Bevel: Odds and Ends

St. Philip Neri School

St. Philip Neri School

 

  

September 25, 2009                                                                        Richard Cuva, Principal

Summer Newsletter                                                                                         

 

                                               Principal’s News                                 

                    

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August Newsletter

 

To receive the newsletter via e-mail, please send your name, e-mail address, relationship to students attending St. Philip Neri, and phone number to bambisobetski@gmail.com . Upon verification, your name will be added to our mailing list.
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Text Box: Dear Parent(s) The year started out very well and everyone is back into a “school mode” of operation. First Quarter Progress Reports went home on Friday, September 25th. The quarter ends on October 23rd. Our Pre-Kindergarten classes are off to a good start as well. There are 11 students enrolled at the present time. Miss Harrington, Mrs. Holzapfel, and the Pre-Kindergarten School Board Committee did an outstanding job this summer putting together a great curriculum and program for the youngsters. Getting back in the habit of being in school is a transition for both parents and students. John Rosemond, a child psychologist, has some very good tips on how to help your child be successful in school. The following article appeared in the Omaha World Herald on September 15, 2009: “Tips For Parents On School Success.” Make it clear to your child that disobedience is not an option. Not even the best teacher can discipline a child who comes from a home not already respectful of adult authority. Assign your child a fair share of day-to-day housework. The more responsible a child is within his or her family, the more responsibility the child will demonstrate at school. Limit electronic entertainment to non-school days only, and even then allow no more than five total hours per week. Be always interested in what and how your child is doing in school. The interested parent says to the child, in effect, “I am concerned about your education, but it is ultimately your responsibility.” 5. If and when your child’s teacher reports a problem, give the teacher – not your child! – the benefit of the doubt. As a rule, teachers are more committed to bettering the welfare of children than any other class of professionals. God Bless, Dick Cuva Principal

Dates to Remember:

 

Sept. 27 – Parish Festival – 12-9 pm

Sept. 28 – NO SCHOOL

Sept. 30 – ITBS

Oct. 1 – ITBS

Oct. 5 – NO SCHOOL

Oct. 6 – ITBS

              Student Council (Executive)

Oct. 7 – ITBS

Oct. 8 – Magazine Sale Kick-off

Oct. 12 – First Turn-in day

Oct. 15 – Mardi Gras Money due

                 (if not paid at Registration)

October 18 – GO A.P.E. 3:00-8:00 @ St. Roberts

                        (7th/8th graders)

Oct. 19 – Last turn in day (Magazine Sale)

        First Reconciliation Family 

        Meeting 6:30-8:00 (Parish Center)

Oct. 20 – Student Council (All)

Oct. 22 – Picture Day

Oct. 23 – End of 1st Quarter

                Vocation Day (6th Grade)

                Conference Slips Home

    **2ND QTR TUITION DUE**

Oct. 28 – Magazine Sale Games

Oct. 29 – NO SCHOOL

Parent/Teacher Conferences 2-8 p.m.

October 30 – NO SCHOOL

November 1 – LAST DAY FOR SHORTS

November 2 – Food Drive Begins

November 3 – Student Council Meeting

                              (Executive)

November 16 – Food Drive Ends

November 25-27 – NO SCHOOL

November 30 – Eastern Nebraska Office on

                 Aging (E.N.O.A.) Giving Tree          Begins

                

 

