Between the Lions - September 24, 2009

CALENDAR REMINDERS-  SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER

PRINCIPAL'S REFLECTION
This past week students in first grade through eighth grade participated in the Formation of Christian Chastity Program provided by the Diocese of Arlington. For more information on the complete 1-8 program, please visit www.arlingtondiocese.org. Today, our students in grade 4-8 are reviewing the Diocesan Guidelines on bullying and harassment. Please feel free to review the policies that are contained in the Parent/Student Handbook, page 85-86 to open dialogue with your child/ren.

Next Thursday, progress reports for grades 4 though 8 will be passed out to students in their advisory and homerooms. Please review these with your child(ren) and return the signed report by Tuesday, October 6th. Praise them in areas of strengths and encourage them in areas of needed growth. Remember that progress reports are not final grades but an assessment of achievement made during the past five weeks. If you need more information, please contact individual teachers via email or voice mail. Together we can help our students achieve.

I would like to introduce Michelle Faber, who will be the new Title I teacher here at Saint Leo the Great. Mrs. Faber has taught in Fairfax County Public School and other public school systems, as well as the private school setting, working with students from preschool age through the sixth grade. The Title I classroom is in the school, in the old conference room. Classes meet three times each week for forty-five minutes during the school day. The days and times are approved by the classroom teacher. Feel free to send her an email at michellemfaber@gmail.com.

As Always, for the children,
Mr. David DiPippa, Principal

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“The wisest mind has something yet to learn.”

THANKS & PRAISE

• To Mrs. Woodward and Mrs. Bolster for volunteering to co-chair the PTO Family Fun Night.
• To Mrs. Akiba and Mrs. McKay for taking the reins for the PTO Volunteer Co-Coordinator position on this year’s PTO Board.
• To all the parents who supported the Innisbrook Gift Wrap Drive – please encourage your friends and family to order online for speedy service. Special thanks to Mrs. Hartzell for coordinating our first PTO fund-raiser of the year.
• To Matt Ferlotti, former alumni, and Troop 1113 for their outstanding completion of the Eagle Project of beautifying the Mary Alice Weigle Courtyard which faces the playground.

SOCCER CHARITY CUP!!!!
We have some exciting news to share for Grades 5-6-7-8 soccer players! Saint Leo’s is planning to schedule Charity Soccer Cup games on November 7th to raise money for Catholic Charities. We are hoping to invite another Diocesan school to participate. The teams are going to be co-ed, games held at the PVI HS soccer field from 8:30am-12:30pm that Saturday. We are in need of four parent/coaches to coach these teams. If interested, please email Mr. DiPippa, at ddipippa@saintleothegreatschool.org. More details will be forthcoming. Thanks for your consideration to help.

FLU UPDATES
from Mr. DiPippa – As we begin a new school year, your child’s health is our top priority. We are working closely with the Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools. As you may know, flu can be easily spread from person to person. Saint Leo the Great School is taking steps to reduce the spread of flu. Here are a few things you can do to help:

• Teach your child good hand hygiene etiquette. Hands should be washed frequently with soap and water, and hand washing should last for at least 20 seconds. You can set a good example by doing this yourself. If hands are not visibly soiled, hand sanitizers containing at least 60 percent alcohol are also effective
• Teacher your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. Covering up their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.
• Learn the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit, 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
• Keep sick children at home. Any child who is determined to be sick while at school will be sent home. It is also important to keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not have signs of fever, without the use of fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.

Plan now for your children’s care if you or your children become ill with the flu and need to stay home. Talk to other family members, friends or neighbors about helping with child care or possibly sharing care in such a situation.

Stay informed: I encourage you to visit www.flu.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO for the most current information about the flu. I will continue to keep you updated of any additional changes to our school’s strategies to prevent the spread of flu.

