PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

MR. RIDDER’S REMINDERS

May 19                 PreS Picnic and PreS Last Day of School

May 20                 8^th Grade Last Day of School

                            ALL SCHOOL Dress Down Day

                            Pep Rally and 8^th Grade vs. Staff Kickball Rematch 2:00pm

                            Sister School T- Shirt Entries Due

May 24                 8^th Grade Mass 8:30am & Graduation 6:30pm in the Church

May 25                 PreK Graduation and PreK Last Day 9:30 & 1:30

May 26                 ALL SCHOOL Dress Down Day

                            K-2nd Grades Field Day 9:20-11:00am

                            3rd-5th Grades Field Day 12:30-3:00pm

                            6th-8th Grades Field Day 12:30-3:00pm

May 27                 Kindergarten – 7^th Grade Last Day of School – 11:00am Dismissal

                            ALL SCHOOL Dress Down Day

                            Move-Up Day and End of the Year Prayer Service

Aug 7                   Get Set for School 1:00 – 5:00pm Parish Center

Aug 17                 First Day of School for Kindergarten – 8^th Grades

PEP RALLY AND KICKBALL RAIN PLAN – Just in case inclement weather should force us to move inside tomorrow, the plan will be to move to the Parish Center.  Due to limited space for the scheduled activities, 5^th – 8^th grade will be the only grades participating should it become necessary to move inside. Activities are being planned for kindergarten – 4^th grades as well.

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE 2011 8^TH GRADE GRADUATION CEREMONY - St. Patrick’s Catholic School cordially invites families and friends of St. Patrick’s School to the 2011 Eight Grade Graduation Ceremony, on Tuesday, May 24^th at 6:30pm in the church.  Please join us in celebrating our graduates, who have worked diligently to prepare for their next step of moving onto high school.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW MEMBERS AND THANKS TO THOSE LEAVING THE SCHOOL BOARD – Many thanks go out to Eric Butler and Amy Osten for their time and efforts serving on the School Board the last couple of years. Each member brings great input and advice to the administration of St. Patrick’s School and it is greatly appreciated. The newly elected returning member is Rich Panowicz and new to the board are Ann Monday and Bill Pulte.  I look forward to working with them as we move into another successful year in Catholic education.

PAYING OFF ALL 2010-2011 TUITION, ACTIVITY FEE, LUNCH, AND LIBRARY ACCOUNTS MUST BE DONE BY THURSDAY, MAY 27^th DISMISSAL TO AVOID HAVING REPORT CARDS OR STUDENT RECORDS HELD. Those owing Activity Fees, should look in their child’s backpack today for a letter stating that you have a balanced. Mr. O’Hara, Mrs. Gerten, and Ms. DeFreece are notifying families that carry a balance or need to replace a lost or damaged book.  Please make every effort to take care of this before the last day of school.

PAPERWORK NEEDED - Health information listed below for students should be turned into the school office by August 1, 2011 if you have not previously submitted it. Please refer to the Family Handbook for additional information.

• PreS and PreK - Birth Certificate & Immunization Record
• Kindergarten – Birth Certificate, Physical Exam, Visual Exam, & Immunization Record if you have not submitted this already.
• 7^th grade- Physical Exam and Immunization Record
• Out-of-State Transfer Students - Physical Exam and Immunization Record that meets Nebraska requirements.
• ALL STUDENTS – Verification of 2^nd Varicella (Chicken Pox) vaccination if the School Nurse, Mrs. Friedt, notified you that your child needs it.

We MUST have a copy of each child’s Birth Certificate, Immunization Record and Baptismal Certificate (if this sacrament took place at another Parish).

***The above documents are required by the state of Nebraska for school attendance.  These documents must be turned in and signed of as compete and accurate by office staff and school nurse before your child is allowed to attend school in August.  Please plan ahead and get this information into the school office so your child will be able to start school on August 17th. 

MEDICINE REPOSSESSION – If you supplied medicine for your child to be administered while at school you will need to pick it up by May, 27th (Last day of school).  Any medicine not picked up will be disposed of on May 31st.  Medicine cannot be sent home with a student, it must be picked up by a parent or guardian.

