PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

MR. RIDDER’S REMINDERS

Feb 25                    6th – 8th Grade After-School Art Club Begins

Feb 26                     $CRIP Dress Down Day For All

                               Last Names E through H Bring Dessert for Fish Fry

Mar 1                      Home and School meeting 7pm in Teachers’ Lounge

Mar 4                      School Reconciliation Service for 2nd – 8th Grade Students

                               1st Grade Spring Music Program - 6:30pm in the Parish Center

Mar 5                      $1 Dress Down Day to Support Holy Name Catholic School

Mar 8                      Start of School Staff Appreciation Week

                               All Staff/Students Uganda T-Shirt Dress Down Day

                               School Board Meeting 6:30pm

Mar 11                    2pm Dismissal – Teacher In-Service

Mar 12                    No School-Teacher In-Service

Mar 13                    St. Patrick’s Day Parade Downtown Omaha

Mar 16                    5th Grade Couple to Couple Presentation at 7pm

Mar 17                    St. Patrick’s Day – All Staff/Students Wear Your Green Dress Down Day!

Mar 18                    3rd Quarter Report Cards Sent Home

                               Kindergarten Spring Music Program - 6:30pm in Parish Center

Mar 19                    St. Patrick’s Open House 8:30am – 3:00pm

Mar 25                    Meeting for Parents of 2010-2011 Kindergarteners in the Parish Center 7pm

Mar 26                    No School for 2009-2010 Kindergarteners Only

                               Kindergarten Roundup 9:00-10:30 & 1:30-3:00

JOIN US FOR STATIONS OF THE CROSS – During this Lenten Season, Father Rodney Adams will lead the students and staff in the Stations of the Cross.  The Stations will be held on Friday from 2:30 to 3:05

4th – 8th Grades will partake on February 26th and March 26th

Kindergarten – 3rd Grades will partake on March 5th and March 19th

All students & staff will go on Wednesday, March 31st for the final Stations of the Cross.  We invite all family, friends and parishioners to join us!

PENNIES FOR PATIENTS CAMPAIGN - Student Council will begin the Pennies-for-Patients Campaign on Monday, March 1 and will run through Friday, March 19th.  They have a special announcement planned for Monday afternoon to get the classes excited to participate.  Student Council members & trusted helpers will be coming into your classroom to spread the excitement.

We have decided to mix things up & make it more exciting and competitive for all.  K – Second grade will be going for the goal of 3,500 oz. of pennies.  If they bring in a dollar, that will count for 9 oz.  If they reach or exceed the goal, all will receive a Popsicle treat.

In 3rd – 8th grade, the students will be competing grade level vs. grade level.  Broken down as follows:

• 3rd grade vs. 4th grade
• 5th grade vs. 6th grade
• 7th grade vs. 8th grade

The winner at each level will earn a dress down day.  The OVERALL classroom winner for 3rd through 8th grade will receive a special award that will be decided by the homeroom teacher. Some of the suggestions were a water fight (to be held on a hot day in May), pizza party, ice cream sundae party, etc. 

Blessings & thank you for your support of this worthy cause – Student Council

NOTE FROM OUR 4TH GRADE TEACHER, MRS. STILLMAN - It is with much sadness that I need to announce that I will not be returning next year to St. Patrick’s.  I have decided at this time that it is best for my family for me to continue to stay home and be a full time mom again.  This has been a very difficult decision for me not only because of my love for teaching, but also because of the opportunity that I have been given to be a part of the outstanding staff at St. Patrick’s and to work with the very caring and generous families that support this wonderful school.  At times we are all called to do things that are difficult and although I will enjoy spending more time with my children and family, it is a sacrifice for me to give up teaching and working with the staff and families that I have grown to love here.  I want to thank all of you for your generosity and the support that you have shown me during my time here.  I thank all of you for giving me the opportunity of knowing and working with your children.  I will miss them dearly and I feel blessed to have known each one of them.  God Bless You All! Jane Stillman

MR. RIDDER’S RESPONSE - It is really hard to see these people leave, but at the same time I am pleased to know that each of them will have the opportunity to improve things for their family.  Fortunately for St. Patrick’s, God has sent us incredible people with wonderful references to fill their positions.

