SCHOOL NEWS

Congratulations 1^st Quarter Honor Roll

8^th Grade:

First Honors: 

Genevieve Jesse, Calla Kessler, Maddie Lenz, Kate Liveringhouse, and Colin Wattonville.

Second Honors: 

Megan Begley, Gabi Caffrey, Garrison Emsick, Anna Engelbert, Becca Eske, Jimmy Esola, Janie Kilgore, Andrew Krawczyk, Eithne Leahy, Danny Pavlik, and Ben Scheibeler.

7^th Grade:

First Honors:

Hannah Bohacek, Rachel Callahan, Delaney Fisher, Shannon Jerram, Frances Meng-Frecker, and Maggie Pierson.

Second Honors:

Allie Barnhart, John Begley, Nick Hofmaier, Adam Kamp, Colin Krist, Maura Mulcahy, Colleen Nosbisch, Rebecca Plumb, Stephanie Richards, Molly Rosales, and Cody Stockfleth

US Cellular $100,000

“Calling All Communities” Challenge

US Cellular is Calling all Communities: vote for HOLY CROSS SCHOOL and help us be one of ten schools to win $100,000!  St. Francis Catholic School in Humphrey, Nebraska won last year and we want to make it Holy Cross’ year this year!  We need your help – and your neighbors, co-workers, friends, family mailman (you get the idea).   We are not even in the top 20 yet, so we really need to spread the word!

What you can do is simple.  Go to a US Cellular store (locations by Crossroads Mall, Oakview Mall, Westroads Mall, and Shadow Lake Towne Center) and ask for a Calling All Communities card to vote for Holy Cross!  They will give you a card with a number on it.  Enter the number and the school’s zip code, 68106, on US Cellular’s website.  All the information is on the card.  Only one entry per person is allowed.  The contest runs from November 13, 2009-January 15, 2010.  Please share this information with everyone you meet!  TOGETHER WE CAN make this happen for our school.  Please see the Word attachment and forward it to your family and friends.

Invention Convention

Mrs. Cunningham and the sixth grade Science class would like to thank all the parents and students who attended our second annual Invention Convention that was held in the gym on November 12th. The sixth graders worked really hard on their inventions and had a wonderful time presenting them to their friends and family. Thank you for your support!

Christmas Program

The Holy Cross Christmas program will be on December 15th.  The 3rd, 4th and 6th grade students will be involved.  The program will be both in the afternoon and in the evening at 7:00.  Please put this on your calendar for a wonderful way to share in this blessed season.

Christmas Vacation

Christmas vacation begins on Monday, December 21.  School resumes on Monday, January 4, 2010.  Have a safe vacation. 

Christmas Eve Mass

A choir is forming to sing at the Christmas Eve Mass at 4:00 on December 24th.  The choir would meet at 3:00 to warm up and sing carols before Mass starting at 3:30.  They would practice from 3:20-4:00 on December 3rd, 10th and 17th.  If any 5th-8th grade student would like to share their musical talents and join the choir, please let Mrs. Hall know as soon as possible. 

The 7^th and 8^th grade Junior High Program will be on March 4th.  Mrs. Hall will need help from parents with props and costumes.  If you would be willing to help, please contact the office and give your name.

Many Thanks

Student Congress would like to thank everyone who brought in canned food for our canned food drive. As a school we collected 3,405 food items. Congratulations to 8A and 7B who won our canned food contest, and won a dress-down day. All food items were sent to the St. Vincent de Paul food bank. They were extremely grateful for and amazed by the amount of food we collected.

Holy Cross Sweatshirts & T-shirts

The new Holy Cross embroidered hoodie sweatshirts and Irish green Holy Cross T-shirts are now available for purchase in the school office.  The sweatshirts are $30.00 each and the T-shirts are $13.00 each.  These make great Christmas gifts so avoid the mall and stop in today! 