Religion around the school…
Text Box: Here is a sampling of what some of the classes are doing in Religion….. † Kindergarten learned the Noah’s Ark story. † First grade learned how God created us and everything around us. They also learned about Noah’s Ark and drew pictures about the story using pastels. † Second grade is preparing for First Reconciliation. They also learned how sin hurts our friendship with God and others. † Third grade made a collage to show how our families help each other. They also learned the role we play in our parish, and how our parish helps and serves others. † Fourth grade learned God’s plan for us, and about being faithful in their lives. † Eighth grade is preparing for Confirmation. They also learned what their personal faith journey in life is like. Saint of the Month: St. Leger St. Leger was a French bishop who lived in the seventh century. As part of his duties, he not only preached and taught ordinary people like us, but also reformed many clergy of the day who had become lax in their responsibilities. He strongly believed that if monks were doing what they were supposed to do, their prayers would help preserve the world from many disasters. While he was speaking primarily to clerics, his words also apply to us today. He thought that if everyone does no more and no less than what we are supposed to, the world would be in much better shape. The problem is we sometimes become so overwhelmed we don’t even know where to begin. Whether we’re dealing with global issues or personal ones, the process is exactly the same. We can’t try to solve everything at once. We’ve got to take it one step at a time. What can you do right now, today? (Don’t say tomorrow, because “tomorrow” never comes. Don’t say “I’ll wait until I’m better prepared,” because that, too, may never come.) What can you do right now?! “What you are doing, I may not be able to do…What I am doing you may not be able to do…But all of us together are doing something beautiful for God.” Mother Theresa’s words hold the key. If we each do what we can right now, together we will be able to accomplish all that needs to be done. Thought for the month: What issue concerns me the most at this moment? What one thing can I do to help? 365 Saints: Your Daily Guide to the Wisdom and Wonder of Their Lives By Woodeene Koenig-Bricker ©1995 Harper Collins

Families that are paying tuition quarterly are asked to have payments to the school office on or before Friday, October 23rd.  Please place your payment in an envelope marked “tuition” so your account can be properly credited.  Your receipt will be sent home with your child.  Thank you!!

 

 

School Pictures are scheduled for Thursday, October 22nd for all students in

Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade.  Students may dress up on that day.  Blue jeans are not permitted. Picture envelopes will be sent home with your child.  If you wish to purchase pictures, the money must be received in the office prior to picture day.  Eighth grade will not receive prepaid envelopes.  Their pictures will be taken and they will be able to order after viewing proofs.  If you have any questions, please contact the office.

 

 

Staff Spotlight

Miss Maureen Harrington teaches Kindergarten.  She graduated from Creighton University and is beginning her 19th year at St. Philip Neri School.  Before teaching Kindergarten, Maureen taught science, math, and religion to seventh and eighth grade for seven years.  She is a member of St. Cecilia’s Parish.

 

Miss Paige Jenkins

Paige teaches first grade and this is her second year at St. Philip Neri.  She previously taught in OPS.  Paige is a member of St. Leo’s Parish.

 

Mrs. Barbara Mueller has taught second grade at St. Philip Neri since 1977.  She has a Master’s Degree in reading.  Barb lives in Earling, Iowa and is a member of St. Joseph’s Parish in Earling.

Church support for July 1st through October 19th must be current by Monday October 20th.  These contributions need to be put in the Sunday collection basket.  Please use your church envelopes.  Regardless of the method of tuition payment you use, all church support must be paid by the following dates:

 

                  

One of the most frequent questions we have received since launching Sycamore is that some of you are having trouble sending a Pass-A-Note because you can’t “see the buttons”.  This is a very simple fix.  If you are using Internet Explorer, try logging into Sycamore using Firefox. 

 

If that doesn’t work, or you don’t like Firefox, please refer to “System Help” on the left side of your screen.  Choose “Messages”, click on “Welcome Aboard,” and follow the directions.  It will show instructions for both Internet Explorer and Firefox.  This should help.  If not, give us a call and we will try to help you.

Did you know…

Throughout the school year we will have “dress down/dress up” days.  Usually there will be a 50¢ charge to dress down.  This money is paid the day prior to the dress down day and is part of the student council fundraising projects.  We will also have a few days throughout the year when students may dress down or dress up at no charge.  The attire for dress down days may include shorts until November 1st and after April 1st.  T-shirts, jeans, sweat pants, and other appropriate clothing may be worn.  The

t-shirts must be in good taste with no abusive or offensive language, rock group messages, or tobacco/alcohol advertisements.  Students may not wear flip-flops, sandals, or clogs and must wear socks.  No make-up or nail polish may be worn.  Shorts that are not walking length may not be worn.  Students wearing short shorts or shirts that cannot be tucked in will call home and may lose the privilege of dressing down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Text Box: Student Council Corner Congratulations to the Executive Officers for the 2009-2010 St. Philip Neri Student Council. Text Box: Cafeteria News… We will no longer be sending notices home with your students notifying you of your lunch account balance. This information can be obtained from your Sycamore account. If you do not have access to Sycamore, please contact the cafeteria at school and we can let you know your balance. All purchases from the cafeteria come out of your one account for all members of your family.