INNISBROOK GIFT WRAP SALE: DEADLINE EXTENDED!
Running a little late?  No problem - the Innisbrook Gift Wrap Sale deadline is extended to October 1st. For EZ order entry methods, go to Innisbrook.com, enter school code 102926, and follow instructions. Turn in your printed receipt and checks to your child's homeroom teacher for delivery to the school on October 27th.  Pay online with a credit card you will receive your items within 5 days, postage paid on orders totaling $85 or more. If you have trouble ordering online, you may call Innisbrook Customer Service (877) 525-5608, OR simply turn in all paperwork and monies collected and we will enter your orders for you. Incentives:  Any student in grades K-4 selling 40 or more items goes on a Limousine ride to Burger King for a free lunch and playtime.  Students in grades 5-8 selling 40 or more items receive a $25 Visa gift card.  These prizes are in addition to all of the wonderful thank you packages described in your sales catalog envelopes.  Note: the prizes are NOT cumulative, as they have been in the past.  If your child wants a specific reward gift, make sure you sell the number of items in that prize category.  For example, if you want the spinning soccer ball, sell only 10-14 items.  If you sell 15 items, you get the safari flashlight instead. Innisbrook also has "instant" winners for which all orders are eligible.  Last year Olivia Ratay won $100 gift card to Best Buy, and other families won gift packs, simply by having the orders entered online.   For any questions, please contact Marian Hartzell (703) 359-8963, tjhartzell@verizon.net

ADVISORY ROOM PARENTS
Below, is a listing of all the Advisory Room Parents for 2009/2010 school year:

COMING SOON.... Family Fun Night hosted by St. Leo's PTO
Saturday, October 24, 2009, 6:30 - 8:30 pm in the Daniel & Lorraine Sprissler Gymnasium.
Look for your pre-order form coming home soon! For more information contact Becky Woodword bwoodward6@verizon.net or Kristin Bolster kbolster@saintleothegreatschool.org

REMINDER:
Items for the newsletter must be sent to the school by noon Monday for inclusion in the Thursday “Between the Lions” newletter.

YOUTH CHOIR
-Grades 4-8-rehearse on Wednesdays, 3:45-4:45PM
-Junior Choir-Grades 1-3-rehearse on Thursdays, 3:15-4:00PM.
All rehearsals are held in the music room of the Parish Hall. Rehearsals began this week. For information contact Sylvia Mulherin at 703 273-4682 or sylviam@stleos.com. Thanks very much for your help.

UPDATES
are made to the school calendar daily. Please go to www.saintleothegreatschool.org and click on calendar then click monthly. All activities of the school and important dates, field trips and letter days are posted. This calendar goes through to June and can be printed—however, keep checking….new items are added every day!

FROM GUIDANCE:
Speech and Language Screenings - An opportunity will be provided for St. Leo's students to be screened for speech and language concerns. Mrs. Katherine Moore, a licensed speech/language pathologist, will offer the screenings at $10.00 per child. The purpose of the screening is to determine whether a full evaluation is recommended. Teachers who have observed a need among their students for screening will send their recommendations home with a request for parental permission. Parents may also request the screenings by sending a not to their child's teacher. The screenings are scheduled for Tuesday, September 29th. Please call Mrs. Polan, guidance counselor, if you have any questions at 703-273-1211 x649.

FROM GUIDANCE: CARE (Christian Awareness of Respect for Everyone) Parent Surveys
With Christ as the center of our learning, we wish to continue to support a safe and enjoyable learning environment for the students, parents, faculty and staff of St. Leo the Great School. With guidance from the Office of Catholic Schools, we have introduced the CARE (Christian Awareness of Respect for Everyone) program to our school. The objective of this program is to combine all of our ongoing education about respect with some new elements to enhance the awareness of respect for everyone. As part of our CARE Program, we are required to survey our faculty and staff, parents, and students regarding the school climate. The purpose of the survey is to determine the level of respect amongst the school community from your perspective. We will be using the results to help us tailor the newly implemented programs to improve our school’s overall climate. The survey is anonymous and we request that you be as honest as possible when answering the questions. The administration will review the surveys. Please follow the link provided in the e-mail to be sent out today.

