Parent Letter 12/11/20

Dear Parents,                                                                                                                  

Greetings from St. Joseph’s School!  As you can imagine, it has been a very busy week at school as we prepare our teachers, students and your family to transition to full remote learning for three weeks around the Christmas holiday.  Your children have been bringing home a number of their school materials and supplies in preparation for remote learning.  Please watch for specific information regarding remote learning from our school office (K-5 Remote Learning Expectations and Technology Agreement) and your child’s classroom teacher.

Advent
Advent blessings to your family!  Advent is the season of preparing for the arrival of Jesus (both his first coming and his second coming).  This Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent.  The third Sunday of Advent is called "Gaudete" Sunday.  Gaudete is a name taken from the first word of the entrance antiphon of the Mass, which is:

 “ Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice.  Indeed, the Lord is near.”

This is a quotation from Philippians 4:4-5.  The liturgical color is rose instead of purple.  This is the Church's way of further heightening our expectations as we draw ever nearer the Solemnity of Christmas.

St. Joseph’s School 2020 Gala
Our annual school Gala held last weekend was a tremendous event.  The spirit and generosity of our community was evident and shined even virtually during the evening. 

Gala is our school’s largest event to raise funds to support the mission of our school.  This year, the event was extremely important as we made numerous investments in technology hardware and software, water bottle filling stations, and hand sanitizing stations in planning to reopen the school for in person and remote learning.  In addition, St. Joseph’s School strives to keep tuition affordable for all families attending our school.  With our 2020-2021 K-8 tuition at $5,450 per student and the cost to educate a student at $7,800, the funds raised through Gala help support all families attending our school. 

As we approach the end of the calendar year, and if you were not able to participate in the Gala, it is not too late to consider making a tax deductible donation to St. Joseph’s School to help support our mission.

We are most grateful for your continued support of our school.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Event Co-Chairs, Rachael Amarante and Bria Hammel along with their amazing team for making Gala such a special event.   They all worked extremely hard creating the program, coordinating all of the wonderful auction items, and reaching out to our entire school community about the event.  We are so grateful for their work sharing our school’s story and raising funds for our school.

Mission

“St. Joseph’s Catholic School educates students through faith formation, academic excellence,

and the development of virtue to be disciples of Christ.”

Transition to Full Remote Learning - Grades K-8
Beginning on Monday, December 14, students in grades Kindergarten through 8 will begin full remote learning.  This will be a temporary interruption in our in person instructional model.  Our teachers and staff will be instructing their students from their classrooms with our students being at home receiving the instruction in a synchronous manner with some learning experiences being asynchronous.  Full remote learning will be December 14-18, January 4-8, and January 11-14.  Students will return to school to resume in person learning or remote learning if elected on Tuesday, January 19.

Additional information, classroom schedules, and remote learning expectations will be sent to families from the school office or our classroom teachers..  Students are bringing technology devices, Clever badges, school materials, and their supplies home in preparation for remote learning.  Please let your child’s teacher know if you need additional items.

Thank you for everything you are doing to prepare you and your students to transition to full remote learning beginning on Monday, December 14, 2020.

Transition to Pause - Preschool
Our Preschool Programs will be taking a pause and not be in session during the weeks of December 14, January 4, and January 11.  The Preschool programs will resume on Tuesday, January 19.  This follows the same schedule as our elementary and middle school.  Our preschool teachers are committed to providing complimentary resources and activities for their children during the pause using Choice Boards. 

It is our hope that the transition to a full remote learning model for K-8 grades and having a pause in our preschool programing will allow our school community - our students, families, teachers, and staff - to remain healthy and safe.  Please let us know if you have any questions or how we may be able to assist you in these transitions.

St. Joseph’s School Calendar - Adjustments
Please note that some adjustments have been made to our original 2020-2021 St. Joseph’s School calendar.  Monday, December 21, Tuesday, December 22, and Friday, January 15, 2021 have been made non-school days for students and staff.  Monday, January 18, 2021 (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) remains a non-school day.  Our students return to school for in person learning on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.

St. Joseph’s School - Title I Tutor Position
St. Joseph's School is seeking a qualified Title I Tutor who is passionate about guiding students to be successful learners.  This specific position is a school district position and is posted on the ISD 197 website under Employment.  The details for this position include; working with students in grades K-5 as a Title I Tutor, dates of employment being approximately January 19-June 2, 2021, approximately 13 hours per week (3-5 days with hours based upon available funding).  See the ISD 197 website for specific qualifications and responsibilities.  Interested individuals need to apply online at www.isd197.org.  In addition, please contact Mr. Wesely if interested and/or if you have any questions.  

Festive Sweater Day
Today our students and staff displayed Christmas holiday cheer wearing festive (and honestly . . . some ugly) sweaters.  Christmas colors were on full display by everyone throughout the school building.  It was a great way to end the school week.  The joy, laughter, and smiles were abundant.

Family Christmas Cards
We invite our school families to send a Christmas card to the school office.  All cards received will be displayed near the office.  Please join us in sharing the joy of Christmas with everyone.

School Mass
Please note that while our school is in full remote learning, we will continue to celebrate Mass as a school community.  Our next school Mass will be on Friday, December 18  at 9:00 a.m.  The Mass will be live streamed on the Church of St. Joseph website; www.churchofstjoseph.org.  Students need to participate by viewing the Mass prior to beginning their school day with their teachers.  Parents and families are also encouraged to join us for Mass as we continue to pray and prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas.

Sacrament of Reconciliation
During this week, our third-eighth grade students and faculty were able to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  The teachers assisted their students in preparing for the sacrament by reviewing the rite (form) of the sacrament, conducting an examination of conscience, and reciting the Act of Contrition.  In addition, Fr. Wratkowski created a video for our students sharing information about the sacrament (see the link below to view the video).  We are grateful to Fr. Creagan and Fr. Wratkowski for being available to provide this important sacrament of God’s mercy for our students and faculty. 

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0BGt-xiIMS6aloWNGPF5YzCEw

Home and School Association
Our Home and School Association is still meeting monthly to plan and work on many things for our school and community.  Click here to see their minutes from the most recent meeting.

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.

Advent Giving Tree and Parish Food Drive
Celebrate the Advent season!  An Advent Giving Tree is located in the Gathering Space at the church.  Each ornament has a gift idea for a family member in need.  If you would like to take an ornament and purchase a gift, wrap it, attach the paper ornament outside and return it to the Advent Tree by Sunday, december 13, gifts will be shared with families who are served through the Wakota Life Care Center.

If you are interested in sponsoring a family, please contact Cathy Wagner- 651-925-6950.

December Look Ahead:

• Monday, Dec. 14-Friday, Dec. 18  Remote Learning – Kindergarten - grade 8 :  Preschool on pause – not in session
• Monday Dec. 21 – Friday, Jan. 1 No School - Christmas Break Merry Christmas!
• Monday, Jan. 4 - Thursday, Jan. 14 School Resumes Remotely.  Happy New Year!  

             Remote Learning – Kindergarten - grade 8

             Preschool on pause – not in session

• Friday, Jan. 15 & Monday, Jan. 18- No School Martin Luther King Holiday
• Tuesday, Jan 19 - Students K - 8 Return to In-person Learning