Well here we go! This Sunday, we all turn the calendar page to the month of March. Sunny and 40+ degrees! Is Spring on its way? We all hope so!
This week, while walking through the hallways looking at the student work displayed, I noticed outside of Mrs. Schuster’s classroom, that her students wrote and typed responses to complete the following statement; “I love St. Joseph’s School because . . .” Here are some of their responses;
I love St. Joseph's School because . . . I like Morning Meeting. I like learning about Jesus. I like to play with my friends. I like praying. I like Art. I like my class. I like Reading. I like Buddy Bear. I like to pray the Rosary. I like to do Math. I like our parent readers. I like Mrs. Schuster. I like Fr. Wratkowski. I like Interactive Math Notebook. I like Church. I like the teachers. I like good Shepherd. I like school any day!
Thank you first grade students for sharing what you love about our school! Go Jaguars!
Mission St. Joseph’s Catholic School educates students through faith formation, academic excellence, and the development of virtue to be disciples of Christ.
Lent The liturgical season of Lent began this week on Ash Wednesday. Our students will grow in their faith and prepare for Easter through classroom work, prayer, Mass, Stations of the Cross, the Sacrament of Reconciliation (grades 2-8), the Rosary, and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd instruction. In addition, the Church of St. Joseph will be praying the Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the church. Everyone is invited to join us in prayer at Mass and/or during the devotions. A schedule is attached to this letter for your reference. May you have a blessed Lent!
This morning our second through eighth grade students and faculty attended a Reconciliation Service. We thank Fr. Creagan, Fr. Wratkowski, and our guest priests for assisting with the sacrament and hearing our confessions.
Our school community will gather in the church to pray the Stations of the Cross with Benediction and Adoration on Thursday, March 5. We will begin at 9:00 a.m. Parents and family members are invited to join us in prayer.
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 4, 11, 18, 25 and April 8. After Mass, the students (parents may accompany their child/children) will go to the school cafeteria 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 thank members of the Knights of Columbus who will be assisting with serving the breakfast. We look forward to praying together with members of the parish at morning Mass.
Miles of Smiles - Lenten Service Project During Lent, our school is partnering with the SMILE Network International for a school-wide service project. In memory of Matthew Wesely and the beautiful smile with which he blessed so many, we will be collecting coins (change) to provide surgeries for children born with cleft lips and cleft palates. The SMILE Network is a Minneaapolis based group that coordinates the medical teams needed for the surgeries. Each surgery costs $500 and our goal is to provide as many surgeries as possible in Matthew's memory. Students may donate money from; doing chores, shoveling snow, babysitting, money received as gifts and/or anything else you can think of. We will be collecting donations until April 9, 2020. Flyers went home today and are also attached below.
Fiddler on the Roof - Middle School Musical
The Middle School musical “Fiddler on the Roof Jr. ” will be performed on Thursday, March 12 at 7:00 pm and Friday, March 13 at 2:00pm & 7:00pm in the school gym. Middle school students continue to prepare for their performances. It will be a fantastic show! All students will have the opportunity to see the play during the week. A ticket order form went home in the Friday Folders today and one is also attached to this letter. 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, Ms. Roettger, Mrs. Kilduff, Ms. Walsh, our Middle School Faculty and many parent volunteers for providing this special experience for our middle school students.
2020-2021 School Enrollment- Help us make our mission happen and grOW our school! St. Joseph’s School is the largest ministry of the Church of St. Joseph. The enrollment of new families and students continues at our school. Please assist us in growing our school by sharing information about our school with neighbors, parish families, at the basketball gym, hockey rink, or aisle 5 at Target. You are also encouraged to invite families to join you at any of our school Masses and/or other special school events (ie; Middle School play, Night of the Arts). Please consider inviting them to visit school with you to meet our faculty and receive a tour allowing us to show them the great things happening in our classrooms every day.
For the 2020-2021 school year, a $200 Referral Credit is available to current school families for each new family they refer who registers to attend our school for next year. Thank you for your assistance sharing our school story and helping us grow our school enrollment for next year.
St. Joseph’s School Commitment St. Joseph’s School is committed to providing an outstanding academic formation for your people, rooted in a deep love for Christ and His Church. We recognize that this mission requires cooperative investment and sacrifice from our families, donors and the parish community. We are committed to making St. Joseph’s School education affordable for all families who desire a faithful Catholic education.
If you have any questions regarding financial aid, please contact our school office or log into your TADS account to complete the financial aid process.
(TADS parent help line 612-548-3320)
Parish Multi-Child Discount Registered parishioners at the Church of St. Joseph should have received a new multi-child discount form from the parish; if you have have not received such a form, or have any questions or concerns,, please contact Patrick Menke, Parish Administrator at patrick.menke@churchofstjoseph.org or 651.789.8349. As a reminder these forms are to be signed by the parent(s) and returned to the parish office (or school office) prior to February 28th; once received, Fr. Creagan will sign off on the form as well, and the discount to be applied.
CAA Scholarship Opportunity Each year, the CAA awards six $500 scholarships to current 6th or 7th graders to be awarded at their grade school for the following academic year. The deadline to submit applications is Saturday, April 18, 2020. Award winners will be announced in early May. The link to the application can be found on the CAA website,
stpaulcaa.org or attached below.
Spring Sports Registration - Now Open Registration for spring sports (grades 5-8 – baseball, softball), (grade 5-8 – track) begins today. Spring sports include track, girls’ softball and boy’s baseball. A spring sport’s registration form is coming home today. You may also find one on the website under Student Life - Athletics also attached below. If your child has played a fall or winter sport, we will only need the registration form.
