Bernie's Bark
1.14.2020
Dear Parents-

As we celebrated the Baptism of Our Lord last Sunday, we also brought to a close the
glorious Christmas Season! Our Lord’s baptism reminds us to keep Christ alive with us
during the whole year and emulate His good works. For our students we do this
through our mission of building wisdom and faith through service to God. We also
emulate Jesus Christ when we adhere to His truths, and do so with compassion and
love for all.

As a reminder, our PTO general meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 15.
The PTO is an important part of our school as they work tirelessly to raise funds to
provide needed upgrades to areas that directly benefit student learning, and also
support teachers. The PTO has arranged for a presentation by the local Be SMART for
Kids team. Be SMART is a public education/outreach program that was developed to
keep people safe from unsecured guns by focusing on the importance of conversation,
responsible gun storage, and community awareness. The program's main goal is to get our community (gun owners and non-gun owners alike) talking about how we can keep our kids safe and aware. The meeting starts at 7:00PM with PTO business, followed
immediately by the presentation. I hope to see you there!

Please NOTE: We are scheduled for a half-day, 11:30 dismissal on Friday, January 17.
It is a DFE half-day. If the weather is inclement, and FCPS announces a two-hour delay
for their students, St. Joseph Catholic School will close for students. Please make
sure that you access official SJS announcements if there is a weather event affecting
January 17. Official announcements are delivered by phone, email, text, APP, official
Facebook, Twitter and SJS website.

Remember that it is time to plan ahead for the 2020-2021 school year, and to make the
re-enrollment process easier for all families, re-enrollment for current students is
automatic. If your circumstances are such that you feel your children will not attend SJS
next year, please notify Mrs. Pearce (l.pearce@sjschoolva.org) and Mrs. Millon
(dmillon@sjcherndon.org) in writing no later than Wednesday, January 15. Re-
enrollment only applies to current students. Siblings must apply and register. Contact
Mrs. Pearce for additional information.

And for your planning purposes, please note that the Office of Catholic Schools
announced the start date for the 2020-2021 school year. School opens for students on
Wednesday, August 26. I will continue to work on the calendar and provide updates
as appropriate, however, the calendar won’t be available until the spring.

Catholic Schools Week is January 26 through February 1. A schedule of activities will
be available next week, and the highly anticipated talent show is scheduled for January
30, at 1:30. The talent show is 90 minutes long, and in an effort to make sure that as
many students as possible can participate, students are limited to one performance.
Miss Denneny is working very hard to make the show a success for all. If you have any
questions, please let her know.

The Science Fair is on the calendar for February 6, and we need 55 judges to make
this event as successful as possible for our students. If you would like to act as a judge,
please access the information and sign up website at http://sjssciencefair.org/. Your
time is greatly appreciated. The students put a great deal of effort into this milestone
event and they really need you!!

Save the Date!!! The Spring Fling is scheduled for Saturday April 25. Mark your
calendars today, find and book your babysitter. The Spring Fling will be a night of great
fun, friends, and the all important fundraising. Last year, funds raised were earmarked
for lighting and classroom enhancements. The exciting news is that the new lighting
was installed in Mrs. Karcz’s classroom over Christmas break. The change is
remarkable, and you should plan a visit to see the amazing difference! Mrs. Zimney’s
room is next!

Don’t forget Monday, January 20 is Martin Luther King holiday.

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of any assistance, please let me know.
 
 Welcome one another....as Christ welcomed you!
                                                                                 (Rom 15:7)
 
Denise Rutledge
Principal

  Building Wisdom and Faith Through Service to God
Reminders
11:30am dismissal on
Friday, January 17th
No School on January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Day.
SCANTRON TESTING DATES

January 13 through January 31
PTO General Meeting
Please join us for our General PTO Meeting scheduled for January 15!

The PTO has arranged for a presentation by the local Be SMART for Kids team. Be SMART is a public education/outreach program that was developed to
keep people safe from unsecured guns by focusing on the importance of conversation, responsible gun storage, and community awareness. The program's main goal is to get our community (gun owners and non-gun owners alike) talking about how we can keep our kids safe and aware. The meeting starts at 7:00PM with PTO business, followed immediately by the presentation.
SJS Mobile App...In case you missed it!
Have you downloaded the new Mobile App?

