Preschool - Mrs. Malone, Ms. Onkka

It’s winter!  Ask your child to name an animal that hibernates. During January we have been talking about animals in the winter, winter weather, and penguins. Did you know that there are 17 different species of penguins? Our themes have provided us with lots of opportunities for fun art projects. Students’ fine motor skills are really coming along! We will end the month talking about the ocean and celebrating Catholic Schools Week. Catholic Schools Week offers us the opportunity to say “Thank you” for supporting preschool at St. Vincent de Paul School!

Kindergarten - Mrs. Guinan, Mrs. Millar, Mrs. Vaughan

We've been learning about weather patterns and different types of severe weather in science. In math, we are practicing addition and subtraction problems.

With Ash Wednesday soon approaching, we will be preparing the students for Lent by discussing ways to following in Jesus' footsteps such as encouraging them to make sacrifices and making more time for prayer.

The students are very excited for Catholic Schools Week and all the fun activities planned for next week. They especially look forward to eating lunch on Wednesday with their parents!

First Grade - Mrs. Kleffman, Mrs. Caito, Mrs. Wynegar

Happy Catholic School Week!  Thank you so much for making the decision to send your child to St. Vincent de Paul. We feel so privileged to be able to spend our days with your children.  

First grade is focusing on math fact fluency this quarter! Please continue to review math facts with your child, as this is beneficial to their success. Our unit on time and money will also be coming up. This is traditionally a more difficult skill for 1st graders, so if you have extra time, it's not too soon to begin reviewing these skills at home.

Second Grade - Ms. Hargens, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Truscott

Thank you for attending the First Eucharist retreat. Have your child show you how to receive Jesus, and remind them how precious it is to receive Him. We will be working in the Blessed books at school, as well as sending them home for you and your child to work through certain chapters. We will let students know (via assignment notebook) what chapter to be working through and when we will send the books home. Please keep the 2nd graders in your prayers as we continue to prepare for Holy Communion.  

PLEASE make sure students are coming to school with all the layers they need to keep warm at recess. We still go outside in cold weather, and students will not be staying in because they do not have a heavy enough coat. 

We will celebrate Valentine’s Day on Thursday, February 12th. Your child may start bringing Valentines on Monday, February 9th, in a bag with their name clearly labeled on the outside. We ask that your child not write classmates' names on individual Valentines, but please make sure they sign their name! They will pass out the 12th. 

Third Grade - Ms. Ruelas, Mrs. Baker, Mrs. Schofield

The third quarter has begun! The students continue to increase their human capital and are developing into independent learners as the year progresses.

Brrrrrr! Cold weather is upon us. Even though it is cold, the students look forward to getting outside. Please send your child/children with a winter coat, hat, and gloves. Boots may be brought and worn when there is snow on the ground.

All basic multiplication and division facts 0-10 have been introduced and practiced. To help retain this knowledge, the students will continue to use the XtraMath and Mastering Math Facts programs the remainder of the school year.

We love our Catholic School and celebrate Catholic Schools Week this coming week in many fun ways. We are so blessed to be here at St. Vincent de Paul School!

Fourth Grade - Mrs. Madison, Mrs. Thede, Mrs.Schroen

Happy New Year! It is wonderful having the students back after the extra long Christmas break.

In January, we learned about the Homestead Act and how the settlers managed their 160 acres of land from the government. We also discussed how all of this had a large impact on the Native Americans and how their lives would never be the same after this. 

In science class, we have been learning about plant parts and their functions. The students enjoyed observing a vascular plant and the different parts of a flowering plant under a microscope. 

The English classes have been learning about the many different types of nouns and adjectives. 

Fifth Grade - Mrs. Dotzler, Mrs. Jones, Ms. Salerno

The 5th graders have been working on a unit about adjectives in English. We will put these skills to use in our writing. We are still working on learning the process for writing a 5-paragraph essay for our state reports. We are consistently improving our editing skills with daily oral language practice. Students have begun studying about our nation’s government and completed their 50-state geography test before Christmas break. We will move on to learning the state capitals for the third quarter. The students are also continuing on in their first unit of biology, having investigated how energy and matter move through organisms and the ecosystem

Sixth Grade - Mrs. Wane, Mrs. Bernt, Mrs. Guinotte

English - Gone are the days of one or two sentences to edit. Students are now looking at paragraphs and catching the various errors that writers can make. We will continue exploring parts of speech with adverbs as well as use Step Up to Writing to express our personal narrative.

