March 2026

Preschool - Mrs. Malone, Ms. Onkka

Our 5-day students were excited to reach the 100th day of school. Ask your child to count to 100 by 10’s and 1’s.

All our classes had so much fun celebrating St. Valentine’s Day. Students enjoyed exchanging valentines with each other & making valentines for their parents. Thank you to the parents who planned our parties!  😃

Did you know that dinosaurs are extinct? We spent the last two weeks of February learning and reading about dinosaurs. Ask your student what clues the dinosaurs left behind so that we could learn about them.

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

We received ashes on Ash Wednesday and have been finding ways to make our hearts ready for Jesus at Easter. 

In science, we studied the four seasons of the year. We made lists of weather conditions and types of clothing for each season.

Each kindergarten class learned about good dental hygiene from Dr. John Drahota.  

Taking spelling tests has helped our students become more familiar with word families. Every day, they are becoming stronger readers and writers!

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

The first graders are busy working to prepare their hearts for the Lenten season. We will be meeting as a grade level once a week to study the Stations of the Cross. The students are learning about the three elements of Lent: prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. We are looking forward to walking through this holy season with your child! 

We continue to work on math facts and look forward to using these skills to help us with double-digit addition. Continued practice at home really helps! We are also studying about point of view, sequencing, and cause and effect in reading class. Please try to expose your children to both fiction and nonfiction books as they help these skills develop.

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

Thank you to all the parents who helped with Valentine parties this year. The students always have a great time! We appreciate all the parents who have helped this year.

Second graders are learning about government in social studies. Some topics they have covered are why we have rules and consequences, who is part of the government, and what different groups do.

Scientists have been learning about water and land habitats. They are studying what plants and animals live in different areas and how each thrives in their environment.

Remember to keep praying and talking with your child about First Eucharist. Blessed books will be coming home. Please refer to assignment notebooks as to what chapters to be reading and working in with your child. It is so important to have these meaningful discussions with your child.

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

The students will be applying their knowledge of cursive handwriting to weekly spelling and vocabulary assignments and tests. They are doing a great job mastering this newly acquired skill.

Our authors are continuing to work on personal narratives using Step Up to Writing and the five part writing process. Google Classroom is being used for the drafting, revising, and editing parts of this project.

The students have enjoyed learning about early explorers, what they were in search of, and how their presence impacted the Native Americans. They love sharing prior knowledge and learning new, fascinating facts.

Third graders love learning about weather, especially severe storms in spring! Over the next few weeks, students will analyze the different types of severe weather, including hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, floods, and blizzards. We will explore how storms form, how meteorologists predict weather, and most importantly, how to stay safe during severe weather events.

Wishing you a blessed Lent!   May your journey lead you closer to Jesus.

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

We are preparing for Jesus’ Passion, Death, and Resurrection this Lenten season by learning about and praying the Stations of the Cross, and charting our increase in prayer and almsgiving. During this holy season, we hope it is a time for repentance and renewal in our faith life.

During science, we are observing how an animal's characteristics help it survive in its habitat and how certain animal characteristics have led to amazing inventions like the airplane or velcro.

Thank you to all the volunteers for the wonderful St. Valentine’s Day parties. A great time was had by all!

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

We are in the home stretch! The 5th grade State Fair is ONE month away! Parents and Grandparents are invited to join us Friday, March 28th from 1:45-2:45 p.m. in the Parish Center where students will be excited to share all they have learned about their State!

We appreciate all the help you (parents) have provided from editing paragraphs to purchasing and helping to assemble the display board. This is a very exciting day for the students, and sharing what they have learned with you is met with great anticipation!

WE HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US!

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

English - Students are learning about adverbs this month. They continue to learn vocabulary and practice spelling various grade-level words. Ask your child about editing paragraphs and how it is going. Are they able to find all the mistakes?

Literature - We are on an adventure with the Logan family from the 1930s in the novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Ask your child about what he/she is reading and what their thoughts are about events happening in the novel. This is historical fiction and written as people spoke in Mississippi, which can be a challenge.