We have 200 users and counting!
St. Joseph Catholic School Mobile App
This app is available for download in the Android and Apple Stores. The App is a new and effective way for the school to communicate with you and for you to stay connected with the school! Having everything at your fingertips in one app should help keep things organized! Best of all, we can alert you of extra special happenings and cancellations via the app’s push notifications system. (Make sure to agree to the push notifications when downloading the app! Otherwise, you will need to delete and reinstall the app!)
You can download the app by searching 'St. Joseph Catholic School VA'
in the app store!
Re-Enrollment Reminder
With our 93% retention rate, it is reasonable to  streamline our re-enrollment processes.  The process is restructured so that current students will be automatically re-enrolled for the 2020-2021 school year.  Enrollment fees will be charged on  February 1, 2020 from the FACTS account on file  . If, for some reason, your student will not be returning to St. Joseph Catholic School,  notification in writing is needed by January 15, 2020 .  We are confident that you will find this expedited and recurring re-enrollment process helpful. If you have any questions, please contact Debbie Millon (dmillon@sjcherndon.org or 703-880-4355) in the Business Office.
Sibling Registration - Don't forget!
For any siblings that anticipate attending St. Joseph Catholic School in Fall of 2020, don't forget to submit your application! With the upcoming Open House, we want to make sure you secure your spot! Spaces are filling very quickly!
Open House
Science Fair
Feb. 6, 2020
Hello judges! 
This is a call for you to sign up to be a judge at
this year's SJS Science Fair! 
Don't have a student attending SJS anymore? 
Doesn't Matter...We could still use your help!
Please click on the following link to sign up on our 
Science Fair Judges Registration page. 
Library Volunteers Needed


Consider volunteering your time to help in the library!
Annual School Dinner and Auction
Help make our school's biggest fundraiser a huge success, sign up to be on one of our Spring Fling Committees!!
A great way to get involved, meet people, and have so much fun!
Click the link below to sign up!


Free Throw Competition
All boys and girls ages 9 to 14 are invited to participate in the local level of competition for the 2020 Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship on Monday, January 20th (Martin Luther King Day) at the St. Joseph Catholic School gymnasium

The gym will be available from 11:00 AM to Noon for registration and practice shots. Starting at Noon registration will end and the competition will begin. A parent or guardian of each participant must sign a registration form, which will be available at the gym. We anticipate that competition will take approximately one hour, depending on the number of contestants. If you need additional information, please contact Mike McFarlane at (703) 850-1964.

Cub Scouts
Pinewood Derby and Bake Off
All Scouts, Alumni, Students, Parents, Teachers and Staff Invited—
Saturday, JAN 18 th
 
Come support St Joseph Cub Scouts as they race their hand-built cars to the finish line at our annual Pinewood Derby Race. Also sample our Scouts gourmet skills in our annual Bake-Off competition on Saturday, January 18 th in Parish Hall C 8AM-12:00PM. All Pack 913 Cub Scout Alumni and current siblings are invited to enter your cars in the Alumni and Sibling Races at 11:30. For more information, contact Dave Rockwell at cubmaster@pack913.com or Steve Bailey at chairperson@pack913.com.
Middle School Ministry
Middle School Night at PVI
Middle School students and their families are invited to  Student  Life  Night in the PAC  at St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax. Join us at 6:00PM on Thursday, January 23rd  for pizza and basketball. All are invited to join the  VI Man  cheering on our varsity basketball team. Coaches from all teams and members of our Fine Arts Department will be present to meet with your family. Free to all and no reservations are needed. Email:  ehanley@pvipanther.net  with questions
Prayer Leaders
pray_lettering.jpg
January 13: Le, L. and K.
January 14: LeBoeuf, J.
January 15: Lehanka, R.
January 16: Loen, J. and M.
January 17: Ling, A. and L.

January 20: NO SCHOOL
January 21: Liewellyn, N.
January 22: Lomax, P.
January 23: Loria, E., L., and I.
January 24: Lorio, N.

Prayer leaders are to report to the library no later than 7:50 AM in order to appear on the morning news show. Parents are welcome to watch the live show.
Upcoming Events
January
January 15: General PTO Meeting
January 17: Mass
January 17: 11:30am Dismissal
January 20: NO SCHOOL
January 21: Spirit and Service
January 24: Mass
January 24: March for Life
January 25: First Penance
January 26: Catholic Schools Week
January 28: Open House
January 29: 8th grade Confirmation Retreat
January 30: Talent Show
January 31: Mass
January 31: 11:30am Dismissal
January 31: Interims
Stay Connected - Twitter and Facebook
Don't forget to follow SJS
on Twitter and Facebook!
A lot is happening at SJS and you don't want to miss out!

Twitter: @sjschoolva
Facebook: sjschoolva
Weekly Saints Quote
750 Peachtree Street, Herndon, VA 20170
Tel: 703-880-4350 Fax: 703-880-4320