Beginning Saturday, October 3rd, we will begin St. Philip Neri Nights at Godfather’s Pizza located at 7403 N. 30th Street, from 6:00 until 9:00 p.m.

 

We will do this the first Saturday of every month.  St. Philip Neri will receive 15% of the proceeds generated by our parishioners.

Upcoming dates are:

November 7th

December 5th

January 2nd

 

Please watch the newsletter and bulletin for future dates.

 

We will also continue to have Burger King Nights on the third Wednesday of the month (with the exception of January –  Eighth Grade Confirmation is January 20th, so Burger King Night will be moved to January 27th).


Thank you for your support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will continue to save Campbell Soup Labels, Our Family Labels, and General Mills Box Tops.  We also collect pop cans.

We need the following:

▪ UPC codes from Campbell soup and Our Family brand.

▪ Box tops of General Mills Cereal and Betty Crocker products.

▪ Bottle caps and coke codes from all coke products.  Please send in the bottle caps and the code from inside the 12-packs, 18-packs, or 24-packs.

▪ We also collect and recycle pop cans for the Knights of Columbus.  The money is used to fund scholarships for eighth grade students attending Catholic high schools.

▪ We are no longer accepting printer toner cartridges.  The amount of money received for them significantly decreased over the last year.  The cost to collect and send them was nearly equal to what we received.  We will let you know if we find a program that is more cost effective.
Text Box: Classroom News Pre-Kindergarten – Mrs. Holzapfel Pre-K is off to a great start. We have been very busy! The students are working on listening. We have been practicing the following steps: 1. Stop what you are doing! 2. Eyes on speaker 3. Hands empty Following directions and sharing time and space are a few other areas we work on. We have daily activities that include prayer, name and letter recognition, colors, shapes and numbers. We have been celebrating fall by making fall trees. We painted our forearm brown to make the trunk and our fingers fall colors to make the leaves. We used the tree to explain that, while each child is unique and special, we are all a part of God’s family. Finally, we are so happy to be a part of the St. Philip Neri family, and I am so blessed to have the opportunity to work with all of the students. Everyone has been wonderful about making us feel welcome! A very special THANK YOU to Miss Harrington for all of her time and talents in getting our Pre-K started. She is a true blessing to our school! We would like to wish Happy Birthday to four of our students who celebrated birthdays in August and September. Kindergarten – Miss Harrington One of our first stories of the year was “Will I Have A Friend?” Our Kindergartners have definitely found their special friends to play and learn with each day. Some highlights and activities from our first weeks of school include a scavenger hunt around the school, experiments with food coloring, honeybee bingo, and yogurt popsicles. Each subject area keeps our minds growing and learning. Here are some concepts being covered: Religion – Noah’s Ark story. Math – Position words and comparing objects. Reading – Concept of a word, differentiating upper and lowercase letters, and color words. Science – Living and nonliving things. Spanish – color words. Phonics – Counting syllables in a word and words in a sentence. Lots of practice with rhyming. Discipline With a Purpose – Listening and following direction skills. First Grade – Miss Jenkins First graders have had a busy, exciting start to the school year. In Reading we have been practicing sounding out new words, especially words with the “short a” vowel sounds. In Math we learned about addition and addition story problems. All of the students are excited to memorize their math facts. In Religion we learned about how God created us and everything around us. After learning about Noah’s Ark, we drew pictures about the story using oil pastels. The children read many of Eric Carle’s books. Our favorite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The students painted paper various colors and textures and then used these papers to make animals that are similar to Eric Carle’s illustrations. The year is off to a great start! Second Grade – Mrs. Mueller Second grade began the year by helping write rules for our classroom. We are working hard to improve our study and social skills. We earned an extra recess when we filled our rock jar. We earn rocks by showing good effort, cooperating, helping others and making good choices. The class received a positive referral for showing kindness and compassion for their classmates who were sick and sad. The class is working hard reviewing first grade skills in phonics and math. We are also learning new skills in reading. We have started our First Reconciliation preparation. We are learning how sin hurts our friendship with God and others. Third Grade – Mrs. Barberi The beginning of a new school year is always an exciting time. Adjusting to new routines, a new teacher, and new subjects can be a challenge. I’m happy to say that each day the students seem to show growth and a greater understanding of Third Grade. One of our new texts is our vocabulary book. Each lesson introduces us to ten new words. We have fun using these words in games and a variety of