WEEKLY NEWS - November 13, 2018
Comet Parents TO-DO List for This Week!
Have a great week!


  • WEDNESDAY!! (11/14) ALL PARENTS - Deadline for emailing who will pick up your child from CHURCH this Friday immediately following our Grandparent's Day presentation at 12:15pm. See details below on Grandparent's Day.

  • Thursday (11/15) PTO Meeting. 6-7 pm in Cafeteria. You get an hour of PTO time for attending AND you stay involved in the life of our school!

  • Friday (11/16) Grandparent's and Grandfriend's Day! See below for details!
From Our Principal
Since we just celebrated Veteran's Day yesterday, I was reminded that patriotism has long been considered a virtue or habit that we want to practice. Patriotism is a love of country. It does not ignore injustice or mistakes that have been made by the government or people of our country. Instead it strives to remind our country of the ideals that we seek to live up to. Our Grandparent's Day program is an inspiring example of the virtue of patriotism, and I encourage parents to join us for the Mass and program, as well. We have Mass at 10:30am in St. Benedict Church followed immediately by the Veteran's Day Program. As President Kennedy said so clearly, "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."
ALL THINGS GRANDPARENT'S DAY! Please read!!

Grandparent's & Grandfriend's Day is THIS FRIDAY, November 16;
9 am - 12:30 pm

Invitations were mailed two weeks ago. We can't wait to meet all of our special guests! Please make sure your child's grandparent/grandfriend sends in their RSVP by TODAY to: rsvp@saintbenedictschool.org or call 804-254-8850.

ALL Students Will Be Dismissed at 12:15pm from INSIDE CHURCH on Friday!

In an effort to make Friday's early dismissal on Grandparent's Day as smooth and safe as possible, this year we will dismiss ALL STUDENTS from St. Benedict CHURCH, just like we do on the last day of school. Parents are invited to join Grandparents for Mass at 10:30am, immediately followed by our student's musical performance.

We need ALL PARENTS WHO HAVE OTHER ADULTS PICKING UP THEIR CHILDREN to email your child's HOMEROOM TEACHER by end of day WEDNESDAY (11/14) with DISMISSAL INSTRUCTIONS. Just a quick note saying who will be picking up your child/ren and their relationship to the student/s) OR that the student should go to ASE. Without a permission slip, we cannot release your student to anyone other than you - period . This is for the safety of our 200 children.

CLICK BELOW on your child's homeroom teacher to email your dismissal instructions for THIS FRIDAY (11/16) no later than tomorrow (11/14). If we do not receive instructions, we will assume that YOU will pick your student up from Church at 12:15 this Friday (11/16). If you are not attending the student's performance in the Church, you will need to park and come into Church to pick up your child from their teacher in the pew.
Thank you for your attention and help!
JK ( Horvath )
K ( Menzies )
1 ( Carter )
2 ( Young )
3 ( Howell )
4 ( Brunner )
5 ( Herrity )
6 ( Clary )
7 ( Herrity )
8 ( Cisik )

DISMISSAL PROCESS at CHURCH
At the conclusion of the Grandparent's Day program, roughly 12:15pm, Mr. Cruess will announce that students should all stay seated in the pew with their teacher until they have been released to a parent or grandparent. Patience is helpful as Teachers will need to check each student off their list. Students will not have backpacks that day, so they won't be a concern.

ASE
There will be ASE available for those who need it this Friday following Grandparent's Day. ASE students will need to bring lunch, because we do not have lunch on 12:30 dismissal days. 
PTO News
NEXT PTO MEETING IS THIS THURSDAY! 6-7PM Cafeteria
Grandparent's Day VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Grandparent's Day is this Friday! We still need volunteers to make this event a success. Please click  HERE  to see where you can help.

Calling all creative parents! 
If you have a creative hobby you enjoy such as painting, wood working, design, sculpture or photography, the PTO is looking for you! We are in need of two parents per grade level to work with their class and the art teacher to create this year’s Gala Class Projects. 

These parents will share their creative talents with the kids and work closely with the art teacher throughout the year.  

The Gala art projects are always a hit during the live auction and generate proceeds that help our school. Please go HERE to sign up !

