Parent Letter 10/2/20
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Dear Parents,
Hello from St. Joseph's School! Our students and faculty have had another wonderful week of prayer, teaching, and learning. Please continue to read and review this Friday Letter to keep updated on all of the happenings at school.
The month of October is recognized as the Month of the Rosary. The rosary is one of the most loved devotions in the Catholic Church and dates back to the Middle Ages when a practice developed of praying the Hail Mary on a set of beads. During this month, we will be sharing information about the Rosary with our students and praying the Rosary at school. We encourage you and your family to consider taking the time to pray the Rosary as a family. Mary, Queen of the Rosary, pray for us!
I want to inform you that last evening, St. Joseph’s School faculty member, Lisa Wrobel (who has allowed us to identify her by name), informed me she has a family member who received a lab confirmed positive COVID test. Mrs. Wrobel will be quarantined for the number of days identified per the MDH guidelines and will not be at school. She and the family member are not exhibiting any symptoms. Mrs. Wrobel is available to assist you during her absence through email; liwrobel@stjosephwsp.org. Let’s pray for the health and wellbeing of Mrs.Wrobel, her family, and all of our school families during this Coronavirus pandemic.
Welcome Mr. Jacob Hornecker!
Mr. Jacob Hornecker has joined the St. Joseph's School staff as a recess supervisor. I am told by several of you that your children have mentioned he is helping at recess and really enjoying their time with him.
Mr. Horenecker most recently was studying for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2018, where he was in the St. John Vianney Seminary. He is familiar with St. Joes because during his studies he helped at the parish’s youth group and taught Religious Education. Welcome to the St. Joseph’s Community Mr. Hornecker!
School Picture Day
Monday, October 5th is school Picture Day for all students PreK - 8. Students will be out of uniform for their picture day. Please click here to order your child’s picture package. All orders will be placed online through Lifetouch prior to picture day. St. Joseph’s School Picture Day ID is EVTZNF9GQ.
St. Joseph’s School Spiritwear Orders Now Open thru October 11th!
Our Home and School Association has put together another Spiritwear Sale that will run October 2nd-11th. They have a great selection of t-shirts, sweatshirts and face coverings etc. Please click here to check out this great sale. Thank you Betsy Joyce and Christy Frost for your great work on this!
Air Purifier Units
The Church of St. Joseph and St. Joseph’s School are in the process of purchasing individual HEPA Air Purifiers for our classrooms. The first shipment arrived this week and have been placed in classrooms. Air filtration doesn't replace the other more important factors (social distancing, face coverings, handwashing) but it is thought that it helps to improve air safety relative to COVID in conjunction with those other measures.
Playground Structure
Plans are being finalized by administration and staff to open our school’s playground structure for use during school hours and recess for all grades levels K-8. Routine maintenance of the structure and the addition of wood chips will be completed in preparation for the opening. Proper sanitization of the structure will be scheduled between the classes playing on the structure. We look forward to our students climbing, sliding, and spinning on the playground real soon.
School Raffle
Plans are being finalized for the upcoming 2020 School Raffle. The Raffle is our major school fundraising event involving our students and their families. Our school has secured donations of a brand-new 2020 Ford Escape, tickets for a pilgrimage for two people through Mater Dei Tours, and $1,000 “Christmas Cash”. The raffle will include special incentives and exciting contests for our students as they assist in selling raffle tickets. The proceeds from the Raffle will be used to support carrying out the mission of St. Joseph's School. Please watch for additional details and information about the Raffle next week.
A Message from Our School Nurse Regarding COVID-19
Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. Quarantine helps prevent spread of disease that can occur before a person knows they are sick or if they are infected with the virus without feeling symptoms. People in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, monitor their health, and follow directions from their state or local health department.
Isolation is used to separate people infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from people who are not infected.
People who are in isolation should stay home until it’s safe for them to be around others. In the home, anyone sick or infected should separate themselves from others by staying in a specific “sick room” or area and using a separate bathroom (if available).
Where to get tested- Most clinics and hospitals across the state have the ability to collect samples (specimens) for lab testing. See Find Testing Locations for a map of Minnesota's ongoing testing locations.
- Call ahead before going to the clinic or hospital to be tested. Not all clinics test people who do not have symptoms.
