Saint Leo the Great Catholic School

PRINCIPAL’S REFLECTION
As many of you already know, Mrs. Klontz, our Kindergarten teacher will be leaving on maternity leave next Friday. To make our transition as comfortable for our children as possible, I have asked Mrs. JoEllen Merrill to assume lead teacher for the remainder of this school year. Mrs. Merrill has a BS degree from Purdue and has worked in both the preschool and kindergarten classroom as instructional assistant for the past six years. Mrs. Merrill will be assisted by Mrs. Kathy Hesse, who holds a BS from Louisiana State University. Mrs. Hesse has been substitute teaching at Saint Leo’s for the past five years. This team will be working closely with Mrs. Betack and Mrs. Jones, our other Kindergarten team. We are very fortunate to have these talented and dedicated individuals taking care of our “Littlest Lions!” If you need to contact Mrs. Merrill she can be reached at Jmerrill@saintleothegreatschool.org.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Brian Gormley, our CYO Commissioner for organizing another successful CYO Basketball and Cheerleading season. Special thanks to all the coaches and assistants that helped with practices and games. Thanks to our parents for all the shuttling back and forth and to our students who represented Saint Leo’s in such a positive way.

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

Thought for the Day
He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.”
-Proverbs 21:21

Thanks & Praise

• Congratulations to Anna Ku-DiPietro, who will be honored at this year's Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Ball on March 21st.
• Mrs. Hardy and Mrs. Schouviller and 4th grade parent chaperones who helped to make the colonial trip to Jamestown a real educational adventure.
• To Mr. Abraham, Mrs. Polan for all their help in organizing our special science field trip to the Planetarium at TC Williams High School.
• To Mr. and Mrs. Cronin for all their help in organizing our afterschool Chess Club.
• Best wishes and good luck to Ryan Dowd at Diocesan Spelling Bee this Saturday.
• To Mrs. McCarty, Mrs. Muller and Mrs. Ruggio for having a special baby shower for Mrs. Klontz. Everyone enjoyed the party!

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.

PARENTS
Clip, clip, clip!! March is the last month of 2008-2009 school year to submit Box Tops for Education coupons. We are so close to our goal of $500.00 that even one coupon can make a difference. What can you do? Clip, clip, clip!!! and send them to Mrs. Figueiredo. Thank you!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SKIP CARPOOL LINE EVERY AFTERNOON?
AND get a volunteer hour also? AND help our school go green? We need someone to take the plastic milk cartons to the recycling center every day – contact Mrs. White if you are interested.

FROM THE LIBRARY
Thanks so much to Dylan Cate (6th grade) for his donation of “M is for Music” by Stacy Innerst. For information on how to make a donation to the library please contact either Mrs. Craven or Mrs. Ruta or follow the link on the library page on the school web-site.

MOTHERS’ PRAYER GROUP
Please join us for a Mothers' Prayer Group Meeting on Thursday, March 19, 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 atmloureiro2002@aol.com.
All are welcome.

YEARBOOK PICTURES NEEDED FOR FINAL DEADLINE
The last pages are due to the printer by the 15th of March. We are still in need of pictures of basketball and the 4th grade trip to Jamestown. You can either make a cd or email pictures to Joanne McCarty at jmccarty1@cox.net or Katie Blanchard at katie_blanchard@verizon.net . Thank you.

ITS BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!!
Please join the 8th grade for a Hawaiian Luau Ice Cream Social. Tropical breezes and ice cream will be on Sat. March 21, 2009, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, St. Leo's Gym. Reduced price advance tickets are now available. See the flyer attached to the newsletter or look for the flyer in your Thursday folder. Contact Pat Corcoran at corkpandt@aol.com or 703 716-0696 for questions.

FOR THE 8TH GRADE SOCIAL
Items are needed for the book/media sale held that evening. Please donate any books, magazines, DVD's, VHS's, digital cameras, extra thumb drives, and any other small electronic gadgets. Drop the donations at the front office. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Questions may be directed to Anita Richter, 703 591-6553, or Pearl Smisko, in the evenings, at 703 281-7332. Thank you for supporting the 8th graders.

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

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
• The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra is offering 100 free student tickets to students in elementary, middle and high school for our next concert on Saturday, March 14, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts. After the first 100 tickets are reserved, students may obtain reduced-rate tickets at $15. Accompanying adults receive the special rate of $35 when attending with a student. Reserving tickets is very easy. Free student tickets must be reserved by visiting our website: www.fairfaxsymphony.org. There is a link to free student ticket reservations right on our home page. The deadline to reserve tickets to this concert is Wednesday, March 11th. This concert features Music Director Finalist, Gregory Vajda, and pianist Andrew Armstrong. Mr. Vajda will be presenting a free ConcerTalk at 7:00 p.m. in the Concert Hall for anyone who would like to attend. We encourage students and parents to arrive early to avoid the long lines at the Student Ticket Window ahead of the concert.
• The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is holding a raffle for 2 NEW Mercedes-Benz. Here's a FUN way to help & drive a NEW Mercedes Benz!! Tickets are $100 and that gives you two chances to win a car! Only 6,000 tickets are printed so your chances of winning are 1 in 3,000 (for each car)! See pictures of the Convertible & COOL SUV at www.leukemiaball.org/raffle.htm. The drawings will be held at The Leukemia Ball in Washington, DC, March 21, 2009 (in less than 1 month). You do not need to be present to win or even live in the area. We have had out-of-state winners before! It makes a great Mother's/Father's Day, birthday, anniversary gift, etc. Mercedes-Benz has donated the cars for the raffle so The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will receive the full value of your raffle purchase. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission is cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. To purchase your raffle tickets, please call Kelly Alfaro at (703) 399-2900 or email her at kelly.alfaro@lls.org.
• CRAZY FOR YOU presented by Georgetown Visitation on April 3 and 4 at 7:30pm, April 5th at 2pm. Reserve your tickets online at www.visi.org. $15 adults, $10 students/seniors. For questions only, please email box.office@visi.org.
• 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.