New! Enrichment Reps:
This year we are looking for 1 parent per grade to fill the role as an Enrichment representative . Enrichment representative's primary responsibility is to encourage participation in fundraising events outside of school. Please email Jennifer Eschbach with questions.

Lunch Service:
It is now time for the 6th grade parent volunteers to take charge! There's nothing better than taking a mid-day break, and getting the chance to see your shining COMETS! Click HERE to sign up!

Box Tops:
We are excited to announce the results and winner of the Box Tops contest! 

Congratulations to Ms. Howells 3rd grade class for bringing in the most Box Tops-639 Box Tops! Get ready for an ice cream social! 

Mrs. Brunner's 4th grade class came in second with just over 500 Box Tops! 

Through our Box Tops Drive this fall, we collected 6,048 Box Tops! Thank you to everyone who collected and donated! 
Employment Opportunities at St. Benedict
Maintenance Director
St. Benedict is hiring a Maintenance Director for the Church and School. Click here for details about this 30-40 hour position with benefits.

Substitute Teachers
Saint Benedict is looking for substitute teachers. Applicants should have their college degree and will have a background check performed as part of the application process. Please contact Sean Cruess at 804-254-8850 if you are interested. Thank you!
Canned Food Drive for Little Sisters! Yesterday our Student Council kicked off of its annual canned goods drive to benefit the Little Sisters of the Poor. The student council will be collecting any canned foods or non perishables until Monday, November 19th . (Please be sure to check those expiration dates on the cans first!) The homeroom with the largest percentage of items donated will be rewarded with an ice cream and cookie party compliments of the student council. Please remember those less fortunate during this time of Thanksgiving.

The student council will sponsor a TAG DAY on Tuesday, November 20th. There will be no specific theme for this day as it is the last day before Thanksgiving break. Please refer to the guidelines in the handbook on page 13 if you are in doubt about what is acceptable dress.

Thank you for your support of the St. Benedict Student Council
P.E. and ART Schedule
Reminder : Here is a copy of the PE/Art schedule through DEC 31.
From the Parish
Visit our parish online for mass schedules, sacramental preparation and other timely info! Also, here's a link to Ida B's Bits (our parish administrator's weekly email with events and happenings at Church.)

November Letter from Father Tony HERE

Family Fun Night IS THIS WEDNESDAY!
On Wednesday, November 14th, the parish will be hosting a Family Fun Night. Everyone is encouraged to begin by attending the 5:30pm mass. After Mass,  Hollywood Cheesesteak food truck  and  Return of the Mac  (loaded mac and cheese entrees)  food truck  will be available for food purchase at a discounted rate (the parish is subsidizing 20% of the food costs). Beer will be available with wristbands, which cost $10.  Lawn games and fire pits will be put out for enjoyment. During dinner, Deacon Ed Owen will give a brief talk. This Family Fun Night will take the place of regularly scheduled religious education and choir that evening.

Three Notch'd Road Performs The Glory of Polish Baroque - THIS Sat. Nov. 17th @ St. Benedict Catholic Church, 7:30pm Poland’s musical heritage is vast and rich, but its flourishing in the Baroque period is virtually forgotten. Featuring works by Antoni Milwid, Mikołaj Zieleński, Adam Jarzębski, and Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki, and a world premiere by composer Mark Nowakowski.
Saint Gertrude - Upcoming Open House Events
Click here for admissions events and Shadow Days!
Upcoming events: Holly Spree Shopper's Market, November 16 - 17
Parents Connection: For Your Marriage Website
School Mass Schedule for November
Friday, November 16 (Grandparent's Day Mass at 10:30am)
Choir: 7th Grade
Readers: Lily & Lucy Luck
Servers: Scout Kennon, Michael Williamson, Noah Mikkelson

Friday, November 30
Choir: 2nd Grade
Readers: Brigid Downs and Jacob Lang
Servers: Madeleine Lang, Lemma Wheatley, Brennan Shea
Upcoming Dates
Nov 13 - Board Meeting, 6:30pm-7:30pm
Nov 14 - Open House 9am - 11:30am, Tell Your Friends!
Nov 14 - Family Fun Night at St. Benedict Catholic Church , after 5:30pm Mass
Nov 15 - November PTO Meeting, 6pm-7pm
Nov 16 - Grandparent's Day! DISMISSAL AT CHURCH AT 12:15PM. ASE is available.