Wow, I can't believe September is almost over! This first month of school has been truly incredible. The students and teachers are working hard in all the classrooms and we had the amazing opportunity last week to take a group of students into DC last week during Pope Francis' visit. We were blessed to be able to see, shake hands, hug, and be blessed by Pope Francis as he returned to the Apostolic Nunciature around 12:00 PM on Thursday, after addressing Congress. It was an unforgettable experience and I look forward to sharing more pictures and each students experience with you on the school website, in the near future. Make sure you look at our social media accounts for pictures from last week!

The tuition assistance applications are now open. Please apply. The application takes some time, please do not wait to the end to apply. Parents who applied late or submitted portions of their application late were refused assistance. Families do not need to be Catholic in order to receive assistance from the Archdiocese. Parents must apply through the ADW in order to be considered for Pastoral Tuition Assistance.

2016 - 2017 ADW Tuition Assistance Program - Open Application Period Begins Applications for the 2016 - 2017 Archdiocesan Tuition Assistance Program will be available online beginning Monday, September 28, 2015. The deadline for applicants to apply is Friday, December 4, 2014. Families may apply online by logging onto www.stjosrcs.org and completing the following steps:

Click on Tuition Assistance under the "About" tab.
Click on the appropriate (English or Spanish) "TADS - Financial Aid Application" link

Last week I shared my instructional focus for this year. If you missed last week's newsletter, here it is again. We will all be focusing on improving our Math abilities and performance. This means we will be incorporating math across all subject areas. The work St. Joseph's RCS teachers are doing in the classroom is truly wonderful, but as our mission states, we must also be on board with the primary educators, our parents. We want math to be fun and exciting, please help us with this task and show your children how math is used all around us, just like reading! Meanwhile our teachers will be doing the same, and show all of their students how math relates to all subject areas.

We love to have our parents and family members visit and help out around the school. Have you taken the Child Protection class yet (Virtus)? If not please go to www.virtus.org and sign up. We will have our Virtus training here at St. Joseph's RCS Tonight, September 28th, 7:00 PM.

This summer St. Joseph's RCS also launched our new website www.stjosrcs.org You can still access this the same way through the churches website, or you can type in the website address to your web browser. The 2015-16 School Calendar and School Handbook is posted here. If you're looking for us on social media you can access our Facebook page, twitter handle, @StJosephsRCS , and our instagram @stjosephsrcs on the new school website. If you haven't done so yet, please like us on Facebook and follow us on twitter and instagram!

On a final note, don't forget about registering for our Inaugural Golf Tournament on 10/5, only one Week Away!

"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

Zach Hooker, Principal

From the Home and School Association

A great big thank you to all of the parent and student volunteers, staff members and guests that made this weekend's 11th Annual Crab Feast our best year yet! The CYO and HSA boards appreciative all of your hard work and dedication to our children's school! If you have comments or suggestions as to how to improve our event for next year, please email them to Marianne Schwenz, HSA President, at schwenzm@comcast.net Please don't forget that it is YOUR responsibility to log your volunteer hours on the HSA website by using the following link:

https://sites.google.com/site/stjosephregionalhsa/

Please don't forget that our first HSA Golf Tournament will be held this coming Monday, October 5th at Cross Creek Golf Club. Please contact Mr. Hooker or

Marianne Schwenz as soon as possible if you would like to play in the tournament, or support the tournament in any way.

Donuts with Dad will be held on Wednesday, October 14, 2015! This year you will be able to RSVP for attendance AND sign up to volunteer AND sign up to donate food items all at once by clicking on the link below:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4da4a828a3fe3-donuts2

The HSA Board is still looking for aco-volunteer coordinator, and a Kellogg's Family Rewards coordinator. Please contact Marianne Schwenz for more information at schwenzm@comcast.net.

Please visit the HSA's Google Site for answers to any questions you may have and to log your volunteer hours. You can also call any of our board members at any time.

Home & School Website:

https://sites.google.com/site/stjosephregionalhsa/

Marianne Schwenz

President, Home and School Association

St. Joseph's Regional Catholic School
schwenzm@comcast.net

home 301.572.2229

cell 240.508.9957

fax 301.572.0073

SJRCS Inaugural Golf Tournament

St. Joseph's Regional Catholic School

Inaugural Golf Tournament

St. Joseph's RCS will be celebrating our Inaugural Golf Tournament this fall! We are excited about the opportunity to spend a day out on the course with family and friends, to celebrate all the great accomplishments and improvements St. Joseph's RCS has taken on in recent years, and those to follow. Please join us early this fall! Follow the link below for more information, registration, and sponsorship opportunities.

Flyer and Registration

Sponsorship Flyer

Sponsorship Registration Form

(Click here)

Donuts With Dad Flyer

For more information about Donuts With Dad,

please click here.

Alumni Section!

There is a Facebook Page especially for the Alumni! Please look under "St. Joseph's Beltsville Catholic School Alumni" Click here to go see!

Child Protection Electronic Background Screening

Child Protection Electronic Background screening will now be available for St. Joseph's Parish & St. Joseph's Regional Catholic School in the school office from 8:30 am - 10:00am Wednesdays & Thursdays. Please contact Mrs. Stock in the school office at 301-937-7154 or by e-mail at schooloffice@stjosrcs.org
to schedule an appointment. You will need to bring your volunteer application, 2 forms of ID and payment of $13.50, checks made out to St. Joseph's or cash.

