St. Matthew School

March 2022 newsletter

Our Lenten Journey

Dear St. Matthew families and supporters,


This Lenten season we are focusing on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Each of us has a different sacrifice we can offer to teach us how to love God more by giving of ourselves and not giving into temptation.


Though we may fall, like Christ carrying his cross, we pick back up and continue our journey to grow in faith. We hope that our students learn that improvement is what we all strive for so we can get to heaven.



Thank you for your continued prayers and support.


Angie Palmer

Principal

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Our bulletin board was adorned in chain links that state the students' lenten sacrifices.

Student of the Month

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Congratulations to this month's student of the month, Liam Scott. He is an amazingly kind and respectful 3rd grader. He lives the Cardinal Way by being a good and patient friend and works hard at everything he does. We are so proud of you, Liam!

Classroom Spotlight-7th and 8th grades

Middle School Speech Contest

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Our 6th-8th graders participated in the annual St. Matthew Speech contest. This year's topic was "A Special Place."


The top winners were:

6th place- Sean Larson- Beaver Lake

5th place- Caden Round- Okinawa

4th place- Gabe Weber- Hospital

3rd place- Lexi Martin- Volleyball Court

2nd place- Arnie Nash- Basketball Court

1st Place- Emmy Toledo- Her Home


Thanks to all of our students for their efforts to practice this important skill of public speaking.

Serving others

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Sister School

St. Matthew students collected money to send to our sister school in Guatemala- Santa Maria de la Asuncion.


We sent a check for $338 to IXIM Spirt of Solidarity, the supporting group of our mission with the Archidiocese of Omaha and the diocese of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. We are working together with our sisters and brothers in Christ.

One Child Inc.

St. Matthew students were practicing almsgiving this Lent. They were asked to do chores at home to earn money to give to those in need. We have selected One Child Inc. (a local charity) that has been supporting children in the Ukraine for many years.


The founder of One Child Inc., John Driscoll, came and spoke to our students about how his mission helps the children in the Ukraine. He told stories of how much the support means to the people over there who are fleeing from the war, sheltering in place, and needing supplies and transportation to get this done.


We will be collecting money through Lent. Stay tuned to the next newsletter to see how much money we contributed.

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Prayers

We spent time praying on March 18 and 25 for the citizens of the Ukraine. We asked for Mary's intercession to help protect them and be with them during this time.

Stations of the Cross

A St. Matthew Lenten tradition is class-led Stations of the Cross. Each week a class is responsible for leading the stations while all of our K-8 graders attend.


It is a great reminder of what sacrifice is, as we follow along the last day of Jesus's life in prayer.

Lucky Leprechans

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Pre-K students were feeling a little Irish on St. Patrick's day. They used some great fine motor skills to roll their "beards" and put together their hats (and of course they looked adorable when it was done).

Mix It Up Day

Grades K-8 had a "Mix It Up" day where they had the chance to sit with new people they normally don't sit with at lunch and make a new friend.


Some of them used some conversation starter cards to help get to learn more about each other. Cards asked questions like, "What new thing would you want to try this year?" or "What is your favorite movie?"


Despite a few being uncertain about something new, they found it was nice to talk to new people!


We hope to do it again!

Book Bowl

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Some of our middle school students participated in a city wide Book Bowl. Students have been reading books and studying them for months in preparation for the competition. This is our second year participating. We had 2 teams compete. One of our teams made it to round 6 of 10, and the other team made it to round 8. This is a huge improvement from our first attempt last year.


Our team was led by Angelica McFall and Alisha Olson. Students participating were: Lexi Martin, Livi Olson, Rose Black, Sean Larson, Ethan Mabbitt, AJ Oberdin, Brigid McFall, Erin Cassoutt, and Arnie Nash.


This is open to 6th-8th graders.


We are looking for some adults to help lead this team next year, as Angelica will be heading Mardi Gras and is stepping back from Book Bowl. We also need volunteers to read books this summer and come up with questions for the chapters.


If you are interested in helping as a coach or help with reading books, please let Mrs. Palmer know.

Mardi Gras Report

We are so happy to report that Mardi Gras proceeds exceeded $85,000! That is amazing news.


The proceeds will be funding the following things:


-$25,000 to the school's 2021-22 operating costs

- $15,000 toward next year's budget to increase teacher salaries

- $5,000 will be put in the new St. Matthew School Endowment Fund

- Remaining funds will be used for some much needed campus improvements set to begin this summer.


Thank you to everyone for your support. It is humbling to have so many people helping in so many ways for the success of our school. We are truly blessed.

St. Matthew the Evangelist Catholic School

St. Matthew the Evangelist Catholic School

St. Matthew the Evangelist Catholic School
Spreading the Gospel and Forming Disciples through our Community, Outreach, and Educational Excellence.
12210 South 36th Street, Bellevue, NE, USA staff@stmattschool.com 402-291-2030 stmattschool.com