PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

MR. RIDDER’S REMINDERS

Jan 5                 Report Cards Sent Home
Jan 12               2:00 Dismissal – Teacher In-Service
                          Current Families Registration Forms Sent Home
Jan 13               Uganda Dress Down Day
Jan 14               Catholic High School Entrance Exam
Jan 15               Half Payment Tuition Due
Jan 16               No School – Archdiocese Teacher In-Service
                          Home & School Meeting 7:00pm Staff Lounge
Jan 19              Current Families Registration Forms Due with Registration Fee
Jan 25              January & July Birthday Dress Down Day
Jan 26              2:00 Dismissal – Teacher In-Service
Jan 28/29         Catholic Schools Week Masses – Wear School Sweaters
Jan 30-Feb 3   Catholic Schools Week

REGISTRATION FOR 2012-2013 SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS NEXT WEEK - Registration for the St. Patrick’s School 2012-2013 school year begins in January with our current families and February for new families. If you would like to apply for St. Patrick’s School, complete the forms available under the “Admissions” link on the school website www.stpatselkhorn.org. There is no fee required until your child is accepted.  If you know of a family that is interested in applying for admission, have them call the school office for a tour at (402)289-5407.

PRESCHOOL(PRES) & PREKINDERGARTEN(PREK) PROGRAM ENHANCED WITH MORE TIME – The School Board has recently approved a policy to that will provide more options and time for our PreS and PreK programs. Over the last several years, parents have inquired about the options that they have for their child as they look for a preschool program that will meet their needs.  A survey was conducted of all parishioners with children that could potentially attend our PreS program. The survey results showed that there was a need for more options that will better serve our PreS students in preparing for our PreK and then our PreK students for our kindergarten programs. Students enrolling in PreS must be three years of age by June 1^st.  The program consists of three options.

• PreS AM – Students attend all five days in the morning from 8:05 to 11:00.
• PreS 3 PM– Students attend Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12:30 to 3:10.
• PreS 2 PM – Students attend Tuesday & Thursday from 12:30 to 3:10.

The maximum number of students in the morning is 24 and afternoon is 24 with a total of 48 students in PreS program.
Students enrolling in the PreK Program must be four years of age by July 31^st.  This program will run every Monday through Friday morning from 8:05 to 11:00 or in the afternoon from 12:30 to 3:10.  The maximum number of students enrolled in the morning will be 30 and the same maximum in the afternoon is 30 with a total of 60 students in PreK program. Therefore, Mrs. Andersen will be teaching all the PreS students and we will be hiring a full-time elementary teacher for the PreK program. We will also be in need of more teacher assistants as well. We will be advertising for all teacher assistant positions in the spring.
The 2012-2013 Registration for current students and their siblings will begin on January 12^th, 2012.  These forms will be due January 19^th to hold a spot for the following school year.

REGISTRATION FEE INCREASE FOR 2012-2013 – All families are required to pay a $125.00 non-refundable registration fee per child for the 2012-13 school year to hold a position in St. Patrick’s School.  This reflects a $25 increase adopted last spring by the Parish Finance Committee and addressed in this year’s Family Handbook, to go into effect for the 2012-2013 school year registration process.

SNOW DAY INFORMATION - SCHOOL WEATHER CLOSINGS – As stated in the Family Handbook, in the event of bad weather, please listen to radio station KFAB or KKAR and/or watch local television stations 3, 6, and/or 7 for school closing, late start or early dismissal.  If school is closed or dismissed early due to inclement weather, all events or activities after school will be canceled or postponed to a later date.  In case of early dismissal, students will be sent home their usual way - walking, carpool, etc., unless we are notified otherwise.  No child will be dismissed unless proper provisions have been made.  St. Patrick’s School of Elkhorn will follow the recommendations of the Catholic School Office and Elkhorn Public Schools regarding announcements made concerning dismissal because of weather.  In the event of bad weather and no early closing, children can be released early only if a parent/guardian comes to school to pick them up. When Mr. Ridder makes the decision to close, the stations will report us as St. Patrick’s School, Elkhorn.  They usually list us with or next to Elkhorn Public Schools. We are not listed under “Omaha Catholic” and will be listed separately.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK DATES - 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

Tuesday, January 10^th – Talent show tryouts will be held after school on January 10^th.  The talent show is open to 4^th through 8^th grade students only!  The talent show will be held on Friday, February 3^rd from 1:00-3:00.

LINK TO TALENT SHOW SIGN-UP

ST. PATRICK’S ELKHORN CHESS TOURNAMENT – St. Patrick’s is hosting a chess tournament on Saturday, January 21, 2012 from 9:00 am- 1:00 pm.  Please see the attached flyer for more information!

LINK TO CHESS CLUB TOURNAMENT

HEARTLAND VEX ROBOTICS TOURNAMENT ATMT. MICHAEL - St. Patrick’s is co-hosting its first Robotics tournament atMt.Michael Saturday, January 7^that 10:30 am. Come join the fun and cheer on the four St. Pat’s Robotics teams competing against other middle and high school teams from throughout Omaha. We look forward to your support!