Please do not send payment in with your Registration. All Spring Sports fees will be billed through TADS the month of April. If this is the first sport being played this school year, please check the box on the registration form and the rest of the forms will be sent home.
Forms should be turned in by Friday, March 13th. Registration will not be accepted after Friday, March 13h. Sports participation fees are non-refundable.
If you are interested in coaching a spring sport, please contact Mrs. VanDiver, Athletic Director, at 651-457-8550.
McDonalds / DoorDash Fundraiser for St. Joseph’s School Do you like McDonalds? Do you like saving $$$$? Do you like making money for St Joes?
Do you like the chance of winning autographed merchandise from MN sports icons and celebrities? Or the chance to play video games with them?
WELL THEN, have we got a deal for you….
Presenting the McDonalds-DoorDash- St Joseph’s School fundraiser!!!!!! Here's how it works:
5)
EVERY TIME you do this St Joseph School will get $5!!!!!!!!!! Promotion runs through March 22nd.
Let’s eat some Mickey D’s and make some money for our favorite Catholic school!!!!!!!!!
Donuts with Dads - Feast of St. Joseph Celebration – Thursday, March 19 – Save the Date The Feast of St. Joseph, the patron saint of our parish and school, is Thursday, March 19. Dads and grandfathers are invited with their children and grandchildren to attend a “Donuts with Dads” celebration on Thursday, 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
click here to RSVP for this event. We look forward to seeing you!
Volunteers Needed for Donuts with Dads Event St. Joseph School Moms - we need your help to serve donuts and coffee as well as do a little clean-up for our annual Donuts with Dad's event on Thursday, March 19
th, 7:00am-9:15am. This wonderful event is held in the Parish Great Room. Please
CLICK HERE to Volunteer! Thank you for your help!
Staying Healthy During Cold and Flu Season We are working very hard to keep our students and faculty healthy during this time of year. With the help of our school nurses we are reminding our school community of a few helpful tips to help stay healthy. Please
click here to view our daily tips.
Mr. Wesely received the message below from ISD 197 Leadership regarding the Coronavirus. We will be engaged with District Leadership regarding this global issue should an issue arise locally.
We understand families may be concerned about the global coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and its potential impact on our local community. School District 197 receives in-depth updates and guidance from a number of agencies such as the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Centers for Disease Control. We will continue to gather information and communicate any changes to our regular processes should there be significant student or staff absences at some point during the school year.
As with the cold and flu season, we are asking parents/families to keep their children home when they are sick as well as remind children about good hand washing habits and how to cover a cough.
For more COVID-19-related information from the MDH, visit
https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html.
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.
Early Childhood Screening for Preschool Aged Children Please be sure to make an appointment for Preschool Early Childhood screening through the school district you reside in. Screening is required now for most schools, instead of highly recommended as in the past. It is suggested that the screening be completed at the 3½ age level. Even if your child is past the age recommendation, it is still necessary to make an appointment. Please call the Early Childhood Office in your school district to schedule your appointment. Please contact Vicki Young at 651-789-8300 if you have any questions or need additional information.
St. Joe’s Winter Socials - Now Open! St. Joe’s Winter Socials are now open! Please see the attachment below for a list and details of the Socials that are now available!
Please click here to register to attend.
4HG Summer Camps - Registration Now Open! 4HG is excited to announce our summer camps for 2020!
Click hereto register for a 4HG Camp and to learn more about what these terrific camps have to offer!
School Masses Our next school Mass will be on Friday, March 6 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.
Parish Father Daughter Dance - Thank you! Thank you to Tracy Kracht and the many volunteers that hosted this wonderful event. The Father Daughter Dance is quickly becoming a wonderful tradition for our St. Joe’s Community! It was shared with us that this event was attended and enjoyed by so many!
Archdiocesan Synod As part of the Archdiocesan Synod process, all parishioners are invited to participate in surveys that will provide valuable information in planning for the future here at St. Joseph and in our Archdiocese. If you haven’t already attended a Listening Session, we encourage you to bring a friend and attend the upcoming the upcoming
Listening Sessions.
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
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February / March Look Ahead: ° Saturday, Mar. 1 - Confirmation Interviews 3:30-6:00pm (times to be assigned) Church ° Friday, Mar. 6 - Mass 9:00am Church ° Friday, Mar. 6 - End of Trimester 2 ° Monday, Mar. 9 - Beginning of Trimester 3 ° Monday, Mar. 9 - Confirmation Night of Reflection 7:00pm Church ° Tuesday, Mar. 10 - First Eucharist Night of Reflection 6:30-7:30pm Church ° Thursday, Mar. 12 - Fiddler on the Roof 7:00pm School Gymnasium ° Friday, Mar. 13 - Fiddler on the Roof 2:00pm & 7:00pm School Gymnasium ° Friday, Mar. 13 - Mass 9:00am Church ° Thursday, Mar. 19 - Donuts with Dads 7:45am- Feast of St. Joseph, Mass 9:00am Church ° Sunday, Mar. 22 - Confirmation Ceremony 2:00-4:00pm St. Paul Cathedral ° Friday, Mar. 27 - School IN Session No District Transportation or Food Service ° Friday, Mar. 27 - Mass 9:00am Church ° Friday, Mar. 27 - 6th grade Biography Fair - Great Room ° Monday, March 30 - Friday, April 3 - No School Spring Break