Weekly Newsletter - February 19, 2019

WEEKLY NEWS - February 19, 2019

Com et Parents TO-DO List for This Week!

3RD Quarter Interims were Friday, check RENWEB to see your student's grades so far this term!

THURSDAY (2/21) PTO Gala Meeting at Les Crepes, Carytown 5pm-7pm (details below!)

NOW through NOON FRIDAY (2/22) - MARCH/APRIL LUNCH ORDERING WINDOW OPEN! Order lunches through ParentsWeb

THURSDAY (2/28) Parent Workshop - 7-8pm, Library. Dr. McKenna on Social Media and Screen Time: Pitfalls and Advantages

UPCOMING & IMPORTANT...MARCH 1 IS A BIG DEADLINE!

March 1 - Re-enrollment contracts DUE with $200 family deposit.
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

The release by Bishop Knestout last week of credibly accused clergy is a reminder to all of us of the precautions that need to be taken to keep our children safe. I know that parents sometimes get frustrated when they are not able to assist with an event or field trip because they have not had their background screening or completed the Virtus training. I want to encourage all of our parents to attend a Virtus training session and complete the paperwork for the background screening. We really want all parents volunteering with us. Please remember that these precautions are in place for the safety of our kids, which I know is the top priority for all of us.

Mark Your Calendar: Parent Workshop with Dr. William McKenna

Social Media and Screen Time: Pitfalls and Advantages

Dr. William McKenna will be presenting a program titled, "Social Media and Screen Time: Pitfalls and Advantages" for parents about the safe and responsible use of technology by kids. The presentation will take place at 7pm on Thursday, February 28 in the school library. Dr. William T. McKenna, Psy.D., is a Psychologist in private practice here in Richmond. His clinical work includes counseling couples, trauma across the lifespan, male adolescents, and psychological testing. Dr. McKenna received his Bachelor’s degree in Theology from Belmont Abbey College in 2011, and his Masters and Doctorate from the Institute for the Psychological Sciences (IPS), the School of Psychology at Divine Mercy University in 2017. He completed his residency training with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. Finally, Dr. McKenna is a Richmond native having attended St. Edwards-Epiphany School and Benedictine College Preparatory. All are invited to attend his presentation. Please RSVP here so we have enough seats for everyone!

Comet Spring Sports Reminder! March 1 Deadline!

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 1 March.

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 .

Help Make 2019's Gala a Grand Success!

CALLING ALL PARENTS!!

Join us for our next PTO meeting THIS Thursday at 5pm at our Gala venue- Les Crepes Restaurant (3325 W Cary St, Richmond, Va 23221)

Get a sneak peak at our event venue and enjoy Happy Hour prices on Beer, Wine and their signature dish-Crepes! with your fellow St. Benedict parents.

At 6pm we will head upstairs to continue planning for our biggest fundraiser of the year. We still need plenty of help gathering auction items, soliciting sponsors and everything in between so don’t worry if you are just jumping on board. The more the merrier!

Gala planning is well underway and we need you to help make our AUCTION a great success! Think of the restaurants and bars you frequent, the beauty salons and other shops you patronize and please ask them for a donation to our school auction.

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 5 from 7-9pm 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. THIS IS ANOTHER EASY WAY TO EARN YOUR PTO VOLUNTEER HOURS! The Sign Up Genius link can be found here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0e45ada623a0f94-spring5

Stay Tuned! Our School Book Fair is coming up March 13-15. Volunteers will be needed!

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.

Extended Day on Re-enrollment Contracts - NEW THIS YEAR!

New this year! All families are being asked to choose an extended day option on your tuition contract. We often hear from parents that they will never use Extended Day, but then something happens, and we don't have the correct paperwork on file for your student to use Extended Day. Even if you don't think you will ever use Extended Day we encourage you to select both Morning Care and After School Enrichment "By Appointment" so you are properly registered should you ever need it . If you do not want to register for Extended Day, please let the business office know and they will send you a contract where you explicitly reject using this program.

Congratulations Mrs. Ridgely!

We are very pleased to announce that our own Gretchen Ridgely will be taking over for Pat Maehr as Development Director. Gretchen previously served in this capacity at the school, having over 15 years in the fundraising profession with other nonprofits. Gretchen will now be full time, and her new title is Director of Admissions and Development. Please join me in welcoming her to the new role! We will also be advertising for a part-time assistant to work with Gretchen.

MASS SCHEDULE FOR FEBRUARY

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 20th 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- MARCH 2ND

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.