St. Louis Catholic School Newsletter
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A Message from the Principal...
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Dear St. Louis Families,
This week went by very quickly! It was a short week, but it was also a week full of instruction, first assessments, the arrival of preschoolers, and whole days for our kindergarteners. The hallways were full of busy students and new bulletin boards, and it was a joy to see all the smiles as students settled into new routines. We are actively celebrating our spiritual theme "Choose Jesus!" through our words and actions, and we look forward to our first Monday morning assembly as we celebrate our virtues program and this month's virtue of focus, FAITH – Believing in God and all that He has revealed to us.
Next week, more "firsts" kick in as the parent grade portal opens for grades 3-8. The demographics portion of the portal closes today, so if you have any changes in address, phone number, etc., you will need to notify the office so that we can make changes manually. The first window for the Diocesan standardized testing program, Scantron Performance Series, opens up next week for grades 3-7. A
letter
went home in folders today for those grades to review the Scantron program. 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.
We are grateful for the many volunteers who help make St. Louis such a wonderful learning community! I look forward to meeting with PTO committee chairs at the board meeting on Tuesday, and then to welcoming everyone the following week for Back-to-School nights. We do our best to keep you updated through this weekly newsletter and Friday folders, but know that the school calendar is always available on the school website at
www.stlouisschool.org
.
Tomorrow 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). Make time to pray as a family every day and ask our Blessed Mother to be with us and bring our intentions to Jesus!
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, Alexander, Allison, Alvarado Rojas, Amaya-Portillo, Amedome, Anderson, Arias, Arib, Asesor, Atubiga, Averkamp, Bailey, Ballard, Bartol, Beckett, Bell, Benitez, Beran, Beresford, Bergeron, Berman, Biehn and Binas.
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New Family Coffee - Wed., Sept. 12
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Families new to St. Louis are invited to join us for our "New Family" Coffee on Sept. 12th 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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A Reminder on Diocesan/State Attendance Policy
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Reporting an absence is
a two step
process:
- Notify the office by phone call (703-768-7732) or email (attendance@stlouisschool.org) prior to or on the day of the absence to let us know where your child is and the reason for the absence.
- Send written notification on the day that the child returns to school, confirming the days of and reason for the absence. This can be hard copy written notification sent in through kidmail or electronic copy sent to attendance@stlouisschool.org.
Thank you for your assistance with this policy – Mrs. Schymanski is happy to help you with the process!
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From the PTO President...
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Welcome back to a wonderful new year! As we begin this new school year, let us also renew our school spirit! A great way to show your spirit and support our school is through participation in the PTO.
The St. Louis School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) has a long standing tradition of active volunteerism, community spirit and generous fundraising. The network of parents, guardians, and faculty make up our membership and there are no fees to join. Whether you choose to attend PTO meetings, chaperone a field trip, donate cookies for a bake sale, clip box tops, or attend our silent auction, your active involvement helps your child succeed in school.
We look forward to seeing you at the first PTO meeting of the year at Back to School Night, Tuesday, September 18 at 7 pm!
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Our first Spirit Dinner will be held at Moe's Southwest Grill in the Mt Vernon Plaza! Come for some great Tex-Mex and find your friends you haven't seen all summer. It will be on September 12 and 13 from 5-8PM. Please present printed or attached flyer so St. Louis will get credit. We will get a huge 40% on September 12 and 20% on September 13. Here's to a great new school year. See you at Moe's!
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Hip Hip Hooray for Hawks Day!
Registration is Now Open for the Hawks 5K & Fun Run on 10/20
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On your mark, get set… GO! The 5th Annual Hawks 5k & Fun Run takes off on Sat. October 20th.
Calling all runners, walkers and families that want to enjoy a great morning of health, wellness, fellowship and fun! If you have never participated in a race before, this is a great chance to enjoy an official course in a welcoming setting. Both the 1.5 mile Fun Run and the 5K start and end at the school. Did we mention there is a discount for advance registration? Families can save up to $60 for 4 runners.
8:00am: Hawks 1.5 Mile Fun Run/Walk
(registration required)
8:30am: Hawks 5K Run/Walk
(registration required)
Forms are also available in the school office.
Stay for the Hawks Day Celebration!
Whether or not you participate in the Walk or Run, join us at St. Louis School from 9am-1pm for Hawks Day. This year will feature an Arts & Crafts Fair (in time for the holidays), kids' crafts & games, golf games hosted by Fairfax County Parks, a flu clinic, first responder demonstrations, bounce houses, DJ Bob Artman, food and a beer tent. Plenty of great activities for all!
Proceeds from both events benefit the St. Louis School PTO.
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Hawks Day Arts & Crafts Fair
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ATTENTION ALL ARTISANS AND CRAFTERS!!! The Hawks Day Arts and Crafts Fair is looking for you!!! The fair will be from 9am-1pm on Saturday, October 20th! 10ft x 10ft booths are $50 (tables and chairs will
NOT
be provided). Spaces are limited! Check out the
flyer
and
vendor application
in this week's Friday's folder for more details! Questions or ready to submit your application? Please contact us at
StLouisHawkVendorFair@gmail.com
.
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Hello Parents, Our Back to School Bake Sale was a huge success, THANK YOU!!! We are now planning for our St. Louis PTO FALL BAKE SALE which is on Hawks Day, October 20th. We are in need of volunteers to set up, package, and sell baked goods, or clean up/tear down the sale. Slots are allotted for one hour and we need multiple volunteers in each time slot.