PTO DIRECTORY:
This is a friendly reminder that the PTO Phone directory is going to print this week.  If you would like to be in the directory this year you need to turn in your PTO membership form.  Just fill out the form, attach payment and send it in with your child.  If you have misplaced the form you can print one from the school website at http://www.saintleothegreatschool.org/sites/default/files/pdf/PTO/PTO_Me... or pick one up at the front office.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
Another school year same coupon clipping? Last year you were very supportive and with all the coupons you sent me we were very close of reaching our goal. This year our goal is $700. 00 and I am sure that with your help we are going to reach it. For those families new to the school, you can send the coupons in a baggy or envelope with your child and they will give them to their teacher. Thank you so much and happy clipping and please start clipping if you haven't yet and send them to me: Bianca Figueiredo, Coordinator

THE PRIDE 2009-2010
Attention all Middle School Students: Any Middle School Students interested in working on this year's yearbook should be on the look out for sign up applications going home in Thursday/Friday Folders. The yearbook committee will be made up of a select group of 6th, 7th and 8th graders this year with parent/staff guidance. This committee will meet weekly after school, on Thursdays, starting in October. Please complete the application and return to the front office. Questions-please inquire with Mary Beth Crosson or Joanne McCarty. Thank you.

VOLUNTEER COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
Parents, grandparents, and siblings over 21 years of age who want to volunteer in the school must complete all requirements of the Diocese of Arlington. Please refer to page 46-48 of the 2009-2010 Parent/Student Handbook for details. Background packets are available through the front office of the school. Please plan ahead and get your background materials in as soon as possible. Questions? Please call Mrs. Ferlotti at 703-273-1211, ext.646.

MOTHERS’ PRAYER GROUP
will be starting up again! We meet to read scripture, share in the love of Christ and pray the Rosary. Meetings will be held twice a month on the 2nd Thursday of the month and on 4th Wednesday of the month at 8:10am, right after drop-off in the parish hall, St. Mark’s room. Come whenever you can, our first meeting is Wednesday, September 23rd. For more information, contact Marcia Capizzani at mloureiro2002@aol.com

PLEASE NOTE:
We have been notified that our NEW United Way number from the United Way of the National Capital Area Campaign for 2009-2010 is 91500. If you are searching for our school, please be sure to spell out Saint or it will not come up as a listing.

SCRIP FOOD CARDS:
Sponsored by the Fr. Diamond Knights of Columbus. SCRIP is sold for Giant, Safeway and Shoppers Food Warehouse. Profits go toward Scholarship funds and the ST. Leo’s PTO. Call Larry Novak 703.978.6127 or email ALRN01@aol.com for information. Available at Providence Hall every weekday at 2pm or the school parking lot on early release day and Knights of Columbus Meetings.

• THIS WEEKEND - September 26 - Friends of the Poor Walk - Saturday - 5 K walk and cookout at Frying Pan Park, Herndon, Virginia. 8:30-9:30am registration, 10am - walk. For more information: www.svdpfriendsofthepoorwalk.org. This is to benefit the St. Leo Conference for the Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.
• This Tuesday, September 29th - "It's Not Just About the Kids-Adults' Liabilities for Teenage Drinking and Parties." A presentation by the Administration and PTO of PVI. This program will include discussions by both the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney and a school resource officer from Fairfax County Police Department. We invite you to join us at 7:30PM.
• October 3rd-W.I.S.E. UP-Catholic Charities Workshop for parents of K-6th grade adopted children. Beatley Central Library, Alexandria. $50 per couple. RSVP to Catholic Charities 703.425.0100 for questions and reservations.
• October 12th- Paul VI Columbus Day Basketball Camp for boys & girls in gr. 2 - 8. 9 am - 4 pm at Paul VI High School gym. The cost is $50.00 per player. To register contact Scott Allen at coachsallen@aol.com
• October 18th - Oakcrest School Open House – 1-3pm, Tour of School.
• October 25th - Bishop Ireton HS Open House - 1-3pm. Presentation begins at 1pm.
• October 31st - National Autism Walk – at the National Mall, Saturday. For more information, please visit online at www.NationalAutismWalk.org or call 202.955.3111.
• November 1st - Paul VI Fall Open House - for 8th grade parents and students, Sunday from 1-4pm