Parent Letter 10/20/21

Dear Parents, 

Good afternoon or as I heard in fourth grade Spanish class today, “buenas tardes”.  Three-day school weeks sure go by quickly!  As we begin the MEA break, we are grateful to have reached this point of the school year.  Please continue to read through this Friday Letter, well for this week, Wednesday Letter, for important information about Parent Teacher Conferences, Respect Life Month Work of Mercy, Spirit Wear Sale, and School Pictures .

As you are aware, school will not be in session on Thursday, October 21, and Friday, October 22 because of Education MN (M.E.A.).  Enjoy the break from school with your family and friends!  We will see everyone back at school on Monday, October 25.

Parent Teacher Conferences - October 26, 28, and 29 – Conference Sign Up Now Open!
Parent Teacher Conferences will be held for families with students in grades K-8 on October 26 and October 28 from 4:30-7:30 p.m.  Friday, October 29 from 9:00am-3:00pm for Middle School only.  We are providing two conference formats to best be able to accommodate our school families.  Please select the conference day and format that works best for you below.  Conference Sign Ups will close Sunday, October 24^th at Midnight!

Please Note – When using the Sign Up Genius to schedule your conference time, please notice that there are “tabs” at the top of the page identifying the grade and or class for you to choose from. When you first open the Sign Up Genius it will open to a specific grade that may not be right for you.  Please scroll through the tabs and click on the one you need.  

Tuesday, October 26 4:30-7:30 pm   Will be held In-Person   Kindergarten – Grade 8

Elementary teachers will be in their classrooms. CLICK HERE to schedule an In person K-5 conference. 

Middle School and Specialist teachers will be in the gymnasium (arena style - no sign up needed).

Thursday, October 28 4:30-7:30pm K - 8 Conferences will be held Virtually CLICK HERE to schedule K-8 Virtual Google Meet Conference. 

Friday, October 29 9:00 am - 3:00pm  Middle School Only

Conferences will be held Virtually CLICK HERE to schedule Middle School Only Virtual Google Meet Conferences.

COVID-19 Update
St. Joseph’s School has had No lab confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 to report during the Eighth week of school.  To date we have had a total of 2 COVID-19 positive cases in our school.  State law requires our school to continue to report to the Minnesota Department of Health any cases of lab confirmed COVID-19 that occur among students or staff in our building.  In addition, the Archdiocese of St. Paul Minneapolis requires Catholic schools to report a lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 in a student or employee associated with our school each week.  

We are very grateful to our school families, teachers, and school staff for working together as we continue in person learning.  As we continue through the school year, we will continue to implement our COVID strategies working to mitigate any spread of the virus. 

St. Joseph’s Catholic School Positions - Help Needed
Lunchroom Assistant 
Our school is currently seeking an individual to assist teachers supervising our K-8 grade students during their lunch periods. This part time position is approximately 2.5 hours per day (10:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.) on the days school is in session.  Qualified individuals should be able to assist students and complete “light cleanup” between the lunch periods.

Recess Assistant  
Our school is currently seeking an individual to assist teachers supervising our K-8 grade students during recess. This part time position is approximately 2.5 hours per day (11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.) on the days school is in session.  Qualified candidates should be able to monitor and support students during their creative and organized play.

Anyone interested in these positions should submit the following documents: Letter of Interest, Resume’ and three references to grwesely@stjosephwsp.org or St. Joseph’s School, attn: Greg Wesely, Principal, 1138 Seminole Ave., West St. Paul, MN  55118.

Spirit Wear Fall Sale - Now Open! 
The St. Joseph's School Spirit Store is now open with many new items added!  Click here to order.  All orders for this fall sale must be received by midnight on Wednesday, October 27, 2021. Orders should arrive by early December and will be sent home with students.  If you have any questions, please contact Jenna Dwyer at jenna.m.dwyer@gmail.com or Brenna Lynn at brennamgallagher@gmail.com.

Panda Express Restaurant Night - Save the Date Thursday, October 28 4:30-9:00pm
Please join us for our October restaurant night at Panda Express in West St. Paul on Thursday, October 28th 4:30-9:00pm.  Please make sure to mention that you are there for St. Joseph’s School and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to our school!  We thank Mollie Rubenzer and our Home and School Association for coordinating this event and all of our restaurant nights during the school year!

Respect Life Month - Work of Mercy
Our school’s Work of Mercy for October is a Layette (baby item) Collection during this month.  The collection will be Monday, October 25-Friday, October 29.  Families are asked to consider donating Diapers size 5-6, Pull Ups, Wipes, Baby wash and Shampoo, Socks-infant size, Infant toys & books, Pacifiers, and Bottles to benefit and support the work of Wakota-a Guiding Star Center in West St. Paul.  Thank you for your generosity.

