There's LOTS of information, so be sure to read to the END of the newsletter (as always!)

PLANNING AHEAD? Check out our school calendar on the website HERE!

Need a past newsletter? Check out our archives on the website HERE!

Our theme for the upcoming school year is, "Teach me wisdom and knowledge, for in your commandments I trust" (Psalm 119:66). The verse from the Psalms reminds us to continue to place our trust in the Lord and His guidance for us, and to allow ourselves to be His students.

I hope to have everyone join us this Thursday at 7pm on Zoom for our Town Hall to get ready for the new school year! We'll be sharing the latest Covid updates, what is staying the same, what is coming back, and what we're excited about! We will also have time at the end for your general questions & answers, plus some dedicated time for our New Families as well! Here's the link and information to join us:

Our St Benedict students will be enjoying their lunches in the school cafeteria once more! We need volunteers to assist cleaning the kitchen before school starts. Clean up will take place on Wednesday, August 11 from 12pm-4pm. SIGN UP HERE TO HELP OUT! Many hands make light work!

Let's get our St Benedict School Campus ready for the new academic year! Volunteer to garden, pick up trash and generally tidy up the grounds. Please bring gloves, shovels, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers and other useful gardening tools. SIGN UP HERE TO HELP OUT!

It looks like we're going to have a fantastic turnout for our 1st SPIRIT NIGHT OF THE YEAR at the Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball game on Saturday, August 21st @ 6:05pm (first-pitch!). We're all excited for a whole lot of FUNN, plus their famous in-your-face FIREWORKS!! We'll have a section in the stands, so buy your tickets today! A portion of the proceeds will come back to our school, so let's have FUNN!! ORDER HERE!

Join us for the St. Benedict Catholic School Back to School Welcome Fair on the blacktop, Monday, August 23. This is when all of our families stop by to drop off your student's school supplies, turn in any final paperwork, and say hello to the teachers! Students are welcome to attend with parents and they do not have to wear their uniforms. All parents MUST sign up to attend! Sign up coming this week!!

All NEW students and rising Kindergarteners need a physical for the new school year. Junior Kindergarten students and rising 7^th graders may need to update their immunizations. Please contact your doctor’s office this summer, so your child is ready for the first day of school. If your child requires any medication (prescription and/or over-the counter) the clinic must have a signed medication administration form for each medication before they can give the medication to your child. Ask the doctor now, especially if your child has certain allergies or medical conditions that require an emergency action plan. (i.e. asthma or anaphylaxis). Thanks for your help in keeping everyone healthy and safe!

VIRTUS Training is required for ALL PARENTS/GUARDIANS who wish to volunteer in our school. Without VIRTUS certification and background screening (which is part of the process) you are not allowed to volunteer in the classroom or in the school during school hours - NO exceptions (that means no class parties, field trips, guest readers or other fun events in our school). We have a special opportunity coming up for our parents on Wednesday, August 17th at 5:30pm to help you receive your Virtus Training from the convenience of your home via Zoom. (Keep in mind, in the future, training will be returning to in-person sites around the Diocese, so take advantage of this convenient opportunity to help us keep our SBCS community safe!👍)

1) Set up an account at https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/.  

4) Email [email protected] to complete your registration.  Do not forget this final step!

Make your Welcome Fair experience stress-free by returning all forms to Mrs. Autry in the front office no later than AUG. 15th These forms include:

Set Up Your FACTS Account - this is how we handle all of our incidental and tuition billing at SBCS. All families must set up a FACTS account (this is different from ParentsWeb). Go to https://online.factsmgt.com/signin/3R2M2 to set your up today. Our Finance Office has reached to you already to assist you in this process. If you have any questions, please contact Brian Wingfield, Director of Finance, at [email protected].

Set Up Your PARENTSWEB Account. Parentsweb is our online hub where you can check grades, track absences, record your volunteer hours and receive alerts. You can now go on to Parentsweb to set up your account. (Parentsweb can be accessed via our website. Top left corner on our home page.) Here's a 3-minute video about how to set up your account (password is Portal).

Get Virtus Trained & Background Checked so you can volunteer at your child's school! SEE INFO ABOVE!

