volume 16, issue 3 St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School MARCH

volume 16, issue 3
MARCH/APRIL 2014
tiger’s mouth
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
From the principal...
of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
for at least another 70, and hopefully
more, years. The paperwork is being
developed and we hope to make the
initial funding at the end of this current
fiscal year. If you are interested in
more information on the endowment
you may contact Elizabeth Yoder at
713-666-2345 or eyoder@svdp-edu.
org.
Dear Parents,
We are in the process of finishing
this school year and planning for the
next. This 70th anniversary year has
been one of great accomplishment in
academics, sports, technology and the
advancement of the school. We look
forward to the next school year as we
pause to appreciate the present one.
We have been reminded all year of
the countless number of parents and
students who have gone before us
and have enabled us to become the
great school we are. To those parents,
grandparents, aunts and uncles of our
current student body I say thank you
for all the support you have given to St.
Vincent de Paul Catholic School for so
many years. Without you we would not
be where we are today.
One of the accomplishments this year
is the establishment of an endowment
to ensure the viability and sustainability
On May 9, 2014 we will dedicate
our new Tiger patio and bury a time
capsule to be opened on the 100th anniversary of the school. The students,
teachers and administration have been
collecting items for the capsule. More
information on the ceremony will be
sent via the weekly news. The PTO
and School Board have been instrumental in bringing both of these projects to fruition. It is with deep gratitude
that I thank them for their dedication
and support of St. Vincent de Paul
Catholic School.
It is with great excitement that I announce the renovation of the current
maintenance building and scout house.
It will be become a fine arts building
which will house the band/music department in the back and the art room
in front. The plan will allow for the
expansion of both programs and free
up the current art room for a new lower
school science lab. We anticipate that
these spaces will be available at the
start of the 2014-2015 school year.
Thank you to all of who have been so
generous and supportive of the school
this year. It is a wonderful community
and I feel blessed to be a part of it.
Yours in Christ,
Carolyn Sears M.Ed.
“
“
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
PTO Board 2013 - 2014
PTO Executive Board:
President - Heather Montoya
VP, President-Elect - Teresa Bogatto
Past President - Michelle Bickham
Communications VP - Jennifer Rosenfeld
Secretary - Stephanie Bourg
Treasurer - Claire Hughes
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MARCH/APRIL
PTO Directors:
Auction - Katy Antill & Maggie Garza
Auction-Elect - Cathy Hollerbach & Ana Patrick
Book Fair - Cathy Hughes & Jody McDaniel
Breakfast with Santa - Maribel Nola & Esmer Vale
Cabrini Festival - Soledad Aguirre Duffy & Carolina Ferrante
Concessions Coordinator - Laura Sage
Enrichment - Alexis Kennedy & Elaine Whitley
Hospitality - Dani Bass & Kari Clay
Orientation - Karen Haysley & Kelly Hogan
Performance Programs - Suanne Bouvier
Party Packs - Wendy Johnston & Leanne Schneider
Public Relations - Janet Cunningham & Mary Polnau
Room Parent Coordinator - Kristina Drone
Sports Parent Coordinators - Kris Little & Tiffany Leyendecker
Style Show - Kim Burrow & Victoria Mattioli
Tiger Bucks - Mary Helen O’Leary & Patricia Ritter
Tiger Market - Erin Ayers & Graciana Linardi
Tiger’s Mouth Newsletter - Rachel Parten
Used Uniforms - Eryn Elliott & Colleen Walsh
Yearbook - Valerie Cortez & Mel Iero
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|20142014
From the PTO President...
We did it! With your generosity, and the work of the “Reach for
the Stars” Auction and Gala committee, we were able to meet
and exceed our fundraising goals for this school year. Katy
Antill, Maggie Garza and their Auction committee organized an
outstanding gala on January 25th full of great food, finds, fun
and fellowship, all in celebration of our school’s 70th anniversary!
Through the proceeds of all the PTO efforts, we are able to
support the school in many ways, including the following:
•
•
•
•
•
$53,000 to support the school’s operating expenses
$53,000 to support the faculty through bonuses and
incentives
$5,800 to support our teachers through various hospitality
functions
$6,100 to support our library programs + over 600 books
donated to the school
$23,800 to build the new Tiger Patio outside the cafeteria
We are now in the fortunate position to partner with Mrs. Sears
and our School Board to designate the remaining unallocated
funds towards strategic school enhancements. More information to come…
Since the last issue of Tiger’s Mouth was published, we’ve had
many events and services organized by the PTO, all made
possible by the help of many, many volunteers. Thank you to
the Directors and committee members:
Cabrini Festival: Thank you to Directors Carolina Dondi and
Soledad Aguirre-Duffy, who organized an informative and fun
festival, highlighting the birthplace of Pope Francis, with their
focus on Argentina. Thank you to all the volunteers, to the 3rd
grade dancers, and to eighth grader, Francisca Linardi, who
beautifully sang, “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” at the opening
ceremony.