Math - In Math, we are wrapping up the unit on rates, ratios, and percent, where they practiced comparing quantities and solving real-world problems. Next, they will begin exploring integer operations, learning how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide positive and negative numbers. This new unit builds on their problem-solving skills and prepares them for more advanced math concepts ahead.

Religion - In religion, students will be spending Lent learning about Moses and how he helped the Israelites gain freedom from the Egyptians. Students will also learn about how our Jewish ancestors celebrate the Passover and our connection to this celebration called the Seder Meal.

Students will celebrate the Seder Meal on March 25th. May of you have already signed up to help.  Thank you!  There are still volunteer opportunities available by clicking here.

Science - In science, students will be exploring the depths of the Earth and the Earth systems in which we live.

Social Studies - In Social Studies, we have been learning about Ancient China and its lasting impact on the world. They explored major dynasties, important inventions like paper and the compass, and the influence of Confucian ideas. Highlights included learning about the Great Wall and the Silk Road, helping students understand how this ancient civilization shaped history and culture.

Sixth graders had an amazing time Valentines bowling! Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to come with us to make this day happen.

JUNIOR HIGH

English - Mr. Leever

English 7

Students have completed the first section studying verbs. We are taking a short break with verbs in order to write an essay that involves a health or medical topic that interests them. Students will then have a week or two to create a slideshow to present to the class regarding their topic. While students are working on the slideshows and preparing their presentations, we will take up the remaining sections on verbs.

English 8

Students have been studying and diagramming different types of subordinate clauses and complex sentences. Before we study the remaining type of clause (noun clauses), students will research and write an essay regarding what it means to be a hero. After writing the essay, students will have two weeks to prepare a slideshow and presentation on their topic to share with the class. While students are working on the slideshows and preparing their presentations, we will take up identifying and diagramming noun clauses.

Science - Ms. Kolberg

7th grade - 

Seventh graders are finishing up the DNA and genetics unit. They know the difference between mitosis and meiosis.

A fun activity was making Oreo cookies to show what happens to the chromosomes in each of the mitosis stages.  The pictures attached show the mitosis activity before the cookies  “disappeared” into someone’s stomach!  

One of the other projects the students did was to “read” the DNA code, translate it, and transcribe it to make a dragon with all kinds of traits like breathing fire or wings.

Our next unit will be on the human body systems.

8th grade - 

8th graders have been finishing up the chemistry unit.  We have observed multiple chemical reactions.

We used the Vernier probes to help determine pH of substances.  Attached are pictures from the powders and chemical reaction lab.

Our next unit is on Force and Motion.

Math - Mr. Polacek

March Madness has arrived to the Jr. High math classes, and it is looking like a fantastic time.

The algebra classes will be well into the quadratics chapter where we will be thrown some curves as we attempt to graph parabolas. We will then be solving quadratics by completing the square, using square roots, and ending the chapter with the quadratic equation song! This is a very challenging algebra chapter, so it will be  great test to see if we have what it takes to get to the next round.

The competition will really ramp for for the pre-algebra classes. We will have to work hard to stay on the straight and narrow path as we fast break into algebra and look at linear equations and slopes. Lots of work to write out and show in these algebra-heavy chapters!   

Probability will be a great March math topic for the 7th grade class, and the next round we will get into some pre-algebra with simplifying expressions. Good luck to all, and enjoy the madness!

Religion - Mrs. Nigrin

Happy Lent!

During this month, the 7th graders will be focusing on the meaning of the 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes. We will be applying them to our daily lives and what it means to follow them in the year 2026. We will also be looking at how sin affects our lives. We will be spending the end of the month focusing on Holy Week, the Triduum, and the celebration of Easter.

The 8th graders did an amazing job at Confirmation and are now focusing on the elements of the Church and delving more deeply into the significance of the events of the Mass. They will also be looking at how the Easter Season is significant to those who are joining the Catholic Faith and how Holy Week plays a part in all of this.

