Preschool - Mrs. Malone, Ms. Onkka

Our students welcomed April by talking about the signs of spring we are noticing outside. We discussed weather changes in spring and being prepared for stormy weather. Students also explored the world of plants. Can your child name the parts of a plant?

Our 3-day class enjoyed Donuts at Drop-off on April 11th while the 5-day class learned all about bubbles when the Children’s Museum visited that day.

We spent some time discussing the true meaning of Easter as we finished up Lent. We hope everyone had a blessed Easter and enjoyed their time off.

Gifford Farm visited our 3-day and 5-day classes today. It’s a nice complement to our farm theme. We also discussed all the animal babies that arrive in the spring.

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

The kindergarteners had a month filled with very special events.  

Students welcomed their grandparents/special friends to school for Mass and a few games of Bingo on Grandparents' Day. 

The boys and girls also went on their first field trip of the school year to the Rose Theater and watched the performance of “Pete the Cat." They enjoyed the bus ride to the theater and the musical.

The students performed their first music concert at St. Vincent de Paul! They sang songs all about spring!

First Grade - Mrs. Kleffman, Mrs. Caito, Ms. Wright

Thank you to all of those who either came or sent a special guest to our Grandparent's Day and Special Friends Mass. What a wonderful way for us to meet and celebrate our students' families!

As we approach the end of the school year, please watch for emails about various upcoming activities that will be held to help us celebrate the end of our school year. We ask that you please maintain a regular sleep schedule and after-school routine as we go through these final weeks. There is still much to learn in the classroom.  

Please continue to practice counting coins, telling time, and math facts with your child on a regular basis.

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

Students have been hard at work learning about producers and consumers in social studies and will be learning about how they can make a difference in the world. We will soon start Junior Achievement to enhance these skills. In science, we have been reviewing our map skills, learning about bodies of water, and learning how the surface of the earth changes. 

In math we have worked on 3-digit addition and subtraction as well as started looking at fractions and probability. Keep reading with your child and working on math facts daily! 

Let’s be sure to finish the year strong! Please make sure you child is still getting plenty of sleep, a good breakfast in the morning, keeping up on homework, and that they are being held accountable. We have lots of fun things planned for May! 

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

On Friday, April 25, third graders “hit the trail” on Pioneer Day. Leading up to this day, Mrs. LeMense spent time during music class teaching the students a few pioneer dances and songs. The day challenged students to try new things like dipping candles and making butter. A favorite part of the day was a story teller from Humanities Nebraska who retold the life experiences of a Nebraska pioneer family.

On Tuesday, April 29, we are heading downtown to watch Creighton vs UNO at Charles Schwab Field. It is always fun to support our Nebraska teams.

The year is winding down quickly. Please continue to encourage your child to keep working to the best of their ability.

Fourth Grade - Mrs. Madison, Mrs. Thede, Ms. Geist

Fourth grade students have been working on their Archdiocese Assessment in social studies during the beginning of April. Their task was to make a travel slide show on Google Slides about a Nebraska destination. They had to find information on who the government officials are, resources in the area, historical significance, and then present it to the class. They did a fantastic job!

On April 7, the students traveled to Lincoln for a field trip to the state capitol building. They learned a lot with our tour guide! Then they went to the Nebraska History Museum and completed a scavenger hunt. They had a really great experience at both places!

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

The 5th graders have been learning about the Westward Expansion, and they will finish the year by learning about the Civil War and Reconstruction. We are also looking forward to our field trip to Schramm State Park on Tuesday, May 6th. We will learn about water conservation, the water cycle, and how our drinking water, which comes from the Missouri River, is processed and made safe to drink.  
 
In English, students have been learning about verbs. They will end the year learning about prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. After this, they will have learned about all the parts of speech. They have become incredible writers this year!

Fifth graders have moved on to space in science class. Students are learning about many patterns we observe on Earth but then are blasting off into deep space shortly after that!

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

English - Students will be finishing up the end of Units 7 & 8 in preparation for seventh grade. Students will finish by working on writing a letter to themselves as an eighth grader. These letters will be saved and returned to them at graduation.

Literature - Students will continue to work on the novel, A Wrinkle in Time. I encourage you to talk to your student about the book and ask questions. What do they think about Camazotz and Meg’s journey to find her father? Students will finish the year creating their own planets to visit and sharing them with the class. This is my favorite project, as students get to shine with their creativity and imagination.

