Saint Leo the Great Catholic School

PRINCIPAL’S REFLECTION
Dear Parents:
Congratulations to all of our 7th and 8th grade students who participated in our school Science Fair last Friday. Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend and see the outstanding work done by our young scientists. Special thanks go out to our volunteer judges and Mr. Abraham for helping the students to prepare for the interesting and creative research projects.

I would like to take this time to congratulate our 8th grade students on their high school acceptances. These acceptances are due to arrive home this weekend. I would like to thank our outstanding faculty PK-8th grade as they have prepared our students well for their journey as freshmen in high school. A special thank you to the individual eighth grade teachers who have spent a great deal of time writing recommendations for our students. In addition, thank you to the parents who have and continue to support our mission here at Saint Leo the Great School. A final list of student choices will be published once all high school selections have been decided.

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

Thought for the Day
Think you can, think you can’t -- either way, you’ll be right”
-Henry Ford

“Man’s real life is happy, chiefly because he is ever expecting that it soon will be so.”
-Edgar Allen Poe

Thanks & Praise

• To Fr. Whitestone, Mary Beth Crossin, PTO President, for their planning and persistence for obtaining approval for our school sign. Many thanks to parents and students that were able to attend the Fairfax City Council Meeting on Tuesday evening. Fund for the sign were made available through the efforts of both PTO and Development Committees through our 2008 Spring Auction. Special thanks to Dan Drummond, parent and Councilman for his information and guidance.
• To Dee Peters, Cindi Harkes, Pat Corcoran, Wynn de Guzman, Suzanne Dowd, Jim Fulbrook and Diane Utley for giving Mrs. Sloboda such a fantastic baby shower.
• To Mrs. Nguyen who brought the faculty and staff delicious cookies right before Lent begins! Yummy.
• To Mrs. Bolster for sponsoring our afterschool winter Art Club. It was such a huge success that we are offering a spring session.
• To Mrs. Ferlotti, for her assistance in organizing our Strive for Five Healthy Eating Week for our students and faculty.
• Thanks to Mrs. Muller for coordinating all the room mothers in bringing in special healthy treats for our Strive for Five Week.
• To Mrs. Doss, Ms. Capen, Mrs. Doss and Mrs. Hish for their wonderful preparation of our second grade students for their First Penance.
• To Mrs. McKay for moderating our afterschool Mad Science Club for grades 3-5.
• To Mrs. LaBarge and Mrs. Ferlotti for coordinating our Lenten Rice Bowl service project.
• To Mr. Abraham, parents, judges and 7th and 8th grade students for an outstanding science fair.
• Best wishes to Ryan Dowd who will be participating in the Diocesan Spelling Bee this Saturday. For extra luck, Mrs. Cosgriff will be there to root him on!

Congratulations to all of the participants in this year’s Science Fair!
Your hard work and dedication was evident in your projects and presentations. We would like to recognize the following students who earned the top 10 overall scores and will represent Saint Leo’s at the Diocesan Science Fair on April 25 at Paul VI High School:

• Mary Barna, Emily Eisert, Ryan Toole, Colleen Ferlotti, Anthony Kim, Brendan Burke, Ryan Dowd, Katherine Faunce, Will Holley, and Connor Toole

Congratulations to all the winners in each individual category as well

PENNIES FOR PATIENTS
What an amazing three weeks! St. Leo's families raised $1689.39 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help the 2,500 patients in our area. I can't tell you how grateful I am for your generosity. The class that raised the most money was Mrs. Ball's third graders, bringing in $210.41. Following closely behind was Mr. Abraham's advisory with $156.05, then Mrs. Byczek's with $155.09, and the Preschool with $153.51. Finally, rounding out our over $100 marks were Mrs. Heasly with $138.25 and Mrs. Bolster's class with $113.00. A huge thanks to Mrs. Lyle, her math students, and Mrs. White and the NJHS for organizing and counting all those coins! Thanks also go to Mrs. Craven and her morning crew for making the daily announcements. We could not have been as successful as we were without Mrs. Lyle's unwavering support. Also, we want to thank Mr. DiPippa for allowing us to run the Pennies for Patients campaign. We appreciate your support of LLS. God bless you all. Kim Perry

LAST OPEN HOUSE
is going to be held at Saint Leo the Great School on 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.