URGENT TUITION ASSISTANCE DEADLINE FAST APPROACHING!  So far, an unusually low number of applications for tuition assistance have been received.  The deadline to apply for St. Patrick’s Tuition Assistance is June 1^st.    If you submitted an application, please confirm with Vicki Payton that it has been received. (402)289-4289 Ext. 1521 or via emailvpayton@stpatselkhorn.org.  If you still have not applied, be sure to send in  your application prior to June 1, 2011.

LOCAL SPANISH STUDENTS SCORE WELL ON NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS - Congratulations to the 8^th grade world language students from St. Patrick’s Catholic School who attained national recognition for excellent performance on the 2011 National Spanish Examinations at Level 1 Regular and 1 Outside Experience. Ruben Quiros earned a silver medal scoring in the 91%tile in the nation and earning 2nd place in Nebraska in Category 1 Outside Experience.  3 bronze medals were earned by Emily Benes, Maureen Nolan, and Rhylee Steskal.  Certificates of Honor and Excellence were earned by Jon Doyle, Quincey Hogue, Alexis McGargill and Alicia Mountain.  “Attaining a medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious,” said Kevin Cessna-Buscemi, National Director of the Exams, “because the exams are the largest of their kind in the United States with 140,373 students participating in 2011.” The National Spanish Examinations are administered each year in middle school through 12^th grades and are sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.  The students were taught by Spanish teacher, Mrs. Sally Johnson.

ALEX MATH ACCOUNT – As you know, one of the school goals this past year has been math.  Our goal is to increase overall achievement with an emphasis on problem solving and computation.  Several of the teachers in our building began using a math website www.aleks.com to supplement classroom instruction.  They had much success and growth in their students who were using the program on a regular basis.  The program assesses the students in an assigned course, based on the state standards.  It rates their performance and creates a pie chart to show the concepts they know and the skill sets they need to develop.  Students are instructed only on the concepts they have not mastered.  The program has an instructional, practice, quiz, and assessment components.  Students work at their level and have some say in the order they learn the concepts.  The teachers are using it as part of classroom instruction, but mostly using it as homework and further skill building opportunity. Students can be enrolled into the program for $35 for nine months.  This is the school rate.  For the 2011-2012 school year we are going to implement this program for ALL 4^th through 8^th graders.  We currently have many students enrolled in this program.  Some of their subscriptions will run out around the time school starts, while others will not.  We will be pro-rating the fee for this year so that all the students will be able to have the same length of subscription. We will also offer the summer ALEKS lab to be scheduled Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:00 - noon.  The dates of the ALEKS lab will be starting June 28^th and ending July 28^th. They may attend one of three 45 minute sessions that they could sign up for ahead of time. More information will be sent home before school is out. 

TEACHER ASSISTANTS HIRED – After two weeks of interviewing highly qualified candidates we are excited to announce the hired of the teacher assistants noted below.  Most of them are certified teachers and/or have a four year degrees and are pursuing a teaching degree. Some of these teacher assistants see St. Patrick’s as a valuable experience for them as they prepare themselves to becoming highly qualified teachers.

PreS                     Becky Reger       1^st Grade             Kayla Incontro

3^rd Grade              Krista Linn           6^th Grade            Tracy Fernandez

7^th/8^th Grade         Linda Hubbard      TEAM                 Kathy Johnson

THE CROWNING OF OUR MOTHER MARY - The month of May is a special time when Catholics honor Mary, our Blessed Mother.  On Tuesday, May 17^th, St. Patrick’s Catholic School celebrated our annual May Crowning event after the all-school Mass.  One girl per grade was chosen to participate in the procession, while carrying a small rose bouquet to be placed near our statue of Mary in the Church.  A girl from 2^nd grade was chosen to crown Mary with a silk floral wreath. This year, 2^nd grader, Allie Gray, was chosen to crown Mary, and eleven other girls participated in the procession. 