Literature - Students are finishing a poetry unit in which they have been writing a variety of different poems that include imagery, rhyme, simile, and other figurative language. Students will begin their next novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry the last week of January. This novel usually prompts great class discussions. Be sure to ask your child about the novel.

Math - This month, 6th graders have been exploring ratios and rates, learning to compare quantities and understand relationships through engaging activities. Next, we'll be moving on to percents, where students will learn to convert fractions and decimals into percents and calculate discounts, markups, and interest rates. This knowledge will enhance their problem-solving skills and prepare them for real-life applications!

Science - In science, students will continue their study of rocks and minerals with the “Rock Cycle.” Students will be using their creativity to construct their knowledge of the “Rock Cycle” by completing a learning-based project.

Religion - Students will be focusing on the Sacraments and how they shape lives and bring us closer to God.

Social Studies - Students have been exploring the geography of Ancient India, discovering how its diverse landscapes influenced the development of early civilizations. They have also learned about the caste system, understanding its significance in social structure and daily life. Next, we will delve into Hinduism and its rich belief system. Students will explore the core principles, deities, and practices of Hinduism, gaining insights into how this ancient religion shapes culture and society in India today.

JUNIOR HIGH

English - Mr Leever

English 7

Students have begun the second semester studying verbs. The unit begins with students learning the types of verbs (action, linking, transitive, intransitive, and helping verbs). Students progress from there to learning how helping verbs are used to indicate voice, tense, and mood. 

English 8

Students have learned about adjective clauses. Students have had extra practice in this unit determining whether the adjective clause its restrictive or nonrestrictive and how that impacts punctuation and eventually meaning. This has been followed by students learning about adjective clauses. Each section ended with students learning how to diagram each type of clause to reinforce how different words, phrases, and clauses relate to each other to convey meaning.

Science - Ms. Kolberg

7th graders

Seventh graders have been finishing up mitosis and meiosis in anticipation of starting the genetics unit. Mr. Wulf is guiding them through chromosomes, spindles, centromeres and centrioles. Soon, students will have an opportunity to see actual DNA!

8th graders

Eighth graders are working through multiple labs on chemical and physical reactions. We have learned that carbon dioxide is a very common gas that is released during reactions and that a precipitate in science does not mean rain or snow.

Math - Mr. Polacek

Quadratics are leading the way in February for the algebra classes. The classes will be finishing up the very challenging chapter sometime in the next couple of months. The methods used there will be completing the square, square roots, and the quadratic formula. They should be able to sing the quadratic formula song to you by the end of the month!  Next up for the algebra classes, we will be jumping to chapter 11 for more square roots and radical expressions.

The pre-algebra classes have another big algebra chapter looming after a review of probability. It will be writing and solving inequalities and should be having them writing out lots of work by the end of the month. The 7th grade math class is finishing up probability and will start a long journey into the angles, curves, and shapes of geometry. They will then be diving into the mysterious world of outcomes and probability.

Religion - Mrs. Nigrin

Seventh-grade students are focusing on the Sacraments. We will be classifying each Sacrament into groups of Initiation, Healing, and Service. We will also be learning about the significance of the sacramentals and the events that are included in each of the Sacraments. The students will begin working on their Pro-Life essays as s well.

Eighth-grade students will be focusing on the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit as they prepare for Confirmation. We will be completing 3 Novenas before our celebration of the Sacrament. We are also working on completing our Pro-Life essays. Please keep the eighth graders in your prayers as they celebrate this very special sacrament.

Literature - Mrs. Fosbender 

The eighth-grade literature students have started to read, The Giver by Lois Lowry. Some of the strategies the students will be working with this novel are note-taking through journaling, research, and developing their own 3D Utopia Society.

Seventh-grade literature students will also be working on note-taking through journaling. Students will be learning the different kinds of poetry. Each student will create their poems and make it into a “Book of Poetry." 

Social Studies - Mrs. Sullivan

The 7th-graders have been working on an exploration of Europe. Throughout our European studies, the students have learned about the countries, people, culture, geography, and natural resources. As a part of their studies, they have made maps, studied the physical features, and will be completing some Escape from Europe puzzles. Our next studies will take us to Asia. 

