Between the Lions - October 29, 2009

CALENDAR REMINDERS-  OCTOBER - FORMS DUE TOMORROW FOR SOCCER CHARITY CUP Gr.5-8

PRINCIPAL'S REFLECTION
Tomorrow, Friday, October 30th, the first nine week quarter ends. Report cards will be distributed to students in Grades 1-8 on Friday, November 6th. Parents are asked to sign the report card and report card envelope. Please review these and return reports to school by Tuesday, November 10th Praise progress made by your child in each report area and continue to support them in areas of needed growth. This year, we will once again recognize students in Grades 1-3 who have achieved satisfactory progress (no X’s) in Personal Development and Study Habits, and Meet Expectations in Grades 4-8 for Social and Work Characteristics. Students will be given a blue Citizenship Ribbon for this achievement.Tomorrow, Friday, October 30th, the first nine week quarter ends. Report cards will be distributed to students in Grades 1-8 on Friday, November 6th. Parents are asked to sign the report card and report card envelope. Please review these and return reports to school by Tuesday, November 10th Praise progress made by your child in each report area and continue to support them in areas of needed growth. This year, we will once again recognize students in Grades 1-3 who have achieved satisfactory progress (no X’s) in Personal Development and Study Habits, and Meet Expectations in Grades 4-8 for Social and Work Characteristics. Students will be given a blue Citizenship Ribbon for this achievement.

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday and Friday, November 12 and 13 from 12:40 to 3:55 – 5 to 7pm. Please contact core teacher or student advisor if you have any questions regarding conferences. Together, we can help our students to “Achieve and Grow in Grace and Wisdom.”

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

WE NEED MORE 8TH GRADE SOCCER PLAYERS FOR THE SOCCER CHARITY CUP NEXT WEEKEND!!!
Saint Leo’s is schedule to participate in the Charity Soccer Cup games on November 7 to raise money for Catholic Charities. We have invited Holy Spirit School to participate. The teams will be co-ed, games will be held at the PVI HS soccer field from 8:30am-12:30pm (grade 5 game at 8:30, grade 6 game at 9:30, grade 7 game at 10:30 and grade 8 game at 11:30) that Saturday. Our coaching staff is: grade 8: Mr. Allen and Mrs. Bolster. Grade 7: Mrs. Harkes and Mr. Torma. Grade 6: Mr. and Mrs. Velasquez, Grade 5 is Mr. Chiarizia and Mrs. Heasly. Thank you for your contribution. Permission Forms are due on Friday, October 30th in the front office or this event may have to be canceled.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
You are what you think about all day long.
--Dr. Robert Schuler

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 8973. If you are searching for our school, please be sure to spell out Saint or it will not come up as a listing.

THANKS & PRAISE

• To Mrs. Woodward, Mrs. Bolster, PTO Board and parent volunteers for a fabulous Family Fun Night last Saturday evening. Everyone had a fantastic fun evening! Special thanks to Mr. Bolster for the creative Haunted House!!!
• To Mrs. Hartzell and parent volunteers for their tremendous help with the Innisbrook fund-raiser distribution.
• To the parent volunteers for their help with the class and individual photos today.
• To Mrs. Ball and Mrs. Baker and parent chaperones for the Third Grade field trip to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
• To Mrs. Heasly and Mrs. Byczek and parent chaperones for the special trip to the National Zoo today.
• Congratulations to Mrs. Kelly Paul who ran the Marine Corp Marathon last weekend in five hours and five minutes. We are so proud of her!
• Thank you to the Baldacci Family for their donation of a popcorn machine to the school kitchen. This will be put to great use!

OPEN HOUSE at Saint Leo the Great – tell all your friends!
Wednesday, November 18th. Principal’s Welcome begins at 10am in the Guadalupe Room of the Olde Parish Hall. A tour of the school will follow. RSVP 703-273-1211 x645.

SAINT VINCENT DePAUL AUTUMN FOOD DRIVE
SVDP first food drive will be held from Friday, November 6 through Thursday, November 19. The focus on this month’s drive is the virtue of STEWARDSHIP, CARING FOR God’s creations. This virtue involves sharing our food with other members of our Church community. By practicing stewardship, we show others how deeply we care about them, especially in their times of need. Any canned or packaged food is greatly appreciated, but some examples of food items that are especially needed include:

• Pancake mix & syrup, Hot & Cold cereals, Rice
• Canned meats & meat meals, Canned Fruit, Sugar
• Jelly and peanut butter, Flour, Tuna

On November 6th, a special Dress Down Day will be given to those students who donate two cans of food to this food drive!! By remembering those in need, we show Jesus how truly concerned we are and how important it is to practice this virtue in our everyday lives. May God bless you for opening your hearts to others. The Saint Vincent de Paul Team: Mary Sabina Byczek, Scott Allen, and Dave DiPippa.

8TH GRADE SPANISH REVIEW:
Mrs. Cozzarelli will be offering several after school review classes for interested 8th grade students only starting November 5th from 3-3:40pm in the Saint John Vianney Center. If your student attends, please pick them up in the front office by 3:45pm or they will be checked into Extended Day. This review is an extra opportunity for students preparing to take the High School Spanish Placement Exam in the spring. Any questions? Please contact Mrs. Cozzarelli at LCozzarelli@saintleothegreatschool.org.

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.

