Between the Lions - June 10, 2010

PRINCIPAL'S REFLECTION - Mr. David J. DiPippa
As the school year is coming to a close, there are a few announcements that I would like to make: First, I would like to say farewell to Mr. Abraham, Mrs. Acevedo, Mrs. Cozzarelli, Mrs. Doss, Mrs. Hish, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Paul and Mrs. White. I am sure you join me in thanking them for their contributions and many years of dedicated service to Saint Leo the Great School community. We wish them well in their future endeavors and retirement. On another note, I am happy to announce the following faculty/staff changes for the 2010-2011 school year: Please welcome the following individuals to the Saint Leo the Great School community:

• Mrs. Kathy Hesse – Kindergarten - BS Louisiana State University
• Mrs. Caroline Elachkar – First Grade - BA Radford University
• Mrs. Theresa Kelly - First Grade – BS Marist College
• Mr. John Barger – Music – MM Yale University
• Mrs. Carolina Agostini - Spanish Teacher - BA Marymount University
• Mrs. Lisa Schouviller - Spanish Teacher – BA UNCW-Wilmington NC
• Mrs. Ann LaBarge – Second Grade – BS University of Illinois
• Mrs. Patrice Heasly- Middle School Science – MA- George Mason University
• Mrs. Lynn Betack-Instructional Assistant Kindergarten-BS Louisiana State University
• Mrs. Jen Aguila - Instructional Assistant for Kindergarten –BA Miriam College
• Mrs. Joanne DeMarco - Instructional Assistant for Second Grade - Penn State
• Ms. Jennifer Carafa-Instructional Assistant for First Grade–BA Radford University
• Ms. Jennifer Carafa - Assistant Extended Day Director – BA Radford University
• 4th Grade – To Be Announced
• 5th Grade – To Be Announced

As this will be the last note of the school year, I would like to thank the parents, students, volunteers, faculty and staff for an outstanding school year. Without the help of many individuals working together, we could not have had such a great year. I know the students have benefited from all the time, positive efforts, and energy that each of you bring day in and day out. In addition, I want to thank all the members of the PTO Board/Development Committee for a great school year. The faculty/staff and most importantly, the students have benefited from all of the activities and educational resources that your hard work has provided. Your time, efforts and positive ideas have greatly contributed to the academic, spiritual and social development of our students. Thank you for continuing to help our students grow in grace and wisdom. Have a great summer break and see you back on Friday, August 28th for our Welcome Back Morning which begins at 10-11:30am in the school gym. Have a wonderful summer break!

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

THANKS & PRAISE

• Thank you to Mrs. Silvia Neves for accepting the PTO appointment of Cultural Arts Committee Chairman for 2010-2011, and to Mrs. Mizuho Akiba who is going to be the new Room Parent Coordinator.
• Thank you to Mrs. Carolyn Muller for her two years as PTO Room Parent Coordinator.
• To Mrs. Crossin and Mrs. McCarty and the Yearbook committee for the hard work and distribution of the yearbooks last Tuesday.
• To the Knights of Columbus for, once again, cooking all our hamburgers and hot dogs for our fantastic Field Day. Special thanks to Mrs. Cate, Mrs. Corcoran and Mrs. Kochanski.
• To Mr. Torma and Mr. Allen’s advisories and parent volunteers for hosting the Middle School Passport Party.
• To all the 8th grade parents, especially Mrs. Ruggio, Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Ratay for their hard work in planning the 8th grade luncheon at the International County Club – it was a huge success.
• To Mrs. Cate, Mrs. Corcoran and Mrs. Kochanski and 7th grade parent volunteers for putting on a wonderful reception for our 8th grade graduates.
• To Mrs. Heasly and Mrs. Byczek and parent chaperones for the 5th grade field trip to the Museum of Natural History – everyone had a wonderful time.
• To Mr. Torma for all his planning for the 7th grade Amazing Race.
• To Mrs. Nguyen for soup and bread for the faculty and over 500 eggrolls and sandwich rolls for the students during Field Day – what a treat!
• To Mr. Allen and Dorothea Ku-DiPietro and all parent volunteers who helped with the Presidential Fitness Awards and Field Day events. Special thanks to Sid Crowe and the maintenance staff for set-up and take-up.
• To Mrs. White and Mrs. Lyle and parent chaperones for a fun-filled trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore with the 8th grade members of the National Junior Honor Society.
• To Mrs. Bauer and the 8th grade parent chaperones for planning our 8th grade trip to Kings Dominion.
• To Mrs. Notarianni and room parents for coordinating our field day class shirts. It was spectacular!
• To Mrs. Sloboda, Mrs. White and Mrs. Cosgriff for all their hard work with the 8th grade graduation ceremony. Special thanks to Fr. Baez and to Fr. Whitestone—for his outstanding homily.
• Thank you to Mrs. LaBarge, Mrs. Paul and parent volunteers for the first grade safety field trip.
• Thank you to Mrs. Doss and Mrs. Holleran and parent volunteers for the second grade safety field trip
• To Mrs. White and the 5th grade for a wonderful “Songs Around the World” parent assembly.
• Special thanks to Mrs. Betack, Mrs. Merrill, Mrs. White, Mrs. Hesse and Mrs. Jones for the wonderful work for our Kindergarten graduation on the 16th.
• To Mrs. LaBarge, Mrs. Agostini, Mrs. White, Mrs. Paul and Mrs. Gritz for planning our end of the year school-wide mass.

