January 2026 

Preschool - Mrs. Malone, Ms. Onkka

“Baby Jesus, baby Jesus, fast asleep, fast asleep…”

Christmas Day will soon be here, and we can hardly wait!

Our classes have been busy learning about Advent as we prepare for Jesus’ birthday on Christmas Day. The joy of the Christmas season is evident in each and every one of our preschoolers! Thank you again for sharing them with us.

Our 2-day classes had a wonderful time decorating gingerbread houses with a family member. It was a super sweet time! Thank you to all of our parent volunteers who helped us celebrate the season by planning our Christmas parties. 

As 2025 ends, we would like to wish each of you a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

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

Throughout December, we've learned about the season of Advent. We have prepared our hearts for Christmas by brainstorming gifts to give Jesus and ways to be kind to others.  

We are learning more and more sight words and are very proud of what we can read! Use flash cards to practice sight words with your child and see how many he or she recognizes!

In math, we are working with counting big numbers using tens and ones.

From our classrooms to your homes, we wish you lots of happiness and joy during this holiday season!

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

It has been a joy to watch your children prepare their hearts for the coming of the Infant Jesus. It has increased our holiday joy immensely to spend the season with your fantastic first graders! Thank you as well for all of the help you provided for our classroom Christmas parties. You are a gift to us!

As we go into the second half of the year, first graders will continue to work on math facts. We are hoping to have most first graders pass level 12 of the Gumball program by the end of the year. Christmas break is a great time to practice math facts and help your child continue to improve their math skills. Please also have your child read regularly over break. This will help us to start the new year on the right foot.

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

We wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and many blessings in the new year!

Thank you to the parents who helped plan the classroom Christmas parties. The students and teachers appreciate your kindness.  

To help students prepare for third grade, they will receive a percentage score on tests only. Percentages will begin in January.

Students worked hard on 2-digit subtraction with regrouping. Please continue to practice this skill over break. Second graders also worked on identifying the main idea and key details in stories. Ask your child if he or she can identify these while reading a story.

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

Thank you to the families of Caroline and Andrew Stillmock and Madeline Quiel for purchasing the SPREE Dress Down and Extra Recess for their classroom. We are looking forward to using this gift.

During the first semester, third grade students have loved spending time with their seventh grade buddies. They have worked together on various activities talking and laughing the entire time. The students are always excited to be with their new friend.

Thank you to the parents who helped organize and implement the games and activities and brought treats for our Christmas parties. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

It has been a fast and wonderful first semester, and we are grateful for all you have done to make it a success.

We wish each and every family a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!

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

In fourth grade we have been studying our Circle of Grace program. We discussed internet terminology and various strategies to stay safe on the internet. We will continue to reinforce internet safety throughout the school year. 

In science class we studied light, the visible spectrum, and the eye. The students enjoyed discovering color and light waves using concave and convex lenses, color paddles, and a prism. They also loved seeing how light enters the eye and what happens to the pupil and iris.

The English classes have worked to develop a deeper understanding of nouns and pronouns. The students have continued to expand their writing skills. They wrote personal narratives and a silly story about a gingerbread man. 

Thank you to all the volunteers who organized the fun Christmas parties. 

We wish you and your family all the joy and blessings of this holy Christmas season and in the coming year.

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

The 5th graders have been going through the writing process to write another paragraph for their research paper about the geography of their state. Again, thank you to the parents for being part of this process when the students needed someone to revise and edit their paragraph. Your help is appreciated! Students recently finished up studying about the American Revolution and also completed their 50-state geography test. We will move onto learning the state’s 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. 

Thank you to all of the parent volunteers who helped with our classroom Christmas parties. We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!  

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

Literature students will work on poetry in January. Look for their poetry notebooks to come home as they learn various ways to express themselves through their poems.

English students will participate in the classroom spelling bee and continue to learn about parts of speech during the month of January. Students will continue to write and review grammar daily as their knowledge grows. Unit 8 vocabulary will also resume. Please help your student stay on top of their online assignments, as these are not things to put off or rush through.

Science students will learn how minerals are formed, classified and mined. Students will also learn how the rock cycle changes rocks and minerals.

Religion students will focus on prayer types, the order of Mass, and the sacraments.