- MDH works in partnership with communities to provide safe and free on-site COVID-19 testing in areas with outbreaks, increasing cases, or other barriers to access existing test sites. See COVID-19 Community Testing for locations and dates for new community testing sites.
- COVID-19 Community Saliva Testing
Giving Minnesotans another COVID testing option.
Band at St. Joseph’s School
Band is off to a great and certainly interesting start this year! Between lessons outside, Band masks, and bell covers, things sure look different but they still sound great! If you are still interested in having your child participate in Band this year, please contact our school's Band Director, Gideon Matchey at gmatchey@hill-murray.org for more information on Band and what an outstanding opportunity it can be for growth and learning for your child.
School Mass
Today, our students, faculty, and community were led in the celebration of the Mass by Fr. Wratkowski. Our fourth and fifth grade students and faculty attended the Mass in person. The Mass was live streamed to our classrooms for students. School families are invited to watch the live stream as well as our school Masses are not open to families and the public at this time. Holy communion was distributed at the end of the Mass to our students and faculty in the church and in their classrooms.
Our school Masses are typically scheduled for Friday beginning at 9:00 a.m.. As we continue through the year, our students and faculty will be attending the Mass in person following the parish’s established guidelines and protocols to do so safely. The following schedule has been created with Fr. Creagan;- October 9 - grades 2 and 3
- October 16 - No School for students and staff
- October 23 - grades Kindergarten and 1
- October 30 - plans are to have two Masses to allow for more students and faculty to attend in person
Please plan to join us in prayer for our next Mass. You may view the Mass live streamed on the Church of St. Joseph website; www.churchofstjoseph.org.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Plans have been finalized for our PreK4/5s through grade 5 students to safely participate in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program beginning the week of October 5. Students from each classroom in small groups will visit an atrium for instruction, prayer, and reflection. We thank Director of Catechesis & Formation Christina Stokman, and Catechists Katy Lasure, Teri Jackson, and Jennifer Thompson for instructing our students while they visit the Atrium each week.Preschool News
It is Hospital Helper week in Preschool. The children enjoyed visiting with Nurse Amy in class. They learned all about the job of a nurse, how to wash hands, cover coughs/sneezes and why people wear masks. Nurse Amy was so impressed with the children's knowledge and questions. The Preschool children created their own First Aid kit. Nurse Amy generously donated band-aids, lip balm, a tongue depressor, kleenex, cotton balls and more for the First Aid kits. The children were so very excited and proud to now be a Hospital Helper!! A special thanks to Nurse Amy for visiting our Preschool classrooms this week.
The Preschool children learned all about the Letter H and met the Zoo-phonics character Honey Horse. They listened to delightful stories about germs, doctors, nurses and other helpers in the community. As always, there was time to learn about Jesus, play outside, have delicious snacks and get to know one another better.
The month of September has flown by so quickly. Our staff would like to thank our fabulous families for supporting us at the arrival and dismissal parts of our day. Things are running smoothly because of your help.
St. Joseph’s School Gala
The St. Joseph's Gala is our largest annual fundraising event. It's an opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate the legacy of our school and raise money for its continued education of our children in Christ.
Gala 2020 will be a virtual event held as scheduled on December 5th. Please start making your plans to attend and participate in this special community event.
At this time, our Gala Committee is seeking sponsors for the event to help us meet our fundraising goals. If you are interested in sponsoring this event or know of businesses that might be interested, please email rachael.amarante@gmail.com.
No District Food Service or Transportation - October 14
St. Joseph’s School is in session on October 14th. ISD 197 is not in session and for that reason there will not be bus transportation or food service provided. Please plan transportation to and from school accordingly. Please send a lunch and beverage from home for your student.
Respect Life Month
October is Respect Life Month. St. Joseph’s School will recognize the sanctity of life by participating in a special service project. In partnership with the Church of St. Joseph, our school is having a Layette (baby item) Collection during this month. The collection will take place during the week of October 19-23. Watch for more information about this important service project to benefit and support the work of Wakota-a Guiding Star Center in West St. Paul.
Restaurant Night - Chipotle WSP - October 19
School families are invited to the St. Joseph’s School Family Restaurant Night at Chipotle in West St. Paul on Monday, October 19th between 4:00pm and 8:00pm. Please let them know you are there for the St. Joseph’s School Fundraiser or bring in or show the Chipotle Flyer or our school to receive 33 percent of your purchase. You are encouraged to order online chipotle.com or through the Chipotle app and enter code 2RCHPF3 before you check out in the “promo” field. Click here for instructions if needed. Proceeds from our school’s restaurant nights are used to fund important programs within the school. Thank you to our Home & School for Coordinating this event!
Parent Teacher Conferences – October 20, 22 and 23
Parent Teacher Conferences for students in grades K – 8 will be held on Tuesday, October 20 and Thursday, October 22 from 3:00 – 7:30pm. There is an additional conference day for parents of Middle School students only on Friday, October 23 8:00am - 3:30pm. Note: school will not be in session for middle school students on Friday, October 23. All Conferences will be done virtually.
Conferences for K – 8 students are scheduled by you through Sign Up Genius. Please watch for a separate message next week to schedule your conference times. Our faculty looks forward to meeting with you to share and discuss your child’s(children’s) progress during the conference.NWEA MAP Assessments
Students in grades 2-8 have completed the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) in Math and Reading. We thank Mrs. Budge and Mrs. Nordgren for coordinating and facilitating the assessments for our students and our teachers for supporting their students during the assessments. Individual student reports and information will be mailed home to parents in the upcoming weeks.
The Weather is Changing
As the fall weather is fast approaching, it is a good time to start sending your children to school with long sleeves, sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets. It can be very cool at the bus stops, eating lunch outside, and on the playground during recess. Please remember to label all of your child’s clothing so that it can be returned to them in the event that it is misplaced or lost while at school. The last day to wear shorts is Friday, October 30.
Parent Letters / Attendance Communication
All non-emergency communications will come home on Fridays in this parent letter. Parent letters will only be sent out by email every Friday (or the last day of the school week.) Friday Letters may be found on the school website, www.stjosephwsp.org.
Teachers may be reached via the school’s voice mail system at (651-457-8550) or their email account by using the first two letters of their first name followed, without a space, by their last name (ex.. grwesely@stjosephwsp.org). When leaving a message, remember teachers may not be available to return calls/emails until the end of the day.
Our Attendance Hotline is 651-457-3031. If your child is going to be absent or late due to a morning appointment, please leave a message on the “Hotline”.
Mission“St. Joseph’s Catholic School educates students through faith formation, academic excellence,
and the development of virtue to be disciples of Christ.”
Our mission is recited at the beginning of each day during our morning announcements as well as at the beginning of various meetings. Thank you for your support in carrying out our school’s mission.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.
Please click here to view our St. Joseph’s Church weekly bulletin.The Consecration to our Beloved Patron, St. Joseph
Join St. Joseph School families and parishioners for a 33 day Preparation for Consecration to St. Joseph. Please click here or visit the parish website for more information. Fr. Creagan, Fr. Wratkowski, and Mr. Wesely invite you to join them in participating in and completing the consecration.Important Upcoming Dates:
Monday, Oct. 5 - School Picture Day PreK -8, Out of Uniform
Friday, Oct. 9 - Mass 9am virtual www.churchofstjoseph.org
Wednesday, Oct. 14 - No District Food Service or Transportation
Thursday, Oct. 15 & Friday Oct. 16 - No School MN Education (MEA)
Monday, Oct. 19 - Restaurant Night, Chipotle WSP 4-8pm
Tuesday, Oct. 20 - Parent Teacher Conferences (Virtual) 3:00-7:30pm
Thursday, Oct. 22- Parent Teacher Conferences (Virtual) 3:00-7:30pm
Friday, October 23 - No School for Middle School Students Only
Friday, Oct. 23 - Parent Teacher Conferences MS only (Virtual) 8:00am - 3:30pm
Friday, Oct. 23 - Mass 9am virtual www.churchofstjoseph.org
Friday, Oct. 30 - Mass 9am and 10:00 am
Tuesday, Nov. 3 - No District Food Service or Transportation
Important Links:
Lunch Menu (2 week rotation)
Scout Information
- Most clinics and hospitals across the state have the ability to collect samples (specimens) for lab testing. See Find Testing Locations for a map of Minnesota's ongoing testing locations.