Their names are as follows: Lily Shea(Kindergarten), Delaney Broz(1^st grade), Josie Kenkel & Natalie Blumenkemper(2^ndgrade), Rachel Grigsby(3^rd grade), Audrey Otwell(4^th grade), Sydney Schumacher(5^th grade), Kirsten Meyer(6^th grade), Brianna Siracuse & Paige Hoffman(7^th grade), and Allison Hotovy(8^th grade).

CATHOLIC 101 WITH FR. RODNEY – Marian Apparitions

  When I was a little boy, sometimes my Nana would come over to babysit us kids.  Nana would have us pray the rosary before bed, and sometimes she would tell us stories.  They were never your typical bedtime stories; they were stories about the saints and about our Blessed Mother.  One time she told us the story of Our Lady of Lourdes, how Mary appeared to a 14 year old girl in France named Bernadette.  That night I got on my knees and prayed to Mary, I begged her, please, please, please don’t appear to me.  Obviously my faith was not as strong as Bernadette’s.  So what is a “Marian Apparition?”  It is an event at which Mary is said to have supernaturally appeared to someone, or a group of people.  Sometimes she is said to appear only once, sometimes two or more times.  Sometimes, like with Lourdes and Fatima, an actual vision of a lady with whom the visionaries have a conversation is reported.  They tell us that they actually saw with their eyes and heard with their ears the Mother of God.  Though often it’s only after they tell what happened that they come to understand it is her.  Now in our Catholic doctrine, public revelation ended when the last Apostle died.  So if a Marian apparition is found to be credible or rather, genuine by Church authority, it is treated as a private revelation that doesn’t add anything new to the deposit of faith.  Rather, apparitions reaffirm or highlight perhaps a certain concept or matter of faith; for example when Mary told Bernadette I am the Immaculate Conception.  Or she may appear in troubled times to oppressed people to bring them dignity and hope; for example Our Lady of Guadalupe.  They show Mary’s continued active presence in the Church.  As you may imagine because authentic apportions draw pilgrims and attention, there are some who might make up elaborate hoaxes for their own gain.  In 1978 the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued Norms of the Congregation for Proceeding in Judging Alleged Apparitions and Revelations.  It begins locally; the bishop must initiate the process after looking at all the facts and interviewing those involved, if possible.  The apparition is then evaluated based on positive criteria: mental balance, sincerity, evaluation of the content- i.e. is it consistent with Church doctrine etc. Then it is evaluated based on negative criteria: proof of financial gain, psychological disorders that may be driving the visions, glaring errors of facts or inconsistency of events.  After that, if the apparition meets both sets of criteria, the Church will say that for the moment, though it has not yet been authenticated, the Church is not opposed to it.  This means the faithful are welcome to, if they want to, to make pilgrimages and pray devotions.  Ultimately, a final judgment of authenticity is given only after much time and the fruits of faith facilitated by the apparition are abundant and obvious.  People tell me sometimes that they just can’t believe the Blessed Mother “appeared” to someone, no matter what may have resulted from the alleged event.  My response is always the same.  Ok.  It’s a private revelation.  You need not give your assent.  But I also ask them to consider all the lives the event has touched and all conversions it has lead to, and all the joy it has caused.  Weather we can believe these apparitions have happened or not, I hope we never doubt the contributions the Blessed Virgin Mother continues to offer us, all for the praise and glory of her Son.

LOST & FOUND – We will be displaying items from “Lost & Found” that have been left behind St. Patrick’s School.  These items will be displayed near the entrance in the school building through May 27^th.  Anything not picked up by the final school day, will either go to the Used Uniform Committee or a charity. Many sweaters and sweatshirts that are approved uniform wear need to be claimed by their rightful owner.

FULL-TIME OFFICE ASSISTANT NEEDED – We are seeking a person who possesses the following characteristics: caring, flexible, hard-working, and passionate about making a difference for students, a team player, models Christian behavior, as well as strong technology skills. It is not necessary to have a college degree. This job offers comparable salary and benefits. This position is year round and will begin this summer. Interviews will be in June. Applicants can email Mr. Ridder ridderd@stpatselkhorn.org their application letter and resumé along with, at least two, written references.