NOTE FROM 1ST GRADE TEACHER’S ASSISTANT, MRS. HART - This note is to let you know that I’ve really enjoyed working with the staff and students here at St. Patrick’s School.  However, I’ve found a position that will better serve my family.  I would like you all to know that the children here are very talented, well-mannered, and loving.  They are very compassionate to each other and to people around them.  You, parents, should be thankful you have your children in such a wonderful school and parish! Thanks for all your support! Carrie Hart

MR. RIDDER’S RESPONSE - Mrs. Hart has done a wonderful job with the first grade staff and students and she will be missed.  She loves it here, but as she noted, the job she found will serve her family well. 

TEACHER ASSISTANT POSITION NEEDED IMMEDIATELY – We now have an opening for a full time 1st grade TA position.  If you or someone you would recommend would be interested in a TA position, please contact the school office at 289-5407. The hours are 7:45am – 3:30pm Monday through Friday on school days. The pay starts at $8.00/hour depending on experience. This position does not require a Nebraska Teaching Certificate.

NOTICE TO PARENTS OF MONDAY CHESS CLUB MEMBERS - In order to keep all children safe, beginning next week, parents must park their cars and come into the parish center to pick up their child from chess club. Thank you for your cooperation, and for picking up your child promptly at 4:30 pm

HOME & SCHOOLS STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK BEGINS MARCH 8, 2010 - The theme of the week is "A World of Thanks".  We've got a week full of great plans and activities for the awesome school staff at St. Patrick’s.  An envelope went home with one student from each family this week, requesting a monetary donation for the gift "grab" bags that will be given to the school staff on Thursday, March 11th.  If you would like to make a donation, please return it to the office by Monday, March 1st.  If you have any questions or would like to help on the Teacher Appreciation committee, please call Jenny Johnston at 492-9593 or email to jennyjohnston@cox.net

A $1 DRESS DOWN DAY TO SUPPORT HOLY NAME CATHOLIC SCHOOL - St. Patrick’s Catholic School is sponsoring a Dollar Drive, to support Holy Name Catholic School in Omaha, NE.  In case you are unaware, according to the Omaha World Herald, it was stated last week, that the 93-year-old Holy Name School, at 2901 Fontenelle Blvd., in Omaha, might have to close this year if it can't raise $300,000 by March 15 to cover a budget shortfall. A minimum of $1 or more per St. Patrick’s student will allow each student to enjoy a Dress down day on Friday, March 5th

ST. PATRICK’S SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE – If you, or someone you know, are interested in seeing what St. Patrick’s School is about, please plan to come in on Friday, March 19th between 8:30 and 3:00 for a tour during a regular school day. This is your opportunity to see how our teachers and students exhibit on a daily basis what makes St. Patrick’s School such a special place.

INFORMATION REGARDING KINDERGARTEN ROUNDUP – On Thursday, March 25th, there will be “parents only” meeting for those who have children that have been accepted into the 2010-2011 Kindergarten class.  The meeting will be at 7:00pm in the Parish Center.  We ask that at least one parent per student attend.  On Friday, March 26th, there will be two Kindergarten Roundup sessions for children: 9:00-10:30am and 1:00-2:30pm. 

The 2009-2010 PreK will come to school as they normally do. The accepted children that do not currently attend to St. Patrick’s School, will come to the assigned session by their last name:

A – M      9:00 – 10:30am

N – Z      1:00 – 2:30pm

2009-2010 Kindergarteners will not have school on Friday, March 26th.  We look forward to meeting you and your child that week.  If you have any other questions email Mr. Ridder at ridderd@stpatselkhorn.org.

