Parent Letter 2/15/19

Dear Parents,
 
Greetings from St. Joseph’s School!  For those of you who were present for our Carnival this afternoon, you are probably catching your breath, hopefully resting, and possibly even taken a nap.  The energy and excitement were extremely high within our school building walls this afternoon.
 
Yes, our annual school Carnival for our students was held today.  It was a spectacular event for our students and community!  Our students really enjoyed the pizza lunch, games, inflatables, the General Store, and the food items at the concession stand.  The fellowship between our school parents, families, and faculty was so great to see.  We hope that many of our former students, now school parents, thoroughly enjoyed reliving Carnival memories with their children.
 
We sincerely thank our Home and School leadership along with all of the many volunteers who diligently worked so hard, for several weeks, up against the weather and date changes to prepare and host Carnival.  We thank all of our faculty and staff for supporting and supervising our students throughout the afternoon.  For the record, the Minnesota winter weather (or polar vortex) does not stop the St. Joseph’s School Carnival!
 
No School Monday, February 18
There will be no school on Monday, February 18 in observance of President’s Day.  School will resume on Tuesday, February 19.  Please enjoy this time with your families! 
 
Parent Teacher Conferences - Rescheduled
Parent Teacher Conferences that were originally schedule for Thursday, February 7 (4:30-7:30 pm), have been rescheduled for Thursday, February 21 (4:30-7:30 p.m.).  We kept your same time slot(s) as you had scheduled for your conference(s) and moved it to the new date.  Your child’s teacher(s) has sent you an email reminding you of your conference time on February 21.  If this time does not work for your schedule, or if you have any questions please contact Lisa Wrobel; liwrobel@stjosephwsp.org. 
 
School Carnival – Hooray! 
Yes, our annual school Carnival for our students was held today.  It was a spectacular event for our students and community!  Our students really enjoyed the pizza lunch, games, inflatables, the General Store, and the food items at the concession stand.  We sincerely thank our Home and School leadership along with all of the many volunteers who diligently worked so hard, for several weeks, up against the weather and date changes to prepare and host calendar.  The Minnesota weather stop the St. Joseph’s School Carnival! 
 
Scholastic Book Fair
Our Scholastic Book Fair was a tremendous success.  Everyone extends a special “thank you” to Michelle Benish, Jenny Vierzba, Julie Smith, Gina Gergen, Katie Grondahl, and our wonderful team of volunteers for Organizing and hosting the fair.  Proceeds from the fair are used to purchase new books for our school Library.  Thanks to all of our families for supporting this annual event.
 
Financial Assistance and Scholarships Deadlines – Grades Kindergarten-8
The deadline to apply for financial assistance for the 2019-2020 school year is February 28.  Log into your TADS account to complete this process.

The Aim Higher Foundation provides scholarships for students to attend Catholic school in the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Mpls.  The application period ends February 17, 2019. If you received a scholarship this academic school year (2018-2019), you must re-apply. They are also accepting new applications from school families.  This link will be found in your financial aid application through TADS.
 
Confirmation Retreat
Our eighth-grade students continue to prepare for receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.  They will be participating in a special retreat facilitated by NET Ministries on Tuesday, February 26 in the Great Room.  Please continue to pray for our school and parish students as they prepare to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
 
Mass and Breakfast
On Wednesdays during Lent, St. Joseph’s School families are invited to attend the parish’s morning Mass at 7:30 a.m.  The dates are March 13, 20 & April 3, 10, 17.  After Mass, the students (parents may accompany their child/children) will go to the Great Room for supervision prior to school (8:05-8:30 a.m.).  For any family interested, a light breakfast will be available for students for a nominal charge ($2.00) payable each morning.  Students will be dismissed to their classrooms at 8:30 a.m. to begin their school day.  We look forward to praying together with members of the parish at morning Mass.
 
Holy Land Pilgrimage – Mrs. Taplin and Mrs. Walsh
Mrs. Taplin (Grade 2) and Ms. Walsh(Grade 5) will be sharing information and pictures from their recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  We are all excited to learn about their experience walking in the footsteps of Jesus.  Thanks ladies!
 
Chipotle Family Fun Night – Wednesday, March 13
Join us for our next school Family Night at Chipotle located at 1857 Robert Street in West St. Paul.  This special school event will be on March 13 between 4:00pm and 8:00pm.  Our school will receive 33% from the sales that evening.  We invite you to enjoy an evening out with your family and friends.  Yum!!!
 
