Dear St. Joseph’s School Parents,
Happy New Year! I have enjoyed my return to school this week to be with our awesome faculty and your delightful children (virtually). Thank you for entrusting and sharing your children with us at school as we return in 2021.
On January 1, 2021, the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, the first reading from the Mass that day was taken from the Book of Numbers 6:22-27. A portion of the reading included this prayer of which I share and offer to you, your family, our faculty, and school community.
“The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!”
In addition, we want to thank all of the families who were able to share a family Christmas card with us at school. We really enjoyed looking at the cards, seeing your beautiful families, and reading the greetings.
No School - Friday, January 15th and Monday, January 18th
There will be no school for students and staff on Friday, January 15th and Monday, January 18th as we observe the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday. Enjoy your long weekend!
School in Session – Tuesday, January 19th
School will be in session on Tuesday, January 19th for students and faculty. Students will return to in person learning or remain remote learning if elected.
District Food Service and Transportation
District transportation will resume for all registered bus students on January 19th. District food service will resume on that date as well with the free hot lunch program continuing through the end of the school year. Please note that the “bag lunch” option is no longer available to students. The hot lunch menu item will be the only available option moving forward. Please see the menu choices for the last 2 weeks in January.
1/19 Pasta w/ Chicken Alfredo
1/20 Mini Corn Dogs
1/21 Nachos
1/22 Turkey & Cheese Sandwich
1/26 Chicken Burrito
1/27 Cheeseburger
1/28 Hot dog
1/29 Ham & Cheese Sandwich
St. Joseph’s School Calendar
Please note that some adjustments have been made to our original 2020-2021 St. Joseph’s School calendar. There will be no school for students and staff on Friday, February 12th and Monday, February 15th as we observe the President’s Day holiday on Monday. School will resume on Tuesday, February 16th. Enjoy your long weekend!
Post Holiday Full Remote Learning - Grades K-8
This past week, our teachers and students in grades Kindergarten through 8 successfully resumed full remote learning. This is a temporary interruption in our in person instructional model. Full remote learning will continue through January 14. Students will return to school to resume in person learning or remote learning (if elected) on Tuesday, January 19.
Again, we thank our parents for everything you are doing to assist and support your students while they are at home remote learning. We understand that at times there may be some “glitches” for our students' families and for our faculty during remote learning. If this occurs for your child, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher and/or the school office. We will work with you to correct the situation.
Remote Learning Technology Resources for Parents
A website with tutorials for students and parents has been created by our school staff for use during remote learning. The website with the resources can be found under the "Parent" tab of the school website; www.stjosephwsp.org. The resources include video tutorials and written instructions for the following; Grades K-3: Clever, Google Meet, and Seesaw and Grades 4-5: Clever, Google Meet, and Google Classroom. Please refer to these tutorials, contact your child’s teacher, or the school office if you need assistance and/or have any questions.
Preschool - continues On Pause
Our Preschool Programs will continue to be on pause and not in session during the weeks of January 4, and January 11. The programs will resume on Tuesday, January 19. This follows the same schedule as our elementary and middle school. Our preschool teachers are providing complimentary resources and activities for their children during the pause on Choice Boards.
The Choice Board activities are meant to be helpful to keep the educational and developmental goals moving forward for the children while we are away from the classroom. Note: The Home Learning Activities which were sent home with our Preschool children are incorporated in the Choice Boards. In addition to the Home Learning lessons, you will find stories, music, recipes, experiments and “field trips” to view with your child.
We thank Ms. Peg and Ms. Kirsten for creating and sharing these wonderful activities with our preschool families.
Shine On - CSCOE Visual Arts Talent Competition
The Catholic Schools Center for Excellence is hosting their annual Shine on Catholic School Talent Competition. The visual arts competition will be open to students in grades 4-8. Each Catholic school is allowed a very limited number of submissions. Please contact Mr. Beaman wabeaman@stjosephwsp.org right away to learn more about this event if your child is truly interested and is prepared to participate in this competition with a finished piece of artwork. The deadline to contact Mr. Beaman about this event is Tuesday, January 12th.
Registration for the 2021-2022 School Year Opening Soon
It’s time for families to enroll for the 2021-2022 school year! Current school families will be automatically re-enrolled with the required annual family registration fee applied to family TADS accounts in February. For additional information and/or questions about enrollment for next school year, please contact Lindsay Mayernik, Enrollment Coordinator at limayernik@stjosephwsp.org or by calling 651-457-8550.
Preview Events
We would like to share with you that 2021-2022 school Preview Events are being scheduled for Preschool, Kindergarten, and Middle School in January 2021. Our Preview Events will be virtual this year and held on;
Saturday, January 23 Kindergarten 9:00 am
Saturday, February 6 Preschool 9:00 am
Thursday, February 11 Middle School 6:30 pm
During the Preview Events, families will meet administration and faculty, learn about our school programs, and receive information on registration for the 2021-2022 school year.
We encourage all current and prospective families to attend any of the Preview Events. In addition, if you know someone that is interested in learning more about our school and our programs, please have them contact our school office; 651-457-8550 and/or email limayernik@stjosephwsp.org.
Lifetouch Picture Retakes
Lifetouch picture packages are here. For students who had their pictures retaken, packages are located in the front entryway in a Lifetouch box alphabetically. Any picture packages not picked up next week will be sent home with students when they return back to the building the week of January 19th.
Restaurant Night – Panera on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 School families are invited to participate in the next St. Joseph’s School Family Restaurant Night at Panera in West St. Paul. Visit Panera on Tuesday, January 12 between 5:00pm and 7:00pm for Take Out, Curbside Pickup, OR Delivery. Please let the Panera staff know you are there for the St. Joseph’s School Fundraiser or bring and show the Panera flyer and our school will receive a percentage of your purchase. You are encouraged to order online or through the App and enter code PRFUND when you check out. Proceeds from our school’s restaurant nights are used to fund important programs within the school. We thank our Home & School Association for Coordinating this event!
Catholic School Week
Catholic Schools Week is scheduled for January 31 - February 5, 2021. Our week will look a bit different this year, however a variety of activities are planned to celebrate Catholic education and our school. Please watch for more information and a schedule of events later this month.
School Mass
Our next school Mass will be on Friday, January 22 at 9:00 a.m. The Mass will continue to be live streamed on the Church of St. Joseph website; www.churchofstjoseph.org. Parents and families are encouraged to join us virtually for the Mass.
First Reconciliation Retreat and Sacrament
The families of second grade students should have received a letter from Christina Stokman, Church of St. Joseph Director of Catechesis and Formation, with information about the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Please pray for our 2nd grade students who will be receiving their First Reconciliation on Saturday, January 30. The students will attend a special retreat before receiving the sacrament with a priest.
Specific COVID-19 protocols will be followed with sanitation measures, social-distancing between stations, and the wearing of face coverings.
We thank Fr. Creagan, Fr. Wratkowski, Mrs. Fallon, Mrs. Taplin, members of the parish’s Faith Formation Office, and our families for preparing the students to receive this special sacrament of God’s mercy and love.
Does Your Employer Offer a Matching Gift Program?
Employer matching programs are a wonderful way to maximize your donation to St. Joseph’s School. Please look into your employer programs to see if they may participate in this program. If you have any questions or need help with the process, please contact Lisa Wrobel in our school office. Thank you.
Mission
“St. Joseph’s Catholic School educates students through faith formation, academic excellence,
and the development of virtue to be disciples of Christ.”
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.
St. Joseph Church Bulletin
January Look Ahead: