St. Patrick Catholic School

Congratulations to our second graders who recently received their First Holy Communion.

March 12, 2026

This month, we joyfully celebrate a beautiful and sacred milestone in the faith journey of our second graders at St. Patrick Catholic School and in our Parish Faith Formation program. On Sunday, March 2, and Sunday, March 9, these young children received their First Holy Communion. This is a life-changing moment when they encounter Jesus in the Eucharist for the very first time.

The Eucharist is the source of our Catholic faith. It is not simply a symbol or a remembrance, but the true presence of Jesus Christ in Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. In every Mass we are invited to receive Christ Himself. What an incredible gift! Through Holy Communion, our children are now able to be spiritually nourished by Jesus in the most intimate way possible. Each time they approach the altar with reverence and faith, they are strengthened by His grace, drawn closer to Jesus, and united more deeply with His Church.

While First Holy Communion is a moment of great celebration, it is not the finish line. It is the beginning. Receiving the Eucharist is not meant to be a once-a-year event or something reserved for special occasions. It is essential to our Catholic and spiritual lives. Just as our bodies require regular nourishment, our souls need the constant grace that flows from the Eucharist. The Church encourages us to receive Holy Communion frequently, even daily when possible.

There is no greater gift we can receive, no deeper encounter we can have, than meeting Jesus in the Eucharist. Our children learn most powerfully by watching us. When they see parents, grandparents, teachers, and fellow parishioners approach the altar with devotion and consistency, they understand that the Eucharist is not just important, it is everything.

A heartfelt thank you to Mrs. Stacy Schmitz, our second-grade religion teacher at St. Patrick School, and Mrs. Monica Miller, our Parish Faith Formation Coordinator, for their dedication in preparing these students for this sacred sacrament. Through their faithful guidance and witness, these children have come to better understand the profound mystery of the Eucharist and the immeasurable love Christ has for each of them.

Please continue to keep our young communicants in your prayers. May this be the beginning of a lifelong love for the Mass and a deep devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist. And may all of us, inspired by their joy, renew our own commitment to seek Him, receive Him, and be transformed by Him as often as possible.

Blessings,

Mr. Wiebers

Due to Spring conferences, we will not have school tomorrow- Friday, March 13th.

Spring Break will begin Monday, March 16-20th. Please remember that we do not have child care available on days when we are not in session. Enjoy your break and we will see you all again on March 23rd!

We are looking for a few volunteers to help with our uniform closet. In particular, we need help with the following:

Sorting, sizing and placing uniform clothing in the correct totes sometime before April 21
Setting out smaller uniform clothing on Tuesday late afternoon, April 21 to get ready for Kindergarten Visit Day
Putting uniform clothing away on Wednesday late afternoon, April 22, after Kindergarten Visit Day

If you are able to help with any of these tasks, please call or text Renae McMahon at 319-415-7579

We’re looking for kitchen help just a few hours a day—perfect for parents with school-aged kids!
Enjoy the same days off (including summers!) as your child—no babysitter needed!
Join our team, serve up smiles, and help make lunchtime the best part of the day!
Interested? Contact Principal Jon Wiebers

Here are the Contest Results from Saturday, March 7th. The students did a very nice job and they all presented themselves well for St. Patrick School. We are immensely proud of the talent of our students!

Veronica Occena - Highly Superior

Lauren Youngblut - Superior

Emma Maier - Superior

Paul Burke - Superior

Jon Kerker - Highly Superior

Mikey Knipp - Superior

Iris Giles - Superior

Sam Schaefer - Superior

Madelyn Driver - Highly Superior

Broghan Gross - Superior

Theo Rider - Superior

Logan Herbst - Excellent

Isabella Guetterman - Superior

Lucia Montgomery - Superior

Milo Lanich - Superior

Emmett Wilcox - Highly Superior

Tommy Slee - Superior

Be sure to check out our lost and found rack in the school library.

Just a reminder that Transportation Reimbursement Request Forms for the second semester will be due soon. If you live more than 2 miles from school and transport your student(s) to and from school, you may be eligible for state reimbursement. Students on our bus route are not eligible.

If you haven’t submitted your second semester form yet, download and fill out the form for your district at the link below and return it to school office:

Transportation Reimbursement Requests - Waterloo School District

Transportation Reimbursement Requests - Cedar Falls School District and surrounding districts

As we begin looking ahead to the spring season, now is the perfect time to consider updating school uniform apparel for both students and parents. Our Apparel Store at Iowa Sports Supply is open year-round, making it easy to prepare in advance. Explore a wide selection of uniform-approved apparel, along with a variety of spirit wear options to show your support.

Our Spring volunteer sign-up is now open! We’re excited to offer many opportunities for families to get involved—whether by helping at the Main Event, the Shamrock Shuffle Fun Run, Spring Conference dinners, and more. Our success is made possible by the incredible families who volunteer their time, create lasting memories, and help pave the way for the future.

Columbus Dance Team Tryouts

Dancers must fill out THIS FORM in order to attend tryout clinics.

Please complete by Thursday, April 9.

The award winning Columbus dance team is a group of dedicated students who work hard throughout the summer, fall and winter months. Team members are required to attend all scheduled practices, performances, competitions and events throughout the season. The team practices during a large portion of the summer, and for the entirety of the fall semester for two mornings a week in addition to Sunday afternoons.

