Trick or Treating

On Friday, the 5th Grade students at St. Columbkille

Catholic School got into their Halloween costumes ...

 ... and walked to Papillion Manor ...

... where they went Trick or Treating.

Some of the residents who were unable to pass out candy enjoyed watching all of the costumed students pass through the halls. Thank you to Papillion Manor for letting us come and visit.

Halloween Parties

Thursday and Friday, students at

Sacred Heart Preschool had their Halloween Parties.

 

 

 Parents arranged snacks and games and crafts.

 

 

There was also a Halloween story about how

Jesus is the light of the world.

Happy Halloween!

Praying Together

 Today a Second Grade class and an Eight Grade

 class gathered at the end of the day with rosaries.

Pairing up with their Mass buddies,

they prayed the rosary together.

Studying our Wellness Program

The following is taken from a presentation done by Joan Norman, PT, GCS, Gretchen Reid, RNC, FCN and Natalie Mandolfo, APRN who are part of the St. Columbkille Parish Nurse Team.

The presentation was called "A Multidisciplinary Approach in a Faith-based Wellness Program for Seniors Yields Significant Benefits in Physical Function and Balance."

Figure 1



Description:

In 2003 the health and wellness committee at St. Columbkille Church in Papillion, NE began to encourage members to increase their physical activity through participation in two seasonal self-monitored and self-reported walking programs. After several years of evaluating these, the need for a more targeted intervention focused on the older individuals in the church was identified. Physical therapists were asked to join in the planning and implementation of this program and became integral members of this health and wellness team.



Figure 2



Initially there was a once a week exercise program with the participants using pedometers and home exercises to complement it. Most participants did not use weights and could only do 1-3 repetitions of sit to stand. The group exercises included upper extremity (UE), upper back and lower extremity (LE) strengthening and cervical range of motion. Currently elastic bands are used for UE and LE exercises as in figures 1 and 2 and most participants can do 20 repetitions of sit to stand.



Figure 3

 Members were educated in the functional activities or balance components related to the exercises. During the first year of the program a Tai Chi class (figures 3 and 4) was added on two other days of the week to provide a three day per week exercise/activity program. Blood pressure monitoring was offered at each session for those interested.

Figure 4

In addition, education sessions were incorporated to coincide with the monthly senior luncheons. A dietician was brought in to do lectures on heart healthy diet modifications. A physician and a physical therapist each gave lectures on osteoporosis. A health related topic is currently scheduled once per quarter as a result of the exercise program.

Observations:
Attendance for the exercise class has stabilized at 15 to 20 and at the Tai Chi classes between 20 and 30 participants with 55 participants on the roster. The mean age of participants (49 women/8 men) in this program is 68 years old (range 55-85 years old). To assess the impact of the program on participants a modification of the OPTIMAL© instrument was used, incorporating a 10 cm. visual analog scale for detecting change in key physical activities. Participants completed this retrospective self-reporting activity comparison survey looking at 14 of the items from the OPTIMAL© outpatient evaluation questionnaire as community dwelling seniors.

Table 1

The activities demonstrating the greatest percent improvement in performance were balancing and stair climbing (Table 1). Anecdotal improvements have been noted in posture, balance, strength and flexibility by many of the members as well as an improved sense of “well being”. Almost all who have had their blood pressures monitored have had a decrease in blood pressure following exercise or Tai Chi and several have been able to reduce or discontinue blood pressure medication.

Implications:
A multidisciplinary team approach to providing a faith-based community wellness program can have a dramatic improvement on the physical function of older individuals, especially in the realms of balance and stair climbing. Physical therapists are encouraged to be involved in faith-based wellness programs and can play an important role in planning and implementing activities which may be crucial to older individuals maintaining independence and remaining functional in their homes.

Acknowledgements:
Seed grant funding to initiate this program was obtained through the Sarpy Cass County Department of Health and Wellness. Exercise supplies were donated from the Thera-Band division of the Hygienic Corporation and Hillcrest Health and Rehabilitation (Bellevue, NE). The program is now sustained by monies donated to St. Columbkille Church’s senior programs. Dr. Joseph F. Norman, MS PT, PhD, CCS assisted with statistics.

