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  - Principal's Corner

September 10, 2020

Dear Parents,

I pray this email finds you well! We made it through the first couple of days of school! Thank You, thank you, thank you for a very smooth start. God threw us a curveball today, with all of the rain and humidity, however, we made it through! I am especially impressed with my 3 and 4 year old children. We had some tears (both students and parents) but for the most part the children enjoyed their first experience of school life!

A warm welcome to all of the new families of the St. Benedict School Community! Thank you for entrusting your children in our care. There is a lot going on this first month of school. Please see below some important updates.

By now you should have received your child's daily schedule and classroom expectations directly from your child's homeroom teacher via email. Parents of PK3, PK4, Kindergarten and First Grade have already met with their child's homeroom teachers either in person or via Zoom.

Tomorrow there is NO SCHOOL for our students. The teachers and I have a scheduled professional development day. Breakfast and lunch programs will begin on Monday, September 14th. Please remember that all students will eat in their respective homeroom classes and that students are permitted to bring a bottle of water to school as the water fountains are not available at this time.

Grade 4 Parents will meet with Ms. Roman on Tuesday, September 15th at 6:00 pm via ZOOM. Ms. Roman will send you a Zoom invite shortly.

5th & 6th Grade Parents will meet on Wednesday, September 16th at 6:00 pm in the schoolyard to the right of the main entrance of our school. Being that the 5th and 6th grade homeroom teachers teach both sets of students, we are doing it together on the same evening so that you may meet all three teachers (Mrs. Siciliano, Mrs. Geisler & Ms. Wilson) at one given time. If it rains, we will meet via Zoom.

7th & 8th Grade Parents will meet on Wednesday, September 16th at 6:45 pm in the rear schoolyard. Being that the 7th and 8th grade homeroom teachers teach both sets of students, we are doing it together on the same evening so you may meet all four teachers (Ms. Gunther, Ms. Sanchez, Mrs. Villani & Mr. Piacquadio) at one given time. Mr. Vitiello will speak about the TACHS Exam at the end of the meeting with our 8th grade parents. If it rains, we will meet via Zoom.

Grade 2 Parents will meet with Mrs. Serafin on Thursday, September 17th at 6:00 pm in the rear schoolyard. If it rains, we will meet via Zoom.

Grade 3 Parents will meet with Mrs. Berardini on Thursday, September 17th for grades 3 at 6:45 pm in the schoolyard to the right of the main entrance of our school. If it rains, we will meet via Zoom.

Please be sure to return the following forms to your child's homeroom teacher by Friday, September 18th. 1. Emergency Cards, 2. Parent/Student Handbook sign-off sheet, 3. Media Release sign-off sheet, 4. Telecommunications sign-off sheet, 5. Pre-pay Fundraiser Option form, 6. Medical Needs form, 7. ADNY Income Survey, and 8. Home Language Survey. I have also attached these forms to this email for your review as well. Please note that the 2020-2021 Parent-Student Handbook/Calendar has been sent home with your YOUNGEST CHILD if you have multiple children within the school.

Students in Grades K-8 will be taking MAP testing beginning Monday, September 28th not the 21st as indicated on the parent/student handbook. The Archdiocese of New York has changed the administration dates.

Our fall fundraiser will begin on Monday, September 28th. Once World's Finest Chocolate has been delivered to our school, Mr. Mojica will send out an email to all parents. Please remember we DO NOT COLLECT any money at school. Parents sign out the boxes of chocolate, Mr. Mojica will notify Smart Tuition the number of boxes signed out by parents and the invoice will appear on your next Smart Tuition Statement.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at your convenience. Wishing all of us a very successful and productive school year filled with learning, laughter and spiritual growth.

St. Benedict, Pray for us,
Our Lady Queen of Peace, Pray for us,
Cardinal Cooke- Servant of God, Pray for us!

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School
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August 7, 2020

Dear Parents and Students,

I pray that this letter finds you well and that you have had an opportunity to relax and enjoy your summer break with family and friends in the midst of this Covid-19 Pandemic. I am excited to embrace and finally welcome back our students and families to the 2020-2021 academic year. Although this year is not going to be a typical start to our school year, we will make the best of it with the cards we have been dealt. We have closely followed the recommended guidelines as set forth by the Archdiocese of New York to safeguard all teachers, staff, students and parents that enter our school building.

This year we will welcome many new faces to the St. Benedict Family. First and foremost, we welcome nearly 75 students from Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School! We are most blessed that these families have decided to join our St. Benedict School Family. I have had the pleasure of speaking with most of the parents and students alike, what an amazing group of individuals. This fall, we also welcome three new faculty members to our SBS School Community. First, Mrs. Carmela Geisler comes to us with a wealth of experience as a Catholic School Educator within the Archdiocese of New York beginning her 25th year! Secondly, we welcome Ms. Karen Wilson. Ms. Wilson is no stranger to Catholic education as she will begin her 22nd year within the Archdiocese of New York. Lastly, we welcome an alum of St. Benedict School, Ms. Deana Gunther. Ms. Gunther is not only a graduate of our beloved school she is also a parishioner of St. Benedict’s Church and her son Daniel attends our school as well. Ms. Gunther will begin her 21st year this September! A warm welcome to each of you! We wish Ms. Adriana Diaz, former junior high school teacher, all the best as she embarks on a new journey. Ms. Diaz has accepted a concentrated coaching position with Catapult Learning and she will not be returning to St. Benedict’s this fall. We will certainly miss her very much. Her care, compassion and concern for her students will be greatly missed.

As we prepare for the opening week of school, please see below important information regarding the first week of school, uniform code, immunization requirements and tuition & fees.

A look ahead:

Students in Cohort A will report back to school on Wednesday, September 9th.

Students in Cohort B will report back to school on Thursday, September 10th.

If you have not submitted your Google Options Form, please do so by August 11th. Students will be notified which cohort they have been assigned to shortly thereafter.

Friday, September 11th is a Teacher Professional Development Day, students do not have classes. This date may change, as I am awaiting further information from the Archdiocese of New York.

Respective students should report to the locations below:

Grades 6, 7 & 8 report to the rear schoolyard located on Logan Avenue at 8:00 am. Please note we will have two classes each for the 6, 7 & 8 grades.

Grades 1-5 report to the rear schoolyard located on Logan Avenue at 8:45 am.

Pre-K-3, Pre-K-4, and Kg report to the schoolyard on the right hand side of the main entrance of the school at 9:15 am.

In the event of inclement weather, ALL STUDENTS WILL ENTER THROUGH THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF OUR SCHOOL AT THE DESIGNATED TIMES ABOVE.

As the students enter the school building their temperature will be taken before they are admitted to class. I would encourage parents to do the same before they send their child to school. Any student that has a temperature of 100.0 or greater will be brought to our “Guardian Angel Room” and parents will be notified to pick up their child immediately.

Students in Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten will be dismissed at 11:00 am, students in grades 1-8 will be dismissed at 11:30 am. Dismissal will take place at the same morning drop off locations indicated above, with the exception of grades 6-8 students they will be dismissed via the main entrance of our school.

Monday, September 14th (Full Day of School for students in COHORT A). Our breakfast & lunch programs will begin. Once again all students will remain with their homogeneous cohort of student grouping for the ENTIRE SCHOOL DAY. Breakfast & lunch will be served in the classroom and special subject teachers will “push into” each classroom.

Students may bring their own bottle of water to school as our water fountains will not be available per the CDC Guidelines.

Our classrooms have been arranged to provide for the rules and regulations of proper social distancing. Each classroom will be equipped with hand sanitizers and touchless paper towel dispensers.

Our morning and aftercare programs will NOT be available at this time per the directives of the Archdiocese of New York. Please make every effort to pick up your child on time each day.

NYC Title I, SETTS, Speech, OT, PT will be offered remotely to eligible students.

Back to School Night ZOOM Meetings

In late August you will receive a personalized Zoom Meeting invitation by your child’s homeroom teacher via email. I will join in on each of those Zoom Meetings to answer any questions you may have. I believe this will work best per grade level so that the number of individuals on that virtual meeting is more personable; rather than having one meeting with 370 people at one given time.

School Uniforms

All Students are expected to report to school in their Summer Uniform or St. Benedict Gym Uniform. I am allowing for this flexibility during our first quarter so that parents may easily wash the gym uniform on a daily basis if needed. Students are encouraged to wear school apparel/SBS sportswear ie. spirit day shirts, during remote learning from home. *** All students from Kindergarten - grade 8 must wear a face mask to enter our school building. Rest assured, we will provide periodic breaks throughout the day that the children may remove their mask and sit quietly.

Boys:

Pre-kindergarten & Kindergarten: Navy Blue Nylon Gym Shorts with Silk Screen & Navy Gym Tee Shirt with Silk Screen & Sneakers (non light up please).

Grades 1-8: Navy Boy’s Twill Walking Shorts, OR Grey Twill Pants & Ash Short Sleeve Polo Shirt with Logo, belt, black crew socks and black tie up shoe.

Girls:

Pre-kindergarten & Kindergarten: Navy Blue Nylon Gym Shorts with Silk Screen & Navy Gym Tee Shirt with Silk Screen & Sneakers (non light up please).

Grades 1-5: Navy Plaid Split Front Jumper with Emblem and White Short Sleeve Peter Pan Collar Blouse, OR Navy Girls Twill Walking Shorts/Navy Skort with Ash Short Sleeve Polo Shirt with logo, Navy Orlon Knee-hi with flat black/blue tie up shoes.