St. Joseph’s School Gala 2021 - Save the Date: Saturday, December 4
The St. Joseph's Gala is our largest annual fundraising event of the school year.  It's an opportunity for our community (parents, staff, parishioners, alumni, friends and supporters) to come together and celebrate the legacy of our school and raise the funds necessary for its continued success in educating our children.

Gala 2021 will be an in-person event held at the Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront on Saturday, December 4, 2021.   Please start making your plans to attend and participate in this special event.  Please consider inviting family and friends to join you.  Ticket sales and table reservation information will be forthcoming.  

Veterans Day Concert - Thursday November 11
St. Joseph School will have a Veterans Day Concert on Thursday, November 11th at 7:00p.m. in the gymnasium.  A rehearsal of the concert will be held at 2:00p.m.  Students in grades 3, 4, and 5, under the direction of Mrs. Bowe, have been preparing songs for this concert, “Oh, I Love America”.  We would like to invite all family and friends to attend the concert as we honor and thank our veterans.  All service men and women are encouraged to wear their uniform.  We hope you are able to attend.

TADS Fees - Billed in November
As part of your tuition agreements you were notified of additional fees for a variety of items that will be billed to your account in the fall.  These fees will be billed in November (5th or 20th).  If you would prefer these charges spread out a bit, please contact Patrick Menke patrick.menke@churchofstjoseph.org and he will be happy to help you. 

Volunteers Needed for Recess Supervision 
Our school is looking for assistance with supervising our students during their recess for the remaining months of school.  Whether our students are outside or inside because of the weather, volunteers offer tremendous assistance in providing supervision of students.  Please click here to volunteer in October.

Friday Letters
All non-emergency communications will come electronically through our school’s Friday 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.

Attendance Communication
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”. 

Hot Lunch Menu
October Menu

The Weather is Changing
As fall weather is fast approaching, it is a good time 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 note that sweaters, sweatshirts or pullovers worn by students in their classrooms must follow our uniform dress code.  Clothing items, other than St. Joseph’s uniform, are not to be worn in the classrooms.  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 October 29.

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. 

Middle School Youth Group
This year the parish will have a middle school youth event once a month.  We are looking for Adult volunteers.  If you are interested, please email Jake Debolt jake.debolt@churchofstjoseph.org.  

• Thurs, Nov 11 - NET Night: 3:30 to 7:30 PM
• Tues, Dec 21 - Christmas Party: 4 to 7 PM
• Tues, Jan 11 - New Year Celebration: 4 to 7 PM
• Tues, Feb 15 - TOB Night: 4 to 7 PM
• Tues, Mar 15 - Service Night: 4 to 7 PM
• Tues, Apr 12 - NET Night: 3:30 to 7:30 PM
• Tues, May 10 - Summer Kickoff: 4 to 7 PM

October - Month of the Rosary
During this month of the Rosary, we encourage you and your family to consider taking the time to pray the Rosary as a family.  You may choose to join Father Rocky (Fr. Francis Hoffman), Executive Director of Relevant Radio, as he leads the praying of the Rosary each evening from 7:00-7:30 pm during the “Rosary Across America”.  This may be heard on 1330 AM radio, online at relevantradio.com, and /or the Relevant Radio app.  Please continue to pray for our school community; our students, faculty, and families.  Mary, Queen of the Rosary, pray for us.

St. Joseph Church Bulletin

October/November Look Ahead:

• Thursday, October 21 & Friday, October 22 - No School MEA
• Tuesday, October 26 - Parent Teacher Conferences In Person - 4:30-7:30 pm  (In-person)
• Thursday, October 28 - Jaguar Spirit Day  Parent Teacher Conferences Virtual - 4:30-7:30 pm  (Virtual)
• Friday, October 29 -  Mass 9:00am   Middle School Parent Teacher Conferences (Virtual) 9:00am-3:00pm (Middle School Students Not in Session)
• Monday, November 1 - School in Session - No Bus Transportation
• Tuesday, November 2 - School in Session - No Bus Transportation
• Friday, November 5 -  Mass 9:00am
• Friday, November 12 -  Mass 9:00am
• Monday, November 15 - School Picture Day (Students may be out of Uniform)
• Thursday, November 18 - Give to the Max Day!
• Friday, November 19 - Thanksgiving Mass 9:00am 
• Tuesday, November 23 - End of Trimester 1  Mass 9:00 a.m.
• Wednesday November 24 - Friday November 26 - No School, Happy Thanksgiving!
• Monday, November 29 - Trimester 2 Begins