Parent Letter 11/30/18

Dear Parents,    
                                                                                                                     
At St. Joseph’s School, the month of December is always very, very busy.  A number of special events are scheduled for our school community.  These include Advent, middle school special events, concerts, and more.  Please continue to review the information in this Friday Letter, check your child’s Family Folder, our school website, Facebook, Twitter, and the St. Joseph parish bulletin to keep updated on all the exciting happenings at St. Joseph’s School.  We look forward to seeing you at these special events as well as celebrating the joy of the Advent and Christmas seasons with you and your families.
 
End of Trimester 1
Today marks the end of Trimester 1.  Wow, can you believe it!  Trimester 2 begins on Monday December 3.  The First Trimester report cards will go home with students on Friday, December 78.  Please note that a parent signature form will be attached to each report card.  We ask that after you review your child’s report card, you please sign the parent form, place it in the envelope, and return it back to school.  Please contact your child’s teacher(s) if you have any questions about your child’s academic / behavioral progress during Trimester 1.  Thank you!
 
Advent
On Sunday, December 2, we begin the season of Advent and a new calendar year in the Church.  Advent wreaths will be seen throughout our school.  The wreath contains four candles, one for each Sunday of Advent.  Three of the candles are purple and one candle is rose.  The third candle is rose because on the third Sunday of Advent we celebrate the joy of waiting of Christmas.  The candles are lit each week, special prayers are said and songs are sung.  Advent is the season of preparing and waiting.  We prepare our hearts to remember Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem over two thousands years ago, and for his coming again in his glorified body.  Please consider placing an Advent wreath in your home in preparation for Christmas.
 
Fall Fest 2018 – December 1
On behalf of St. Joseph’s School and the Fall Fest Committee, we are so excited to be hosting Fall Fest 2018 tomorrow evening at Intercontinental Hotel in St. Paul.  The doors will open at 6:00 p.m. for the social reception, the Ballroom will open at 7:00 p.m. for dinner and the program, and the evening will conclude with music and fellowship.  In addition, Greg and Mary Anne Bailey (parents of Roger Bailey and Grandparents of Mollie Bailey – first grade) will receive the initial “Spirit of St. Joseph Award” during the program.  Raffle tickets for two very special prizes may be purchased at the event.
 
Fall Fest is our school’s major fundraiser for the school year.  The proceeds from this event support our mission of providing a quality Catholic education for our students and families.  We thank everyone in advance for your support of St. Joseph’s School.  Please pray for a successful event.
 
A HUGE thank you is extended to Mitzi Welk, Adrianna Birk, Bri DeLeon, Mollie Rubenzer, Katie Grondahl, and Cheryl Weimer for Chairing this event.
 
Fall Fest Buy it Now!  Back by popular demand ~ Mr. Wesely’s Morning Announcement Helper!   We have 5 spaces available!  These are available for a limited time so please get your orders in!  See attached Flyer.
 
St. Joe’s Socials are now available.  Please watch for these amazing parties coming home in your child’s Friday Folders today.
Spiritwear Sales – Closing December 3
St. Joseph’s School Spiritwear is now open!  This sale will be open online through December 3 ^rd.  See flyer attached.  Please click here to place your order!
 
Family Christmas Cards
We invite our school families to bring/send a Christmas card to the school office.  All cards will be displayed near the office.  Please join us in sharing the joy of Christmas with everyone.
 
Thanksgiving Food Collection for Neighbors, Inc.       “ Do a good deed; help a neighbor in need!”
Thank you to everyone for your generosity in our school’s Thanksgiving food collection.  We received a very nice thank you card from Neighbors.  They shared with us that our school donated 1,130 pounds of food from our collection.  (This is 148 more pounds than last year!)  Your donations will assist in feeding many families through their organization.  Thank you Ms. Rowe and our eighth grade students for coordinating this special service project.
 
