Dear Parents-

 

Welcome Back! I hope the two weeks away were filled with much joy! We start off 2020 focusing on the SJS mission statement, building wisdom and faith through service to God, and recommitting to our school-year theme, Welcome one another...as Christ welcomed you (Rom 15:7). Both these statements are fundamental to SJS, and we live them through our relationship with our One Strong F.A.M.I.L.Y initiative. We strengthen our relationship with Jesus Christ, and we are consistent with the teachings of the Church, when we “ affirm the inherent dignity of each and every human person and advocate for the wellbeing of all people, particularly the most vulnerable.” (USCCB)

 

Mrs. Carson and I were overwhelmed by the many gifts were received for Christmas. Your generosity and thoughtfulness are greatly appreciated, and we thank each and every one of you for your kindness. Please know that you and your families are always in our prayers, and we wish you many blessings.

 

January is a very busy month, opening with Scantron test session 2, and ending with Catholic Schools Week. In between is the DFE half-day on January 17, Martin Luther King holiday on January 20, School-wide Spirit and Service Day on January 21, the March for Life on January 24, and 2nd grade First Reconciliation on January 25... and by the time the month closes out we will be more than half-way through the school year!

 

The Scantron Test window opens January 13 and runs through January 31. During this time, students in grades 3-7 will test in the areas of Math, Reading and Language Arts. Please make sure your children are in school during this time to ensure adequate opportunity to complete the tests. If you have specific scheduling questions or conflicts, please contact your child’s teacher.

 

As many of you are aware, our jr. high science teacher , Miss Jennison, has been away from school on family leave. After much prayer and reflection, she has decided that she cannot manage her family commitments, along with her job here, and so she has resigned. We wish her all the best, and I ask that you keep Miss Jennison, and her family, in your prayers.

 

I am happy to announce the hiring of Miss Tara Lilley as 7 ^th /8 ^th Science teacher. Miss Lilley has five years experience teaching middle school science for Baltimore County Public Schools, and 4 years experience teaching science at Irvine Nature Center. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology, with a master’s degree in teaching from Towson University (MD), and a master’s degree in adolescent psychology from Southern New Hampshire University. Mrs. Hurley will remain to oversee the science fair and mentor Miss Lilley as she settles into her new position.

 

And regarding the Science Fair…. The Science Fair is on the calendar for February 6, and we need 55 judges to make this event as successful as possible for our students. If you would like to act as a judge, please access the information and sign up website at http://sjssciencefair.org/ . Your time is greatly appreciated. The students put a great deal of effort into this milestone event and they really need you!!

 

Please be alert to the on-again phishing scam , involving text messages designed to appear as if they were sent from SJC/SJS. Protect yourself by knowing that no one from SJC or SJS will text you, or email you to ask for gift cards, or to send money. The Federal Trade Commission offers the following advice and point of contact if you find yourself the target or victim of a scam. Use this link to access support: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/07/worshipers-targeted-gift-card-scam .

 

As always, if you have any questions, or if I can be of any assistance, please let me know.

 

 Welcome one another....as Christ welcomed you!

                                                                                 (Rom 15:7)

 

Denise Rutledge

Principal

  Building Wisdom and Faith Through Service to God

With our 93% retention rate, it is reasonable to  streamline our re-enrollment processes.  The process is restructured so that current students will be automatically re-enrolled for the 2020-2021 school year. Enrollment fees will be charged on  February 1, 2020 from the FACTS account on file  . If, for some reason, your student will not be returning to St. Joseph Catholic School,  notification in writing is needed by January 15, 2020  . We are confident that you will find this expedited and recurring re-enrollment process helpful. If you have any questions, please contact Debbie Millon ([email protected] or 703-880-4355) in the Business Office.

Hello judges! 

This is a call for you to sign up to be a judge at this year's 

SJS Science Fair! 

Don't have a student attending SJS anymore? 

Doesn't Matter...We could still use your help!

Please click on the following link to sign up on our 

Science Fair Judges Registration page. 

**New Date**

The Talent Show is rescheduled for

Thursday, January 30, 2020 , to coincide with

Catholic Schools Week celebrations.

Permission slips due by January 10

Talent Show rehearsals will be held on Monday, January 27

Talent Show will be held January 30 at 1:30 pm.

Click here for Talent Show Permission Form

Help make our school's biggest fundraiser a huge success, sign up to be on one of our Spring Fling Committees!!

A great way to get involved, meet people, and have so much fun!

Click the link below to sign up!

Spring Fling Committee Sign Up

All Scouts, Alumni, Students, Parents, Teachers and Staff Invited—

Saturday, JAN 18 ^th

 

Come support St Joseph Cub Scouts as they race their hand-built cars to the finish line at our annual Pinewood Derby Race. Also sample our Scouts gourmet skills in our annual Bake-Off competition on Saturday, January 18 ^th in Parish Hall C 8AM-12:00PM. All Pack 913 Cub Scout Alumni and current siblings are invited to enter your cars in the Alumni and Sibling Races at 11:30. For more information, contact Dave Rockwell at [email protected] or Steve Bailey at [email protected].

Don't forget to follow SJS

on Twitter and Facebook!

A lot is happening at SJS and you don't want to miss out!

Twitter: @sjschoolva

Facebook: sjschoolva

Weekly Saints Quote

St. Joseph Catholic School

750 Peachtree Street, Herndon, VA 20170

Tel: 703-880-4350 Fax: 703-880-4320