The 8th graders just finished working on their Archdiocese History Hall of Fame project and paper. The students chose a person to be inducted into the “History Hall of Fame.” They wrote a 2-4 page research paper, created a project, and gave a presentation to the class. Next up will be studies of WWI, including learning about what led to the war, who was involved, specific battles, the outcome and consequences of the war, etc. 

Art - Mr. Pflaum

We have started all new art projects for the second semester. Here is a brief summary of what each grade is doing:

Kindergarten - The students have discussed what an architect does and have started designing their own castle drawings.

The first-graders were introduced to Pablo Picasso and are making a Picasso-inspired Snowman.

In second grade, the students have put their cartoonist/illustrator caps on to answer the question, "why did the chicken cross the road?"

The third-graders have started their oil pastel abstract snowman drawings.

In fourth grade, the classes are finalizing the glazing of their coil pottery.

The fifth-graders have started observational drawing by using the upside down drawing method.

In sixth grade, the students are completing their clay tiki sculptures and will be starting their pointillism illustrations.

The seventh-graders have been plannig their printmaking project that will produce some wonderful prints.

In eight grade, the students learned about the Holocaust and the Memory Project. They read about survivors and victims and chose one to honor by drawing their portrait.

Samples of students artwork can be viewed on a private Instagram link here: https://www.instagram.com/svdpmrpflaumart/

Computer - Mrs. Kuhr

Kindergarten - We had our first chance this year to get onto codeSpark. This is a great site we visit up to second grade. It is full of puzzles where students have to use coding skills to move their Foo around obstacles.

1st Grade - We have been learning about Keynote. Apple’s version of PowerPoint. The students are going to start making slides about themselves. In this unit we will be taking self portraits, practice typing sentences, and learning about A.I.

2nd Grade - Students are going to start to create their own games in codeSpark. There is a tutorial that will walk them through creating and coding a game.

3rd Grade - Students are starting their first coding project in Scratch. They will be introduced to Scratch and create a program where they have to code a dance party. 

4th Grade - Students are will be starting their first Scratch coding project of the year by creating a maze game. They will learn different ways to move sprites and animate them.

5th Grade - Students will be coding a platform style game in Scratch. This is always a fun project.

6th Grade - Students are starting their Scratch coding project where they coded an avoid-the-obstacles-style game. This is always fun to code and fun to see how they make this game their own.

7th Grade - Students are starting computer class coding their own Flappy Bird-style game in Scratch. This project will combine elements they learned in 6th grade in Scratch and animation in Wick Editor.

YEARBOOK - We are looking for photos to add to our yearbook. Please send photos to kuhra@svdp-school.org. Thank you.

Educational Strategists - Mrs. Heavey, Mrs. Price, Ms. Bousquet

Mrs. Heavey, Educational Strategist, grades K-2nd

Reading stamina refers to a child’s ability to read and stay engaged with a book or assignment for longer periods of time.  As “reading muscles” get stronger, a child improves the ability to stay focused when reading varying lengths of text or completing assignments. Just like training for a race, building reading stamina will take time, practice, and patience. Families can support this growth in a number of ways.

Vary the way reading is done. This may include audio books, reading with a parent, listening to a parent read.

Teach your child to choose “just right” books. If a child can recognize almost every word on the page and needs help with just a few tricky words, it is “just right” for the child to read to alone.

Set reasonable goals. Elementary aged children should start reading 10 to 15 minutes at a time and build on a few minutes each week.

Celebrate progress and success!

Mrs. Price, Educational Strategist, 3rd-5th

Does your child have multiple assessments within a week?  Does your child feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to prepare for tests?  Here are some practical, kid-friendly study skills that focus on building habits, confidence, and independence.

Getting Ready to Study – Same time, same place, clear the space!

Desk/table: School stuff only (no toys, TV, or phone)

Short sessions: 20–30 minutes at a time with breaks in between

Smart Study Habits – Break work into chunks (Large assignments broken into smaller steps)

Read, answer 5 questions, and check work.

Read directions twice, and do the hardest thing first.

Remembering and Recalling Information – Say it aloud, make it visual, and use silly tricks or flashcards.