Math - As we prepare for the upcoming STAR testing, we want to ensure our students are well-equipped and confident in their skills. We will be reviewing key concepts we've covered throughout the year, with a focus on graphing, as well as understanding mean, median, and mode. Encouraging your child to practice these skills at home will be beneficial. Thank you for your support in helping our students succeed!

Social Studies - Our exploration of Ancient Greece is coming to a close. After finishing up project presentations, we will soon transition into Ancient Rome. This unit will delve into the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, its influence on modern society, and the remarkable achievements of its people.

Religion - In religion, students will finish the year focusing on prayer, moral choices, and the Beatitudes. Thanks again for all who volunteered to make the Seder Meal so special!

Science - In science, students will finish the year with a unit on Stars and Galaxies. We will have a “Stars and Galaxy Day" on May 14th to enhance our curriculum. A traveling planetarium show will come to school and all classes will have a stars and galaxy theme. 

JUNIOR HIGH

English - Mr. Leever

7th grade students completed essays on a medical or health-related topic before Easter break. Students will have a week to prepare a 3-5 minute speech based on the essay. Student will create a slideshow to accompany their speech. Students also completed the Editing Assessment to show improvement in their editing skills and knowledge of conventional grammar and usage. Our final grammar unit will be diagramming sentences, which will show their knowledge of parts of a sentence and how each word functions with respect to other words and parts of the sentence.

8th grade students completed essays on the topic of “Citizenship" before Easter break. Students will have a week to prepare a 3-5 minute speech based on the essay. Student will create a slideshow to accompany their speech. Students also completed the Editing Assessment to show improvement in their editing skills and knowledge of conventional grammar and usage. Our final grammar unit will be reviewing dependent and independent clauses and how they form simple, compound, and complex sentences.

Science - Ms. Kolberg

7th grade

Seventh graders are finishing up the digestive system, and next week we will be starting the dissection of the frog! Each day we will look at one of the body systems we have studied and compare the frog to us. The final system in the frog dissection will be finding out if each team has a male or female frog. It should be “riveting.”  

8th grade

Eighth graders are busy building rockets! Each team will be responsible for designing and making a rocket that will soar at least 100 feet or stay in the air for over 10 seconds….. it will take a lot of research to come up with a great rocket. The eight graders will use math to find the velocity of the rockets using altitude trackers and stop watches. Perhaps this year we will break some records!

Math - Mr. Polacek

Even though the final month is winding down, all of the classes still have important topics to tackle on the way to the finish line. We work hard to give a head start on topics that will be expected to be mastered next year. In algebra we will be finishing with a chapter on radicals and trigonometry and one on rational expressions. The last one will also contain a large dose of factoring, which will be a great review before heading on to high school.

In pre-algebra we have a great chapter on slope to finish with, which will include some geometry and graphing and a good review of our algebra skills to make sure we are prepared for our Algebra 1 class next year. 7th Grade Math will find equations and inequalities in the last month. These are great algebra topics to get us ready for a big jump to pre-algebra next year.   

Lastly, let me say a big “Thank You” to everyone for all of their support throughout this year. The students rose to meet all kinds of challenges and have learned so much. I truly hope it has been a positive experience and math is found to be an enjoyable challenge as they continue on. Have a fantastic summer!

Religion - Mrs. Nigrin

Our 7th Graders will be finishing the year working on studying the different types of prayer and how we can incorporate them into our lives. We will be discussing how to make prayer a more intricate part of our lives. 

Our 8th Graders will be finishing up their year discussing their journey with Jesus. We have focused this year on our faith being not a destination but an ongoing journey in which we continue to grow. We will be discussing ways to continue that as we head off to our new schools.

As we end this school year, I would like to thank all of you for your patience and understanding as I transitioned into this new position. It has been a journey of faith for myself as I watched all of your children on their journey. To my 8th graders, good luck as you transition into a new school. The surroundings may be different, but the beauty is that God never changes! He will continue to be with you, and the Holy Spirit will be there to guide you as you navigate this new part of your life. Lean on him, trust in him, and most especially, call on him as you face new challenges.

To my 7th graders, I look forward to spending next year with you and growing your faith with you! Let us work together to bring the Kingdom of God to others!

Literature - Mrs. Fosbender 

The eighth-grade literature students are finishing their books about the Holocaust, and the seventh-grade students will finish their Adventure/Mystery-themed novels. Each student completed six different reading strategies throughout the novel to help increase their understanding of the novel. To end the year, the eighth-grade will be reading, The Outsiders, and the seventh-grade literature students will be reading, The Lightning Thief.

