Take Home Tuesday

The time-honored tradition of the Okoboji Invitational Soccer Classic is coming up June 11-12, 2022. This is a family-oriented recreational tournament, designed to promote the Iowa Great Lakes area and the CYSL soccer club. As shown on their website, the main purpose of this event is for all players and their entire families to have fun.

You can follow all information on this fun tradition on their social media accounts:

Facebook: Okoboji Invitational Soccer Classic (@OkobojiSoccerClassic)

Twitter: Boji Soccer Classic (@SoccerBoji)

Instagram: Okoboji Soccer Classic

The Okoboji tournament is a great way to spend time with other Catholic school families, picnic together as a school, and even enjoy some Arnold's Park. Oh yeah, and play some soccer!

Please know that our school expectations of "Be Responsible, Be Respectful, Be Safe" extends to our sports programs. Whether a student is wearing the St. Cecilia school uniform or athletic uniform, they are a direct representation of our school and parish communities.

This also extends to our families and friends who are spectators at the games. As a mom and school employee, I have the opportunity to see our community both inside and outside of school. Our school recreational league is meant to be a fun place for our student-athletes where they can continue to grow their talent, and learn the ins/out of the game.

Here are some ways to live life the Cardinal Way in Okoboji next month:

1. Be positive role models.

Your kids are listening, all the time. Model growth mindset in your conversations: What did you think you did well? What did coach say the team did well? What should you work on before the next game? Even in a loss, learning and growth happens.

2. Be an up-stander.

We have all been next to someone at a game who starts getting vocal towards the other team's players, referees, or parents. We teach our students at school if they see/hear something, say something. Let a parent know their negative comments are not appreciated or appropriate at recreational games. Let the coach coach. Let the players play. Our job is to watch, encourage, and cheer.

3. Be a supporter of youth sports.

It's been a few years, but back in the day I played my fair share of competitive games, competing at the state level in basketball several years (although I may not look the part now)! Fast forward and I have seen my fair share of youth sports and high school sports. It is a very rare thing for an official to be the main cause of a loss for a team. Have I experienced and seen some calls I haven't agreed with, sure. But officials are one variable in the game. I have seen games lost not because of officials but because of being out-played, out-coached, missed opportunities with shots, lack of player or coach discipline, etc. Please focus on the positive with your kids after a game, even if they experience a loss. Just like our STEAM program, we want kids to develop a growth mindset in the failures so they can rebound and adjust for next time.

4. Be a supporter of officials.

As most of you are already aware, there is a very real shortage of youth sports officials. There is strong evidence that supports that the mistreatment of officials by players and parents is the main cause. As a Catholic school, we know the importance of community for the development of our youth, both in the classroom and on the court/field. This weekend, an article came out where John Higgins, a long-time Cathedral parishioner, describes how the climate surrounding youth sports is out of control.

5. Volunteer.

When I taught at Millard South, I had a co-teacher tell me "you are either part of the problem or part of the solution." It's always easy to criticize from the sidelines, in an email, or on social media. If you think the officiating could be better, we welcome your expertise. Please visit the CYSL website to see more information on how to help the referee shortage.

As a St. Cecilia community, we represent not only our school and parish, but also our faith at Okoboji, in a Responsible, Respectful, and Safe way. Please know I will support any decisions made by the Okoboji Invitational committee should a parent, player, or team be asked to leave a game.

All that being said, let's cheer on our Cardinals and start our summer months off with fun!

Julia

Fall 2022 soccer signups are now open until June 15, 2022. Please sign up before the deadline. Late registrations cannot be guaranteed since team forms are due in early July. School soccer is for kids in Grades 1-8.

If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Richard at r732richard@yahoo.com. If you know your child wants to play but you are unable to pay at this time, let Ryan know before the deadline so he can account for your player(s). Thanks!

We are so grateful that Christy Schill has stepped up to be our volleyball coordinator for the 2022 fall season. She is currently attending all PAL meetings and we are working on the signup for registrations for Grades 5-8.

If you are interested in being a volunteer coach for your daughter's team, please email Christy (schills@cox.net). We are planning on having registration out soon!

PreK

Julie Escobar - lead teacher

Sr. Pelly - para

Jean Smith - part time para

Kindergarten

Maddie Swanson

Jan Zimmer

1st Grade

Molly Neuman

2nd Grade

Crystal Gerken

Laura Powley

3rd Grade

Sherri Heimerman

Maureen Monson

4th Grade

Emily Guinn

Becky Petersen

5th Grade

Tammy Mateljan

6th Grade

Brian Lindley

Elizabeth Loehr

7th Grade

Anne Fangman

Jessie Stoffel

8th Grade

Matt Jones

Specialists

Kelly Hickey

Christine Koehn

Shaina Owen

Mattia Tucksen

Sheila Turbes

We are so blessed to have a full teaching roster for next school year! God is good, all the time! We are still looking for a full-time instructional para or resource teacher for next year. Please keep your eyes/ears open for someone looking to join a great school community!

Baby boy was born this morning at 5:17 AM: 8 lbs 4 oz; 21 1/2 inches long. Please keep this family in your prayers and thoughts! All are well!

We have an all school Mass on Thursday, May 26, at 8:30 AM. Please join us to celebrate the Eucharist and the last day of school. We will have some special announcements at the end of Mass and a 12:00 PM dismissal that day.

• Medications: If your child has any medications on file here at school (ibuprofen, inhalers, EpiPens, cough drops, etc.) they need to be picked up from the school office by a parent. Anything left here after June 11 will be discarded appropriately.

• Outstanding Lunch Fees: Please check Sycamore to see if you have any outstanding lunch fees that must be paid by June 11. If left unpaid, enrollment for the 22-23 will be put on hold.

• Overdue Library Books: Mrs. Turbes has given lists of overdue books to each student. Please check your child's backpack and see if you can locate the books that are still missing.
• Report Cards: Final report cards will be sent home on the last day of school.

• School Supply Lists for 2022-23: These will be available on our website by June 1st.

Email: jpick@stcecilia.net
Website: https://www.stcecilia.net/
Location: 3869 Webster Street, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: (402)658-9877
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StCeciliaSchoolOmaha
Twitter: @StCeciliaOMA