Saint Benedict Catholic School
Coming up this week....

For all in-person events, indoor masking is required regardless of vaccination status.


  • Monday, September 6th: Labor Day - NO SCHOOL! Enjoy the day off!

  • Wednesday, September 8th: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT! 6pm-8pm. This is a parents-ONLY event and all parents are asked to attend and register for a time slot. See details below!

  • Friday, September 10th: School Mass (weekly at 8:30am in the Church) Parents are welcome to attend. Middle School dress uniform.

  • September 17-19 St. Benedict Oktoberfest!! Please make sure you are signed up today!! We still need lots of volunteers - PARTICULARLY IN FOOD CONCESSIONS AND TICKETS/IDS!! Please sign up below!!

Check out our school calendar on the website HERE!
Need a past newsletter? Check out our archives on the website HERE!
Principal's Corner
In Case You Missed This...(email from Mr. Cruess sent out to parents on 9/1/21)
We have had a wonderful first week or so of school, and we are very excited to be able to share this time with your students. One thing we have noticed, though, is a number of students missing school with different types of illnesses. Of course the challenge is that many of these illnesses present symptoms similar to those of COVID-19. I want to just mention again how important it is to keep your kids home when they are sick, and communicate with the school clinic about illnesses. If there is any concern about COVID-19, I encourage you to have a COVID test done and quarantine until a negative result is confirmed.

With the illnesses in our school community and rising cases of COVID-19 in our local area, we are going to return to taking temperatures each morning in the car line and at the front doors. In addition, we will take the temperature of anyone who enters the building during the school day. Please remind your student to wear their mask inside the building except at the permitted times.  

If there is a situation where a student in the school may have been exposed, we will contact that family immediately to let you know and to discuss the quarantine process. We know this is a huge inconvenience, and it is not what anyone wants, but I know we will all work together to keep our community safe and healthy. Please remember that we are one community that is supportive and respectful. As in any year, from time to time teachers and students may be out of school. Please respect privacy and don't jump to conclusions. Whenever a member of the school community has a confirmed case of COVID-19, we will work with the Diocese and the Health Department to make sure close contacts are notified so they may take appropriate action in line with CDC guidance.  

Back to School Night Update
In light of the changing situation in our community, we have worked with the PTO to make some changes to how we are conducting Back to School Night this year. We have come up with a plan that we feel will provide for proper physical distancing indoors, while still allowing for socializing outdoors. You are now being asked to sign up for a time slot to visit your child/ren's classroom/s and each slot is limited to 10 guests total.  We feel that Back to School Night is a very important event, so I ask you to please make every effort to attend. You can find the details and take a moment to sign up for your time slot below. Thank you for your dedication and support of our school!
PTO News & Volunteer Opportunities!
Back to School Night 2021 is WED. SEPT. 8TH 6PM-8PM
This year's Back to School Night has been UPDATED to allow us to gather outdoors socially on the blacktop and to reduce congestion indoors as we visit our children's classrooms. 

6pm - Gather on the Blacktop (Enter from the Alley!)
The evening will begin at 6pm on the blacktop for socializing and general school announcements. The PTO is planning lovely food and beverages for us to enjoy while we connect with friends old and new.

6:30pm - Classroom Visits Begin Every 15 Minutes
At 6:30pm parents can begin visiting their classrooms according to their scheduled time slots. Between those time slots, we ask you to please head back outside for more refreshments and social time so that we can reduce congestion in our classrooms and hallways! 

ALL PARENTS are asked to attend and reserve time slots below to visit your child/ren's classroom teachers. Each time slot is limited to 10 guests. If both parents are attending a time slot, please make sure to increase your QUANTITY to 2. Thanks!
(Note: The previous RSVP is not being used. This is your RSVP.

RESERVE YOUR CLASSROOM VISITS HERE:

Back to School Night is a parents-only event, and we ask all parents to attend, or, at a minimum, to send at least one parent. We believe it is very important for you to meet your child's teacher/s, learn about the curriculum, hear about classroom expectations and grading, and ask important questions. That will help you and your student kick off a great new school year and get you engaged in your school community!

Thank you for helping to make our Back to School Night 
an enjoyable, safe and informative event!

GO COMETS!
Back to School Night 2021 - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Log some volunteer hours by helping out with Back to School night!
This fun event requires a few volunteers to assist with setting up and breaking down chairs and tables and also with laying out refreshments.
Click below to volunteer:

A Reminder about PTO Volunteer Hours...
  • A minimum of 20 volunteer hours per family are required per school year. Any family member over the age of eighteen who is not a student seeking their own volunteer hours can contribute. We love having grandparents, uncles and aunts and older siblings help out!
  • Any volunteer helping during the school day - when children are in attendance - must be Virtus-trained and background checked.
  • Each family is asked to work at least one OKTOBERFEST shift each year. *Middle School students in grades 7 & 8 are invited and encouraged to help volunteer at the event in Merchandise.
  • Food donations are limited to 3 hours of total volunteer time for the entire year. Additionally, food donations equal one ½ hour of volunteer time.
  • Families are required to enter their volunteer time in ParentsWeb and are asked to do so promptly after each event. 
Helpful Reminders...
Important Carline Reminders:
  • If the gates are closed, you are late. You must park your car in a legal parking space and walk your student to the front door. We've witnessed some drop-and-go's and illegal parking - neither of which are allowed, even if you are running late.