A BIG THANK YOU FROM ST. PATRICK’S SCIENCE DEPARTMENT - We would like to thank all of the families who donated to our Adopt-an-Animal program.  With your help, we were able to raise over $500 that will go towards the care and upkeep of our animals in the science lab.  The 8th grade students are hard at work with the taking care of the animals, as well; they are busy working on a newsletter that will go home in the coming weeks, telling about the animal/s that were specified.  We are so grateful to have such awesome families and students who care so much about our little friends, your newly adopted little friends.  If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Maline at dmaline@stpatselkhorn.org.

Support Our School! - Our annual QSP Magazine Fundraiser is coming up!  Your support will be greatly appreciated! We will be kicking off on Thursday, March 3rd, so be on the lookout for your packet coming home!

However, you can get started now! If you want to Support Our School today, shop online and renew or buy new subscriptions. Visit www.QSP.com and make your selections!   It’s that simple! Our school code is 425052783.

Your support allows a substantial portion of the subscription price to stay at our school to help purchase an updated computerized check-in system for our library!  If we can count on your support this year, we are sure to have a successful campaign!

How You Can Support Our School More….

• Consider giving magazine subscriptions as gifts this year!
• Purchase subscriptions for the school!
• Let friends and family know about our fundraiser and ask them to save their orders for our program!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

LUNCHROOM HELP FOR MARCH - We are in need of some extra help in March - specifically on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  We always strive to have a minimum of four volunteers on every shift, and we are falling short on those days throughout the month.  We'd really appreciate your time if you could give 2 hours to help serve and clean up.  This would be a great opportunity for those parents that haven't ever tried it - to give it a chance.  You can let Kathy Mingo know of your availability by emailing her at mikemingo@cox.net.  If you have any questions, you can email Kathy at mikemingo@cox.net or Kris Morrissey at krismorrissey@cox.net. 

DID YOU MISS THE DINNER/AUCTION? YOU MAY STILL ORDER REPLICAS OF CLASS PROJECTS FOR KINDERGARTEN, 5TH AND 8TH GRADE STUDENTS - Don’t miss this last chance to purchase a copy of your child's classroom project that was sold at this year’s“ That’s Amore” Dinner Auction. Projects available for purchase are: Kindergarten, 5th and 8th grade.

ORDER FORM FOR ORDERING DINNER/AUCTION CLASSROOM PROJECT

DESSERTS FOR LENTEN FRIDAY FISH FRY NIGHTS- The St. Patrick’s Men’s Club will once again be holding a Lenten Fish Fry each Friday night during Lent. We are asking all parishioners to help supply the dessert for these suppers. We suggest that each family bring a pie, small cake, dessert bars, or other dessert (about 6 to 10 servings) to the Parish Center on the Friday designated by the first letter of your last name on the following schedule. Each family will donate only one week.

Family Last Name               Date

E through H                     February 26

I through L                       March 5

M through P                    March 12

Q through S                     March 19

T through Z                      March 26

HOME & SCHOOL NEEDS YOUR INPUT - Home & School is interested and looking into offering bundled school supplies to parents as a convenience.  The more families that participate, the better - so we want to know how many families might be interested in this service.  Home & School would get the supply lists from the teachers.  We would not offer everything on the lists - just the basic supplies like paper, writing utensils, folders, binders, etc.  The families interested in participating would order and pre-pay before the end of this school year.  Families would then pick up their bundled school supplies at the “Get Set for School” event in August.  It would be that simple.  Please help us out by completing a three question survey.  This will help us determine how many families might be interested in this program. Results of the survey and a final decision about offering the supplies will be made at the March H&S meeting.   Thank you for your responses! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C9DTYCB.