Literature - Mrs. Fosbender 

Our junior high literature students are diving into exciting new projects this quarter!

Eighth graders are reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, exploring the novel’s themes of individuality, choice, and community. As they read, students will practice note-taking through journaling, conduct research, and design their own 3D model of a Utopian society—bringing creative thinking and critical analysis together in a meaningful way.

Seventh graders are also honing their journaling and note-taking skills as they begin their poetry unit. They’ll study various forms and styles of poetry and then create their own original works. Each student’s writing will be collected into a personalized book of poetry to showcase their creativity and growth as writers.

It’s an inspiring season for reading, writing, and imagination in our literature classes!

Social Studies - Mrs. Sullivan

In social studies, the 7th-grade students are finishing up their studies of Africa.  Throughout our Africa studies, the students learned about the countries, people, culture, geography, and natural resources. After Africa, we will start talking about Asia.  During this study, the students will work on a couple of different projects to help us know more about the people and countries of Asia. 

The 8th graders are finishing up a study on the 1920s and 1930s with a specific focus on the Great Depression.  During our studies, we not only learned about historical events but also talked about the music, artists, and other cultural icons of that time.  Next up will be studies of WWII, including what led to the war, who was involved, specific battles, the war’s outcome and consequences, etc.  These studies always seem to be a favorite of the students.  We have a few people who will be bringing in items from the time period to help enhance our study.

SPECIALS

Art - Mr. Pflaum

Kindergarten - The students will be introduced to a new drawing project that incorporates camouflage and chameleons. 

First grade - The first-graders have been introduced to artist Romero Britto and will be creating their own Britto-inspired artwork.

Second grade - Students have started work on their western landscape watercolors.

Third grade - The third-graders learned about the importance of Japanese cherry blossom trees and will be creating their own versions.

Fourth grade - The students are working on a project called Elementary Design.

Fifth grade - Students have been  improving their observational drawing skills with a Picasso-inspired illustration.

Sixth grade - The sixth-graders are in the middle of their detailed Pointillism drawings.

Seventh grade - Students are nearing the end of their printmaking project.

Eighth grade -The eighth graders completed their Memory Project portraits and will soon start on their pop culture paintings.

Samples of student art work can be viewed on the school's private art gallery Instagram page. https://www.instagram.com/svdpmrpflaumart/

Computer - Mrs. Kuhr

Kindergarten - Kindergarteners were introduced to Sphero Indi. Sphero Indi are small car-like robots that can be programmed using colored tiles. They explored how Indi sees, moves, and lights up. Using colored tiles, students learned how to direct Indi to stop, go, turn left, or turn right.

1st Grade - First graders expanded their robotics skills by planning paths for the Sphero Indi through mazes. They practiced predicting movements, identifying paths, and adjusting routes as needed.

2nd Grade - Second graders worked in codeSpark, learning about algorithms and sequencing commands as they designed their own games, including platform and adventure-style games.  Additionally, students practiced their math skills on Prodigy. This site allows students to practice math in a fun game where they collect little cute creatures. They can use this site at home by logging in with their Google account. They have also started programming the Sphero Indi through an app. They programmed Indi to play songs, solve addition problems, complete patterns, and run a “marathon” using colored tiles.

3rd Grade - Third graders programmed and animated their names using Scratch. They combined blocks of code to create interactive letters that change color, grow, spin, and play sounds. They have continued practicing keyboarding fluency with Typing.com, aiming for 15 words per minute (WPM) with a focus on accuracy and proper hand placement.

4th Grade - Fourth graders created interactive Maze Games in Scratch. They programmed sprites to follow the mouse, stay inside maze boundaries, and detect winning conditions using “if” statements. Students also practiced and improved their keyboarding skills using Typing.com, working toward 20 WPM with enhanced speed and accuracy.

5th Grade - Fifth graders aimed for a keyboarding goal of 25 WPM on Typing.com, focusing on fluency, accuracy, and endurance. Additionally, students designed and programmed their own platform-style games in Scratch. They coded sprites to jump, fall, and move left and right using key-press events, creating interactive challenges.