Math Study Skills – Show all work, check answers, and practice a little bit every day. Try these helpful ideas with your student and watch their study habits grow, while they become independent and confident achievers! 

Ms. Bousquet, Educational Strategist, Junior High

One of my college professors called exams “celebrations of knowledge.” Tests are often viewed as burdens or obstacles to quickly overcome, and that’s how kids often prepare for them. They cram as many facts as they can as quickly as they can and hope to regurgitate the information on the test the next day. These same students, when they perform poorly, will say, “I studied for an hour last night. I don’t know what happened.” When asked how they studied they will say often say, “Oh, I just looked over my notes.”

While notes and facts are important, passively looking over notes or cramming facts isn’t the most effective or efficient means of learning information. Instead, try to encourage your kids to focus on understanding the concepts, systems, or stories that contextualize those facts. How are the facts or ideas connected? How did this event lead to this result? Creating a conceptual framework both helps students understand the concepts more deeply and creates a network of neural pathways through which the child can access the facts.

Simply put, if your child does his or her homework well but consistently performs poorly on the test, then he or she is likely not learning the material well. Instead, he or she is merely replicating a pattern or regurgitating facts to complete the assignments. If your student follows this pattern, encourage him or her to teach the material to you the night before the test. Teaching the material requires the student to take ownership of their learning, prepare in advance for the test, and understand the concepts well enough to talk about them.

Guidance - Mrs. Skudlarek

Happy 2026!  It is hard to believe we are embarking on another new year, full of so many great opportunities. Students in kindergarten set a goal for the new year. First and second graders also set a goal for the new year. Each class has been working on understanding the importance of decision making. We will continue this into February. Our third graders have been busy discussing how to work in groups and what types of things to say when the group work is not as smooth as it should be. Fourth graders learned about ten different terms related to decision-making. In addition, they are learning about positive and negative consequences. Our fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders have been focused on teamwork and the importance of contributing to their team. We discussed that they are part of a team in all they do, not just on a field or a court! Some of the qualities of a good teammate that they shared include being kind, caring, aware, dedicated, showing support, and sharing in laughter!  

HAL - Mrs. Miller

The students had another busy month this January in the HAL classroom. The 4th and 5th graders finished up their units on working with fractions and are gearing up to learn about geometry and proportions. The 6th graders finished a unit on solving inequalities and will learn about polynomials next. The 7th grade algebra students are finishing up factoring polynomials and will start working with radical expressions. There is so much to do this quarter! In literature the 7th graders are reading The Seventh Most Important Thing and learning about different types of conflict and dynamic/static characters. The 8th graders are concluding their novel, The Giver, by designing their own utopian societies. 

Media Center - Mrs. Kaiser

Happy New Year! We have been busy learning new things in the library. Grades K-3 have been reading Caldecott award winners and discussing illustrations. Grade 4 has been learning to use the design software for 3D printing to make personalized bookmarks. Grade 5 students are using their research skills to learn about how circuits work. Students in grade 8 are learning how to verify online information. 

Thank you to the following students and families who donated books to the library: Augustus Schroen, Claire Hyder, Aurora Riederer, Julia Luetkenhaus, Rickey Hurd memorial, Charley Collington, Ryker Quance, Mackenzie McMillan, Heidi Cleary, Eliza Yeboah, Arya Mane, Lily Yahnke, Madi Mains, Presley DeHart, Noah Johnsen, Porter Pyle, Lisham Gleason.

Music - Mrs. LeMense P - 5

We will be resuming Eagles Wings Choir for students in grades 6-8. Rehearsals will occur every Tuesday from 3:10 to 4:00 PM, beginning on Tuesday, February 3rd. If you are interested in this program please reach out to Mrs. LeMense @ lamensek@svdpomaha.org

Music - Ms. Campbell 6 - 8

6th graders are diving into their pop opera projects! They are creating a mini “opera” with 5 songs that help tell the stories they have created. Using the songs and accompaniment from Quaver music, they will eventually present their creations to their class!

7th graders will be starting their musical periods/composers unit. They are currently studying composers from the Medieval times all the way to the modern era! It is fascinating to learn that centuries of music was created and perfected in the Catholic Church! Later in the unit, they will select a composer and create a short skit about their life. 