Grades 6-8: Charcoal Grey Triblend Girls Slacks with White Short Sleeve Collar Blouse, OR Navy Girls Twill Walking Shorts with Ash Short Sleeve Polo Shirt, belt with black/blue tie up shoes.

*** Please be sure that all hair highlights & nail polish is removed before the first day of school!

Summer Reading and Math

Please be sure all students in grades 1-8 complete their required summer Reading and Math Assignments. Students received a copy of their summer reading list, and Math Dreambox assignment along with their final report card that was picked up in June. All new students were emailed the summer assignments by Mrs. Foley. Students will be evaluated on the Summer Reading Assignment during the week of September 14th. Any new student that is transferring into SBS may not have Math Dreambox and/or Read Theory accounts, please do not worry about this at the moment. New students will be set up with those respective accounts in September.

Updated Physical and Medical Forms and Immunizations

BEFORE the first day of school all PRE-K 3, PRE-K 4, KINDERGARTEN & NEW STUDENTS TO ST. BENEDICT SCHOOL MUST PROVIDE a completed Medical Form to Mrs. Foley. Any new student that does not have a medical form on file MAY NOT REPORT TO SCHOOL ON SEPTEMBER 9th or 10th. Students transferring from OLA your child's medical records have been sent to St. Benedict School. All students are REQUIRED to have ALL vaccinations as mandated by the Department of Health BEFORE admission to school. Attached, please find the NYCDOH Required Immunization Chart.

Tuition/Fees/Lunch/Aftercare/Fundraising/ Graduation Fees

By now you should have received your Smart Tuition schedule of payments. Please be up-to-date with tuition payments. Tuition is due the 15th of each month. ALL tuition, fees, fundraising, breakfast, lunch, aftercare & graduation fees payments MUST be paid directly to SMART TUITION NOT THE SCHOOL. Many of the scholarships and/or teacher discounts have NOT been applied as of yet. Smart Tuition is updating family accounts on a daily basis. Unfortunately, if any family falls two months behind with their Smart Tuition payments, students will be excluded from in-person or remote learning sessions from home.

The school office will be open during the month of August on Mondays - Thursdays from 8:30-1:30 pm. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or drop by the office.

Looking forward to a very productive and successful school year!

St. Benedict, Pray for Us,
Our Lady, Pray for Us,
Cardinal Cooke-Servant of God, Pray for Us!

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School
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Dear St. Benedict Family,

I pray this email finds you well in the midst of this heat wave and pandemic. I have a few updates I would like to share with you. This coming Thursday, you will receive from Michael Deegan, superintendent of school for the Archdiocese of New York, " The Catholic Schools Opening - Moving Forward Plan." Within that official communication, you will receive a parent YouTube Video that will highlight a sample school and protocols that have been put in place to ensure the safety and well-being of our entire school community.

Below are some highlights:

Parents will have the option of choosing full remote learning from home or hybrid model that will consist of a combination of live in school instruction and synchronous learning from home during the course of the week.

Morning care & aftercare programs will not be available at the start of the school year. Once we receive the green light to offer those programs again, we will surely offer both programs. When the programs resume early drop off is as early as 7:00 am and late pick up as late as 6:00 pm.

All special subjects such as computer, art and music will be pushed into the classrooms. Physical education will take place either outdoors or in our school gymnasium. Our goal is to limit student movement and encourage cohorts of students to remain homogenous.

For our little angels PK3, PK4 and KG students will place their belongings in individual cubbies.



NYC Title I, SETTS, OT, PT will be offered remotely to eligible students.

Breakfast & lunch will be served in the classrooms. We will offer the ADNY School Food Program and of course if you choose, your child may bring in his/her lunch from home. Students may bring in a water bottle from home as the water fountains will not be available to students at this time. We will keep our students well hydrated. We always have water bottles on hand at the school.

Our classrooms can accommodate 16 students at one time and the teacher/aide following NYCDOH guidelines regarding social distancing of 6X6 feet per student. Each classroom will be equipped with hand sanitizers and touchless paper towel dispensers.

We have purchased box fans to place in each classroom to allow for additional air ventilation/circulation.

We have already placed our PPE order through the ADNY. We will be receiving theroscan temperature scanners, non-contact infrared digital thermometers, face shields, disposable face masks & gloves, floor stand hand sanitizer dispensers, wipes and signage as highlighted below.

Students and staff will practice frequent hand washing with hand soap and water upon arrival at school, before meals and snacks, after using restrooms, periodically throughout the day and other times that require such hand hygiene.

Students and staff that have the following symptoms may not report to school: fever, chough, stuffy nose, chills, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle/body ache, sore throat or headache. The students will have their temperature checked upon arrival at school.



Our maintenance crew will be sanitizing & disinfecting door handles, doorknobs, light switches, sink faucets, bathroom surfaces, countertops, tables, desks, chairs, computers, chromebooks, laptops, and toys.

I have already purchased appropriate signage to indicate direction in which individuals travel in the hallways and stairways.

We have welcomed many families from our neighboring Catholic School OLA and due to that increase in student enrollment some classes will be split in addition to our current 8th graders. I will not be able to do so until I have a clear picture of what our enrollment will look like by mid August. I can confidently say that I will have two 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes at this time. Of course this may change if families withdraw their child from our school.

I know the question of tuition has surfaced being that most of you have already received your first Smart Tuition Invoice. The last I was informed was that regardless if a child is going to be in school every day or not, our teachers will be synchronous teaching on those days that the child will be working from his/her home. I know that is not the answer you are looking for, but that was the latest directive I received from the ADNY. Please do not kill the messenger.

Please be on the lookout for the official ADNY Plan coming to you via constant contact this Thursday.

That is all for now, please stay safe, cool and most of all positive!

Respectfully,
Ray Vitiello
Principal

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Dear St. Benedict Family,

I pray this email finds you well on our last official day of school!

Educate is now open to parents to download and print your child's final report card for this school year. If you are not able to download it, please feel free to contact Mrs. Foley at the school office and she will be more than happy to email it for you if you did not receive a copy when you dropped off your child's textbooks.

Pre-kindergarten & Kindergarten parents, a copy of the final report card has been placed in your child's end of the year bag, along with his/her diploma which you may pick up next Wednesday, June 24th between 9-1 pm.

Attached, please find the link to my End of the School Year YouTube video highlighting all of our students that have achieved the honor roll for the 4th Marking Period & perfect attendance for the year.

Click Here for Video

Parents please visit the link below to place your order for an official St. Benedict School face mask if you would like to purchase one. Mr. Piacquadio is always thinking ahead!

St. Benedict Face Mask

For those families that have registered for the Remote Extended Year Program you will receive an email a few days prior to the official start date of July 6th. Please be sure to check your inbox.

Let me take this opportunity to wish all of our students and families that are graduating, transferring or moving, the best of luck! We will certainly miss you all.

Our school office will remain open during the course of the summer break between the hours of 8:00 am to 1:00 pm Monday-Thursday. Our school office will be CLOSED on Fridays.

Wishing you all a very peaceful, joyful and restful summer break and a very Happy Father's Day to all of our dads!

Through the intercession of the Patron Saint of all Fathers, St. Joseph, Make us gentle, yet firm, considerate and watchful. Grant that, by his word and example, we may lead our children to heavenly grace.

Love and prayers,
Ray Vitiello
Principal

2020 End of Year Honors

ReplyForward

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Dear Parents,

I pray this email finds you and your family well!

Before you know it, June will begin this coming Monday and this school year will come to an end:( Below is the game plan for each grade level to return their   HARDCOVER TEXTBOOKS AND/OR BORROWED CHROMEBOOKS WITH CHARGERS. Students keep all of their soft covered consumable workbooks.

Monday, June 15th

9:00 am GRADE 1 (Science Textbook and/or borrowed chromebook with chargers)

12:00 pm GRADE 7 (Science, Social Studies, English Textbooks and/or borrowed chromebooks with chargers) A reminder to the 7th grade students that they must KEEP THEIR SOCIAL STUDIES WORKBOOK AS IT COVERS THE CURRICULUM FOR THE 8th GRADE AS WELL. Please DO NOT THROW IT OUT!

Our Pre-kindergarten 3 students will have their virtual stepping-up ceremony at 3:00 pm on Monday, June 15th!  I ordered the student diplomas with their picture that they took in the beginning of the year in their school uniform. Those pictures will be placed on their diplomas. Once Dante Pictures delivers them to the school, I will invite parents to pick up their child's final report card, diploma and student belongings at a later date:)

Tuesday, June 16th

9:00 am GRADE 2 (Science Textbook and/or borrowed chromebook with chargers)

12:00 pm GRADE 6 (Science, Social Studies English Textbooks, The Circle of Elephants Novel and/or borrowed chromebooks with chargers)

Our Pre-kindergarten 4 students will have their virtual stepping-up ceremony at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, June 16th! I have ordered the student diplomas with their picture that they took in the beginning of the year in their school uniform. Those pictures will be placed on their diplomas. Once Dante Pictures delivers them to the school, I will invite parents to pick up their child's final report card, diploma and student belongings at a later date:)

Wednesday, June 17th

9:00 am GRADE 3 (English Textbook, My Father's Dragon Novel, ReadyGen small readers and/or borrowed chromebooks with chargers)

12:00 pm GRADE 5 (Science, Social Studies and English Textbooks and/or borrowed chromebooks with chargers)

Our Kindergarten students will have their virtual stepping-up ceremony at 3:00 pm on Wednesday, June 17th!  I have ordered the student diplomas with their picture that they took in the beginning of the year in their school uniform. Those pictures will be placed on their diplomas. Once Dante Pictures delivers them to the school, I will invite parents to pick up their child's final report card, diploma and student belongings at a later date:)


Thursday, June 18th

9:00 am GRADE 4 (Science, Social Studies Textbooks, The One and Only Ivan Novel, The Chriquette in Times Square Novel, and/or borrowed chromebook with chargers)

For all of our safety and well-being, either the student or one parent will be permitted to come into the school with a face mask and/or face covering to drop off the above items. Students/parents will report directly to the school auditorium on the designated date and time indicated above to drop off their textbooks and/or Chromebooks with chargers.