Hospitality: With the help of the Hospitality Committee,
Directors Dani Bass and Kari Clay work tirelessly to organize
monthly teacher birthday celebrations, assist with Catholic
Schools Week, orchestrate Teacher Appreciation Week, and
provide refreshments and coordination for numerous other
events throughout the year. Many, many thanks for all your
hard work!
articles highlighting the accomplishments of SVdP students.
Between Village News, the Examiner, and the Texas Catholic
Herald, at least one article or photo featuring SVdP students
has appeared in 27 different issues so far this school year!
Looking forward...
Kim Burrow and Victoria Mattioli are busy planning the
Style Show and Luncheon, “Here’s Looking at You, Kid!” in
celebration of our 8th graders, and honoring Gayle Grassle.
She holds a special place in the hearts of everyone in the St.
Vincent de Paul Catholic School community. Join us on April
27th for a fabulously fun and fashionable event!
Suanne Bouvier is working closely with the Spring Musical
Steering Committee to support SVdP’s fantastic performing
arts program. This event, cherished by the participants and all
who support it, showcases the tremendous talent among the
students of SVdP. Performances are scheduled for May 8-9th.
Don’t miss it!
A special thank you to Michelle Bickham for her dedication in
leading our Nominating Committee: Lorraine Coletti, Janet
Cunningham, Cathy Hughes, Patricia King-Ritter, Graciana
Linardi and Jennifer Rosenfeld. This committee worked
tirelessly to slate an incredible 2014-15 PTO Board.
Congratulations to Kelly Hogan (VP/President-Elect), Michelle
Bickham (Communications VP), Sheila Berggren (Secretary)
and Claire Hughes (Treasurer) who will be joining Teresa Bogatto (incoming President) and me (soon-to-be Past President)
on the Executive Board for the 2014-15 school year. Please
see the 2014-15 PTO Board listing of the PTO Directors in this
edition of the Tiger’s Mouth, and join me in congratulating the
incoming PTO Board. There are many opportunities to get
involved and I want to extend my thanks to everyone who has
expressed a desire to serve.
It’s hard to believe how quickly this year is wrapping up! I hope
you had a joyful Easter and I wish you wonderful last quarter of
the school year.
In Gratitude,
Heather Montoya
PTO President
Public Relations: If you have opened up a local news publication this, year, you’ve probably seen articles featuring SVdP
students. PR Directors Janet Cunningham and Mary Polnau
have done a fantastic job, regularly submitting photos and
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2014
PTO Sponsored Events - Please save the date...
2
27

APR
7
7-9
r
J
MAY
Style Show
“Here’s Looking at
You, Kid!”
Tiger Market and
Used Uniforms
Flash Sale
21
Tiger Pride Day
Spring Musical
The teacher with most participants by grade level will
get free kids meal coupons
and the teacher will get a
gift certificate.

Getting to Know
SVdP:
Risky Behaviors
6:30 PM
(in conjunction with
+Works)
Be sure to visit the PTO tab on
www.saintvincentschool.org
often for more information
about PTO events and sevices.
 
Family Night at
Skeeters
7
2014-2015 Tuition
Like all tuition-based schools, St. Vincent’s slightly increases
tuition each year as expenses increase. Our tuition will increase
6.0% for the 2014-2015 school year. This translates to about $40
more per month, depending on how many students are in your
family.

Why an increase in tuition?
The increase in tuition directly supports an increase in salaries for
our faculty and staff. We are committed to providing salaries and
benefits that are competitive with our peer schools. Salaries and
benefits are our largest and more important budget item. All parents can agree that we want to recruit and retain the best possible
teachers for our students. We have some of the best teachers
anywhere and we want to keep it that way!
Will we still have our multi-student discount next school
year?
Yes! See the tuition schedule below:
SVdP 2014 Tuition Schedule
Student
Fees
($500/
student)
Prekindergarten,
per student
$500
K-8, one student
$500
K-8, two student
$1,000
K-8, three student
$1,500
K-8, four student
K-8, five student
What does the $500 per student supply fee cover?
The supply fee typically covers all classroom supplies, textbooks
and technology. The use of the fee varies year to year depending
on what curriculum or technology needs to be added or updated.
A separate fee broken out from your tuition allows the school to
receive the full $500 per student rather than a varied amount due
to the multi-student discount.
Annual
Tuition
if paid
monthly
$8,470
Per Month
x 10
Months
$847
Annual
Tuition
if paid
in one
payment
$8,260
$7,280
$728
$7,100
$13,400
$1,340
$13,070
$19,220
$1,922
$18,740
$2,000
$24,460
$2,446
$23,850
$2,500
$29,120
$2,912
$28,390
MARCH/APRIL
How does our tuition compare to other parish and independent schools?
We are still in the “middle of the pack” compared to many area
Catholic Schools, but significantly lower than many independent
schools.
*Each school has a $450-$625 supply fee not included in tuition.
