Dear Parents,
    
I am happy to announce that Dr. Joy Joy Stevans has accepted the position of Music teacher. Dr. Stevans will be familiar to many of you because she has been a lead cantor at Blessed Sacrament for many years. She has had some experience teaching at Brookewood and is excited about the opportunity to work with the children in our school. We are pleased that she is joining our wonderful faculty. We will be transitioning next week and identifying what she will be doing in the Music program for the rest of the year. Many things will stay the same but there will be some things that we may decide to change. More information will be coming about the transition in the upcoming weeks but for now, please welcome her when you see her.
 
The Foreign Language Department sent an email last Wednesday, 1/9, to the families in the Blessed Sacrament community, inviting everybody to participate filling out the International Day Survey.
 
This is the first year that we are celebrating this International Day event, and we are hoping that our entire student body will experience different global cultures that serve our community.
         
If you haven't completed the Survey as yet, please do so before the end of the month.
 
Faithfully,
 
Chris Kelly 

January 22 - 25  is an A week
for lunch duty.   
 
Hot lunch is $13.50 for the week.  
 
Click here to sign up for lunch duty.
   Click here to download the lunch menu.
Click here to order lunch online.

January 27 - February 2

 
Monday 2:00PM   Church - Patrick Henry Hughes will be  
our guest speaker and performer.  His performance will be followed by a question and answer session.

6:00PM  Auditorium/Gym - "Pizza with Patrick" followed by an award winning film, I Am Potential.
 
Tuesday (Parent Appreciation Day) - Parent reception in the auditorium after morning drop off with coffee and baked goods provided by the faculty. Parents are encouraged to stick around for the Auction Kick-Off at 8:30 am and singing by K-2nd graders. After the performance, parents are invited to visit classrooms until 11AM.
 
Wednesday (Student Appreciation Day) - The students will have a Free Dress Down Day, a special treat at lunch, and no homework!  Middle school students and their buddies will spend the afternoon together doing arts and crafts.
 
Thursday (Faculty Appreciation Day) - Free Dress Day for the faculty and breakfast in the faculty lounge provided by the HSA.
 
Friday - Catholic Schools Week Liturgy at 9:15AM.
 
This week is a wonderful celebration of Catholic schools and all they do for parents, students, and all of us who are committed to Catholic education! 


BECOME A 2019 BENEFIT BENEFACTOR TODAY!
 
Become a Benefactor and support the Sister Rose Tuition Assistance Fund, which helps Blessed Sacrament School families experiencing hardship with temporary financial aid so their children can continue to attend BSS. 100% of the Benefactor funds go to help BSS families in need. Thanks to the generosity of last year's Benefit Benefactors, the HSA was able to give $40,000 for tuition aid disbursement!

WE THANK OUR CURRENT 2019 BENEFACTORS
WHO HAVE DONATED $26,050 TO DATE:

Gods - $500+
Ashley & Jeremy Allen
Anna & Christopher Brown
Sarah & Bruce Cormier
Amy & Bob Dean
Elizabeth Drake 
Rickie Niceta & Thomas Lloyd
Lisa & David Madden
Beth & Brian Maloney
Ann & John McAllister
Lauren & Brody Mullins
Alex Walsh & Brendan O'Brien
Renee & Tyson Redpath
Tiffany & Dan Sanders
Shay & Robert Thorne
Lisa & Rich White

Athletes - $250
Erin & David Burns
Laura & Brian Connolly
Lindsay & Patrick Conway
Barbara Noguera & Arthur Frye
Jeran & John Gimigliano
Angela & Joshua Grossfeld
Allyson & Jay Hauck
Eleanor & Matt Hopkins
Giulia & Philip Jaeger
Ashley & Brett Kavanaugh
Meg & Thomas Knight
Natalie & RJ Laukitis
Jennifer & Barton Leonard
MaryAnn & Nick Luongo
Athena & Greg Meyers
Gillian & John Mullins
Cari & Mike O'Malley
Maura & Chris Rogan
Mary & Sergio Santiviago
Mary & Joe Seidel
Diane & Chris Simal
Mary & Doug Skorny
Ashley & Bentley Storm
Spectators - $150
Gretchen & Michael Bukowski
Sally & Jonathan Diffley
Mary Beth Donahue
Laura & Matthew Fetters
Keelin & Paul Gallagher
Karen & Robert Graves
Joanna & Phil Kerpen
Katie & Bob Krantz
Monica Murphy-Kumar & Ramesh Kumar
Erin & John Larkin
Katie & John Leachman
Monica & John Mastal
Meg & Jimmy Molloy
Erin & Matt Ritz
Oriana & Jim Rodgers
Tania & Walter Sechriest
Erin & John Sowanick


(Benefactor List as of Wednesday, January 16)

Act NOW to be recognized in the event invitation!
Tickets to the auction sold separately.