6th Grade - Sixth graders explored digital art by creating Pop Art projects in Google Drawings. They selected photos, outlined shapes, and filled them with bold colors inspired by pop art. Extensions included repetition effects, word art, and experimenting with photo formatting tools, combining creativity with digital design skills.

7th Grade - Seventh graders programmed two arcade-style games using MakeCode Arcade: Cherry Pickr and Galaga. They created tile-based prototypes and learned about sprites, variables, controls, and game physics, enhancing their coding skills.

Yearbook - We’re collecting photos for the yearbook! Pictures still needed:

8th Grade Confirmation
Music programs
Holiday parties

Please send any photos to kuhra@svdp-school.org. Your contributions will help make this year’s yearbook special!

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

Educational Strategist – Gr. K-2 – Mrs. Heavey

In grades K-3rd, children need more opportunities for reading practice to help develop their reading skills.  Some children may need more encouragement than others to read outside of school.  Here are some ways to encourage young readers to spend more time reading.

Be a role model and let your child see you reading.

Keep a variety of reading materials in the house.  This may include comic books, magazines, a dictionary, joke books, and picture books.

Encourage your child to practice reading aloud.  You will gain a better understanding of your child’s reading ability when you listen to them read aloud.  Offer to take turns reading the pages of a chapter book.  You can offer praise and encouragement as you read together.

Leave notes for your child.

Encourage activities that require reading.  This may include cooking, playing a game. or building a lego project.

Go to readingrockets.org to find other ideas to encourage your young reader.

Educational Strategist – Gr. 3-5 – Mrs. Price

It is hard to believe that our 3rd quarter is almost over!  With spring break approaching soon, it would be a great time for students to dive into a great book at their reading and interest level.  My students are aware of my personal library and have access to it anytime for browsing or checking out books. 

How does a child know how to choose a book at their instructional level? Does your child need some guidance when they look at a bookshelf or feel overwhelmed when they walk into a library?

Try the “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 anytime!  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

Educational Strategist – Gr. 6-8 – Ms. Bousquet

As adults, we constantly prioritize. It feels like common sense because it generally follows a logical pattern, but it is a skill we’ve developed over many years. Most adults can instinctively decide what needs to be done first and what can wait.

Junior high students, however, are still developing these executive functioning skills. Many will naturally begin with the task that interests them most rather than the one that is most urgent or challenging. Others may spend too much time perfecting a small assignment while postponing and eventually rushing through a larger project worth significantly more points.

You can support your child by helping them create a simple prioritization system to stay organized and on track. For example, assignments due the next day could be highlighted in red. Tasks due in two or three days might be marked in yellow, and longer-term or newly assigned projects could be labeled green or orange. Encourage your child to complete all “red” assignments before moving on to other work (or before earning screen time).

Learning to prioritize is a skill that takes practice, and with guidance, students can begin building habits that will serve them well this year, in high school, and as they navigate the world as adults.

Guidance - Mrs. Skudlarek

It has been a great month in Guidance!  Students continue to work hard and practice using skills of kindness, respect, and looking out for others.

Our theme for February was "Making Positive Decisions."  All classrooms discussed the importance of having choices to make a decision.  

In kindergarten, students practiced making choices such as a favorite color or food.  First grade students practiced ways to be themselves while allowing their peers to be themselves. We also talked about the importance of making decisions based on what they want, not what their friends want.

Second graders worked together to make decisions for a fictional dinosaur named Gus. Ask them what they decided would be best for the friendly brontosaurus!  Third graders discussed using choices to help guide them with peer relationships and what to look for in quality friendships.  

Fourth graders discussed the importance of the decision making process and why it is so important to understand that our decisions can impact us in a positive or negative way.  Fifth graders started a unit on drug and alcohol awareness.  

Sixth, seventh and eighth graders focused on the importance of understanding gossip and how it can have a negative impact on relationships.  

