Between the Lions - May 27, 2010

PRINCIPAL'S REFLECTION - Mr. David J. DiPippa
8th grade Graduation is around the corner. Students will be receiving their rented graduation gowns hopefully this Friday the 28th. Even though the come pressed, I would ask parents do a quick “touch up” before graduation evening mass and ceremony. Individual graduation pictures will be available starting at 5:45pm in the gym for anyone interested. Informational flyers and pre-order forms will be coming home on Friday as well. A group picture will be taken promptly at 7pm on the steps of the church (weather permitting). Students must arrive at school by 6:45pm to their homebase classroom. After mass, a reception will be held in the gym. Students will return rented gowns to Mrs. Washington in the science room as soon as they return from the ceremony. Parents will be financially responsible for any unreturned gowns.

Special thanks go out to the PTO Board for hosting our annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon today. The school deeply appreciates the commitment of our wonderful volunteers that enable us to provide the resources needed for our Blue Ribbon School! You are the best.

The TerraNova Standardized Test Results are scheduled to arrive this week. They will be mailed to the parents of students in Grades 2-7. These results will be used by the teacher to prepare for the individual and class needs of students for the 2010-2011 school year. If you have any questions about these results, please speak with your child’s teacher and/or Mrs. Polan, Guidance Counselor, at extension 649. Teachers will be available for end of year conferences, if needed, on Monday, June 21st from 8-12 noon and 1-3pm. Please email teachers for conference time. Reading Lists will be sent home next week for Grades 1-8, please take the time to review the list and encourage students to start reading now. Please make reading a priority over the summer months – this will insure a great start to new school year. Summer reading lists are also available under Parent Resource on our school website.

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

THANKS & PRAISE

• Congratulations to Jerome T., winner of the 8th grade supplement cover contest.
• To Mrs. Doss, Ms. Capen, Mrs. Holleran and Mrs. Hish and the second grade for preparing our very special First Communicants Mass this past Friday. Special thanks to Mrs. White for coordinating the music at mass.
• Special thanks to Sylvia Neves, Katie Blanchard and Lori Swanberg and all the parent/student volunteers who helped to make our first PTO Festival a huge success. Special thanks to the PTO Board for supporting this fun-filled activity.
• To Barry Ward, Mrs. Khavari and Mrs. Faunce for organizing our Advanced Band Music Festival at Hershey Park. Special thanks to all of our parent chaperones and congratulations to our students who placed second in this competition for Middle School.
• To Mrs. Hardy and Mrs. Schouviller and the 4th grade students for their entertaining performance of “Mixed Up Fairy Tales.” It was a huge success.

Saint Leo’s Band: Mr. Barry Ward
Beginners Band: A great week last week, great school and parent’s concerts and, wow! What a nice trip to Hershey Park. We are rapping up the program this week with lessons on Monday. Monday will be mostly information sharing, students should bring their instruments. Mr. Ward will be available for questions about summer band programs, private lessons in the summer, renting, purchasing instruments and any other question that comes up on The3wardsdad@aol.com I will be mailing information to you about your child and band, understanding the program and what is available to you can help you make better decisions at the end of the year.
ADVANCED BAND: Congratulations for a great festival/trip! The advanced band was placed second in the Middle/Junior High category at the Music in the Parks Festival (Hershey) and competing for the very first time at that level. All bands at the festival scored Excellent ratings; Saint Leo’s Band scored 86 points and the highest scoring middle school band at 88 points. Not bad for our band with so many students not even middle school age! I am very proud of our band program for rising to the occasion and doing well against programs that have a distinct advantage. The entire trip was a great day, good weather, on time and great Saint Leo students and chaperones. Thank you.

REMINDER FOR ARRIVAL PROCEDURES FOR AREA I:
When the bell sounds at 7:50am, only drivers already in place in Area I carpool lines may unload students. Drivers arriving after 7:50am enter the parking lot and follow the direction of faculty and staff members on duty. These drivers may NOT allow students to disembark until they are directed to do so.