BASIC

BASIC stands for Beginning Apologetic Studies In Catholicism.

BASIC sessions will start in Advent, most likely on Friday nights. The design is to explore some of the reasons for and explanations behind the way we do things as Catholics. The 90 minute sessions will also include exploration of the upcoming weekend's scripture and conversion stories.

If you have areas you would like to see addressed or if you would like to help put it together, please contact Fr. Wee.

New Fields Dedication

On Sunday was the dedication of the fields

at the Roth Complex south of Papillion.

Before Fr. Damian sprinkled holy water as part of the dedication, he joked that God seemed to be sprinkling some holy water of his own with "the first rain since the Festival." Many of our youth representing Scouting and the athletic teams were on hand for the event.

The complex was "named" for Bob and Barb Roth in

recognition for all the work they have done.

The football and soccer field were named for the Knights of Columbus who were supportive of the project from the start. The Geis Intramural Soccer Fields were named to recognize all of the work Tim Geis has put into the project. The Baseball/Softball Field is named for Bill McKay who has worked so hard for so long to make this a reality.

Athletic Council President Jim Stultz with Tim & Staci Geis

Bob Roth & Bill McKay managed the project. Also remembered were:

Nino Franco - Drawings
Art Beckard - Engineered grading
Daren Konda - Managed grading
Dusty Roth - Grading
Ken Amick - Grading
Josh Tedder - Grading
Scott Stanek - Managed Bridge construction
Larry Cherney - Bridge Construction
Tony Svoboda - Bridge Construction
Ben Ricerri - Concert for Bridge
Gil Stensrud Electrical installation
Don Hunt - Electrical install
Darrin Hurt - Signage
Roland Erickson - Trucking
Conrico/Fucinero - Rock donation for parking lot
Ed Jockins - Water Drain inlets
Rick Scheer - Knights Game Feed Donation
Anna Sortino, Mary Peckar, Gina Urbanski - ReRunsRFun Donation

The day ended with a common meal.

The St. Columbkille Shepherds will soon be breaking ground on a facility that will be built in stages south of the fields. In will house meetings for the Scouts, store their equipment and be large enough to host some events as well.

Candidates & Catechumens

At the 9:00 Mass yesterday 13 people became RCIA Candidates or Catechumens. They will gather each Tuesday night to study the faith and will appreciate your faith. God willing they will enter the Church at the Easter Vigil in 2011. They are:

Muriel Conway

Eric Devlin

Michelle Diaz

Chris Fowler

Mark Goodwin

Cindy Hansen

Anita Hou

Alvin Jankowski

Crista Lantz

Joe Pedevillano

Jon Schaefer

Deanna Schlautman

Jason Spencer

Please keep them in your prayers.

Vocations Day

1,100 6th graders gathered at Skutt High School Friday for Vocations Day.

 Among them were our 6th grade class.

 The boys were in some small groups that heard from

 priests who serve the diocese or a religious community.

 

 The girls met with some of the vowed religious.

In general the students were invited to listen to God's call.

Soccer Fields

With the development done by the Shepherds,

we now have our own soccer fields.

 

 It's a great place to play ...

and a fun place to watch.

The fields will be dedicated tomorrow (Sunday.)

Be sure to stop by between 1:00 and 4:00 for the event.

Fire Safety Month

 Our MWF Preschoolers took an October

 walk to the Papillion Fire Station.

 Firefighter Justin showed us the fire truck and ambulance.

At the end of our field trip, Ethan asked if we could say a Hail Mary so that the firefighters would be safe.

Pumpkin Patch

A sure sign of the fall is the Kindergarten

Field Trip to Vala's Pumbkin Patch.

 

Ceili Preperations

Columb's Ceili will be Saturday March 5th, 2011.

The planning for the Ceili will kickoff tomorrow (Thursday) night at 7:00 pm. We welcome anyone who wants to be a part of it. Just call Dcn David at 339-3285 or email ceili@saintcolumbkille.org.

Passport Club

GFWC Papillion Woman's Club runs the Passport

Club at St. Columbkille Catholic School.

Last week First Graders identified the continents.

If they were correct, they were able to pick out stamps ... 

... and put them in their passports. 

 

Well Done!