Students that left behind any items in their desks or lockers (junior high school students) will be able to retrieve those items directly from the school auditorium on the same day they drop off their textbooks and/or Chromebooks with chargers. Those items have been packed in a clear plastic bag with the student name written on top of each bag for easy retrieval.

Today is the last date to register for the Virtual Summer Journey Extended Year Program. NYC Resident Students in grades K-7 are eligible to participate. Please register online at https://catapultlearning.com/summer-adny-enroll

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School
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Dear St. Benedict Family,

I pray this email finds you well, safe and most of all sound!

Today I write to you with important updates for all fourth quarter academics. Since Remote Learning began in March, we have worked to prioritize the safety and well-being of our students while simultaneously maintaining the spirit of academic excellence that makes St. Benedict's so vibrant. Now that the remainder of the school year will be completed remotely, please note the following updates to our schools’ grading policies across grade levels:

Grades 1-5

(Core Subjects)

Grades 3-5

(Religion)

Grades 6-8

(All Subjects)

First Quarter (Q1)

28.3%

25%

25%

Second Quarter (Q2)

28.3%

25%

25%

Midterm Exam (E)

(NA)

10%

10%

Third Quarter (Q3)

28.3%

25%

25%

Fourth Quarter (Q4)

15%

15%

15%

4th Quarter has been uniformly assigned a 15% weight, with the outstanding weight distributed evenly across earlier marking periods (1, 2, 3).

There will be no final exams given this year, and its 10% weight has also been redistributed for applicable grade levels.

There is no MAP testing for this Spring 2020.

Our Pre-K and Kindergarten students will be receiving a detailed narrative summary of their progress.

From the very beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, our teachers have been working to meet the needs of our students as whole persons, and have maintained the same high expectations for instruction in accordance with the Parent/Student Handbook received at the beginning of the school year. The figures and decisions above are measurable, concrete actions we have taken to meet our students with the Christ-centered compassion necessary during this unique, unprecedented time.

If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the school office.

Please stay safe and positive.

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

Again, Happy School Spirit Day!

I apologize that I did not forward this information to you sooner, as I was on a video conference call with my superintendent. I am sure that you already received this information through the superintendent's office regarding Governor Cuomo's executive order that all schools remain closed through June 2020:(

I have inserted Mr. Deegan's email to the bottom of this communication for your review and consideration.

As I receive further directives regarding graduation ceremonies and summer school I will keep you informed.

I am now completely devastated that we are not returning this year, but I do agree that the safety and well-being all of all is first and foremost.

Stay tuned...

Respectfully,
Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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May 1, 2020 Feast of St. Joseph the Worker

Dear Catholic School Community,

Our Catholic schools have successfully adapted and overcome every obstacle the coronavirus crisis has put in our path. Staying true to our faith based and future focused education, we strive to provide each student entrusted to our care an academically excellent program. Teachers have been teaching, and students have been learning, coming together each day to pray, study, laugh and love. Our parents have contributed immeasurably to the success. Each of us is indeed blessed to be part of this larger family of faith, and we will continue to support one other as we continue to walk through this struggle together.

As directed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s executive order, our Catholic schools will remain closed through the end of June, thus making home-based learning our format as we close the academic year. The Health and Safety Task Force of the Office of the Superintendent of Schools will remain proactive, we continue to adapt, and we will absolutely overcome this challenge. We along with our principals and teachers will ensure for those celebrating stepping up milestones, graduations, and other achievements are honored and recognized. We continue to assemble resources for our families as we all confront this challenge:
• Offering our counseling program, ADAPP, which continues to be available to you and our students. You will be hearing more from them directly in the coming week with many additional resources. We must ensure we take advantage of these resources. • Ensuring all students have access to meals, linked here are distribution sites throughout theArchdiocese. • Expanding extended year summer learning options, both remote and in person, if feasible, will continue to be explored and offered to the widest audience possible. • Working to ensure that if a family needs a device for learning and cannot afford one we secure one through loan by the school, donors or through government resources. • Partnering with Catholic Charities NY myriad of offerings, download its FindHelp App today!

As always, we will continue to update our website CatholicSchoolsNY.org with additional information, resources and updates. We join our Holy Father, Cardinal Dolan, and the Bishops of the United States, placing our trust in our Mary our Mother. We know that by entrusting ourselves to her maternal care we will feel the solace of her embrace. We remain inspired by the fact that as each day passes, we are closer to a resolution and better, happier days, united, in our schools, our churches, and our community, to teach, to learn and to pray together once more.

Sincerely,

Mr. Michael J. Deegan Superintendent of Schools Archdiocese of New York    WWW.CATHOLICSCHOOLSNY.ORG

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Dear St. Benedict Family,

I pray that you had a blessed and peaceful Easter! May the peace of Our risen Christ shine upon us all during this most difficult time.

Below, please find the latest information that I have received from our superintendent of schools, Mr. Michael Deegan. Highlighted in his letter is a new tentative date of school closures through May 22nd and the approval of Zoom video conferencing with our student body. Please click on the link below regarding the implementation of Zoom within our school communities.

By now kindergarten-grade 8 students should have been able to download their third marking period report card. If you were not able to download it, please feel free to send me an email or contact the school and I will send you a copy via email.

As I become aware of additional information I will relay the messsage to each of you.

Our teachers will continue teaching via online remote learning during this extended school closure peroiod and all grades will be counted towards the last marking period of this school year.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me a the school office.

Please stay safe and possitive!

Respectfully,

Mr. V
Principal
St. Benedict School

April 20, 2020

Dear Catholic School Community,

Joy is what the Easter season is all about! Given the context of the COVID-19 crisis, we are assured the Light of the Risen Christ erases the gloom of sadness. This Light has never been more tangible in our lifetime. After four decades as a Catholic educator, I have never been prouder of our extended Catholic school community. We are bound by our shared faith and commitment to our mission of educating each child. Together we have adapted and will continue to overcome the obstacles placed in front of us by this global pandemic.

As we return from Easter break and resume home-based learning, I am providing several important updates below:

Following recommendations of the Health and Safety Task Force of the Office of the Superintendent, Catholic Elementary Schools in the Archdiocese of New York will remain closed through Friday, May 22, 2020, since the well-being of our children and teachers is our preeminent responsibility.

There has been a lot of information in the news about Zoom, a tool we use to teach your children digitally. Before we adopted any tool, the Office of the Superintendent of Schools worked with our Safe Environment Office and the Office of Legal Affairs. We had proactively recommended many if not all of the education security measures which were then adopted by Zoom for educator accounts. We strongly encourage you to also review the internet safety materials posted on our website, continue to monitor your children's online activities and have an open dialogue with them about internet safety. Click here to view updated and additional information about Zoom on our website.

For all of us, these times remain challenging, please know that our counselors and mental health professionals are an email or phone call away. I have linked my letter from March 25, 2020 which has all of the contact information. I have also posted new resources on our website.

Last week, Cardinal Dolan and I participated in a call with Senator Charles Schumer (NY) to thank the senator for his support as well as to advocate for additional relief for our families and our schools. We remain engaged in working to ensure local, city, state and federal government deliver all the support and services our students are entitled to and deserve.

Our website CatholicSchoolsNY.org continues to be the best source for timely updates and information about home-based learning, as well as parent and family resources including additional materials helpful to your loved ones going forward.

With prayers for your continued health and happiness,

Mr. Michael J. Deegan
Superintendent of Schools
Archdiocese of New York

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Dear Parents,

I pray that this email finds you and your family safe and sound!

Happy second week of remote learning. In speaking with the teachers and many of you, the first week went pretty smoothly. Please remember that the children must log on DAILY for attendance. The teachers have posted their weekly assignments via GOOGLE CLASSROOM and assignments should be submitted back to the teachers via GOOGLE CLASSROOM by their respective due dates. Some of the teachers will begin Video Conferencing this week with their respective classes. Attached, please find the ADNY Telecommunication Policy for your review and consideration. It is the same policy that is highlighted in our St. Benedict School Parent/Student Handbook and Calendar for the 2019-2020 School Year. I already have your parent/student signatures on file from September 2019, there is NO NEED TO SIGN THE FORM AGAIN. Teachers will be highlighting ground rules with regards to student expectations during video conferencing on their first session with the children.

The Philadelphia field trip that was scheduled to take place on April 2nd for our 7th grade students will be rescheduled upon our return to school. It will either take place in May or June or early September for our then 8th grade students. Don't worry we will go to Philadelphia sooner or later.

Late this past Friday, I learned of the fact that THIRD MARKING PERIOD REPORT CARDS WILL BE GENERATED for students in grades Kindergarten - Grade 8.  Pre-Kindergarten students only receive report cards twice a year (January & June) therefore it does not affect you at this time. TADS/EDUCATE has been turned OFF TO THE PARENTS at this time so that teachers may begin finalizing all report cards in anticipation of their ELECTRONIC RELEASE TO PARENTS scheduled to take place on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8th.   All assignments that began during the remote learning period will be counted towards the FOURTH MARKING PERIOD. Please be sure that all financial obligations are up-to-date through the March 15th Smart Tuition Invoice.

