Dear Parents-
The Passion, or Beheading, of Saint John the Baptist is one of the very oldest liturgical feasts on the Church calendar and it is celebrated August 29. John was a compelling preacher and he urged his followers to repent and prepare for the coming of the Messiah. After rebuking King Herod’s conduct, St. John was beheaded, in part because Herod feared John’s influence and the likelihood of a rebellion against Herod. St. John the Baptist is patron saint of conversions of faith, and the aftermath of storms.
The carpool, both morning and afternoon, takes a week or two to “settle down.” We have new families to welcome, bags and bags of school supplies to carry in, and many students trying to find their way. Please comply with all carpool procedures, as they are specifically designed to help the carpool run efficiently. In the afternoon, I ask again that drivers of “high-profile vehicles” please use lanes close to the church, rather than pulling into the lanes closer to the school. The purpose of this rule is to make more cars visible so students can find their cars. Please cooperate.
Parents are strongly advised to please drive with extreme caution when in the school lot, as well as when driving on the neighborhood streets. Neighbors are reporting several serious traffic incidents over the last few days. Please be respectful of the speed limits and traffic signs, particularly on Main Dr., Vine St., and Peachtree St, where most incidents seem to occur. Please also be aware that Herndon Police have advised neighbors to use video and submit reckless driving reports.
Mrs. Pearce would like all parents, grades 3-8, to know that the PowerSchool parent portal opened Monday, August 29, 2022. This is an excellent time for parents (both new and existing) to set up their accounts, link another student, or practice logging into an established account/requesting a password reset. A letter was sent to all new students via the classroom teacher describing how to create a new account for PowerSchool. Parents who did not receive this letter OR parents who require a password reset should contact Lisa M. Pearce at l.pearce@sjschoolva.org for assistance. Thank you for your patience while we were setting up the portal for the new school year.
Please also note that there is no PowerSchool parent portal access for parents of students in Grades K-2 beginning Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
We welcome Ms. Bridget Lisk to our staff as 3rd grade instructional assistant. Ms. Lisk is continuing her college education in teacher education program at George Mason…and fun fact, Ms. Lisk is an SJS graduate and we are thrilled to have her back! We also welcome back Ms. Rita Figueiredo who works with our students under Title 1. The Title 1 program provides additional learning support so that all students can meet rigorous achievement standards. SJS students are able to enjoy the benefits of the Title 1 program due to the Title 1 designation of our surrounding public elementary schools.
Parents of 2nd-5th grade students are reminded that Back to School Night is tonight, Tuesday, August 30, at 6:00PM, for social time, 7:00PM for classroom presentations, and parents of 6th-8th grade students are reminded that your Back to School Night is tomorrow, Wednesday, August 31. The agenda for both evenings can be found at this link and we look forward to seeing everyone!
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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We ask that all SJS families be mindful and obey the 25 mph speed limit as well as, stop at the stop signs in the surrounding neighborhood. Please help keep our neighborhood safe by obeying the traffic laws and be attentive to pedestrians and cyclists at all times. Also, please remember the speed limit once you enter the St. Joseph Catholic School/Church parking lot is 5 mph! Let's keep our families safe and slow down! |
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Back to School Night (Grades 2-5) = August 30
Back to School Night (Grades 6-8) = August 31
Doors open at 6:00pm. Teacher presentations at 7pm.
Join us for lite bites and beverages!
Volunteer sign up opportunities will be available!
Spirit wear will be sold!
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Parents of new students will be receiving their Parent Access Codes for Schoology from their homeroom teacher this week. Please follow the directions on the note to set up your account. |
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School Start Time is 8:00am
September 2 - 11:30am Dismissal (No afternoon extended day)
September 5 - NO SCHOOL (Labor Day)
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Child Protection Program
Information and Upcoming Seminars
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St. Joseph Catholic School loves to have parent volunteering for classroom activities, Field Day, 8th grade musical, Art, Library and lots more activities. In order to volunteer, you must complete the Arlington Diocese Child Protection Program. Click HERE to access the information as to how to complete this
2 part program.
At this time there are quite a number of Virtus Seminars scheduled in the Arlington Diocese, including 2 scheduled here at St. Joseph Catholic School on 9/23 and 9/30. If you have any questions regarding completion of this program, please contact Beth Covert at (703)880-4357 or bcovert@sjcherndon.org.
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PTO hosts 'BYOL to Bready'
Friday, Sept. 2 after half-day dismissal. 11:30-12:45pm. Bring Your Own Lunch and meet friends, old and new, at Bready Park next door! PTO will provide drinks & dessert.
Are you planning to attend? If so, let us know!
Click HERE to let us know you wouldn't miss this fun gathering!
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JOIN THE
ST JOSEPH
BAND!!!
INTERESTED?
Bring Your Parents to the Registration and Info Night
TUESDAY, SEPT 13TH, 7pm
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2022
St. Joseph Parish BBQ
Saturday, Sept 10
1:00 - 5:30 pm
Mark Your Calendars!
Order your tickets online!
Volunteers Needed!
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The PowerSchool parent portal will open on Monday, August 29, 2022, for all parents. This will be an excellent time for parents (both new and existing) to set up their new account, link another student, or practice logging into an established account/requesting a password reset.
The portal is open most of the school year for parents of students in Grades 3-8. The portal closes for report card preparation in November/December, March, and June. The portal is closed, except for report card viewing, for Grades K-2.
The portal will close for parents of students in Grades K-2 on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
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Volunteers needed for lunch and recess.
