Saint James Catholic School

There is a lot of learning and activity here at SJS. Our 4th graders created bottle biographies of people they admire. Our peer mentors enjoyed time together. Our Preschool staff are still learning. 2nd grade enjoyed a field trip to the Children's Science Center Lab and more. Next week we look forward to our Kindergarten and 8th grade graduations. The end of the school year is near!

It's that time of year where we've entered graduation season here at SJS. A big congratulations to our Preschool graduates who are the first to complete their school year. The PreK parents enjoyed the graduation ceremony and are so proud!
Our students had a blast at Field Day, even with the rainy weather. Spirits were high, laughter was in the air and the competition was tough. A big thank you to Mrs. Rogers for overseeing this fun event!
Our teachers had an undercover spirit week. Teachers dressed to a different theme each day. Our students eventually caught on to what was happening when our teachers and staff wore their favorite holiday outfits. Check out the pictures below to see which theme Fr. Scalia participated in!

We’ve had so many joyful celebrations this week. 2nd grade led us in the May Crowning, 8th graders performed a series of Shakespeare plays for their parents, 5th grade presented their projects on the Nile River, our new Principal for next school year, Sister Beth, came by to visit, and more. Up next? Field Day! Look for pictures next week.

Let’s Go Rockets! Last week, we celebrated our 8th graders with our annual Spirit Day. It was a fun-filled day as the 8th grade Red and White teams competed in several basketball games, including a faculty/student game. The 8th graders also performed several dances and the Saint James Rocket made a special appearance. The whole school gathered in the gym to cheer them on! A big thank you to our parent volunteers that refereed the games and our SJS alumni who returned to keep score. Congratulations to our 8th graders as they move closer to their graduation day! We are so proud of you! Go Red! Go White!

It's been a busy week here at SJS. In STEM class, 7th graders learned about gear ratios. A 5th grader was our PE teacher for the day. Students earned Virtue of the Month certificates for Truthfulness. 8th grade prepared Shakespeare posters. 3rd graders celebrated Cinco de Mayo with our Spanish teachers. And check out the sneak peak of today's 8th grade Spirit Day! More pictures to come next week.

Happy Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker! We are blessed to have a great facility team! If you see Vince, Miguel, Kenny, Sig, Antonio or Gerson, give them a warm shout out for all they do for our school and parish!
Several of our classes attended field trips - 7th grade went to Shenandoah Valley for a hike; the Advanced band went to Kings Dominion to perform; and 8th graders attended the Vocations Mass. We also had a special guest in the front office. Our Receptionist of the Day - an auction item - helped greet visitors to our school; read a story to our younger grades and passed out stickers. He was a big help!

And lastly, the BIG countdown to our Annual Auction & Gala. The students got into the spirit of our Auction and had fun "bidding" on several prizes they could win with the Bucket Drop. Check out the pic of some of our winners!

If you traveled past SJS this week, you may have seen 3rd grade cowboys rounding up pigs or 6th grade students in Greek togas tossing a javelin. The tooth fairy even stopped by from the dentist office to visit our Kindergarten students to discuss healthy teeth. Check out our photos from this week!

Today, our 4th grade stepped back in time to the early 1700’s and the American colonial period. The students dressed in period costumes and participated in activities during our annual Colonial Day. The activities included soap carvings; making lemonade, applesauce and biscuits; practicing calligraphy with a quill; candle dipping; cross stitch; learning to dance the Virginia Reel and more. The grand finale was in the SJS “Old King James tavern” to drink lemonade and enjoy the biscuits, butter and applesauce they made. A big thank you to all our parent volunteers that helped make this event possible. It was a fun-filled and beautiful day. We are blessed!

After a delay in celebrating Catholic Schools Week due to the weather, we made up for it this week. With dress up days, Bingo games, Blessing of the Throat, the drawing of our Super Bowl sub winner, and the W***y Wonka play, our SJS students enjoyed all of the activities. Also, congratulations to our 2nd graders who received their First Penance this week. May God bless you all!