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Dear Parents-
It’s the third week of Advent which fills us with much joy! We celebrate Mass on Gaudete Sunday, knowing that the Lord is near and the focus is on the joy that realization brings!
Also, Monday was the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of all the Americas as decreed by Pope Pius XII in 1945. Our Lady appeared four times to Juan Diego in 1531 and asked him to ask his bishop for a temple to be built on the site of Our Lady’s appearance. The skeptical bishop was finally convinced of the truth spoken by Juan Diago when Our Lady left an image of herself on Juan Diego’s tilma, which today hangs above the high altar of the Guadalupe Basilica.
Yesterday we celebrated as a school community the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is a very special celebration for us, and I congratulate our 5th grade on a job well-done! We welcomed back the Mariachi band this year, and we participated in prayer (The Our Father) in two languages. This important celebration allows our students to experience the cultural diversity embodied in this feast...a great reminder that God created everyone and loves everyone...a true message of inclusion!
Father Tom blessed our new stained glass depicting the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This beautiful art was created by one of our school moms, Ghilslaine Sabbagh-Hughes. Mrs. Hughes donated the image as a gift to the school where it will be permanently displayed.
Thank you to all who were able to attend the Christmas Concert last Friday. I offer a sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Mrs. Lee and all students for their amazing performances. Thank you also to Mr. Singer and Mrs. Chaapel who accompanied our students on piano and flute.
Additional thanks to all who donated to the PTO Winter Warmth drive….with your help, we were able to fill to overflowing the four gingerbread house boxes! All items were donated to The Closet in Herndon to help people in our own community. Donations of new hats (with tags) are still being accepted to support Ellie’s Hats, a SJS student run program to support pediatric cancer patients.
We are deep into the cold/ flu/ respiratory infection season, with much more to come.. Parents are reminded that students with fevers, contagious, or infectious diseases will be sent home promptly and excluded from school while in that condition, per Virginia Department of Health regulations. In addition, students who miss school due to illness should not participate in same-day after-school activities!
Please mark your calendars for the next PTO general meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, January 18. Join us for updates on the Spring Fling and other PTO initiatives, followed by a line-dancing lesson from one of our own parents, Danielle Schill. I have no doubt the PTO meeting will be very informative and I also promise that the line dancing will be great fun. So, mark your calendars and we will see you there!
With the potential for winter weather this week, parents are reminded that as stated in the Handbook with respect to inclement weather, if school closes unexpectedly for a single day, there will be no academic requirements for that day. If, however, the school will be closed for an extended period due to weather or public health concern, the school will transition into on-line (eLearning) for the required duration and students will meet academic requirements.
On behalf of the entire faculty and staff of St. Joseph Catholic School, I want to wish all of you a very merry and blessed Christmas! May this time with your families bring you much joy, as we rejoice in the arrival of Our Savior.
Reminder that we dismiss for the Christmas break Friday, December 16. Classes resume Tuesday, January 3, 2023.
As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of any assistance, please let me know.
Refreshed, revived and renewed by "faith, love and hope." (1Thess. 1:2-3)
Denise Rutledge
Principal
Building Wisdom and Faith Through Service to God
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