Easter Break will begin on Thursday, April 9th - Friday, April 17th. Students and teachers will UNPLUG during Easter Break so that we all may have some down time and enjoy the time off and not have to worry about submitting assignments.

Once again NYS EXAMS for students in grades 3-8 have been CANCELLED for this year which include ELA & Math.

Confirmation has been postponed to Saturday, May 30th. First Holy Communion has been postponed to Saturday, June 13th.

Upon our return to school, the St. Benedict School Calendar Raffle drawing will take place. I will ask four of our children to pull each winning ticket and send parents a copy of the video link. Good luck to each of you!

For all intensive purposes, I am hoping that we will return to school on Monday, April 20th. However, I am awaiting further directives from the Archdiocese of New York. As soon as I hear anything I will let you know immediately.

Please be sure to re-register your child BEFORE APRIL 15th. Currently, the incentive savings is a $100 dollar per child.

Miss you all very much! Please stay safe.

St. Benedict, Pray for Us!
Our Lady Queen of Peace, Pray for Us!
Cardinal Cooke -Servant of God, Pray for Us!

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

I pray that this email finds you well.

I can't thank you enough for stopping by the school on Wednesday to gather some of your children's instructional materials as to better prepare them for remote learning which officially begins on Monday, March 23rd.

Student Instruction

Teachers will be working remotely on Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:30 am and 2:30 pm. However, students and teachers are NOT EXPECTED to be online via their electronic device during that time frame in its entirety. This timeframe may include instructional time, completion of independent student assignments, submitting assignments and viewing of instructional materials such as Youtube to help reinforce new materials being covered.

Our Kg - Grade 8 Teachers will be posting assignments in GOOGLE CLASSROOM/CALENDAR. I would respectfully ask that parents download the Google Classroom platform onto your electronic device of choice, ie. IPad, Laptop, Tablet, Chromebook. Mr. Mojica will be sending out directions on how to download GOOGLE CLASSROOM/CALENDAR under separate cover shortly. If you have any questions regarding downloading of such platforms please email Mr. Mojica at amojica@stbenedictsschool.com and he would be more than happy to assist you.

PK3 & PK 4 Teachers will continue to email parents as a group and attach appropriate work to keep our students academically engaged and challenged.

KG - Grade 8 Teachers will post assignments in GOOGLE CLASSROOM/CALENDAR. Assignments will be posted at the very least, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. However, some teachers will be posting assignments for the entire week on either a Sunday or Monday and the students may work on those assignments and submit those assignments in GOOGLE CLASSROOM at their leisure throughout the week. Teachers will be posting the student grade in GOOGLE CLASSROOM. All assignments submitted will be counted towards the fourth quarter for this school year.

As indicated in Mr. Deegan's email to parents last night, "Given the realities of multiple students in the same home working with one device, students working with multiple teachers, (junior high school students) or having to complete their assignments at different times of the day, teachers will provide directions and expectations specifically to their students that include a suggested schedule for the day, submission of assignments, web-based resources and other directions that can support you as you support your child's learning at home." Case in point, we will be flexible! Don't stress.

I have asked all homeroom teachers to email their respective classes a SCHEDULE for the children to follow along with at home. Parents will receive those schedules by this Sunday evening the latest.

Teachers will check their emails on a daily basis and return parent emails in a timely manner between the hours of 8:30 am - 2:30 pm.

I would respectfully ask that parents NOT ASSIST students with such platforms as Dreambox Math and Read Theory. If parents complete the work on behalf of their child, the grade level achieved is not reflective of the students ability. It is okay for them to make mistakes.

Assignments will include review of prior learned materials and NEW MATERIALS (which will follow the Common Core Learning Standards). New work may be taught via Youtube or instructional videos ie. Great Minds for Eureka, Khan Academy, Dreambox, Sadlier Religion etc. As highlighted in Mr. Deegan email yesterday, teachers are discouraged from using livestream video as to protect the safety and well being of all parties involved.

I have asked the Junior High School Teachers to make themselves available each day for questions being that the children deal with multiple teachers and assignments on a given day. Please be on the lookout for further directions from the middle school teachers Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Diaz, Mr. Piacquadio and Mrs. Villani.

Assignments will be reflected in GOOGLE CLASSROOM AND then transcribed into TADSEducate. Please note that Educate will be turned off to parents during this time, per the Archdiocese of New York directives.

Special Subject Teachers

Will also post assignments on a weekly basis ie, Art, Music and Physical Education via your child's homeroom teacher Google Calendar.

Housekeeping

For the time being REPORT CARDS WILL NOT be generated for the third marking period, per the Archdiocese of New York directives.

A tuition policy is being worked upon by the Archdiocese of New York. As soon as I receive such policy, I will share with each of you.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.

St. Benedict, Pray for Us!
Our Lady Queen of Peace, Pray for Us!
Cardinal Cooke, Servant of God, Pray for Us!

Respectfully,
Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear St. Benedict School Community,

I pray this email finds you well. I am sorry for sending this email out so late, but I am anxious to keep you informed on what is going on in our school community. I have been in the building the past two days and words can't express how emotional I have become. Ordinarilly our school building is buzzing with the life and energy of our beautiful children, dedicated teachers and remarkable staff. This has not been the case the past two days! The building is eerily quiet without the bubbling excitement and laughter of the children. I can't wait for life to get back to normal!

Attahced, please find an important message from our Suprintendent of Schools, Mr. Michael J. Deegan. In short, his letter highlights the following:

1. Remote learning will officially begin on Monday, March 23rd. However, in most cases our teachers have already begun posting assignments and will continue to do so through April 20th so that our students will stay on top of their studies.

2. Smart Tuition Late Fees will be suspended for the remainder of this school year. The ADNY is also actively working on a finacial plan that hopefully may help to ease the financial burden during this most difficult time. Additional information will be forthcoming.

3. Social workers will be available through the ADAPP program.

4. Our students, regardless of family income, will be eligible to receive "grab and go" lunch at designated NYCDOE Public Feeding Sites.

5. Students in grades 3-8 will NOT participate in the NYS Testing Program this year!

Rest assured, I will continue to keep you informed as I receive further directives and clarrification from the Archdiocese of New York.

Have a good evening.

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

As promised, attached, please find the latest information that I have received regarding all Catholic Elementary Schools within the ADNY to be closed through April 20, 2020.

Our dedicated teachers will continue to provide academic instruction through remote learning platform.

I will be in the school building this Wednesday, March 18th, beginning at 8 am to provide our students the opportunity to pick up any workbooks/textbooks in order to successful prepare for this extended remote learning experience.

Please understand that I am completely devastated about this extended closure, however, I want nothing more but to ensure the safety and well building for all members of our school community.

If you have not received any of my Phone IRIS Alerts, please send me an email with your updated contact information and I will input that information into the IRIS System immediately.

Thanking you in advance for your continued cooperation.

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents and Students,

I pray this email finds you well!

So as of this moment, all ADNY Elementary Schools will be closed through Friday, March 20th. God willing, classes should resume on Monday, March 23rd. Unfortunately, I will have to cancel the Calendar Raffle Dinner that was scheduled for next Friday evening. I will pull the four winning raffle tickets upon our return to school and Mr. Mojica will live stream the drawing and send it to parents as he did on the day of our Christmas Show. I was so looking forward to the evening, as the food was going to be prepared by our very own Mr. Marrero, father of Sebastian, Olivia and Gabriel.

The Throggs Neck St.Patrick's Day Parade scheduled for Sunday, March 15th has been POSTPONED. According to their Facebook post it may take place in September 2020, therefore St. Benedict School will not be marching this Sunday:(

The Catholic Schools Bronx-wide Science Fair Scheduled for Thursday, March 19th has been CANCELLED.

I am awaiting to hear if the NYS ELA Exams are going to be administered to students in grades 3-8 the week of March 23. I would hope that the New York State Board of Regents postpone or cancel the exams all together with all that is going on. Again, that is above my paygrade and awaiting further instructions from the Superintendent of School Office.

The 7th Grade Field Trip to PA scheduled for Thursday, April 2nd has been CANCELLED. Once we return to school we will refund parents their money. I just hope that the tour guide and bus company refund us all of our money. I do not want to take any chances at this time therefore I am cancelling the trip. I was very much looking forward to this field trip. God willing we will plan for this trip in the Fall of 2020 for our future 8th graders.

Before the days end, Grade 1 - Grade 8 teachers will be posting assignments on GOOGLE CALENDAR. Being that we were scheduled to have no classes Monday or Tuesday, they will only be posting assignments for Wednesday-Friday of next week.

If you need to email any of your teachers here below are their individual school email addresses:

pposimato@stbenedictsschool.com
jpricoli@stbenedictsschool.com
rleone@stbenedictsschool.com (Mrs. Fragoso's maiden name)
jchin@stbenedictsschool.com
dserafin@stbenedictsschool.com
jberardini@stbenedictsschool.com
mroman@stbenedictsschool.com
ssiciliano@stbenedictsschool.com
csanchez@stbenedictsschool.com
adiaz@stbenedictsschool.com
bpiacquadio@stbenedictsschool.com
mvillani@stbenedictsschool.com
mkearns@stbenedictsschool.com
amojica@stbenedictsschool.com

I think I covered all for now. As soon as I receive any other updates, I will be sure to email you in a timely manner.