BACKGROUND PACKET DEADLINE:
Saint Leo the Great School mails all background packets t o the Diocese via UPS with a tracking number. This ensures the safety of your documents arriving in a swift and confidential manner. Once the documents are received at the Diocese, it is much easier to contact them regarding your clearance for volunteering. The last day that the school will mail background packets that have not yet been turned in yet is Friday October 30th. After that time, you will have to mail their own completed packets to the Diocese. This may delay your ability to volunteer. If you still need background materials. Please contact Theresa Ferlotti at 703-359-6646.

ATTENDANCE
Parents please note on page 28 of the Parent/Student Handbook: “Saint Leo the Great Catholic School requires that a parent/guardian or responsible adult leaves a message in the Attendance voice mailbox, accessed through the main school number (703-273-1211 press 1), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, when the child will be tardy or sick. These calls should be received by the office by 9am. Upon arrival, a written excuse or the parent/guardian or responsible adult must accompany the child to the office.”

You can continue to email the teacher your student’s absence, but you must call into the attendance line as well.

THE PRIDE- YEARBOOK 2010
The Yearbook Committee is requesting pictures from the following events from last school year- spring track, medieval day, kindergarten graduation, first communion, field day, awards ceremony. Although we will be taking a great deal of pictures this year, we would still like to have more!  Please remember the yearbook when  you are at school sport events, field trips, scout events, club activities (math, chess, art, etc). Any candid pictures. Pictures can be emailed to jmccarty1@cox.net or crosson46@yahoo.com. Or you can put them on a CD. Thank you!

VISION AND HEARING SCREENING
Vision and Hearing screening will take place on November 5, 2009. Permission forms for grades 1, 3, 5,and 7 will be going home this week. The Virginia Department of Health requires screening for grades 3 and 7. We will screen students in those grades first, then fifth and first grade. If you have a child in grades 2, 4, 6 or 8 that you would like screened, please contact the clinic or your child's teacher for a permission slip. Students cannot be screened without a signed permission slip from the parent.

FROM THE PTO:
Mark Your Calendars now and look for more information about upcoming St. Leo's PTO Restaurant and Retail Fundraisers! As always, these events are voluntary, but if you are planning to eat out or do some shopping, please consider these events which will help the PTO raise funds to support St. Leo the Great School. Contact Suzanne Dowd if you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas.

• Chick-fil-a (Fair Oaks Mall) - Kicks off November 10 from 5-8pm, All day Nov. 11 and 12, and Nov. 13 until 5pm
• Fuddruckers (Chain Bridge Road) - December 18 - 11:30-4pm
• Five Below (both Fairfax and Greenbriar/Chantilly locations) - November 27-December 3

ALL MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS:
The National Junior Honor Society is hosting a middle school dance for 6th, 7th and 8th graders tomorrow night, October 30th. The dance will start at 7pm and end at 9pm. It is Halloween themed so you can wear a costume or just black and orange. Tickets will cost $6.00. The price includes entry, one drink and one snack. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase, so bring extra money. There will also be a raffle for a Halloween basket. Raffle tickets cost 50 cents or three for a dollar. We hope you can come!

AROUND THE COMMUNITY
• THIS WEEKEND - 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.
• THIS WEEKEND - Bishop Ireton's Third Annual Full Speed Football Clinic staffed by Head Coach Tony Verducci and his staff are pleased to offer this clinic for young men enrolled in grades 6 - 8.  The clinic will be held at Bishop Ireton High School from 9 am to 1 pm before the Senior Day Game against Friendship Edison.  The Full Speed Clinic provides young men with an introduction into football fundamentals, regardless of whether they have played "organized" football.  $25 fee includes individual instruction, clinic tee shirt, lunch, and admission to the Cardinal football game.   Questions? Dave.england@image-one.com.
• THIS WEEKEND - November 1st - Paul VI Fall Open House - for 8th grade parents and students, Sunday from 1-4pm
• November 2nd - Calling all wrestlers and coaches. The PVI HS Wrestling Team in conjunction with American University is sponsoring a clinic and wrestle-off for both wrestlers and coaches in the PVI Auxiliary Gym. The clinic will feature both All-American and Olympic Wrestlers. The clinic will at 4:30 and will be followed by the wrestle-off at 7:00. Admission is free to all. Please contact Tom Healy, Head Wrestling Coach at (703) 352-0925 x459 or thealy@paulvi.net
• November 3rd and 17th – A 4-session overview of the semester class “Principles of Ethics” is being offered for adults at Pope John Paul the Great HS on Tuesdays, October 6 and 20. “Principles of Ethics” is the second course of the 4-year Bioethics Curriculum at JP the Great. There is no cost for the seminar, though the text book, Called to Happiness: Guiding Ethical Principles, by Sister Terese Auer, will be available for purchase for $10. Please RSVP by calling 703-445-0300, or via email to rsvp@jpthegreat.org
• November 7th - 2009- Washington DC Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR) Walk with Us to Cure Lupus Walkathon, at Washington Monument Grounds. 100% of all contributions to this event go to support lupus research programs. Lupus has no cure. One of our parents, Mrs. Linda Dupuy will be doing this event. If you would like to sponsor her, her Personal ID Number is DC-210238 which should be put on the memo line of your check. Make checks payable to the Alliance for Lupus Research. Forward your checks directly to the ALR office at 28 W. 44th Street, Suite 501, New York, NY 10036.
• November 8th – Pope John Paul the Great HS - open house from 2 – 4pm. You’ll learn all about JP the Great programs, meet the faculty, and tour the state-of-the-art campus.
• November 20-November 22 - “Our Town” presented by Georgetown Visitation. Campus Auditorium (1524 35th St, NW)