Want to volunteer for lunch?
Want to volunteer for recess?
**All volunteers must be compliant through the Child Protection Program. For more information, please contact Beth Covert at bcovert@sjscherndon.org
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Don't forget to order spirit wear and support the Class of 2023! There will be uniform dress out Spirit Wear days throughout the school year!
Grab your gear now!
Online store will be open until
Sept. 16 at midnight!
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On November 8, Virginians will have the opportunity to elect candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives – and in some areas – “down-ballot” offices. Faithful citizenship reminds us to take an active part in public life through our voice and our vote.
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Parents, please make sure to submit this year's new walker form if your student will be a walker/biker this school year. Parents of afternoon walkers are reminded that walkers can not be picked up by car in the SJS parking lot. All walkers must actually walk off the campus. Click HERE for the Walker form.
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Hot Lunch Program - 20% off! |
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Order School Lunch
Through Yay Lunch!
Our new lunch service, Yay Lunch, provides freshly made, balanced meals for students, faculty, and staff through a simple online ordering process. All meals are prepared daily by local Restaurant Partners and delivered to schools by the Yay Lunch team. Questions? Contact Mrs. Laura Ricketts at Lricketts@sjcherndon.org
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Game Set Match Saints!!
After a COVID hiatus, CYO tennis will be back at St. Joseph's School and Parish this fall for students in grades 4 through 8. If your child plays tennis or wants to play tennis, CYO tennis is a great opportunity for them to learn or improve their tennis skills while competing for our school and parish and having fun.
If you are interested in tennis this fall, please email Nick Manetto at nickmanetto@gmail.com with the following information:
- Subject line: CYO Tennis.
- Parent email address and phone number.
- Name, age and grade of your child or children interested in playing.
- Brief information (1 to 2 lines) on your child's tennis experience, e.g., previously on the team and plays regularly, has taken some group lessons and knows the basic strokes and fundamentals, beginner, etc.
Time commitment: Based on interest, we will be working to determine specifics for the season including practice days and other details. Practices will most likely be held once a week after school at the Worldgate Athletic Club in Herndon (Worldgate Drive and Elden Street/Exit 10 of the Toll Road). Practices will be by grade/skill level so specific dates will be set once we understand interest in the season. Based on past years, practices were immediately after school during the 3:30 to 4:30 or 4 to 5 p.m. time frame.
Cost: The cost for the season is roughly around $100 per child. It will depend upon level of interest and number of practice sessions we will have.
Parent needs: We will need a parent or two to manage/coordinate each grade level, mainly for matches against other schools and parishes. We will cover grades 7/8 and we will need parents for grades 4 through 6.
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St. Joseph Golf Program
Fall Session for 4th-8th Graders!
The golf program is back! Starting Wednesday September 7th, the e golf program will be held for interested 4th-8th grade St. Joseph students and St. Joseph CCD participants. This program will be held at Herndon Centennial golf course again and will be held once a week as light and weather allows (est. thru October). The non-CYO program will be taught by a combination of parent volunteers and golf course staff. Please see below for additional details:
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When: Start September 7th and will run for roughly 6 weeks through the end of October, to be held each Wednesday. Start time will be around 5:00pm to maximize light. Mondays may be made for make-up nights if weather is an issue.
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What: Will include basic instruction and practice for the Fall session, including time on the driving range and chipping/putting green, with some play on the course occurring throughout.
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Who: Fourth-Eighth grade St. Joseph School students and St. Joseph Parish CCD participants.
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Equipment/Attire: Does your child have clubs already? Great, please bring them. Don’t have golf clubs? No worries, there are additional sets of junior golf clubs that can be used at the course. Sneakers are suitable (golf shoes not required), and dress will be a golf shirt (or similar) and golf shorts (or golf pants when the weather is colder).
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Cost: Anticipated costs are ~$75 per child and includes use of the unlimited range balls, facilities, instruction (and clubs, as needed). This will be finalized based on the number of participants. We may also look to acquire SJS Golf polos at an additional cost for those interested.
Please register by Friday, September 2nd so that we can finalize numbers and plans with the golf course. To register, or for more information or questions, please contact Neal Beggan at nealbeggan@gmail.com and Dennis McGowan at dennis@themcgowans.com or better yet, come see us at our Back To School Night Booth! FORE!!!!!
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Calling All Bakers and Non -Bakers!
SJC Parish BBQ is back! We need your favorite baked goods (cupcakes, pies, bread, muffins) for our bake sale, proceeds go towards our church.
Please label baked goods with “nuts”or “No Nuts” and drop off at the school office on Friday, September 9 by 4pm or on Saturday, September 10 at 12noon in the parish hall.
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WWP Bible studies combine personal study with small group discussion, linking our everyday challenges to the solutions given to us through the teachings of Christ and the Catholic Church. If you desire to grow in your faith—in a supportive community of Catholic women—Walking with Purpose is for you! Come as you are. All WOMEN ARE WELCOME HERE
New groups are starting on September 14th at 7pm in Room 214
Each study is 22 weeks long.
Email wwpstj@gmail.com to learn more and to receive the 2022-2023 WWP Registration Form and Schedule options.
Bible Studies for 2022-2023
Opening Your Heart (highly recommended 1st study)
Discovering our Dignity
Follow these steps to ensure for a smooth start:
A seat is open for YOU!
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Stay Connected!
SJS Mobile App, Twitter and Facebook
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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)
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750 Peachtree Street, Herndon, VA 20170
Tel: 703-880-4350 Fax: 703-880-4320
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