I would like to personally invite you, your family, and friends to be involved in some very special St. Joseph’s School events taking place over the next several weeks. Please plan to attend our Mass and School Open House on Friday, November 16 and our annual Fall Fest on Saturday, December 1. These are two very important events for our school. I encourage you to consider inviting someone to attend these events with you and have them learn more about our school and its programs. Information about each of these events may be found in this Friday letter.
Today, our students in grades 3-8 attended a Penance Service and received the sacrament of Reconciliation. We thank Fr. Wratkowski and several priests from the Archdiocese who assisted with hearing our students’ confessions.
“O When the Saints Go Marching In” On Thursday, November 1 our school celebrated the Feast of All Saints. Our fourth grade students attended the Mass dressed as the saint that they researched and studied. After the Mass, these students attended a retreat where they presented the information about their saints, learned about Mary, the mother of Jesus, and prayed together. In addition, the students completed a work of mercy by putting together 700 sandwiches that will be distributed with the homeless community in Minneapolis. We would like to thank Mrs. Rotvold, Ms. Schmid, and numerous parent volunteers for completing this special service project. Well done fourth graders.
Math-in-Focus Parent Information Meeting - November 7 Parents are invited to attend a special Mathematics Information Meeting on Wednesday, November 7 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the gymnasium. Laura Gifford, a national consultant with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, will share information with parents about our school’s new math resources
Math-in-Focus.
Math-in-Focus: Singapore Math by Marshall Cavendish is the world-class math curriculum resource from Singapore adapted for U.S. classrooms. Laura will share information about mathematical thinking, instruction, and resources. Parents will leave the meeting with ideas on helping their children make connections in math. We hope that you are able to join!
No School- November 8 & 9 There will be no school November 8 & 9. St. Joseph School faculty will be engaged in Professional Development. School will resume on Monday, November 12. Have a wonderful long weekend with your family!
Fall Fest 2018 – Save the Date! Save the Date! This year we are excited to have our Annual Fall Fest Gala Fundraiser on December 1
st at the Intercontinental Hotel in St. Paul. Please watch for invitations coming home soon. A Huge thank you to Mitzi Welk, Adrianna Birk, Bri DeLeon, Mollie Rubenzer, Katie Grondahl, and Cheryl Weimer for Chairing this event. You won’t want to miss this great evening!
Fall Fest Raffle Ticketson sale now. Raffle ticket forms went home in today’s Friday Folder. Please watch for and use this form order your tickets for a chance to win two tremendous prizes. (Raffle Form also attached)
Fall Fest Buy it Now! Out of Uniform Passes are now available! These make for fantastic stocking stuffers for your students. These are available for a limited time so please get your orders in! Flyers were sent home in your child’s Friday Folder today as well as being attached to this letter.
Fall Fest Buy it Now! Back by popular demand ~ Mr. Wesely’s Morning Announcement Helper!
SOLD OUT! THANK YOU!
Fall Fest – St. Joe’s Socials forms went home last week. These wonderful community building parties are a great way to meet new people and celebrate our great community! Forms are due in by November 2
nd.
Give to the Max Day – November 15 A group of generous supporters have offered us a matching grant of $25,000 for the upcoming Give to the Max Day! Please consider making a gift to St. Joseph’s School on Give to the Max Day, November 15th. All gifts will be matched 100% up to $25,000 and will support the mission of St. Joseph’s School and help make tuition affordable for all families. Visit
givemn.org/stjosephschoolwsp for more information.
Fall Open House – November 16 Help us spread the word about our growing school! School parents, friends, neighbors and family members are all invited to attend our PreK through 8th grade Open House on Friday, November 16th from 10:00am – 3:00pm. A special School Mass will be celebrated at 9:00am. Our Fall Open House is a great way to see our school and experience the St. Joseph’s community in action. We look forward to seeing you there!
The Positivity Project - Bravery This week, our students learned about the character strength creativity. People with perspective appreciate that people see things in different ways. Next week, our students will learn about the character strength bravery. Bravery refers to voluntary action in the face of a dangerous circumstance. People act with mental, moral, or physical strength even when they know things are difficult or scary. We look forward to learning about and practicing all twenty-four character strengths through the Positivity Project during this school year.
Thanksgiving Food Drive “
Do a good deed; help a neighbor in need!” St. Joseph’s eighth grade class is sponsoring a canned goods / nonperishable food collection to support the work of Neighbors, Inc. Our collection will be Monday, November 12-Friday, November 16. Please consider helping people in need of food in our area by donating food items during the collection. Thank you for your generosity.
School Mass – Wednesday, November 7 Please join us for our school Mass Wednesday, November 7 at 9:00am in the church. School families, friends, and members of the parish are invited to join our students and faculty in prayer and song.
The Weather is Changing The fall and cooler weather has arrived in West St. Paul. We encourage you to start sending your children to school with sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets. It can be very cool at the bus stops and on the playground. Please remember to
label all of your child’s clothing so that it can be returned to him/her in the event that it is misplaced or lost while at school.
Mission Statement St. Joseph’s Catholic School educates students through faith formation, academic excellence,
and the development of virtue to be disciples of Christ.
Our school community has identified faith formation, academic excellence, and the development of virtue as three pillars of our school as we continue to partner with you to provide your children with a quality Catholic education. Thank you for supporting our school mission in so many ways throughout the school year.
For Your Information St. Joseph’s School is an important ministry of the Church of St. Joseph. Some of our school families are not members of the parish. In our efforts to serve all school families, our Friday Letter may at times include information about activities and events that are taking place at the Church of St. Joseph.
Upcoming Parish events include;
Veteran’s Celebration at St. Joseph’s Church Veterans will be honored at a special Mass on Sunday, November 5 at the 9:00am Mass. We are grateful for those who have protected our freedom. Donuts and coffee will be served after the Mass.
NOTE FOR SCHOOL PARENTS and/or GRANDPARENTS WHO ARE VETERANS who have served or CURRENTLY SERVING--- please consider coming to the Mass either in your service uniform or wear any decorations or other pins on your lapel. We look forward to honoring you.
Click here to link to the weekly St. Joseph’s Church Bulletin
.
November Calendar Look Ahead: Please consider joining us for some of the special events at our school.
° Wednesday, November 7 – Mass 9:00am ° Wednesday, November 7 – Parent Math Meeting 6:30-7:30pm Gymnasium ° Thursday, November 8 – No School- Teacher Professional Development ° Friday, November 9 – No School- Teacher Professional Development ° Monday, November 12-Friday, November 16 – Thanksgiving Food Collection ° Tuesday, November 13 – NET Night – Great Room ° Friday, November 16 – Mass 9:00am followed by our Fall Open House 10am-1pm ° Tuesday, November 20 – Mass 9:00am ° Wednesday November 21 – Friday November 23 – No School, Thanksgiving Break ° Tuesday, November 27 – Picture Retake Day – Out of Uniform ° Friday, November 30 – Mass 9:00am – Last Day of Trimester 1