PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

MR. RIDDER’S REMINDERS

Jan 26              2:00 Dismissal – Teacher In-Service
                          RUNZA Family Food Night 5-8pm 171^st & Maple
Jan 28/29          Catholic Schools Week Masses – Wear School Sweaters
Jan 30-Feb 3     Catholic Schools Week
Feb 4                7^th & 8^th Grade Science Fair 12:45-3:00pm
Feb 7                3^rd – 8^th Grade Progress Reports Sent Home
Feb 8                PreK No School - PreS/PreK Parent/Teacher Conferences
Feb 9                No School
                          Parent/Teacher Conferences 10:30am – 8:00pm
Feb 10              No School
                          Acceptance/Wait List Letters Mailed to New Families
Feb 13              PreK Valentine Exchange
Feb 14              PreS & K-4^th Grade Valentine Exchange 2:30pm
Feb 18              SPIRIT Dinner Auction
Feb 22              Ash Wednesday
Feb 23              2:00 Dismissal
Feb 29              Dress Down for February Birthdays
Mar 1                2012-2013 Kindergarten Roundup Meeting for Parents Only
Mar 2                No School for Current Kindergarteners
                          Kindergarten Roundup for 2012-2013 Kindergarteners

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK THIS NEXT WEEK - Catholic Schools Week will be celebrated nationally on January 28^th - February 3rd, 2012. On Saturday, January 28^th and Sunday, January 29^th, there will be masses celebrating Catholic Education with our parish community.  All St. Patrick’s School students are asked to wear their uniforms and sweaters to the Saturday and Sunday Masses. Please mark your calendar and make a point to having your child show his/her school pride as a Parish.  In addition, please join us for our Pancake Feed on Sunday, January 29^th from 9:00-1:00.
5:00PM Mass-planned by 8^th grade classroom teachers
8:00AM Mass-planned by 7^th grade classroom teachers
9:30AM Mass- planned by 6^th grade classroom teachers
11:00AM Mass-planned by 5^th grade classroom teachers
12:30PM Mass-planned by 4^th grade classroom teachers

Wednesday, February 1st - Special Friends Day open to Kindergarten - 4^th graders only will be held in the afternoon. Please keep this date open. An invite is attached to below with more information.

LINK TO SPECIAL FRIENDS DAY SIGN-UP

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK PANCAKE FEED - Kick off Catholic Schools Week with a delicious breakfast served right to your table by the youth of the parish! The SPY Pancake Breakfast is Sunday, Jan. 29thfrom 8:30 am-12:30pm. Breakfast includes pancakes, eggs, hash browns, and sausage or bacon! No cost, just a free will donation! Coloring sheets will be available for the kids. Funds go towards SPY summer trips, camps, missions. Thanks for your support!

REGISTRATION FOR 2012-2013 SCHOOL YEAR DUE TODAY –  All children currently attending St. Patrick’s, along with their siblings, are considered accepted and holding a spot for next year.  Letters of acceptance will NOT go home to them.  The letters will only be sent to NEW families in February.  If you know someone who would like to apply for St. Patrick’s School, have them call the school office for a tour at (402)289-5407.  They may also look at the “Admissions” link on the school website for more information.

MORNING DROP-OFF – Just a reminder, students are not to be dropped off at school prior to 7:40 unless they have made arrangements and have a pass from their teachers.  We have had too many students lately dropped off prior to 7:40 and we do not have supervision until that time!  We want to make sure all of our students are safe and that we have the necessary supervision in place.

A NOTE FROM MISS ANNE BOEVER - I have been so blessed to have taught at St. Patrick’s School for the last 5 years. I cannot thank God enough for the opportunity to have been able to work with such a dedicated teaching staff and wonderful students and families. Being able to teach and challenge the students at St. Patrick’s academically and help them grow spiritually is a great treasure. I will be getting married this summer, and after much thought and prayer, have decided that I will not be returning to St. Patrick’s in the fall. I am hoping to teach in Kansas, where we will be living. St. Patrick’s students, staff, and families will be in my prayers and I will always look back fondly on my time spent here.

MR. RIDDER”S RESPONSE - Anne has done a tremendous job of teaching for us and she will be missed! It is really hard to see wonderful teachers leave St. Patrick’s, but at the same time, I am pleased to know that Anne will have the opportunity to move onto another fulfilling stage in her life. We have all grown by having her here.

RUNZA FAMILY FOOD NIGHT - Please join us for Family Food Night at Runza on 171st and Maple on Thursday, January 26th from 5-8pm. Runza will donate15% of all sales to St. Patrick’s.Look in your child's backpack for the flyer that includes a $1.00 off coupon towards a combo meal of your choice. Let Runza take care of your dinner on January 26th and enjoy some fun with the St. Patrick's Community!

