WEEKLY NEWS
September 18, 2018
From Our Principal
We hear the word "culture" used in a variety of ways. At Saint Benedict, we feel that culture is the best of what any society has to offer - that which is true, good, and beautiful. One of our goals is to create a strong culture for our students that includes excellent literature, beautiful music, and inspiring art. I hope that you will join us in this commitment to culture. Consider the music we listen to, the TV shows and movies we watch, or the books we read. Are they elevating us and our students with truth, goodness, and beauty?
Attention Parents! FRIDAY CARLINE AND ASE....PLEASE READ!!
Please remember that N. Belmont Avenue will be CLOSED THIS Friday (9/21) due to Oktoberfest.  This will affect our morning and afternoon car line . For both morning and afternoon car line, use the following procedure: drive EAST on Hanover and take a RIGHT onto Cleveland, students will get out of the car or into the car on Cleveland near the entrance to St. Benedict Alley, after that has taken place, proceed on Cleveland until you reach Grove Avenue, take a RIGHT onto Grove.  Here is a map to help illustrate the car line Friday is a 12:30pm dismissal.

If you need your student to stay in After-School Care on Friday, you must notify the school no later than 12:00pm on Thursday by emailing  [email protected]
We need an exact attendance list for that day.
Progress Alert! Interim Grades come out this Friday!
Interim grades will come out on Friday for the First Quarter of our academic year. For grades 3-8, all core subject grades are posted in PARENTS WEB . Click HERE to login on Friday to review your child's progress in this first quarter. Parents will be contacted by 9/21 via email by the classroom teacher if their student is performing at a D grade or lower. For grades K-2, teachers will send home a Progress Checklist as to your student's performance so far this year. As always, if you have ANY questions, our teachers are here for you - to help your child achieve their best. If you wish to discuss your child's interim grades or have any questions to support their success in the classroom, please email their teacher to arrange some time to meet in person or over the phone.
Mrs. Young's 2nd Graders Brighten Our Day with 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' (In case you missed this on Facebook...)
House System Update: Prayer Partners Assigned
At Saint Benedict, our school days are punctuated by prayer, and we hope that prayer is a daily part of the life of each of our families. To that end, each of our students has been assigned a prayer partner from another class, within their House.  I ask that our students pray for their prayer partner by name each day . Our PRAYER PARTNER LIST IS ATTACHED HERE and we ask all parents to review it, so you can remind your student in case they forget. I encourage every one of our families to set aside time each day for family prayer. Family prayer time is an incredible occasion for grace and blessing!
Ms. Howell's 3rd Graders enjoy working on a House activity!
PTO News
Monthly PTO Meetings:
Please remember that attending our PTO meetings is a great way to stay connected with things happening in the school and it also counts as an hour towards your volunteer hours. If you missed our meeting please be sure to check your emails as the meeting notes will be sent via your PTO President.  We'd love to see you at this month's meeting on Thursday, September 20. All are welcome to attend!  

Lunchroom Volunteers:
Lunch service is in need of a few volunteers to serve lunch in  September . If you can volunteer your time please sign up HERE .

Classroom Reps Needed:
PTO classroom representatives are an important link between the PTO and the parents of students in each class. As a room rep you will act as a liaison between the PTO and teachers.  Reps are still needed for JK, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. 

New! Enrichment Reps:
This year we are looking for 1 parent per grade to fill the role as an Enrichment representative . Enrichment representative's primary responsibility is to encourage participation in fundraising events outside of school. For more details please click HERE .

Spirit Night: September 27, 5-8pm. 
The PTO will be sponsoring a spirit night at the Chick Fil A, Willow Lawn. Stay tuned for more details. 

FallFest!
FallFest Plans are Underway! The SBCS PTO FallFest is set this year for Saturday, October 27th. This is a favorite family event at our school, and we’d like you to get involved! We are looking for MIDDLE SCHOOL parent volunteers to serve on the planning committee for this annual event. If you are interested in being part of the planning, please contact Jennifer Eschbach at  [email protected]  or sign up HERE .

We are also looking for volunteers for all other areas of Fall Fest including set up and break down. If you are able to help out please take a moment to look over the sign up genius to see where you can help!
Oktoberfest STILL NEEDS YOU!
Volunteers are STILL needed for this weekend's Oktoberfest! We especially have need for adults to work Tickets (this is a sitting position) and Food Concessions/Kitchen. Please click below to sign up. All families are asked to work at least 1 shift to support this major event that benefits our school! And, if you have already signed up and can volunteer a few more hours, we can certainly use the help. MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK and 48,000 guests take MANY HANDS! Thank you so much for whatever you can give to this event!
Have You Joined the Comet Campaign?
The Comet Campaign at Saint Benedict Catholic School is an opportunity for all of our families to show our children that 100% of our parents, teachers and staff are behind them! Your tax-deductible donation ensures that our children have excellent teachers, a classroom to be proud of and the opportunity to learn and practice their faith. We are a community of the faithful and as we begin our Centennial celebration in 2019, we look to you to continue our commitment to all of our children.

