Between the Lions

PLEASE REMEMBER – RE-REGISTRATION FEE IS DUE JANUARY 10th, 2009. PLEASE USE THE NEON YELLOW COUPON IN YOUR TUITION BOOKLET WHEN YOU SEND IN THE RE-REGISTRATION FEE. THANKS!

Father Whitestone for the second year, has tried to keep tuition rate under four percent for our school families. This year’s increase is 3.5% to cover costs of the school as well as salary increases for our faculty and staff. Our 2009-2010 Tuition rates are now posed on our website. Please note that Financial Aid is available (for more information scroll down). Thank you for your continued support of Catholic Education and Saint Leo the Great School.

PRINCIPAL’S CORNER
Dear Parents,

The eighth grade High School Placement Test results are in and the class average scores are above the National and Local percentiles in all areas! I would like to congratulate the 8th grade students and faculty (PK through 8th grade) for all their efforts in preparing our students for the STS High School Placement Test! The Composite scores, class average (Cognitive Skills and Basic Skills) is 573. Ninety percent of the 8th grade students scored within the Above Average Range (70-85 percentile). Grade equivalent scores for Basic Skills are: Reading 9.4 grade; Math 9.6 grade; and Language 9.6 grade. Parents should have received scores home this past week in the mail. Thank you for your support of Catholic education and Saint Leo the Great school!!

“Let’s March for Life!” On Thursday, January 22nd, a Parish bus will leave the Saint Leo’s Church parking lot at 10am following the 9am Mass, taking parishioners to the March for Life along Constitution Avenue in Washington DC, and will be retuning around 5pm. Parents, please consider taking your 7th and 8th grade children to be a part of this manifestation of our belief in the sacredness of human life of all God’s children—both the born and the unborn. Students who wish to attend must be signed out by a parent if they come to school. This is the only day allowed by Diocesan Policy for a student to miss a school day and not be considered absent. The 36th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s action decriminalizing abortion is another opportunity to put our faith in action. Our very presence will give a voice to those who have no voice. For more information and to reserve a bus seat, please contact Mary Adams at 703-273-7277. Sign up sheets are also located in the back of the church.

Tomorrow, January 16th, marks the end of the second grading period. Report cards will be sent home on Friday, January 23rd with each student. Please review these reports with your children. Praise their accomplishments and support them in areas of need and growth. Report card/envelope should be signed and returned to school by Tuesday, January 27th. If a conference is needed, please contact individual teachers to set up a conference time. “Together we can help our students to continue to grown in Grace and Wisdom.”

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

Thought for the Day
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.
Psalm 139:13-14

Thanks & Praise

• To Mrs. White and parent volunteers and 7th and 8th grade students for a wonderful performance of "The Music Man" musical held this past Wednesday and Thursday.
• To Ms. Capen and Mrs. Hish and second grade students for their community project presentation last Friday.
• To our parents who returned their re-registration forms to the office, you are the best!

From the library…
Save the date – Spring Book Fair, March 29-April 3rd

FROM OUR CROSSING GUARD:
On days of inclement weather or days when school projects or special activities are planned, there is an inordinate amount of traffic in Area II. Those parents that normally are assigned to Area I use Area II during these special days and it is creating a back up on Old Lee Highway. Therefore, when entering Area II for morning drop-off on these special days, if the cars are starting to stack up, please form a double entrance lane going into the parking lot and your lane will be directed by a staff member when to proceed into the drop off lanes.

PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH DANIELS’ RUN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!

Tickets are going to be issued by Fairfax City police if this practice continues.

MOTHERS’ PRAYER GROUP
Please join us for a Mothers' Prayer Group Meeting on Thursday, January 15, right after morning drop off, in the St. Mark's Room (Parish Hall). We will follow readings from the liturgical calendar, reflections from the book "The Better Part" and prayers for our school, teachers and families. We will end praying The Rosary. For questions, please contact Marcia Capizzani at mloureiro2002@aol.com. All are welcome.

