Parent Letter 12/4/20
-
Dear Parents,
Advent blessings from St. Joseph’s School! The first week of December and Advent have been very busy and exciting. Today we took our “Hats Off to our Teachers and Staff” thanking them for their hard work and dedication to their students. We are thankful that we have successfully completed another week of school.
St. Joseph’s School Gala - December 5, 2020
On behalf of St. Joseph’s School and the Gala Committee, we are so excited to be hosting the St. Joseph’s School Gala tomorrow evening beginning at 7:00 p.m. The final preparations for Gala have been completed. This year’s Gala will be a virtual event and we hope you and everyone in our school community will join us. We would love to have you present to celebrate Catholic education and St. Joseph’s School. You can still register to attend click here. It will be a special evening of fellowship and entertainment while raising funds to support the mission of St. Joseph’s School.This event will be one to remember. We look forward to school parents Matt and Adrianna Birk as our hosts, a performance by St. Joseph’s School students, a video featuring members of our school community, the opportunity to outbid your friends for tremendous items, and the drawing of the names of the winners of our wonderful raffle prizes.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Event Co-Chairs, Rachael Amarante and Bria Hammel along with their amazing team for making this event possible. This unique year has brought about challenges and opportunities alike. They have done a wonderful job in planning for this special evening. We look forward to having you all join us virtually to celebrate Catholic education, our school, and raise the necessary funds to help us “make our mission happen”. We are most grateful for your continued support of St. Joseph’s School.
Here are the Three ways in which you can watch this Event:
https://www.facebook.com/StJoeSchoolWSP
Mission
“St. Joseph’s Catholic School educates students through faith formation, academic excellence,
and the development of virtue to be disciples of Christ.”
Report Cards
Families will be receiving Report Cards for the First Trimester today. Report cards will be sent home with students in grades K-5. Parents will receive the report card in an envelope with a Parent Signature Form. Parents are asked to complete the form after reviewing their child’s report card and progress. The form needs to be returned to school by Friday, December 11. Middle school student Report Cards will be sent to parents electronically via email. Upon receiving and reviewing their middle school child’s report cards, parents need to send an email reply to acknowledge receipt of the report card.Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions regarding your child’s academic progress or their learning behaviors.
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 on Tuesday, January 19.Additional information, classroom schedules, and remote learning expectations will be sent to school families next week. Students will be bringing technology devices, Clever badges, school materials and their supplies home during next week in preparation for remote learning.
It is our hope that this plan 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..
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. Preschool families should look for more information and materials coming home with their child next week.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.
Marian Feast Days
Did you know that there are two very special Marian feasts happening during the next week? These two feast days would be a wonderful time to offer prayers to Mary requesting her protection and intercession especially during this time of pandemic. You may choose to pray the Rosary, the Hail Mary, the Memorare, the Hail Holy Queen, and/or any other Marian prayers. Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us.Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary – December 8
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is the Patronal Feast day of the United States of America. We remember that Mary was full of God’s grace and free from original sin from the first moment of her life. God gave Mary this honor because she would be invited to be the mother of the Savior, Jesus.Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe – December 12
In the year 1531, Mary appeared to an Aztec Indian named Juan Diego. Juan saw the Mother of God dressed as an Aztec princess. She promised to help all who call on her. The vision of Mary’s message brought faith and comfort to the Aztec people, who had been treated with great cruelty by some of the Spanish explorers. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron of Mexico, and today she is honored throughout the Americas. Mary, Queen of the Americas, Pray for us!Middle School St. Joseph Award
Congratulations to our second recipients of the St. Joseph Award! Lily Cassady, grade 6, Anna Rafferty, grade 7, and Lily Olstad grade 8. This award recognizes Middle School students that are following the example given by St. Joseph of living a faith-filled life and being a hard worker. The award is presented to Middle School students at the mid-trimester and at the end of the trimester.Lunch Menu - Week of Dec. 7
Monday: Chicken Nuggets
Tuesday: Spaghetti w/ Meat sauce
Wednesday: Mini Corn Dogs
Thursday: Pizza
Friday: Chicken TendersHome and School Association
Our next Home and School Association meeting is Wednesday, December 9, at 7 pm. Since this is a virtual meeting, if you would like to attend for any reason, or if you have comments or suggestions for the administration or the group, please reach out to Betsy Joyce (betsybjoyce@gmail.com) or your grade reps. Minutes from the meeting will be posted on our website a day or two after the meeting.Family Christmas Cards
We invite our school families to bring/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 - Tuesday, December 8 Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Our next school Mass will be on Tuesday, December 8 beginning at 9:00 a.m. Students and staff will be viewing the Mass via live stream on the Church of St. Joseph website in their classrooms. Fr. Creagan and Fr. Wratkowski will visit our grade 3-8 classrooms to distribute Holy Communion to our students and faculty after Mass. Parents and families may also view the Mass on the Church of St. Joseph website; www.churchofstjoseph.org. I hope you are able to join us. It is a blessing to be able to pray and worship as a school community and to receive Jesus in the Eucharist.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.
December Look Ahead:
- Saturday, Dec. 5 – 7:00 p.m. St. Joseph’s School Gala (Virtual Event–Registration Open)
- Tuesday, Dec. 8 - 9:00am Mass Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Holy Day)
- 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