THIS WEEK and NEXT:

• WED. AUGUST 28 - Feast of St. Augustine - Augustine House ONLY wears (RED) House Shirt (with normal uniform bottoms.)

• MON. SEPT 2. - LABOR DAY HOLIDAY (No School)

• TUES. SEPT 3 - Feast of St. Gregory - Gregory House ONLY wears (BLUE) House Shirt (with normal uniform bottoms.)

• SEPT. 4 - NEW FAMILY Coffee with Mr. Cruess (8:30am, Cafeteria - Enter at RAMP on Belmont Ave). Register HERE by Sept. 1st to attend!

• SEPT 6 - Comet Shop!

Comet Shop is a fun school supply shop open to grades 1 and up during their lunch period a couple times a month. (We find it can be overwhelming for our youngest students.) Please don't send denominations higher than $5.

• SEPT. 7 - St. Benedict's Back to School Celebration at the Flying Squirrels will be Saturday, Sept. 7th at 6:05pm followed by In Your Face Fireworks! RESERVE YOUR TICKETS BELOW by August 31st DEADLINE!

PLANNING AHEAD:

• SEPT. 11 - BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT, 6:30pm, St. Anselm. Parents ONLY.
• SEPT. 17 - PICTURE DAY! Middle School wears Mass Uniform.
• SEPT. 20 - NO SCHOOL. OKTOBERFEST WEEKEND! Interim Reports post.

✅ DON'T FORGET! ALL families are asked to volunteer a MINIMUM OF 2 SHIFTS at Oktoberfest. Click here to sign up now!

Click Here for the Full Calendar

Welcome Miss Holt!

We'd like to welcome Miss Allie Holt as our new Physical Education Teacher. Miss Holt earned her bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech in Psychology/Neuroscience. Since graduating college, she has worked for the CoStar Group and as a Youth Manager at the Country Club of Virginia. In addition to teaching PE, Miss Holt will also serve as the aide for our upper elementary grades.

Carline

THANK YOU to all of our parents for your patience and courtesy in carline as we start a new year. Every year, the first few days of carline can take a bit longer because we have new students, new families and new carpools who are learning these new procedures. Here are a few important reminders:

1. Don't worry 👍- carline will get faster as new students and families get familiar with our system. It always does, each and every year!
2. Please follow directions. You can only enter carline from Hanover Ave. You can only take a left onto the alley from Cleveland and you can only take a right onto Belmont from the alley. As a city school, this is how we have been instructed to direct our carline, safely and efficiently, by the City of Richmond.
3. Please be courteous to one another, to our neighbors and to our staff directing traffic. Everyone's time is valuable. Do not speed. Do not cut the carline from a side street. Allow neighbors to get to/from their parking space. Do not block traffic on Cleveland.
4. On Cleveland St., please remember that, in the interest of time, staff is texting names to the front line staff so that your children are waiting for you when you get there. Please make sure your car sign is visible and wait for staff to wave you onto the alley. If you pass by staff too quickly and they miss your name, your child will not be waiting and you will have slowed down the entire carline.
5. VERY IMPORTANT! If someone other than you is to pick up your child - you must email or call Mrs. Autry in the front office before 2:30pm. We will not release your child to anyone else unless we have been notified by you FIRST. Therefore, if you don't notify us, your guest driver will have to stop, park and wait until we get approval from you. Nothing slows down the carline more than this. It is also your responsibility to share these carline procedures with guest drivers so they know what to do.

Please understand that our goal is to keep our carline SAFE, first and foremost, considerate and efficient. Thank you for your help and cooperation.

After-School Care

After School Enrichment (ASE) is available for all students Grades JK-8^th from 3-6pm on a regular basis (contract) or by drop-in/reservation. THIS YEAR there are a limited number of spaces available daily, so If you do not have a contract agreement for ASE, please email Pam Autry at pautry@saintbenedictschool.org no later than 9am on the day requested and she will need to confirm that drop-in space is available. If you'd like to set up a daily space for your child (via a contract agreement), and haven't done so already, please contact Brian Wingfield in the Business Office at bwingfield@saintbenedictschool.org to make these arrangements. ASE is available every school day during the year, including 12:30pm early dismissals, except December 20^th, April 17 and June 3rd. Feel free to call or email the office with questions.

Virtus Update!

Want to help out on a field trip, coach a team or attend a classroom party?? New this year, this also includes all lunchroom visitors and classroom readers. All volunteers must be Virtus trained and background-screened. No exceptions. That's our safe-child policy in the Diocese of Richmond. To register for Virtus go to https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/. You must create an account, sign up to attend a training and consent to a background screening. Please note that there are both virtual or in-person training sessions available. Thanks for your help in keeping our Comets safe!!

