Week of October 24, 2021...
Fall Fest Rocked!!
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Thank you to all of the families that volunteered, participated and enjoyed FallFest. Everyone had so much fun! The PTO would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of the volunteers that helped to prepare and serve food and drink, facilitate the Chili Cook Off, set up and break down the event and supervise our Carnival Games and Moon Bounce. A special appreciation goes to the Anderson family, Andy and Elizabeth (Evelyn 3rd, Charlie 2nd) who went above and beyond to create and build all of the games the kids enjoyed. Volunteering is a key ingredient to the success of the PTO, and we can't do it without our parent's support! Thank you! |
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Did you get any photos from Fall Fest??
Share them with us at development@saintbenedictschool.org!
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Congratulations to our FallFest Winners!!
For Trunk or Treating,
Old McDonald took the farm with his award winning, prettiest cow at FallFest!:
Victoria Ortiz & Quinn Riccobono
We had 3 wonderful Costume Contest winners:
Pre-K-2nd: Heidi Mikkelson as St. Therese of Lisieux
3rd-5th: Nicholas Shea from the creations of Minecraft
MS: Jude O'Herron was PUNK ROCK!
And the winner of the 3rd Annual Chili Cookoff was...
Peter Hahn (Dad of Leo in 1st Grade!)
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For all in-person events, indoor masking is required regardless of vaccination status.
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Tuesday, Oct. 26th - Sign Up Genius for Parent-Teacher Conferences Closes at 12pm
- Thursday, Oct. 28th:
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Online Virtus Training, 6:30pm. Click here to register!
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Grandparent Emails Deadline for Evites. Click here - details below!
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Friday Oct. 29th - NO SCHOOL, Parent-Teacher Conferences
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1st Semester Report Cards Available on PARENTSWEB
PLANNING AHEAD...
- Monday, Nov. 1st - School Mass. Feast of All Saints.
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Monday, Nov. 1st - Last Day to Order Your Advent Wreath!
- Wednesday, Nov. 3rd - Cross Country MS Catholic School Championship - GO COMETS!
- Tuesday, Nov. 9th - EISTC Tax Credit Program via Zoom at 6:30pm - details below.
- Friday, Nov. 12th - GRANDPARENTS DAY (Program at St. Benedict Church and will be livestreamed.) 12:30pm Dismissal (NO lunch, ASE is available) - See below for details.
- Monday, Nov. 15th - iGiveCatholic Advance Giving Begins for Giving Tuesday!!
- Tuesday, Nov. 23 - 2nd Quarter Interim Grades - see ParentsWeb!
- November 24, 25, 26 - THANKSGIVING BREAK!
- Tuesday, Nov 30th - GIVING TUESDAY is our DAY OF GIVING at SBCS!!!
Check out our school calendar on the website HERE!
Need a past newsletter? Check out our archives on the website HERE!
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EISTC Tax Credit Program is Nov. 9th @ 6:30pm on Zoom
I want to invite you to an important virtual information meeting about the EISTC (tax credit) program. Enacted in 2012, the Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credits program offers Virginia tax credits to individuals or businesses who make donations to approved scholarship foundations. The foundations then provide scholarships for students from lower-income families to attend private schools. Our Diocesan McMahon Parater Foundation (MMP) is one of those approved scholarship foundations, which means that families can make a donation to MMP and direct their support to benefit students who qualify at St. Benedict Catholic School. In return for their donation, donors receive 65% of their donation back in the form of state tax credits! In just the past year alone, St. Benedict donors have given over $100,000 through the EISTC program and that is a critical funded financial aid revenue stream for our school and our families. So please plan to join us for this information session and bring a couple of friends too. Saving tax dollars while supporting Catholic education is a total win-win, and we look forward to seeing you on the 9th on Zoom. Click HERE to register (and we'll send you the Zoom link)!
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2021 Parent -Teacher Conferences
Conferences are planned for Thursday, October 28th, from 4pm-7pm and Friday, October 29th from 7:30am-12:00pm.
Parent-Teacher Conferences are encouraged, especially for parents of new students and for parents of students having difficulty in some aspect of their education. For elementary students, we encourage all parents to schedule a conference with your child's homeroom teacher. Middle School parents do not need to meet with every teacher, only those with whom they feel time is needed. Specials (elective) teachers are not part of the Parent-Teacher Conference days. If you have questions, please call Pam Autry at (804) 254-8850. Sign Up Genius will close at noon on Tuesday, October 26th.
Upcoming Online Virtus Training!
The Parish has scheduled an online Virtus session for Thursday, October 28 at 6:30pm. Registration is available on the VIRTUS website. Remember, you must be Virtus trained and background screened to volunteer in the school/classroom or on a field trip (no exceptions).
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Advent Wreath Making Kits for Families!
The PTO is bringing a new tradition to SBCS Families this year. For the first time, we are pleased to offer you the opportunity to purchase an Advent Wreath kit made of fresh greenery. The kits will be provided by Tommy's Garden, proudly owned by Comet Family Tommy and Pam Autry. Click HERE for the Google Sign up for details and to order yours BY NOVEMBER 1ST! Please note: The kits will be ready for pick up on Nov. 23rd.
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Grandparents Day is Friday, Nov. 12th!
