Message from the Principal:

On Friday, Sept. 25, Archbishop McGovern will announce a new Career and Technical Education initiative for Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Schools — a multi-year effort to expand hands-on, career-connected learning for students across Northeast Nebraska. The initiative begins with a pilot at several schools, with plans to expand to more Catholic schools, including ours, in the years ahead. We'll share more as those details take shape. Watch the full announcement and learn more at schools.archomaha.org.

Gross Catholic will continue to offer Career and Technical Education Programs and discern additional opportunities as this initiative expands in the coming years. Below are the Nebraska Dept of Education career clusters currently offered as Academies at our school:

-Business Marketing & Management

-Human Sciences & Education

-Health Sciences

-Skilled & Technical Sciences

Hana Abbott, Principal

Weekly Schedule

Friday - Sept 25

• Mass
• Lunch - Chik-fil-a ($6 cash or venmo - preorders due on Tuesday, students must sign up on the order form)

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Monday - Sept 28 - House Games (wear your house shirts)

• Lunch - Candlelight ($6 cash or venmo)

Tuesday - Sept 29 -

• Lunch - Candlelight ($6 cash or venmo)

Wednesday - Sept 30

• Lunch - Candlelight ($6 cash or venmo)
• Senior Service Day at Heart Ministry 1 of 2

Thursday - Oct 1

• Lunch - Valentino's Pizza ($6 cash or venmo)

Friday - Oct 2

• Mass
• Lunch - Chick-fil-a ($6 cash or venmo - preorders due on Tuesday, students must sign up on the order form)

Save the Date

Oct 4 - Student Council Cornhole Tournament

Oct 6 - Picture make-up day

Oct 6 - 4:30-6:00pm Board of Directors Meeting

Oct 9 - No School, Professional Development

Message from Advancement

We are excited to share a powerful new opportunity to support our students and ensure that a high-quality Marianist education remains accessible to every family seeking one.

Through the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC), Gross Catholic is partnering with Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska (OSN) to launch Ignite the Future—an initiative aimed at raising up to $2.0 million in need-based scholarship support.

Why Participate?

• Dollar-for-Dollar Impact: Individual taxpayers can receive a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for qualified contributions in the 2027 taxable year. Unlike a tax deduction, a tax credit directly offsets what you owe in federal income taxes dollar-for-dollar.
• Direct Support for Cougar Families: When contributing through OSN, you can designate your contribution to directly support students attending Gross Catholic.
• Expanding Access: These need-based scholarships assist students from families earning up to 300% of the Omaha area median income, ensuring broader access to our community.

Our goal is for 1,200 families to join us in making a gift that shapes the future of Gross Catholic while lowering their own tax burden.

Learn More & Join Ignite the Future Today

Mark McNamara ('90)

Vice President of Advancement

Office Notes

School make-up picture day is schedule for 10/06/2026. 

Assess Code: 0092923AR

Access our secure site by clicking here: www.pictureportal.org or copy and paste this into your Chrome browser.

We have opened our sales for the 2026-2027 Yearbook and will be taking orders for Yearbooks and Senior Ads. 

Yearbooks will be on sale through May (or until we run out). I would encourage everyone to get their Yearbook order in as soon as possible. Books can be purchased at Yearbookforever.com. Please feel free to reach out with any questions.

The 2026-2027 pricing is as follows:

Current Pricing: $75 per yearbook

Pricing after 1/8/27: $85 per yearbook

Pricing after 4/1/27: $95 per yearbook

We also have Senior Ads available for sale. We will have these on sale until we sell out of space. We would love to add special photos and messages to your graduating senior.

If you would like to order a Senior ad for your senior, the due date for this is March 22, 2027. We will not be able to place any additional ads after that time. If you are unsure of your message or do not have the photos ready, you can place your order and type “Will send message and photos to Kristen Ewing at a later time.” Please note that all images must be sent in electronically. If you are interested in placing your order, please go to Yearbookforever.com. This will guarantee your space. When ordering, you will need your dedication (message to your senior) and photos. Of course, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. We want to make sure that every family who would like to place an ad for their senior has the opportunity to.