24-25 PTO Service Hours and Parent-Student Handbook Acknowledgement

All Parents are required to read both our St. Benedict PTO Service Hours Acknowledgement and our Parent-Student Handbook each year and sign the following acknowledgement form. Please get those in THIS WEEK!

myhotlunchbox

Just a reminder ordering cuts off at 12:00 PM the day before the delivery.

ORDER NOW!

If you have any questions, please contact My Hot Lunchbox at (888) 894-8295 or email: info@myhotlunchbox.com.

Medicines, Vitamins, etc.

ALL medicine, vitamins, supplements and even cough drops, must be administered ONLY by the school nurse. This is the policy for all schools in the Diocese of Richmond. Students are NOT allowed to bring and take these types of items to school on their own. They must come from parents and given directly to the school nurse if they must be taken during the school day. They must also be accompanied by a form with your doctor's signature here.

All images that we've been running about uniforms and uniform guidelines this summer can be found on our school website HERE.

Here are a few important uniform items needing your attention, parents...



1. BOYS HAIR MUST be above the eyebrows (cannot touch OR fall below eyebrows), above the ears and above the collar. Absolutely no hair dye, highlights or fad hair styles are allowed.
2. GIRLS' PETER PAN COLLARED BLOUSES are ONLY to be worn with the plaid jumper in grades JK-4th. Plain (no frills) White Oxford shirts only in grades 5th-8th (if not wearing the logo polo).
3. TENNIS SHOES are NEVER worn with boys pants OR with girls plaid skirts or jumpers. Tennis shoes are only for P.E. and with boys shorts or girls skorts.
4. YOUR KIDDOS HAVE GROWN. 😉Please make sure skirts are proper length, shirts are long enough to stay tucked in at all times and clothes are not too small/tight. Modesty is key and we really appreciate your help.

Sign Up to Support our Fall PTO Events!

We have posted all of our PTO volunteer needs for the fall! In the past, we've found that this is a great way to allow parents to plan ahead. Please take some time to look over our volunteer needs and sign up for some slots that match your availability and interest. You must be VIRTUS trained to volunteer. Please contact Emily Covey (PTO volunteer coordinator) or Danielle Kelleher (PTO president) with questions.  emily@dpr.org  dwkelleher9@gmail.com

👉 Urgent need: Help Distribute Lunches Service Hour Opportunity! CLICK HERE!

We need parents to help distribute lunches to our students in the cafeteria Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Must be VIRTUS Trained & Background Screened. 

Your PTO Leadership & Class Reps 24-25

President

Danielle Kelleher 

Vice President

Jena Glownia

Volunteer Coordinator

Emily Covey 

Board Member

Susan Long

Kelly Kirkbride

Miesha Vargas

Class Reps:

JK: Jenny Wortham

K: Seneca Singleton, Jordan McKinley

1: Teresa Williams

2: Lauren Miller, Lindsay Lepore

3: Linda Coile

4: Patti Ramos

5: Kelly Hawker

6: Kelly Vance, Katarina Rampe

7: Michelle Clark

8: Jordan McKinley

St. Benedict's Back to School Celebration at the Flying Squirrels RESERVE YOUR TICKETS BELOW! will be Saturday, Sept. 7th at 6:05pm followed by In Your Face Fireworks! Plus, this year, we have reserved the Brandito Brandstands so we'll be seated together and have private gathering space starting when gates open at 5pm! (No outside food or drinks allowed, but concessions will be open for purchases.) To attend, purchase your tickets below! It's going to be a great night!

ATTN INCOMING 5th -8th GRADERS!

INTERESTED IN CROSS-COUNTRY?

Does your child love to run or has an interest in running?

Does your child want to join a fun team that races around the Museum District…and occasionally competes against other great Catholic schools?

Do they enjoy snacks after playing any sport?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the St. Benedict Cross-Country team wants to hear from you!The XC coaches would like to see if there are any other students interested in joining the team. 

Requirements:

A great attitude and running shoes. 

No running experience is necessary!

If interested, sprint to your “Compose email” button and send an email to Miesha Vargas at miesha.vargas@gmail.com and Ashley Poerstel at ashleyfmonfort@gmail.com.

Please include the following:

Name of student(s):

Grade(s):

Parents Email/phone number:

Any prior running experience? Or other sports? (Remember, no experience is necessary!)

