Dear Parents-
Yesterday, we celebrated the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron of our beloved friars! St. Francis was born into wealth and spent much of his youth enjoying innumerable vices and pleasures. Francis’ conversion took many years and he is credited with rebuilding San Damiano Church in Assisi, and founding several religious orders, starting with his first followers, today known as the First Order, established in 1209. Later, the Second Order, known today as the Poor Clares, was founded when Clare of Assisi joined Francis, and sought to live a similar life. The Third Order, better known to our SJS/SJC community as Franciscan, T.O.R, is now an international community, with our friars part of the The Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Loretto, Pennsylvania.
A great BIG SAINTS THANK YOU to the Knights of Columbus for their generosity in sponsoring our ice cream celebration in honor of the Feast of St. Francis, on Monday, October 4 (for even grade levels) and Tuesday, October 5 (for odd grade levels). The Knights are wonderful partners bringing much joy to the kids!
In this week’s COVID update VDH reports that over the last 7 days, Fairfax County has a total case rate of 116 cases per 100,000, and NAAT (PCR) test positivity down to 3.6%. The rate of transmission is still considered at the highest level. Nearby Loudoun County has a current case rate of 156 per 100,000 and the COVID-19 positivity rate in Loudoun is down slightly to 4.7%. The Fairfax County adult vaccination rate for fully vaccinated individuals has reached 73.7%. Mask up, Vax up and Please stay vigilant!
The Vatican’s doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), has determined that it is “morally acceptable” for Catholics to take Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against the COVID-19 Virus. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not dependent on cell lines from aborted fetuses; they were developed using different technology relying on ribonucleic acid (RNA) from the virus itself. (see https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/frequently-asked-questions-regarding-covid-19-vaccines/)
On Friday, Oct. 8, we will reach the halfway point of Trimester 1. Parents are strongly encouraged to log into PowerSchool and access student grades. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your child’s teacher. There is still plenty of time to make any necessary improvements before final trimester grades and report cards.
In this age of social media, I just want to offer a brief word about the Devious Licks Tik-Tok Challenge…Our student body is for the most part, too young to even be aware of the Devious Licks Challenge. However, the September Challenge was to steal something from your school, and followers of the challenge stole items from school bathrooms, like soap dispensers, serving as an example of a negative outcome from social media. Please consider “social media free” days or other ways to eliminate social media from the lives of your children.
As always, if I can be of assistance, or you have any questions, please let me know.
Pray to St. Joseph for all your needs! (St. Teresa of Avila)
Denise Rutledge
Principal
Building Wisdom and Faith Through Service to God
