U-KNIGHTED
Issue: #4                                    


December 2014


Mission
Our mission at Norfolk Catholic School is to educate disciples in the heart of Jesus.

Vision
The vision we have at Norfolk Catholic School is to be excellent in everything we do, to be partners within our community, to be disciples of Jesus Christ, and to make a difference in our lives and in the lives of others.
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The Knight Times (Our student newspaper)





 
Kerygma
Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you.

Saint of the Day

St. Sabas

Born in Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey), Sabas loved to live in solitude and at the age of 30 was given permission to spend five days each week in a nearby remote cave, engaging in prayer and manual labor in the form of weaving baskets. A rope was his means of access. Wild herbs among the rocks were his food. Occasionally men brought him other food and items, while he had to go a distance for his water.


Some of these men came to him desiring to join him in his solitude. At first he refused. But not long after relenting, his followers swelled to more than 150, all of them living in individual huts grouped around a church, called a laura.


Throughout each year--consistently in Lent--he left his monks for long periods of time, often to their distress. A group of 60 men left the monastery, settling at a nearby ruined facility. When Sabas learned of the difficulties they were facing, he generously gave them supplies and assisted in the repair of their church.


Comment:

Few of us share Sabas's yearning for a cave in the desert, but most of us sometimes resent the demands others place on our time. Sabas understands that. When at last he gained the solitude for which he yearned, a community immediately began to gather around him and he was forced into a leadership role. He stands as a model of patient generosity for anyone whose time and energy are required by others-that is, for all of us.

--taken from AmericanCatholic.org

 



The U-Knighted

This is the fourth issue of the U-Knighted, a monthly newsletter that provides you with news, notes, pictures, videos, and updates about Norfolk Catholic School. The U-Knighted will be emailed to you on the first Friday of each month.

If you have story ideas or pictures that could be used in a future issue, please email them to  U-Knighted Ideas.
Norfolk Catholic Christmas Video
Norfolk Catholic Christmas Video
Christmas Video
Special thanks for Ashley Lammli, who is volunteering her time to shoot, edit, and produce some short videos about Norfolk Catholic. This is our first one and it centers on our favorite things about Christmas.

 

 

On Dec. 2, the Archdiocese of Omaha launched the archdiocese-wide Catholic school marketing program. A presentation to the three major TV stations, along with KFAB radio and the Omaha World Herald and Catholic Voice occurred at All Saints School. There were newscasts along with a series of radio ads and TV spots beginning this afternoon, and print story and ads in the OWH and Catholic Voice (today for the Voice). There is also a social media component with a Facebook and twitter account and the key web site for details and information is:

Love My School.com .  

 

This is a campaign to remind people of the value and benefits of Catholic School education, with a goal of stabilizing, if not gaining, enrollment. If nothing else, it's time to tell the Catholic School story. Here is a link to the current OWH story.

 

OWH story


Have a wondrous and joyous Advent! 
 Now that we have counted our blessings and stuffed ourselves with a wonderful dinner and the leftovers that inevitably follow, we can now turn our attention to the Advent season, which began on November 30, 2014.

 

I found the following information about Advent from a Dec. 1 issue of the Huffington Post. You can read the entire article and see some wonderful images of an Advent "Darkness to Light" procession HERE.

 

The emphasis of the season of Advent is one of expectation and anticipation for the coming Messiah. The season of Advent starts out in a sombre tone and for the first two weeks, purple and blue are the primary colors used in church. On the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (gaudete means rejoice) pink or rose are the primary colors used. This shift in color symbolizes change in emphasis from expectation to celebration.

The themes of the Advent season are Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Lighting of candles, especially the circular Advent wreath with five candles is an important tradition of the Advent season. Each Sunday of Advent, one of four candles is lit -- with the final candle, the Christ Candle, being lit on Christmas Eve.
$50,000 Matching Gift
Anonymous Donor Hopes NC is Up for the Challenge

Recently, we received a gift of $50,000 toward The Fund for NC, along with a challenge to match that with gifts or pledges by Dec. 31.

