October 13, 2022

Dear St. Louis families,

After a beautiful Columbus Day weekend with lovely seasonal weather, it is sad to see the rain today. While we know the rain is good for nature, it is never good for 500 students who need to be outside running and playing during recess and PE classes. I wanted to share a piece of Fr. Thompson’s homily from yesterday’s school Mass---he challenged the students to match what they believe with what they say/do. He told the students, if they are truly loving, learning, and leading like Christ, then they can’t help others live Christ’s message without first speaking and doing things as Christ would. In those simple words, we have the crux of our mission which we try to live every day: to be Christ to one another. I hope that in your families, you can use those words for further discussions. Please know we invite you to attend our school Mass each week, we would love to have you at the Wednesday 8:45am Mass.

We welcomed children’s author, Ada Ari on Tuesday. She joined our students to share about her African heritage, her love of writing, and her love of reading—students heard how she has made a career and a vocation out of her love for all three areas. Mrs. Brown and her 5th grade students actually had an excerpt from Ms. Ari’s book in a math word problem they were working on this week on IXL—love when we can make these connections.

Tomorrow, we are kicking off our PTO “Running with the Hawks” week with a pep rally in the afternoon. The Hawk-a-thon is next week and students will be running or walking for donations. Please know that every bit raised through this event goes back into the teaching and learning through instructional support, professional development, and classroom materials. We are also still seeking anyone interested in running or walking the 9th annual 5K on Saturday, October 22nd. Hawktober is always a good month for St. Louis, and we hope you will choose to participate in one or both events---see the PTO event update in this newsletter for more information.

We look forward to a fantastic week next week! Please keep our staff in your prayers—we have a few who are out of the building assisting with sick parents or are dealing with some illnesses themselves. Enjoy your weekend!

Peace,

Anne Dyke

Principal

Mental Health Out Loud: Eating Disorders and Body Image Among Teens

EXPERT: Dena Cabrera, Psy.D., CEDS

DATE & TIME: Thursday, October 27 @ 1pm U.S. Eastern Time

Register HERE

The numbers are alarming: National eating disorder hotlines report a 70 percent spike in call volume in the last three years, and hospitalizations for eating disorders have doubled. This mental illness (and, yes, eating disorders are considered a mental illness and not a behavioral issue) has high rates of comorbidity with ADHD; one study found that girls with ADHD were almost four times more likely to have an eating disorder than were those without.

In this special Mental Health Out Loud conversation, Dena Cabrera, Psy.D., will answer questions about eating disorders from the ADDitude community. Topics of discussion will include:

• Different types of eating disorders, how these present differently in boys and girls, and how eating disorders differ from disordered eating
• What makes young people with ADHD more prone to eating disorders and body image issues than neurotypical peers
• How social media’s influence on tweens and teens contributes to disordered eating
• Signs to help parents and others identify an eating disorder
• How to start a conversation with adolescents and young adults about the dangers of eating disorders without judgment or blame

Organizational Support for Middle School Students

Mrs. Cucinotta will be offering organizational support for interested Midle School students during working lunch and/or recess. Please see the attached flyer for more information.

Hawk-a-thon Starts Monday, October 17!

Get ready, St. Louis, for an action-packed week! We are counting on you to help make the Hawk-a-thon a huge success! Check out this flyer for all the information you’ll need to know.

Starting Monday, October 17 the fundraising starts and classroom donation pages open. Contributions can be made online or by cash/check using the paper donation form. Watch your email Sunday for links to share with friends and family to submit donations that will count towards the classroom totals. Classrooms will earn lots of fun and exciting prizes as they pass each fundraising goal so make sure to do your part to help your classroom.

Classroom standings will be shared daily next week to keep everyone in the loop with the fundraiser. Friday, October 21, the students will have a blast celebrating their fundraising success by running orwalking laps. You are welcome to come and cheer on your child/children during their time slot (see run schedule by grade below). It’s sure to be an exciting week for the Hawks! 

Hawk-a-thon Run Day Schedule (Friday, October 21)

• 10:15am – Kindergarten and AM Preschool
• 11:00am – 1^st Grade and 2^nd Grade
• 11:45am – 3^rd Grade and 4^th Grade
• 12:30pm – PM Preschool
• 1:15pm – 5^th Grade and 6^th Grade
• 2:00pm – 7^th Grade and 8^th Grade

Hawks 5K Fun Run & PitStop – Saturday, October 22

So far, over 250 people have signed up for the Hawks 5K Fun Run. Are you included in this count? Don’t miss out - register NOW to join your St. Louis classmates, teachers, and friends for this fun annual tradition. 

Plan to celebrate a successful run or walk at the Post-Race Pit Stop. There’s lots of fun and food planned to include ice cream, pupusas, beer, a Fairfax County police cruiser, the bomb squad, and the Knights of Columbus soccer challenge. Plus, this year, there will be an actual helicopter landing in the soccer field at 10AM. And if that’s not enough excitement for you, how about a chance to pet and feed some fluffy alpacas! You won’t want to miss this action-packed morning!  

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Volunteers Needed!

We still need lots of help to pull off Running with the Hawks Week. This is the PTO’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and we need your help to ensure its successful. Please consider signing up to help with the Hawk-a-thon on Friday, October 21^st or the 5K/Fun Run on Saturday, October 22^nd, or BOTH! 

• Hawk-a-thon Volunteers - Sign up HERE.  
• Hawks 5k/Pitstop Volunteers - Sign up HERE.