Weekly Newsletter - January 8th

WEEKLY NEWS - January 8, 2019

Com et Parents TO-DO List for This Week!

WEDNESDAY (1/9) - Coffee with Mr. Cruess - 3rd & 4th Grade Parents, 7:45am - 8:30am, Cafeteria. RSVP Here.

WEDNESDAY (1/9)- Middle School Exam DISMISSAL FORMS MUST BE RETURNED SO WE KNOW HOW TO DISMISS YOUR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT FOLLOWING THEIR EXAMS.

WEDNESDAY (1/9)- Middle School Exams Begin. Middle School dismissal only at 12:30pm
THURSDAY (1/10) - Middle School Exams. Middle School dismissal only at 12:30pm
FRIDAY (1/11)- Middle School Exams.

FRIDAY (1/11)- EARLY DISMISSAL ALL STUDENTS AT 12:30PM. ASE will be available.

UPCOMING & IMPORTANT

March 1 - FACTS Tuition Assistance (Round 1) Application Deadline

From Our Principal - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As we begin the New Year, it's a great time for a fresh start. Many people make resolutions, because they want to improve themselves. That is a noble goal, but studies indicate that most people give up on their resolutions within a few weeks. In my experience, the most effective years have been when I made one resolution that focused on making myself a better person. I could review that resolution each day to see how I was doing. If I messed up one day, it was just an opportunity to do better the next day. Let's all resolve this year as parents to be the best examples we can be for our kids and think of specific ways we can work on that each day.

Coffee with Mr. Cruess - 3RD & 4TH GRADE PARENTS - TOMORROW!

ATTENTION 3rd & 4th Grade Parents! We apologize for the technical problem with the invitation sent out last week via RenWeb, which most of you didn't receive regarding tomorrow's Coffee with Mr. Cruess. However, we've had a number of parents sign up from yesterday's follow up email, and so it will be held as originally scheduled from 7:45am - 8:30am tomorrow - Weds. Jan. 9th in the cafeteria. We offer these coffee meetings early around drop-off time, to enable the majority of people to be able to attend and get on with their day by 8:30am. Please plan to join us tomorrow if you can make it by RSVPing here. Mr. Cruess will be joined by Ms. Howell and Mrs. Brunner who will be sharing upcoming events and discussing ways to help your child succeed during the second half of our school year. And don't forget, ASE will be provided (on us!) for students of parents attending this coffee! Hope to see you there!

Calling all creative parents!

If you have a creative hobby you enjoy such as painting, wood working, design, sculpture or photography, the PTO is looking for you! We are in need of two parents per grade level to work with their class and the art teacher to create this year’s Gala Class Projects.

These parents will share their creative talents with the kids and work closely with the art teacher throughout the year.

The Gala art projects are always a hit during the live auction and generate proceeds that help our school. If interested, please email Georgia Riccobono at [email protected].

Kroger Rewards Program - Thank you to everyone who has linked their Kroger purchases to our school! With your help we just received a check from Kroger for $345! To sign up for the Kroger Rewards Program, click here for more information!

Thank you BoxTops! - We just received a check for $606.40 for our BoxTop Collection. Thank you to everyone for clipping those BoxTops and sending them in - and a special thank you to James and Bonita Phillips for organizing and submitting our collection!

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.

Comet Campaign Update

Thank you to all our donors: parents, grandparents and alumni for your generosity!

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

http://www.saintbenedictschool.org/giving/donate-now.cfm

Let’s keep working toward 100% family participation! Right now only 56% of our families have supported this year's campaign - we can (and need to) do MUCH BETTER!

Saint Benedict Houses:

Ambrose 36%

Augustine 39%

Gregory 42%

Jerome 35%

P.E. and ART Schedule

Reminder : Here is a copy of the PE/Art schedule through JUNE.

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.)

Wednesdays are EDGE! Click here for calendar and contact information to get involved! Edge meets from 6:30pm-8pm in St. Anselm's for Middle School Students.

Diocesan Youth Conference

Registration for the Diocesan Youth Conference is underway. February 8 – February 10. Open to all 8th through 12th grade students. The conference is a gathering of youth from all parishes of the diocese to grow in faith and fellowship. Included are most meals, lodging, keynote speakers, breakout sessions, inflatables, a T-shirt, and a service component. Email Kevin Corcoran for pricing, details, and permission form. Please submit forms by January 8th at the latest as registration closes on January 9th.

Religious Education K-12

Religious Education for grades Kindergarten through 5th, Edge (6th-8th) and The Rule (9th-12th) will resume on January 9th with a joint social for The Rule and Edge and regular classes for K-5. Both Edge and The Rule should meet in the St. Anselm Hall of St. Benedict Catholic School on January 9th.

Dr. William McKenna Presentation - January 30th

We are excited to welcome back Dr. William McKenna, Psy.D., on Wednesday, January 30th at 6:30pm who will offer a presentation on communication between parents and their children . The presentation will take place in the library on the 3rd floor of St. Benedict Catholic School and is open to all adults. Dr. McKenna is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a partner at The Westwood Group. He earned his masters and doctoral degree from the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, a Catholic psychological teaching institution. He is a native of Richmond, graduating from Benedictine High School and Belmont Abbey College. Please RSVP to Kevin Corcoran at [email protected]