Between the Lions - May 13, 2010

PRINCIPAL'S REFLECTION - Mr. David J. DiPippa
Please join us for our PTO Festival on Saturday, May 22nd from 11am to 3pm. A variety of food, fun and games will be available...cotton candy, moon bounce, dunking tank will be there to enhance your afternoon fun. Please stop and enjoy the festivities.

This past Tuesday, 8th grade students completed the High School Foreign Language Placement Exam. Results of this exam will be forwarded to us and the parents from the individual Diocesan high schools for recommended placement next year.

Today, interims go home in Grades 1 to 8. Please take some time to review these with your children – praise their accomplishments and encourage them in areas of needed growth. If you need to schedule a conference, please contact the individual teacher for a mutually convenient time. Please return these signed progress reports by Tuesday, May 18th.

I would like to thank Mrs. Dudley, Auction Committee Chair, Mrs. Furey, our PTO Development Committee Chair and all our parent, school and church volunteers, for all of their hard work for the spring auction. Approximately $46,000 for raised towards completing our ActivBoard project by adding two new boards in Music and Resource rooms. In addition, monies raised will go to technology for our teleconferencing resources. Lastly, we hope to upgrade some internal school work space. Thank you to everyone who attended, supported and helped to raise this significant amount of money. Your generous giving will help to provide more educational resources to the children and teachers of Saint Leo the Great which is greatly appreciated.

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

TECHNOLOGY NEWS FROM MR. HEDDERSON
Tomorrow, Friday, May 14, one of our servers will receive a major software upgrade and will be off-line most of the day. While the upgrade is taking place, teachers will not have access to their email and the website will be unavailable. If you do send an email, it should be held at our email scanning site and forwarded when the server is back on-line. If there is any information or forms you need that are on the website, please download them tonight. Thanks for your understanding and patience through this project.

THANKS & PRAISE

• To Mrs. Craven and Mrs. Ruta for getting our students ready for the Battle of the Books last Tuesday. Thank you to parent volunteers: Mrs. Cronin, Mrs. Toenshoff, Mrs. McGovern, Mrs. Schindler and Mrs. Potter.
• To Mrs. Ku-DiPietro, Mrs. Vornadore, Mrs. Pham, Mrs. Robertello and Mrs. Cate for helping the 6th grade make rosaries during Religion class.
• Thank you to Mrs. Nguyen for the delicious cakes to end our Teacher Appreciation Week. They were wonderful.
• To Mrs. White, Mrs. Ball, Mrs. Baker and our third grade students for planning our special May Crowning Mass last Friday. Special thanks go out to our 8th and Kindergarten students for bringing all the flowers for our Blessed Mother.
• To Mrs. Ku-DiPietro and parent volunteers for helping Mr. Allen conduct the PE Presidential Testing for Grade 1-8.
• To Mrs. Hardy, Mrs. Schouviller and parent volunteers for helping with the 4th grade field trip to Blenham House Museum on Tuesday.
• To all the faculty, staff, parents and students for their generous donations for Mary’s Children (Saint Vincent de Paul Food Pantry).
• Thank you to Carolyn Muller who, for the past two years, has been the Room Parent Coordinator at Saint Leo’s for the PTO. Thanks for all your hard work.
• On behalf of the CCD office and the school, we would like to thank Mrs. Nguyen who brought wonderful cakes and egg rolls to the First Communion Reception last Saturday. Yummy!
• To Mrs. Leda Cozzarelli for providing and after school review class for the 8th grade Spanish Foreign Language Exam. Every week Mrs. Cozzarelli met with these students to go over all aspects of the testing from the Diocese. Thank you!
• To Mrs. Schindler who, for the past five years, has been the Chair of the PTO Cultural Arts Committee. We thank her for all of the wonderful assemblies that she has brought to our school.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS WHO REPRESENTED SAINT LEO’S AT THE BATTLE OF THE BOOKS:
5TH Grade: Kevin C., Kate E., Julia O’T, Rosemary McG, Danielle B., Rose H., Lydia K., Allie P., Karley K. and Schuyler C.
From the 6th Grade: Alex T., William M., Nicole S., Katie M., Christine F., Mary Helen S., and Halie B.