School
K-5th
tuition
6th-8th grade
tuition
Corpus Christi Catholic School
$5,600
$5,600
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
$7,280
$7,280
St. Thomas More Catholic School
$7,645
$7,645
St. Cecelia Catholic School
$7,490
$7,490
St. Michael’s Catholic School
$8,150
$8,150
St. Anne’s Catholic School
$9,165
$9,165
St. Mark’s Episcopal School
$15,290
$17,230
Annunciation Orthodox School (AOS)
$17,680
$20,080
River Oaks Baptist School (ROBS)
$16,925
$21,080
Presbyterian School
$17,205
$19,720
*Each school has a $450-$625 supply fee not included in tuition.
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✟
Catholic Schools Week
MARCH 26-31, 2014
Seven Decades of Student
Success at SVdP
Catholic Schools’ Week (January 26-31) was
celebrated in conjunction with our 70th anniversary celebration this year. At the Sunday
Masses, our students displayed their school
loyalty in uniform as the greeters, lectors,
cantors and choir, altar servers, and announcers. We hosted a wonderful 70th anniversary
reception in the MJFC complete with historical
photo displays, current student art work, school
video presentation, alumni registration and
campus tours for interested families. During
the week, we hosted the Academic Pep Rally
where we honoring SVdP’s academic achievers including the members of Destination Imag-
School Board News
Congratulations on completing the 3rd
Quarter of the 2013-14 year! We hope
everyone had a re-energizing Spring Break
and is ready to take on the last quarter of the
school year. We continue to celebrate the
many accomplishments of our school and
honor our 70th Anniversary. As a special
memento for our 70th year, the School Board
is facilitating the ‘Time Capsule’ project,
which will be buried under our new Tiger Patio. Mark your calendars for the 2044 school
year when it will be revealed at our 100th
anniversary!
As we look down the road, the Board has
been asked to do an analysis of possible
future school expansion. A School Board
sub-committee is performing the due
diligence around financial and scenario
analyses, and is evaluating other Catholic
schools’ growth models. Following the review
later this year, the Board will share its findings with Monsignor and Mrs. Sears as they
position our school for future generations.
The School Board Committees have been
busy focusing on the following efforts:
The Advancement Committee announced
that next year Jennifer Raymond and Erin
Ayers will chair the Annual Fund. The 201314 Annual Fund has received $330,000 to
date. We continue to extend our gratitude
for everyone’s support of this vital funding
program.
iNation teams, Math Team, Prep Bowl, UST
Essay awardees, Spelling Bee winners, and
St. Pius Academic Rally participants. The week
culminated with our popular Tiger Pride Day,
Steps for Students rally and 70th Anniversary
Time Capsule preparation. Special thanks to
Marnie Clark, Janet Cunningham, Cindy Feigel, Elaine Fitzgibbon, Lisa Gasper, Joe Louis,
Heather Montoya, Jennifer Rosenfeld, Laura
Sage, Ray Vale and the Beta Club for all their
assistance during the week’s events! Congratulations SVdP on seven decades of student
success!
The Communication Committee rolled out
the parent survey in late March in an effort
to gather feedback and ideas from school
parents. Those who completed the survey
were also given an opportunity to participate
in future focus groups.
The Extracurricular Committee did an analysis of equipment needs for the music and
art programs. The committee is also looking
at ways to enhance communication updates
with the athletic programs.
The Finance Committee has concluded the 5
year budget projection process and is working on the establishment of an endowment
with current earmarked funding.
The Strategic Planning Committee is developing a facilities sub-committee to provide
guidance on interim improvement projects
for the school buildings and grounds.
The Student Affairs Committee successfully
hosted the Academic Pep Rally on February
7th. The committee has helped centralize
middle school service project information to
an Edline content folder, where parents and
students can access the information. Student
Affairs is also working on building ties with
the Parish and is developing service options
for Beta Club students to volunteer as greeters at Sunday’s 9:00 and 11:00 am Masses.
The Technology Committee presented
a technology roadmap for future use of
MARCH/APRIL
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2014
Chromebooks by middle school students.
The committee is evaluating our technological needs and integration into the classrooms. The committee is looking to expand
its parental volunteer base.
The School Board relies on the expertise
and support of parent volunteers. If you
have a special qualification and an interest in
serving on the Board, please plan to attend
our second discernment meeting to be held
on April 29th at 7 p.m. in the MJFC. If you
have any questions about the process or you
would like to address the School Board with
an issue, please contact School Board president Joe Louis at [email protected].
