Weekly Newsletter: Dec 1, 2019
|
|
MONDAY - DECEMBER 2
School-Wide Uniform Check
Uniform Reminder: Thanksgiving marks the end of the "summer" uniform option for students. Shorts and skorts are no longer allowed from Thanksgiving until Easter. Shorts may still be worn with the PE uniform at your discretion.
TUESDAY - DECEMBER 3
Youth Choir Rehearsal (details below)
(Grades 2-8 only)
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
3rd & 4th Grade Basketball Practice
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Girls' Basketball Practice
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
|
|
WEDNESDAY - DECEMBER 4
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM CAFETERIA
9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
THURSDAY - DECEMBER 5
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
FRIDAY - DECEMBER 6
|
|
|
Message from the Principal
|
|
|
|
As we celebrated the holiday of Thanksgiving this past week, we recall how important it is in the Christian life to give thanks. Scripture is full of passages about gratitude. The very meaning of the word
Eucharist
is "thanksgiving." Here are a few of my favorite Scripture passages about being thankful:
"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds." (Psalm 9:1)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)
"Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17)
100% FOR 100 Years!
Please don't forget to make your donation in support of our Centennial Fund by
THIS TUESDAY
December 3rd!
We can't get to 100% support without you
. Your participation will help us show prospective donors and grantmakers that our school supports this Campaign and these needed improvements and upgrades to our school and its campus! See below for details and THANK YOU for kicking off the season of giving with a gift for your child's school home.
Parent Survey
Please remember to fill out the
parent survey
that was emailed home on Thursday. This survey provides very valuable information for our administration and School Board to use for improving our school. The deadline for completing the survey is December 16.
Sean Cruess, Principal
|
|
THIS IS IT, COMETS! MIDNIGHT ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3RD!!
|
|
Let's do this Comet Family!!
100% by Tuesday!!
3 THINGS TO DO BY MIDNIGHT, TUESDAY, DEC. 3RD:
- Make your donation to The Centennial Fund. (Make it online at our iGiveCatholic site or drop it off in carline (we'll be collecting in carline on Monday and Tuesday!)
- Email your family and friends! Encourage them to support your family's school on #GivingTuesday (Dec. 3rd) by sharing our #iGiveCatholic link with them!
- Stay tuned to our progress throughout the day! We'll be emailing our Comet community throughout the day to keep you posted on our progress towards 100% school participation! Watch and see which class gets to 100% first!
and remember...
It's
not
about the dollar amount,
(though we hope you'll make your best gift)
it's about
PARTICIPATION
!!
For those who have already given, THANK YOU!!!
As of Friday, we were ranked
#9 NATIONALLY
and
#1 in Virginia
for our iGiveCatholic participation to date!!!!
THAT'S AMAZING!!
Don't want to give online?
That's fine too! Just send in your donation
no later than December 3, 2019
in an envelope with your student. In the memo line be sure to write "Centennial Fund" so we know what its for! It will still count towards our "100% for 100" #iGiveCatholic challenge!
God Bless You!
|
|
Get Ready for Santa Shop!
|
|
Tis the season for the Annual St. Benedict
SANTA SHOP!
Friday, December 13th
Every Comet’s favorite shopping day is just around the corner! Clean out your gently used or new items around the house and donate them to our Santa Shop!
JK – 5
classes will shop Friday, December 13
th
,
to hand pick gifts for family and loved ones.
SUGGESTED ITEMS:
Candles, Christmas decorations, Ties, Scarves,
New
socks*,
New
gloves*,
New
hats* (never worn), Books, Wrapping Paper, Picture Frames, DVDs, Vases, Jewelry, Kitchen and Dining Ware, Stationery, Toiletries, Tools, Board games, Stuffed Animals, Baby Items, and other new or gently used gifts.
*For hygenic reasons, please only donate these items brand new.
We can also use donations of wrapping items, including:
paper, gift bags, ribbon, bows, tape and gift tags.
Families
: Please bring your gently used or new items to the school (Ms. Barlow’s classroom) by
Friday, December 6
th
, so our shop will be ready.
Money collected from the sale will go towards the 8
th
grade field trip.
Thank you for your contributions!
Volunteers are needed to set up the shop, manage gift wrapping, oversee the cash register, and clean up afterwards.
See our signup for where you can help out:
|
|
Coffee with Mr. Cruess for JK & K Parents - This Wednesday (12/4)!
|
|
Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten Parents ONLY for this week's Coffee with Mr. Cruess - Drop your student off in carline, then join us from 8am - 8:30am for Panera coffee, bagels and conversation about all things JK & K. What your students are working on now, what they will be working on after Christmas, the re-enrollment process and how to help your students get ready for their next grade level!
RSVP here by THIS Tuesday at NOON.
|
|
PTO Movie Night! Dec. 14th
|
|
1st Annual Christmas Movie Spirit Night
Drop the kids off for a fun night of watching Dr. Suess' The Grinch, eating popcorn & enjoying treats while Mom & Dad can take a break, get stuff done or even steal a date night!
All current students of SBCS along with their siblings age 4 and up are invited to attend.
Members of the PTO will be on hand to supervise the kids. Blankets and chairs to sit on are recommended.
**PRE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS EVENT TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS TO SUPERVISE THE KIDS**
Click
HERE
to register!
|
|
Attention Parents of Future Comets
(little brothers and sisters!)
|
|
Parents -
Do you have a little brother or sister heading our way next fall as a
new
student for JK or K for the 20-21 school year? If so, please register now for one of our upcoming JK or K Assessments
HERE . This is only for
new admissions for the 20-21 school year and does not include our current JK students.