Important Dates

Tryout Clinic:
Final Tryout:

Tryout Process & Skills

At the tryout prep practice, a short pom and hip hop routine will be taught in addition to reviewing skills that will be a part of the final audition. These include:

Right pirouette
Right and left leap
Toe touch
One handed cartwheel
Leg hold or leg hold turn
Splits (right, left, center)
Kip up
Headspring
Opportunity to show extra skills including an aerial, walkover, turns in second, etc.

Appearance

During the tryout prep practice, dancers can wear whatever is comfortable including dance shoes, tennis shoes or socks. At final auditions, dancers should wear black bottoms (shorts or leggings), a plain black sleeveless top, dance shoes (if available), and hair pulled back and neat. Jewelry should be kept to a minimum and makeup can be a natural, performance look.

Questions?

In lieu of an informational meeting for families, you are invited to email Coach Beth at cbusdanceteam@gmail.com for an outline of the season and to ask any additional questions you may have. Dance experience is not required, but it is helpful.

Please save the date for our upcoming Spring player/parent meeting on Monday, March 23; 6:30pm-7:30pm in the BMAP Commons. Updated this season- BMAP and CHS meetings will be held at the same time.

Spring Sports:

Practice will soon begin for high school and middle school spring sports.

CHS Parents- please ensure if your child is participating in these activities; you have created a family Bound acct, loaded your child and their needed paperwork into the account. Registration is open for these activities.

Bound How-To Sheet

Track & Field (started Feb 23)- Coach Victor Makinde: chstrack@cvcatholic.org

Boys Soccer (begins March 16)- Coach Will Maletta: columbusboyssoccer@gmail.com

Girls Soccer (begins March 23)- Coach Julie Girsch: chsgirlssoccer@cvcatholic.org

Boys Tennis (begins March 16)- Coach Nick Pateros: chsboystennis@cvcatholic.org

Boys Golf (begins March 16)- Mike Schuchmann: chsboysgolf@cvcatholic.org

Girls Golf (begins March 16)- chsgirlsgolf@cvcatholic.org

Summer Sports:

Open gyms have started for upcoming high school summer sports; please reach out if you need more information.

Softball- Coach Aaron Becker: chssoftball@cvcatholic.org

SOFTBALL (9-12 plus 8th graders): INTEREST LINK

Baseball- Coach Mike Zehentner: chsbaseball@cvcatholic.org

BASEBALL (9-12 plus 8th graders): INTEREST LINK

NEW S&C Information:

Was emailed out the first week of January. Please see the attached PDF if you missed it. Make
sure you and your students join the TeamReach group for the most up-to-date schedule/changes.

TEAM NAME: STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

CODE: STRENGTH26

_______________________________________________________________

BASEBALL EVENT SUMMER 2026:

We are excited to send our varsity baseball team to the Minnesota Twins stadium on June 3 to play Grundy Center following the Twins vs White Sox game! Tickets are available on our Bound homepage:

$40 Single Ticket includes:
• Ticket to Twins vs. White Sox
• Ticket to Columbus vs. Grundy Center game
• No charter bus transportation

️ $140 Fan Package includes:
• Ticket to Twins vs. White Sox
• Ticket to Columbus vs. Grundy Center game
• Charter bus transportation

WWW.GOBOUND.COM/IA/SCHOOLS/COLUMBUSCATHOLIC/STORES/

Feel free to share the flyer and spread the word!

YSF Sailor Nation Tackle Football – Fall 2026 Registration is Open 🏈

The Waterloo Columbus Youth Tackle Football program, a division of the Youth Sports Foundation (YSF), and is available to any youth from St. Patrick, St. Edward or BMAP, entering into the 3rd thru 6th grade in the fall of 2026. Below you will find the registration link and an attachment with additional details.

All players must be registered online by April 27th in order to participate. We anticipate high interest again this year, and team numbers are limited. After April 27th, registration may close for the season. https://www.cognitoforms.com/YouthSportsFoundation1/WaterlooColumbus3rd6thFootballRegistration

Please also mark your calendars for the Equipment Fitting on:

April 28th from 5:00–6:30 PM

Location: Columbus High School Cafeteria

Registration Fees

* 3rd–4th Grade: $140

* 5th–6th Grade: $180

* $5 processing fee will be added at checkout.

* Optional hard-cup chin strap available for $25

Coaching & Coordinator Needs

We are actively looking for assistant coaches, especially for the 3rd/4th grade team. This will also be my final year serving as the YSF Coordinator. We are seeking someone willing to take on the coordinator role for 2027 and beyond. This position is essential to keeping the program running—without a coordinator in place by next February, there will not be a YSF football program for Fall 2027.

Questions or Interested in Coaching/Coordinating?

Please reach out anytime to learn more about the coaching or coordinator roles, or if you have

questions about the season, contact me at gstammeyer@hotmail.com or gstammeyer@gmail.com

Thank you!

Greg Stammeyer

YSF Coordinator – Waterloo Columbus

Give Kids A Smile In The Cedar Valley Day

DATE: Friday, March 13, 2026

TIME: 8 AM – 1 PM

LOCATION: Kimball and Beecher Family Dentistry

4015 Hurst, Dr., Waterloo, Iowa

PHONE: 319-235-6287

This event offers preventive and operative dental services to all children ages 3-13 at no cost.

The schedule is now open, and an appointment is required to be seen.

Hawkeye Community College is hosting their first Give Kids A Smile Day event April 3, 2026.

The schedule is now open!

Below, I've attached multiple flyers for the three different youth camps that we will have! This includes Cats Camps, Panthers Camps, and a Girls Flag Football Camp.

Our website is www.unifbcamps.com. This is where you are able to look into the camps more and register for them.

Thanks,

Brady Ramker