St. Louis Catholic School Newsletter

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SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 Hello St. Louis Families! We are blessed with another successful week of learning in our building! Today is the feast day of St. Joseph of Cupertino who is the patron saint of test-takers and students—a rather fitting feast day as we have finished the first round of Scantron assessments for grades 3-7, and we are particularly grateful for all of our students. St. Joseph’s life example reminds us that everyone learns at different paces and in different ways. We can invoke his intercession when we feel challenged or uncertain. Next week, Scantron continues for grades 3-7 with the Math assessment. Grades 1-2 will begin their fall assessments as well with HMH Inventory and PALs. These assessments provide helpful information for the teachers—we recognize the importance of this data especially now. Please keep in mind that because of these assessments, the work load may be different next week for all our learners. A special thank you to the executive board of our parent-teacher organization who met with me this week to discuss goals for the current school year. A recording of our meeting and the current state of the school was sent out via school communication Thursday evening. I am grateful for the work of the PTO Board, and for the support of all our families in helping to make our PTO strong—there are some fun PTO sponsored family nights coming up in October. With the pandemic, it is hard to find ways that we can connect as a community, but we are dedicated to finding safe ways that we can do so. PTO spirit lunches will begin next week for our students—this will certainly be a special treat! There will be more lunches in the future if you missed this one.   Our community of families is what makes St. Louis such a special place to be. Thank you for entrusting your children to us each day—they are true joys and the laughter they bring fills our hearts and hallways! Have a wonderful weekend! Peace, Anne M. Dyke Principal

School Announcements

Agreement Forms Past Due! If you have not already, please submit the following forms to the school office by September 23rd: Handbook Agreement Form (Middle School students must also sign) Social Media Guidelines Addendum to Handbook (K-6th Grade parents only) 1:1 Device Agreement (your child's privilege to bring home their device will be suspended until this form is received)

Virtual Attendance Reminders Virtual students are expected to check in with their homeroom teachers for daily attendance. If a student is unable to participate in the class virtually, they will be marked absent. Just as if your child were attending school in-person, parents are required to notify the teacher and Mrs. Schymanski ([email protected]) of virtual absences or midday appointments that would prevent the student from participating in class during regular school hours. Additionally, if your child is scheduled to be in-person but will be attending virtually, an email must be sent to the teacher and Mrs. Schymanski so that they are not marked absent.

Zoom Etiquette Zoom sessions are happening slowly as we wait for Cox Cable to finish the installation of fiber optic wires and new panels in our school. Zoom sessions are considered classes and should be treated as such—students should be dressed in the uniform of the day or school polo shirt. Students should be in a well lit room and parents should not be in the background as it causes distraction to the other students. We know some work spaces in homes are limited because of internet access, but if possible, adults should refrain from being visible. Students need to join class sessions promptly or risk missing important instructions.

Water bottles, food and devices... We are now a 1:1 device school which means students will be traveling and/or carrying precious devices in backpacks. Please remind your children to be careful how they place their heavy books in the bags and to be careful not to throw the bags down. Water bottles should not travel alongside the devices---water bottles should be placed in an outside pocket of backpacks. Food should not be consumed while using the school devices.

First Communion Mass for 3rd Graders Please reply by Sept. 25th Two Masses for our 3rd Grade First Communicants will be offered by homeroom on Saturday, Oct. 3: 3-15 (Mrs. Cigliano) will attend Mass at 10:30am 3-16 (Mrs. McDuffie) will attend Mass at 12:00pm First Communicants will be assigned a pew in the Church in which up to 7 family members may sit (not including the student). For planning purposes, please RSVP by September 25th. The Mass will be livestreamed for those unable to attend in-person.

Recess Volunteers Needed We're looking for parent volunteers to help supervise small outdoor group recesses one day a week from 11:30am-1:30pm, weather permitting. Volunteers will be assigned to a K-8th grade class which may not necessarily be their child's and will be asked to commit to a weekly or bi-weekly schedule. Parents must be VIRTUS certified and will receive PTO volunteer hours for their time. If interested, please contact Mrs. Fiesel, [email protected] or 703-768-7732 for consideration.