Executive Committee
Joe Louis – President
Ray Vale – Vice President, Strategic Planning &
Facilities Chair
Elaine Fitzgibbon – Secretary
Board Members
Tom Bickham – Technology Chair
Marnie Clark – Communications Chair
Cindy Fiegel – Student Affairs Chair
Penny Grams
Tiffany Johnson
Mike McConn – Extracurricular Chair
Glenn Standish – Finance Chair
Rachel Steely – Advancement Chair
Joe Watson
Heather Montoya – PTO President
Awards
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
2013-2014 Honor Roll 2nd 9-weeks
SVdP Teams Win 1st and 3rd Place in
Regional D.I. Competition
8th Grade Principal’s Honors
Nicolas Brito
Lauren Cerda
Elizabeth Coletti
Madeleine Ducote
Catherine Groff
Megan Hanratty
Andrew Leyendecker
Jervon Monroe
Jacob Nieto
Cole Ross
Thomas Santala
Avery Smith
Skylar Smith
Sarah Venker
Two SVdP teams made up of 4th and 5th grade students
placed 1st and 3rd in their respective Challenge Divisions of the Gulf Coast Regional Destination ImagiNation
Competition held Saturday, February 15 at Cy-Ranch High
School. The SVdP Tigers team of Ryan Hogan, Vivian Montoya, Ella Smith (4th graders), and Brooke Bickham, Emily Clark,
and Sophia Rebello (5th graders) and sponsored by 4th grade
teacher Michelle Asselin won 1st Place in the "Going To Extremes"
challenge and will represent the Gulf Coast Region at State Competition.
8th Grade Honors
Madeleine Arteaga
David Brooks
Grace Carter
Katherine Christman
Richard Dickason
Colin Fitzgibbon
Francisca Linardi
Joseph Little
Ford McCann
Marshall McCann
Kelsey Olsen
Sofia Tellez
Katharine Tentinger
Manuel Vera
Christina Watson
Caroline Yu
7th Grade Honors
Matthew Castaneda
Carl Chemaly
Everett Ezell
Katherine Fitzgibbon
Liam Garrison
Kathleen Leyendecker
Shane Pesek
Claire Piczak
Anna Rosenfeld
Matthew Whitley
6th Grade Principal’s Honors
Alisha Collaco
William Dickason
Nathaniel Fernandes
Yara Karam
Mary Catherine Reidy
Justin Varkey
6th Grade Honors
Chloe Alff
Robert Condron
Sarah Cunningham
Jacob Fiegel
Alex Lopez
Sophia Louis
Dominique Nanquil
Allison Polnau
Sophia Quintanilla
Caimen Schneider
Claire Sullivan
Sarah Sullivan
Andrew Tayar
Howard Thames
Anjali Tholany
Roman Vale
Prep Bowl Winners
)
Congratulations to the St. Vincent De Paul 8th
graders who won the 40th Annual Strake Jesuit
College Prep Bowl Tournament on Saturday,
January 18th. They came back from a seemingly
impossible 115 point half-time deficit during the
championship round to defeat The Regis School.
The final score was 175 to 150.
Destination ImagiNation is an innovative organization that teaches
creativity, teamwork, and problem solving across the U.S. and in
more than 30 countries. Teams are tested to think on their feet,
work as a team, and devise original solutions that satisfy the requirements of the challenges.
8th grade boys and Mrs. Ducote. They have been
practicing for the tournament since the beginning
of the school year. It was a lot of hard work and
dedication."Congratulations to the SVdP 8th grade
Prep Bowl Team and their sponsor, Mrs. Tammy
Ducoté!
The competition featured questions from a wide
variety of subjects including math, history, geography, current affairs, literature, politics, sports and
pop culture.
When asked about the 8th grade team, SVdP
Principal Carolyn Sears said "I am so proud of our
Tammy Ducote, Phillip McAughan, Colin Fitzgibbon, Jacob Nieto, Brian
Swanson, Manuel Vera, Michael Bouvier, Jackson Lee and Alexei Passmore
MARCH/APRIL
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PAGE 6
the la
The SVdP Six Plus One Team also brought home the hardware
for the school with a 3rd Place Regional Finish in the "Laugh Art
Loud" challenge. The team members are 4th graders Sofia Iero,
Isabelle Louis, Natalie Montoya, Kirstie Scott, Shawn Varkey, and
5th graders Jillian Hermoso and Molly Oubre, and are sponsored
by 5th grade teacher Stephe Shaw. This year there were a total of
161 Elementary teams from 63 schools competing at the Gulf Coast
Regional D.I. Competition.

7th Grade Principal’s Honors
Lindsay Bevers
Allison Clark
Kevin Didway
Michael Hansen
Caroline Kherkher
Taylor McClure
Luke Read
Katya Smith
Marcus Whitley
NEWS &
|
2014
Spelling
Bee
Buzz
Nathaniel
Fernandes
placed
second in the
Archdiocesan
Spelling Bee
held at St.
Anne’s on
February 20.
UPDATE
atest
School News
"SVdP Tigers" DI Team Advances to
Global Finals Competition!
Important Dates to Remember:
It was an award-filled day for the "SVdP Tigers" Destination
ImagiNation team at the state competition on April 12, 2014.
They won 1st place in their category for the Instant Challenge
component of the competition, and 4th place overall in the
"Going to Extremes" category. These talented students and their
fantastic teacher, Mrs. Michelle Asselin, will compete in the Global
Finals competition in Knoxville, TN.
