WEEKLY NEWS
October 31, 2017
CLASSICAL EDUCATION CORNER
Saint Benedict School Year Theme :
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is  true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Phillipians 4:8
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher Conferences are not required but are encouraged, especially for students having difficulty in some aspect of their education. For elementary students, we encourage all parents to schedule a conference with your child's homeroom teacher. Middle school parents do not need to meet with every teacher, only those with whom they feel time is needed. If your child is doing well in all courses and you do not have any concerns, you do not need to schedule a conference. Specials (elective) teachers are not part of the Parent-Teacher Conference days. Please contact them directly if you would like to set up a time to meet. Please sign up for available conference times here.
Hispanic Heritage Day was a HUGE success! Thank you Maria Jaramillo and all our volunteers who made this day so much fun for our students! 
Middle School Computer Policy
Access to a computer with internet and a word processing program is required for all middle school students. Middle school students must be able to do online research, type and print papers, and access online classroom resources from home for many of their classes. Using a library computer with a flash drive to save work is acceptable when there is no computer in the home.
Comet Campaign
100% equals a perfect score! That’s exactly how we want to score with our Comet Campaign, but we need your help. Please show your support for Saint Benedict Catholic School by sending in your gift/pledge today. The tuition we pay and the financial aid the school receives, does not cover all that our school needs to operate. That’s why we need every family to pitch in and do what they can. No gift is too small or too large! Our children need to know that we value them and the education they receive at Saint Benedict. Please send in your form today!

Grandparents Day - November 17th  
"Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children." Alex Haley

Grandparents Day at St. Benedict will be held on Friday, November 17th. We need your Grandparents’ info (name, address, grandchildren) so we can send them an invitation with all the details. Please visit this website https://goo.gl/forms/Lud39GdIrTPNFpc73 ) and complete the form with all contact info by October 31st (TODAY, please). 

Printed invitations will then be mailed out to grandparents with the details for the day and asking them to RSVP by phone (804 254 8850) or email (rsvp@saintbenedictschool.org). If your child's grandparents live out of town or are unable to attend, they are invited to send a letter for their grandchild to St. Benedict School to be presented to the child on that day. For more information, please contact Pat Maehr at 804-254-8850 or pmaehr@saintbenedictschool.org .

The days starts at 8:30a.m with a light continental breakfast and welcome, followed by classroom visits, Mass, and the school Veterans’ Day Tribute. 

Let’s sprinkle a little stardust at St. Benedict!

Our Junior Kindergarteners had a fun morning at the St. Gertrude Halloween Carnival! 
PTO News
Looking for a way to get a few more support hours? Why not lend a hand next Tuesday, November 7th at our Open House, or during our school-day event on Wednesday, November 15th? We have a spots open that still need volunteers.
Sign up today!  Fall Open House

Grandparents Day is Friday, November 17th. Parent volunteers are still needed to make this fun event memorable for our grandparents and students.  Grandparents Day
Student Council News
This year again the Student Council will again be collecting pop tops from aluminum cans to donate to the Ronald McDonald House on Monument Avenue. Last year, even though we got a late start, we collected over 30 pounds of tops which paid for a family of 4 to stay at the house for a night. Please save and send in your pop tops! 
VIRTUS and Background Screening
All volunteers working with or near children in the school must
  • Have current background screening (every 5 years).
  • Have attended a VIRTUS training session, and consistently complete the monthly training bulletin, as evidenced by answering a short multiple-choice question at the end of the reading (Bulletin is sent monthly via e-mail)

Some examples of positions that REQUIRE VIRTUS and Background Screening: chaperone, lunch server, tour guide, greeter, comet shop, picture day, class room rep.

Some examples of positions that don't normally require VIRTUS and Background Screening: bringing food, event set-up, event clean-up, gala, school board, clean up day

If you will not be working at the school or at another Diocesan location with or near children or vulnerable adults you don't need to meet the VIRTUS and Background Screening requirements. If you have a VIRTUS account, you may ask for it to be made inactive and it can be made active again should you need it in the future.  You will not have to retake VIRTUS, but you will not need to keep up with the monthly training bulletin. The Diocese pays for active accounts so if you do not need the account it would save the Diocese the cost of keeping your account active unnecessarily.  If you want your account to be made inactive for the ENTIRE DIOCESE just email Elizabeth Hanson, ehanson@saintbenedictschool.org.

