Newsletter for November 4, 2008

Saint Benedict Catholic School's WEEKLY NEWS

3100 Grove Avenue, Richmond, VA 23221

October 28, 2008

Report cards come home TODAY.  You will receive 2 copies of the report card in the envelope.  Sign one copy of the report card and return it to your student's homeroom teacher in the envelope.  Please be sure to return the envelope as well, so we can reuse them throughout the year.

Basketball registration forms for students in grades 5-8 are due back to the school by Thursday, November 6.  If you have any questions or need another registration form, please contact Mr. Massett at lmassett@saintbenedictschool.org.  If anyone has any contacts for gym facilities, please let us know.

The Make-Up Day for school pictures will be Wednesday, November 12 from 8:30-10:30.  More information will be coming in the next few weeks.

We're at the midpoint of Saint Benedict Parochial School's annual Fall Fundraiser.   Keep selling raffle tickets and make sure people know they could win this year's great prizes: a 47" flat screen HDTV, a Nintendo Wii package, and the new IPOD touch. Proceeds will go toward the 90th Anniversary Campaign to repair the front steps, expand and update the technology lab, renovate the restrooms, and make the multi-purpose room much more user-friendly.  Please help us raise the money for these exciting projects!  The raffle drawing will be held on November 19, at the PTO dinner.  If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Muller at rusandsteph@comcast.net.  Thank you in advance for supporting your parish school!

You are invited to a seminar, sponsored by the St. Benedict Institute, featuring Dr. Anthony Esolen from the English department at Providence College on Thursday November 6, 2008 at 5:00 PM at the University of Richmond at the Heilman Dining center in the Richmond room (near Lake Boatwright). Dr. Esolen will be discussing his new translation of Dante's Divine Comedy, in particular, the Paradiso.  The title of the seminar is Dante: The prison of autonomy and the freedom of obedience. The seminar is free and open to the public.

The weather is starting to get colder.  Please make sure your student comes to school dressed warmly enough to be outside in the morning and during recess!  Remember that students may wear any coat or jacket to school and on the playground.  When they are in the building, they must wear the school sweatshirt or fleece.

Benedictine high school will host a regional FLL (First Lego League) tournament on November 8th, from 9am until 3pm.  All FLL tournaments are free and open to the public. The Benedictine tournament will host 16 area teams as they run their robots, present their presentations and speak to technical judges about their work during the season. The teams are competing for slots at the state tournament in Harrisonburg, and then the nationals in Atlanta.  The new Lego groups from St. Benedict plan to be ready for tournament participation next year.  Students and volunteers with a passion for science and technology work very hard to prepare for these events on their own free time.  Come out and show your support and appreciation!   For additional information contact kozmar@verizon.net or tamara.m.martin@gmail.com.

Last month's Book Club selection was Homer's Odyssey.  For the month of November, we will be reading Paradiso, by Dante Alighieri, the final book in the Divine Comedy.  This will help us to participate in the St. Benedict Institute seminar and provide an insight into the medieval worldview.  In order to include the participation of the parents, parish, and the wider community, an element of the book club will be online in order for you to share in our discussion.  Please visit http://www.saintbenedictschool.org/parents/book-club to learn about our upcoming selections and share your insights on the current piece of literature.

Grandparent's Day for grades K-5 will be held on November 21.  Invitations will be coming out soon, so please check with your child's grandparents to see if they will be able to attend this year.  This is always one of the most special days of the year.

Girl Scout Troop 952 is collecting socks and gloves during the month of November for the homeless.  Drop off boxes are located at St. Benedict School or items can be brought to the school office.

Due to safety concerns, we have closed the front steps of the school.  As many of you know, the steps are sinking and pulling away from the building, due to a poor foundation when they were built 90 years ago.  We have contracted to have them repaired, and the construction has begun.  While the steps are being repaired, please use the ramp entrance (the handicap-accessible door closest to the alley) and be conscious of any construction-related changes.

The 8th Grade is sponsoring a FOOD DRIVE for the month of November!  The Central Virginia Food Bank needs our help!  Please bring in non-perishable items such as:  Canned tuna or salmon; peanut butter, canned vegetables, canned fruits, spaghetti sauce, hot and cold cereals, pasta, rice.   The drive will end on Wednesday, November 26th!!!

The St. Joseph's Auxiliary will hold its thirty second annual bazaar on Saturday November 15, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at St. Joseph's Home for the Aged, 1503 Michael's Road.  All proceeds benefit the elderly residents entrusted to the care of The Little Sisters of the Poor.  Bring the whole family for a spectacular day featuring:  hand-made jewelry, a variety of needle crafts, and many other "fun", creative items; delicious homemade frozen meals and baked goods; treasures old and new-showcasing jewelry, house wares, children's items, and holiday decorations; and back by popular demand, the super duper kid's carnival (from 11:00a.m. - 2:00 p.m.) with ticketed games, face painting, a moon bounce, and much more!  Admission is free, and concessions will be available offering breakfast and lunch.

If you still need to register for a Virtus Training session so that you can volunteer in the school, there will be training here in the school library on Saturday, December 6.  There will be one session starting at 9:00am and the other at 2:00pm.  You do not need to attend both sessions.

For Catholics or Non-Catholics interested in learning more about the Catholic faith, St. Benedict Parish will be hosting Exploring the Catholic Faith sessions each Wednesday evening.  Each evening a different topic will be addressed.  This week's topic will be "I believe in Jesus Christ."  Contact the parish office for more information at 254-8810 or e-mail Mr. Drummond at bdrummond@saintbenedictparish.org.

Up coming events:

Nov. 4             Report Cards and Election Day

Nov. 5             Tag Day for all students (bring $2 to participate)

Nov. 7             No School - Teacher Workday

Nov. 10           No School - Veteran's Day

Nov. 12           Make-Up Picture Day

Nov. 14           School Mass at 9:00am in the church (dress uniform for middle school)

Nov. 19-21      Book Fair

Nov. 19           PTO Dinner

Nov. 21           School Mass (dress uniform for middle school) and Grandparent's Day for grades K-5

"Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize?  Run so as to win the race."            -1 Corinthians 9:24