HOME AND SCHOOL MEETING - The next Home and School meeting will be held on Monday, January 16, 2012 at 7:00 P.M. in the Teacher's Lounge. If you have any items for the agenda, please contact Kathy McCarthy at mccarthyfive@cox.netand submit a form to her by Thursday, January 12th. All H&S members are welcome! If you have any questions, please contact Shelley Weeks at shel5@cox.net. Happy New Year!

CASH FOR STUDENTS - St. Patrick’s School is still collecting Hy-Vee receipts for the Hy-Vee Cash for Student program.  Here’s how it works: Send to school ALL receipts from area Hy-Vee stores, pharmacies and gas stations from September 1- December 31, 2011. Ask family members to save them…grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends and neighbors. For every $200.00 in receipts, St. Pat’s will earn a $1.00! Send in the receipts to school weekly, monthly or when the envelope is full! If you would like to drop them in the basket at Mass, label the envelope with “School” on the outside and they will get to us. Whatever works for you. We will continue to accept the receipts through January 10^th.  Contact Susan Drvol at rsdrvol@cox.net or 402-493-7000 with any questions.

MICRO SOCCER REGISTRATION OPEN– Registration for micro soccer is now open.  Registration begins now and will run until February 11^th and then late registration goes from February 12^th to March 3^rd.  Registrations will not be accepted after March 3^rd.  Please visit the athletic website for more information on registering!

SPRINGSOCCER REGISTRATION OPENS- Registration is now open for the spring 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, please contact Julie Wigdahl njwig@cox.net. For questions about online registration contact Katie & Brent L'Heureux at lheureux03@yahoo.com.

RAFFLE INCENTIVE WINNER - Congratulations to 5th grade teacher Mrs. Johnson! She's the latest winner of a great prize package valued at $75, which she won for selling all of her raffle tickets! Our next incentive drawing will take place on Wednesday, January 11th. Plus, the parishioner with the most ticket sales by Friday, January 13th will win a Sam & Louie's pizza party! Remember, raffle tickets and collected money can be turned in at school or in the collection basket at the weekend masses. If you are in need of more tickets, please contact Kelly Barkmeier at barkmeier@gmail.com. We're counting on you to make this the best Raffle yet!

SPIRIT - The SPIRIT 2012 team would like to thank you for supporting SPIRIT...on the wild side! We wish you and your families a Healthy and Happy New Year!Continue to watch the SPIRIT website for updates, volunteer opportunities and event information. https://stpatrickselkhorn.ejoinme.org/home.

SPIRIT CATALOG - The SPIRIT auction catalog will be printed soon, but we are still looking for timeshares, auction items and underwriting money. Please prayerfully consider donating. Cut-off date is January 13th. Thanks so much for your support!

SPIRIT - Ever receive a bottle of wine or spirits for a gift and know you'll never drink it? We are taking donations of wine or spirits valued at $20 or more for our Bar of Spirits. Donated items will be placed in gift bags and auctioned off to raise money for St. Patrick's. Donate a bottle you've received or bought to help fill our Bar of Spirits today! Contact Christina Diers at acediers@cox.netfor more details.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL - Mark Your calendars for Son Rise National Park VBS. VBS will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. the week of June 11th through June 15th.It’s going to be a cool summer learning to trust in Jesus!  Materials are in and volunteers are needed to begin the planning stages for crafts, games, skits and snacks. If interested in coordinating any of these aspects of VBS, please contact Mary McMahon at 402-289-4947, extension 1505or email mmcmahon@stpatselkhorn.org.

CATHOLICS COME HOME - Have you drifted away from the Church? Would you like to feel at home in the Catholic Church again? OR Are you a practicing Catholic but would like a refresher on the Catholic Church?

We invite you to consider renewing your relationship with the Catholic Church whether you’ve been away for years or have never really left but desire a better understanding of the Church.  Come to listen and share with others seeking a renewed relationship with the Catholic faith. Please join us for a five-week series on Tuesday evenings at 6:45pm to 8:00pm in the Media Center beginning on January 10.  For more information on this program or to register contact Beth Kathol at bkathol@stpatselkhorn.org or call 289-4289 ext. 1525. Reconnect with your Catholic Faith! Discover Your God-given Gifts with this Fun Program for Adults!

Living Your Strengths is a series in which participants join a small faith-sharing group.  You’ll discover their unique God-given gifts and how to use those gifts in service to the Church and Community.  Understanding your unique top-five strengths will also have a profound effect on your home and work life.  This is a great program to do with your friends, spouse and adult family members!
TWO sessions are being offered this January:

Wednesdays, January 18 – February 15

• 10:00 – 11:30am in the Parish Conference Room
• 5 Consecutive Weeks

Saturdays, January 14 & January 28

• 9:00 – 12:00noon in Boland Hall
• 2 Saturdays

The cost is $20 for the book and supplies.  Contact Beth Kathol in the Adult Formation Office at 289-4289 ext.1525 or bkathol@stpatselkhorn.org to register or for more information.   

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