Grandparent's Day is always one of the special days we look forward to each year. We were hoping for a "normal" event this year, but with COVID still with us, we want to prioritize the safety of our community. With that in mind, we will have Mass and our annual Veteran's Day program in the church, and grandparents are invited to attend in person or view via Facebook live. We are so grateful to our grandparents as models of wisdom and virtue for their grandkids. Parents, we know you love to attend as well so we ask you to please honor our special guests and allow all Grandparents seating first. Once our special guests are all seated in the Church you are welcome to fill in to any available space or stand along the sides of the Church or in the back. Thank you!!
Here's the schedule:
9:45am - 10:15am Grandparent Refreshments in the Church Courtyard
10:15am - Grandparents take seats in the Church
10:30am - Mass with Students
11:30am - Grandparent's Day Program & Veteran's Day Salute
12:30 Dismissal from school & ASE is available.
In order to prepare for this special day - we need our parents help!
We need your grandparent's (or grand-friends) emails by THIS THURSDAY, OCT. 27TH. If we don't receive your emails by then, they will not be receiving the Grandparents Day evite that will go out on Oct. 29th. CLICK HERE!
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Junior Kindergarten vs. Kindergarten Start at SBCS?? Consider this...
Parents, with the increase in admissions at SBCS, I wanted to share some important information for you to consider in your decision making process for the timing of younger siblings entering St. Benedict.
For Junior Kindergarten, we have a maximum of 20 spots to fill each year. A student must be age 4 by September 30 to qualify for our JK program and the student must assess as ready for our JK program at our January assessments.
For Kindergarten, we have a maximum capacity of 25 students. A student must be age 5 by September 30 to qualify for our K program and the student must assess as ready for our K program at our January assessments.
It is important to know that when our current Junior Kindergarten class rises to Kindergarten, they will fill around 20 spots...leaving only 5 available spaces. With many large families at our school, you can imagine how those spots can fill up quickly, and we certainly don't want to have to waitlist a little sibling, so please consider beginning your child's journey with us in Junior Kindergarten rather than holding off until Kindergarten. Also, keep in mind that as a Catholic school and a mission of St. Benedict Parish, priority consideration is given to parish members first, then parishioners from other Catholic Churches, and then to our non-Catholic friends. Siblings are given some priority consideration but it is not a guarantee of admissions.
If you have a younger sibling that you are hoping to enroll in Kindergarten as a NEW student for the 22-23 academic year - and have NOT yet applied, please do so immediately by clicking HERE.
If you have a younger sibling for next year's Junior Kindergarten program, we are receiving applications now, and I encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.
Priority consideration deadline is January 30, 2022 and all information must be received and assessments completed by that date. Questions? Email Gretchen at admissions@saintbenedictschool.org
PLEASE NOTE: The above information only applies to NEW APPLICANTS - not currently enrolled students. Current students will receive re-enrollment contracts at the end of January.
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Although we've only just begun our fall sports, it's time to look ahead to our winter season! SBCS hopes to field several teams this year:
5th & 6th boys basketball
7th & 8th boys basketball
5th & 6th girls basketball
7th & 8th girls basketball
It's really exciting that this year's league will be run by The Benedictine Schools of Richmond and all games will be played at their amazing new gym. The fee for each athlete will be $100.
If your athlete is interested in playing this season, please sign up HERE.
As always, St. Benedict's relies upon volunteer coaches. If you are Virtus-trained and available to coach, please volunteer when you sign up your child. Thank you and Go Comets!
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Our school-wide Reading Challenge has just begun. Students may participate by using the Know Your Authors reading log to explore books written by some writers they may already know and some they will enjoy getting to know. Teachers have distributed the reading challenge log sheet to most classes. If yours gets lost, you can print another from the school library webpage.
Please work with your child to find good reading selections in the school or public library. Share the challenge by making time for quiet reading, reading aloud, or listening to audiobooks together. Talk about the books - not just about what happened in a story, but about demonstrations of sacrifice, forgiveness, and virtue in the characters.
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ASE is the place in October! |
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Parents, while we are required to wear masks inside the school building we need your help in making sure that your child has a well-fitting mask when they arrive at school and that they have extras in their backpack. We are going through boxes of masks each week - not just for those students who have forgotten theirs - but also for those whose masks break during the course of the day. We also have students who regularly forget their masks. We are happy to provide masks for emergencies, but its becoming a habit for some of our students and we need our parents help. Thanks so much!
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If the gates are closed, you are late. Please park your car in a legal parking space and walk your student to the front door. We've witnessed some drop-and-go's and illegal parking - neither of which are allowed, even if you are running late.
- ONLY enter the carline on Hanover Ave. FROM NANSEMOND Street.
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Keep your blinkers on in carline so people see the line and can move around us.
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Be courteous to our neighbors in carline. DO NOT BLOCK THE GARAGES ON CLEVELAND PLEASE. We have families trying to get to other local schools at the same time as our carline and they need to be able to get out/into their garages.
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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 :)
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Substitute Teachers Needed |
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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! |
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Reminders & Up and Coming... |
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Remember that if your child is out sick, you can contact info@yaylunch.com to cancel any lunch orders previously placed.
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For the Health of Our Community |
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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.
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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.
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