Questions? Please email Gretchen in Admissions at
admissions@saintbenedictschool.org. Current families get priority in the admissions process, so please help us plan accordingly by registering for an assessment today. Thanks!
|
|
Homeward
As part of our school's 100th anniversary - 100 Acts of Service commitment, Mrs. Cisik's Language Arts classes are collecting
travel size soap, shampoo/conditioner and lotion
for Homeward. Homeward is the planning and coordinating organization for homeless services in the greater Richmond region. Their mission is to prevent, reduce and end homelessness by facilitating creative solutions through the collaboration, coordination and cooperation of regional resources and services.
If you are traveling over the holidays and have hotel stays planned or travel regularly for work, please collect your unused hotel soap, shampoo/conditioner and lotion bottles for our classroom donation drive. Thank you!
Wreaths Across America - December 14th
REMEMBER the Fallen. . . HONOR those who Serve. . . TEACH our children the value of Freedom.
On Saturday, 12/14/19 at 8:30am, Wreaths Across America will be at our local Glendale National Cemetery at 8301 Willis Church Road to Remember and Honor our veterans through the laying of Remembrance wreaths on the graves of our country's fallen heroes and the act of saying the name of each and every veteran aloud. As another beautiful Act of Service, our school community is invited to participate in the wreath laying ceremony and/or by sponsoring wreaths. Please click
here
to help this most worthy effort.
|
|
Friday, December 6
Choir: 2nd Grade
Lectors: Mariana Gonzalez, Hannah Deaton
Servers: Jack Bellaver, Dominic Laschon, Gio Mangano
Thursday, December 12 - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Choir: 8th Grade
Lectors: Segura Students
Servers: Liam Cruess, Gabriel Bevc, Isaac Fitzpatrick
|
|
MONDAY - Paint using objects from nature
TUESDAY - Write your own fairy tale
WEDNESDAY - Make a Rainbow poem
THURSDAY - Make your own puppets
FRIDAY - Slime!
|
|
You are Needed & Appreciated!
|
|
The close of the 1st semester is quickly approaching and that means all families should have completed and recorded at least 8 hours of volunteer service to avoid any fees. Below are the guidelines regarding volunteering for SBCS.
● Each family should plan to work at least one shift for Oktoberfest (which is the 3rd full weekend in September each year.)
● Each food donation in response to a PTO request counts as ½ an hour. Up to 6 food donations (3 hours/year) may be used toward the plan.
● PIP Service hours must be performed by a family member who is 18 or older. Saint Benedict students may have community service requirements but are not part of PIP.
● The family is responsible for recording hours in ParentsWeb.
● Hours should be recorded within one week of completing the volunteer opportunity.
● Cancellations should be kept to a minimum and should be made as early as possible.
● Participating in or providing food for class parties does not count toward volunteer hours
Virtus Training
All volunteers who work with or around children MUST have a current background check and completed VIRTUS training. In order to keep your status active with VIRTUS you should read your monthly email bulletins and answer the 1 multiple choice question until you get it right.
Thank you for all you do and for helping keep our children safe.
|
|
|
Lunchroom Volunteers Needed
|
|
School lunches are
delivered and labeled
for each ordering child by Yay Lunch. It's easy-peasy, but we need parent volunteers to help give them out!
And your kiddos will love to see you during their lunchtime. You just have to be VIRTUS trained and background checked to participate.
Here are the times - CHOOSE ONE or CHOOSE ALL we're just grateful for your help:
11:30am - 12:00pm
11:45am - 12:15pm
12:15pm - 12:45pm
|
|
|
 |
St. Benedict Parish Religious Education for grades Kindergarten through 5th takes place on Sunday mornings from 9:45am to 10:45am at St. Benedict Catholic School. The next several classes are December 15, and January 12. There will be no Religious Education on December 1, 8, 22, 29, or January 5.
|
|
|
|
Edge, St Benedict Parish Middle School Youth Ministry and Religious Education, takes place on Wednesday nights in St. Anselm Hall from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. The next several meetings are Wednesdays December 4, 11, and 18.
|
|
|
|
Youth Choir
Saint Benedict Youth Choir is assembling in preparation to sing at the 5:30 p.m. Mass on Christmas Eve (December 24.)
Students in grades 2–8 are welcome to join the Youth Choir. Rehearsals will be held on Tuesdays, December 3, 10, and 17, from 3–4:00 p.m. in Saint Benedict School library.
The Youth Choir allows young people to deepen their appreciation and love for liturgical music, and provides basic instruction in singing and musicianship. For more information, please contact our Choirmaster and Organist,
Joel S. Kumro
.
Midnight Mass Choral Program
Prior to Christmas Midnight Mass, beginning at 11:30 p.m., musicians from Saint Benedict will present selections from Camille Saint-Saëns'
Oratorio de Noël,
Op. 12.
Premiered in Paris in 1858, this cantata-like oratorio for choir and soloists features texts taken from and inspired by the Church’s Christmas liturgies. Following Christmas, choir rehearsals will resume on Wednesday, January 15, and are traditionally held from 6:30–8:00pm in the choir loft. For more information, please contact our Choirmaster and Organist,
Joel S. Kumro
.
|
|
Follow Us on Social Media
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