Social Studies:

We’ve finished our journey through Ancient Egypt, exploring how mummies were made, pyramids were built, and what life was like along the Nile. Students created large models of mummies or pyramids, helping them dive deeper into Egypt’s fascinating history. After the Christmas break, we’ll begin our next adventure into Ancient India, discovering the Indus Valley Civilization and the rich culture and innovations that shaped its history.

Math:

We’ve wrapped up our unit on fractions, mastering how to compare, simplify, and apply them in real-world problems. After the break, we’ll dive into ratios, exploring how they connect to fractions and how they help us describe relationships between quantities. Get ready to use your fraction skills in new ways as we start comparing parts and wholes in everyday situations!

JUNIOR HIGH

English - Mr Leever

English 7

Students finished the quarter with a final test over pronoun types and correct usage. Their final writing assignment was to write a letter to Santa persuading Santa to add them to his Nice List.
I hope everyone has a fun and relaxing Christmas and New Year holiday.

English 8

Students also finished the quarter with a test over pronoun types and correct usage. Students also reviewed and used correct MLA formatting for citations and a works cited page by researching and writing about a vacation destination. Have a merry Christmas and happy New Year.

Science - Ms. Kolberg

7th grade

Merry Christmas to all! I hope that you enjoy the time away from school. Seventh graders have been busy learning about mitosis and will soon start meiosis, DNA, and genetics. The pictures included from science show them modeling the phases of mitosis using Oreo cookies and sprinkles. (The only time they get to eat in the lab!)

8th grade

Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you enjoy the time with your son or daughter over break.

The eighth graders have been busy learning about the states of matter, atoms, and the periodic table. One of our activities this month was making an alien periodic table using periodicity to complete the task. We are starting to move into what happens when two or more different elements “collide” and produce a chemical reaction. The pictures of the eighth graders shows them attempting to control a chemical reaction and not have the baggie burst!

Math - Mr. Polacek

We are looking forward to a great start here in 7th and 8th grade math in 2026.  The 7th grade math class is going over some statistics to begin with. Then we have a chapter on geometry to get us going before working our way into some algebra expressions.

The pre-algebra classes will start the new year with some probability before setting our sights on some new algebra topics such as inequalities and slope. The algebra parts of the curriculum are always a good challenge as we work to be ready for a full-fledged algebra class next year!

The algebra classes finished solving systems and will continue with more great algebra chapters on factoring polynomials and graphing parabolas. After that, we jump into solving quadratics by a variety of methods.

With continued work in our Simple Solutions books, we are putting an emphasis on reading problems carefully and trying to be as meticulous as possible. The students have done a great job of showing work, and we are looking forward to that continuing as we start this new semester.

Mrs. Nigrin, Mrs. Fosbender, Mrs. Sullivan

The eighth grade teachers would like to wish you and your families a safe and blessed Christmas and New Year's!

It is hard to believe that Christmas is almost here. The eighth grade students will be having their Christmas celebration on Friday, December 19th. We will have an all-school Mass, then return to homerooms to watch a movie and enjoying some tasty goodies!

Looking ahead: On Thursday, January 29th, the 8th graders will be attending a city-wide 8th grade Mass at Cathedral. Parents are not able to attend because of space.

Boys will need to wear uniform pants with a long sleeve white dress shirt and navy tie. Girls will need to wear uniform skirts with a gray pullover SVdP uniform sweatshirt or a navy/red school sweater. 

To finish off the field trip, buses will travel to Creighton University for lunch and fun in the student/fitness center.

Merry Christmas!

SPECIALS

Art - Mr. Pflaum

We had a very productive first semester in the art room. Here is a quick rundown of what each grade level is working on:

Kindergarten - The kindergartners have recently completed a painting depicting birch/aspen trees in the winter.

First Grade - Some of the first graders worked on a Christmas drawing and added glitter highlights.

Second grade - The second graders applied their knowledge on shading to a winter drawing using chalk.

Third grade - The students are glazing their clay pinch pot creatures.

Fourth grade - The fourth graders have been working on their clay coil pottery.

Fifth-grade - The students have been creating ‘mindful’ drawings that combine various shapes and patterns.

Sixth grade - The sixth graders are working with clay to build original tiki sculptures.

Seventh grade - The students have been working on observational drawings by using their hands as models for their challenging drawings.

Eighth grade - The eighth graders are finalizing their grid doodle design drawings.

Samples of various students art work can be viewed on the SVdP Instagram art gallery at this link: https://www.instagram.com/svdpmrpflaumart/

Computer - Mrs. Kuhr

Our students have been learning, creating, and problem-solving in computer class through hands-on activities that build creativity, collaboration, coding skills, and digital citizenship. Below is a summary of what each grade level has been learning.

Kindergarten - Pixel Art, Music & Early Coding

Kindergarten students explored pixel art, discovering that digital images are made of tiny colored squares. They created their own Pixel Art Stamps in Kid Pix, matched colors to their favorite crayon, and practiced typing color names. Students also began early coding with codeSpark, learning to sequence commands, and explored music through Chrome Music Lab, experimenting with sounds, patterns, and rhythm.

1st Grade - Technology Skills & Coding

First graders practiced digital skills and typing using Keynote to color technology-themed pages and label devices. They continued coding in codeSpark, focusing on trial and error to solve problems and learning to debug mistakes. These activities reinforced fine motor skills, problem-solving, and early digital literacy.

2nd Grade - Creating & Keyboarding

Second graders learned to copy, paste, and create digital art by making Winter and Christmas cupcakes. They wrote recipes and how-to paragraphs for their creations. Students also practiced keyboarding skills by typing holiday song lyrics to reveal hidden images, combining creativity with typing accuracy.

3rd grade - AI & Collaboration

Third graders developed coding skills through Code.org Dance Party, learning how programs respond to time-based events. They explored AI by adding emojis and special effects to enhance their projects. Students also collaborated using Google Drawings to decorate a shared class tree and practiced keyboarding with holiday-themed typing activities.

4th grade - Keyboarding & Collaborative Writing

Fourth graders focused on building typing speed and accuracy using Typing.com, Nitro Type, and Gimkit. They participated in Campfire Stories, a collaborative writing project where students shared a story, added characters and events, revised with comments, and illustrated their contributions, fostering teamwork and digital writing skills.

5th Grade - Coding, Hardware & Creative Technology

Fifth graders worked with micro:bit devices to create projects such as emotion badges, step counters, nightlights, and digital games like Rock, Paper, Scissors. They also explored Google Sheets for pixel art, learning conditional formatting, cell formatting, and collaborative editing. These projects combined coding, logic, and creativity.

6th Grade -  Exploring AI with Scratch

Sixth graders explored AI concepts using Scratch Face Sensing blocks, creating interactive games that respond to facial movements. Students learned to clone sprites, animate objects, keep score, and program losing conditions, gaining hands-on experience with predictive AI while developing computational thinking and creativity.

8th grade -  AI with RVR+ Robotics

Eighth graders explored AI in robotics with RVR+, learning to program autonomous vehicle navigation, perform automated turns, and reflect on AI decision-making. They studied image recognition, tuning AI models to improve accuracy, and reviewed key concepts with interactive quizzes, building an understanding of real-world AI applications.

Thank you for supporting your child’s learning in computer class! Across all grade levels, students are growing as creative thinkers, collaborators, problem-solvers, and responsible users of technology and AI.

Educational Strategists -

Mrs. Heavey - Gr. K-2

Christmas break is here, take a moment to slow down and share some family time.

 -Share stories from your childhood with your family. Storytelling can help children become better readers.

-Pick a book to share as a family. Read aloud and talk about the story.

-Visit the library with your child and see what new books you can check out and read together.

-If you are traveling for the holidays, listen to an audiobook. It will help pass the travel time.

-Ask your child to help write thank you notes for the gifts received.

Check out readingrockets.org for other ideas.

Mrs. Price Gr. 3-5

 A favorite time as a parent that I have experienced is reading to my children before bedtime. We would all snuggle in on the sofa or chair, maybe someone would be on my lap, and usually there would be a favorite book that we read every night. At that time, I knew reading to my children was important, but I was unaware of just how beneficial it really was until much later in life. The following article explains the benefits of shared reading with your child (CLICK HERE). As we begin a new year, think about starting a new tradition of reading with your children on a consistent basis. It was one of my most cherished times as a parent!

Ms. Bousquet Gr. 6-8

Christmas break is an exciting time for most students. Most students look forward to celebrating Christmas, opening new and exciting gifts, welcoming the new year, and enjoying a much-needed pause from the routines and academic demands of school. While students at SVdP read a variety of enriching novels in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, academic reading is different from reading for pleasure. Over time, reading can begin to feel more like a chore than a source of enjoyment.

