WEEKLY NEWS - February 12, 2019
Com et Parents TO-DO List for This Week!

  • TODAY- Re-enrollment contracts are coming home today with your youngest student. TWO copies are included (one for your records and one to return). You will have until March 1, 2019 to return your contract with your $200 family deposit (which reserves your child's spot for next year!). On March 1, 2019, we will release all other spots to new applicants, and we are anticipating several grades to be at or near capacity.

  • NOW through Feb. 22nd - MARCH/APRIL LUNCH ORDERING WINDOW OPEN! Order lunches through ParentsWeb

  • Friday (2/15) - Third Quarter Interims

  • Saturday (2/16) - St. Benedict Knights of Columbus 2nd Annual Daddy-Daughter Dance (St. Anselm's Hall, 1:30pm-4:30pm) - see flyer below.

  • MONDAY, FEB 18TH - NO SCHOOL (President's Day)

UPCOMING & IMPORTANT...MARCH 1 IS A BIG DEADLINE!
  • March 1 - Re-enrollment contracts DUE with $200 family deposit.
  • March 1 - New enrollment offers are issued to prospective families.
  • March 1 - FACTS Tuition Assistance (Round 1) Application Deadline! DON'T WAIT, SUBMIT TODAY!
  • March 1 - Deadline for Comets Spring Sports Registration (see below)
From Our Principal
It's hard to believe, but it is already time for re-enrollment. You should be receiving your enrollment contract today. Please be sure to follow all deadlines for submitting the contract and your financial aid paperwork. We are very honored that you have chosen St. Benedict for your child, and we are committed to forming our students in faith and wisdom, always recognizing that each of them is unique and made "in the image and likeness of God." If you have any questions, please know that we are always here to help. Enrollment questions can be directed to Gretchen Ridgely , Elizabeth Hanson , or myself .  
In Case You Missed This on Facebook...Our Pep Rally!
Our Spirit Week Pep Rally was lots of fun....friendly competitions amongst grades and even some of the teachers got involved (yes, that's a few of our blindfolded 8th graders feeding baby food to a few faculty members - who were good sports!!) Congrats to Nurse York for winning the Baby Food challenge! Lots of fun and laughter by all!
Have You Made Your Donation to the Comet Campaign?
We appreciate the support of our families who have already given and recognize the sacrifices you make for your child's Catholic education. Tuition is only part of the story and covers only 74% of our operating expenses.  Please consider making your donation today - every dollar is appreciated.

Giving by House:
St. Ambrose 42%   
St. Augustine 43%  
St. Gregory 45%  
St. Jerome 37%

If you have not yet made a donation, you can do so online via paypal: 

Thank you to our parents, grandparents and alumni for doing what you can to help bridge the gap!
Help Make 2019's Gala a Grand Success!
CALLING ALL PARENTS!!

This year's Gala will be held on SATURDAY, MAY 4TH at Les Crepes in Carytown. This is our school's biggest PTO fundraiser of the year, and we need EVERY family to plan now to attend AND to do what you can to support the success of the event!!

Gala planning is well underway and we need you! If you or someone you know has a business that you think would be interested in being a part of our event, we would love to have them! Do you know somebody that has season tickets to a sports team or a beach rental who would donate a few days as a part of an Auction Basket? Or somebody with a small business who would be willing to donate their services or a product for the Silent Auction? Think of the restaurants you frequent, the beauty salons or other specialty shops you visit...they are GREAT candidates for gift cards or gift baskets - AND WE NEED EVERYONE'S HELP. So, here's our AUCTION DONATION FORM to use....SIMPLY: 1)Fill out the form; 2) Have the donor SIGN the document; 3) Take a picture of the entire form with your phone. 4) Leave the form with the donor for their tax records. 5) Email the picture of the form to [email protected].

We are also looking for Sponsors for the event. Event sponsorship packages range in price point and perks. If you are able to contribute in any of these ways, please reach out to Georgia Riccobono at  [email protected]  or at 757-812-4509.

Spring Alumni Social Needs VOLUNTEERS!  (Another Opportunity to Earn Your Hours!)
Our next school event is our Spring Alumni Social being held on March 6 in St. Anselm Hall. Pat Maehr, our Dir. of Development, is looking for parents to help set up, tear down and serve food during the event. Every volunteer hour you can give helps make our school events a success! The Sign Up Genius link can be found here: 

BOX TOPS...Keep 'em coming!
Just wanted to remind everyone we are just one week away from the final Box Top collection for the school year. I will be collecting them on Tuesday the 19th after school so we need every Box Top we can get. Cut them off even if you have not finished that box of Cheerios or granola bars so we can reach our goal of 4000 box tops for this collection cycle. Also don't forget you kids will love it if their class wins the ice cream social for turning in the most Box Tops. Thanks for all of your help! James & Bunny
IMPORTANT DATE FOR FACTS - MARCH 1 - TUITION ASSISTANCE
IMPORTANT Date For FACTS - March 1
All families should have their application submitted in FACTS by March 1, 2019, even if you are applying in Round 2 and your tax information will be uploaded later. While aid is distributed in all rounds, the total amount of Parish Sharing aid the school receives from the Diocese is determined based on the total need of applications in FACTS   on March 1.  Therefore, even if you are participating in Round 2, please have your application submitted by March 1.