FROM THE PTO

• The PTO sponsored Carnival Is Coming to Saint Leo's!!! May 22nd 11am to 3pm (rain Date June 5th). Fun for the entire family! Rides, Games, Dunking Booth, Popcorn, Cotton Candy, Make your own Pucker Powder, Snow Cones, Drinks and more! All day pass (pre-purchase) $10.00 per person or $15.00 at the door. All Day Pass includes all rides, games and dunking booth--Come and see who you can dunk! Tickets for concessions, drinks, souvenirs, and rides (if you do not want to purchase the all day pass) are $1.00 each. They will be available pre-purchase and at the door. Ticket/All Day Pass Orders--RETURN by May 14th, 2010. Questions??? Contact Silvia Neves at silviamn@verizon.net or Katie Blanchard at Katie_blanchard@verizon.net. Click here (PDF) for a copy of the flyer that was sent home.
• VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! The Carnival is coming to town on May 22nd! Be among the first to sign up for the first-ever event of its kind at St. Leo's. We ask for your help in order to make this a fun-filled time for the entire family. Both moms and dads are needed. To volunteer, email Lori Swanberg at LMSwanberg@gmail.com. In advance, we thank you for making this a memorable event for all of our children.

6TH GRADE PARENTS
Science Fair Boards are going to be available for sale and pickup next week, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, May 18-19-20. These will be sold for $5.00 cash or check (made payable to Saint Leo the Great School) in the classroom during the school day and pick up will be in the Middle School Science room after school till 3:30pm.

SAINT VINCENT de PAUL’S SUMMER DRIVE
Money for Mary’s Children – May 7th through May 28th

May is the month of our Blessed Mother, Mary. During this month, we are practicing the virtue of FAIRNESS. This teaching involves practicing justice, equity, and equality towards others in a respectful and Christian way. Saint Leo’s students have proven to be responsible members of God’s family, by showing how aware they are of the needs of our community members and by how they have assisted others throughout this school year. With generous donations of food items to SVDP’s Autumn, January, and Lenten food drives this school year and Christmas gifts offered during our gift-giving Mass, our students have demonstrated their concern and generosity for the Church’s community.

Our last SVDP fundraiser, our “Money for Mary’s Children” drive begins on May 7th and continues until Mary 28th. By bringing nickels, dimes, quarters, or dollars and placing them in your classroom’s HCA globe, your donations will be used by the Pantry to purchase necessary food items throughout the summer months of June, July and August. Last year donations totaled over $1,350 and were used to buy food items like flour, rice, sugar, bread, peanut butter, jelly and fruit drink mix, bread and spaghetti which helped to feed others during the summer of 2009.

Remember all you need to do is place your coins into the HCA globe found in your classroom. Let’s honor our Blessed Mother by serving the children she loves!

FROM THE KITCHEN
June lunch cards were sent home this week. Deadline for turning them in is TOMORROW, Friday, May 14th.  We cannot accept late cards so please turn them in on time.  Eighth grade parents please note - the last day to buy hot lunch for the 8th grade is Tuesday, June 8th!  If your child was absent or did not receive a card, please print out a menu from the school website, list your child’s name and room number, circle their choices and send it in with payment. There are also extra cards in the front office.  Questions or concerns, please email Mrs. Cate at kitchen@saintleothegreatschool.org. Thank you!

PTO SUPPLIES
It is that time again to order your school supplies for 2010-2011.  Make your life easier and support the PTO by ordering through Saint Leo's.  Letters and order forms will come home this week. You can also download a copy on the school's website.  If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Sharkey at 703-279-7809.  Thanks for your support!!

Saint Leo School, in partnership with the PTO
is seeking volunteers to become “welcome family buddies”. These families would be partners for new St. Leo Families who either transfer or begin Kindergarten for the first time. As you may remember, coming to a new school it is often difficult learning the ins & outs and we would like to do as much as possible to make new families feel at home quickly. If you volunteer, your family will be paired with a new family by the school. We provided some suggestions and guidelines to working with a buddy family in the attachment on this email to understand what volunteering entails. If you are interested in being a welcome family, please fill out the volunteer form in PDF or Word 2003 and return it to school to Mrs. Washington. You may print it out or email it to cwashington@saintleothegreatschool.org. Thank you!

SAVE THE DATE!!!!
PTO Fall Golf Outing will be held on Thursday, October 7th at the Westfield’s Country Club, starting at 11:30am. For sponsor opportunities, as well as a link to register for the event, please go to www.golfdigestplanner.com/14251-stleogolf.

EXTENDED DAY:
Please remember to make separate check when paying your monthly bill and the Prepaid Period. April bill went home last Thursday in your student's folder. Please make sure you ask your child for it. The Prepaid form for the month of June went home last week. You need to fill it up and send it back with the check by May 14th so we can process it in time for your child to be included.

