St. Louis Catholic School Newsletter
September 22, 2017
A Message from the Principal...
Dear St. Louis Parents,
 
This was quite a full week with some long days! I was grateful to see so many of you as we gathered for the first PTO meeting and elementary Back-to-School-Night on Tuesday evening, and then for the Middle School Back-to-School-Night and Preschool Parent Night on Thursday. As a parent myself, I know how helpful it is to see and hear the teachers firsthand, experience the atmosphere of the classroom, and walk through the hallways. The home-school connection is crucial to student success, so we thank you for coming!
 
Today is an 11:30 dismissal day at all the diocesan elementary schools. Professional development training has been set up for all of our teachers - some will be working on technology support tools and software for the classroom, and others will be working on how to use assessment data for instructional planning. Please pray for your teachers as they grow professionally and have the opportunity to focus on providing the best for the children.
 
We have completed our second week of standardized assessments for grades 3-7 and will begin our final week on Monday. Grades K-2 will begin some one-on-one adaptive online testing with our new HMH Math Inventory assessment tool over the next couple weeks. All the data that we receive from the testing results will be shared with you at parent-teacher conferences. I thought you might like to see our students "in action" as they get set for an online standardized test, so I had a couple helpers agree to share the process in the video below! Many thanks to Serena Moss and Stephen Ntambwe for their help!
 
We continue our work on the virtue of charity, and our cafeteria collection jar which will go towards helping hurricane relief through Catholic Charities is three-quarters full!  Keep encouraging your child to share their coins with those less fortunate, but let it be their choice as they learn to make sacrifices for others, loving their neighbors as themselves.

Peace,
Kathleen McNutt
Principal


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: Bryant, Buchanan, Buffaloe, Bunch, Burke, Burns, Calogero, Candia-Soecht, Canty, Carcamo,Carlson, Carow, Carter and Causee.
School Announcements
St. Louis Community Meal Ministry
If you'd like to prepare a meal for a school family, we have two requests at this time with a few openings. Both families have welcomed new babies in the last month or so. If you'd like to make a meal, please click on one of the links. If you'd like to be considered for future meals, please send your name and e-mail address to Mrs. Jennifer Cotnoir at [email protected].


QUICKLINKS
PTO
PTO BOARD
Sharon Moss, President   [email protected]
Carolyn Koch, Vice President   [email protected]
Beth Burke, Secretary   [email protected]
Melissa McGuire, Treasurer    [email protected]
Hawks Day - Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017!!!
Join us for the 4th Annual Hawks 5K & Fun Run and Hawks Day Celebration. Don't miss this day of health, wellness, fellowship and fun!
  • 8:00am - Hawks 1.5 Mile Fun Run/Walk (registration required)
  • 8:30am - Hawks 5K Run/Walk (registration required)
  • 9am-1pm - Hawks Day Celebration with games, crafts, cake walk, community responder demonstrations, bounce houses, food, fun and fellowship with our school and parish community
To register online for the Hawks 5K & Fun Run, visit: https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Alexandria/StLouisHawks5K or you can print a registration form and send it in with a check.
Volunteer for Hawks Day!
We will host Hawks Day on Saturday, Oct. 21st. This is our big fall community event and includes a Fun Run, Race, and all sorts of fun activities for kids and adults. It's always a great event and we need A LOT of volunteers to make this day a success. We ask that you sign up for a slot or two to help with set-up, running the day's activities, and/or cleaning up. Please use the Sign-Up Genius found at this link: 
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090545a5ae2da20-stlouis1.  

Please note that VIRTUS training is NOT required for Hawks Day volunteering (except for one slot which is clearly indicated) so this is a great opportunity to get in some hours if you have not yet finished the VIRTUS process and been certified. Thanks so much for all your help and if you have any questions, please contact Judy Conti at [email protected].
October Spirit Dinner @ Haute Dogs & Fries
Hot dogs! Locally made sausages! Gluten free options - including rolls! Where? Haute Dogs & Fries on Montgomery Street in Alexandria. Come out and support the PTO on Monday, Oct. 2 and Tuesday, Oct. 3 from 3-9pm. It is a short drive to Old Town and always a popular location for a Spirit Dinner. See you there! Flyer is attached for more information; please bring the flyer.
Fall Bake Sale - Oct. 14 & 15
Calling all talented bakers and food enthusiasts!!! We need baked goods and volunteers for our Fall Bake Sale on Saturday, Oct. 14 after the 5:30pm Mass and Sunday, Oct. 15 from 8am-2pm in the school cafeteria. The proceeds will go to the St. Louis School PTO. To sign up, please contact Carolyn Fortes ( [email protected]) or www.signupgenius.com (Bake Sale/Bake Sale Worker). Thank you all for your continued support and hope to see you all at THE BAKE SALE!
Silent Auction
Come One, Come All! The 2018 Silent Auction registration is NOW open! Please go to www.tinyurl.com/stlouisauction2018 to register for your tickets ot table sponsorship! Buy your tickets early! This event will sell out FAST! See the attached flyer for more information!
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
Extracurricular Activities & CYO
Girls on the Run Starts Next Week and We Still Have Space!!
Girls on the Run  is a programs for girls in 4th and 5th grades. GOTR teaches girls to be strong, healthy and confident. This is SO much more than a running program. If your daughter isn't a runner, that's totally okay. Practices will be Wednesdays and Fridays after school starting September 27th and ending in early December. You can register by going to www.gotrnova.org. Late registration fees are being waived for our St. Louis team. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Jennifer Cotnoir at [email protected].
CYO Basketball
St. Louis has a proud tradition for fielding CYO Basketball teams for girls and boys in 3rd-8th grade. Practices will be twice a week and begin the week of October 30th. Games will be played on the weekends in December through early March (with time off for the Christmas holiday). If you are interested, please contact the coaches for your kids' grades as named on the attached flyer. And if you are interested in coaching the 3rd grade girls' team, please contact Judy Conti at [email protected]. Go Hawks!
CYO Tennis
CYO Tennis is back at St. Louis! Please see the attached flyer for more information.
Odyssey of the Mind
Attached is information on Odyssey of the Mind and registration forms. Registration forms are due by September 29th.
Parish & Community
Dodgeball in the Fall
St. Louis and Good Shepherd will be teaming up for a combined Dodgeball Tournament on Columbus Day as a fun day for 4th-8th graders and a fundraiser for WorkCamp. Please see the attached flyer fore more information.
Piano Available
A family member of a St. Louis school family has an upright piano they would be happy to donate to a family that needs a piano. For more information, please contact Ms. Marcie Cheney, [email protected] or 703-798-8680.
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!
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. 26 - Annual Fund Benefactors Reception, 7:30-9pm
Sept. 28 - PTO Room Parent Meeting, 6:30pm
Oct. 2 - Spirit Dinner at Haute Dogs & Fries, 3-9pm
Oct. 3 - Spirit Dinner at Haute Dogs & Fries, 3-9pm
Oct. 6 - 11:30 Dismissal (afternoon EDC open)
Oct. 9 - No School, Columbus Day
Oct. 10 - Winter Uniform Begins
Oct. 12 - K-8 Picture Day
Oct. 14-15 - PTO Used Uniform & Bake Sales after all Masses, McClunn Hall
St. Louis Catholic School
2901 Popkins Lane, Alexandria, VA 22306
Principal: Kathleen McNutt
Phone: 703-768-7732
www.stlouisschool.org
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