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St. Louis Catholic School Newsletter
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September 8, 2017
A Message from the Principal...
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Dear St. Louis Families,
This week went by very quickly! It was s short week, but it was also a full week of instruction, first assessments, the first Monday morning assembly, the arrival of preschoolers, and whole days for our kindergarteners. The hallways have been full of busy students and positive attitudes, which has made for a lot of smiles and respectful behavior. We are actively celebrating our theme, "Praise Raises Us Up", and we are studying this month's virtue of focus, CHARITY - loving God with all your heart, mind and strength through your service to others - loving your neighbor as yourself.
Next week, more "firsts" kick in as the parent portal opens on Monday for grades 3-8, and the first window for the Diocesan standardized testing program, Scantron Performance Series, opens up for grades 3-7. A detailed
letter went home today to those grades on the Scantron program in Friday folders. Because these are short tests that only happen once a day on various days over the next few weeks, regular instruction, homework and assessments will continue as normal during testing windows. Results from this base line assessment will be shared with you at Parent-Teacher conferences in November.
Today the church celebrates the birthday of Mary, our Blessed Mother. All creation sings with joy and participates in the joy of this day. "Let us celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary, of whom was born the Sun of Justice.... Her birth constitutes the hope and the light of salvation for the whole world.... Her image is light for the whole Christian people" (From the Liturgy). And on Thursday, we will celebrate the feast of The Triumph of the Cross. Jesus took on the suffering of the cross, and with that suffering came the triumph of salvation. The crucifixes we hang in our homess, put on our bedroom walls, and wear around our neck are so important. They remind us that Jesus opened the gates of heaven so that we too may have eternal life with Him. Make time to pray as a family every day, on on the Sept. 14th, think about saying this short prayer together:
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Peace,
Kathleen McNutt
Principal
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Weekly Prayer Intentions
Each day our school community prays for the intentions of our families. This week the following families were included in our prayers: Ahern, Albert, Allard, Allison, Alvarado Rojas, Ambery, Amedome, Anderson, Anthony, Arias, Arib, Arnolda, Asesor, Atubiga, Averkamp, Backus, Bailey, Ballard, Bartol, Bell, Benitez, Beran, Berdinner, Beresford, Bergeron and Berman
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Power School Demographic Information
A reminder to parents to enter personal demographic information and two emergency contact for each student and basic medical information to include doctor's name and phone number must also be provided in Power School.
The information is required by the Office of Catholic Schools and must be on file no later than September 15.
The portal is currently closed except for the access to the personal demographic data. It will open on Monday, Sept. 11 for students in grades 3-8 only. Those families who have not entered or updated the required information on the portal will be sent a paper copy of the emergency care form to fill out by hand. Please help us keep our database current and accurate. Any issues relating to Power School should be emailed to Mrs. Dyke (
[email protected])
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Diocesan/State Attendance Policy
Reporting an absence is a
two step process:
- The first step is to notify the office by phone (703-768-7732) or email ([email protected]) prior to or on the day of the absence to let us know where your child is and the reason for the absence.
- The second step is to send written notification on the day that your child returns to school, confirming the days of and reason for the absence. This can be hard-copy written notification sent through kidmail or electronic copy sent to [email protected].
Thank you for your assistance with this policy - Mrs. Schymanski is happy to help you with the process!
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"New Family" Coffee - Wednesday, Sept. 13
Families new to St. Louis are invited to join us for our "New Family" Coffee on Sept. 13th at 8:10am in the school cafeteria.
These coffees cover timely topics as well as provide the opportunity to ask questions or express concerns. Younger siblings are welcome.
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PTO Meeting - Tuesday, Sept. 19, 7pm
The first PTO meeting of the year is Tuesday, September 19 at 7pm! This meeting is for all school parents - Grades K through 8th. Join us to learn of the upcoming PTO events, approve the new PTO budget, approve the
attached May 2017 meeting minutes, and obtain volunteer information. Immediately following the PTO meeting portion of the night, K-5 families will head to classrooms for Back-to-School Night sessions with teachers. The 8th Grade will be providing
babysitting (children attending must be toilet trained). We look forward to seeing you there!
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Another Spirit Dinner @ Moe's Sept. 13th
Did you miss Moe's last week? You have another chance to join your classmates and friends at Moe's Southwest Grill on Wednesday, Sept. 13 from 5-9pm. See the attached
flyer for more details. remember, the NEW option to get credit: simply present the flyer on your phone...the paper version still works too!
October will be at Haute Dog in Old Town!
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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Parents are responsible for tracking their volunteer hours. Volunteer hours may be input online. Please contact the volunteer coordinator, Vanessa Milewski, with any questions.
Keep in mind, the following opportunities count toward volunteer hours:
- Classroom party/celebration donations = 1 hour/donation
- PTO Meeting attendance = 1 hour/meeting
- Silent Auction purchase/donation = 1 hour/$20
- Bake Sale items = 1 hour/donated item
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Extracurricular Activities & CYO
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Girl Scouts
Attached is information on the parish Girl Scouts program. Please see the
flyer for contact information.
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Odyssey of the Mind
Attached is
information on Odyssey of the Mind and
registration forms. Registration forms are due by September 29th.
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CYO Cheerleading
Do you have Hawks spirit? If so, then we want YOU to be on the Cheerleading team this year! Cheerleading is open to girls AND boys, grades 3-8. We practice once a week on Fridays from 3:30-5:00pm, cheer at one game per weekend during the basketball season, and will perform in 2 exhibitions in the winter. No tryouts - everyone is welcome to join! Many kids do Cheer along with Basketball and/or Track. If you have any questions, or your child wants to join the team, please contact Judy Conti at
[email protected] for more information.
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NEW Parish Office Hours
Starting Tuesday, Sept. 5, the St. Louis parish office will be closed Monday-Friday for lunch from 12:30-1:30pm.
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Knights of the Altar
Boys in grades 4-8 may serve as Knights of the Altar. The
application is attached.
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Bishop Ireton Cheer Clinic
Calling all 1st-8th grade girls! The 2016 and 2017 CCA National Grand Champion Bishop Ireton Cheerleading Team is holding its annual cheer clinic on Saturday, October 28. This is a fun-filled day, with the girls learning cheers and dances which they will perform with the BI Cheerleading Team during halftime at the varsity football game! It is also the Team's biggest fundraiser - help send them to National's again this year to defend their title! Please see the attached
flyer more more information on the clinic. If you have any questions, feel free to email Marianne Olson at
[email protected]. Please send in your completed forms and payment via kidmail to Justine Olson, Room 4-3. Go Cardinals!
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UPCOMING CALENDAR EVENTS
Please refer to the
school calendar on the website for additional information. Subscribe to the calendar to automatically receive all of the latest updates.
Sept. 12 - PTO Board Meeting, 7pm
Sept. 13 - New Family Coffee, 8:10am, Cafeteria
Sept. 13 - Spirit Dinner at Moe's Southwest Grill, 5-9pm
Sept. 19 - PTO Meeting & K-5 Back-to-School Night, 7pm, McClunn Hall
Sept. 21 - Middle School Back-to-School Night, 6:30pm
Sept. 21 - Preschool Parent Open House, 7pm
Sept. 22 - 11:30 Dismissal (PM EDC open)
Sept. 26 - Annual Fund Benefactors Reception, 7:30-9pm
Sept. 28 - PTO Room Parent Meeting, 6:30pm
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St. Louis Catholic School
2901 Popkins Lane, Alexandria, VA 22306
Principal: Kathleen McNutt
Phone: 703-768-7732
www.stlouisschool.org
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Copyright 2017-2018. All Rights Reserved.
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