Please make your gift to the Comet Campaign today...you can make an outright gift or you can pledge your gift and make payments monthly. Click HERE for a form, that can be filled out and sent to school with your child or you can make a donation via PayPal on our website HERE .
Volunteer Sign Up
Please look over these opportunities to help our school out throughout the year. Information can be found at this link . We encourage you to sign up for the volunteer opportunities through the sign up genius link listed below each activity prior to Book Day. A printed version of the sign up forms with the remaining slots will also be available at Back to School Night.
P.E. Schedule
Reminder : This year will involve a bit of a change with the PE schedule. Since Mr. Insley is also working as a firefighter, we have planned the schedule around his hours at the fire station. That means the PE schedule will alternate. Here is a copy of the PE/Art schedule through October 8. You may want to print a copy and keep it in a visible place.
Student Council News
On  Wednesday, September 19th  there will be a TAG DAY for the school featuring your favorite Team Jersey!  For just $2.00 a student can wear their favorite sports team jersey with jeans or pants. See page 13 of the Parent Handbook HERE for Tag Day rules .

On  Friday, October 19th  the Student Council will be sponsoring its first dance of the year for middle school students . The dance will run from 6:30pm until 8:30pm in St. Anslem Hall. The theme will be Halloween and the cost will be $5.00 per student unless you wear a costume, then you will receive a dollar discount.  Students are also asked to make a refreshment donation; 8th graders should bring a bag of candy, 7th graders should bring small individual bags of chips, and 6th graders should bring a two liter bottle of soda . There will also be a costume contest that night.

On Saturday, October 27th  the PTO is having their annual Fall Fest. The Student Council will be selling recycled crayons that night. If you have pieces of crayons at home, we would love for you to send them to the school and we will take the pieces and create new crayons.  All crayon donations can be sent to Mr. Cichocki in the history classroom.  

One of the Student Council projects is the collection of soda can tabs which we donate to The Ronald McDonald House on Monument Avenue.  This charity provides a place for families to stay while a loved one receives medical treatment in the area. Those pop tops can be sent to school where they will also be sent to Mr. Cichocki.

Thank you for your support of the St. Benedict Student Council
Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
The Hispanic families at Saint Benedict Catholic School are organizing a festival to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month. This great event will take place  on Saturday October 13th from 2:30pm to 6:00pm  at the SBCS playground. This celebration is open to all families of the School, their relatives and close friends. The event will include fun and educational activities, music, face painting, folk dances, and an array of delicious Hispanic food for children and adults, to share different aspects of the diverse Hispanic culture. It will be a wonderful experience for all the families. Please mark your calendars, and we hope to see you there.

Parents Connection: For Your Marriage Website
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.)
EDGE , middle school youth ministry, will take place from 6:30pm to 8:00pm on Wednesday nights starting Oct. 3rd . On the first night only, Oct. 3rd, we will meet at the Church, all following meeting will be in the St. Anselm Hall. Registration is here . Check out the bulletin board in the middle school hall way, church side porch, or link above for schedules. 
 
Our Comets Take to the Soccer, Cross Country and Football Fields! Go Comets!
Band and Music Lessons
We believe that music is a very important part of a well-rounded education. A number of diocesan schools have partnered with the Greater Richmond School of Music to provide students with opportunities for Band (for students in grades 4-8) and private music lessons that the schools cannot offer on their own. For more information about these wonderful opportunities, please visit: https://grsm.net/grsm-st-benedict-catholic-school/ .
Virtus Training
In order to volunteer with anything that involves contact with children you must be Virtus trained and have a background check.​ Pam Autry, in the front office, must process your background check and confirm your Virtus attendance before you volunteer with children. Your attendance counts to your volunteer hours. There are a number of different times and locations offered for training sessions. Register for a training session, by visiting https://richmonddiocese.org/child_protection_virtus/ .
Picture Day is Tuesday, September 25th!
Information will be coming home with your student later this week regarding picture day, which is a week from today! STAY TUNED!
School Mass Schedule for September
Friday, September 21
(No School Mass due to Oktoberfest set-up)

Friday, September 28
Choir: 6th Grade
Lectors: Hector Cibes-Lee/Madeleine Lang
Servers: Scout Kennon, Brennan Shea, Michael Williamson
Upcoming Dates
Sept 19 - TAG DAY $2, Favorite Team Jersey!
Sept 20 - PTO Meeting 6pm Cafeteria
Sept 21 - EARLY DISMISSAL (**12:30pm**)
Sept 21 - 23 ST. BENEDICT OKTOBERFEST - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Sept 21 - Interim Grades online at PARENTS WEB
Sept 25 - PICTURE DAY!
Sept 27 - Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A 5pm-8pm, The Shops at Willow Lawn
Oct 3 - EDGE Middle School Youth Ministry begins! 6:30pm-8pm, St. Anselm's Hall