8th graders are learning about styles of music that were pioneered in the United States, specifically Jazz, Rock, and Hip Hop. We discuss the similarities and the differences between the three genres and how their creation has spread globally. Students will then create their own band and compose a song using one of the styles. 

PE - Mrs. Conry

The 7th & 8th graders took part in a free jump rope competition that introduces the competitive aspect of jump roping in a fun and inclusive way.

The intriguing aspect of this competition was the students were competing against students from all over the world. I think that was fun for the students.

Each student had the opportunity to pick two events that they wanted to work hard to master. I tested them to get a baseline score, and then each time we met they would try to improve their score. 

There were 5 events they could pick from. Each student picked 2. The events were the main event (Single bounce), and the rest were the optional events. (Criss cross, Double under, Push up, and Speed step).

Here is how it worked. One student would jump, and the other student will count their jumps. I was the timer. Their objective was to jump as many times as they could in 30 seconds. If they mess up, they continue until the 30 seconds expires.

Once I enter scores, they will be evaluated at our school and worldwide. I think it was a fun event.

PE - Mr. Boone

K-6 We are back into the swing of things after a resting Christmas break to start my favorite units, gymnastics and parkour. Providing something for all, this unit allows students of all different skill sets a chance to build confidence, trust, teamwork, balance, strength, and belief in themselves.

We started off by working on our balancing by doing individual balancing poses such as a scale, tip-up, tripod, and handstands. The younger students also got to move across the mats with movements such as an Army crawl, baby crawl, frog jump, kangaroo jump, and bear walk. The students in grades 1st-6th got a chance learn to support each other by helping their classmates with various balance positions.

Other skills that were worked on were cartwheels, round offs, rolls (forward, backwards, log, egg, pencil). At the end of the month we transitioned to the parkour portion of the unit. The students used balancing on beams and poles on the ground, vaulted over stacked mats, jumped and landed off of platform boxes, and eventually went through an obstacle course using the skills they learned.  

Spanish 2nd-4th - Mrs. McDermott

Students in 4th grade Spanish are learning the four seasons in Spanish: el otoño (Fall), el invierno (Winter), la primavera (Spring), and el verano (Summer). They are also practicing the months of the year by reciting what months occur in each season. Soon we will be talking about the weather in each month and season.

Students in 3rd grade Spanish are learning the names of over 35 animals. They are having lots of fun talking about their favorite (and non favorite) animals. They are using Me gusta (I like) and No me gusta…..(I don’t like.) Example: Me gusta el gato grande y negro = I like the big and black cat. They will be drawing and writing about these animals with a color and some other adjectives.

Students in 2nd grade Spanish are learning the names of family members. They are also learning how to identify feminine and masculine words. Most feminine words end with the letter “a” and have the article “la” (the) before the word. Most masculine words end with the letter “o” and have the article “el” (the) before the word.

Spanish  5th-8th - Mrs. Singh

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!  Happy New Year!  

All students have learned about Epiphany and 3 Kings Day and worked on writing “propósitos” or resolutions for the New Year.

Ask your student to share theirs with you!

As a helpful reminder… if you email me with any questions, please let me know which homeroom your student is in.  

5th grade students have learned about Epiphany and Día de los Reyes Magos / 3 Kings Day. They have also been writing their goals; propósitos for the New Year.

Students have learned how to phrase some of their favorite things, and that the phrasing is slightly different in Español. Mi animal favorito es la capybara. (My favorite animal is the capybara!) 

6th grade students are studying the names of items we use in the classroom. Have your student label items on their desk at home to practice our new vocabulary words!  

7th grade students used 4 common verb phrases to give their friend advice in their body part skits. We used those same phrases for our New Year goals… AND students will use these phrases again when we practice ordering in a restaurant!

Students voted on their top favorite breakfast foods and are learning them in Spanish. 

8th grade students are learning about the New Year’s tradition of eating 12 grapes to ring in the new year. They are creating 12 propósitos / resolutions in the form of verb phrases and drawing them on a cluster of grapes. They are learning that all verbs end in the letters -AR, -ER, or -IR. We also reviewed the 12 months of the year and how to use ordinal numbers. 

We will move on to study the verb ESTAR and how to use it to state emotions/states of being.

Second semester is off to a good start. ¡Gracias!