Dear Parents-
Celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. gives us the opportunity to reflect on the similarities between Dr. King’s vision for social justice, and that of the Catholic Church. We are united in our belief that individual self-worth is not dependent on race, gender, occupation or family background. In Dr. King’s vision,“Anybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t need to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” Powerful words to live by as we continue to emphasize the mission of our great school...
building wisdom and faith through
service to God!
I want to send a very heartfelt thank you to the parents who were able to attend the PTO meeting last Wednesday. We had a wonderfully informative presentation on gun safety by the local
Be SMART for Kids
team, whose main goal is to get our community talking about how we can keep our kids safe and aware. The organization is non-political, and respects diverse opinions on gun ownership. If you are concerned about the safe-keeping of guns, contact Mrs. Corsino for more information.
We are in
Scantron week 2
, and this week students in grades 3-7 will complete tests in Reading. 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.
Friday, January 24 is the March for Life, and we will celebrate our
Respect Life Mass
. As always, parents are welcome to attend the school Mass. Our focus this day is to understand our responsibility to respect life, all life, “from the moment of conception to natural death.” Additionally, the Arlington Diocese sponsors a Respect Life Office- visit there to connect with events, legislative issues and prayer opportunities.
Please keep our second grade students in your prayers as they will receive the
Sacrament of Penance
for the first time on Saturday, January 25. Mrs. Chong and Miss Buonocore have the students well prepared, and the day will be very special.
Next week we will celebrate
Catholic Schools Week
. During this week, students reflect on themes that celebrate the Catholic School experience, such as our community, our students, our nation, our vocations, our faculty, staff and volunteers. Many exciting activities have been planned by our CSW committee. Click here for our daily activities, and plan on joining us for the Talent Show on Thursday, January 30. The week kicks off on Sunday, January 26, and I want to thank our 8th graders, Zoe, Jackson, Billy, Danny, Meaghan, Elizabeth, Sophia, and Emma, for volunteering to speak at Masses to share their thoughts on Catholic schools.
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!!
Save the Date!!!
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the
Spring Fling
on Saturday, April 25. Proceeds from this fabulous event will support upgrades to the lighting in the classrooms and halls, especially in the older part of the school building. Research has shown that lighting has a significant impact on the classroom experience for both students and teachers. Lighting affects mood, headaches, confidence, anxiety levels, and performance. From the generosity of parents last year, we were able to switch out the lighting in 3rd grade! Mrs. Karcz’s room is already finished, and Mrs. Zimney will be completed in the next few weeks. Stop in to see the amazing transformation, and please consider how you can help us reach our goals!
Remember to place your February
lunch orders
for your children through our school lunch program, in conjunction with Fairfax Food Service.
Use this link
, to be re-directed to our webpage to find the ordering procedures. Remember to place your order no later than January 28!
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