Home & School Association

Please join us for the Home & School December Potluck!  The date is Tuesday, December 1, 2009, from 6:30-8:00pm in St. Ed's Hall.  Home & School will be supplying a delicious main course of lasagna.  Please bring a side salad, veggie or dessert to share.  Can't wait to see you all there!!!!!

Christmas Gift Program

If you are planning to make a donation to the Christmas Gift program for the faculty and staff of Holy Cross School, you need to do so by Tuesday, December 8^th.  Please put your donation in an envelope marked “Christmas Gift Program” and include your family name on it.  Please make checks payable to Home and School.  Thank you.

2010-2011 OPS Textbook Loan

Parent Forms (Grades K-7 only)

Textbook Loan forms will be sent home on Tuesday, December 1st.  They are due back by Monday, December 7th.  It is imperative that you sign and return both forms in order for your child to participate in the Textbook Loan Program for the 2010-2011 school year.  If you have any questions, please contact the school office. 

Campbell’s Soup Labels

Thanks to all who have saved Campbell's & Pepperidge Farms UPCs (bar codes) over the summer and the first quarter. Campbell's is running a promotion which doubled the first 2500 points we submitted - a HUGE help. So far, we've had enough points to order playground equipment for 4 classes plus instructional DVDs for 1 classroom. Other items on our teachers' wish lists include a digital video camera, an overhead projector, a shredder, VHS instructional tapes, and projector. Keep eating all those healthy soups, breads, and juices, and saving those bar codes to help our school!

Catholic Schools Week

Mark your calendars for Sunday, January 31^st, 2010.  We will be having a Mass celebrating the beginning of Catholic Schools Week.  An Open House will follow from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.  Additional information regarding the events taking place during Catholic Schools Week will be sent home in January.  Just a reminder, on Friday, February 5^th, we will dismiss at noon.  There is no afternoon daycare.

Community Night

Please join us on Wednesday, February 3^rd,  2010 for Community Night.  The Pancake Man will be in the Holy Cross gym serving pancakes and sausage from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.  The cost is $3.50 per person.

Inclement Weather

With the cold weather and snow upon us, we want to remind you about the expectations for winter apparel at recess time.  For all students, winter coats, gloves, and hats are important.  If your child is not dressed appropriately he/she will not be able to go outside for recess.  In the event of inclement weather, please listen to radio station 1110 KFAB for school closing information.

Kiln For Sale

Because of fire code regulations, we can no longer operate the kiln at Holy Cross School.  It has rarely been used and is in great condition. If you are interested, please contact the principal, Terri Anderson, at 551-3773.

Kindergarten Round-Up

Save The Date!  Kindergarten Round-Up will be held on Wednesday, February 24, 2010.  Please encourage your friends and neighbors to send their children to Holy Cross School and to attend our Kindergarten Round-Up.  Additional information will be sent home in January.  Please call the school office at 551-3773 if you have any questions.

Support Holy Cross

Holy Cross is participating in the "Save Five For Schools" program sponsored by Land O'Lakes. Rinse & save the bottle caps from Land O'Lakes white milk, chocolate milk, and orange juice. Turn them in at the Campbell's label collection bins. Our school will redeem them for five cents each, the funds going to support our school's education efforts!

We are also participating in the Tyson "Project A+" program. Clip the panels on Tyson ready-to-eat products which display the "Project A+" logo (we don't need the UPC on this one). They are worth 24 cents each! Drop them in the Campbell's collection bins at school or church. We'll redeem them when we have enough to submit. Thanks for supporting our school!

Times are Tough

Who isn’t talking about the economy these days?  We find ourselves more grateful than ever for the basic necessities of life.  But some of our brothers and sisters are not so lucky.  That’s why this year, Holy Cross School’s annual OPERATION GIVING program will use the funds raised to provide food, clothing, and maybe a few small Christmas gifts to our fellow parishioners who find it difficult to afford these necessities.  Stewardship and charity do not end when money is tighter.  It is then that we are called to truly give of ourselves. 