TWO PART-TIME EXTENDED CARE ASSISTANT POSITIONS NEEDED – We have two openings for part-time positions in the Extended Care Program for the 2011-2012 school year. If you or someone you would recommend would be interested in this position, please contact Principal Don Ridder at 289-5407.

NEW DESIGN FOR SISTER SCHOOL T-SHIRT CONTEST - We have supported our sister school, St. Mary’s in Uganda for the last three school years.  We have been able to provide a lunch to the 1300+ students who would normally go without a lunch for the entire school day. We would like to continue this service. Help us to create a new sister school t-shirt for the upcoming school year.  The link for the t-shirt pattern can be found below.  Your design needs to contain a slogan or motto for this school year incorporating our Catholic identity.  All designs are due to the office on/before the morning of May 20^th.  The winning design will be announced at the Pep Rally on May 20^th with a special surprise going to the winner.  

LINK TO SISTER SCHOOL T-SHIRT TEMPLATE 

SUMMER SCHOOL REGISTRATION BEGINS - This class is intended to be a brush up to get the students ready for the upcoming school year. Emphasis will be placed on reading, writing, and grammar, as well as the review of math concepts. Parents should register for the grade their child will be entering in the fall of 2011.  The list below tells what teachers will be teaching and to the right you can find a link to their registration form.  Please make checks payable to the teacher. 

Ms. McGinty       Kindergarten Summer School Form

Mrs. Kill             1ST Grade Summer School Form

Mrs. Hotovy        2ND Grade Summer School Form

Mrs. Peal           3RD Grade Summer School Form

Mrs. Miller          4TH Grade Summer School Form

Mrs. DeWald      5TH Grade Summer School Form

Ms. Dobel          6TH Grade Summer School Form

Mrs Perrault       7TH Grade Language Arts Summer School Form

Mr. Shanle         7TH Grade Math Summer School Form

Information regarding summer school registration for Middle School will be available next week.

DO YOU LIKE TO READ? Come join Page One Reading Club. Page One is an extra-curricular reading program for students in 3rd-8th grades. (Level I consist of 3^rd - 4^th graders, Level II is for 5^th – 6^th graders, and 7^th – 8^th graders are in Level III.)  Students will read different types of literature throughout next school year and participate in a competition in the spring.  These books will be listed at www.pageonenebraska.com/ by June 1.  More information will be given this fall, so get excited about reading and get a head start this summer.  If you have any questions, please contact Kerry Benes at kerry@benesfamily.net or Jean Lindsay at jjalindsay@cox.net.

2010-2011 YEARBOOK ORDERING EXTENDED - It is time to order your 80 page, full color 2010 - 2011 yearbook.  Orders are due Tuesday, May 24^th.  The yearbooks should be available for pickup in August.  If you have any questions, or any pictures that could be included in this year's yearbook, please contact Victoria Brichacek at stpatsyearbook@hotmail.com. 

LINK TO 2010-2011 YEARBOOK ORDER FORM

All pictures are needed, especially pictures of preschoolers, First Communion, Confirmation, St. Patrick's sponsored sports teams (CYSL or PAL), and special events such as music programs, field trips, classroom visitors, etc.  There are also a limited number of last year's yearbooks (2009 - 10) available for purchase as well.  Please contact Victoria Brichacek at stpatsyearbook@hotmail.com for details.

SPRING SCRIP SALE - The Spring SCRIP Sale is underway. Any order turned in by Friday, May 19^th will be returned by May 25^th.  Arby’s Night was a HUGE success with $360 in profit for our school!  Thanks to everyone who went out and special thanks to Arby’s for the generous donation!  “Cash & Carry” next Wednesday & Thursday – we’ll be reducing our inventory before summer so stop by the table near the church entrance at pick-up and “Shop SCRIP” for anything we have in stock.