Respectfully,
Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

I pray this email finds you well! Please be adivised that I sent a RED IRIS ALERT as soon as I learned of the fact that ALL CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED ALL OF NEXT WEEK FROM 3/16/2020 - 3/20/2020. I understand that the IRIS SYSTEM is delayed in making all of the phone calls because all of the schools are utilizing the system.

The teachers and I will be meeting tomorrow to discuss remote online learning in necessary.

As of this moment, classes should resume on Monday, March 23rd. As soon as I am made aware of any information, rest assured I will inform you accordingly.

Fr. Norton and Fr. Dan have infomed me that Confirmation is tentatively still on for Saturday, March 28th. If anything should change, I will notify you asap.

Please see Mr. Michael Deegan, Superintendent of Schools, Press Release below.

Thank you for your attention in this important matter.

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello

Principal

St. Benedict School

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Thursday, March 12, 2020) Superintendent of Catholic Schools Mr. Michael J. Deegan has announced Catholic Schools within the Archdiocese of New York will close all elementary schools in our system effective Monday, March 16 2020 until Friday March 20 ^th,2020, with the possibility of a lengthier closure. Informed by expert health officials and the Health and Safety Task Force of the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, this decision was made out of an abundance of caution. The health and safety of our students, staff and families is of the utmost importance.

Additionally, after consultation with the leadership of the Catholic Youth Organizations and the Catholic High School Athletic Associations, all activities and all sporting events and practices have been cancelled indefinitely.

We are continuing to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19 (Coronavirus). It is rapidly changing and we are closely following the advice of city, state and federal health officials We will keep you informed.

We truly understand that taking this action may cause some disruption to our families, but we strongly believe that these measures taken now will have the greatest success of decreasing risk to the whole community.

Over recent days our dedicated principals and teachers have been preparing educational materials for ongoing home-based learning to ensure our students continue to be academically engaged

Please refer to our website www.CatholicSchoolsNY.org for updates and links to best practices for staying healthy as well as links to the U.S. State Department, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization and other resources.

For more than two centuries, Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of New York have taught and nurtured children from diverse backgrounds and successfully provided students with the life-changing opportunities that are inherent in a Catholic education. Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New York currently serve more than 62,000 students from PreK through 12^th grade at more than 200 schools across nine counties and three boroughs throughout New York. That includes Manhattan, Staten Island, Bronx, and seven counties including Westchester, Orange, Dutchess, Rockland, Sullivan, Putnam and Ulster.

High Schools and Private Independent Catholic Schools closures are made independently of the Superintendent of Schools Office.

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Dear Parents,

I pray this email finds you well!

Please join me in congratulating the Students of the Month for March 2020. This month's value is "Mercy." The students below have received a certificate of merit and a N.U.T (no uniform for today) card.

Respectfully,
Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

Student of the Month

Grade	Value of the Month "Mercy"
PK 3	Luke Reidy
PK 4	Sophia Johnson
Kindergarten	Julian Gonzalez
Grade 1	Isabelle Sampson
Grade 2	Dominic Filippone
Grade 3	Brian Vega
Grade 4	Isabella Santiago
Grade 5	Kaylee Maisonette
Grade 6	Jonathan Magnuson
Grade 7-32	Lucas Quintana
Grade 7-39	Alyssa Sill
Grade 8	Nia Bligen

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Dear Parents,

I pray this email finds you well!

Lent will begin this coming Wednesday, however, before you know it spring will be in the air and we will rejoice in the peace of our risen Christ!

Just a few friendly reminders for the month of March.

Monday, March 2nd spring fundraiser ends! Please remember that if you opted for the $250 pre-pay option, you do NOT have to sell any chocolate and/or catalog items. We still have boxes of chocolate available in the main office, if you wish to sell.

Tuesday, March 3rd & Tuesday, March 24th are "Touring Tuesdays." Please encourage your family and friends to visit our beautiful school and become a part of our St. Benedict Family.

Friday, March 6th is a half day. The children will be attending the 8:30 am Parish Mass and dismissal is at 11:30 am. Lunch and aftercare are available for those students registered in the programs. We will also be hosting the Father/Daughter Dance in the school auditorium from 6:30-9:30 pm!

Sunday, March 8th Daylight Savings Time begins. Please "spring" ahead one hour.

Monday, March 9th, Progress reports for the 3rd Marking Period will be sent home with the children.

Tuesday, March 10th (grades 6 & 8) and Wednesday, March 11th (both grade 7 classes) respectfully, will be going to confessions.

Please pray for our second grade children as they will be receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time on Thursday, March 12th at 1:05 pm at St. Benedict Church. Parents are most welcome to attend.

Friday, March 13th St. Benedict School will be CLOSED as the teachers and I have a professional development conference day to attend.

Please join us on Sunday, March 15th at the Throggs Neck St. Patrick's Day Parade. St. Benedict School will be marching once again! Students may show their support by wearing their spirit wear and/or sports uniform/cheerleading uniform. "Benny the Raven", our school mascot will be marching too! Please pray for a beautiful day.

Monday, March 16th & Tuesday, March 17th St. Benedict School will be CLOSED. However, in the event of snow, Monday, March 16th will be our first SNOW GIVE BACK DAY!

First prize winners of the St. Benedict School Science Fair will represent our school at the Bronx Science Fair on Thursday, March 19th at Mount Saint Michael Academy for Boys beginning at 3:00 pm. I will be sending a separate email to the parents of our grade level first prize winners as we draw closer to the Bronx Science Fair which will contain all the final details.

Friday March 20th we will have our Green Dress Down Day in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Students may wear something green. They may wear jeans (no holes/rips). Please join us at 7 pm at our annual St. Benedict School Raffle Dinner. Please RSVP to this email if you plan on attending. Adults only. Please be advised that raffle tickets will be sent home with your youngest child today. Please remember you already paid for this raffle ticket and it was billed in your January 2020 Smart Tuition Invoice. If you wish to purchase additional raffle tickets, please contact the school office.

The NYS ELA Exams for students in grades 3-8 will take place on Tuesday, March 24th - Thursday, March 26th. Please no absences!

There will be two Confirmation Mass on the SAME DAY, Saturday, March 28, 2020.

9:30 am Class 7-39 (Confirmation Practice for Candidates & Sponsors is on Tuesday, March 24th from 7-8 pm at St. Benedict Church)

12:00 pm Class 7-32 (Confirmation Practice for Candidates & Sponsors is on Thursday, March 26th from 7-8 pm at St. Benedict Church)

The Parent Organization will be selling Palm Crosses on the weekends of March 28th & 29th and April 4th & 5th immediately after each Mass at St. Benedict's Church. Palm Crosses may be purchased for $10 each.

If you have not re-registered your child for the 2020-2021 school year, please do so BEFORE April 15th at the reduced rate of $125 per child. After April 15th the cost will increase to $225 per child:(

*** As you can see/hear from all the infomercials on television and on the radio, The United States Census 2020 will open up (electronically) on March 12th. It is crucial that all households submit this information to the Census Bureau so that our families receive what they are entitled to. For example, healthcare and educational funding for private schools such as St. Benedict's. Please see the attached newsletter regarding the importance of submitting the Census 2020. Remember this information is completed every TEN years.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.

St. Benedict, Pray for Us!
Our Lady Queen of Peace, Pray for Us!
Cardinal Cooke Servant of God, Pray for Us!

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear St. Benedict Family,

Thank you for allowing St. Benedict School to be a part of your family! It is on days such as this that I am glad I am back in a school setting! The children, faculty & staff make this vocation as a Catholic School Educator all the worth while.
Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day!

Love and Prayers,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

Please join me in congratulating the Students of the Month for February 2020. This month's values are Love & Charity. The students below have received a Merit Certificate and a N.U.T (no uniform today) Coupon.

Student of the Month
February 2020

Grade	Values of the Month "Love & Charity"
PK 3	Tristan Scott
PK 4	Elianna Vasquez
Kindergarten	Francesca Trotta
Grade 1	Ariela Maracaj
Grade 2	Leila Mendoza
Grade 3	Chasary Cruz
Grade 4	Rocco Caputo
Grade 5	Adilen Vallines
Grade 6	Emily Aristy
Grade 7-32	Jalyn Alonzo
Grade 7-39	Stephanie Rodriguez
Grade 8	Laiya Mendoza

Respectfully,
Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

I pray that this email finds you well!

The tuition and fees for the 2020-2021 School Year have been approved by the Regional Board of the Northeast/East Bronx.

Total tuition & fees per child has increased $125 annually, which translates to $12.50 increase per child. This is a modest increase of 1.98%.

*** Families with INCOMING Kindergarten Children may apply for a TADS FINANCIAL AID SCHOLARSHIP (depending on your household size and income) as Kindergarten children are considered "new" to our school.

Tuition will be billed through SMART TUITION and payable in ten monthly installments beginning August 2020- May 2021.
Smart Tuition Fee = Remains $40 per family.
Fundraising = Remains $350 (or option to pre-pay once again in the amount of $250 DUE IN NOVEMBER 2020 VIA SMART TUITION)
Mandatory Raffle= Remains at $100 DUE IN JANUARY of 2021 VIA SMART TUITION.

THE APPLICATION FEE of $125 PER CHILD  PAYABLE TO TADS DUE BY APRIL 15th. AFTER APRIL 15th, IT WILL BE INCREASED TO $225 PER CHILD. THEREFORE, PLEASE RE-REGISTER EARLY!