Monday Assembly & Morning Prayers Virtual students may join us each morning (Monday-Friday) for prayers live via Zoom at 8:25am. Meeting ID: 874 0836 4844 Passcode: HAWKS On Monday's, the weekly assembly will be pre-recorded and shared with all families via email to be viewed at home after morning prayers. Students in school that day will view it in their classrooms. Mass Schedule & Link Students will be attending Mass by homeroom both in-person and virtually daily as noted on the school calendar. Students who are distance learning on the day their class attends Mass should plan to watch the Mass livestreamed through the parish website.

Drop Box Forgotten lunch, folder, or schoolwork? Dropping off forms, etc? For your convenience, a bin is set outside the front doors during school hours. Please call the front office or ring the front bell so we are aware that something is being dropped off. Don't forget to label the item/s. Items that need to be picked up by parents will also be placed in the bin. Parents will be notified when they have something to be picked up.

The School Store is Open! Place your orders online for some essentials - water bottles, car magnets (car decals coming soon!). Did you miss out on getting last year's yearbook (2019-20)? We have some in stock and offered at a discounted price. And don't forget your purple socks! As a Purple Star school, St. Louis students recognize our military families with the option to wear these uniform approved socks on their PE days. A limited quantity are available in each size.

Calendar Events Week of Sept. 21, 2020

Monday, Sept. 21 Blue (Mass:4th) Tuesday, Sept. 22 White (Mass: 3rd & 8th) Moe's Spirit Lunch (pre-ordered) Wednesday, Sept. 23 Blue (Mass: K, 6-107, 7-104) Moe's Spirit Lunch (pre-ordered) First Communion Retreat (3rd Gr.) Thursday, Sept. 24 White (Mass: 2nd, 5-7, 6-106) First Communion Retreat (3rd Gr.) Friday, Sept. 25 Blue (Mass: 1st, 5-5, 7-105) 11:30 Dismissal (PM EDC open) FULL SCHOOL CALENDAR Did you know you can subscribe to our school calendar for automatic updates? Subscribe to auto-populate your iCal, Outlook 2007+ of Google calendar

Resource & Counseling

Parenting is Hard Work Under the best of times, being a parent can be challenging. Please consider signing up for this FREE virtual Parenting Summit. It runs from September 22-29. Register for the summit at this site. Each day will offer several sessions. Pick and choose the ones that will be useful for you and your needs. As always, our School Counselor, Mrs. Jennifer Cotnoir, is here to assist you and help your children be successful at school. You can reach her by calling school or by e-mailing her at [email protected].

PTO

Kieran Mitchell PRESIDENT Beth Burke VICE PRESIDENT Grace Cross SECRETARY Melissa McGuire TREASURER

Virtual 2020 Hawks 5K & Fun Run - Registration & Sponsorships The Hawks 5K & Fun Run is going virtual! Run or walk anytime October 30- November 8! Fliers were sent home with students this week. For more information and registration visit: https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Alexandria/StLouisHawks5K Sponsorship opportunities are available! Please see the attached for more information.

Moe's Sept. 23, 10:30am-12:30pm Sept. 24, 10:30am-12:30pm Chick-fil-A Sept. 29, 10:30am-12:30pm Sept. 30, 10:30am-12:30pm

Volunteers Needed - September Spirit Lunches VIRTUS Not Required The PTO is partnering with the school to offer lunch options from local restaurants on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. Parent volunteers are needed to pick up, sort and distribute the orders. Masks & Social Distancing required. Sign up here.

Room Parents Needed! While the classroom celebrations will look different this year, our fantastic teachers still need your help. We are looking for 2 room parents per class. If interested, please email our room parent coordinators: Erin Elhihi, Tina James and Michelle Buffaloe.

Extracurricular & CYO

Girl Scouts Become a Girl Scout family! Girl Scout troops are forming and have spaces for girls and adults at St. Louis Catholic School. To sign up to attend our virtual meeting on 10/2/2020 at 7:00 PM go to https://bit.ly/girlscouts-533. If you have questions or need additional information please contact Michelle Johnson at [email protected] or 703-372-4346.

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