REMEMBER YOUR POP TABS!!!  Please gather all you pop tops up and bring them to school by May 26th.  We have collected about 50 pounds so far this year.  That is about 75,000 pop tops.  Thank you so much!!!  Can we do 100,000?  I THINK WE CAN!!!  Dan Van Anne

ST. PATRICK’S ATHLETIC COMMITTEE NEEDS YOU - The St. Patrick’s Athletic Committee (SPAC) looking for an individual who is interested in helping start and Chair a St. Patrick’s specific baseball program to participate in the Parochial Athletic League (PAL).  Baseball is one of the only sports St. Patrick’s doesn’t offer and there is some interest in getting a Program started.  SPAC experience is not required, only the desire to help offer our children a full array of athletic choices.  If interested please contact Erik Carlson at 402.216.5288 or email him at Erik.Carlson@hdrinc.com. 

FALL SOCCER REGISTRATION OPENS - Registration is now open for the fall season of CYSL soccer.  CYSL soccer is open to all parishioners from 1st grade - 8th grade.  You can register online at:  http://leagueusa.com/registration/index.jsp?SportsOrganizationId=240.  Register today to avoid late registration complications and fees.  For questions on CYSL soccer please contact Mike Meyer at mrmomm@cox.net.  For questions about online registration contact Katie & Brent L'Heureux at lheureux03@yahoo.com.

PAL VOLLEYBALL REGISTRATION DEADLINE APPROACHING - Don't forget to sign up for PAL volleyball - registration closes on May 20th.  There will be another sign up in the fall before fall season starts but teams that have enough spring athletes signed up can practice this summer and play in summer tournaments.  Tryouts are tentatively scheduled for May 23^rd at the Westroads Club.  After registration closes, watch your email regarding the final tryout schedule from Dan Hanus.  Contact Dan at DQH@COX.NET if you have any questions or see the Principal notes from 2 weeks ago. 

SHOW YOUR SCHOOL SPIRIT AT THE ELKHORN DAYS PARADE - Everyone loves a parade!  So join us and show your St. Patrick's spirit in the Elkhorn Days Parade.  It is Saturday, June 25th.   Line-up is at 9:00am and the parade starts at 10:30am.  Please come follow our own St. Patrick's Cheerleaders and wear your favorite St. Patrick's attire.  Pull out those soccer jerseys, Uganda T-shirts, anything that shows our St. Patrick's spirit!  See you there! 

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL REGISTRATION BEGINS - Mark your calendars for June 13th through 17^th 9:00 a.m. to Noon and join us for Vacation Bible School. It is open to children entering kindergarten in the fall of 2011 through children entering 5th grade. 6th grade and up are welcome to volunteer.  Registration for participants and volunteers is on the website at www.stpatselkhorn.org under the Religious Formation tab.

CARNIVAL NEWS - SAVE THE DATE – St. Patrick's Parish Carnival is set for Sunday, August 28 from 1:30-5:30 PM. Get a head start on your SPRING CLEANING too! Look around your house for some fun "carnival" type toys and trinkets - we would love them for the carnival!  One mom's trash is another kid's treasure at the carnival!!!! A box marked “carnival” donations will be placed in the entrance of the school for you to deposit your items. If you have questions or would like to volunteer, contact Jacquie Schumacher @ 201-1183 or email jacquieschumacher@cox.net.or Tammy Olson @ olsonp1@cox.net.

SPIRIT Dinner Auction on your mind? It's now on ours!  Introducing the 2012 SPIRIT Dinner Auction Team:

General Chairs: John & Jenn Copenhaver,

Auction Chairs: Tim & Rene Kremer 

Event Chairs: Matt & Staci Witkowski

Official Kick-off Party in September (Date & Time TBA).  Save the date for the 2012 SPIRIT Dinner Auction:  February 18, 2012 @ the DC Center. We welcome volunteers as we are already up and running. Want to join our team? Feel free to contact us jennkfly@yahoo.com, renekremer@cox.net, ladybug97@cox.net
Jenn Copenhaver 964-1313

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