If you have taken VIRTUS but don't have a current background screening on file with the Diocese, you should have received an email from Elizabeth Hanson or Maria Jaramillo recently. Please decide if you want your account to be made inactive or that you want to submit a background screening and then communicate your decision to Elizabeth or Maria. We are gratefully for all your hard volunteer work and for your efforts to help keep our children safe.
Parish News
There is no R.E. this week for K-5, EDGE, or THE RULE as we are celebrating All Saints Day (Nov. 1), a holy day of obligation. The schedule that went out stating 10/30 as a meeting date was in error.  We resume the 8 th of Nov.
Retreat for Married Couples
On Saturday, November 11, from 9:00am to 12:30pm, the parish will host a retreat for married couples titled “You Have Kept the Good Wine Until Now” (John 2:10). This event will help couples to savor their relationship and appreciate their unique calling from God. Childcare will be provided. Couples are asked to RSVP to Rob Hamrick ( rhamrick@saintbenedictparish.org ), Director of Evangelization and Catechesis, by November 3. The cost will be $10.00 per couple. Registration with coffee and doughnuts will be at 8:30am; the retreat will begin at 9:00am.
Mass Schedule for All Saints & All Souls
Tuesday, October 31 – 5:30pm - All Saints Vigil
Wednesday, November 1 – 8:30am and 7:00pm - All Saints
Thursday, November 2 – 7:00pm (6:00pm, Confession) - All Souls
Voter Education Materials
On Tuesday, November 7, Virginians will elect their governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. To help voters prepare for these elections the Virginia Catholic Conference has released its 2017 voter education materials. The Conference has compiled three separate side-by-side comparisons of the positions of candidates for state offices. Conference staff compiled Know the Positions of the Candidates for Governor, Know the Positions of the Candidates for Lieutenant Governor, and Know the Positions of the Candidates for Attorney General from policies, public statements, official campaign websites, party platforms and other sources. The Conference, which represents Virginia’s bishops on public policy matters, neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office. As they consider these races and also local House of Delegates races, voters are encouraged to turn to the wisdom of the Catholic Church as they form their consciences by consulting the Four Principles of Catholic Social Teaching. These materials can be found www.vacatholic.org. Spanish translations are also available.
Upcoming Events at Saint Gertrude High School
Thursday, November 2 to Saturday, November 4....What if Jesus was on earth today? Come see Godspell, based on the Gospel of Matthew and set in the present day with music by the composer of Wicked. The Stuart Avenue Players will present Godspell on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 2, 3 & 4 at 7:00 PM; and Saturday, November 4 at 1:00 PM. Tickets on sale here.

Saturday, November 4.... Calling all 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls to  Meet Me At The Matinee! Stuart Avenue Players invites you to be their guest at the Saturday, November 4 matinee performance of Godspell at Saint Gertrude High School. Come for a slice of pizza (at 11:30 a.m.) and meet the amazing cast and crew of Godspell (at 12:00 Noon). 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will have reserved seats for the 1:00 PM Matinee performance.  Please note that a parent must accompany the student. For more information and to register, visit  www.saintgertrude.org/matinee.

Tuesday, November 7...Saint Gertrude High School will host  Lunch & Learn. Similar to our Open House, Lunch & Learn is a shorter more intimate experience. We begin at 11:00 a.m. and for a little over an hour, guests enjoy a light lunch, participate in an informal Q&A session, and take a tour of the school. Please register online. If you cannot attend on November 7, Lunch & Learn will also be offered on Tuesdays, November 28; January 9; and February 6. For more information, please contact Meredith McNamara, Director of Admission at  804-822-3955 or  mmcnamara@saintgertrude.org.  
Upcoming Dates
Nov. 1 School Mass - Solemnity of All Saints
Nov. 1 Honor Roll Assembly, 9:30am in St. Anselm Hall
Nov. 7 Open House, 7-8:30pm 
Nov. 15 Open House, 9-11:30am