Social Studies - Mrs. Sullivan

In American history, the 8th graders are finishing up studies of the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement. The students used their textbooks as well as PowerPoints and guided notes to learn about these topics. The students will be completing an end-of-the-year project focused on the major events we have discussed this year. The students will have the option to work alone or with a partner to create a Top 10 in U.S. History or the ABC’s of U.S. History presentation.

In 7th grade, students will be finishing up their studies of Asia and moving into learning about Antarctica and Australia. The 7th graders have been using both their textbooks and PowerPoints with guided notes to study these places. The 7th graders will have an end-of-the-year project that will focus on creating a travel expo of the world. The students will have the option to work alone or with a partner to create a poster, report, and presentation about a country of the world. They will be the tour guides as they present their projects to their classmates.  

SPECIALS

Art - Mr. Pflaum

Duchesne Art Show:

The following students’ artwork was selected for the 2025 Duchesne Annual Student Art Show:

Alexa Franzluebbers, Charlotte DeSantis, Layla Sidoruk, June Thompsett, Christina Skrydlak, Brielle Henderson, Molly Barth, Gabriella Rodriguez, Cole Keating, William Langel, Maggie Muhs, Crofton Gass, Valentina Valdiva, and Clare Hilton.

* William Langel, Cole Keating, Layla Sidoruk, and June Thompsett received awards for their work.  

You can view the show's artwork at this link: https://duchesneacademyartshow.weebly.com

Jewish Community Center Holocaust Memory Project Show:

The following students had their portrait drawings selected for the gallery showing at the JCC:

Cole Keating, Sasha Gross-Rhode, Gabriella Rodriguez, Hayden Marquis, Ellie Skradski, Max Pattrin, Ryan Swamipallai, Ani Clure, Mia Mendlik, Alexis Baas, and Neil Singh.

You can view samples art from various grades including the above artwork at this link: https://www.instagram.com/svdpmrpflaumart/

Computer - Mrs. Kuhr

Kindergarten - Students started the month learning about AI and using Scroobly. They are now working on sentence typing by posting on a group forum using Wakelet.

1st Grade - Students started the month by programming our little robots, Sphero Indi. We talked about identifying websites that are “just right” and “not right."

2nd Grade - Students have started robotics with the new Sphero Indi. They have been challenged to figure out how to get the Indo to move, and next will be programming it through the app.

3rd Grade - They have been practicing keyboarding and are now beginning a new project. They will design badges to give to classmates using Google Drawing. The badges that they are designing are to have positive words or messages on them. 

4th Grade - They have also been practicing keyboarding and finished their digital citizen superhero. They learned about digital safety and made a comicstrip of a digital hero saving the day. Next we are on to learning about ASCII text art.

5th Grade - Students learned about different types of ciphers and then created one of their own. It’s now time to practice and to get ready for our last keyboarding test of the year.

6th Grade - Students are each finishing an animation unit by creating a 30-second animation story.

7th Grade - Students are well underway in a robotics unit with Sphero BOLTs. They are building a chariot that their Sphero BOLT will have to pull. They then need to write a program for the BOLT to race around a track. Finally, they will race their chariots against each other in chariot race.

Educational Strategists -

Mrs. Heavey K-2

Children need critical thinking skills to understand and analyze information both in and outside of school. Take your child past the memorization of facts and help him or her develop critical thinking skills by asking open-ended questions that do not have one "right" answer. This will give your child the chance to respond in a creative way without the worry of being wrong. 

When reading a book with your child, ask him or her one of the following questions: 

* What do you think might happen next?

* Does this remind you of anything in your life?

* Why do you think the character acted this way?

Go to the parent section of www.readwritethink.org to find other ways to engage your child at home.

Mrs. Price 3-5

I hope everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing Easter break!  It is time to finish the school year strong and think about summer reading. How does a child know how to choose a book at their instructional level? 

