Dear Parents-

 

It’s Catholic Schools Week, and the events are in full gear and we celebrate the many ways Catholic education meets the needs of our children! During the days leading up to Catholic Schools Week, we looked at 12 reasons to choose Catholic education, from witnessing to our Catholic identity by embracing the rich traditions of the Catholic Church, to our safe learning environment where all students can grow, to our partnership with parents, all this and more, helps to create a school climate where all are welcomed, and valued, and loved. There is no better place to be than St. Joseph Catholic School!

 

I was so impressed with our 8th grade students who volunteered to share their thoughts about SJS at Masses last weekend. The messages were so authentic and heartfelt and I was so very proud! What a meaningful way to open Catholic Schools Week! We are working to add these presentations to our website so you can access the podcast of each student.

 

Examples of how amazing our students are does not end there, however. Mrs. Hart’s MathCounts club held the school level competition this past Tuesday. I am excited to share the news that the following students have qualified to compete at the regional level at George Mason University on Saturday, February 2. The competition team includes Ben B., Georgia H., Angelica S., and Claire T. Individual Competitors include Danny N., Caroline S., Keegan T., and Miguel V.. Good luck to all!

 

The CSW list of activities is available to you here. Please note that students can dress out on Wednesday, January 30, (wear red, white and blue, as we celebrate our nation), and again on Friday, February 1, (wear SJS spirit wear, as we celebrate our faculty, staff and volunteers). Students are also invited to dress out on Thursday, February 7, (wear red in support of the American Heart Association). Jeans are approved for all three dress out occasions. No holes, rips, or tears. A one-time donation on Jan. 30 of $3.00 is suggested. Funds support our SJS Christmas service project providing backpack meals for the food insecure within our community, as well as our donation to the American Heart Association.

 

Mr. Pena-Ariet continues to look for a volunteer pianist to help with choir practice on Wednesday afternoons. The position is open to students or adults who can give an hour of their time to support these gifted students. Please contact Mr. Pena-Ariet if you can help out. [email protected]

 

Our Spring Fling is scheduled for April 6th and our theme is Rejoice and Be Glad! Mrs. Brenner and the Auction Committee are working hard to put together an amazing night for everyone, and they need a little help! The PTO Auction Committee is sponsoring a Spring Fling "logo" contest . The winning logo will be used on all marketing materials and the website. Find more information below. Contest ends February 8.           

 

           

Please consider joining us for coffee on Friday, February 1, at 8:30. Mrs. Farrell will join us to facilitate a discussion on conflict and bullying. Bring your ideas on how we can work together to create the ideal school climate for all our children.                

Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

Rejoice and Be Glad!

 

Denise Rutledge

Principal

MathCounts Competitors

Good Luck! Ben B., Georgia H., Angelica S., Claire T., Danny N., Caroline S., Keegan T., and Miguel V. compete this weekend at George Mason University! We are proud of you!

***Because of the snow/icy weather forecasted for this evening, we have cancelled Chipotle night!

We are working with Chipotle on a future date. Stay tuned!***

For the safety of our children and everyone around, we ask that you obey the 5 M.P.H. speed limit in the parking lot . Please slow down when entering and leaving the parking lot. Children are out at recess or other activities so it is extremely important to obey the 5 M.P.H. speed limit!

We also ask that you STOP at all stop signs . We have received several complaints from our neighbors that cars are not stopping at the stop signs when entering St. Joseph Catholic School. We appreciate your support in keeping our children safe and being good neighbors!

We’re thrilled to share the news!



Thanks to you, Verizon has informed us that they will #ReverseTheFee. As a result, we can continue to offer text notifications as part of the Remind service. There will be no service disruption for Verizon Wireless customers.

We’re grateful to Verizon for making a commitment to support

accessible communication for all Remind users.

Two volunteers are needed for Club Picture Day, held in SJS Parish Halls on Wednesday, February 20. Shifts are 8:45-11:45 and 12:15-2:15--one volunteer per shift please.  

Please contact Lisa Pearce - [email protected]

if you are able to help!

Thank you!  

The Day of Giving has BEGUN!

24 hours of giving....are you in?

Please know that your financial support towards Catholic education at

St. Joseph Catholic School is much appreciated!

Click the button below to donate today!

Day of Giving

Catholic school education is the best investment you can make for your child. Why not make a gift towards the impact Catholic education has had on you or your child?

What is the Day of Giving?