April 27th
The team includes Brooke Bickham, Emily
Clark, Ryan Hogan, Vivian Montoya, Sofia
Rebello and Ella Smith. Destination ImagiNation teams that advance past Regional
and state/country tournaments are invited
to participate in Global Finals—the world's
largest celebration of creativity. Global
Finals is the culminating event of every
Destination ImagiNation season. In May,
more than 1,300 teams from 45 states, 7
Canadian provinces and 13 countries
gather to showcase
their Challenge
solutions. More
than 16,000 people
attend Global
Finals to celebrate
creativity and have
fun. Good luck,
SVdP Tigers!
May 7th
April 29th
May 3rd
May 6th
May 7th
School Board Discernment Meeting - 2nd
Session
First Holy Communion (2nd Grade)
Last day to turn in Art Contest entries
Field Day
GTK - Risky Behaviors
May 7th, 8th & 9th
Spring Musical
May 13-16
Camp Kappe (5th Grade)
May 16th
May 22nd
May 23rd
May 26th
May 30th
Spring Sports Awards
Luncheon and Awards (8th Grade)
8th Grade Graduation
HOLIDAY - Memorial Day
Last Day of School - 11:30 AM - No Prime
Time
Baby Tigers
Mariola and Olivia Santiago
welcomed a new baby sister,
Aurora Santiago, born on
September 3, 2013.
Vanessa Stipes welcomed a new
baby sister, Sophia Noelle Stipes,
born on October 20, 2013.
Annual BoxTop Competition
Please congratulate the winners
of the annual BoxTop Competition: Mrs. Urquhart’s second
grade class! The kids enjoyed a
free-dress day and cookies from
Moeller’s Bakery. The final count
of the competition was 18,484, of
which her class contributed 1,862.
Second place went to Mrs. Berry’s

Style Show (8th Grade)
class, which brought in 1,554, and
third place went to Mrs. Ledezma’s
class, whose total was 1,415.
We appreciate all the students,
parents, and families who took the
time to cut them out. Please continue to clip as we will have an end
of year collection. We look forward
to next year!
Mikayla and Madelyn Liebl welcomed a
new baby sister, Macey Evelyn Liebl, born
on December 10, 2013.
Congratulations...

Marshall McCann attended
an Olympic Trials Regatta
in Miami, FL in January
and competed in the Men's
Laser Class against all
the Olympic hopefuls from
across the world. Marshall
is aiming to go to the 2020
Olympics!
Math Team Won 1st in St. Agnes Tournament
On November 2, 2013 Mr.
Eric Wesley Meyer and Ms.
Keri Marie Lott tied the knot!
Sitting: Cole Ross, Thomas Santala, Lauren Cerda Standing L-R: Everett Ezell,
Liam Garrison, Elizabeth Coletti, Sean Doyle, Phillip McAugha Michael Hansen,
Nick Brito, Matthew Whitley, Taylor Grace McClure, sponsor Mrs. Ducote
MARCH/APRIL
Accomplishments
Corner
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2014
spring
SPORTS
The SVdP Girls' JV basketball team had an awesome
season, only losing once the
entire season to the tough St.
Peter's team.
The SVdP Varsity Boys' Basketball team
also had a great season, with an overall
record of 30 - 5. They defeated St Thomas
More, 43 - 41, to become the 2014 GHCAA
Basketball Champions.
The SVdP Varsity Football team had a fantastic
season. They went undefeated throughout their
regular and post season and won the city-wide
2013 GHCAA Championship by defeating St Laurence, 28 - 17, with a final record of 9 - 0.
Softball Roster
Biggio, Quinn
Clark, Allison
George, Catherine
Kelly, Delaney
Olsen, Kelsey
Oubre, Amanda
Standish, Abigail
Tholany, Alice
Venker, Sarah
Williford, Kate
The Lady Tigers Softball team has captured the GHCAA
conference title for its 2nd consecutive season with
a victorious 12-3 win over St. Pius V in the April 25th
Championship game at St. Agnes High School Athletic
fields. In GHCAA conference play, the Lady Tigers had
great wins over St. Laurence, St. Cecilia, St. Augustine,
St. Pius V, John Paul II and St. Ambrose. The team
also plays in the West University Softball Association's
Junior division and has had some intense games and
incredible plays. The Lady Tiger line-up includes 8th
graders: Quinn Biggio (SS), Kelsey Olsen (OF/1st),
Evan Oubre (OF/2nd), and Sarah Venker (P/3rd); 7th
graders: Allison Clark (C/1st), Catherine George (OF),
Delaney Kelly (P/3rd), Abigail Standish (OF/2nd), and
Kate Williford (C/1st/OF); and 6th grader Anjali Tholany
(OF). The team is led by Coach Kevin Norwood with
assistance from parent Colleen Kelly.
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2014
The SVdP Varsity Volleyball team was undefeated going into the championship game, but
lost to St. Anthony's of Padua. They came
in second in the championship, first in their
division, and second in district.
This is the first time in SVdP history that both the
Varsity Football and Basketball teams have won
both GHCAA Championships in the same school
year. Congratulations to both teams and their dedicated coaches for all their hard work!!