SCRIP - Make a New Year's resolution to help raise money for our school by purchasing $125 of gift cards each month for the remaining 5 months of the school year. Many of us spend that much each week at the grocery store so why not use Scrip to purchase your groceries! Visit www.stpatsscrip.org for order details.  Order $200 or more in Scrip during the month of January and be entered into the drawing to win a $25 gift card to Avant Salon and Day Spa.

ST. PATRICK’S FAMILY NIGHT WITH THE CREIGHTON BLUE JAYS - St. Patrick's Night with the Creighton Blue Jays Men's Basketball has been scheduled for  Wednesday, February 1st. We have received coupons (free tickets/family pass) to use. Each family pass is "redeemable for 4 or less FREE admission tickets". Redemption details: Redeem at box office at Century Link Center Omaha starting 90 minutes prior to the game time. If you would like one/or more of the family passes, please see the office as soon as possible.

RECYCLING TORN OR STAINED UNIFORMS – We have received a letter from Max Suiter explaining a uniform recycling project he has started.  Here is the information from his letter and how you can help:  “Recycle those tired, torn or stained uniforms and give them new life.  The material will be made into another usable item…just wash & take your uniform to Educational Outfitters, 2528 South 130^th Avenue.  They are only accepting uniforms, so please do not drop off all of your stained or worn clothes!  If you have any questions, visit www.uniformrecyclers.com or call Max at 402-330-3131.  Proceeds for the material will go to the Omaha Lydia House.”

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK: RealAge.com recently posted an article about healthy fast food choices for kids when in a bind. Of course, food prepared at home will be healthier for your child, but when you are running your three kids in three different directions in the evening and need a quick bite to eat, they are some options that are healthier than others. The article points out that it isn't just the fat, salt, and calories in fast food that makes it bad for us, it is also what is missing. Most kids meals from fast food restaurants don't meet the basic nutritional guidelines for children. Go to http://www.realage.com/kids-health/healthy-fast-food-choices-for-kids?src=nl&dom=realage&list=tod&link=tod-bullet&ad=kids-health?eid=1010659185&memberid=25677033 to read the article and see the 6 healthy fast food choices for kids.

ROBOTICS TOURNAMENT RESULTS - The St. Patrick’s Robotics teams participated in two tournaments this past weekend. Two teams went to Buffett Middle School and competed against 28 other area schools. The “JackBots” and “Young Guns” were tournament champions. “Young Guns” became the 3rd team from St. Patrick's to qualify for competing at the World Championships in April in California.  The other two teams competed in Solon, Iowa in that state’s first Vex tournament. “Fuzzy” and “Wuzzy” competed against 18 high school and 3 middle school teams and were the tournament finalists (2nd place).  All of the teams met or exceeded their expectations. Thanks to all the mentors for making what could have been a very challenging day, much easier! Great job kids!

CHESS TOURNAMENT RESULTS - St Patrick's Elkhorn Catholic School held it's 3rd annual chess tournament on Saturday, January 21. 183 students representing 41 different schools from throughout the state filled the Parish Center to capacity. With 81 individual trophies awarded, St. Patrick's students took home a total of 27. School team trophies were also awarded to the top three scoring schools. St Patrick's won the 1st place team trophy with a score of 26.5, just squeaking by North American Martyrs of Lincoln by one point. Fairview Elementary won the 3rd place team trophy with a score of 21 points. Tying for a 4th place finish with a score of 19 points each were Brownell-Talbot and Wahoo Public. Team scoring was calculated by the top four scoring students from each school.

SPRING SPORTS REGISTRATIONS STILL OPEN – Registration is currently open for Micro Soccer, CYSL Soccer, and YMCA Spring Volleyball. All registrations are available online at http://leagueusa.com/registration/index.jsp?SportsOrganizationId=240. For questions about online registration please contact Katie & Brent L'Heureux at lheureux03@yahoo.com.Micro Soccer registration will run until February 11th and then late registration goes from February 12th to March 3rd. Registrations will not be accepted after March 3rd. For questions about Micro Soccer please contact Joe Martinec at dcsos356@gmail.com. CYSL Soccer registration is open until January 21st, after that date late fees will apply and openings are filled on a first come first served basis. For questions about CYSL Soccer please contact Julie Wigdahl at njwig@cox.net. YMCA Volleyball is open to all 3rd & 4th grade girls in the parish. Registration for YMCA Volleyball will close January 31 with late fee registration until Feb. 6th. For questions about YMCA Volleyball please contact Lisa Seidl at lisaseidl@cox.net.

REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN FOR ST. PATRICK’S BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL -The athletic committee has approved an investment of $4,500 to upgrade the St. Patrick’s t-ball field to a baseball/softball field for the upcoming spring season. Most baseball and softball registration will end on 3/1/12. As such, St. Patrick’s will completely close registration on February 17thso an immediate determination can be made as to whether a team will be formed or not – leaving enough time to register for other leagues. Registration fees are 100% reimbursable if a team cannot be fielded. Please contact Erik Carlson at 402.216.5288 or erik.carlson@hdrinc.com or Rob Else at robelse@gmail.com with questions.

MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK IS UP AND RUNNING! -Registration is now available for the St. Patrick's middle school track and field program. The track program is available to all parishioners in 6th - 8th grades and competes in the Parochial Athletic League. An informational meeting for parents with questions will be held on Tuesday, February 7th at 6:00pm in Mr. Maline's classroom. Become part of this successful program by registering today and avoid late fees. For questions regarding St. Patrick's track program, please contact Mike Meyer at mrmomm@cox.net.

T-BALL REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN – Girls & boys ages 4, 5, and 6 may register online on the St. Patrick’s athletic page for the upcoming season.  Registration is open until March 16^th with a season start date of April 10^th!

HUMMEL DAY CAMP - This summer, St. Patrick’s will be participating in the Hummel Day Camp program offered by the City of Omaha Parks and Recreation. Hummel Day Camp is an outdoor recreation and education program for kids who have completed 1st through 7th grades the prior school year. Activities include hiking, nature identification, archery, art and crafts, outdoor cooking, wilderness skills, water and mud activities, camp songs, and more! Interested St. Patrick’s students will attend July 16-20th. The week-long camp is $95, which includes food and daily bus transportation from St. Patrick’s School parking lot. Registration will be in March. To learn more, please visit: http://www.cityofomaha.org/parks/recreation/hummel-park-nature-center/495. If you have any questions, contact Jennifer Dimig at jdimig@cox.net or Cecelia Grigsby at cgrigsby10@cox.net

RAFFLE TICKET UPDATE - Attention Students and Teachers: the Raffle committee is holding a special contest for the school or RF class that can sell the most raffle tickets by February 15th! The winning teacher will receive a wonderful spa and dinner package valued at more than $100 and the students will receive an exciting surprise prize. So, get out, sell your tickets and may the top class win!

Congratulations to Joe Braun (a St. Pat’s parishioner) who won yesterday’s Raffle Incentive.  He has sold 54 tickets for $920 to date!  To date, our parish families have sold more than 1,120 tickets! We're over a third of the way to hitting our goal of 3,000, and we know everyone can do even more! So, now through February 8th, all parishioners who sell at least 1 ticket will be entered into a drawing for our final BIG incentive prize! Better yet, we're going to draw two winners! Don't delay, now is the time to sell, sell, sell! We're counting on you to make this our best Raffle yet!

SPIRIT UPDATE - Get ready for SPIRIT! Coming SOON--February 18, 2012! Be sure to get your RSVP's turned in or sign up to volunteer! Auction catalogs will be handed out after all masses the weekend of February 11-12. Also, remember to turn in those raffle tickets. Watch the announcements for Tag Night, a fun way to help get auction items ready for the big day. Many hands make light work! Should you have any questions, please contact Jenn Copenhaver @ 964-1313 or jennkfly@yahoo.com.

SPIRIT REMINDERS - The SPIRIT dinner auction is just a month away! A few items to note:

• All invites have been mailed out.  Please contact one of the auction chairs if you did not receive one.
• Please RSVP for SPIRIT by either registering on-line @ https://stpatrickselkhorn.ejoinme.org/home or simply returning the RSVP Card.
• It’s not too late to underwrite the auction or purchase a catalog ad or SPIRIT Note!
• Tag Night details will be coming out soon.  Watch the Auction Web-Site/RF Notes/Principal’s Notes/Bulletin to get involved!

Should you have any questions, please contact Jenn Copenhaver @ jennkfly@yahoo.com or 964-1313.

CARNIVAL NEWS--SAVE THE DATE - Mark your calendars.... the St. Patrick's Parish Carnival is set for Sunday, August 26^th from 1:30 - 5:30PM.

Principal's Notes Deadline:

Please submit all items/information in final form.

Principal's Notes deadline is Tuesday by 8:00am to the school or email to

ridderd@stpatselkhorn.org or kmoritz@stpatselkhorn.org

Archived Principal's Notes