other activities. It is very exciting when we see these words appear in other contexts and can apply their meaning. Another new BIG book we’ve been introduced to is our English book. So far we’ve learned about what a sentence is, the four types of sentences, and subjects and predicates in sentences. Next, we will enter our writing unit to show our mastery of sentence structure and punctuation. One of our many familiar subjects is Math. In Math we are reviewing addition and subtraction with regrouping. Daily practice of Math facts at home is greatly appreciated. Another of our favorite subjects is Religion. We’ve constructed a collage to show how families help each other. We are also learning about the role we play in our parish and how our parish helps and serves others. We look forward to the Parish Festival and the many fun activities our parish offers us. Fourth Grade – Miss Vamosi Hello! We have had a busy and fun start to the new school year. In Religion, we have been talking about God’s plan for us and being faithful. All of the students wrote and drew about how they are faithful in their lives and they looked wonderful. In Math we have been working on adding and subtracting larger numbers. We have also worked with problem solving, mental math, and estimating. In Social Studies we learned about Nebraska’s state symbols and studied Nebraska’s flag. Each student made two Nebraska flags. One flag was modeled after Nebraska’s current flag and the other was created by the student and included the symbols that they felt best represented Nebraska. The flags look great and are very creative. In Reading, we have read The Lost Lake and Amelia’s Road. We are currently reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a class. It is a great book and the students are enjoying reading it. Ask your child to tell you about what they have read so far. Fifth Grade – Mrs. Boisen Welcome back to school! Fifth graders are settling into the schedule and routines of fifth grade. Responsibility has been stressed in many areas this year. Students have the responsibility of being on fire patrol. Our Discipline With a Purpose program, which helps students learn self-discipline skills, has three main areas for students to focus on: Respect yourself, others, and things Contribute to the learning environment Follow classroom procedures Students are taught self-discipline skills through those three areas and they have the responsibility to practice these skills. In the classroom we are working on listening skills. Another self-discipline skill we have been working on is: Cooperating with others. Students created Friendship Flow Charts to give ideas on how to get along with others. It is a pleasure to see all the different personalities that the students have. We have learned in Social Studies and Reading that our class is similar to America in that we all have different personalities and backgrounds, but come together to form one class/country that share some basic beliefs. We also discussed this concept as related to baseball. We are all part of a team, but each of us has a chance to make a difference. We read a story, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson,that had America and baseball as themes. The class played vocabulary baseball with our Unit One and Unit Two vocabulary words. We will continue throughout the year working on keeping their unique personalities while working on getting along with others and each working his or her hardest in the subject areas. Sixth Grade – Mrs. Schuchardt We are off and rolling right along in our new school year. After settling into our schedule and getting back into a school routine, we are picking up the pace and are full steam ahead. Our days fly by quickly. Topics being covered in Science classes are: Fifth grade – weather Sixth grade – Minerals and rocks Seventh grade – Cells Eighth grade – Properties and States of Matter Many observations, questions, and conclusions contribute to our activities in these various areas. Mr. Meehan was able to share some time with the seventh grade in their studies of cells. His experience and knowledge contributed to our studies immensely. It is wonderful to see how what we study, even at this level, contributes to passion and work in one’s life. English has found us working with prepositions and prepositional phrases. We have mastered this and my hope is to translate into separation from simple subjects and simple predicates as we continue on. Science Homework Club will be focusing on “Study Skills” during this first quarter. The first lesson coordinates with “Discipline with Purpose” and deals with “Listening and Doing”. These skills will also be worked into application for topics of study. Seventh Grade – Mrs. Mohr September is a month for the seventh grade in having new expectations. Writer’s Workshop, Mrs. Mohr’s rules on spelling assignments and the long term assessment in Language Arts are much to remember. The classroom, however, is designed with many reminders. All is going well. In Literature, all three classes are working on short stories and the literary elements they can teach us. Examples being: Sixth grade made a mobile showing rising action in plot. Eighth grade showed all the information needed in designing a book cover. Seventh grade is deep into direct and indirect characterization and enjoying the movie “The Yearling”. Seventh and Eighth grammar is focusing