Week of February 13, 2022
Check out our First and Second Honor Roll Students! Way to go!
Students not pictured: James D'Agostino - 4th, Samantha Fawls - 4th,
Fei Swanson - 5th, Aviel Meyrieux - 6th, and Will D'Agostino - 7th

Coming up this week....
Masks are recommended for all in-person events, regardless of vaccination status.

  • Wednesday, Feb. 16th - Last day to sign up for Parent/Teacher Conferences. See link below.

  • Friday, Feb. 18th - Parent/Teacher Conferences. NO SCHOOL.
  • 3rd Quarter Interim Grades post in ParentsWeb.
  • Registration for Comet Spring sports closes.

  • Monday, Feb. 21st - NO SCHOOL. President's Day

PLANNING AHEAD...
  • Feb. 22nd - PTO Gala Meeting, 6:30pm - Cafeteria

Club schedules, click HERE!
Check out our school calendar on the website HERE!
Need a past newsletter? Check out our archives on the website HERE!
Principal's Corner
A message from Kelly Lazzara, Superintendent of Schools:

Dear Parents,
As part of our goal to serve the students and families of the Diocese of Richmond Catholic Schools, we would like to know how satisfied you are with the programs and services currently offered to you and your child/ren. In order to assess our performance and your experience, we ask that you complete this brief survey. This should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. We value your opinion and will use your input to ensure that we continue to meet your expectations and provide you and your child/ren with the best possible Catholic school experience. This is an anonymous survey and all responses will be aggregated for review purposes and will remain confidential. Our office will close the survey on Friday, February 25, 2022. If you have more than one child at a school, you may choose to complete another survey or have your answers reflect your overall observations.

First Day of School
We know that some families are currently making summer plans. Please be aware in your planning that next year's Welcome Fair will be August 22 and the First Day of Classes for the 22-23 School Year will be August 23.

Outdoor Class
Now that we are seeing some warmer weather, classes will soon be able to spend more time outside. As we shared in fall, the school has purchased yoga mats and picnic tables to make it easier to hold classes outside whenever possible. We look forward to the sunshine!
Parent-Teacher Conference Time is Here!
Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Friday, February 18th from 7:30am-12pm. There will be NO SCHOOL for students on this day. Since our conference time is limited, we ask that parents only sign up for a conference if there is an academic or classroom concern. If your child is making good progress, you do not need to schedule a conference. Specials (elective) teachers are not part of these regularly scheduled conferences. Please contact them directly if you would like to set up a time to meet. The Sign Up Genius will close at 12pm on Wednesday, February 16th. Feel free to call Mrs. Autry in the main office (804) 254-8850, if you have any questions.  
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.
Care for Creation Club Forming!
Mrs. Brunner, our JK Teacher, is inviting 20 students in grades JK-8 to join her for a new club at SBCS! Let us gather together to learn about how, like St. Francis, we can learn about our God and our Earth. We will talk about our Catholic faith, plant seeds, and learn how to care for the poor. The first meeting will be February 14th, Valentine’s Day, from 3:15-4:15pm.

If your child is interested - please sign up here. Participation is limited to the first 20 students.
Next PTO Gala Meeting is Feb.22nd
Our next PTO meeting will be held on TUESDAY, Feb. 22nd at 6:30pm in the cafeteria. This will be a joint meeting with members of our Alumni Committee. We'll be joining forces to continue our Gala planning and review our auction items and baskets, art auction items, Centennial Booklet, event logistics and more. PLEASE join us! When we meet, the auction will only be 10 weeks out and we need many hands to pull off an amazing Centennial event, which this is shaping up to be!! Can't make it, but can help? Email our wonderful PTO President, Georgia Riccobono.
Gala - Get Ready to Celebrate!

Comets SPRING Sports! Go Comets!
The Spring season is just around the corner, and St. Benedict's hopes to offer several opportunities this year.

Co-ed Elementary Flag Football. 1st & 2nd grade and 3rd & 4th grade teams. No experience required. Brief practices before Saturday games or as scheduled by coaches. First game Saturday, March 12th. A minimum of 2 coaches and 8 players per team. Teams capped at 12 students to ensure plenty of playing time. $50 fee. 

Co-ed Elementary Running Club. Grades 1-4. No experience needed. Sunshine, fresh air, and exercise at SBCS once or twice a week. Meetings begin when Spring arrives. A minimum of 4 volunteers and a maximum of 25 students. $25 fee.

Co-ed Middle School Track. Grades 5-8. No experience required. Practices as scheduled by the coaches and two or three meets over the course of the season. First meet TBD. A minimum of 2 coaches and 8 athletes. $25 fee.

Boys Middle School Volleyball. Grades 5-8. No experience required. Practices as scheduled by the coaches and five to six games over the course of the season. Runs from March to May. Saturday games at St. Bridget's School. A minimum of 2 coaches and 10 athletes. $25 fee.

If your child is interested in one or more of our offerings, please email Mr. Cronheim at this point at jcronheim@saintbenedictschool.org. Spots offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration closes at 3:00pm Friday, February 18th.

Finally, please remember that all our teams rely on volunteer coaches. If you are VIRTUS-trained and interested in helping our kids, please sign up when you register your child.
Tuition Assistance for 2022-23
Tuition Assistance - All returning families without significant business/self-employment income must apply for tuition assistance no later than March 1st. Those with significant business/self-employment income have until June 1st. That being said, the sooner you complete your application, the sooner you will hear from us. You will have two weeks after receiving the tuition assistance decision to cancel your contract and receive your deposit back. Please know that because the tuition assistance model assumes that the only change on your tax return is your W2 income, in years with a lot of changes in your life the model struggles to be accurate; therefore, we may reach out to you and discuss waiting for your 2021 return to be complete before making a final decision. That being said this does not change the deadlines for applying.

  • March 1st Deadline:
  • Returning Families with W-2 income and without significant business self/employment income (2020/2021 Return and 2021 W2s)
  • Returning Families who do not file taxes - March 1 - other documentation of income
  • June 1st Deadline:
  • Returning Families without W-2 income who file a tax return (2021 Tax Return)
  • Returning Families with W-2 income and significant business/self employment income (2021 Tax Return)
Purchase An Ad in Our Commemorative Centennial Program! Salute Your Comet!
Celebrate this momentous occasion of St. Benedict's Centennial and join our families, faculty, alumni, business neighbors and friends in congratulating our wonderful school for 100 years of service to RVA's children and their families!

This keepsake book will commemorate our school's Century of Service and feature special recognition letters from Church and school leaders, a history of our school community, shared memories and photographs from across the decades and congratulatory ads from our broader community. Leave your mark in this once-in-a-lifetime Comet publication by sending words of congratulations, honoring a loved one or memorializing friends and family. 

The book will be distributed at the Centennial Gala with limited distribution after the event. All advertisers will receive a copy of the booklet. Have questions or need help with your ad? Contact Gretchen at centennial@saintbenedictschool.org

Substitute Teachers Needed
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!
Growing in Our Faith
In case you missed this on social media...
High School Information & Upcoming Events
For the Health of Our Community
Executive Order Two requires that as of January 24, 2022 parents make the decision about whether their students wear masks in school.
• Indoors: Masks are recommended 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.

ONLY COME TO SCHOOL IF….

Helpful resources for our families:

COVID-19 Testing Information

How to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine