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Between the Lions - January 7, 2010
CALENDAR REMINDERS- JANUARY
Saint Vincent de Paul Food Drive All Week
| Monday | 11 | I | Class pictures to be re-taken. These classes are: Merrill, Betack, Doss, Ball, Schouviller, Mead, Abraham, Torma, Cosgriff & Sloboda. Please Wear complete winter uniform and bring sneakers for PE. |
| Tuesday | 12 | O | 9-10:10am-special program 3-14 (Mrs. Ball), “So You Want to Be President!” 10:15-11am-special program 3-15 (Mrs. Baker), “So You Want to Be President!” Diocesan Special Needs Seminar |
| Wednesday | 13 | N | Diocesan Curriculum Mapping Team Meeting 7:15pm-PTO Meeting-Vianney Center |
| Thursday | 14 | L | K-8 Dress Down Day – Donation of 2 cans food for Saint Vincent de Paul Pantry 3-4pm Yearbook Club meeting-computer room |
| Friday | 15 | S-3 | YEARBOOK ORDERS DUE TODAY! 9am Mass-attend 1:40pm-Dismissal – Extended Day 1:40-6pm 2pm-Faculty Meeting-Curriculum Mapping/Technology Workshop-library |
USE NEON YELLOW COUPON IN TUITION BOOKLET.
PRINCIPAL'S REFLECTION
Dear Parents,
Happy New Year to everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas break and time to spend with family and friends. It certainly is good to see everyone back. The students quickly settled in with a very positive attitude. As I reminded them, the end of the second quarter is on Friday, January 22nd. Please encourage students to complete all assignments on time and to prepare in advance for all tests, projects and quizzes.
The faculty, staff and Administrative office would like to thank our students and families for your thoughtfulness and generosity shown to all of us throughout this holiday season. We wish each of you an outstanding New Year in 2010.
Our second food drive for the St. Vincent de Paul Pantry will begin Friday, January 9th, through Friday, January 22nd. Students are asked to bring in a food item to help the needy in our parish community. Our goal will be 2,000 cans! Thursday, January 14th will be a K-8/faculty dress down day for a donation of two food items for the Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. Thank you for your support of this school-wide service project.
All visitors are reminded to go to the main office BEFORE going to your child’s classroom. By State law, and O.C.S. regulation, all individuals must sign in and wear a visitor badge. This is a safety/security issue but it is also a method of safeguarding instructional time. Faculty cannot use their instructional time with students to conference with individual parents. Please feel free to email or call if you would like a conference with your child’s teacher. Thank you for your cooperation.
In addition, field trips are a wonderful extension of the educational programs at Saint Leo the Great School and an extracurricular activity. Parents are reminded that these trips are not mandatory, but optional. If parents do not want their child to participate, they should notify the teacher in advance. The teacher will provide an alternative activity for students who do not attend.
As Always, for the children,
Mr. David DiPippa, Principal
THANKS & PRAISE
- To Mrs. Nguyen for starting out first day back with donuts and coffee…thank you!
- Congratulations to Ryan Toole, whose design was selected for the 8th grade class t-shirts. Thank you to all of the 8th graders who submitted a design.
- To Mrs. Davies for providing hand-warmers for our teachers during carpool… what a great week to have them!
PE UNIFORM REMINDER:
Please remember that the PE winter uniform includes sweatshirt and sweatpants (K-5) and either the wind pants and jacket or sweatshirt and sweatpants (6-8) – no combinations allowed! Students must have their pants and sweatshirt/jacket on when they come to school and when they travel from class to class. Students may ask their teacher for permission to remove the sweatshirt/jacket when they arrive in class, but should put it back on before moving to the next classroom. PE pants may be removed during PE class only, with permission from Mr. Allen, but must be put back on before leaving the gym.
SAVE THE DATE – GRANDPARENTS DAY!!! February 5, 2010
SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL PANTRY’S NEWS UPDATE
Saint Vincent de Paul Pantry’s activities for the year 2009 demonstrated the generous and kind spirit of our school. As we opened our school year with an Autumn Food Drive in November, the students and their families donated over 1500 food items for the needy families of our parish.
Once again, these students showed that same spirit for our “gift giving Mass’ Held on December 4, 2009 which collected over 375 gifts for our Saint Vincent de Paul families for the Christmas season.