on the types of sentences and their various components in structure. The seventh and their First Grade partners celebrated a movie “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” and had a snack together the second week of school. Eighth Grade – Mr. Koesters We are off to a quick start in eighth grade! Our every day schedule is full and the students have done a great job starting off the year. This will certainly help them with the transition into high school for next year. This year looks to be a busy one with Confirmation, high school recruitment, sport teams, homework, and of course, graduation. I would like to invite the eighth graders to use this year to fully engage themselves in finding time continuing to build strong study habits. It will benefit them both this year, and certainly next year as they transition into high school. Just a few items parents might want to ask the eighth grade students, while they are building their strong study habits, might be: order of operations and inequalities in math, geographic regions and early American cultures in history, and finally, what their personal faith journey is like in religion. You may also want to know how to say a couple of sentences in Latin. I know things in the classroom all point to having a great year. I look forward to getting to know each student and support them in a successful school year. Library – Mrs. Reilly We have had a busy start this year! Here’s a brief run down: Kindergarten: Our two main topics have been new beginnings and book care. We read Kindergarten Countdown, by Anna Jane Hays; What Happened to Marion’s Book, by Brook Berg; Wild About Books, by Judy Sierra; and Boo and Baa Have Company, by Lena and Olof Landstrom. We have discussed the responsibilities of checking out books and taking good care of them. We watched a fun video on Teacher Tube entitled, “How to Take Care of Library Books”. Kindergartners have library on Wednesdays, so please help them remember to return their books! First Grade: First grade began with a review on book care by viewing “How to Take Care of Library Books” on Teacher Tube. We also learned “The Shelf Marker Song,” so that we could find our own books on the shelf. This is a big deal for us because in Kindergarten Mrs. Reilly selected the books and laid them on tables. In first grade we look for our own books on the shelves. In addition, we learned about the “Five Finger Test” to see if a book is one we can read. (Let your child explain the process.) We are also having an “I Can Read” campaign. We are looking for books we can try to read on our own. At this time of year we have a difficult time selecting books we can read on our own completely, so please help at home. After we read a book, we complete a fun sheet on the book and earn rewards in Library. Two of the books we have enjoyed listening to are How Big is the World?, by Britta Teckentrup and What’s That, Mitten?, by Lola Schaefer. Second Grade: We started out reading Library Lion, by Michelle Knudsen, focusing on the beginning, the middle, and the ending of the story. We then created our findings on our shelf markers. We reviewed the concept of this when reading Dogzilla, by Dav Pilkey. Finally, we, like the first grade, are participating in an “I Can Read” campaign. Third Grade: We started our year reviewing beginning, middle, and ending by listening to Dogzilla, by Dav Pilkey. We also enjoyed the book Library Lion, by Michelle Knudsen. We have also learned how to use the library catalog on the computers. We learned about searching by author, title, or subject. Fourth Grade: We began our year by focusing on summarizing through the process of beginning, middle and ending. We enjoyed listening to Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden, by Edith Pattou while reviewing this concept. We also reviewed how to search the library catalog by author, title, subject and keyword. We also learned about a technique called “Checking out the Framework,” which helps us find books to read for leisure. We are now reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl as a whole group as September has been designated as Roald Dahl Month. Fifth Grade: We started our year off by listening to the story, Thank You, Mr. Falker, by Patricia Polacco. This story is about a little girl who has a reading disability and her reading challenge is realized by her fifth grade teacher, who helps her with creating strategies to read successfully. What is really great about this book, besides the story, is that it is based on the author’s life. We then moved on to learning a strategy for ourselves, “Checking Out the Framework” which can be used to preview books. Intermediate Pick of the Month: No Talking, by Andrew Clements. The fifth grade boys and girls challenge each other not to talk! Funny! Sixth Grade: We have combined Library/Computer classes. So far we have learned how to access the public library from any computer that has internet. We experimented with the database, Culturegrams. We also learned about the book marking site “Delicious”. And finally, we are practicing skills to prepare us for the ITBS tests coming up. For library we have focused on check out and leisure reading. As the year goes on we will continue to work on information literacy skills, much of which involved using the computer, which is why we have combined the classes this year. Seventh and Eighth Grades: We have started out beautifully. Your children have been curious and well behaved, working hard to do their best. Hip Hip Hurray! We have learned and used the book marking site “Delicious”. This site enables the students to save a website in a web based book mark. By doing so they are able to access that web site at any computer with internet access. No more writing down and trying to remember long URL addresses. We have also practiced accessing the public library from the internet. Finally, we are working on skills to help prepare them for the ITBS tests. A Safety Note from Mrs. Reilly: Just like Google, the book marking site “Delicious” is not filtered. If you try to search for something less than desirable, it may show up. I have stressed this with the students. In our web based world it is important that our students learn these tools, and also learn about the responsibility that goes along with using them. “Delicious” is something I have been using for the past two years and I love it. It is mostly used by educators who want to secure and share helpful web sites. The seventh and eighth graders all have a user name and a password to access this site. We will send this information home to you and I encourage you to explore the opportunities with them. If you want to sign up yourself go to delicious.com. Young Adult Pick of the Month: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Check it out! Recommended for grades six and up. Check out the trailer at http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/videos/catching-fire-promo.htm Check our Nebraska Access at http://www.nebraskaccess.ne.gov Our school’s password is barrow3. This site is sponsored by the Nebraska Library Commission and free to all Nebraska residents. There are numerous databases, articles, biographies, etc. for you to peruse. Finally, don’t forget World Book at http://www.worldbookonline.com/ Our user name is spneriomaha Our password is 8202eagles We pay a subscription to this, so use it! Thanks to all the Birthday Book Club Members! **Please let me know if I’ve missed your name. I think I have them all, but I would hate to miss someone!!!!! ALSO, it is not too late to join the Birthday Book Club! $15 membership provides a book for the library and a good feeling in your heart! Music – Mr. Neneman In the Primary Grades (K-2) we spend a great deal of time playing games to help the children begin coordinating their major motor functions with an understanding of pitch, pulse, rhythm, movement and melody. In Kindergarten and first grade these games often revolve around self identity, name games, the parts of the body (variations on “head, shoulders, knees and toes”) and a lot of literary incorporation. It is wonderful for these young kids to engage in and create movement alongside stories. Furthermore an accompaniment of melody and steady beat really helps children of this age group crystallize within themselves the fundamentals of higher musical skill. The brain is a “use it or lose it” machine, and it’s both exciting and vital to get kids singing and feeling music during this period of their lives. Grades three through five begin learning the value of music as it is more directly related to the liturgy. They begin singing as Mass leaders and spending more class time on the music they will sing at each Mass. They also begin to learn the skills associated with music reading to prepare them for an instrumental or choral future. Games are still part of the norm, but they start to see real sheet music in from of them each class. They also begin to discern the different instrumental families, musical forms and musical styles. Middle School continues to develop sight reading skills in a choral atmosphere. The sixth graders will soon begin to head this year’s Christmas program while the later grades spend a great deal of time identifying how they fit into a modern musical culture individually. By discussing in seventh and eighth grade the many types of music, the tradition of song writing in America and the art of writing lyrics, our young adults will be leaders in their high school cultures. Music is more than listening to the radio and television. Truly affluent patrons take in creative influence eagerly from a variety of live and recorded avenues seeking not for quick entertainment but for a deeper musical satisfaction. The Church teaches that “music orders the soul” and I would love the young adults at St. Philip Neri to be seekers of diverse, exciting and enlightened music from both classical and vernacular idioms. Everything from Opera to Rock exists in my music classroom and I hope one day everyone from Bach to Beyonce´ will find their way onto your student’s stereo. Computer Lab – Mrs. St. Cyr Kindergarten – The Kindergarten students are learning the different parts of the computer. They are learning how to use the mouse. First Grade – First grade students are practicing their reading and math skills. They practice their spelling words, typing them into MS Word. Second graders reviewed math facts, reading, and punctuation using websites. Third grade students have started learning proper keyboarding skills. We have covered home row and just started the upper row. We are using Dance Mat, an online program. Students are practicing their math facts and Language Arts using My Schoolhouse. Fourth graders are practicing keyboarding skills and Language Arts using My Schoolhouse, and