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Dear Parents-
Tomorrow, we celebrate the feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. The Bible does not provide much information on the life of St. Matthew, other than to suggest that he served as a tax collector in Roman-ruled Palestine. Matthew wrote of how Jesus called him to follow Him. (Matthew 9:9-13), and as a result, Matthew gave up his life of collecting taxes, and followed Christ. He wrote his gospels to make it known that Jesus was the Savior that God had promised to send. St. Matthew became the patron saint of bankers and reminds us that our riches come from being a follower of Jesus.
This past Sunday was Catechetical Sunday, the day on which individuals who serve as catechists were called to the altar and commissioned for their ministry. During the ceremony, catechists professed their faith and pledged to teach the truths of our faith. Father David blessed and commissioned our school Catechists at the school Mass last Friday. This is an important ceremony, shining a light on the importance of teaching our faith and spreading the gospel values. I invite you to join me in a prayer of thanksgiving for the amazing teachers in our school, as well as for those in our Religious Education program, who said yes to God’s call.
We are in NWEA-MAP testing week 2, and students grades 3-7 will complete assessments in Reading. Please have your children in school and on time. If you have a specific scheduling issue, please contact your child’s teacher. The September testing window is very important for us to establish baseline levels in order to accurately assess student growth throughout the year.
Due to a staffing shortage at Josten’s, picture day, originally scheduled for Thursday, September 22, is postponed. We are working with Josten’s as well as other vendors to try and reschedule this event as quickly as possible. I thank you for your patience. Updates will be shared as soon as they are available.
Last week, the test of our School Messenger Emergency Messaging System went well, and only a few adjustments were requested. If you did not receive a phone call, text message and an email on September 15, please contact Mrs. Pearce. Parents are also reminded that the SJS mobile app, and SJS official twitter and facebook accounts as well as the SJS website will also carry any emergency information.
Each year, the Arlington Diocese, Office of Catholic Schools, mandates that all students in grades 6 through 12 are made aware of the implications of sexual harassment. St. Joseph Catholic School seeks to provide for its students “an atmosphere where the equal dignity of man and woman is recognized, and students are free from sexual harassment.” (quoted from OCS policy.) Over the next two weeks, we will present age-appropriate lessons to the boys and girls in grades 6-8. Please discuss this important topic with your child. As always, if you have any questions, please let me know. Please note that this program does not contain any objectionable content and represents our Catholic faith in tradition and practice.
The YAY Lunch! Program is off to a great start. Students are enjoying some amazing lunches. If you are interested in learning more about YAY Lunch, visit https://www.yaylunch.com/for-schools for additional information or to place an order.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
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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