Dear Parents,
Advent blessings from St. Joseph’s School! The first week of December and Advent have been very busy and exciting. This week everyone has been preparing for the coming of Jesus at Christmas through prayer and special Advent activities. Mrs. Bowe, Mr. Matchey, our Preschool teachers and staff are all preparing students for their Christmas concerts. Our students enjoyed playing in the snow during recess. In addition, the final preparations for our school’s Gala have been completed. Finally, the students received candy canes to celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas.
Please continue to read on to learn more about everything that is taking place at our wonderful school during the next several weeks. Please mark your calendars with the dates of these many special events. We hope to see you there!
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 mission in so many ways throughout the school year.
Today, Fr. Creagan attended the Mass of Christian Burial for Bishop Paul Sirba, Bishop of the Diocese of Duluth (formerly a priest in the Archdiocese) at the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Duluth. In his absence, we welcomed Deacon Steve Maier, Director of Parish and Clergy Services in the Archdiocese, who presided at a Prayer Service which included Eucharistic Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. During the prayer service, Deacon Steve shared information about the season of Advent and St. Nicholas. Thank you Deacon Steve for leading us in prayer.
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. You may choose to pray the Rosary, the Hail Mary, 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 – Celebrated December 9 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!
St. Joseph’s School Gala - December 7, 2019 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 at the InterContinental Hotel in St. Paul. The doors will open at 5:30p.m. for a social reception, the Ballroom will open at 6:30 p.m., and the program and dinner will begin at 7:00 p.m., and the evening will conclude with music and fellowship. In addition, former school parents, Greg and Emmy Springer will receive the “Spirit of St. Joseph Award” during the program.
Gala 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.
If you are not able to attend this event, yet still are interested in financially supporting making the mission happen at our school, please consider joining the fun by participating in the Gala’s Silent Auction. Even if you are unable to join us the night of Gala, you can now participate by bidding on the amazing items available in the silent auction. Auction closes Saturday, December 7th at 7:30pm. To register for a bid number contact: Bri DeLeon at:
briana.deleon@carters.com We would like to recognize and extend a HUGE thank you to Mitzi Vitale, Bri DeLeon, Adrianna Birk, Mollie Rubenzer, Katie Grondahl, and Cheryl Weimer for Co-chairing the event this year.
Report Cards Report cards for First Trimester are coming home with students today. A Parent Signature Form is included with your child’s report card. 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 13. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions regarding your child’s academic progress.
Congratulations to all of our Middle School students who earned recognition on the St. Joseph’s School Honor Roll for having a 3.5 GPA for the first trimester.
Middle School St. Joseph Award Congratulations to our second recipients of the St. Joseph Award! Jacob Tigan, grade 6, Mary Endris, grade 7, and Claire Shypulski, 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.
St. Joe’s Socials We are excited that once again we have the St. Joe’s Socials! What a wonderful way to help support our school and grow our community. Click on the link below for more information about these great events!
Advent On Sunday, December 1st, we began the season of Advent and a new liturgical 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 thousand years ago, and for his coming again in his glorified body. Please consider placing an Advent wreath in your home in preparation for Christmas. O Come, O Come Emmanuel!
K-2 Christmas Concert The K-2 Christmas Concert will be held on Tuesday, December 10 at 6:30pm in St. Joseph’s Church. We look forward to our students wearing their “holiday concert” dress and sharing their special songs lead by Mrs. Bowe and assisted by Professora Tulia preparing us for this special season. Following the Concert, a reception is being held in the Great Room for fellowship and to celebrate the musical accomplishments of our students. All guests are invited to stop for cookies, refreshments, and fellowship. Merry Christmas!
Preschool Christmas Program The Preschool Christmas Program will be held on Tuesday, December 17
th at 6:30 p.m. in the Church. Our preschool children are so excited to share the gift of music with our loving families. Please plan to arrive early to get a good seat. All are welcome!
Band & Choir Concert The annual Christmas Band & Choir Concert is scheduled for Thursday, December 12
th, 7:00pm in our School Gymnasium. Students will watch the dress rehearsal performance at 2:00 pm. We look forward to our band and our middle school choir performing at this annual event.
K-2 Senior Citizen Christmas Concert- Thank you! Today, our K–2 students lead by Mrs. Bowe and assisted by Professora Tulia celebrated the Christmas season by performing for many special guests at our annual Senior Citizen Program in the Great Room. Our students did a tremendous job! Thank you to the many families who donated the cookies that were provided for our guests. Thank you faculty members and parent volunteers who worked hard to make this event so very special. We would like to send a special thank you to Betsy Joyce and Bri Brekke and the many volunteers for your work in coordinating this event
Mitten and Hat Collection is Underway! The fifth grade students are sponsoring their sixth annual mittens, hats, gloves, and scarves collection for the Hats and Mittens of Minnesota. The items may be brought to school between Monday, December 2 and Friday, December 13. Students may place the hats and mittens on the tree or in the boxes displayed across from the office on the second floor. Thank you so much for your participation in this special work of mercy. Your donations will assist Hats and Mittens of Minnesota help people to stay warm during the winter months.
Nothing Bundt Cakes - St. Paul Location St. Joseph’s School will receive 20% of the sales at Nothing Bundt Cakes in St. Paul - Grand Avenue location, December 16th - December 21st. Please see the attached flyer below. Flyers will be going home with students next week. Thank you!
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.
Volunteers Needed for Recess Duty - Please help
We need help for recess duty 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 December. Hot chocolate will be provided for all volunteers!
The Weather is Changing The cold and snowy weather have arrived in West St. Paul. Please send your children to school with their sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets, and “snow gear” including hats, scarves, and nylon gloves/mittens so your child’s hands remain dry. Please remember to
label all of your child’s clothing so that it can be returned to him/her in the event that it is misplaced or lost while at school. Our school;’s Lost and Found is located on the first floor outside of the cafeteria.
School Masses Our next school Mass will be on Monday, December 9 when we will be celebrating the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception at 9:00 a.m. in the Church. Parents and family members are always welcome to attend our school Masses and prayer devotions during 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.
Middle School Youth Nights Middle School Youth Nights will be held every other week throughout the year! These nights will be held on the 1st and 3rd week of each month and will include fun, snacks, fellowship, and different types of prayer such as bible study, Adoration, and small groups. Please see the attachment for a full list of dates and times. If you have any questions, please contact Jake Debolt at jake.debolt@churchofstjoseph.org
Click here to link to the weekly St. Joseph’s Church Bulletin
.