During this slower, less structured time, encourage your students to read simply for enjoyment. Whether it’s A Christmas Carol or even a Dog Man book they’ve outgrown, the goal is simply to keep reading. This helps students maintain strong reading skills over the break while also reminding students that reading is fun.

Guidance - Mrs. Skudlarek

December was packed full of exciting learning in guidance class! In Kindergarten we read the story, My Mouth is a Volcano! This is a fun and friendly story that teaches children what to do when they feel like interrupting. It helps kids learn to listen, wait their turn, and use their words respectfully. Our last class was spent coming up with ways to cheer up the Grinch before Christmas. Our first and second graders are learning how to believe in themselves and recognize the amazing things they can accomplish with confidence and practice. We have been talking about using positive self talk to help them try new things and keep going when things feel challenging. Our thief graders have been busy writing important facts about one another and sharing them with the class. This activity helped students recognize the strengths and uniques qualities of their classmates. They enjoyed learning new things about each other! Fourth, fifth and sixth grade students practiced how to respond calmly instead of reacting quickly when big feelings show up. These skills are helping them build stronger friendships, solve problems, and feel proud of their choices. The seventh and eighth grade students have been learning about listening first and then responding, “My dear brother sand sister, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:19-20). I wish you all a blessed holiday season spent with family and much laughter and love. See you in 2026! 

HAL - Mrs. Miller

Merry Christmas from the HAL classroom! Fractions have been the main focus for the 4th and 5th grade HAL math students. They learned the 3 Cs to comparing fractions—common sense, common denominator, and cross-products when choosing which fraction is greater. The 6th grade students are learning how tricky those negative numbers can be when solving multiple step equations. However, if students check their work, they should be able to catch a mistake. The 7th grade algebra group has been solving systems of equations and learning that this is an excellent way to solve some of life’s everyday challenges.

In literature, the 7th graders are working on a series of short stories with the guiding question, “Does every conflict have a winner?” They are learning that sometimes “winning” isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. The 8th graders are reading John Steinbeck’s novella, The Pearl. In the story, Kino finds the Pearl of the World and thinks it will solve all his problems. However, Kino soon learns that having wealth brings many obstacles and perhaps he was already lucky enough having his beautiful family.

Media Center - Mrs. Kaiser

Wishing all families a blessed Christmas! Students in grades K-3 have been focusing on illustrators, especially those illustrators who won a Caldecott medal. Students in grade 4 are learning to design for the 3D printer. We look forward to printing our bookmarks. Students have correctly cited the sources for their science reports. After Christmas we will use our research skills to learn about circuits and electricity. Students in grade seven reviewed their media literacy skills, discussing topics such as AI use, effective research, and making wise online choices. 

Thank you to the following students and families who donated a book to the library: Evelyn Evans, Carolyn Stillmock, Andrew Stillmock, Emma Luetkenhaus, Jonathan Adly, Sophina Holmgren, Camden McDonald, Cade Manning, Christopher Schmit, Jake Armbruster, Haley Armbruster, Madelyn Schmit, Tommy Dunn, Corinne Dineen.

Music - Mrs. LeMense

The 5th graders are in the middle of their second year recorder unit. We’ve been working on songs and scales in the key of C, key of D natural minor, and F major.  

“O Come O Come Emmanuel” – D natural minor

“Joy To the World” and “Frosty” – Key of C major

“Jingle Bells” – in the key of F major.

 After the recorder unit, the 5th graders will learn to play the ukulele!  Learning about key signatures will help them learn chords. 

 4th graders are playing recorders too and are learning to read more notes on the treble staff. We’re beginning to work on the lower notes that require two hands to play. 

Beatles: “All You Need Is Love” excerpt

“Au Clar de la Lune”

“Hot Cross Buns”

“Jolly Old St. Nicholas” and more…

It’s not too soon for 2nd and 3rd graders to be working on their February 26th program. We’ll be celebrating the 250th Birthday of our country a bit early! “America The Beautiful,”  “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee,” “You’re A Grand Old Flag,” and The National Anthem are some of the songs we’ve learned so far. 

Did you know that it wasn’t until 1931 that the “Star Spangled Banner” was made our official national anthem? President Hoover signed that bill! 

The 1st graders will begin learning about the instruments of the orchestra as they will be going to see the Omaha Symphony this next semester.  

Kindergartners have learned a dance to the song, “Deck The Halls” They had to work together to perform this folk dance!  