Beginning on Dec. 1^st, we will be asking the students to bring in money to support OPERATION GIVING.  There will be collection boxes in each room, and bell ringers outside on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  We will continue collecting money until December 15^th, at which time the money will be turned over to the parish to help buy HOPE food certificates for those in need.  We are asking each child and family to give what they can to our collection.

In addition, we will have our annual “TOILETREE” under which we will ask the children to place toiletries like toothpaste, shaving cream, toothbrushes, shampoo, etc. which will be given to the residents at Douglas County Hospital.

Thank you in advance for your support of OPERATION GIVING and the “TOILETREE”.

Hy-Vee Receipts

It is that time again.  Begin saving your receipts including GAS.  Hy-Vee will donate $1.00 for every $200.00 spent.  Boxes are located in both buildings and in the HOPE room for the receipts.

Save Pop Tops for the Ronald McDonald House

The 8^th graders will again be collecting pop tabs for this worthy cause.  Each classroom has a box where students may put the tabs when they bring them in.  Thank you for helping the parents/families of sick children have a wonderful place to stay!

Holy Cross Recognition Plaque

The recognition plaque is a means for families to honor special people.  Plaques measure 2” X 5” ($25.00) allowing three lines with 25 letters per line (spaces count) or 4” X 5” ($40.00) with 6 lines.  The plaques are brass with a glossy black finish and gold lettering.  They are placed in the main hall of Holy Cross School on a large oak frame for all to see.

Order forms can be found in the school office or online at:  www.homeandschoolatholycross.com.  Your support goes directly back to the school.  If you have any questions please contact Mary Lou Parr at 556-8183.

All Volunteers

Please remember, if you volunteer at Holy Cross School, or volunteer with children in the name of Holy Cross, including coaching, you are required by the Omaha Archdiocese to be currently certified in Safe Environment Training and should have your identification card with you at all times.  Please check your card’s expiration date.

We can offer recertification classes here at Holy Cross.  If you have never taken the original training and currently volunteer in the above capacity, please access:  www.archomaha.com for training dates.  If these classes are full, continue to check this website for new classes.  If there are no classes available please contact Theresa at 553-7500 or 208-5249.

CLASSROOM NEWS

Computers

My website, Mrs. Krist's Computer World has moved to www.holycrossomaha.wikispaces.com.  There are many links to great websites with free online educational games for the students to play at home. If you know of any good websites I haven't found, please email me at ChristiKrist@creighton.edu.

Library

The Scholastic Book Fair was a great success this year.  We had record sales and are now able to use our profit of $550.00 to purchase new library bound books for the library.  Many thanks to all of you for your support of our fair!

Preschool

The Preschoolers have been working very hard on learning letter formation and writing their name.  I am excited to report that the children are doing a wonderful job.  One of the many great things about my job is watching the children's faces when they can finally write their name, by themselves. 

The Preschoolers are celebrating Thanksgiving by having a Movie/Pajama/Popcorn party.  The children are really excited to have the privilege to watch a movie during school.  The children have been creating art by using the theme of Thanksgiving.  We would love to share our art with you, so please stop by and enjoy the art.

I hope your holidays are filled with love and joy.  I will enjoy the extra time with my family, and I pray that you will too.  God Bless.

Mrs. Bonnemier

Kindergarten

The kindergartners have been learning lots of things this past month. We have been working hard on our two letter phonograms and starting to find them in the books that we read.  We have been reading fairy tales and many different versions of familiar ones and then acting them out with puppets or masks!  The kindergartners learned about the first Thanksgiving and we had a little feast in our room.  We are thankful for the things that God has given us and are looking forward to His birthday!  During December we will finish learning the two letter phonograms and will be doing lots of Advent and Christmas activities.  Have a Blessed Christmas season.