Bravo for a job well done Saint Leo students! The Saint Vincent de Paul Society and school team (Mr. DiPippa, Mrs. Byczek and Mr. Allen) thank you for your generosity.
FUTURE OPEN HOUSES
are going to be held at Saint Leo the Great School on the following days:
- Sunday January 31st, 12:45-2:30pm- Principal’s Welcome - gym
- Friday, February 26th -10am in the Guadalupe Room with Principal’s Welcome
- Wednesday, March 17th - 10am in the Guadalupe Room with Principal’s Welcome
A tour of the school will follow all presentations. Please call 703-273-1211 x645 for a reservation. Please let your friends and neighbors know our new dates.
The Diocese of Arlington is please to provide a Tuition Assistance Program for parents of students attending our Diocesan Catholic schools. Interested parents are asked to submit the student aid application form, as well as a processing fee of $25 to FACTS Management Company. FACTS is the company contracted by the Diocese of Arlington to provide a confidential and objective financial analysis in determining a family’s ability to pay for Catholic School education.
In order to become eligible for receiving funds from this program, K-12 students (preschool is not eligible) must satisfy all of the criteria described below:
- A baptized Catholic or convert officially received into the Church
- Family resides within the boundaries of the Diocese of Arlington
- Family is registered and an active member of the parish or
- Family belongs to a military post parish
- Student attends or is accepted by a Catholic school in the Diocese of Arlington.
The funds from the program will be paid directly to the school that the qualifying student attends. Schools will then credit the tuition accounts for those families who have been approved to receive aid for that school year. When submitting your application, please be sure to answer all the questions on the student aid form and include all the documentation requested in the instructions. Applications can also be completed online (www.factstuitionaid.com). The deadlines for filing applications are January 22, 2010 for high school tuition and grant program, and March 5, 2010 for elementary tuition and grant program. A packet of information and its program is also available in the front office.
JANUARY SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL PANTRY
Saint Vincent De Paul’s Pantry will hold its winter food drive from Jan 8th to Jan 22nd. The virtue studied for this month is honesty. It should remind us that the “Christ within us” wants us to become trustworthy and act with integrity in all we do. So, we, as Catholics, should honestly attempt to try to meet the needs of others, too, by helping in any way possible. With this teaching in mind, let us remember the needy of our community. Of course, any food donation is greatly appreciated. The following food items are desperately needed in the pantry:
- Pasta, syrup & pancake mix, powdered milk, canned fruits
- Cereals (cold or hot especially oatmeal), Rice, tuna fish or any canned meat
Thursday, Jan 14th will be a Student/Faculty/Staff Dress-down Day with a donation of 2 food items for this drive. Thank you for your continued support. SVDP School team: David Di Pippa, Mary Sabina Byczek, and Scott Allen.
FROM THE EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM:
Happy New Year from Extended Day Family to yours. December’s bills are ready for you to pick up. Bills not picked up by Wednesday 1/6 will go home on Thursday 1/7 with your child, please, make sure you ask your child for the bill.
Thank you and stay warm!
FROM THE BOX TOPS CORNER:
Happy New Year!! Thank you, thank you, thank you -- why? Well, today I received a check from Box Tops and let me tell you that we are 1/3 away of reaching our goal of $750.00!!!!. I know we can do it -- it's so simple you just have to clip those coupons and send them to me (Mrs. Figueiredo). We have until the end of March to submit the last bunch of coupons for this school year. Let me hear those scissors clipping!! Stay warm and keep on clipping!
GOLF COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
It is hard to believe but it is time to start our initial planning effort in support of the Saint Leo the Great School's Annual Golf Tournament. Although this year's event has been changed to SEPT/OCT 2010, and it may seem like we have plenty of time to get ready--that is not the case. We are competing in a challenging sponsor market with events that occur throughout the year; hence, we are scheduling the initial kick-off meeting for:
Wednesday, 20 JAN at Auld Shebeen Irish Pub and Restaurant at 7:30pm
3971 Chain Bridge Rd, Fairfax VA 22030, Corner of Chain Bridge and North St
I know that your time is valuable but this event brings thousands of dollars to the school each year in support of its technology fund but it needs volunteers like you to make it a reality. You don't have to be a golfer to participate on this committee; just bring a positive attitude and willingness to have some fun! If you can not make it on the 20th and would like to volunteer, sponsor or know someone who would like to sponsor, please contact me at tfmcg@cox.net.