The 2026-2027 Senior ads are priced as follows:

¼ of a page: $75

½ of a page: $100

Full page: $150

2025-2026 Yearbooks have been distributed and can be picked up at the school office. If anyone is interested in purchasing a yearbook, there are about 20 left. They are $90 a yearbook. See Mrs. Ewing if they would like to purchase one in Room 125.

Counselor's Corner

Senior Parents!

Senior Newsletters  - The counseling office has posted 2 senior newsletters in the Class of 2027 Google classroom. If your senior has not shown them to you, please ask them to do so!! You don't want to miss these! The newsletters are full of helpful information and are sent out roughly twice a month.  

FAFSA - The FAFSA (Free Application For Student Aid) will open on October 1st. This is a free government form that students use to apply for financial aid from the government for college. We highly recommend ALL families complete the FAFSA.  It is possible a school may offer grant money even if the government doesn't. We have seen this happen! The FAFSA can't hurt a student. It may actually open doors and offer opportunities you were not aware of. Please complete as soon as possible to put your student in the best possible position to potentially receive money.

There are links to helpful resources in the 2nd newsletter related to the FAFSA. Use the checklists to assist you in gathering the information you need to complete the form! The checklist is offered in English and Spanish.

EducationQuest is an organization in Omaha that offers FREE appointments to help families with a variety of college preparation tasks including completing the FAFSA. Please consider making an appointment with them to assist you, especially if this is your first time completing the form. They offer assistance in English and Spanish!  402-391-4033

There are also scholarships linked to FAFSA completion on EducationQuest's website (www.educationquest.org). Please consider looking into this organization and all they offer!

College Applications - Senior students were asked to try and complete all college applications by November 1st. Please check in with your senior to see how they are doing with their applications.  

All Parents

Exploring Omaha Program is a local career mentoring program. They offer a variety of events for students to explore different careers! We have had some Gross students attend events in the past and have reported they were fun and interesting!  

Check out their webpage and click on "Events" to see what they are offering students in the Omaha area!  Exploring Omaha

Campus Ministry

It is important for the Church to truly listen to those who are injured and to express sincere sorrow to all who have been wounded by sexual misconduct at the hands of

Church personnel. Office of Victim Outreach and Prevention is a safe place for this to occur. The Director of Victim Outreach and Prevention is available for all those who have been hurt, seek to be heard, and want to start the healing process. Please consider contacting Mary Beth Hanus, LMHP. mbhanus@archomaha.org/ (402) 827-3798

Did you know that our faculty and staff engage in professional and faith formation 9 times a year? Our next faith formation is Sept 22, when we will discover how our Marian devotion isn't a worship of Mary but an understanding that Mary, who carried Jesus and spoke intimately with Him, can show us how to best understand the Eucharist and grow in our personal relationship with our Lord. Through our own personal fiat, we, too, have the opportunity to participate in bringing Jesus to the world.

If your student is interested in becoming Catholic or completing his/her sacraments of initiation (Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation), please talk to Mrs. Sweetmon, ASAP. Last year we welcomed 3 students and 1 teacher into full communion with the church. If we have interest, we will begin OCIA the first week of October.

Marianist Mission Requirements

Parents, please ask your student to share the *new* Marianist Mission requirements with you. They are available in the Marianist Mission Hour Google Classroom. 

We would especially like to encourage SOPHOMORE parents to look at the COME HUNGRY Sign-up (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050848ACAF2CA02-64977101-come). All sophomores will make a donation and assist with a service project as part of their Sophomore Retreat. Many of the necessary items are on clearance at stores now.

Marianist Moments September Newsletter:

Cougar Community

Go ALL IN for Gross Catholic High School!

Join us for the next stop on our Dux Esto Tour!

It will be an exciting afternoon of cards, competition, and community at our inaugural Texas Hold ’Em Poker Tournament Fundraiser.