Mitten and Hat Collection is Underway!
The fifth grade students are sponsoring their fifth annual mittens, hats, gloves, and scarves collection for the Hats and Mittens of Minnesota.  The items may be brought to school between Monday, December 3 and Friday, December 14.  Please place new items on the trees in the display across from the office on the second floor.  Thank you so much for your participation in this special work of mercy.
 
Santa Grams
Would you like to wish someone a Merry Christmas and have a Santa Gram delivered to their classroom?  Santa Grams will be for sale during the lunch hours on Fridays – December 7 and 14.   Santa’s elves will be delivering grams the week  of December 17.   The price for the grams are;
  Candy Cane Gram:  .50 cents each         Hersey Bar Gram: $1.00 each
Buy your friends or entire class a Santa Gram!  This special holiday activity is sponsored by The Home & School Association.
 
School Mass – Friday, December 7
Please join us for our school Mass on Friday, December 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.
 
Restaurant Night – Wednesday, December 12
Join us for food and fun at Chick-fil-A in West St. Paul on Wednesday, December 12, 5:00-8:00pm.  Chick-fil-A will give 20% of all orders purchased back to St Joe’s.  This is a great opportunity to spend time with your family while giving back to our school.
 
Volunteers Needed!  - Swim Team
St. Joseph’s School is looking for volunteers to join the coaching staff of St. Joe’s swim and dive team.   The swim team is the largest sport in the school and is open to students in grades K-8.  A background in swimming and / or diving is preferred.  Volunteers in the following areas needed:
 

1. Head Diving coach
2. 1-2 individuals to work with the existing coaching staff to learn the swim meet software system for meet entries
3. Swim Coaches

 
Time commitment: 2 evenings a week January – First week in April.   Some weekend swim meets. 
All volunteers must complete the Virtus Essential 3 set by the Archdiocese.
 
If interested, please contact Athletic Director, Jackie VanDiver, 651-457-8550, or javandiver@stjosephwsp.org.
 
Student Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures- Reminder to Parents
We are receiving reports of safety concerns at both morning drop off and afternoon pick up.  Your child’s safety is a priority to us.  Please help us by following the transportation procedures.  Thank you!
 
Mornings - Students may be dropped off on the east side of Seminole Avenue between 8:30 - 8:40 am and may proceed directly into the building through the front entrance.  Students are admitted into the building beginning at 8:30 am. 
 
Please park in the parish parking lot if your child needs extra assistance.  Do not leave cars unattended in the drop off area along Seminole.  Do not park on the west side of Seminole and have children cross through traffic.  All cars are to turn right onto Butler Avenue to avoid traffic backing up in front of the school.
 
Afternoons - Cars are to enter via the Butler entrance, park in the back rows of the lot and exit via Orme Street.  Parents are to get out of their vehicles, pick up their child and walk them through the traffic area.  Do not pick up your child from Butler or Orme Streets.  Please use reduced speeds and caution when exiting the parking lot.  Vehicles should not exit the parking lot going down the entrance driveway to Butler.
 
Just a reminder to our families that our school day for students in grades K-8 begins at 8:40 a.m.  Please make sure your child is arriving to school and in their classroom prior to 8:40 a.m. so they are not tardy.  Students arriving late to school can be a disruption to the learning environment when they enter the classroom.  Thank you for your cooperation.
 
Senior Citizen’s Christmas Party
Our annual senior citizen’s party, hosted by grades K-2, is set for Friday, December 7 at 2:00 pm in the Great Room.  We are asking all families in K-8 to donate cookies.  We ask that you drop them off in the School office by Wednesday, December 5 by 9:00am.  What a great way to share the holiday spirit with the seniors of our parish who generously support our school.  This event is a wonderful St. Joseph’s tradition and for many of our seniors, a much anticipated afternoon.  Our guests are treated to cookies and coffee, accompanied by the sweet voices of our K-2 students.  Thank you for your support of this special event.
 