  • ONLY enter the carline on Hanover Ave. FROM NANSEMOND Street. If you cut in on another side street to Hanover, you are cutting the line AND blocking up multiple side streets which we are not allowed to do. See the map below for directions.
  • Keep your blinkers on in carline so people see the line and can move around us.
  • Be courteous to our neighbors in carline. If you see someone trying to get in/out of their parking space or garage, kindly move out of their way as soon as possible. PLEASE do not block the garages on Cleveland St AND stay as far right as you can to keep traffic flowing around us. We want to be good neighbors!
  • If someone else is picking up your child, please make sure you have informed the office and have instructed them on our carline procedures.
  • THANK YOU FOR KEEPING OUR CARLINE MOVING EFFICIENTLY AND FRIENDLY :)

CARLINE MAP... PLEASE enter the carline on Hanover from Nansemond St. only! (Do not enter from Tilden, Roseneath or Cleveland.)
Volunteer Now!
THE 16TH ANNUAL St. Benedict Oktoberfest is BACK - Sept. 17, 18, 19, 2021 in our Festplatz at the corner of N. Belmont and Hanover Aves. We still have 301 shifts to fill, so please do what you can to help out! If you've already signed up for a shift or 2, consider another! This is a major community event that primarily benefits our sweet little school and helps to keep everyone's tuition as low as possible, so please do what you can and be a part of the FUN that is always Oktoberfest!!









Lebkuchenherzen (Gingerbread Heart) Volunteers Needed!
Saturday, September 11, 9:00 a.m.(til finish) decorating and packaging will occur. Adults and Children (6th grade and up) are invited. Skilled decorators must be adults and students will help with packaging. Email Danise Beirne to sign up! beirne6rva@gmail.com

Middle School Merchandise Tent Volunteers Needed!
The 16th Annual St. Benedict Oktoberfest is in need of responsible middle school students to work our Merchandise Tent as costumed volunteers. The boys will wear lederhosen (leather-style cargo pants) and checked shirt and the girls wear dirndls (full skirted dresses with aprons). We provide the costumes and we expect the volunteers to work two or three 3 to 4 hour shifts during Oktoberfest, September 17, 18 and 19, 2021. We need to know who is willing to volunteer soon so we have time to make sure we have a costume that fits each student. Mrs. Toomey will need the bust and waist measurements for girls. For boys, she needs pants size and shirt size. Contact Katie Toomey at Toomeyland@aol.com to sign up. Please sign up by Sept. 6th!

PLUS! All Middle School students volunteering will receive an Extra Credit Pass that can be used in any one class at St. Benedict for the 1st marking period. Please have Mrs. Toomey sign off on your hours and present that to Mr. Cronheim for the extra credit pass.

ALSO! Middle school students are not allowed to work as Food Runners. Workers in that location must be at least 15 years of age. If you signed up your middle schooler to work as a runner, please move them over the Food Concessions (not Ticket Taker), Children's Area or Merchandise as soon as possible to free up those spots for older food runners. Thank you!

*Important: If your family is a registered member of St. Benedict Church and you will be applying for the Oktoberfest Scholarship to attend St. Gertrude or Benedictine next year, your student will need parish service hours and this is an excellent way to earn those hours.
ASE is the Place in September!
Substitute Teachers Needed
Saint Benedict School 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 or Pam Autry at 804-254-8850 if you are interested. Thank you!
From the Finance Office
The deadline for finalizing all ASE agreements will be September 13th, 2021. If you wish to be on or removed from an annual contract, please email ase@saintbenedictschool.org. After this date, your current agreement will be in place and cannot be changed until the next school year. Those without a contract in place will be kept on an as-needed basis. Thank you!
YAY LUNCH...Now Ordering!
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Other Up and Coming...
If You Missed This On Social Media....
For the Health of Our Community
Mask Policy (as of 8/13/21):
The statewide public health emergency order requires the wearing of masks in K-12 schools when indoors regardless of vaccination status. This Order was effective immediately and shall remain in full force and effect until the CDC guidelines for K-12 schools change, or unless this Order is sooner amended or rescinded.
• Indoors: Masks are required for all individuals aged 2 years and older, including students, teachers, staff, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.
• Outdoors: Masks do not need to be worn when outdoors.

And remember...
ONLY COME TO SCHOOL IF….
  • Your temperature is under 100.4 degrees.
  • You do NOT have other symptoms of COVID-19, without an alternative diagnosis. Other symptoms include chills, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
  • You have NOT had a positive diagnostic test for the virus that causes COVID-19 in the prior 10 days.
  • You have NO known exposure to a COVID-19 case in the prior 14 days.
  • Please notify the school about a positive COVID test or possible exposure by sending an email addressed to pautry@saintbenedictschool.org, dlawrence@saintbenedictschool.org, and scruess@saintbenedictschool.org.