Mrs. Sobczyk

First Grade

First grade has been having fun while learning about the 5 senses.  We have been doing various activities like feeling different textures, making leaf rubbings, making a sight book about objects that were the colors of the rainbow and doing a taste test with different foods to discover the difference between sweet, sour, and salty tastes. In math we have been working on subtraction and fact families while continuing to practice our addition facts and work on our Timed Test Tuesdays.  We had a religion lesson from Fr. Al and Mrs. Rookstool teaching us about the country of Uganda.  We are making plans with our 5th grade buddies on how we will raise money to help the needy people in Uganda with our READ TO FEED program.  More information will be coming home soon about our ideas.  To celebrate Thanksgiving, we had a feast with our buddies and shared food and made butter for our bread.  This is the perfect time of year to take a step back and thank God for all the wonderful gifts he has given to our Holy Cross Community.  Have a blessed holiday season.

Mrs. Bassett and Mrs. Engelbert

Second Grade

November has been a great month for the Second Grade Stars!  We have been learning to classify the words in a sentence according to the parts of speech, and have written our first two point paragraphs.  We really enjoyed having our grandparents celebrate Mass with us, and having them come back to school so we could "show off" our room.  We also really enjoyed getting together with our 2nd grade Religious Education friends.  It was a fun hour of singing, treats, and crafts!  We ended our dinosaur unit by making a fossil of our own.  And now we're learning about goods and services, and producers and consumers in Social Studies.  But most of all, we've been getting ready for our First Reconciliation on December 6th.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit will help us all to make good confessions!

Mrs. Adams

Third Grade

The third graders are busy working on different habitats and organisms that live there.  Their habitat posters will be on display, come by and take a look.  We will be starting Rocketing towards being a master of multiplication facts.  Get your engines going and practice, practice, practice!  The third graders participated in a hands on activity which focused on how to be a Special Friend to people with special needs.  This was a great learning experience.  On December 10^th we will be going to the Holland Center to watch the Christmas Band Concert with Mrs. Hall.  The children will be hearing the instruments they have been learning about in music class.  This is always an enjoyable concert.  Have a blessed Christmas break.

Mrs. Crown

Fourth Grade

This month the fourth graders have been writing different types of personal narratives.  For their November book reports they will be creating dioramas for a fiction book they’ve read.  We have finished reading the novel Chocolate Fever and are now reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

In Science we have been getting acquainted with the “Physical Science Unit.”  In this unit we will be working with roller coasters, catapults and magnetism along with light and sound.

The fourth graders have been busy learning about the Northest region in social studies.  Did you know that the state of Massachusetts is the cranberry capital of America?  Happy Thanksgiving!

Mrs. Coolon and Mrs. Kaschmitter

Fifth Grade

Many of the 5th graders volunteered to work on Honey Sunday to help the mentally handicapped.  Several groups sold over $200 worth of honey to help the GOARC organization.  All the 5th graders have been involved in bringing canned goods to help those in need.  Religion finds the 5th graders studying the Eucharist and the Church Year.  Fraction skills have been covered in math.  Science finds the students studying ecology and running a simulation called, "Oh Deer."  Ask them about it!  We read a Golden Sower nominee The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies, and it received several thumbs-up!  Before Christmas break, we will read two more novels that have been nominated for a Golden Sower.  After Christmas, we will read Bud, Not Buddy written by Christopher Paul Curtis.  The 5^th graders have been playing a lot of spelling and vocabulary games to help them increase their vocabularies and to help them become stronger spellers.

