Dear Parents-
As we continue to celebrate the joys of this Easter Season, I ask that you keep our second grade students in your prayers as they complete final preparations leading up to their First Holy Communion on Saturday, May 8. Ms. Buonocore has done a wonderful job preparing students for this special day, and Father Tom, Father David and Father Rufino paid special visits over the last weeks to meet with students, to discuss parts of the Mass, and the vessels and vestments so important to the celebration of the Mass. Father Tom also provided unconsecrated hosts so students are familiar with taste and texture before the important day.
We have reached the point in the year where end-of-year testing is in full swing. We are in SCANTRON testing week one, for in-person learners and distance learners who registered in advance. Additionally, students will complete reading and math assessments, depending on grade level, and our 8th graders will take the World Language Exam next week. It is important that your children are in school, every day and on time, as we wrap up the school year.
In our COVID-19 update this week, it is exciting to hear that 100,000,000 Americans are fully vaccinated! Experts in the field tell us that we need many more Americans to get vaccinated to end this pandemic, but this is an excellent start. Vaccination data in the Commonwealth indicates that 31% of Virginians are fully vaccinated, and 30.8% of Fairfax County residents are fully vaccinated, both data points keeping pace with national average.
VDH reports a 7-day average of 88 new cases of COVID-19 per day in Fairfax County, with a current 7-day test positivity rate of 3.6%. In nearby Loudoun County the current 7-day positivity rate is 5.3%, and in Prince William County, the test positivity rate has dropped to 5.6%. All averages represent PCR testing, which is considered the most reliable. All parents are encouraged to get vaccinated...70% of residents are not vaccinated….#getvaccinated
As we start to anticipate the end of the pandemic, please remember that St. Joseph Catholic School does not have autonomy to throw aside the COVID mitigation strategies currently in place. Please expect these restrictions to remain in place through the remainder of the school year. Thank you for your support in keeping students, faculty, and staff healthy!
If you have any questions, or if I can be of assistance, please let me know.
Go to Joseph
(Gen 41:55)
Denise Rutledge
Principal
Building Wisdom and Faith Through Service to God
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Teacher Appreciation Week |
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Thank you, teachers, for educating our students especially during this challenging year! We appreciate your determination, patience, and passion for teaching! You have sacrificed so much to ensure our students continued to learn. You are true professionals and we are proud of you! Thank you! |
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Are You Ready to Spread Kindness? |
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A Fundraiser We Can Be Proud Of!
Get Ready! Get Excited! A new fundraiser will begin on May 8 and it is one that will make you feel good!
Who? - All SJS students
What? - A unique way to raise money for our school while making an impact in our community. During this fundraiser, students ask friends and family for donations via the online Raise Craze platform while paying it forward serving others. What a great way for us to teach our students the importance of kindness and gratitude while raising much needed funds. Students will spend time serving, not selling!
When? - May 8 through May 31
Where? - The sky is the limit!
Raise Craze is an online platform enabling students to set up secure, custom websites where they request donations via email. During the fundraiser, students pay it forward by completing Acts of Kindness for others.
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Thank you for your donations to LINK last month! We wanted to share with you a note from LINK:
On behalf of LINK, I wanted to thank the St. Joseph Catholic School community for the very generous donation to LINK.
The needs of the community have increased tremendously in the last year. Thanks to donations like yours, LINK can continue supporting an increase of more than 300% on food and toiletries distributions.
God Bless You.
Regards, Jorge Hidalgo
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Chromebook Interest Survey |
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Parents are invited to answer a one question survey on interest in purchasing a Chromebook from SJS for student use at home.
The Chromebook will be fully loaded with Go Guardian and additional learning APPS needed for school, and the Chromebook will also have SJS filters and firewall. Student use would be monitored during the day, and parents will be able to monitor student use during non-school hours through the parent app.
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Student Reflection
Year of St. Joseph
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St. Joseph was a man of many vacations. His vocations were amazing ones like being a married man, a carpenter, and a father. St. Joseph was very obedient and polite. St. Joseph was a good father to Jesus by teaching him right from wrong. St. Joseph was a good carpenter because he built more for people than for himself. St. Joseph was a great man because he did what the angels told him to do and protected Mary. He was a man of astonishingly well done vocations.
St. Joseph Catholic School 5th Grader
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Don't forget to get some books from the Book Fair!
There is something for everyone!
April 12-May 14 2021
All proceeds will go to the school library!
Check out the Teacher Wish List, too!
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Wyatt and Andres in second grade want everyone to know that the Narwhal graphic novel series is "totally awesome!" These books are available on our book store website now through May 14, 2021!
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Kindly remember that if you need to pick up your child before dismissal for doctor's appointments, trips, etc. please do so by 2:15pm. Thank you for your support!
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Due to all the recent and continued changes from the CDC regarding traveling and quarantine, the Fairfax county health department issued a statement of clarification yesterday regarding quarantining after any travel for all unvaccinated individuals.
"Regardless of the close proximity of jurisdictions in the DMV area, the same CDC guidance applies when visiting vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals not within a family’s cohort.
Please see below a reference table from the CDC guidance on domestic travel". The link below shows a graphic of travel requirements for easy reading.
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Mrs. Rutledge and Mrs. Carson invite you to join along
for conversation and camaraderie as we begin
our second book
Discipleship Parenting -Planting the Seeds of Faith by Kim Cameron Smith
The next meeting is planned for Wednesday, May 12, at 7:00PM.
Book Club Zoom Link:
Topic: Chapters 5 and 6 -- Empathy and Radiant Faith
The author shares these takeaways for our consideration:
5. Empathy
- Empathy is the gift we use to know another person. It allows us to consider their perspective or to feel what they feel. It helps us care for one another. Today, children are becoming less empathic, despite “empathy training” in schools.
- Emotionally healthy children don’t need to be taught to care; it comes naturally to them in the right circumstances. But we can coach our children in how to care: how to hold a baby, how to feed a pet, how to see a sibling’s point of view, how to resolve disagreements with a friend.
- The best way to raise an empathic child is to treat her with empathy; this is simple modeling. We tend to treat others the way our attachment figures treat us. We can nurture a child’s “caring brain” by filling her attachment cup to overflowing and being an emotion coach.
6. Radiant Faith
- Your family can enjoy a shared faith life that’s alive and radiant, a faith that becomes a tremendous witness to other families of the truth and beauty of Christ’s message.
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Allow your home to reflect the abundant joy and hope of our Catholic Faith. Learn about the Christian virtues together; explore and celebrate feast days and saints days with crafts, tea parties, and sharing books together; develop a family prayer plan and pray together regularly. Practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy alongside your children both within your home and in your community.
- Children, especially young ones, will absorb our attitudes about attending Mass and growing in the Faith. If we’re excited and enthusiastic, it’ll be contagious! We can help our children see both the obligations and the opportunities of living out our Faith. The heart of our Faith is love and hope, and the opportunity for transformation and renewal.
The goal of the book club is building community and helping each other through a pandemic. It is not intended to be therapy or family counseling. Please seek the assistance of licensed practitioners if needed.
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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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