24 Hours of Giving!

Tuesday, January 29, 2019 12 PM EST – Wednesday, January 30, 2019 12 PM EST Many Gifts, One Nation is a national campaign focused on giving back to Catholic education. Your gift will directly benefit St. Joseph Catholic School during

the 24 hour time period.

Your donation will help leverage our school offerings, financial assistance, tuition sustainability, and other operating costs that help us improve our school.

We appreciate your support!

Visit the Day of Giving site

https://sjschoolva.org/day-of-giving

The campaign goes live on January 29 at 12:00pm EST! Share the link with your friends, family, and anyone else that supports Catholic education!

Our Open House was a huge success! We couldn't have done it without our wonderful students and parent Ambassadors of Goodwill! Thank you to Father Tom and

Father Vince for making our Open House so welcoming!

Mrs. Bailey

Mrs. Basye

Mrs. Dhillon

Mrs. Sachse

Mrs. Salatino

Mr. Mielwocki

Mrs. Norman

Mrs. Canavan

Mrs. Schaefer

Mrs. Mountcastle

Mrs. Williams

Mrs. Schultz

A special thanks to Mrs. Elizabeth Young, our hospitality coordinator, who puts hours of her time volunteering here at SJS. Thank you to Mrs. Mary Lewis for the countless hours spent on managing our Open Houses!

The St. Joseph School Community will be collecting food for LINK during Catholic Schools Week. Information will be sent home with your child this week .

Each class has been assigned a food item(s). The LINK pantry is in need of:

Kindergarten –  Spaghetti and other pastas          

First Grade –      Cereal and Oatmeal

Second Grade – Peanut Butter and Jelly

Third Grade –    Hearty Soups (canned)

Fourth Grade –  Spaghetti Sauce

Fifth Grade –     Dried Beans

Sixth Grade –     Canned Fruit

Seventh Grade – Bags of Rice

Eighth Grade –   Canned carrots, peas and corn

Donations will be gratefully accepted all week long!

Thank you for your generous support!

Great News! All St. Joseph Catholic School students created an original poster during art class for the Knights of Columbus, “Keep Christ in Christmas” Poster Contest. We sent 15 posters, in 3 divisions, to the local Knights of Columbus Council. The Council selected a first and second place winner for each of the 3 divisions (K-2), (3-5), (6-8).

The three first-place posters were sent to the District contest and they all won! They have been sent on to the State contest and we will find out results within the month. The first and second place winners will be presented with an award after Mass, this Thursday from the Grand Knight, Jeff Sander. All students will receive a Participation Certificate from the Knights. You can read more about the contest, selection process and see a list of class and division winners on the Art Encore page on the SJS website.

We are so proud of the time and effort everyone put into this endeavor!

The following are the guidelines for weather related closings for extended day:

1. If school closes early, there is no extended day.

2. If there are no afternoon/evening activities. we are open until 5 pm.

3. If there is a two hour delay, extended day opens at 9:00 am

Planning is well underway for our school’s largest annual fundraiser! Please join us to help make this year’s Spring Fling Auction a huge success. We invite all Saint Joseph Catholic School families to join in the occasion by attending and contributing to this event. All proceeds from the event will benefit our children. Please help us multiply our talents as a family and give, as you are able, to further our children’s educational experience here at St. Joseph Catholic School. 

Consider making a donation to the auction ~ Contribute a family donation of an item, a basket, service, use of a vacation home, airline miles, join together with a fellow friend/family to create something to donate together…let your imagination go wild. You can also place a personalized family ad in the program.

Stay tuned for more Auction information!

Contact Ryanne Brenner at [email protected]

for any donation or auction questions!

Please join us on Friday, February 1st at 8:30am for coffee with the principal! Mrs. Farrell, our school counselor, will be joining us! Our goal is to have productive sharing sessions that address some of the concerns that affect school climate.

Mrs. Farrell will facilitate conversations that focus on such topics as bullying, conflict, girl drama, stress and anxiety, among others. Topic includes Bullying and Conflict---What’s the Difference? Sharing session will take place in the upstairs meeting rooms above the front office.

Volunteers are needed to judge the Science Fair! No experience needed!

February 21, 2019, 6-8pm

Please click on the following link to sign up on our 

Science Fair Judges Registration page. 

Science Fair Judges Registration  

The Knights of Columbus Council is hosting its annual Father-Daughter Dance at St. Joseph parish hall on Saturday, February 16th from 7:00-9:30 pm.

Detailed information to follow.

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