BOX TOPS:
The Box Tops for Education runs year around. That means that I collect coupons year around and submitted them twice yearly. Please keep them coming!!

PRESCHOOL
If you or your friends are still debating where to send your child to Preschool or not, please, hesitate no more. Saint Leo the Great Preschool is dedicated to the growth and success of the whole child. Our primary objectives are:

• To promote a Christian attitude and basis for spiritual development.
• To provide an environment conducive to cognitive development.
• To encourage social interaction and peer relationships.
• To promote physical activity and exploration.
• To provide an atmosphere of acceptance and warmth for emotional growth.

Call us for an appointment! We'll be glad to give you a tour and answer all your questions.
Bianca Figueiredo, Director - (703) 273-1211 ext. 652.

St Leo the Great Mini-Hoopster Basketball Camp T-Shirt Sponsors Needed
Mr. Allen is looking for business sponsors on his basketball camp T-Shirts this summer at Paul VI and St Leo’s. This is a great way to advertise your business on the back of over 350 camp T-shirts plus hand-out information at each camp registration to over 400 campers and parents. Please contact Scott Allen at 703-856-7157 or coachsallen@aol.com for further information.

• MAY 19 – Wednesday, the City of Fairfax Police in conjunction with the Optimist Club will be offering Safe Assured identification kits between the hours of 12 PM and 6 PM at the City of Fairfax Police Department. Parents will receive a full color photo ID and a mini-CD that contains digital fingerprints, a digital photo, video showing movement and mannerisms, a general physical description, vital personal information, and a family code word. Private information is encrypted and accessible only by law enforcement. A missing person poster can be created and printed directly from the mini-CD in English, Spanish and French. These identifications kits can also be used as a valuable aid for adults with special needs. The Safe Assured ID kits are free and an appointment is necessary. Please call Sergeant Pam Nevlud at 703 385-7966 for further information.
• SPORTS CAMPS AT PAUL VI - includes: Boys & Girls Basketball, Cheer, Dance, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse (girls), Boys & Girls Soccer, Softball, Volleyball and Wrestling. Go to www.paulvi.net website under current students and parent link and go camp brochures/information.
• SPORTS CAMPS AT JOHN PAUL THE GREAT HIGH SCHOOL – includes: Cheerleading, Football, Men’s soccer, Field Hockey, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Soccer and Women’s Basketball. For more information please go to: camps@jpthegreat.org or call Rachael Wright: 703.445-0305
• SUMMER ENRICHMENT CAMPS AT JP THE GREAT HS: Theater, Acting, Introductory Rocketry, Applied Chemistry and Biology, Ceramics Studio, Spanish Recharger, Creative Writing Fantasy Workshop, Introduction to Computer programming. camps@jpthegreat.org.
• JUNE 2 –7-8pm. Preview night at John Paul the Great for 5-7th graders. Learn more about the new high school! Contact Ms. Cole 703-44-0300 for further information.
• JUNE 21-25/JULY 26-30 - Paul VI Boys & Girls Basketball Camp $190.00 per camper -- Camp is for rising 3rd - 9th graders. Please contact Scott Allen at coachsallen@aol.com for further information and registration. Camp discounts available per camper for attending two or three camps.
• JUNE 28-JULY 1/JULY 19-22 - St Leo the Great Basketball Camp for Boys & Girls – Mini Hoopster Camps: Boys 9 am - 12 pm - Girls 1 pm - 4 pm....$100.00 per camper. Camp is for rising 1st - 3rd graders from all schools. Please contact Scott Allen at coachsallen@aol.com for further information and registration.
• JULY 1- 9- Bishop O’Connell Soccer Camp, for ages 8-14,at Tuckahoe Park, 9am-3pm $200. Questions or registration: djosoccercamp@verizon.net or 703/894.8844.

• JULY 12-16 – St Leo the Great Basketball Camp for Boys and girls rising 3rd grade to 9th grade from all schools. $190 per camper. Please contact Scott Allen at coachsallen!aol.com for further information and registration
• JULY 12-23 - Summer Experience for Middle Schoolers - Expand your horizons this summer with one and two-week programs for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders at O'Connell HS. Signup for the Leadership Academy, The World Around Us, or the Performing Arts program. For more info, visit http://www.bishopoconnell.org/summerexperience or call 703-929-3519