All in all, these increases are VERY MODEST due to the rising costs of day-to-day operational expenses.

As was the case last year, returning families will receive a PERSONALIZED TUITION LETTER FOR THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR. These letters will be sent home once they are made available to me sometime next week. Attached, please find the approved rate sheet for the 2020-2021 School Year. As was the case last year, families with multiple children enrolled at St. Benedict School will receive the Archdiocesan Family Grant for each child.

Parents will receive an email FOR EACH CHILD from SUPPORT@TADS.COM on Wednesday, February 5, 2020. Please use the LINK IN THE EMAIL(S) RECEIVED and log on to your TADS ACCOUNT with the SAME USERNAME & PASSWORD you used for this school year. Parents are asked to view and confirm the correct information for the 2020-2021 school year. Seats are only reserved once the application fee has been paid to TADS.

As always, should you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me at your convenience.

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

I pray that this email finds you well!

Just a few reminders as we approach the month of February. God willing the Groundhog will not see its shadow and it will feel like spring before you know it. From my lips to God's ears! Snow is expected for this Saturday:(

Please come out and support our St. Benedict School Basketball Teams. Closing Day for Basketball is Saturday, February 1, 2020.

10:00 - Gidgets vs. Holy Cross
11:10 - Midgets - Bantams vs. Our Lady of Mount Carmel
12:20 - JVG vs. St. Gabriel's
1:30 - JVB vs. St. Frances DeChantal School- Blue
2:40 - VG vs. St. Gabrie'ls
3:50 - VB vs. St. Helena's

Wednesday, February 5th, 2020 All parents will receive a link from TADS inviting you to re-register your child(ren). Please click on the link in the email. Parents will receive one email for each child. The link will take you to the TADS homepage. Please log into your TADS Account with the same email and password you used for this school year. If you forgot your password, they will email you your password if you click "Forgot Password." Please re-register your child(ren) before April 15th, 2020 at the reduced rate of $125 per child. After April 15th, the cost will increase to $225 per child. If you do not receive the email on February 5th, please check your spam folder, if not there, please contact the main office immediately and Mrs. Foley will resend you the welcome email. I am happy to report that the tuition only went up $12.50 per month, per child. All other fees remained the same. The official tuition rates will be forthcoming in a week or so.

Monday, February 3rd the Spring Fundraiser will begin. Mr. Mojica will send an email out once the World's Finest Chocolate arrives. Please come to the main office to SIGN OUT the boxes of chocolate. If you opted for the $250 prepay YOU DO NOT NEED TO SELL THE CHOCOLATE/CATALOG ITEMS as you have already met your fundraising obligation for this year.

Friday, February 7th is a Half of day. Please join us at the 8:30 am Parish Mass. Dismissal is at 11:30 am. Lunch and Aftercare will be available for those students registered in the programs.

Tuesday, February 11th is "Touring Tuesday" for perspective families. Please encourage your family and friends to visit our school and become a vital part of the St. Benedict's School Community. Our students in Grades 3-8 will also take the NYS Simulation Online Exams today.

Thursday, February 13th Report Cards for the second marking period will be sent home with the children. Please be sure that you are up-to-date with all of your financial obligations through January 31st. These obligations include tuition, breakfast, lunch, morning care, aftercare, fundraising fees, and graduation fees. Unfortunately, if all financial obligations have not been fulfilled, your child WILL NOT receive his or her report card on the afternoon of February 13th. Students will also be sent home with the MAP Parent Report. This report will illustrate how your child did on the Winter 2020 Assessment compared to the Fall 2019 Assessment. Please also take a look at the MAP's projection for the student performance on this years NYS ELA & MATH Exam. Prociecency on those exams is a Level 3.

Friday, February 14th is Saint Valentine's Day. The students may DRESS DOWN in appropriate school wear in the colors of pink, red, or white. Please do NOT go out and buy anything special for your children to wear. I am sure they have something in their closets that will help spread the love around St. Benedict School.

Monday & Tuesday, February 17th and 18th, St. Benedict School will be CLOSED in observance of President's Day! Classes will resume on Wednesday, February 19th. However, BUSSING WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE Wednesday-Friday of President's Week as the NYC Public Schools will be closed through Friday.

Wednesday, February 26th is the beginning of Lent it is Ash Wednesday. Yes, I can't believe it's already Lent, it feels like just yesterday we were preparing for the season of Advent! Students in grades 3-8 will be attending the 8:30 am Parish Mass. Please feel free to join us at the 8:30 am Parish Mass.

On Thursday, February 27th our 8th graders will be taking their graduation pictures in our school auditorium.

Lastly, a very big thank you to our very own Mr. and Mrs. Tony Reyes for their very generous donation made to St. Benedict School. I was able to have professionally installed the latest floating laminate flooring installed in the Kindergarten Classroom. It is much cleaner in the event of spills and accidents, one quick mopping and all is clean. May God continue to bless all of your efforts on behalf of our beloved school.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.

St. Benedict, Pray for Us!
Our Lady Queen of Peace, Pray for Us!
Cardinal Cooke Servant of God, Pray for Us!

Respectfully,
Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

Please join me in congratulating the Students of the Month for January 2020. This months value is Perseverance. The student's below have received a certificate of merit and a NUT Coupon (no uniform for today).

Congratulations to all!

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

Student of the Month
January 2020

Value of the Month	"Perserverence"
Pre-Kindergarten 3	Liam Reyes-Lopez
Pre-Kindergarten 4	Dicarlos Martinez
Kindergarten	Eric Bachelder
Grade 1	Lam Troung
Grade 2	Tiano Salgado
Grade 3	Jose Reyes
Grade 4	Megan Sheridan
Grade 5	Matthew Rivera
Grade 6	Joseph DeRosa
Grade 7-32	Brianie Espinal
Grade 7-39	Jacklyn Aylward
Grade 8	Danielle DeMattia

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Dear Parents,

This week has been very hectic with the school trip, Christmas show and all the Christmas parties, but I would not trade it in for the world. It certainly is the most wonderful time of the year. The children have done an amazing job, especially in their Christmas show, they sung their hearts out!

Thank you for allowing St. Benedict School to be a small part of your family. We are so very blessed at St. Benedict's to have such an amazing pastor, Fr. Norton, Parachial Vicor, Fr. Dan, teachers, aides and staff. Our school is the very special place it is because of all that people that make up our school community.

On behalf of the entire St. Benedict School Community, please accept my warmest wishes for a very a very Merry Christmas & Happy and Healthy New Year!

Until, 2020, peace and prayers,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School
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Dear Parents,

I pray this email finds you well!

In my January 2020 Principal Newsletter, I indicated that Kindergarten - Grade 8 Students will be taking the second round of Online MAP Testing. These assessments will begin on January 7, 2020. In late January or early February parents will be receiving a MAP Growth Family Report.

Attached, you will find a SAMPLE MAP Growth Family Report, which is a summary of how a child may performing academically, as measured by a typical MAP Growth test. These tests and scores help teachers check student performance by measuring achievement and growth. Teachers use these results to tailor classroom lessons and set goals for students.

MAP Growth tests are unique, and it adapts to your child’s responses to measure your child’s skill level. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. These results will provide a more complete picture of what your child knows and is ready to learn—whether it is on, above, or below their grade level.

Since MAP Growth tests provide immediate and accurate information about your child’s learning, it’s easy for teachers to identify students with similar scores that are generally ready for instruction in similar skills and topics, and then plan instruction accordingly.
Your child’s MAP Growth results are represented as RIT scores. A RIT score is the overall score for a subject based on a Rasch Unit (RIT), and you’ll see it referenced in the Family Report your teacher will share with you.

Please emphasize to your child that they should try their very best on these assessments.

If you have questions, please contact either myself or your child's homeroom teacher.

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

Click Here To View Sample

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Dear Parents,

Happy Advent!

Just a few reminders for the last week of school before we prepare in celebrating the festivities of Christmas Break with our beautiful families and friends!

Friday, December 13th Progress reports for the second marking period will be sent home with students in grades 1-8. Please remember this is only progress made thus far, we still have four full weeks upon our return from Christmas Break. Please sign and return your child's progress report by Monday, December 16th.

Wednesday, December 18th is the day of Kindergarten - Grade 8 school trip to see "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" The yellow busses will leave St. Benedict School by 9:30 am. If you were chosen as a chaperone, please report to the school auditorium by 9:00 am. The children may wear their gym uniform on the school trip.

Thursday, December 19th our Christmas Show will begin promptly at 1:00 pm, doors will open at 12:45 pm.   IF YOUR SCHEDULE PERMITS YOU MAY ATTEND OUR DRY RUN AT 8:30 AM INSTEAD OF COMING TO THE 1:00 PM SHOW. However, please keep in mind some of the students will not be in full costumes for the first dry run.

Pre-K students may wear their Christmas Pajamas to school on Thursday.
Students in grades 1 & 2 should wear their GYM UNIFORM on Thursday.
Students in Kindergarten and grades 3-8 may DRESS UP in red and green colors. Please do not go out and buy anything special. Please NO jeans/sneakers.

Thanking you in advance, as I will NOT be dismissing any child after he/she performs in the show. All children will be dismissed at their regularly scheduled dismissal locations. If I make an exception for one, I must do it for all. Thank you for your understanding as the day of the show is a little hectic:)

Friday, December 20th BUSING will be available and it is a FULL DAY OF SCHOOL and our aftercare program WILL BE IN SESSION.   St. Benedict School will be CLOSED for Christmas Break beginning Monday, December 23- Sunday, January 5th, 2020.