T o Become a Benefactor, go to  bss.maestroweb.com

SAVE THE DATE!
Monday, January 28, 2019

A joint parish-school intergenerational event for 
Catholic Schools Week!

Catholic Schools Night with the
Washington Wizards!

On February 2nd, Support BSS at Catholic Schools Night with the Washington Wizards! C ome out and cheer on the Wizards as they take on the Milwaukee Bucks. For every ticket sold, $5 will go back to BSS. T he first 50 people to purchase get to participate in a fan tunnel when the Wizards come out onto the court and all tickets come with a free Wizards tshirt!  Once you've purchased, share your unique link with friends and family to sit together! 
Performances: April 12 & 13
All k-8th graders invited to participate!
They are also next to the front desk in the school lobby. 
5-8th grade deadline: Jan 29
K-4th grade deadline: March 1
  

SAVE THE DATE!   
WEEK OF THE ARTS - MARCH 20-22, 2019

Parents, be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks.  A sign up genius will go out in mid-February for K-4.  Your grade level leaders this year are:
 
K - Celina Emery and Allyson Hauck
1st - Ashley Pehrson Storm
2nd - Stephanie Sarkis and Giulia Jaeger
3rd - Erin Larkin
4th - Dora and Joe Mazza

5th-8th graders participate in 2-day workshops.  More details to follow.

Any questions?  Please contact Yves Clark at yclark@blessedsacramentdc.org.



Shop Amazon and Earn Money for BSS!

Don't forget to click on the Amazon logo on the bsstoday.org homepage before you make your Amazon purchase. BSS gets a portion of the proceeds back!

SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR
- MARCH 9, 2019 -

We hope you will join us  for the Olympic-themed BSS Games!  Every year the benefit is an incredibly fun party and wonderful way to support our special school! The money raised will improve school facilities and technology, enrich student activities and provide tuition assistance to BSS families.
 
HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT ITS EFFORTS?
  • Volunteer to help with this event. The Co-Chairs are Ashley Allen, Celine Delany, and Katie Krantz. Contact one of them TODAY and ask how you can HELP!
  • Sponsor the event! Your family, your business, or your employer can donate money and sponsor this fabulous event. 
  • Donate an item or a service to the auction. Be creative! Some families get together and host "sign-up parties." 
  • Advertise in the Auction Catalog and/or the BSS Parent Directory
  • Become a Benefit Benefactor.  
For more information, go to  bss.maestroweb.com  or email
Spring Benefit 

2019 Wine Cellar 
 
Spring Benefit 2019 Wine Cellar The BSS purchase credit is now available at Circle Wine & Spirits. Remember to please go to Circle to buy wine, beer and spirits. Your purchase will benefit BSS and the 2019 Spring Benefit in March. Just mention Blessed Sacrament at the register before they ring you up. Bottle donations for the wine cellar will begin in January. Contact Charles Fendig if you have questions: crfendig@yahoo.com. Thank you!
A Message From Your  Home & School Association

Dear Parents,

Even though it's only January, the spring benefit is right around the corner. The benefit is the HSA's biggest fundraiser for the year. The money raised at the benefit goes to a number of initatives, including tuition assistance, the school play, technology, and the Levie Arts Festival, to name a few. 

The benefit chairs, Celine Delany, Katie Krantz, and Ashley Allen, are still looking for items and services to be auctioned off at the benefit. If you have anything to give please reach out to them.

Have a great weekend!

Warmly,
Grace G. McNicholas 
Box Tops Winner!
Congratulations to 5B for winning the quarter 2 Box Tops Challenge! They had an average of 14.5 Tops per child! They will enjoy a free dress day and a $25 Visa gift card for Mr. Markley! Great job 5B! 

2nd Place: K1
3rd: 4C

Great job everyone! Keep clipping!
Wrap Up of Last Week's Fundraisers: 

Tasty Tuesday: Tasty Tuesday was a huge success! Stay tuned for the final numbers. 
And here's what else is coming up in January:

1/23: Benefit sponsored bake sale
1/29: Benefit Kick-Off during Catholic Schools Week