MARCH IS MUSIC IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS MONTH - Help us celebrate by donating a good, used band instrument!  Perhaps you could provide a financial gift to enable a needy student the opportunity to explore his/her musical abilities!  Music in Catholic Schools needs band instruments (woodwinds, brass, and percussion) in good playing condition to loan to parochial school students who cannot afford to rent or buy an instrument. Financial gifts are much appreciated, as monetary contributions enable students to participate who could not otherwise do so.  For more information, please contact Deb Lund at 557-5600.  Thanks!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE – Saturday, March 13th 2010 at 10:00am. This will be the 8th time that St. Patrick's Catholic School will enter the Royal Hibernians St. Patrick's Day Parade which is held in the Old Market in Omaha. Our theme this year is:  St. Patrick's Catholic School Celebrating 10 years of Educational Excellence. For those who are new to the school, we have won 1st place for the past 7 years and this is a perfect time for those of you who have never been in a parade to join us for the fun. All families of the school and parish are welcome to come and walk along with our float which will, again, be pulled by a team of Belgium horses. Please watch for future info on the parade. St. Patrick's gear is already in the stores so shop early and be GREEN! If you have any questions or want to volunteer to help please contact: Patti Hertel @ pjhertel@msn.com or 779-4304.

SCRIP RUNZA Family Food Night is tonight, Thursday, Feb. 25th from 5-8pm at the 171st & Maple location.  15% of all proceeds will go back to St. Pat’s!  Enjoy a night out with your family and fellow St. Pat’s families while supporting our school. New Vendor:  We are excited to announce our newest vendor to the SCRIP program – Two Fine Irishmen at 180th & Q – locally owned by the Hatton family of St. Pat’s.  They are offering 10% back to St. Pat’s on their $25 gift cards.  Stop by and check them out for dinner with your family, lunch with co-workers or a night out with your friends! It’s not too late to either turn in your payment for your Savings Sidekick coupon book or return the book if you don’t wish to purchase it at this time.  Remember, we get to keep $10 for every book sold

FIRST EUCHARIST VOLUNTEERS - With 1st Eucharist just around the corner (April 10th/11th) we are looking for parishioners who are willing to serve as greeters and ushers during each of the weekend Masses.  Volunteers would assist with greeting families, placing quilts on family pews and also ushering 1st Communicants and their families to communion.  We do ask that volunteers be available for the practice that coincides with the Mass that you will be serving at. Practice times for each of the Masses are as follows:

 Pictures/Practice for the 5:00 pm Mass on April 10th will be held @ 8:00 a.m. on Sat, April 10th

Pictures/Practice for the 8:00 am Mass on April 11th will be held @ 9:00 a.m. on Sat, April 10th

Pictures/Practice for the 9:30 am Mass on April 11th will be held @ 10:00 a.m. on Sat, April 10th

Pictures/Practice for the 11:00 am Mass on April 11th will be held @ 11:00 a.m. on Sat, April 10th

Pictures/Practice for the 12:30 pm Mass on April 11th will be held @ 12:00 p.m. on Sat, April 10th  

EMHC’s, we can use your help too!  If you are available to help the children practice receiving on Saturday, we’d love to have your help. All interested volunteers, please call the RF Office at 289-4947, extension 1505 or email mmcmahon@stpatselkhorn.org

WANT TO JOIN  M.O.M.S.?  A new group to begin in MARCH 2010!  Are you a MOM looking for a little soul time every week? A new session of the M.O.M.S. (Ministry of Mothers Sharing) is scheduled to begin Wednesday, March 3rd through Wednesday, April 14th.  This group will meet for 7 consecutive weeks on WEDNESAY MORNINGS from 8:45 to10:45 am and once a month thereafter.  Registration fee is $35.00 and includes a personal journal.  Childcare is available for a small fee.  Take this opportunity to enhance your spirituality as a mother and to better appreciate motherhood as a ministry.  Please call Angela Davidson at 445-2503 or email her at davidson111@cox.net to register or with questions.

THANK YOU - A big thank you to all those who helped make this year’s dinner/auction a huge success.  It would not have been possible without each and every one of you!  Thank you so much for giving of your time and talent!

Ann & Mike Monday, Dana & Lyle Bird, and Keri & Kevin Pittenger 

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