Boys' Baseball and Girls' Softball
are playing now and hoping for a
winning season!
Baseball Roster
Alch, Tucker
Bambace, Peter
Brito, Nick
Brooks, David
Dickason, Richard
Didway, Clay
Edwards, TC
Ezell, Everett
Grams, Jack
Hansen, Michael
Leyendecker, Andrew
Little, Joe
Lynch, Jacob
McCurry, Grayson
Miller, Jacob
Parker, Connor
Read, Luke
Rogers, Kase
Ross, Cole
Schell, Jack
Vasek, Scout
The first track meet occurred on Saturday March 15. It was a
rainy day, but St. Vincent came in 4th overall in the standings.
Some highlights include: the 6th grade boys team taking 1st
place in the 4 x 100M relay and the 7th grade girls taking 1st
place in the 4 x 100M relay (Allison Clark, Caroline Kherkher,
Kathleen Leyendecker, Anna Rosenfeld). In addition, Allison
Clark (7th grade) and Natalie Cox (8th grade) both came in
3rd in the hurdles.
Track Roster
Alo, Katelyn
Bass, Kiki
Berggren, Katie
Bickham, Blake
Blutt, Jack
Bourg, Patrick
Buettgen, Alex
Buettgen, Andrew
Carbo, Tyler
Cerda, Lauren
Chemaly, Carl
Church, Cade
Clark, Allison
Collaco, Alisha
Colley, Katherine
Colley, Oxford
Condron, Robert
Connelly, Bennett
Cortez, Alyssa
Cox, Natalie
Davis, Caleb
Dickason, William
Dupuis, Sarah
Edwards, Thomas Cade
Fernandes, Nathaniel
Fiegel, Katelyn
Fitzgibbon, Dylan
Grams, Jack
Hansen, William
Hansen, Wyatt
Hight, Noah
Iero, Alexa
Iero, Lily
Iero, Sofia
Jacobs, Alex
Jiminez, Darren
Jiminez, Dylan
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2014
Johnson, Abigail
Johnson, Mackenzie
Johnston, Sophie
Karam, Yara
Kherkher, Caroline
Leeman, Henry
Levy, Seth
Lewis, Katie
Lewis, Max
Leyendecker, Kathleen
Linardi, Francisca
Linardi, Lali
Louis, Isabelle
Louis, Sophie
Martin, Matt
Maytum, Henry
Maytum, Riley
McAughan, Phillip
McCann, Ford
McCann, Marshall
McClure, Taylor
McClure, Trey
McDaniel, Caroline
McDaniel, Mary Kate
McGrath, Caragh
Miller, Jacob
Moreno, Christian
Nanquil, Dominque
Narvacan, Nicolas
Nolla, Bella
Nolla, Dani
Ordonez, David
Pedroza, Kevin
Pesek, Kate
Pollard, Reed
Polnau, Julia
Polnau, Katie
Rebello, Sophia
Reinoso, Elise
Richards, Mark
Rijken, Flynn
Robson, Ava
Rogers, Kase
Rosenfeld, Anna
Roy, Andrew
Sage, Mac
Schwartzenburg, Luke
Scott, Brodie
Smith, Katya
Still, Mia
Strietman, Hannah
Sullivan, Claire
Sullivan, Sarah
Swanson, Brian
Swanson, Kenneth
Tan, Peyton
Tentinger, Kate
Thames, Caroline
Thames, Davis
Thames, William
Thomas, Townsen
Tkaczyk, Tosha
Tkaczyk,Karolina
Tremont, Stephi
Varkey, Justin
Varkey, Shawn
Venker, Ethan
Venker, Sarah
Vessels, Roman
Vessels, Vincent
Whitley, Liam
Whitley, Mathew
¨
¨
Paw Prints
¨¨
Kindergarten
Science Fair
Fourth Graders each completed an individual science project of
their choosing. Following the scientific method, they posed a
question, gathered information, formed a hypothesis, and then
tested that hypothesis. Their conclusions were shared with
classmates and guests the week of March 10 through the 14th.
Their presentations
consisted of a formal
written report summary and a display
board.
The depth and
breadth of their
personal interests
were reflected in
their choice of areas
of inquiry. Topics
included how many
MARCH/APRIL
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licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop to why vaccines
are needed to keep us healthy.
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2014
Girl Scouts
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School 5th
grade Girl Scouts were proud to earn the
Bronze Award. This is the highest award for
Junior level Girl Scouts. The requirements
include completing a Junior Girl Scout
journey, which the troop accomplished, and
completing a "take action" project. It also
required that they explore their community,
assess a need, and get involved. The troop
decided to assist CareNet, given the girls'
interest in serving women and babies.
CareNet's mission is to demonstrate the
love of Christ to those facing pregnancy
through the provision of spiritual, physical,
emotional, and educational support. CareNet provides compassionate care, practical
support, and educational programs to its
clients. CareNet is located in northwest
Houston.
The girls in Troop 25236 each made fleece
blankets and decorated crosses to give to
CareNet's clients and babies. They also
filled baby bottles with coin collections to
assist CareNet services, toured the CareNet facility and made "mommy gift bags" on
site. The girls planned and developed a
baby shower, to which they invited friends
and loved ones to participate in giving
special gifts to the babies and families who

CareNet serves. Car loads of donations
were delivered to CareNet, thanks to these
enthusiastic girls!
Each girl earning the Bronze Award volunteered a minimum of 20 service hours to
this project.
The following Girl Scouts from Troop 25236
have earned the Bronze Award:
Isabella Ballerini
Blair Bath
Brooke Bickham
Emily Clark
Sophia Colletti (not pictured)
Alyssa Cortez
Elise Cunningham
Bluebonnet Bash
Ballerini, Isabella
Bath, Blaire
Bath, Blythe
Brodie, Jack
Butler, Brenna
Clark, Emily
Drone, Isabella
Dunn, Caroline
Ferrante, Josefina
Gentry, Emily
Hermoso, Jillie
Hughes, Mary Claire
Jimenez, Darren
Johnson, Elise
Levy, Seth
Linardi, Laura
Meynier, Morgan
Morales, Leonardo
Nolla, Dani
Nolla, Isabella
Pedroza, Kevin
Price, Sara
Tan, Peyton
Vale, Eliza
Vera, Sofia
Vessels, Vincent

Trini Ferrante
Livvie Fitzpatrick
Jillie Hermoso (not pictured)
Maddie Kaelin
Olivia Keville (not pictured)
Lexie Oliver
Makenzie Olsen (not pictured)
Brianne Raymond
Sophia Rebello
Eve Rosenfeld
Nicole Rosenfeld
Mia Still
Caroline Tanner
Abby Tran
Boy Scouts
Cub Scouts and their families from Pack 505 enjoyed the winter camp out
at Lake Texana. The weather was ideal and the boys enjoyed games,
hiking, bike riding, and getting dirty. The highlight was the Saturday campfire where the boys put on skits and participated in a U.S. flag retirement
ceremony.
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2014
Cabrini International Festival
Auction Paddles
Up for
2013
Every other year, St. Vincent de
Paul Catholic School students
spend a week learning about
another culture during the Cabrini International Festival. This
year, the country highlighted was
Argentina. Appropriately, the
event co-chairs were Argentinian
parents Carolina Ferrante and
Soledad Aguirre.
TREES
e
The final trees have been planted
using funds raised at the 2013 Auction
and Gala.
Thank you to all the Paddles Up for
Trees donors! This was made possible by your generosity.
The week began with a ceremonial parade into the St. Vincent de Paul Parish
Family Center, where an Argentinian
neighborhood, “La Boca” was constructed, as well as the facade of El Caminito,
the local gathering place where they
danced the Tango.
Students watched demonstrations by professional tango
dancers and goucho dancers with awe. A professional
singer sang a famous Argentinian folk song. Third grade
students learned and performed a popular Argentinian
dance for the school. St. Vincent de Paul 8th grader Francisca Linardi, dressed as the beautiful Eva Peron, sang
“Don't Cry for Me Argentina”.
Auction Paddles
Up for
2014
TIGER PATIO
The week included daily demonstrations including an
introduction to Argentina, a short film on important history
and events in Argentina, a lesson on the massive European immigration to Argentina in 1880-1930 and the birth of
the Tango, as well as Las Pampas. In addition to learning
about the culture and history, students also learned about
the glaciers of Argentina, Iguazu Falls and the beautiful
geography of the country. They enjoyed sampling Argentinian cuisine such as empanadas, dulce de leche and
some Argentinian cookies.
The closing ceremony included a display of
an Argentina poster contest, with several
creative entries in each grade level. It was a
fabulous, interactive educational experience
that was enjoyed by all!
Tiger Market and Used Uniforms
J
Flash sale
Mark your Calendars!
Date: May 2nd
Time: 7:30am - 11am
Where: Cafeteria
Why? To make room for next year's inventory!!
Tiger Market and Used Uniforms will be selling all inventory at
reduced prices!! Used Uniforms has a ton of inventory… shop
now for next year!!
MARCH/APRIL
Thanks to the generosity of all the donors, we were able to commence
work on the Tiger Patio during spring break. The pavers have been
installed, and other components such as tables and landscaping will be
added soon. We are planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony in May and the
eighth graders will have the honor of being the first dignitaries to enjoy
lunch on the Tiger Patio. We'd like to especially thank Brindley Drake and
her team of students who helped produce the video to promote the patio,
as well as all the teachers and students who participated in this fundraising effort.
ee
From the Tiger Patio project managers: Katy Antill, Maggie Garza and
Heather Montoya
SAVE THE DATE!
Wanna be money? Then mark your calendars
now for Swing In To Auction 2015!
2015
Date: January 31, 2015
Place: Royal Sonesta Hotel Galleria
Attire: Cocktail (Zoot Suit optional)
Wanna be even more money?? Join the auction team! Please contact
co-chairs Cathy Hollerbach at [email protected] and/or
Ana Patrick at [email protected] for more info.