OPEN HOUSES
are going to be held at Saint Leo the Great School on the following days:

• Sunday January 25th, 12:45-2:30pm- Principal’s Welcome - gym (Catholic Schools Week)
• Wednesday, February 18th -10am in the Guadalupe Room with Principal’s Welcome
• Wednesday, March 18th - 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. Applications are available for pickup during the day at the school from 9am-2pm, at the Open House and online at www.saintleothegreatschool.org. All completed applications with copies of supporting documents may be sent through the mail or hand carried to the school at the above hours. Acceptance letters for the 2009-2010 will be mailed once completed applications are received. Financial Aid packets are available in the front office or online at www.factstuitionaid.com.

COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN/UNITED WAY/AMERICA’S CHARITIES:
Thank you to the many parents who, in the past, designated our school as the recipient of their Combined Federal Campaign/United Way or America’s Charities donations. The fall campaign is just getting underway and we would be grateful to receive your donations once again. Our designated number for Combined Federal Campaign is 91500 and for United Way it is 8973.

If your place of employment uses America’s Charities, you may designate our school through their campaign by including our school name, address, phone and EIN# 54-0572701. As always…we are so grateful for your support and generosity!

Financial Aid – School Year 2009-2010
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 $20 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 an application are February 6, 2009 for the first round, and March 16, 2009 for the second round. A packet of information and its program will also be available in the front office.

Attention All Girls at Saint Leo:
Saturday, January 24th the Girl Scouts at Saint Leo the Great will host our Annual Father/Daughter Dance. The theme this year is a Winter Wonderland. Please bring your dad or another special person to share a night out with dancing and plenty of fun! We ask that each couple bring in a donation for the food pantry at St. Vincent de Paul, which will give you a ticket to win the door prize. You must fill out and return the registration form that is available on the school website. If you have any questions, please contact Beth Ward at Billyjoe@cox.net or 703-273-6289.

Save the Date:
Monday, May 11th at 10am for the Saint Leo the Great Annual Golf Outing at Heritage Hunt Golf and Country Club. More details will be coming in the New Year from Mr. Manning and Mrs. Toenshoff.

2009 Yearbook
Pictures Needed -- We are in need of pictures from Field Trips and 8th Grade CONFIRMATION, tennis, basketball, cheerleaders. Each grade, preschool through 8th grade, also has a "candid" photo page and we will need pictures for those pages throughout the year. You can put pictures on a cd or email pictures to Joanne McCarty at jmccarty1@cox.net or Katie Blanchard Katie_Blanchard@verizon.net. 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 the school website, or listen to the radio or T.V. 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, consult the school edline website or listen to WMAL 630 AM or WTOP 103.5 FM, channel 4 and channel 7 for any school closings or adjustments in opening times.

Delayed Openings
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.)

AROUND THE COMMUNITY

• Knights of Columbus Fr. Diamond Memorial High School Scholarship for any qualified 8th grade student. Please call 703.273.9436 or email hmslydia@msn.com for an application.

FROM THE DIOCESE:

OPEN HOUSES FOR PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS

Are you interested in teaching in the Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Arlington? The Diocese of Arlington has 44 schools, and provides educational opportunities for students from preschool through high school. The Diocese has opened 6 new elementary schools in the past 10 years and opened a new diocesan high school in Prince William County in the fall of 2008.

Perhaps your certification has expired, or perhaps you are thinking of changing careers or returning to teaching after a period of absence. Do you have questions about the qualifications needed to teach? Would you like to learn more about the mission of teaching in a Catholic School in a nurturing and caring, Christ-centered environment? Please come to one of the following Open Houses for Prospective Teachers scheduled throughout the Diocese and meet with Sister Patricia Helene, IHM, Former Assistant Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Arlington, and Elizabeth A. Roach, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Personnel, from the Diocesan Office of Catholic Schools, to learn more about the opportunities and advantages of teaching in our Catholic Schools. No registration is required.

St. Thomas More Cathedral School
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
105 North Thomas Street
Arlington, VA 22203
703-528-1547

St. Francis of Assisi School
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
18825 Fuller Heights Road
Triangle, VA 22172
703-221-3868

All Saints School
Thursday, January 29, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
9294 Stonewall Road
Manassas, VA 20110
703-368-4400