Have you heard of “The Five-Finger Rule”? The student picks a book of interest and chooses one page to read. For every word that is unknown or mispronounced, a finger is held up. The number of fingers held up at the end of the page tells them if the book is the right level. Please see the guidelines below:

0-1 fingers it is too easy

2-3 fingers it is just right

4-5 fingers it is too difficult for independent reading

With a child finding a book of their interest and instructional level, they will be ready to soar through reading this summer! For more information, please click on the following link from Scholastic: https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/five-finger-rule.html

Ms. Bousquet 6-8

Artificial intelligence has become ubiquitous in a very short period of time. My iPad summarizes long emails into brief but effective snippets of information, Google features AI generated responses at the top of search pages, ChatGPT is acing bar exams, and AI competitors like Grok, Copilot, Gemini, and Perplexity seem to be emerging all the time. AI chatbots have the potential to be wonderful tools, but they are also tempting options for kids to turn to for essays and other assignments. It is not difficult for teachers to spot AI generated responses. Most 6th, 7th, and 8th graders don’t say things like, “Colonialism profoundly impacted impoverished nations in the 20th century, leaving lasting economic, social, and political scars.”

Copying AI-generated responses is cheating. It is also entirely counterproductive. The purpose of writing assignments is to teach kids to think critically, to write effectively, and to develop the organizational tools necessary communicate well. While copying an AI-generated response allows students to finish essays or assignments in seconds, doing so will not help students become better readers, writers, or critical thinkers. If you come across your student using AI chatbots for school (they are blocked on school computers, so they would have to use phones or other devices), consider having a conversation about AI and its limitations. Using AI for schoolwork is like using a car to train for a marathon. It may be faster and more efficient, but it doesn’t help students achieve their long-term learning goals. 

Guidance - Mrs. Skudlarek

What a month it has been in guidance classes. Our kindergarten and first grade students learned about the importance of brightening someone’s day by using kind words and giving compliments. Students put this into practice by writing kind things about a few of their classmates. Second grade students wrapped up talking about the importance of staying away from harmful materials and using good judgement to make decisions. Third and fourth grade students have been learning more about the harmful affects of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. In fifth grade guidance classes, the students got to dig a little deeper into how using harmful substances can effect the developing brain. I am always amazed at their questions and information they share. Sixth graders have been learning about conflict resolution and how to use their feelings to benefit their relationships rather than harm them. Seventh and eighth grade students have been talking through using their words for good and not hurt.  

In the month of May the focus is always on careers. It is a great opportunity to talk with your child about their hopes and dreams for the future. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out. Have a lovely weekend.  

HAL - Mrs. Miller

It is hard to believe that May is here! The students have been working hard towards completing the year, and it still seems like there is so much left to do. The 4th grade class worked on area of polygons, surface area of rectangular prisms, and volume in these last few weeks. We will spend some time on data and surveys before reviewing everything they have learned this year. The 5th grade group is learning other area formulas to help them with surface area with even more polyhedrons. We have a pretty big geometry unit to complete before completing the 5th/6th grade curriculum. The students are looking forward to probability lessons before the year ends. Computing with polynomials and factoring will be the main focus of the 6th grade pre-algebra class. We also hope to cover slope of a line in May. The algebra group is working on ratios and extending their understanding to sine, cosine, and tangent ratios. In junior high literature classes, the students are working on finishing their last novel and projects for the year. 

Media Center - Mrs. Kaiser

Springtime means STEM in the library! Students in grades K-2 will use a variety of blocks to build structures based on the stories we read. Grade 3 is using Brainpop software to write a movie starring a fruit or vegetable inspired by The Couch Potato. Grade 4 is exploring tinkered software to create and print 3D designs. Grade 5 is making light-up greeting cards. Grade 8 is finishing the year by designing and testing a moving vehicle. 

In preparation for library inventory ALL LIBRARY BOOKS ARE DUE MAY 5. If you think a book has been lost, please contact Mrs. Kaiser.

Thank you to the following students and their families who donated books to the library: Lennon Hall, Henley Hall, Cian Salerno, Halle Birkel, Finley Vaughan, Rory Wurth, Finn Wurth, Owen Barr, Olivia Turner, Rosie Nollett, Isaac Bostrom, Milo King, Harlyn Hunt and Presley DeHart.

Music P-5 - Mrs. LeMense

Happy Easter everyone!
We are singing lots of songs celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus!

Our 5th graders are beginning their ukulele unit. Did you know that the ukulele came originally from Portugal? From Portugal to Hawaii and onward!
The 4th graders will be learning their most difficult recorder songs for the year—including “Ode To Joy” by Beethoven.
The 3rd graders have finished their folk dancing unit. We’ll sing some pioneer songs to add to their pioneer day!
2nd graders and 1st graders are learning to write and play rhythms right now.   

Many thanks to our kindergartners for their fun program about spring!

