Saint Leo the Great News Volume 17, Issue 1 November 2013 2427 Marietta Avenue • Lancaster, PA • 717-392-2441 stleos.org | stleoschool.org | stleosathletics.com | Facebook.com/saintleos This Year’s Theme: RIGOR Featured In This Issue: Preschool Playground................. 2 Parish Picnic.............................. 3 New Faculty ............................... 4 Student Accomplishments.......... 5 Gift Card Program...................... 6 Seasonal Family Activity ............ 7 By Christine McLean, Principal I was in a classroom not so long ago, and I was listening to one of our teachers introduce the lesson’s theme. It went something like: “Dur- ing this lesson, you will examine the role oil has played throughout human history, how that role has changed over time, and the reper- cussions of oil use on society and the environment.” I blatantly stole the format of this introduction when I presented this year’s theme to our faculty: “During this year, we will examine the role rigor will play throughout the year, how that role will affect instruction, and the repercussions of rigor on assessment and environment.” Our initial discussions focused on what rigor sounds like in a class- room. The sound of rigor has to do with the type of questions we are asking our students to answer successfully. It’s all about the verbs. Are we asking our students to label foods by nutritional groups or appraise results of personal eating habits over time? Are we asking our students to define what is evil about Cinderella’s stepmother or develop a game with the theme good vs. evil? Each verb requires students to think differently and identifying these verbs will give a good indication of the student’s performance level expected in that instruction. In other words, teachers must use good old fashioned Bloom’s Taxonomy when creating and delivering lessons. Questioning techniques are still the best skills for teaching and learning in this 21st century and the next. Don’t worry students, rigor does not mean more homework. Get To Know Father Richards By Kim Kerr Hopefully everyone has had the pleasure of meeting our new Parochial Vicar, Father Richards. If you haven’t, here are a few things that you may be interested in knowing. Father Richards is from the Lebanon area. He has a sister, who is 2 years his senior, recently married, and is serving our country in the air force. They reside in South Korea. He is a graduate of Lebanon Catholic High school and stud- ied education at Millersville University before continuing Continued on page 2 Principal McLean invites rigor into the classroom.
Areweaskingourstudentstolabelfoodsbynutritionalgroupsorappraiseresultsofpersonaleatinghabitsovertime?Arewe asking our students to define what is evil about Cinderella’s stepmother or develop a game with the theme good vs. evil?Eachverbrequiresstudentstothinkdifferentlyandidentifyingtheseverbswillgiveagoodindicationofthestudent’sperformancelevelexpectedinthatinstruction.Inotherwords,teachersmustusegoodoldfashionedBloom’sTaxonomywhencreatinganddeliveringlessons.Questioningtechniquesarestillthebestskillsforteachingandlearninginthis21stcenturyandthenext.
Principal McLean invites rigor into the classroom.
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Father RichardsContinued from page 1
ontoundergraduatestudiesatSt.CharlesBorromeoSemi-nary in Philadelphia and graduate studies at Mount St.Mary’sSeminary,Emmitsburg,MD.HewasassignedtoourparishhereinLancaster,andaccordingtoallthechatter,isanAWESOME8thgradereligionteacher!Oneofthemes-sageshewantstosendouttoourchildrenisthatGodhasaplanforallofus.Ifwecandiscoverthatplan,wewillthenfind our true happiness. It’s not a plan that can be searched for,butaplanthatisfoundinthemostsimpleofplaces.
SomeofFatherRichard’spersonalinterestsincludeagoodmorningworkoutatthegym,Italianfood,fantasyfootballwith his colleagues in the diocese, and a special taste forNotreDamefootball.OneofhisfavoritebibleteachingsisthatofKingDavid.
The Pre-School Playground Improvement Project phaseonewascompletedover thesummerwith theguidanceofourveryownMr.Bottoms,whohadvolunteered to serveasProjectManageraswellashelpfromthe8thgradeclassandvariousothervolunteers.Ourparishchildrenagesevenandunderhavebeenenjoyingthisveryspecialareatailoredtothem.
thedrainagesystemworkandexcavationthattheyprovidedfor thisPre-SchoolPlayground ImprovementProject. Wewereabletocompleteallofthenecessarygradingworkbywayof thevery lowprice that theycharged for theseser-vices.WewouldalsoliketothankKreidersMulchfortheextremely lowcost for themulch that theyprovided touswhich enabled us to cover a very large area and improveboththelookandsafetyoftheplayarea.