HAL - Mrs. Miller

February was a fast month in the HAL classroom. We are closing out the 3rd quarter and getting ready to gear up for a strong finish for the last quarter of the year.

The 4th grade students wrapped up their study with different methods of using decimals in their work. They are now beginning a unit on geometry and basic concepts of perimeter and area.

The focus for 5th grade has been fractions during the month of February, and they also spent time learning about different ways to use probability to predict an outcome. This group will also be working on a geometry unit, focusing on lines and angles.

Sixth graders are learning about ratios and proportions and will apply what they know to percentages in March.

The 7th grade algebra students finished up their unit on factoring and will apply those same ideas to simplifying rational equations.

The HAL literature students began new novels the middle of February. The 7th graders started The Lightning Thief and will also spend time learning about Greek mythology. The 8th grade group began Touching Spirit Bear and will learn about restorative justice and the native art of creating a totem pole. Both groups are eager to begin something new!

Media Center - Mrs. Kaiser

We love nonfiction!

Students in grades K-5 are listening to and discussing nonfiction titles, as well as exploring how to find nonfiction in the library. Don’t forget to include nonfiction when you’re choosing bedtime stories or an audio book for the car. If you’d like suggestions, Mrs. Kaiser loves to recommend books!

Grade 8 students will be finishing up their unit on information literacy and moving on to a design project. 

Thank you to the following students and their families for donating books to the library: Wilhelmina Arnold, Knox Jones, Linh Nguyen, Asher Kola, JJ Scheppers, and Genevieve Cleary. 

Music P-5 - Mrs. LeMense

1st graders will be heading to St. Wenceslaus for a performance by the Omaha Symphony.   Students have been learning all about the four instrument families:  brass, woodwinds, strings, and percussion. 

Many thanks to our 2nd and 3rd graders for a wonderful Patriotic program celebrating our country’s 250thbirthday! We sang “America The Beautiful," “The Star Spangled Banner." “Yankee Doodle” and more!

4th graders will be reaching the culmination of their recorder unit.  We’ve been working hard learning to read the notes.  Music notation is universal and a good skill to possess.                         

Next for the 5th graders will be our ukulele unit.

Music 6-8 - Ms. Julia Campbell

Sixth graders have been hard at work putting together a Pop-Opera. Each class thought of a theme, setting, and plot. Then they were split into groups of six and tasked with writing lyrics for different songs in the Pop-Opera. Our next steps will be for them to choreograph movement, assign parts, and find props. 

Seventh graders are working on their composer projects. They are writing a script for a skit based on the composers their groups chose. The skit will be comedic and include a moral lesson. It has been very fun to observe them brainstorm different ideas. When they are done with the script, they will stage the skit and assign roles for each person. 

Eighth graders are wrapping up learning about the genre of Rock. They are creating rock beats and identifying what a rock band sounds like.

Our last topic in the genres unit will be about Hip Hop.

PE - Mrs. Conry

The 7th & 8th started a program called “Starting New at Golf." It is a FUN game that is EASY to learn and can be played ANYWHERE.

SNAG™ contains all the basic elements of golf but in a modified form. Falling somewhere between miniature golf and regulation golf, SNAG allows for full shots, pitching, chipping, and putting. Its design makes it both safe and portable, allowing instruction, practice, and play to take place both inside and outside.

I want to thank all the volunteers as well as golf professionals who gave of their time; it was very helpful, and I know the students enjoyed having them involved.

Stay tuned for an update when we conclude this activity. I am very excited we have brought golf into SVdP school.

PE - Mr. Boone

Kindergarten- At last, we finally got to use the critters that you all so kindly donated!

The kindergartners started off the month working on their bowling or rolling skills.  The first activity was called “Bowling For Critters."  The students used their bowling skills to roll the ball at over 50 hula hoops in the center of the gym.  Each hoop contained three stuffed animals.  If the ball they rolled made it inside a hoop, they got to pick one of the critters and bring it back to the rest of their group.  With over 150 critters, this activity brought out a lot of joy from the students when they got to pick their critter and lots of words of encouragement, which is always a huge win in class.