1 Hour of Service = 1 Volunteer Hour
Bake Sale Volunteer Hours: Friday, October 19th from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and Saturday,October 20th from 8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.
If you have any questions, please contact Carolyn Fortes at 703-650-8503 or
pastryred@hotmail.com.
To sign up, see the links below in the Volunteer Opportunities. We look forward to your support and making the BAKE SALE a GREAT SUCCESS!!!
Thank You, Carolyn Fortes
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Individual families are required to track their volunteer hours throughout the school year and to submit them to the PTO Volunteer Coordinators for credit.
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VIRTUS REQUIRED
Library Volunteers
Contact Jennifer Stackpole
Last Call for Room Parents!
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NON-VIRTUS
PTO Meeting, Sept. 18
attendance = 1 hour
Hawks 5K & Fun Run, Oct. 20
Contact Tania Jones
Hawks Community Day, Oct. 20
Contact Grace Cross
Fall Bake Sale, Oct. 20
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St. Louis School Chorus Signups
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This year, the St. Louis Chorus program will offer one after-school choir for 5th - 8th graders on Wednesday afternoons from 3:15-4:15pm called the
Joyful Noise
! All students in grades 5-8 are encouraged to participate.
Permission slips
should be returned by
Friday, September 21st
to Ms. Noone, who can be contacted at
snoone@stlouisschool.org
with any questions. The first rehearsal is scheduled for
Wednesday, September 26th.
Have your child join chorus and make a
Joyful Noise
to the Lord!
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Girls on the Run & Heart and Sole
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Girls on the Run (grades 4-5) and Heart and Sole (grades 6-8) are back this fall!!! The season begins the week of September 24th and ends in early December. The fall will be the only season for this school year. The 10-week curriculum teaches girls to be strong, confident and healthy. GOTR practices will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school and Heart and Sole will be Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. You may register online at
www.gotrnova.org
. The fee is $175, but there are lots of opportunities for financial assistance if you need it. Any questions regarding that or anything else, please contact Mrs. Cotnoir at
jcotnoir@stlouisschool.org
. Paper flyers are in all girls Friday folders.
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We are happy to announce the first round of orders for St. Louis CYO Spirit Wear. At this time, we are offering t-shirts that are approved for gym wear, a performance t-shirt that all track team members should purchase for the fall meet, and sweatshirts with the student’s name on the back. Please note that sweatshirts may be worn to and from school as outerwear, but may NOT be worn during the day at school.
Please note that the shirt and sweatshirt marked as “track” are both for track team members and for general wear. Any student may purchase these and show their Hawks spirit!
Please click
here
to see the options available for ordering. We will take orders until
September 12
and then this round of orders will close out.
There will be no extensions of time.
Our vendor will produce all the orders in the second half of September and everything will be delivered to your child via his/her classroom
by September 28
at the latest. You will note on the order form that we’ve asked for class information and that is to make sorting and delivery easy. If you order before school starts and don’t know the teacher’s name yet, just put the grade and your last name.
We will offer another round of orders in the fall and will have some expanded options for purchase as well.
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Calling all 3rd-8th Grade girls AND boys!
Do you have the Hawks Spirit?
Would you like to cheer for the St. Louis
CYO basketball teams?
Then we need YOU!
Please see the attached
flyer
for more information.
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All interested young men in grades 4 – 8 who would like to be an altar server should complete and return the attached
application
to the front office at St. Louis School or Rectory. You will then be contacted by Ruthie Cody, altar server coordinator, to attend a training with Father O’Hare.
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Bishop Ireton Cheer Clinic
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Bishop Ireton Cheer Clinic - Calling all 1st-8th grade girls! Come spend the day with the three-time CCA National Grand Champion Bishop Ireton Varsity Cheerleaders at their annual Cheer Clinic! The Cheer Clinic will be held on Saturday, October 13th and is sure to be lots of fun. You will learn cheers and dances and get to perform at the halftime show during the varsity football game. To register, please go to
www.bishopireton.org/cheerclinic
or mail in the attached
form
. Feel free to send questions to
bicheerclinic@hotmail.com
. Go Cardinals!
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St. John Paul the Great H.S. Events
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Saturday - September 29th 9:00am - noon -
Super Science Saturday.
This is a great chance for middle school science fans to work high school level labs in Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Environmental Science ... they'll be able to meet our phenomenal science teachers, National Science Honors Society students and have a great time with other science fanatics! The cost is $30 (to cover supplies) and space is limited. The
registration form
is attached. Registration closes on Wednesday, September 26. NO REGISTRATIONS will be taken at the door.
On Sunday, November 4th from 1:00-4:00pm, we will host our annual
Fall Open House.
On Thursday, November 15th our Drama Club will host a Middle School matinee of our Fall 2018 play,
Sherlock Holmes
. Admission is free. The play starts at 12 noon and will end by 2:00.
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Tuesday, Sept. 11 - PTO Board Meeting, 7pm
Wednesday, Sept. 12 - New Parent Coffee, 8:15am
Wednesday, Sept. 12 - Spirit Dinner at Moes's Southwest Grill, 5-8pm
Thursday, Sept. 13 - Spirit Dinner at Moe's Southwest Grill, 5-8pm
Tuesday, Sept. 18 - PTO Meeting & K-5 Back-to-School Night, 7pm
Thursday, Sept. 20 - Middle School Back-to-School Night, 6:30pm
Friday, Sept. 21 - 11:30 Dismissal (PM EDC open)
Tuesday, Sept. 25 - PTO Room Parent Meeting, 6:30pm
Thursday, Sept. 27 - Annual Fund Benefactors Reception, 7:30-9pm
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