K-2 Christmas Concert:
The K-2 Christmas Concert will be held on Monday, December 10 at 6:30 pm in St. Joseph’s Church.  Students should report to their homerooms at 6:10 pm (classrooms will not be open until that time.)  Students are in uniform during the school day, but should wear their “concert” dress for the evening performance.  An official video will be produced for purchase (order forms will go out next week and must be returned by Thursday, December 14 ^th.)  Students will return to their homeroom after the concert and parents are asked to pick them up there. A special reception will follow the concert in the Great Room.  For safety and supervision reasons, siblings who attend the evening concert must be seated with their parents.
 
  The Weather is Changing
The cold weather is here.  Now is the time to send your children to school with sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets, snow pants, boots, hats and mittens.  During the school day, students should only wear sweatshirts and / or sweaters that are part of the St. Joseph’s School uniform.  Hoodies and sweatshirts that are from community teams, college or professional teams are not to be worn during the school day.  If there is snow on the ground, students are required to be in “full snow gear (snow pants, boots, coats, hats, mittens) in order to play in the snow on the field 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.  
 
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;
 
NET Night – Date Change
December’s NET Night has been changed to December 4 ^th, 4:00pm-6:00pm.  NET Night has shortened its hours to allow for and to encourage the attendance at the Penance Service at 7:00pm.
 
Children’s Christmas Eve Choir- for All Students in Grades 4-8
Once again, this year, at the 5 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass, we will have the Children’s Choir.  Practices will be held in the church on Wednesdays: November 28; and December 5, 12 and 19, from 3:45 to 5 p.m.; and an additional practice, if needed, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 10 a.m.  Welcome the newborn King into the world with your glorious voice! Please mark your calendar for the practice dates above, and sign up by contacting Denis Allaire at (651) 789-8355/ denis.allaire@churchofstjoseph.org.
 
Advent Night of Reflection Invitation for all Women
This special evening will be Thursday, December 6, 2018 from 6-9pm in the Great Room with Speaker Sarah Damm.
All women are invited to take a little break from the busy-ness of the season and treat yourself to an evening of friendship, dinner, delicious desserts, and beverages. There will also be a chance for confession and adoration.  If you would like to attend, please register on the parish website by Monday December 3 ^rd. There will be a free will offering to help us offer more nights like these to women.
 
If you would like to volunteer on the night of the event please sign up on the link provided.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C44ACA923A1F58-advent1   Questions? Contact Amanda Carnes at amanda.carnes@churchofstjoseph.org

Click here to link to the weekly St. Joseph’s Church Bulletin .
 
Important Links:
Mr. Wesely Announcement Helper
 
December / January Calendar Look Ahead:
Please consider joining us for some of the special events at our school.
     
      °  Saturday, December 1 – Fall Fest Gala – Intercontinental Hotel, St. Paul
      °  Sunday, December 2 - First Sunday of Advent
      °  Monday, December 3 – Beginning of Trimester 2
      °  Wednesday, December 5 – 9:00am-2:30pm Grade 7 Retreat
      °  Thursday, December 6 – 8:45-10;00am Middle School Pancake Breakfast
      °  Friday,  December 7 – Mass 9:00am
                                                  K-2 Senior Citizen Christmas Concert
                                                  Trimester 1 Report Cards sent home
      °  Sunday, December 9 - Second Sunday of Advent
      °  Monday, December 10 - K-2 Christmas Concert 6:30pm Church
      °  Friday, December 14 - Mass 9:00am
      °  Sunday, December 16 – Third Sunday of Advent
      °  Tuesday, December 18 – Preschool Christmas Concert, 6:30pm Church
      °  Wednesday, December 19 – Festive Sweater Day
      °  Thursday, December 20 – Band & Choir Concert 7:00pm Gym
      °  Friday, December 21 – Mass 9:00am
      °  Sunday, December 23 – Fourth Sunday of Advent
      °  Monday, December 24 – Tuesday, January 2 – Christmas Break
      °  Wednesday, January 3 – School Resumes