Mrs. Neville and Ms. Vesely

Sixth Grade

The sixth grade will be learning how to cite references for a research paper, completing their study of Ancient Egypt, and reviewing map skills in Social Studies.  The students will also study Ancient Mesopotamia.  Hopefully, their typing skills will also improve as they continue working on touch typing.  The students will complete a research paper for English on different Christmas customs.  In preparation for the Open House in January, the students will create an author display.  The DWP skills that will be covered are Service to Others, Leadership, and Initiating Solutions.  The class novel that the sixth grade will read is Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

Mrs. Justice and Mrs. Henkel

Seventh Grade

Hello from the 7th grade.  It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here, and Christmas is just a few short weeks away.  We had a great time at the opera "Brundibar" and listening to Ela Weissberger, a Jewish Holocaust surviver.  She performed the opera during the Holocaust in Terezin, a concentration camp.  She was very interesting to listen to.  7th and 8th graders who tried out for the Wits Clash team had their final test today and the team will be announced when we return to school after Thanksgiving.  Reader's Quiz Bowl will be starting after the Christmas break.  Any 7th or 8th grader that likes to read, this is the group for you.  After the Wits Clash competition, the Math team will begin with practices once a week for 7th and 8th grade, and  Algebra separately from others with Mr. Fisher.  6th grade will practice with Mrs. Justice.   Look for more details at the end of January or early February.  I will need two 6th graders, two or three 7th graders, three or four 8th graders for this competition.  Good luck 8th graders on the High School exam.  I am willing to answer your questions after results are published for math courses to take freshman year.

Mr. Fisher and Mrs. Edinger

Eighth Grade

Sometimes it seems as if we were out of our classrooms this month more than we were in them!  On November 3^rd the 8^th graders, accompanied by Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Taylor, attended Celebrate Creativity at the Joslyn Art Museum where they participated in workshops on art, music, and drama.  On Thursday of the same week, 6^th-8^th graders attended the Holocaust opera “Brundibar” at the Rose Theater.  Saturday, November 14^th was their Confirmation retreat which was held at the Columban Retreat Center.  After Thanksgiving we intend to stay put for a while!

 In History class the 8^th graders are studying the Constitution and also reading Johnny Tremain in Literature as we integrate what we learned about the Revolutionary War with this Newberry Award winning book.  They are also reading a historical fiction book on their own as an independent reading project and will write and design file folders to report on these, which will be due sometime before Christmas.   In Science we’re finishing the atmosphere and will then study weather and weather patterns.

During the month of December important decisions need to be made.  Students need to decide on their Confirmation names and sponsors; both are due before Christmas.  A mandatory meeting for parents will be held in Holy Cross Church on January 13, 2010 at 6:30 P.M. This meeting is with Fr. Salanitro and guidelines for Confirmation will be presented.  8^th graders will also need to register for the placement/scholarship exams at the Catholic high schools if they plan on attending one; this test is Saturday, January 9^th.

Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Cunningham

PARISH NEWS

7^th and 8^th Grade Youth Group

All 7^th thru 12^th Graders of Holy Cross Church are invited to go Ice Skating at Hitchcock Ice Rink on Sunday, December 13^th from 2:30 to 4:30.  Cost is $5.00 and includes skates.  For More information, contact Kim Rookstool at the Parish Rectory - 553-7500.

First Reconciliation

First Reconciliation will be Sunday, December 6^th at 2 pm.  All candidates and families are welcome afterwards to St. Ed’s Hall for certificates and cookies.

Do Not Miss "Donut Sunday"

The Rectory Staff will be hosting "Donut Sunday" on Saturday and Sunday December 12th and 13th after all the Masses in St. Ed's Hall.  We have limited space for organizations and parishioners who have new items or homemade crafts to sell. Please bring them so people may snack and shop for Christmas gifts. Call to reserve your spot at 553-7500 or 208-5249.
 

Wrapping Gifts at County

HOPE

Order your HOPE online 24/7 at  www.ShopWithScrip.com  - Our organization code is LF9FA1LL2931.  Your HOPE can be picked

up in the rectory during office hours or after all weekend masses - also at school on Fridays from noon - 3:45pm.

If you'd like to place a standing order (so you don't have to remember to buy!) please email what you'd like every month srmaryhope@yahoo.com.

REMINDER

Newsletter items for the Falcon Flyer are due by the 15^th of the month.  Please e-mail Mrs. Anderson at:  tlanderson@schools.archomaha.org.