NEWS FROM ART
The next art club session will be for students in grades 5 - 8. The session will begin March 16th, 2009 and run until May 4th, 2009. Students in the spring art club will be exploring the many different types of printmaking. A one time fee of $40.00 will be required for each student to cover the cost of consumable materials. The club will meet on Mondays after dismissal in the art room and last 1 hour and 15 minutes – 3:00 to 4:15. As promised, priority will be given to those students who missed out this fall session, however all interested students will need to send the completed registration form and fee to the school office. Look for registration forms to come home Thursday February 26th. Forms will be due by Monday, March 2.

THE STRIVE FOR FIVE CHALLENGE
will be occurring this year between Monday, February 23 - Friday February 27. Your child will be receiving the information next week from the homeroom teacher in K-5 and from Theresa Ferlotti during middle school science on the 17th and 18th. All information and forms can be found on the School Website under the Parent Resources heading: Health and Wellness. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the school nurse at 703-273-1211 extension 646.

SAVE THE DATE!!!
Mark your calendars for this year's Auction Gala and Parent Social "Welcome Spring" to be held April 24, 2009 from 7:00pm to 11:00om at International Country Club. The tickets will go on sale March 2, 2009. The cost will be $65.00 per person. If you have any questions, would like to donate and item or service to the Auction, or would like to help please contact Leanna Furey at furey5@aol.com or 703 352-2313. More details will be coming home soon.

AUCTION BASKETS:
This year we will be including baskets for the auction. Instead of asking each class to donate a basket, we are creating a school wide general basket fund. The money from this fund will then be used by the Auction Basket Committee to provide several different themed baskets to be auctioned. We are asking each family to consider donating toward this basket fund. The suggested donation is $5.00 per family but any amount is appreciated. As always your donations are voluntary. Today, a cover letter and envelope are being sent home via the oldest and only child through homeroom in K-5 and advisory in Middle School. If you misplace the envelope sent home, please send donations marked Basket Fund, return to front office. Thank you!

FROM THE PTO
Let's Dish!.... Would you like an easy and convenient way to put healthy, homemade dinners on your table -- and raise funds for St. Leo's? Let's Dish! can help you do that and will donate 10% of the proceeds back to St. Leo's from February 1 - April 30th. Go to www.letsdish.com to view their delicious menu offerings by month. Then simply book an in-store session or select their pick-up Dish-n-Dash service using the promotion code F9-STLEO when you enter your billing information. Remember, the more the merrier, so invite friends and family to "dish" with you and use the promotion code! Please note that other coupons may not be used at the same time as the fundraiser code. Click here for a flyer.

QUIZ BOWL NEWS:
Start forming your teams for the 2009 Saint Leo the Great PTO Quiz Bowl! Be prepared for a night of fun trivia!!

• Date: Saturday, March 14th 2009
• Place: School Gym
• Time: 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm.
• Cost: $12 for individual ticket or $100 for table of 8/10 players

Questions: contact Vicki Holleran at hollerantj@aol.com. Sign up flyer can be downloaded from school website

A HEARTFELT THANK YOU
goes out to our school families who have supported this year's fundraisers. The PTO has already seen a $417.00 profit from SCRIP sales so far this year! Proceeds from SCRIP and other fundraisers continue to support numerous special purchases for our school such as a Reading Comprehension program for third grade, teacher tools for making bulletin boards and classroom displays, and replacement tables. Together, parents and teachers help make our children's school a fantastic place to learn! Current fundraising efforts: McDonald's on Feb. 13th, Let's Dish! ongoing during Feb., Mar., and Apr. Coming soon: Mar. 12-26 - Chick-fil-A Cheesecake in time for Easter.

FINANCIAL AID – SCHOOL YEAR 2009-2010-DUE MARTCH 16TH
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.

AROUND THE COMMUNITY

• Alexandria Band Children’s Concert: Friday, March 6, 8 PM at NOVA in Alexandria. Fun music including John Williams (Star Wars, E.T., Harry Potter), plus Clarinet and Trumpet specials. A mystery guest conductor and bass drummer for John Philip Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever! FREE admission More info at 703-845-6252
• Paul VI Girls & Boys Summer Basketball Camp: June 15-19 / July 6-10 for Girls & Boys going into 3rd - 9th grades (9am - 4pm). $180 single camp fee/ $300 for both. Please contact Scott Allen at Coachsallen@aol.com (703-856-7157) to sign-up. Camp is filling up fast.
• St Leo The Great Mini-Hoopsters Basketball Camp: June 22 -26 / July 13-17 for Girls & Boys going into 1st - 3rd grades. $100 Single Camp Fee /$175 for both. Boys 9 am-12 pm / Girls 1pm - 4pm (Mon - Fri). Please contact Scott Allen at Coachsallen@aol.com (703-856-7157) to sign-up. Camp is filling up fast.