Tuition Drawing is the Green family.

The winners of the Panther Raffle baskets are:

  • Smart and Savvy Basket - Dominic Giambrone (8th Grade)
  • Cash, Please ($500 Basket) - Francis Moo (3rd grade)
  • Get in the Game - Ted Herek (6th grade)
  • Bring on the Band - Ava Feyerherm (2nd grade)
  • Candy, Cream and Creations - Kaliyah Mota (4th Grade)

The winners of the Whiskey Barrel prizes are:

  • 4th place: Ryan Lampe
  • 3rd place: Andrea Beister
  • 2nd place: John Gloden
  • 1st place: Andrew Cunningham

More information on the financial results from the fundraiser will be published in a future newsletter.

Would you like to get involved in the next school fundraiser? It's a great way to get to know other parents while also making a big impact for SPSL. There are a variety of opportunities available for the Fall 2023 event. Please contact Michaela Smith in the Development Office to learn more: michaela.smith@spsl.net or 402-551-6667.
LIBRARY
MILLION WORD CLUB
Mrs. Tonya Maca is leading an exciting program to encourage all 4th-6th grade and some 7th and 8th grade students to read their way to a million words.

The students read books, write them down on their reading logs and then take an accelerated reading test on the book. If they pass the test, the program logs how many words are in the book and it is added to their total words for the school year. For each 100,000 words the students read, they get a leaf that is put on the tree and they also win a prize. If they read a million words they get invited to a donut party that will happen next May. They are also encouraged to continue to read to see how many millions of word they can read this school year. The students are only logging books that they have started this school year.

Check out the beautiful tree in the hallway near the library. We have wonderful readers at SPSL School!
St. Pius X / St. Leo School is a diverse community forming students in the Catholic faith to excel in academics and service to others.
5TH AND 6TH GRADE MUSICAL

The 5th and 6th graders have been rehearsing diligently for their upcoming musical Frozen Jr. to be performed November 10 at 7:00 pm in the school gym.

Grandparents and Grandfriends of 5th and 6th grade students are invited to a special performance of the show on November 10 at 2:00 pm.
WELCOME
KIM CASSISA

We are pleased to welcome Kim Cassisa to the SPSL staff as the new Marketing and Recruitment Director! Kim can be reached at kim.cassisa@spsl.net.
SCHOOL DIRECTORY

An online student directory is being created for the SPSL community. Please refer to the blue form coming home with all students today to edit/update your contact information in Blackbaud by Wednesday, November 9.

Unless you opt out of publishing your name and contact information in the Blackbaud privacy settings by November 9, 2022, your name and contact information will be included in the SPSL School Directory.
MUSIC IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Congratulations to Geoff ten Bensel for being awarded the honor of 2nd chair trombone in the Nebraska 8th Grade Allstate Band!
PANCAKE BREAKFASTS

Both St. Leo and St. Pius X churches will host pancake breakfasts Sunday, November 13. The breakfast at St. Leo is from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm to benefit Operation Others. St. Pius X breakfast is sponsored by Knights of Columbus and Men's Club and runs from 8:00 am - 11:00 am. All are welcome!
WORLD KINDNESS WEEK

Next week is World Kindness Week and the SPSL Student Council has daily challenges planned to spread kindness among our community! On Monday, we will begin collections for a coats/hats/mittens drive (kid's sizes are a particular need). Please send clean, gently-used or new items any time between November 7-21.

On Thursday, November 10th we will start collecting for our annual food drive. Non-perishable foods can be brought to school between November 10-18. Thanks for helping spread kindness!
JOURNEY OF FAITH UPDATE

Journey of Faith is a pastoral planning initiative in the Archdiocese of Omaha. The goal of Journey of Faith is to find more sustainable ways to share our faith in thriving parish communities. The Journey of Faith groups parishes within the Archdiocese of Omaha into Families of Parishes. St. Pius X, St. Leo the Great, and St. Bernard's have been grouped as a Family. At our last ‘family meeting’ on October 25, 2022 the three parishes started to walk through the proposal that will be submitted to the Archbishop on November 15. We will propose to the Archbishop that the following areas at all the parishes in the ‘family’ will stay as is, and remain independent:
  • Schools—There will be two schools in the ‘family’. St. Pius X / St. Leo School and St. Bernard’s School. Each maintains its own finance and governance model.
  • Pastoral Councils, Finance Councils—Each parish will have its own governance.
  • Staff—There is no plan to change any parish staffing. If there is a change in parish staffing, that will be a decision of each individual Pastor.
  • Ministries---We will indicate that the ‘family’ of parishes plans to engage in the ongoing evaluation of areas for collaboration. 
We will continue to communicate regular Journey of Faith updates as we move toward our November 15th deadline when we will submit our final proposed plan to the Archbishop for his approval. It is our understanding that he will look at the plan and communicate his approval or suggested changes. Once the plan is approved, each parish will communicate that plan to their parishioners and start the implementation. Please pray for the success of our work and that the Holy Spirit will provide wisdom and direction. 

For more information visit www.journeyoffaith.org
GET YOUR PANTHER SPIRIT WEAR!

SPSL School Spirit Wear is back with delivery just in time for Christmas, including some new items for winter! Check out all the Panther offerings online from November 7 through November 20. Orders will be delivered to school on or about December 12 and sent home with your child unless you identify the purchase as a Christmas gift during the online payment process. Go Panthers!
UPCOMING EVENTS

  • November 10: 5th and 6th Grade Musical
  • November 12: St. Leo First Reconciliation
  • November 12: St. Pius X First Reconciliation
  • November 14: NO SCHOOL - Faculty Development
  • November 16: Panera Restaurant Night
  • November 22: Dress Down Day
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.
p:402.551.6667
f:402.551.8123
6905 Blondo St, Omaha, NE 68104