proofreading skills using typed sheets and an online program. Fifth grade students are working on keyboarding, math, and proofreading. Sixth, seventh and eighth grades are doing Computer Lab and Library together this year. Mrs. Reilly introduced students to the Omaha Public Library website. They learned how to reserve books, determine if books were offered online where they could download onto Ipods or MP3 players, or if the books could be checked out on audio CDs. In addition to the above, students are practicing keyboarding, making extensive use of My Schoolhouse. Students are working on problem solving, reading, Language Arts, Social Studies and Math. This year, students in grades four through eight are keeping track of the lessons they complete in My Schoolhouse in their own files in MS Word. When students come in for Computer Lab and work in My Schoolhouse, they type in the subject they are working in (Language Arts, Reading, Math, etc.). As each lesson is completed in My Schoolhouse, they click over to MS Word and type that lesson number in and then go back to My Schoolhouse to begin the next lesson. P.E./Health – Mr. Barberi Is it a great day at St. Phil’s?? It is always a good day at St. Phil’s. We have established a motto for the Physical Education classes – it is “If it is to be it is up to me”. The primary grades have been working on: following directions, listening, colors, shapes, skipping, hopping and learning left and right. We are using hula hoops to work on the concepts of personal space and common space. The upper grades have been learning basic football skills: catching, throwing, kicking and shield blocking. The students seem to enjoy this and are slowly developing their skills. We also instituted a dismissal procedure. When I say “Class dismissed” your student takes two steps forward, claps their hands twice and shouts “Go Eagles”. Resource Room – Mrs. O’Neill How many times has your child come home from school complaining about something – a bully on the playground, a harsh teacher, a skinned knee, or difficult homework? In Chellie Campbell’s book, The Wealthy Spirit, she tells how her mother taught her to play “The Glad Game”. The Glad Game is another name for a gratitude list. This helps you focus on what’s right in your world today, instead of what’s wrong. Instead of letting your child tell you all the wrongs or troubles, let him/her tell you what they are grateful for, such as a sunny day, good food to eat, a loving family, a house to live in, a family pet to love, a handful of friends to enjoy, and much, much more. Playing “The Glad Game” is a terrific way to change your attitude in a hurry. We all slip into self-pity once in a while – after all, we’re only human. The important thing is to cut the pity-party short and shift into gratitude. An attitude of gratitude will get you much farther in life than complaining and self-pity. Try it and see. Title I – Mrs. Golwitzer It is hard to believe that school has been in session a month now. It’s gone by quickly and the students and teachers are active and eager to have this school year be all it can be. The Title I program is off to an energetic start. This program services fourteen students this year, all of whom try their hardest and give it their best. They usually smile ☺ and have positive attitudes while they work with their peers. We hope for all that this school year proves to be fulfilling and successful in all aspects. If students, teachers, and parents combine forces, nothing but good things can happen for all.  Home and School Association SPN Home and School is off and running! We began the year by decorating the front entry of school and have recently redecorated for fall. Additionally, each teacher received funds for classroom supplies from Home and School. Our meeting on August 27th was a success! Thanks to all for attending. Please make plans to attend and support the SPN Fall Festival on Sunday, September 27th from Noon to 9 p.m. Home and School has been working hard lining up new games and old favorites, activities and entertainment for the whole family. Bring everyone down for a day of fun and to try our new game, Water Wars, and prepare to get soaked! Your donations of cakes, desserts, and pop money are most appreciated! Don’t forget to log these into Sycamore. The deadline to order new SPN Spiritwear has been extended until September 30th. Additionally, please note that our magazine/cookie dough fundraiser will run from October 8-28, 2009. Your participation is an essential part of its success. Finally, thank you to Blaine and Tracy McKillip for volunteering to serve as Treasurer for the 2009-2010 school year!!! Nicole VanScoy and Mary Fink – Co-Presidents Chris Edelbrock and Heather Tomczak – Co-Vice-Presidents Blaine and Tracy McKillip – Co-Treasurers Bambi Sobetski – Secretary

July 1 – October 19

16 weeks

October 25 – January 3

11 weeks

January 10 – March 7

10 weeks

March 14 – June 27

14 weeks

1 child

$288.00

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2+ Children

$448.00

(Paid by Oct. 20th)

1 Child

$198.00

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2+ Children

$308.00

(Paid by Jan. 4th)

1 Child

$180.00

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2+ Children

$280.00

(Paid by March 8th)

 

1 Child

$252.00

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2+ Children

$392.00

(Paid by June 28th)