The Fund for NC is an annual appeal to help bridge the gap between the actual cost to educate a student (around $5,400) and the tuition that we charge our families (around $3,000 per student). Funds raised through the Fund For NC will be used in two ways this year:

1. to help keep our tuition from rising too quickly
2. to fund our tuition assistance program (Did you know that one in four of our students qualifies for tuition assistance?)

Help us meet this challenge match by making your gift today! You can give online at NorfolkCatholic.org. Just click "Give On-Line" in the upper left-hand corner.

You may also set up an auto payment option, make a stock donation, or give by phone via a credit or debit card by calling 402-371-9256.
Tweet of the Week

This week's Tweet is as simple quote:

 

Million dollar ideas are a dime a dozen. The determination to see the idea through is what's priceless. -Robert Dieffenbach


Youth Philanthropy Contest
Contest asks, "How can I make a difference in my community?"
The Youth Philanthropy Contest is an exciting opportunity for children, youth, and young adults to use their creativity, compassion, and love of their community to make a difference.

The contest is open to all youth, and there are age-based categories that include: 
  • Pre-K--4th Grade
  • 5th--6th Grade
  • 7th--8th Grade
  • 9th--12th Grade
  • 19-25 year olds
Although this is not necessarily a school project (anyone may enter--an individual, a small group, a family, etc.), we did have a winner last year from Norfolk Catholic. Our Pre-K class and Mrs. Anderson's 3rd grade class teamed up and created "Wee-Care Kits" and distributed them to those in need via the St. Vincent de Paul Society. They developed and submitted a proposal and were selected as one of the winning ideas. The group received $1,000 to purchase supplies to create their kits. 

The entry deadline for the Youth Philanthropy Contest is January 31, 2015 and you can find more information at their website: philanthropycouncilne.org

"Fighting Demons" shows students' talents
Show features real-life demons that affect our entire society.

We would like to congratulate the Norfolk Catholic cast, crew, and coaches Josh Clark and Deb Eisenmenger for the performances they gave during this year's one-act play, "Fighting Demons."

NC garnered a runner-up finish at last Tuesday's District One-Act competition. Although we were disappointed we didn't finish first, many commented that the District performance may have been the kids' finest performance of the season.

"Fighting Demons" is a drama in which each main character is fighting his or her own personal demon. One character is a drug abuser, one is a terminal cancer patient, another has an eating disorder, and so on. The NC players were awarded numerous accolades at the Mid-State Conference One-Act festival, performed in front of all of our grades 5-12 students before Thanksgiving, and presented with the other two city schools on Dec. 1.

Our students put on a very powerful, moving performance, and we are proud of them!
Great Opportunities at NCHS
Students able to free up their schedules with online class from UNL

Recently, it was announced that Norfolk Catholic has three students who have been awarded scholarships this year to take courses from the University of Nebraska High School through the Nebraska Virtual Scholars program. 

 

The program, which the university launched in 2011, provides Nebraska high school students the opportunity to take advanced, elective and core online courses that they likely would not otherwise have access to so they can stay on the path to graduation and be more college- and career-ready. 

 

The NC students who received scholarships are Ryan Pochop, Therese Lux, and Ashley Weyhrich. All are taking American History I and II through the Virtual Scholars program.

 

"We do offer American History, obviously," said NCHS counselor Lindsey Knutson, "but this gives our students the flexibility to take the required classes they need at Norfolk Catholic, plus the elective classes they want without sacrificing the requirements to graduate."

 

NU in August announced that it would award 150 scholarships this year. As has been the case in past phases of Virtual Scholars, demand for online courses exceeded the number of scholarships available. The university was able to fund all 212 qualifying scholarship requests.

In all, students from 35 Nebraska schools will benefit.

 

Did You Know?

At least two of our teachers (Mrs. Marsha Stewart and Mr. Shannon Pospisil) are using technology to help students who miss class time. Both teachers have used FaceTime, video recordings, and other technology so students can "see" what they're missing in class. In addition, many of our teachers are now utilizing Google Classroom to cut down on the amount of paper that flows between students and teachers.