Questions:

Oktoberfest is coming and ALL SBCS FAMILIES are expected to work a minimum of 8 hours (2 shifts) in service to our school community and this major RVA event which brings over 50K guests annually. ALL parent service hours at Oktoberfest will be counted towards your PTO commitment because this is such an important event for our school

(we are the biggest beneficiary of Oktoberfest!) 

and it requires the generous support of MANY volunteers (over 900 shifts)! 

Oktoberfest will be held Sept. 20-22 and service opportunities will be available for that weekend AND the weekends and days leading up to the event so sign up now!

**If you do not see a shift listed, that is because it is full. Please sign up for a shift listed on the site. That's where your help is needed.

It's Almost time to make Lebkuchenherzen, the fabulous Gingerbread Hearts that

make our Oktoberfest so special!  

Please come help and bring a friend:

Saturday, September 7

9 am to finish (4:00 pm)

We'll roll out the dough, cut out the hearts and bake.

Bring your rolling pin or use ours.

A tasty lunch and refreshments will be provided for all. Come for the day or just for an hour or two!

Saturday, September 14

9 am to finish (4:00 pm)

We'll make the icing, decorate and package the cookies. All are welcome!

Don't worry if you don't have the decorating skills, there are plenty of jobs to do; from packaging, ribbon attachment, sweeping. A tasty lunch and refreshments will be provided for all. Packaging will start at approximately 2:00.

CLICK HERE to help with the Lebkuchenherzen on

Sept 7th and Sept 14th!

(You cannot sign up for this on the main Oktoberfest Volunteer Site.)

The fun all happens in the basement cafeteria and kitchen of Saint Benedict School

3100 Grove Avenue, RVA 23221. Enter the school down the ramp on Belmont Avenue. SBCS Parents can count this volunteer opportunity toward their PTO Volunteer Hours. For any questions, please contact Betsy Thomas at Oktoberfestgingerbread@gmail.com.

Morning Carline Reminders:

• Morning Carline drop off begins at 7:50am and ends at 8:10am. 
• If your child is a walker, you must park legally and walk them to the front door and ring the bell. We open at 7:50am. 
• In carline, be sure your students have ALL of their items for the day ready to go BEFORE faculty approaches the car door...it really slows down the carline if kiddos are searching for lunches, backpacks, etc. 
• If the gates are closed, you are late. You must park and walk your student to the front door to sign your child in. Absolutely NO DROPPING OFF. This is for the safety of all students.

Afternoon Carline Reminders:

• Afternoon Carline begins at 3:00pm and ends at 3:20pm.
• Please remember to show your carline sign (which you will get at Welcome Fair or JK/K Orientation) to the attendants in the street. They are texting your child's name to the teachers at the gate so your child is ready when you approach.
• If someone else is going to be picking up your child you MUST contact the office in advance of carline, otherwise, we will have to call to verify and that really holds up the carline. CALL 804-254-8850 OR pautry@saintbenedictschool.org
• If your child is a walker, they will be dismissed to their parent at the front of the building by our faculty. 
• We will call the parents of any remaining children not scheduled for ASE. At 3:20 students remaining will be sent to ASE (and you will incur the ASE cost).

Carline Courtesy: VERY IMPORTANT! 

• Please enter the carline on Hanover Ave. FROM NANSEMOND Street. If you cut in on another side street to Hanover, you will be cutting the line AND our side streets are getting blocked which the neighborhood does not want. See the map above for directions.
• Remember, DO NOT ENTER Cleveland Street from Grove Ave. You will be cutting in line and that's not considerate to your fellow parents. 
• As a fundraiser, we auctioned off ONE 'jump the carline' pass at last Spring's Gala, so there is only 1 family who is allowed to enter the carline from Grove Avenue. They have a special car pass. Anyone else trying to enter the carline from the direction of Grove Avenue will be directed to the end of the carline by the carline staff.
• Keep your blinkers ON in carline so people see the line and can move around us. 
• Be courteous to our neighbors in carline. If you see someone trying to get in/out of their parking space or garage, kindly move out of their way as soon as possible. Do NOT speed on our city streets - children live all around our school. PLEASE do not block the garages on Cleveland St AND stay as far right as you can to keep traffic flowing around us. We want to be good neighbors! 
• If someone else is picking up your child, please make sure you have informed the office and have instructed them on our carline procedures.
• If you are not in our carline, PLEASE avoid Cleveland and Hanover Avenues during those times to help lighten the traffic load for your fellow families and the safety of our carline staff! Thank you!

THANK YOU FOR KEEPING OUR CARLINE MOVING EFFICIENTLY AND FRIENDLY :) 

The Diocese has asked all schools to share the following resource information:

Protecting God's Children

VIRTUS Training Program

Victims Assistance Outreach

Safe Environment Resources