Looking forward to seeing you on the 20th. Tom McGovern, Tournament Director."
YEARBOOK PICTURES NEEDED
The Yearbook Committee is working to meet the first deadline of the year at the end of January. We are still in need of candid pictures from all grades. Other pictures we can use are from Confirmation or any class activities over the holidays (gingerbread house making, class parties, mass, etc). Please email pictures to either Joanne McCarty at jmccarty1@cox.net or Mary Beth Crosson at crosson46@yahoo.com. Thank you!
FROM THE PTO
Remember that the Let's Dish Fundraiser continues through January. The "Parent and Kid" sessions are a great way to involve your children in meal preparation and planning and a wonderful activity for Scouts. Please contact Suzanne Dowd with any questions or if you are interested in planning a group session. Flyers are available on the school website.
COLD WEATHER IS HERE!
Now that the cold weather is definitely here, please ensure that your child wears warm outer clothing to school, appropriate for winter temperatures. We all want them to stay warm when going outside for morning or lunch recess. Thank you!
Inclement Weather/School Closings
When the Fairfax County Schools are closed because of hazardous road conditions, Saint Leo the Great School is also closed. If Fairfax County makes a change in the opening or closing of school due to weather conditions, Saint Leo the Great does the same. It is the parent/guardian's responsibility to consult first the school website, or listen to the radio or TV for this information. PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE SCHOOL. In cases of inclement weather, or other non-weather related emergencies, and the cancellation of classes once school is in session, calls from the children to the parents/guardians will be discouraged. Since our school is air-conditioned, we DO NOT FOLLOW Fairfax County School closings due to intense heat.
If Fairfax County Schools are not in session and Saint Leo the Great is in session, first consult the school website or listen to WMAL 630 AM or WTOP 103.5 FM, channel 4, channel 8, channel 9, and channel 7 for any school closings or adjustments in opening times.
Kindergarten through Grade 8
- If there is a ONE HOUR DELAYED OPENING ON ANY 11:30AM OR 12:10PM DISMISSAL DAY, classes are dismissed at 12:10PM.
- If there is a TWO HOUR DELAYED OPENING ON ANY 11:30AM, 12:10PM, or 1:40PM EARLY DISMISSAL DAY, classes are dismissed at 3:00PM. Please be sure to send a lunch and drink with your child if it would have been a regular 11:30AM or 12:10PM dismissal day since neither lunch nor milk is provided on those days.)
The Extended Day Program always opens one hour before school:
- Delay of one hour: open at 7:50AM
- Delay of two hours: open at 8:50AM
When school closes early all children must be picked up from the Extended Day Program within two hours of dismissal. Parents/guardians are responsible for listening to the radio or T.V. for announcements.
If Fairfax County cancels after school activities, the Extended Day Program will close within two hours of dismissal.
- THIS WEEKEND - JANUARY 9TH - O'Connell to Host Girls Soccer Tournament - The 7th annual Lady Knights Indoor Classic will be held. All girls U-9 through High School teams are invited to participate. Registration closes December 4, and the fee is $175. For more information and the tournament application, visit www.leaguelineup.com/ladyknightsindoorclassic
- THIS WEEKEND - JANUARY 10TH – 4pm - Disney’s “Mulan” in partnership with Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Md to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Family will revisit the film live on stage! After show--family fun with tastes of the Orient, games and other surprises. Tickets $29/child, $39/adult. For more information, contact Kelly Kent at 703.399.2938 or www.lls.org/ncamulan.
- JANUARY 23rd- Alice in Wonderland Father-Daughter Dance - Sponsored by the Girl Scouts of Saint Leo’s. Dance is from 7-9pm. Cost is $15.00 per couple and $5. for each additional daughter. For more information, please contact Beth Ward at 703.273.6289, or billyjoe@cox.net.
- FAIRFAX LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL 2009 SPRING REGISTRATION IS OPEN. Registrations prior to February 1st for AA-Juniors and February 16th for T-BALL, Single A and Seniors receive a $25 discount. You may register online at www.fairfaxll.com.