More on Tuition Assistance:

All families seeking tuition assistance must complete an on-line application through FACTS and upload the required tax documents. There are two main rounds of tuition assistance. Returning families without business income are only eligible for Round 1 assistance.  All other families are eligible for Round 1 or 2.

Deadlines as follows: 
Round 1 - March 1: Families will be notified in mid-April (2018 W2s and 2017 Tax Return)
Round 2 - June 1: Families will be notified in late June (2018 W2s and 2018 Tax Return)
Please note, The Diocese of Richmond requires that each student apply for aid at only ONE Diocesan School.

Tuition Assistance Policy Updates as of the 2018-19 school year:

PreK Students are no longer eligible for Diocesan aid (Parish Sharing, McMahon Pareter, EISTC) but will still be considered for school based aid. The tuition of the PreK student will continue to be taken into consideration when determining Diocesan and school awards for other students in the family.

Who applies?

For Student's Parents/Guardians married, separated, or living together:
Both parents apply. If living apart, they submit separate applications.

Student's Parents/Guardians not married and live apart :
The custodial parent the child spends the most time with applies
(This is the same guideline used for the college Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSFA)). In addition, the spouse of the applicant also applies. Other adults living in the household but not on the same tax return with the applicant need not apply, and since their income is excluded, their expenses are also excluded.
Congratulations Ms. Boots!
We would like to congratulate Ms. Ashley Boots for being offered a full time teaching position with Cumberland County. Ms. Boots has been serving as our art teacher, and we will miss her greatly, but this was an opportunity she could not pass up. Please join me in thanking her for her time at St. Benedict. She has done a wonderful job! Ms. Boot's last day will be February 21. We are currently in the process of finding a new art teacher.
MASS SCHEDULE FOR FEBRUARY
Friday, February 15
Choir: 4th Grade
Lector: Marianne Davis
Servers: Hector Cibes-Lee, Brennan Shea, Gabriel Bevc

Friday, February 22
Choir: 7th Grade
Lector: Eric Wagner
Servers: Jacob Lang, Tabitha Pickral, Lemma Wheatley
From the Parish
Visit our parish online for mass schedules, sacramental preparation and other timely info! Also, here's a link to Ida B's Bits ( our parish administrator's weekly email with events and happenings at Church.)

Religious Education K-5 and Edge 6-8
Religious Education for grades K-5 continues this Wednesday, February 13th in St. Benedict Catholic School from 6:30 to 7:30pm. Aftercare is provided until 8:00pm for those who have parents in the choir or older siblings in Edge or The Rule.

Edge, which serves as both youth ministry and religious education for children in 6th through 8th grades, continues this Wednesday as well, from 6:30 to 8:00pm, in the St. Anselm Hall. The Rule, which is for 9th through 12th grades meets at the same time in the parish center next to the church.

Edge and The Rule Outing
Edge and The Rule will be going on a joint outing to LaserQuest on Saturday, March 2nd. Meet at St. Benedict’s at 10:00am and pick-up at 2:00pm. Cost is $20 and is due with permission form, which may be found on the parish website, by Wednesday, February 27th. Bring money for Chick-Fil-A lunch after we play.

Knights of Columbus Daddy-Daughter Dance - THIS SATURDAY Feb. 16th!
Get Ready for Comet SPRING Sports - YES!
The Spring season is just around the corner, and St. Benedict's hopes to offer two sports this year. Our Spring sports offerings are:

1st & 2nd and 3rd & 4th Grade Flag Football.  Co-ed. No experience required. Brief practices before Saturday games. Season begins 9 March. A minimum of 2 coaches and 8 players per team needed. $50 fee. This was a great hit last year, and we expect to have another successful season. If your child is interested, please sign up  HERE .

Elementary Running Club/Middle School Track.  Co-ed. Running club grades 1-4; track grades 5-8. Running club meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays; track meets on Wednesdays. Running Club capped at 50 students. $10 fee. If your child is interested, please sign up  HERE .

Start dates and other details will be sent along as they arrive.  Please note that registration closes March 1st!

Finally, please note that all our teams rely on volunteer coaches. If you are VIRTUS-trained and interested in helping our kids, please sign up  HERE .
Attention Middle School Girls (grades 5-8)!!! Sign up now for Middies Spring Sports!
Upcoming Dates
FEBRUARY 12 - School Board Meeting (6:30 PM - 7:30 PM)
FEBRUARY 15 - Third Quarter Interims
FEBRUARY 16 - 3rd/4th Grade Basketball Game @ St. Edward's (1 2:00 PM - 1:00 PM)
FEBRUARY 21 - PTO Meeting ( 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM)
FEBRUARY 22 - March/April Lunch Order Window CLOSES AT NOON!