The students then moved onto another bowling activity called “Shoots."  Students would run out to the first dot, which was about five feet way from a bucket with a ramp leading up to it; the dot had a bean bag on it.   The student would roll the ball towards the bucket. If the ball went in the bucket, the student would then move the bean bag to the next dot, and then the next student would run to the bean bag and roll from there.

After the bowling unit, the students transitioned to their ball handling or dribbling skills.  

1st-6th Grades- February is National Heart Month and we got things jumping with our jump rope unit.

With the younger grades, we introduced/reviewed how to hold the rope, how to twirl it with elbows in, and when to jump.  The older students started working on tricks that progressively got harder.  Tricks included criss-cross, double side swings, toe-to-toe, double unders, bell, skier, and backwards to name a few.  

We introduced a new challenge this year called the School Jump Off Challenge.  This challenge has the students competing against each other, their state, and country, and students from all over the world.  There are five categories of jumps that the students can pick from to see how many jumps they can get in 30 seconds.  Jumps included the single bounce, criss-cross, double unders, speed, and push-ups.  The students were excited to see how they stacked up against other students from around the world.

The students also did the Ninja Belt Challenge.  The students tried to earn different belts by completing consecutive jumps in a row for each level.  Once they achieved the amount required, they were allowed to move on to try earning the next belt.  At the end of the challenge, the students got to sign the posters that matched their achieved belt level as well as get bracelets that had beads of the colors they earned.

Finally, the older students worked on jumping with a long rope and tried their hand at double-dutch. 

Spanish 2nd-4th - Mrs. McDermott

Students in 4th grade Spanish are learning about the weather. They continue to practice the four seasons in Spanish: el otoño (Fall), el invierno (Winter), la primavera (Spring) and el verano (Summer) by writing and talking about what weather occurs in each season.

Students in 3rd grade Spanish continue to learn the names of over 35 animals. They are having lots of fun drawing and writing about an animal they like and one they don’t like.  It’s  a lot of fun to read about imaginary animals. (Me gusta la jirafa morada y flaca. I like the purple and skinny giraffe). They are learning that adjectives in Spanish can be masculine or feminine.

Students in 2nd grade Spanish continue to learn the names of family members.  They are working on drawing a portrait of their family and  labeling each of their family members in Spanish. They are also practicing how to identify feminine and masculine words. 

Spanish  5th-8th - Mrs. Singh

¡Hola!   

All students are starting each class with a culture fact about a Spanish speaking country.  In February we learned about countries in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.  Students watched a short video about our sister school San Idelfonso in Guatemala.

5th graders made Valentine cards and learned vocabulary for the holiday.  They also reviewed colors and created a unique art project.  Students colored in an image by writing the word for the color, like “azul”/ blue, in that color.  Please ask them to see their work!

6th graders have been studying classroom items.  They can talk about the supplies they use in each class, say if they have the item or not, and how many they have.  We are reviewing numbers as they discuss quantities, and they are reinforcing their alphabet skills by spelling out their vocabulary words.  Students have enjoyed playing the game “Chispa” (known as Spelling Sparkle in English).  Ask your student to explain the game to you.

7th graders have been learning about breakfast foods and cultural differences around foods and meals.  Students were thrilled to celebrate “Martes gordo” (Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday) by creating an Ensalada de dulces (candy salad) to celebrate.  I hope you’ll visit a Mexican restaurant and let them order in Spanish. 

8th graders made slide presentations to demonstrate their knowledge of the verb “Estar” with emotions.  Each group had 6 emotions and needed to include a picture reflecting that emotion and use the correct conjugation of Estar.

Students learned the verb “Ser” last month.  Both “Ser” and “Estar” mean “to be” in English, so they are learning when they should use one verb instead of the other. 

A friendly reminder that it is so helpful to me when you include your students homeroom number if you email regarding grades, etc.

¡Gracias!