Saint Leo the Great Catholic School

PRINCIPAL’S REFLECTION
I hope the warm weather is here to stay! With that in mind, please take note of the end of the year June calendar changes which are located on our website: www.saintleothegreatschool.org. The school year will be extended to June 9th and several half-days, in June, will now become full days of school. Please note that Kindergarten and 8th grade graduations will remain as planned for Tuesday, June 2, 2009.

This past Thursday, students in Grades K-8 participated in the STARS assembly hosted by the PTO Cultural Arts Committee. This assembly provided students with information about astronomy and constellations. Students seemed to enjoy this educational presentation. Our special thanks to Mrs. Schlindler for coordinating this assembly.

It was nice to see so many parents, faculty and staff signed up for our Quiz Bowl being held this Saturday evening. It is always a special time when we gather as a school community. I appreciate Mr. and Mrs. Holleran and Mr. and Mrs. Cena for all the efforts in putting this activity together – that’s what makes Saint Leo the Great School a special place to be!

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

Thought for the Day
“Be who you are and be that perfectly well.”
-St. Francis de Sales

Thanks & Praise

• To the PTO for their donation enabling the school to purchase new cut dies. Fabulous—the teachers are thrilled!
• To Mary Abousaid for all her help with Mrs. Klontz’s shower last week.
• To Mrs. Ferlotti for providing such great treats for the faculty and staff to celebration their participation in Strive for Five.
• Congratulations to 8th grader Mary Katheryn Hesse, 7th graders Lizzy Callahan and Olivia Schlindler for attaining 1st place in Junior Pom, 1st place in Junior Lyrical and 3rd place Overall in Lyrical Category at the Contest of Champions Nationals at Disney World last week.
• To Mrs. Hardy, Mrs. Schouviller, and Mrs. White for preparing our 4th grade mass last Friday.
• To the teachers and staff for preparing our students for our school-wide Tornado safety drill and monthly fire drills.
• To Mr. Abraham, Mr. Torma, Mrs. Washington, Mrs. Lyle, Mr. Hedderson for planning and chaperoning our 7th grade science field trip to the Natural History Museum this past Wednesday.
• To Mrs. Dowd and PTO Board for sponsoring our dinner-out fund raiser at Fuddrucker’s in Fairfax.
• To Mrs. Bolster for a successful winter art club program which ended Monday.

SPRING PORTRAITS
are going to be taken on Tuesday, March 31st. The students may wear “dress up” clothes equal to or better than the uniform. No jeans or sport clothing. Paperwork is going home in the Thursday folders to give you more information.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
Students are invited to dress-up on their birthdays. As stated in the handbook, on a student’s birthday they may wear clothing equal to or better than the uniform, specifically, no jeans, T-shirts, or sneakers. Parents will be called if a student is not dressed accordingly. Please see page 77 in the handbook if you have any further questions regarding Birthday dress-up days.

SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL LENTEN FOOD DRIVE
will begin on Friday, March 20, 2009. With the theme, “Be rich in good works & ready to share” (1Timothy 6:18), we should be aware of the needs of others in our Church community, especially those who are struggling in some way at this time. All food donations of any type are appreciated. Some suggestions include: soups, macaroni, canned fruits and vegetables, crackers, cereals, pancake mix, canned tomato sauce, and canned meats and tuna.

During this Church season, we have the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Lenten practices of offering prayers to assist others and giving alms by providing food for those in need through our participation in this Lenten food pantry collection. Let’s fulfill our Christian promises by doing as Jesus did. Our drive continues until Friday, April 3.

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

FROM THE PRESCHOOL
Simon say, clip, clip, clip.
Simon say, Yes! The Box Tops!
Simon say, “Send them before March 27th”
Mrs. Figueiredo says: “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.

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.

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 last deadline for filing an application is 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

• 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.
• BISHOP O’CONNELL SOCCER CAMP: Tuckahoe Park, Arlington, VA - June 29-July 2, 9:00am - 3:00pm (8-14 year Olds, $195* includes t-shirt) Morning: Skills, Tactics, Contests and More – Afternoon: Small and Large Sided Play - 1 hour lunch break (bring your own lunch ). For more information, please contact DJOsoccercamp@verizon.net or call 703-894-8844.