This project has been under discussion for approximatelyfour years and over the summer with the guidance of ourProjectManager,Mr.Bottoms,itwascompletedjustintimeforthestartofschool.ThisisjustthebeginningofaDevel-opmentProjectthatis tobeour“OutdoorClassroom,”aswasexplainedtomebyMichelleZachery,oneofthechair-personsforourschoolplanningcommittee.“Thisisaworkinprogress,”sheexplainedastheplanistohaveaselfsus-taininggardenarea thatwillbemanagedby the7thgradeSTEAMclass.
Katy, Oliver and Christian are SLTG Pre-Schoolers shown enjoying the new play area.
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St. Leo the Great NewsPublished three times per year for our student and parish families, and friends of St. Leo the Great.
Editor Christine McLeanPR Committee Suzanne Schaffer, Chairperson Sarah Bomberger, Lisa Campbell, Eileen Dvorchak, Kim Kerr, Emily Mace, Alan Schwartz, Jackie Werts, Jen Zdurne
St. Leo School News
Scenes from the Annual Parish Picnic
Moon bounce gets children off their feet!
There is life after technology!
Craft activities entertain.
Lines form for delicious eats!
Pony rides provide new twist to the picnic.
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Faculty and Staff News
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Swope Leads Middle School ScienceMeetinganurgentneedlastschoolyear,SaintLeotheGreatwasluckytohaveMr.AllenSwopejointhefacultyonaninterimbasis.Ascienceteacherfor35years,Mr.Swopehaseagerlysharedhisvastknowledgeandexperienceswithourmiddleschoolstudents.Fortu-nately,Mr.Swopebecameapermanentmemberofthefacultythisschoolyear.Heexplainedthathewasplanningmanyhands-onexperimentsthiscomingyear,andhewasquiteim-pressedwiththescienceroomfacilitieswhichhenotedwillmakethelearningexperiencesmuchmoreinterestingforthestudents.
Meet the newest additions to the SLTG Family!
Mrs.KateHicksFourth Grade
Mrs.JenniferMillerFirst Grade
Mrs.DesireeWeyforthSpanish
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Student Accomplishments
SLAA News: Lancaster New Era ChampsBy Jennifer Zdurne
CongratulationstotheSt.Leo14Ubaseball teamforwin-ningtheprestigiousLancasterNewEratitleinJuly.Whilea few teams have made it to the finals in previous years, this was the first to bring home the championship in the 48 years ofSt.Leobaseball.ItwasgreattoseetheSt.Leonameinthesportspageheadlinesoverthetwoweektournament.Withthestartofthenewschoolyear,baseballandsoftballare both fielding multiple teams in fall leagues gaining valu-ableexperienceforthenextspringseasons.Preparationforthe basketball and cheerleading seasons have also begunwithgamesandtournamentsbeginninginNovember.Pleasevisitourupgradedwebsiteatstleosathletics.comforinformationaboutallofourupcomingactivities.Weareaveryengagedorganizationandopentoanyoneintheschoolorparish.
The School Spirit StoreBy Kim Kerr
Asourkidsaregettingsettledintheirclassrooms,andstudy-inghard,let’sshowthemhowproudwearebyshowingourschool spirit.The spirit store, runbyStudentCouncil and
Mr.Cotchenhavebeenbusygoingthroughinventory,pric-ing and ultimately coming up a plan for a store “flyer.” Stay tunedforsomeupcomingadvertisementsyoumayseeatthechurch! Some featured items include sweatshirts,T-shirts,magnets and mugs. The holidays will be upon us soon...Whatagreatgifttogivetoaproudparent,grandparent,auntoruncle,friendorneighbor?GoLions!