Music - Ms. Campbell

Congratulations to all the 6-8th graders on their hard work for their Christmas Program, I am always impressed with how they are able to roll with the punches and quickly make adjustments while we rehearse. Their joy for music was palpable!

Results of the school play: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are out! Congrats to all who tried out and made the cast! Rehearsals are after school Wednesday and Thursdays from 3:20-4:30 after we get back from break. If your student made the play, please look out for an email regarding which roles are required for which dates! Our performances will be on April 23!

K-6 PE - Mr. Boone

K-3

Finished the quarter by working on their striking skills by using paddles to hit balloons. The worked on keeping balloons up individually and then with a partner. Lastly, the students finished by playing some holiday games such as Grinch Tag, Reindeer Relays, and Holiday Lights Fight. Returning from break, we will start are gymnastics and parkour unit.  

4-6 

Topped off the quarter by finishing their pickleball tournaments. The students were really engaged with this unit and it was awesome to see them use the new paddles. Thank you all again for your generosity. The students then played speed volleyball where they worked on passing the beach ball or volleyball to their teammates to work on getting the ball over the net. Finally, the students did some holiday games as well with Reindeer Relays, and Holiday Lights Fight. Upon return from break, we will start our gymnastics and parkour unit.  

Thank you all for a great first semester and we will see you after the break. Happy Holidays!

7-8 PE - Mrs. Conry

The 7th & 8th grade played volleyball most of December. There was such a variety of skill level. It was fun to watch how skilled many of the students were. Everyone can always refine their skills.

Volleyball includes several different skill sets. Players must be able to play both offensively and defensively. It seemed like many improved and enjoyed playing with a team.

Students with practice were able to serve, set, pass, attack, block, and dig. Serving started the ball in motion from behind the baseline. Setting gently is hitting the ball high into the air to set up another teammate for an attack. Passing seemed to be used the most by everyone. A block was used mostly by the more experienced players, but many tried to jump up with hands outstretched to stop the ball as soon as it crossed the net.

We also played 4-corner volleyball with a beach ball bigger in size, and changed most of  the rules.We talked about  rules, scoring, and finished up with a test

Happy Holidays to you and you family. All the best in 2026!

2nd-4th - Spanish Mrs. McDermott

Students in 4th grade Spanish are practicing the months of the year by answering the question “Cuando es tu cumpleaños?” (When is your birthday?) with “Mi cumpleaños es ……” (My birthday is……). They are also practicing how to read and write any date in Spanish.

Students in 3rd grade Spanish are learning the names of clothing and accessories. They are also reviewing the colors by drawing clothing on a paper doll and labeling the clothes with the name of the clothing and its color in Spanish. Did you know that in Spanish adjectives go after the noun? For example, la blusa azul (blusa=blouse, azul=blue)

Students in 2nd grade Spanish are practicing the names of 13 colors by playing a game called "Caliente ó Frío” (Hot or Cold). They are also becoming pretty proficient in saying the "Ave Maria" (Hail Mary) in Spanish.

5th-8th - Spanish Mrs. Singh

¡Felices Fiestas!  Happy Holidays! 

All grade levels have been learning the 12 Days of Christmas in Spanish…they have a copy of the lyrics in their Google Classroom. I hope they have practiced at home! 

Hoping to ask a favor of you… if you email me with any questions, please let me know which homeroom your student is in. ¡Gracias!

5th graders have been singing Villancicos / Christmas songs and learning about the Cuetlaxóchitl. Also known in Spanish as the Flor de Nochebuena, in English we call it the Poinsettia Flower.  Students decorated their own to give as a gift.

6th graders completed a unit on calendar terms, writing out dates, the seasons, and weather terms. They can tell you the 4 seasons and a typical weather pattern for each season.

I hope they can tell you how to say “Nieve para Navidad” in English! 

7th graders are finishing a unit about body parts. They presented a short skit in which they described a body part that was “hurting”,  and their friend gave them advice to feel better. I was so impressed with their bilingual acting skills. 

They also learned a short song, “Sana, Sana, Colita de Rana. Si no sanas hoy, ¡sanarás mañana!’ Ask them to tell you about it!

8th graders have been studying pronouns and the verb SER.  They should have the pronoun chart memorized. It will make learning verb conjugation easier!  

Students have used the verb SER to describe themselves. They made incredible self portraits, then surrounded their faces with adjectives that described themselves. 

Students also created a slide show about their favorite “deportista” / athlete and used SER to describe them.