Silly Bands Prohibited
In accordance with the dress code policy, students may not wear silly bands to school. They are a distraction and a potential safety hazard. Please refrain from wearing these to school on uniform days and dress out days. Any choker style necklaces (beaded, braided or any other material) are also not permitted. Please see page 72 of the handbook for clarification. Thank you.

THE CLINIC
is looking to expand its' substitute list. If you are interested for next school year, please contact Theresa Ferlotti at 703-359-6646. Requirements: Current RN license in the Commonwealth of Virginia, current CPR and First Aide certification.

LOST AND FOUND
The end of the year is coming and the lost and found bin in the gym is overflowing with uniforms and lunch boxes.  Please stop by and see if you are missing anything.  Thank you.

FROM THE LIBRARY
Thank you to Ted D in the 3rd grade for his donation of a signed copy of "Hank Zipzer, A Brand New Me" by Henry Winkler. The children will love checking out the latest book in the Hank Zipzer series!

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 come home last 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. This fundraiser ends tomorrow, Friday, May 28th. Thanks for your support!!

FROM THE PTO
A huge Thank You to those who came out and supported our school during the St. Leo’s Festival this past Saturday.  A Great time was had by all!  A very special thank you goes out to all of our volunteers, including many of our 7th graders and a few 8th graders.  We could not have done it without you.   Thank you to Katie Blanchard, Debbie DiFalco, Pam Morrison, and the entire Swanberg, Marazzi, and Neves families for all of their planning efforts to make sure this Festival happened.

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:
This an important announcement to all Extended Day parents.
Please look for your May invoice next week, it must be paid immediately upon receipt. If you don't pick it up look for it in your child's bag on Thursday 6/4. Remember that 8th grade accounts must be paid in full, that includes Extended Day, in order to have their records transfer to their High Schools. All other students accounts ,must be paid on or before Friday 6/11, no exceptions, so report cards can be distribute.
Thank you so much!

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!!

DEAR PARENTS:
A huge thank you  to : Patty McGiffin and Liam L , Joyce and Maggie O’N, Julia Mativi, Dylan and Ginny C,  Mary and Brian D, Maryn and Joanne McC,M Christopher and Clara R, Brett and Tarra F, Tim and Matt H , Theresa and Alex S, Gloria and Gabriela M , Niamh and Cullen L, Pilar and Giancarlo P, Julie and Zack L , Joe and Julie T, Maria and Jessica O, Sarah and Dawn H, Jane and Scott R, Da HanMun, Brendan and Carol Ann Forest, Jen and Genesis A, Maily and Kim P, Nicola, C, Ryan (8th Grade) and Fiona Toole, Lori, Rainey, Emmy (5th Grade) S, Sean and Julia D, Juliana V, Teresa and Stephanie (5th Grade) N, for your help not only with the bake sale but also with the festival, I know many of you did double duty.  (Please, please forgive me if I have left anyone out that may have dropped in to help, I may have missed you). From our bake sale at the end of the day we made $310!!!  Because of your generosity we had a lot of baked good left, we got permission from Father Whitestone (thank you Tim Holleran) and we sold additional goods at today’s 9AM mass.   A very special thank you to Patty McGiffin, Liam L, Lori and Rainey Swanberg, Teresa and Stephanie N for selling in the pouring rain we made an additional $100 thanks to their efforts!!!  For a Grand total of $410 from our bake sale.
 I know more of you would have come out to help support us this morning, and I thank you for that, but with the weather being as bad as it was I decided to let you all sleep in.   We still had some items left over, and we donated them to the Gardens a home for the elderly. We thought this would be a worthwhile cause for our kids to support. I hope that you are as pleased, and as proud as I am of our 7th soon to be 8th graders.  I thank you very much for your ongoing support.  I know that this will be a great year for our kids.

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.

• 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 703-445-0300 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
• 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.
• SUMMER BASEBALL CAMP AT DJ O’CONNELL – for boys 8-14. Questions to Coach Hart at www.bishopoconnell.org/uploaded/Summer/Scan-baseball.pdf.