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2014
Executive Board
President
VP/President-Elect
Past President
Communications VP
Secretary
Treasurer
Teresa Bogatto
Kelly Hogan
Heather Montoya
Michelle Bickham
Sheila Berggren
Claire Hughes
PTO Directors
Spring Musical is coming soon!
CELEBRATIONS - A Repertoire of Acts
Celebrating SVdP’s 70th Anniversary
May 7, 8 & 9, 2014 in the MJPFC
Tickets go on sale on Friday, April 25, 2014 and can be
purchased online via Tiger Store. All tickets will be sold
on a first-come, first-served basis.
Yearbook needs your photos!
We
•
•
•
•
•
NEED your high resolution photos from:
School trips
Sports
Extracurriculars - After School
Service Projects
Grade/Class Events
Auction and Gala
Auction and Gala Elect
Back to School
Book Fair
Breakfast with Santa
Cabrini Festival
Concessions
Enrichment
Hospitality
Party Packs
Performing Arts
Public Relations
Room Parent Coordinator
Sports Parent Coordinator(s)
Style Show
Tiger Bucks
Tiger Market
Tiger’s Mouth Newsletter
Used Uniforms
Yearbook
Please put your photos on a labeled disk or USB
drivenand drop in the yearbook folder in the
school office. Contact Mel Iero or Valerie Cortez,
Yearbook Directors, if you have any questions at
[email protected]
Cathy Hollerbach & Ana Patrick
Erin Ayers, Wendy Johnston & Shannon Ramirez
Karen Haysley & Claire Lynch
Jody McDaniel & Gentine Meagher
Patricia Sayegh & Jennifer Visintine
Carmen Fitzpatrick
Laura Sage
Lisa Gasper & Maria Jose Redondo Nieto
Kari Clay & Lori Etlinger
Faith Sepe & Allison Sovany
Rachel Bush & Olguita Santiago Rodriguez
Kristina Drone & Maribel Nolla
Esmer Vale
Mary Callaghan & Tiffany Leyendecker
Donna McClure, Monica Smith & Maureen Swanson
Lizzy Culotta & Tracy Rijken
Carrie Schwartzenburg & Tricia Hoffman
Lucy Anderson & Janet Champagne
Monica Cruces & Mauria Still
Valerie Cortez & Melissa Iero
PTO News and Announcements
Please welcome the incoming 2014-15 PTO Board!
A warm thanks to the PTO Nominating Committee...
Nominating Committee
Advisor 2014
Michelle Bickham
PTO Past President 2013-14
2014 PTO Nominating
Committee:
Lorraine Coletti
Janet Cunningham
Cathy Hughes
Graciana Linardi
Patricia Ritter
Jennifer Rosenfeld
The PTO Nominating Committee
would like to extend our thanks to
everyone who expressed a desire
to serve and volunteer for our
school.
2013-14 PTO Directors and Monsignor Bill gathered in December for a
Christmas party.
First Row: Rachel Parten, Kristina Drone, Msgr. Bill, Heather Montoya, Jennifer Rosenfeld, Leanne Schnieder, Claire Hughes, Alexis Kennedy, Mel Iero
2nd Row: Suanne Bouvier, Teresa Bogatto, Stephanie Bourg, Graciana Linardi, Michelle Bickham, Cathy Hughes, Valerie Cortez, Soledad Aguirre, Kelly Hogan, Maggie Garza, Colleen Walsh
MARCH/APRIL
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2014
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2014
MARCH
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2014
Go Texan Day
8th Grade Field Trip
Washington, D.C.
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
8th graders visited Washington,
D.C., for a class trip. Upon arrival in
D.C., the weather got much colder,
and students were thrilled when it
snowed during the first night there.
On the trip, one of the highlights
was going on a tour of the White
House.
Students got to walk through John
Boehner's ceremonial room at
the Capitol. They participated in
Mass at the Basilica of the National
Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and they also visited many of
the famous museums, including
the National Museum of American
History, Newseum, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The students saw
the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldiers, where four St. Vincent de
Paul students actively participated during the
ceremony by placing a wreath on the Tomb.
The students visited some of the Memorials
at night and some during the day. Some of
the class favorites were the Iwo Jima, Korean
War Veterans, FDR, and the Martin Luther
King memorials. On the last evening of the
trip, the students ice skated at Pentagon Row
Skate Plaza. It still felt like winter in D.C., but
everyone had a memorable and educational
trip!
2nd Grade Field Trip - Houston Museum of Natural Science
The second grade enjoyed a field trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The
students were studying dinosaurs in science, so they spent the majority of the visit in the
beautiful new paleontology hall at the museum. Docents guided them, and the children
listened and asked numerous questions with great enthusiasm. During the following
weeks, each student created a diorama and wrote a research paper on a different dinosaur, and then presented these to the class.
Special thanks to
gurrolareprographics.com
for graciously donating a large
portion of this newsletter.