School Facebook Page

If you haven't already "liked" us on Facebook, please take a moment to click this link and "like" our new Saint Joseph's Regional Catholic School Page.

https://www.facebook.com/stjosephbeltsville

or find us by typing SAINT Joseph's Regional Catholic School.
Thank you!

Volunteer Opportunities

Monday morning envelope stuffers
Chairperson for Juice Pouches
Health Room--RN or higher

All Require ADW Child Protection Program completion.

Room Parents 2015-2016

A "Call for Room Parents" was in your family's clear communication envelope last week. If you are interested in being room parent for your child's class, please call the school office (301-937-7154) and leave your name, email address and which grade you are interested in helping with.

You will be contacted by the Room Parent Coordinator, Marianne Schwenz, once all classrooms have at least one volunteer. There will be a room parent meeting at the end of September, date TBA.

Time to Raise Funds W/O Fundraising!

St Joseph's Regional Catholic School, Beltsville

Invites you to Join:

It's Time to Raise Funds Without Fundraising!

With the Benefit mobile app you buy and redeem retailer gift cards instantly. Every purchase results in a percentage of the transaction going to support St. Joseph's Regional Catholic School, Beltsville. Track all of your balances, and see your contributions at the tap of a finger. Not a dime is asked beyond your typical shopping spend, and it's as easy as paying with a credit card. It's totally frictionless fundraising/See it in action!

How to participate:

Download the Benefit app for iPhone or Android
Sign up and follow the prompts
Find St. Joseph's Regional Catholic School, Beltsville by typing in St. Joseph's Regional Catholic School, Beltsville into the search field.

For more information, please see https://www.benefit-mobile.com/

The Messenger
from the Archdiocese of Washington

The Archdiocese has a newsletter they would like to share with all of us. Please see below:

Click here for English

Click here for Spanish

Reception of Eucharist

At the start of each school year, teachers talk to our students about Mass. Students who are not Catholic are invited to receive a blessing rather than communion. I am surprised to see how many of our practicing Catholic families' children are not receiving communion. I worry that children who go to different Catholic Parishes feel they cannot receive at St. Joseph's. Please talk to your children about reception of the Eucharist. If you are a practicing Catholic and your child is behind in the reception of Sacraments, please see Mrs. Miller or Mr. Hooker so that we can help your child get caught up. Also please understand that if you are receiving the "Practicing Catholic" tuition rate, we expect your children to be fully participating in the Catholic faith.

St. Joseph's CYO Soccer Team Update

Last week was a hard loss for our boys soccer team. We played Our Lady Of Mercy. The score was 1-5. Jason scored our only goal. Coach Chris and the team are going to practice hard and get ready for this weeks game against Saint Elizabeth. Go Tigers!

Elizabeth House Starts October 2nd!

Elizabeth House's first Friday lunch program will start with this next Friday, October 2. First grade and fourth grade will be providing the lunches. A paper lunch bag and letter will go home with the participating classes next Wednesday. Thanks for your support.

Elizabeth House Times and Grades

October 2nd Grades 1 & 4
November 6th Grade 8

December 4th Grade 6

January 8th Grade 7

February 5th Grade 5

March 4th Grade 2

April 8th Kindergarten

May 6th Pre-K

June 3rd Grade 3

Calendar Events

Sept 28 Virtus Training 7 PM

Sept 29 Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels

Sept 30 Faculty Meeting

Hot Lunch--Chick-Fil-A

_____________________________________________________________

Oct 1 Band Begins
Oct 2   Blessing of the Animals
           Field Trip 5th/6th Grades
               Fatima Prayer Service at the Basilica

Hot Lunch to support 8th Grade--Hot Dog, Chips, Juice

Progress Reports available

Oct 5 SJRCS Inaugural Golf Tournament at Cross Creek
Holy Cross/Gonzaga, Archbishop Carroll HSs Visit

Oct 6 Guard-a-Kid Pictures
DeMatha/Elizabeth Seton HSs Visit

Oct 7 Faculty Meeting
           School Mass   8:15 AM
           McNamara, St. John's HSs Visit
           Hot Lunch--Papa John's Pizza
Oct 9   Lee Denim Day

Tag Day--for those who donate

Oct 12 Columbus Day (Observed)

School Closed

Oct 13 Claire's Gourmet Kick Assembly 2:15 PM
Home & School Board Meeting
Oct 13-16 Spirit Week
Oct 14 Hot Lunch--3 Bros. Subs

           Donuts with Dad
Oct 16 Noon Dismissal
           Presidential Fitness Day
           Teacher In-service
Oct 18 Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist
Oct 19-23 Book Fair
Oct 21 Grade Level Team Meeting
   Hot Lunch--Hot Dogs

Oct 28 Faculty Meeting
Feasts of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles
Hot Lunch--3 Bros Ravioli

Oct 29 Costume Parade   10:30 AM
           Class Parties        11:00 AM
           End of First Quarter

Noon Dismissal

Teacher In-service

Oct 30 School Closed

ADW Professional Development Day
Oct 31 Halloween