Prep for Success this Fall! You've received your child's prep kit for Fall, which includes an overview of their recommended review work and workbook (Grades 1-8) to help them get ready for a great start at SBCS. In addition, your student (Grades 1-8) will have summer reading assignments which can be found HERE on our website. Middle School students also have recommended Math, Latin and Grammar reviews provided at the same link. Questions? Email your child's teacher or Mrs. Ridgely at [email protected].

Uniforms - All uniform information can be found on our website here. (See the left hand column for your child's grade-level uniform information.) Generic items can be purchased anywhere. For embroidered logo items, unless otherwise offered through the school (ex. Spirit Gear), they can be purchased through Flynn & O'Hara or Land's End. (Please note: if you wish to have clothing items embroidered with our logo elsewhere, it must be of the exact same item style, material, color and logo presentation as provided by one of the above uniform stores.)

Any other questions? Please email Gretchen Ridgely at [email protected]. We are here to help!!

1st & 2nd grade soccer: Co-ed. No experience required. Brief practices before Saturday games at St. Edward's. A minimum of 2 coaches and 10 players per team. $25 fee to be billed by FACTS.

3rd & 4th grade soccer: Co-ed. No experience required. Brief practices before Saturday games at St. Edward's. A minimum of 2 coaches and 10 players per team. $25 fee to be billed by FACTS.

5th-8th grade boys' soccer: No experience required. Practices (if any) TBD by coaches. A minimum of 2 coaches and 15 players. $50 fee to be billed by FACTS.

5th-8th grade cross country: Co-ed. No experience required. Practices TBD by coaches. 2+ afternoon meets per season. $25 fee to be billed by FACTS.

5th & 6th grade flag football: Co-ed. No experience required. Brief practices before Saturday games at Westhampton Field at Patterson and Libbie. A minimum of 2 coaches and 8 players. $50 fee to be billed by FACTS.

7th & 8th grade flag football: Co-ed. No experience required. Brief practices before Saturday games at Westhampton Field at Patterson and Libbie. A minimum of 2 coaches and 8 players. $50 fee to be billed by FACTS.

Registration closes Monday, August 23. In order to ensure that SBCS and the leagues are prepared for the season, this is a hard deadline and no late registrations will be accepted.

As always, our ability to fields teams depends on student interest and on Virtus-trained volunteer coaches. If your student is interested in playing, and if you Virtus-trained and able to volunteer as a coach, please fill out the form HERE. If you have questions, please contact Jeff Cronheim at [email protected]

Benedictine College Prep and Saint Gertrude High School offer middle school athletic teams throughout the year, which are open to fifth- through eighth-grade students from area Catholic, private, and public schools, as well as homeschool students. Our Middies Program is designed to foster a love of sports and a way for middle school students to get acquainted with BCP and SGHS. Teams practice at the high school facilities and are coached by wonderful mentors who will help each young person in his/her athletic goals--whether it be learning a new sport or preparing for high school athletics. We hope you will join us! ☘️

Practices for field hockey and volleyball will begin in early September. Teams will practice twice-a-week, in addition to games with other area middle schools. The volleyball team will also participate in the RVC Middle School league on Tuesdays. Register by August 23 to participate in SGHS Middies field hockey or volleyball.

If you are interested in any of our spring offerings, we are now accepting registrations for all sports. Click here to register for Benedictine Middies. Click here to register for Saint Gertrude Middies.

THE 16TH ANNUAL St. Benedict Oktoberfest is BACK - Sept. 17, 18, 19, 2021 in our Festplatz at the corner of N. Belmont and Hanover Aves. We are so excited and we know that RVA is as well, since our Oktoberfest is one of Richmond's TOP FESTIVALS! Welcoming 40-50K guests, however, means that MANY HANDS are needed, and because our school is the BIGGEST beneficiary of the event, ALL of our families are asked to work AT LEAST ONE SHIFT - and we are grateful for your generosity of time in helping to make this an AMAZING EVENT! This is a GREAT way to get a lot of volunteer hours in 1 weekend!!

We also need Junior Captains in the areas of DECORATIONS and PACK-UP. Please email Gretchen at [email protected] if you are interested in learning more about these important and key positions. VIELEN DANK!