SJS Bernie's Bark 01.05.2021

Bernie's Bark

01.05.2021

Dear Parents-

Welcome Back...albeit virtually! I hope the two weeks away were filled with much joy, and while I know that Christmas celebrations were a bit different than prior years, nothing stops that feeling of anticipation and excitement that is so special to Christmas. And so we have reached “Epiphany Eve” and many of us have taken down the decorations, but, especially this year, hold onto the joy!!

Mrs. Carson and I were overwhelmed by the many gifts we received for Christmas. Your generosity and thoughtfulness are greatly appreciated, and we thank each and every one of you for your kindness. Please know that you and your families are always in our prayers, and we wish you many blessings.

In our COVID-19 update, Fairfax County has a current 7-day moving average of 14.86% positivity rate; neighboring Loudoun County has a positivity rate of 13.2%, and Prince William County is at 20.7% positivity rate. Virginia is averaging 39 deaths per day due to COVID-19. There is no official diagnosis of the COVID variant in the Commonwealth, but it makes sense to believe it is already here. Please be mindful of how contagious the variant is reported to be, and please comply with all mitigation strategies. Wear your mask, keep your distance, please do not gather with individuals outside your household and wash your hands.

The Scantron Test window opens January 11 and runs through January 29. During this time, students in grades 3-7 will test in the areas of Math, Reading and Language Arts. Please make sure your children are in school during this time to ensure adequate opportunity to complete the tests. If you have specific scheduling questions or conflicts, please contact your child’s teacher. Distance Learners must sign-up to take the test. Please see below for a link to Sign-Up Genius. No DL student will be allowed in the building unless the sign-up is complete.

Mrs. Carson and I invite you to join our parent book club. The first book we will read and discuss is recommended by the Intentional Catholic Parent community and is titled The Power of Showing Up by Daniel Siegel, M.D., and Tina Bryson, Ph.D. See below for additional information.

Please let me know if you have any questions, or if I can be of any assistance.

Go to Joseph

(Gen 41:55)

Denise Rutledge

Principal

Building Wisdom and Faith Through Service to God

Cameras On!

Parents and students - please remember that during distance learning, cameras must be on and the student must be visible!

Book Club

Mrs. Rutledge and Mrs. Carson invite you to read along and discuss the key elements detailed in

The Power of Showing Up.

First meeting planned for Wednesday, February 3, at 7:00PM...zoom link will be provided closer to that date.

Topic: Chapter 1 What It Means to Show Up

Parents should not seek to be perfect when raising children. It is more important to be present; it makes a child feel safe, seen, secure and soothed.

The goal of the book club is building community and helping each other through a pandemic. It is not intended to be therapy or family counseling. Please seek the assistance of licensed practitioners if needed.

Scanton Testing - Distance Learners!

The second Scantron testing window opens Monday, January 11. Parents of Distance Learners who would like their child to participate in Scantron testing should follow this link to sign-up. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D4CAAAC23A0F94-scantron

**Sign up closes Thursday Jan 7 at 10:00AM.

Re-enrollment for 2021-2022 School Year

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 2021-2022 school year. Enrollment fees of $300 per student will be charged on February 1, 2021 from the FACTS account on file. Families in need of an extension payment plan must also contact the Business Office by January 15. Re-enrollment fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. If, for some reason, your student will not be returning to St. Joseph Catholic School, notification in writing is needed by January 15, 2021. 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.orgor 703-880-4355) in the Business Office.

Nurse's Corner

Due to the nature of the pandemic, information and guidelines are frequently updated. Please take a moment and review the following guidelines.

School Health Services COVID-19 Training

Yearbook Cover

SJS Yearbook needs your help!

This year’s theme is Go to Joseph. We are looking for cover designs based on this theme. When designing the cover, any medium can be used, but Mrs. Sears recommends dark and/or vibrant colors using materials such as colored pencils, markers, or oil pastels, but you can use anything you wish. The cover should be no larger than 10 ½ X 16 ½.

Mrs. Sears (m.sears@sjschoolva.org) is available to answer any questions about artwork.

Please submit your designs to Mrs. Hatley (c.hatley@sjschoolva.org) by January 8. 2021 for consideration.

Middle School Girls Group

Stay Connected!

SJS Mobile App, Twitter and Facebook

Don't forget to follow the official St. Joseph Catholic School Facebook page (sjschoolva), Twitter account (@sjschoolva), and download the mobile app from the App Store (St. Joseph Catholic School, VA)

Weekly Saints Quote

St. Joseph Catholic School

750 Peachtree Street, Herndon, VA 20170

Tel: 703-880-4350 Fax: 703-880-4320