Middle School Play – “Annie Jr.”
The Middle School musical “Annie Jr.” will be performed on Friday, March 15 at 7:00 pm and Saturday, March 16 at 1:00 pm in the school gym.  Middle school students have been working tirelessly on their performance and it will be a fantastic show!  All students will have the opportunity to see the play during the week.  Ticket order forms will go home next week.  Guests attending the performances may also pay at the door.  Please be aware that adults attending student performances must purchase a play ticket for each performance attended.  We thank Mrs. Bowe, our middle school faculty, Mrs. Kilduff, and many parent volunteers for providing this special experience for our middle school students.
 
Donuts with Dads - Feast of St. Joseph Celebration – Tuesday, March 19 – Save the Date
The Feast of St. Joseph, the patron saint of our parish and school, is Tuesday, March 19.  Dads and grandfathers are invited with their children and grandchildren to attend a “Donuts with Dads” celebration on Tuesday, March 19 between 7:45-8:25 a.m. in the Monsignor Foran Great Room.  Donuts, coffee, and juice will be served before school as we celebrate dads and grandfathers.  Dads and grandfathers are invited to remain for fellowship prior to attending the celebration of Mass at 9:00 a.m. in Church.  Please watch for additional information to register for this event.  We look for to seeing you!
 
St. Joe's STEM Fair – April 4, 2019
St. Joseph’s School is holding a STEM Fair on Thursday, April 4, 2019.  STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  All students in grades 3-8 were invited to participate in the Fair.  Registration is now closed.  Winners of the St. Joe's STEM Fair will be able to compete in the CSCOE Big Bang STEM Fair on April 6, 2019.  If you have any questions, please contact elschafer@stjosephwsp.org.
 
Volunteers Needed for Recess Duty 
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 look for an email from your grade level rep and consider signing up for recess duty.

School Mass – Friday, February 22
Please join us for our school Mass on Friday, February 22 at 9:00am in the church.  School families, friends, and members of the parish are always invited to pray with our students and faculty. 
 
Parking Reminder
When coming to visit school, parents are asked to please be aware of our neighbors living on Seminole Avenue.  We have homes directly across the street from our school and on several occasions, driveways have been blocked by the parked vehicles of people visiting school.  If there is not space available to park on the street, please do not create a spot in which your vehicle blocks an entrance to a driveway, even if you are just going to be a short time in the building.  Vehicle parking is available in the lot located on the corner of Seminole and Orme.  Vehicles parked blocking our neighbors’ driveways may be ticketed by the West St. Paul Police.  Thank you for your attention to this matter.
 
Lost and Found 
Parents are asked to please stop and check the table with items from our lost and found.  The table will be located on the second floor of our building near the school office.  There are many items including shirts, pants, sweatshirts, hats, gloves, and mittens.  Thank you for checking and claiming your items.

Just a Reminder 
Please continue to review our Friday Letters, 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. 
  
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: 
  
All in God’s Plan: 
St. Joseph’s will be hosting an All in God’s Plan Level 1 event for 10-12 years old girls and their mothers or significant adult female on Saturday, March 9, 2019 from 2-4:30pm.   Space will be limited.  Please see the parish website for registration details. 
  
Mission Statement 
St. Joseph’s Catholic School educates students through faith formation, academic excellence, and the development of virtue to be disciples of Christ.

Click here to link to the weekly St. Joseph’s Church Bulletin .
 
Important Links:
 
January Calendar Look Ahead:
Please consider joining us for some of the special events at our school.
 

• Monday, February 18 – No School, President’s Day
• Thursday, February 21 – Parent Teacher Conferences 4:30-7:30 (Rescheduled Session)
• Friday, February 22 – Mass 9am
• Tuesday, February 26 – 8^th Grade Retreat 4:00-9:00pm, Great Room
• Friday, March 1 – Mass 9am
• Saturday, March 2 – 1^st Eucharist Morning of Reflection 9:00-10:30am, Church
• Wednesday, March 6 – Mass 9am, Ash Wednesday
• Friday March 8 – End of Trimester 2
• Monday, March 11- Trimester 3 Begins
• Tuesday, March 12 – MS NET Night, 4:00-7:30pm, Great Room
• Wednesday, March 13 – Chipotle Family Fun Night 4:00-8:00pm
• Friday, March 15 – MS Musical Annie Jr. 7:00pm, Gym
• Saturday, March 16 – MS Musical Annie Jr. 1:00pm, Gym
• Tuesday, March 19 – Donuts with Dads 7:45am, Mass 9am – Feast of St. Joseph
• Friday, March 22- School in Session No District Transportation or Food Service
• Friday, March 22- 6^th Grade Biography Fair, 1:00-3:00pm Great Room
• Monday, March 25 – Friday, March 29 – Spring Break, No School
• Monday, April 1 – Welcome Back – School IN Session