A look ahead for January 2020:

Monday, January 6th classes resume.

Students in Kindergarten- Grade 8 will be taking the second ADNY Online Interim Assessment beginning the week of January 6th. Please no student absences!

Friday, January 10th is a FULL DAY of school.

Tuesdays January 7th & 28th are "Touring Tuesdays." Please encourage some of your own family members and friends to come and visit St. Benedict's during our two open houses to see all the wonderful programs we have to offer here at St. Benedict School. Please encourage your family and friends to join our St. Benedict Family!

Monday January 13th - Friday, January 17th is Mid Term Exam Week. Students in Grades 3-5 will only take a Religion Mid-Term Exam and it will be identified on their report cards as such. Students in grades 6-8 will take Mid-Term Exams in Religion, ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies and will be identified on their report card as such.

Mid-Term Exam Schedule January 2020

Monday January 13	Tuesday January 14	Wednesday January 15	Thursday January 16	Friday January 17
Religion Grades 3-5 ONLY	Mathematics Grades 6-8 ONLY	ELA Grades 6-8 ONLY	Social Studies Grades 6-8 ONLY	Religion Grades 6-8 ONLY
Science Grades 6-8 ONLY

Mid-Term Exams are worth 10% of the Final Grade for students in Grades 6-8.

Students in Grades 3-5 will ONLY take a Religion Midterm Exam and will be identified as an assignment as a “Mid Year Exam” on your child’s report card.

Wednesday, January 15th Catholic High School Acceptance notices will be mailed out to our 8th grade children. Please do NOT panic if you do not receive high school notices on Wednesday. It may take a couple of days to have the letters delivered to your respective homes. Please keep our 8th graders in your thoughts and prayers as they take their first step as they transition into high school.

Friday, January 17th is a half day. Dismissal is at 11:30 am. Lunch & Aftercare will be available for those students registered in the programs.

Monday, January 20th St. Benedict School will be CLOSED in observance of Martin Luther King Day!

***MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10th PARENTS WILL RECEIVE ON EMAIL FROM TADS INVITING FAMILIES TO RE-REGISTER THEIR CHILDREN FOR THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR. THE PROCESS IS THE SAME AS LAST YEAR. PARENTS, RECEIVE THE EMAIL, CLICK ON THE PERSONALIZED LINK WITHIN THAT EMAIL, LOG INTO YOUR TADS ACCOUNT AND RE-REGISTER YOUR CHILD. AS SIMPLE AS ONE, TWO THREE, FINGERS CROSSED. TUITION RATES FOR THE 20-21 SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE FORTHCOMING, AS SOON AS THEY ARE MADE AVAILABLE TO ME. IF YOU HAVE A YOUNGER CHILD THAT YOU WISH TO REGISTER PLEASE SUBMIT A NEW STUDENT APPLICATION VIA THE SCHOOL WEBSITE ADMISSIONS TAB/LINK AND CONTACT MRS. FOLEY ASAP.

Sunday, January 26th kicks off Catholic School Week. There will be a number of events planned for this special week. Parents will receive an email highlighting all the events towards the middle of January 2020. This is our chance to celebrate who we are as a Catholic School.

Friday, January 31st is the last day of the second marking period.

Wishing you and your beautiful families a very Blessed and Merry Christmas Season!

St. Benedict, Pray for us!
Our Lady Queen of Peace, Pray for us!
Cardinal Cooke Servant of God, Pray for us!

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

Please join me in congratulating the Students of the Month for December 2019. This months the value is "HOPE." The students below have received a certificate of merit and a NUT (no uniform for today) coupon. Congratulations!

Value of the Month-December 2019	"Hope"
Pre-K 3	Zander Colon
Pre- K 4	Salvatore Natale
Kindergarten	Leni Santiago
Grade 1	Khloe Guzman
Grade 2	Liam Lara
Grade 3	Lauren Pagan
Grade 4	Joseph Santiago
Grade 5	Raul Maisonet
Grade 6	Kaely Lanfranco
Grade 7-32	Anthony Musacchio
Grade 7-39	Daniel Pombo
Grade 8	Christian Freeman

Tomorrow we will be attending the 8:30 am Parish Mass. Following our Mass, we will light our Christmas Tree in front of our school. Students are welcome to bring in an ornament to hang on the Christmas Tree if they wish.

Tickets are still on sale for students in PK3- grade 4 for this Saturday's "Cocoa with Santa" scheduled to take place in our school auditorium from 11-1 pm.

Monday is the last day to bring in money for our school field trip scheduled to take place on Wednesday, December 18th. We will be going to see "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Thinking ahead for the Christmas Show scheduled for Thursday, December 19th, students have been asking what to wear.

* PK3 & PK 4 Christmas Pajamas
* Kindergarten and Grades 3-8 "dress to impress" in Christmas Colors, red, green, gold, silver etc. Please no jeans or sneakers
* Grades 1 & 2 gym uniform as they will transform into our live nativity scene.

That is all for now.
Have a great day!

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

Happy Thanksgiving Season. Less than one week away, before we sit down and enjoy the company of family and friends and thank God for all his blessings upon each of us!

It certainly is the most wonderful time of the year! A few highlights below for the month of December. I could swear it was just the first day of school and we were praying for cooler weather!

Calling all 8th Grade Parents, just a reminder that the NYC Public High School Application (up to twelve choices/ranked in order of preference) are due back to me by Monday, December 2, 2019. I will then input all of your choices into the NYC Myschools Portal.

The second "Touring Tuesday" of the year is scheduled for December 3rd. Please encourage family and friends to come and visit St. Benedict School between 9:00-11:00 am. On Tuesday, December 3rd at 1:05 pm students in Grades 3-5 will have an opportunity to go to Confession at the Church. On Wednesday, December 4th, at 1:05 pm students in Grades 6-8 will have an opportunity to go to Confession at the Church.

TADS Financial Aid Applications for incoming Kindergarten Students for the 2020-2021 School Year will open up on Wednesday, December 4th, 2019. I am encouraging ALL OF MY CURRENT PK4 PARENTS TO APPLY FOR A TADS FINANCIAL AID SCHOLARSHIP beginning Wednesday, December 4th. Re-registration for all other students will open up on Monday, February 10, 2020.

Friday, December 6th is a half day. Dismissal is at 11:30 am. Lunch and Aftercare will be available. Please join us at the 8:30 am Parish Mass. Upon our return to school, we will be lighting our Christmas Tree in the front of the school.

Saturday, December 7th, The Parent Organization will sponsor "Cocoa with Santa" in the school auditorium from 11:00-1:00 pm for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 4 children. Tickets are $10.00 per student & $6.00 per sibling, an email went out earlier this week.

Sunday, December 8th the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Holy Day of Obligation.)

Tuesday-Thursday December 10-12th St. Benedict Parent Organization will once again sponsor their annual "Christmas Sale." Students will have an opportunity to purchase Christmas Gifts for their loved ones. Gifts range from $1.00 -$12.00. If you wish for your child to participate, please place money in a sealed envelope with your child's name, class, and labeled "Christmas Sale."

Student Progress Reports for the Second Marking Period will be sent home with the children on Friday, December 13th. Please be sure to sign and return the progress report to your child's homeroom teacher.

Santa Claus will be coming to town on Friday, December 13th to visit our Pre-K 3, 4 and Kindergarten students at 1:00 pm. Please be sure to read the letter that will be sent home by your child's homeroom teacher for further details.

I just reserved tickets for Wednesday, December 18th 10:30 am matinee viewing of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" at The Oberia Dempsey Theater located at 127 West 127th Street, New York, NY. Kindergarten - Grade 8 Students will be invited to attend this school field trip. I am not able to include my Pre-kindergarten students because the NYC busses are not equipped with car seats for my little angels. Homeroom teachers will be randomly picking chaperones for this field trip, as I was only able to purchase limited group rate tickets. You will be notified by your child's homeroom teacher if you are chosen to chaperone this field trip. Thank you for your understanding. Ticket information will be forthcoming in a separate email. Please be advised this school trip is optional, not mandatory.

Thursday, December 19th our annual Christmas Show will take place in the school auditorium beginning at 1:15 pm, doors will open at 1:00 pm. Dismissal will take place at normal times and locations. Students WILL NOT be dismissed after they perform. Aftercare WILL be available on December 19th.

Friday, December 20th will be our last day of school before the Christmas Break! Aftercare WILL BE available on Friday, December 20th.

St. Benedict School will be closed for Christmas break from Monday, December 23 through Friday, January 3rd. Classes will resume on Monday, January 6, 2020. ADNY MAP Testing will begin on Tuesday, January 7th.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, please feel free to contact me at your convenience, or simply stop by the main office.

St. Benedict, Pray for Us!
Our Lady Queen of Peace, Pray for Us!
Cardinal Cooke Servant of God, Pray for Us!

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

Happy Monday!

Please join me in congratulating the Students of the Month for November 2019. The value of the month is "Gratitude." The students below have received a certificate of merit and a NUT (no uniform for today) coupon.

Congratulations one and all.

Also, just as a reminder, St. Benedict School will be closed this Wednesday, November 6th as the teachers and I have a conference day scheduled.

This Thursday, November 7th is school Spirit Day. The students may wear their purchased Spirit Day Tee Shirts, or any other St. Benedict Tee/Sweatshirt, including the Gym Uniform. The students may wear jeans in lieu of the gym uniform pants.