Music 6-8 - Ms. Campbell

6th graders just finished learning about music and instruments from Africa. They participated in a drum circle, where they practiced call and response rhythms. Now, we are learning about ostinatos. These are patterns (usually rhythmic) that repeat in songs, mostly in the background (Think of the song “We Will Rock You”). Students will create their own ostinatos and perform in the last few weeks of school. 

7th graders are hard at work with learning the Ukulele. So far, students have learned C, G7, F, C7, and AM chords. They have also explored different strumming patterns. We are in the process of learning the “Lava Song” from the famous Pixar short. 

8th graders are continuing to work on their music festival project. They are also ranking songs from 2024 on a tier list. I cannot believe that they are almost graduates!

PE - Mr. Boone

K-2

The wheels were rolling with these students in the month of April. The students were able to use their best scoopers, avoid Poison Berries, do a little Partner Protector, and Two Ship Battleships. Scooter safety was reviewed and stressed to avoid any fingers getting run over. The kindergarteners are currently working on their throwing skills with activities like Take Out the Trash, Pin Blaster, and Defend Your Pin. Meanwhile the 1st and 2nd graders are working on striking with a bat by playing Three Person Baseball, Adder Up, and Hit It and Get it.  

3-6

These students wrapped up their post-test Fitnessgram Fitness Testing. The students worked on their sit and reach, trunk flexibility, push-ups, curl-ups, and pacer run. The students were able to write their goals on their Fitness Files and compare their scores to their goals to see if they made growth since testing last September. Heading into the final weeks of the school year, these grade levels will be doing a track and field unit where they will compete in a 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 4x1 relay, 4x4 relay, and steeplechase runs.  

PE - Mrs. Conry

In the Fall I administered the Fitness Gram Test. We recorded pre scores, did the test, and recorded actual scores we got.

This spring we are in the process of taking the test to see how we did. We are once again putting in the scores we want to get and then record actual scores.

Many of the 7th & 8th grade students slightly improved, or had the same score. The objective is to see improvement. These scores are based on individual goals. The fitness test are aerobic fitness, which involves how well the heart uses oxygen. Muscle strength and endurance, which involve how hard and long muscles can work. Flexibility, which is how able joints are to move through their full range of motion. It also tests the strength of their core through curl-ups. The students will continue their fitness journey through the summer and re-test next fall.

Spanish 2nd-4th - Mrs. McDermott

Students in 4th grade Spanish are learning the names of over 30 sports.They will practice sports names by playing Charades and talk about their most favorite and least favorite sports using Me gusta (I like) and No me gusta (I don’t like).

Students in 3rd grade Spanish are learning vocabulary words related to school (la escuela). They will use words in Spanish to talk about people and places in school along with classroom items.

Students in 2nd grade Spanish are learning the parts of the body in Spanish. They are having fun playing Simon Dice (Simon Says) to practice parts of the body vocabulary. They will also have fun drawing and labeling a funny creature with numerous body parts.

Spanish  5th-8th - Mrs. Singh

¡Casi estamos! We’re almost there! Students are working hard to make a strong finish this year.

5th grade students continue to review the geography of Spanish speaking countries. Ask them to show you their score on the Map game we played online. Some students were able to correctly place an outline of all Central and South American countries on a blank map in under 50 seconds!  

We also learned the “Chocolate” song, with hand gestures.  It helps us remember vowel sounds in Spanish and it’s really fun!

6th graders are finishing their Weather Forecasts and will present their work in the final weeks of school. They have learned where their Spanish speaking country is, what season their country is in in the month of March, how to convert Celcius to Fahrenheit, and weather terms to describe temperatures, precipitation, clear/cloudy skies, and wind conditions.

7th grade students are exploring the foods and beverages of lunch and dinner. We are also learning about what makes up a healthy diet. They are learning to categorize foods as fats, carbs, or protein. They are also learning how to build a healthy “plate” and incorporate the main food groups : healthy fats / oils, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins. Students documented their diet for 3 days, including how much water they usually drink in a day.

8th grade students are reviewing major topics we have covered in 7-8th grade. Each student wrote 15 review questions (5 easy / fácil, 5 medium, mediana, 5 difficult, difícil). We used these questions to play a game called ¡Redención! Redemption! The class was broken into 6 teams and teams worked together to answer the questions from students not on their team. It has been an engaging way to review what we have learned before they take their Final Exam.

¡Gracias!