Saint Benedict Catholic School |
|
Beautiful Smiles for the 1st Week of School! |
|
For all in-person events, indoor masking is required regardless of vaccination status.
-
Monday, August 30th: YayLunch Service begins. Please make sure you order by Saturday for the week ahead at YayLunch.com.
-
Tuesday, August 31st: Deadline to order new House Shirts (New Families have already received House shirts.) Has your student outgrown their old House Shirt or would you like to order one as a parent? $10/each will be billed to your FACTS account. Click here to order!
-
Wednesday, September 1st: NEW FAMILIES ONLY! - Coffee with Mr. Cruess, 8:30-9am. Cafeteria. See details below.
-
Friday, September 3rd: School Mass (Middle School - Dress Uniform) and Adoration
-
Friday, September 3rd: Feast of Saint Gregory. GREGORY HOUSE (ONLY) wears House Shirt and uniform bottoms.
PLANNING AHEAD...
-
Wednesday, September 8th: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT! 6pm-8pm. This is a parents-ONLY event and all parents are asked to attend, see details below!
-
September 17-19 St. Benedict Oktoberfest!!
Check out our school calendar on the website HERE!
Need a past newsletter? Check out our archives on the website HERE!
|
|
We had an amazing first week of school. Students returned to lunch in the cafeteria, we had our first School Mass, and our first fire drill! Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages to see pictures throughout the year of exciting things our classes are doing. [These are public pages, so you don't need to have a subscription to view. Also, please note that we take great care to make sure that our students never have their names connected with their images for their privacy and protection.]
New Families to St. Benedict - Please join me for Coffee with Mr. Cruess this Wednesday from 8:30am-9am in the cafeteria! This is an informal opportunity to get together right after morning carline, have a cup of coffee and bagel, and ask questions to help you get settled into your new school family! Click HERE to register by Tuesday at noon - so we know how many bagels to order ;)
Also, thank you parents for your vigilance and care for the health of our community. We appreciate you communicating with us whenever there is a possible COVID-19 exposure and keeping children home when they come down with any illness. Remember that if you have a COVID exposure to report, please email Mrs. Autry, Mrs. Lawrence, and Mr. Cruess.
With the increased enrollment this year, we've been trying to tweak the car line each day to make it run as smoothly and quickly as possible for our families and our neighbors. First, please see the carline instructions and map below to make sure we are not blocking sidestreets and jumping in line. I'd also like to ask that, in the morning, please have students ready to get out of the car when you pull up to the gate - masks, lunches, water bottles and backpacks ready to go. In the afternoon, if your child is late getting out or you are buckling a child in, please pull over to the right and leave room for other cars to get by. Lastly, please avoid being on your cell phone during the car line, so we can easily communicate with you. Thank you for your help!
We currently have some benches and Chromebook carts that need to be assembled here at school. If there are any handy parents who would be interested in helping out, please contact Mr. Cruess. This would count toward your PTO volunteer hours. Thank you!!
|
|
PTO News & Volunteer Opportunities! |
|
Back to School Night 2021 is WED. SEPT. 8TH 6PM-8PM
Parents, please join us for a fun, informative and in-person Back to School night! This is an important event for you to attend for your student, so please plan now to attend. This is an adult-only event.
Join us on the blacktop to kick off the event from 6pm-7pm with a social hour to toast a new school year and enjoy meeting friends old and new. Masks are not required outdoors.
Then, head inside from 7pm-8pm to visit your classroom/s, meet your teacher/s and fellow class parents! Remember to bring your mask, as they are required to be worn indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
Please RSVP here:
|
|
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.
|
|
Important Carline Reminders:
-
Morning Carline drop off begins NOW at 7:45am and ends at 8:10am. (We've added a few minutes to keep the carline moving!)
-
If your child is a walker, you must walk them to the front door and ring the bell. We open at 7:50am.
-
Be sure your students have their mask on or in hand when they arrive in carline. Please make sure your child has their items ready to go when faculty approaches the door...mask, bottle of water, backpack and lunchbox.
-
If the gates are closed, you are late. You must park and walk your student to the front door. Please remember to wear a mask because you have to come inside to sign them in.
-
Carline Courtesy: VERY IMPORTANT!
-
NEW! Please enter the carline on Hanover Ave. FROM NANSEMOND Street. If you cut in on another side street to Hanover, you will be jumping the line AND our side streets are getting blocked which the neighborhood does not want. See the map below for directions!
-
Remember, you cannot enter Cleveland Street from Grove Ave. You will be directed to the end of the line on Hanover.
-
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 :)
Afternoon Carline Reminders
- Afternoon Carline begins at 3:00pm and ends at 3:15pm.
- Please remember to show your carline sign to the attendants in the street. They are texting your child's name to the teachers at the gate so your child is ready when you approach.
- If someone else is going to be picking up your child you must contact the office in advance of carline, otherwise, we will have to call to verify and that really holds up the carline.
- If your child is a walker, they will be dismissed to their parent at the front of the building by our faculty.
- We will call the parents of any remaining children not scheduled for ASE. At 3:30 students remaining will be sent to ASE (and you will incur the ASE cost).
Before and After School Care Reminders:
Unless you have a contract for Morning Care/ASE, a reservation is required. Email ase@saintbenedictschool.org to make a reservation for your child.
-
Morning Care is available from 7:30am - 7:50am. (Carline opens at 7:50am)
- Parent must drop off student at ramp door on Belmont Ave.
-
After School Enrichment (ASE) is available from dismissal - 6pm.
- Parent calls upon arrival at ramp door on N. Belmont Ave.
CARLINE MAP... Enter the carline on Hanover from Nansemond St.:
|
|
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 are so excited and we know that RVA is as well, since our Oktoberfest is one of Richmond's TOP FESTIVALS! Welcoming 40-50K guests, however, means that MANY HANDS are needed, and because our school is the BIGGEST beneficiary of the event, ALL of our families are asked to work AT LEAST ONE SHIFT - and we are grateful for your generosity of time in helping to make this an AMAZING EVENT! This is a GREAT way to get a lot of volunteer hours in 1 weekend!!
Lebkuchenherzen (Gingerbread Heart) Volunteers Needed!
As the Annual St. Benedict Oktoberfest is quickly approaching ( September 17-19), it’s Gingerbread Heart Cookie making time folks! Volunteers are needed to help decorate these incredibly popular cookies that are sold at our Oktoberfest every year!
-
On 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.
- Lunch and refreshments will be provided!
Come for part or all of the day. Even if you don’t bake, your hands can be used for cleaning,
prepping and packaging. Baking and decorating will occur in the cafeteria of St. Benedict
School. Please enter through the ramp door on Belmont Avenue. If you are able to attend at any point, or have questions - please contact Holly Wilson: holly1644@gmail.com (804) 840-4604 or Danise Beirne at beirne6rva@gmail.com. Indoor masking requirements are in place regardless of vaccination status.
|
|
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! |
|
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! |
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