Value of the Month-November 2019	"Gratitude"
Pre-K 3	Samantha Martinez
Pre- K 4	Annalise Maldonado
Kindergarten	Miloh Perez
Grade 1	Sean Dodwell
Grade 2	Zoe Hajdari
Grade 3	Victoria Mineiro
Grade 4	Josiah Lugo
Grade 5	Karinah Diaz
Grade 6	Aidan Sheridan
Grade 7-32	Frankie Tienken
Grade 7-39	Henry Roberts
Grade 8	Sage Rodriguez

Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

I pray this email finds you well.

A big Thank You for all your support and your continued generosity with Friday's Breast Cancer Dress Down Day. We raised $1,321 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Just a few reminders as we head into the third month of school, yes, third month can you believe it!

Friday, November 1st is All Saints Day. Please join us at the 8:30 am Parish Mass at St. Benedict's Church for this Holy Day of Obligation. Friday will be a half day with dismissal at 11:30 am. Lunch & aftercare will be available for those students registered in the programs.

Sunday, November 3rd please "fall back" ONE HOUR as daylight savings time comes to an end.

Monday, November 4th fall fundraiser ends!

St. Benedict School will be CLOSED on Wednesday, November 6th for our 4th Conference Day. Students do NOT have to report to school on this day.

Thursday, November 7th is St. Benedict School Spirit Day. All students may dress down and wear their purchased St. Benedict Spirit Day Tee Shirt or Gym Uniform Shirt ONLY. There will be various activities planned for the students and faculty that will take place in the gymnasium on the afternoon of November 7th.

Friday, November 8th Please keep our 8th grade students in your thoughts and prayers as they will be taking the TACHS (Test for Acceptance into Catholic High Schools) Test. The first marking period ends today.

St. Benedict's Opening Basketball Day is Saturday, November 9th.

10:00 - Gidgets - Clares
11:10 - Midgets - Gabriels
12:20 - JVG - Villa
1:30 - JVB - Theresa
2:40 - VG - Clares
3:50 - VB- OLA

St. Benedict School will be CLOSED for Veteran's Day on Monday, November 11th. Please join St. Benedict School at the Bronx Veteran's Day Parade on Sunday, November 10th. We will join at the intersection of East Tremont and Lafayette Avenue at 11:00 am. The parade will begin at 12:00 pm. The route of the parade will begin at this point and end at the Veterans' Memorial Park, which is located along the Veterans' Memorial Drive.

"Touring Tuesday" is scheduled for Tuesday, November 19th from 9-11 am. . Please spread the word to prospective parents. It's their chance to come and spend a few hours at St. Benedict School to take a first hand look at all the great things we have to offer at St. Benedict's! Before you know it, the registration for the 2020-2021school year will begin!

Our 7th Grade Students will be going to Don Bosco Marian Shrine in Stony Point New York for their Confirmation Retreat on Tuesday, November 19th. Parents please be sure to sign and return the ADNY Permission Slip to Fr. Dan Tuite.

Parent Teacher Report Card Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, November 21st from 3-5 pm and 6-8 pm. Appointments are NOT necessary. Please be sure that ALL FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS ARE UP-TO-DATE, so that you may be able to meet with your child's teacher and discuss his/her progress thus far.

Wednesday, November 27th is a half day with dismissal at 11:30 am. LUNCH AND AFTERCARE WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE. Please join us at the 9:15 am Thanksgiving School Mass at St. Benedict Church.

St. Benedict School will be CLOSED ON Thursday & Friday November 28th and 29th for Thanksgiving Recess. Classes will resume on Monday, December 2nd.

Once again St. Benedict School will be collecting canned food and non-perishable food items for our Thanksgiving Food Drive. Each homeroom will be assigned a specific food/beverage items to bring in for the food drive. Please see below.

Pre- Kindergarten 3 and 4 and Kindergarten = Dessert items (Jello, pudding boxes, muffins, cake mixes)
Grade 1 = Boxes of Stuffing
Grade 2 = Boxes of Pasta/Rice
Grade 3 = Canned Fruit
Grade 4 = Canned Vegetables
Grade 5 = Canned Gravy
Grade 6 = Canned Tomato Sauce
Grade 7 = Canned Soup
Grade 8 = Beverages

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at your convenience.

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Blessed Thanksgiving Season!

St. Benedict, Pray for Us,
Our Lady Queen of Peace, Pray for Us,
Cardinal Cooke Servant of God, Pray for Us

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

Please join me in congratulating the Students of the Month for September & October 2019. The students below will receive a NUT (No Uniform for Today) Coupon and a certificate of merit.

Congratulations to all!

Have a wonderful weekend.
Respectfully,

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

Value of the Month-September 2019	"Faith"
Pre-K 3	Aurora Maracaj
Pre- K 4	Hannah Vega
Kindergarten	Nehemiah Malave
Grade 1	Ryan Buchan
Grade 2	Nicolette Donovan
Grade 3	Amelia Fernandez
Grade 4	Ashima Bacchus
Grade 5	Elisa Polanco
Grade 6	Scott Pricoli
Grade 7-32	Daniel Schorr
Grade 7-39	Logan Schorr
Grade 8	Jake O'Keeffe

Value of the Month-October 2019	"Life/Energy"
Pre-K 3	Caleb Felix
Pre- K 4	Anthony Ortiz
Kindergarten	Nghi Troung
Grade 1	Riley Torres
Grade 2	Trayvon Jean- Francois
Grade 3	Michael Burgos
Grade 4	Nicholas Cherubino
Grade 5	Enrico Diana
Grade 6	Lauren Dominguez
Grade 7-32	Nicole Puma-Duran
Grade 7-39	Emily Gutierrez
Grade 8	Briana Cherubino

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Dear Parents,

I pray this email finds you well!

I am happy to announce that St. Benedict School, through the continued generosity of the Archdiocese of New York, has received 120 Chromebooks and 4 recharging carts!

With that being said, students in grades 4-8 will now be one to one. Meaning, that each student will receive their own Chromebook to use for the entire day. Each student will be responsible in bringing that electronic device to each class and place the Chromebook back in its charging station (cart) at the end of the day. Each student will also be responsible for their own Chromebook.

Please be advised that we are working on expanding this initiative in bringing an electronic device to students through first grade. God knows, the world of technology is ever changing and we are trying to keep up with the trends.

The Archdiocese of New York has already implemented ONLINE MAP TESTING and this year, expanding NYS Online Testing for ELA (Grades 5 & 6) and Math (Grade 3).

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact either myself or Mr. Mojica in the main office, as he is my technology guru.

Respectfully,
Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Dear Parents,

I pray that this email finds you well!  Finally, Fall has arrived, however, it still feels like summer.

First and foremost, thank you for a very smooth first month of school.
MAP testing is now behind us, at least until January (except for Kindergarten students, they will test in mid-October.

Just a few reminders for this school month:

Fall Fundraiser (World's Finest Chocolate) will begin on September 30th. Please be advised that if you opted for the $250 pre-payment option you have met your fundraising obligation for the year. Of course, if you would like to sell chocolates you are more than welcome to do so. Once again, please DO NOT send in the $60 for each box of chocolate to the main office. Mr. Mojica will notify Smart Tuition the number of boxes you have signed out and your Smart Tuition Account will be charged accordingly.

Please join us on Friday, October 4^th at the parish Mass at St. Benedict Church at 8:30 am. The 4^th will be a FULL DAY of school.

1st Marking Period Progress Reports will be sent home with the children on Monday, October 7th. Please be sure to collect the progress report from your child, sign it, and return to your child's homeroom teacher.

St. Benedict's will be closed on Friday, October 11th. The teachers and I have a professional development session to attend as set forth by the Archdiocese of New York. St. Benedict’s will be closed in observance of Columbus Day on Monday, October 14^th.

Students should report to school in their full fall/winter uniform on Tuesday, October 15^th. Please refer to our Parent/Student Handbook for the complete uniform code.

Thursday, October 17th our 8th graders will be attending Respect Life Day. Mrs. Villani will be sending home the official ADNY Permission Slip. Please sign it and return to Mrs. Villani.

SMILE! School Picture Day is set for Thursday, October 17^th for pre-kindergarten – grade 7 students only. 8th grade students will only be taking the class picture on this day. Their individual graduation pictures will be taken in February 2020.

8^th grade parents please be sure to register your child for the TACHS Exam by Monday, October 21st! Please visit our school website and click on the Parent Resource Tab. I have posted a link which will re-direct you to important information including, open house schedules, school codes and tuition and fees for all of the Catholic High Schools within the Archdiocese of New York.

The annual P.O. Sponsored Junior High School Halloween Dance is scheduled for Friday, October 25^th in the school auditorium from 7-10 pm. Ticket information will be forthcoming.

Calling all parents of Pre-kindergarten through Grade 5. Please join us on Halloween Day, October 31^st for our annual Halloween Parade beginning at 12:45 pm. Please pray for nice weather!

Please find attached the annual "Keeping Our Children Safe Newsletter" prepared by the ADNY office of Safe Environment.

Lastly, Please join me in congratulating Mr. Michael Deegan as he had been officially appointed as our new Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of New York.

That is all for now, as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.

St. Benedict, Pray for us!
Our Lady Queen of Peace, Pray for us!
Cardinal Cooke Servant of God, Pray for us!

Ray Vitiello
Principal
St. Benedict School

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Cardinal Dolan Letter
- Cardinal Dolan Letter

Principal's Corner

September 10, 2020

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