FROM FR. BAEZ-FOR 7TH AND 8TH GRADE GIRLS
The teenage Enrichment for the apostles of Mary (TEAM) Retreat sponsored by the Legion of Mary Fairfax Curia is here again. This one day outdoor retreat is open to 7th and 8th grade girls, and will be held on Saturday, June 26th at Holy Trinity Jubilee Park, 4407 Aldie Road, Catharpin, Virginia. Come and join us for an exciting day with Holy Mass, Benediction, Confession, uplifting talks, skits, games and two hours of exciting activities. The theme is: Occult: Forewarned-Forearmed – Put on the Armor of God. Speakers: Fr. Francis Peffley, Rev. Richard Guest and Rev. Mark Mullaney. Fee is $40 (early registration) and $50 (after June 13th). This includes breakfast and refreshments. Bring a bag lunch. Participants will have the opportunities to meet new friends, have fun, learn strong Catholic values and more particularly, be drawn closer to God. To obtain registration forms or to inquire about the retreat, call Dr. Seggy Acosta at 703.323-5271 or Lynn Gildon at 703.250.1097.

FROM GUIDANCE: CARE SPRING SURVEYS
With guidance from the Office of Catholic School, this year we introduced the CARE (Christian Awareness of Respect for Everyone) program at our school. The objective of this program was 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 were required to survey our faculty and staff, parents, and students regarding the school climate at the beginning and end of the school year. The purpose of the survey is to determine the level of respect amongst the school community from your perspective. We will be suing 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. Surveys will be sent via email. Please be sure to complete the survey. If you have any questions, please contact Ann Polan at ext. 649.

Heartfelt Thanks
This year the SVDP pantry food drives emphasized the importance of monthly virtues that will enable us to become responsible Catholics. Our school began to experience and “live” each monthly virtue through its participation in helping others in need.

• During the Autumn & Lenten Food Drives that were held in November and March, Saint Leo the Great School has collected over 8,000 food items.
• Continuing in this generous spirit, for our “gift-giving Mass” held in December, we were equally proud of the over 400 gifts that were collected for our SVDP families this past Christmas season.
• Our drive for “Money for Mary’s Children” included collecting money that is given to the pantry to buy food items which are distribute to the needy families of our parish during the summer months. This year we netted almost $400 for this endeavor.

Through St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry collections, we learned to live a virtuous life filled with responsibility, respect, kindness, honesty, and cooperation. These lessons will help to produce cooperative citizens who care for others. Our students have actively participated in this task & should be proud of their accomplishments. Saint Vincent de Paul Society & the school committee of SVDP pantry thank you all for your generous donations throughout the 2009-2010 school years.   

St. Vincent de Paul School Pantry Committee
     Mr. DiPippa       Mary Sabina Byczek       Scott Allen

PTO FUNDRAISER
Family Night Fundraiser at the Coyote Grill from 4pm until 10pm on Tuesday, June 15th.

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.

From the Clinic
All medications that have been brought into the clinic must be picked up on or before the last day of school, or through June 18 if special arrangements are made with the school nurse ahead of time.  All medications not picked up by that time will be discarded. Rescue medications (epi-pens, inhalers, glucagon) must remain on site until the last day of school. If you have questions, please contact the school nurse at 703-359-6646.

Attention all Fourth and Fifth Grade Parents
A letter was sent home with your student discussing our Battle of the Books Program.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions. Thank you, Mrs. Craven and Mrs. Ruta

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.

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.

Math Mania with Word Problems (4th, 5th, 6th and 7th graders – after school activity)
Does your child shy away from math word problems? Teaching kids to solve word problems is one of the most challenging tasks faced by math teachers and parents. A big part of that challenge is adjusting kids' mind-sets towards these tasks. Most kids are intimidated by word problems and give up easily. Having the right strategies to tackle these word problems can make all the difference in the world. Many problems are multi-step and require some type of systematic approach or procedure. Problem solving requires practice!

The Math Mania program, offered by Student Advance Learning, is an after school course (for 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th graders) that will focus on providing students with the tools needed to collect the appropriate information, identify a strategy and to use the strategy appropriately to solve the problem! Some key questions addressed when approaching the math word problem may be: What are my key words? What is the question?, Do I need a diagram? List? Table? Is there a formula or equation that I'll need? Which one? 

High School Placement Test (HSPT) Class for 8th Graders
The High School Placement Test (HSPT) is taken by 8th graders in the Fall prior to entering 9th grade. The test provides essential information for high school admission officers when determining entry into the school and/or entry into a specific level of class. Student Advance Learning will provide a HSPT test-prep review class for the third time at Saint Leo’s this Fall 2010. The coursework will include delivery of key test-taking and reading comprehension/math strategies. Self-Assessment modules will be provided to students to complete for homework. The discussion of these modules along with the various appropriate strategies will be covered in the sessions.

Three practice HSPTs will be provided with the course fee. First test prior to the student starting the class. The second test mid-session (after the 4th week) and the third test post the completion of the 8 week course. Students will be provided with the feedback and the scores within one week of the test date. For more information please contact studentadvancelearning@yahoo.com or call us at 704.776.1723

The HSPT consists of five multiple-choice sections:

• verbal skills (synonyms, antonyms, analogies);
• quantitative skills (series, geometric comparisons, number manipulations);
• reading comprehension;
• math (arithmetic, basic algebra and elementary geometry); and
• Language skills (grammar and composition).

• JUNE 11 – Movies under the Stars – Woodson HS – “MADAGASCAR” – 7:30pm at the WT Woodson softball field – donations accepted for Haiti. Local vendors providing food and drink.
• 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
• JULY 19-21- CHEER CLINIC AT PVI - Anyone can attend!  There are two age groups: K-3 and 4-8, and will be from 5 PM to 8 PM.  $125.00 Questions?  Email Coach Kelly Brady at pvipanthers@gmail.com
• 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.