New This Year: SLTG Band Features an Ensemble Experience By Emily Mace
Did you know SLTG offers band and string instructionFREE?And,thisyearFREEstringlessonsarebeingofferedas well! Instruments included in the SLTG Band are: flute, clarinet,altosax,Frenchhorn,trumpet,baritone,trombone,bells,snaredrum,violin,viola,celloanddoublebass.Thisyear, insteadofsolelyhavingaSLTGband, thereare twobands and two orchestras that rehearse at LCHS. ThesebandsandorchestrasarecomprisedofstudentsfromSt.Leo,St.Anne’s, OLA, OMPH, Resurrection and Sacred HeartSchools. Theensembles rehearseonceaweek leadinguptoChristmasandspringconcerts.Thestudentsgetabetter‘ensemble’experienceperformingwitha largergroupandtheyget tomeet andplaymusicwith children fromotherschools.Currently,30SLTGstudentsareregistered.Select7thand8thgradersmayparticipatewiththeLancasterCath-olicHighSchoolMarchingBandandColorGuard,whichperformsatLCHSfootballgames.
Many SLTG alumni participate in the Marching Band atLCHS, including:Amanda Martin, Donovan Barry, GraceAsuncion,EmilyFix,KylePostlethwait,TomMurphyandTimMurphy.AJJacunskiisparticipatingasan8thgraderthisyear. Alumnistudent,GraceAsuncionhaswonmanypercussionawards.SheparticipatedinDistrictBand&Or-chestraandRegionBand&Orchestralastyear.SheisalsoamemberoftheLancasterAllStarPercussionEnsemble.
At the beginning of each school year, the music depart-mentholdsanassemblydemonstratingallinstruments.Thestudentsthencanregister.Thedeadlineforregisteringforbandthisschoolyearhaspassed,butifanyoneisinterestedtheycancontactMr.Murr,theSLTGBandDirector,[email protected]
St. Leo School News
14U bring home New Era championship title.
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Purchasing Gift Cards Gives BackBy Alan Schwartz, Director of Development and Parish Ministries
Belowaresomegreatreasonstostockup:1.Hostingadinner/birthdayparty2.Thanksgivingdinner3.Christmasgifts4.Bonuses/giftsforemployees5.Vacation(don’t forget you can email the gift card numbers to yourself and not have to carry them when traveling!)
Giant 10% Friendly’s* 10%Lands End 16% Hot Z Pizza 10%Lancaster Brewing Co. 20% Silver Spring Fam. Restaurant 15%Gibraltar 20% Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre 10%Barny’s 20% Fulton Steamboat Inn 25%Isaac’s 15% Turkey Hill 5%
Catholic Parenting TipsBy Emily MaceMake Prayer Fun and MeaningfulCreateaprayertableinyourhome-aplacewherethefamilycanretreattoforprayer.Atthetable,placecandlesandstatuesofJesus,MaryandevenyourfavoriteSaints.Lightcandleswhileprayingasa family- thismakesprayer-timespecialandmemorableforchildren.Aprayertableisalsoaplacewherefamilymemberscangowhentheyarefeelingsadorangrytoprayinsteadofactingout.Bringingmusic intoprayerhelpchildren reallygetengagedandconnected.Singingprayersongstogetherasafamilyisagreatwaytomakeprayerfun!
Create Family TraditionsWhether it’s going to your favorite restaurant for breakfast after church onSundays,or fora familydrive through thecountryeveryweekend,creatingfamily traditionshelpskeep the familyunited.Some ideasofCatholic fam-ilytraditionsare:prayingtherosarytogether,prayinginthemorning,beforemealsandbedtime,havinganadventwreath,readingaboutSaints(aSaintaday),makingaHappyBirthdayJesuscakeonChristmasEve,attendingSta-tionsoftheCross,worksofmercy-helpingatsoupkitchensorwritingcardstoresidentsataRetirementcommunity.
Teach by ExampleTeachingbyexamplegoeswaybeyondtreatingourchildrenwithloveandre-spect.Itishowwetreateachotherasspousesandhowwetreatandtalkaboutothersoutside the family suchas relatives, friends,neighbors, and teachers.Today,themostimportantexamplewesetmaybethestandswetake—espe-ciallystandsthatareunpopularwithourchildrenoratoddswithwhatotherparentsarepermitting.ThesestandsteachourchildrenthatCatholicvaluesareimportant.Ifwelivebythesevalues,ourchildrenarelikelytobecomeadultsandlivebythesamesetofvalues.
Thehustleandbustleofbacktoschoolisuponus,whilethelazydaysofsummer have passed. It is a great time to cozy up with our families and reflect onsomegreatautumnsaints!
