Parent Letter 9/13/19

Dear Parents,                                                                                                                             
Welcome Back!
Greetings from St. Joseph’s School!  Our second week of school has gone extremely well.  We hope that you and your families are settling into the school routines.  Please know that our school staff is here to partner with you and assist you in any way during the school year.  Please contact the school office, your child’s teacher(s), check our school website, or look for this Friday Letter if you have any questions or need information about anything happening at school.
 
As we begin the new school year, we would like to share with you our 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.  We look forward to partnering with you to provide your children with a quality Catholic education.
 
Currently, St. Joseph’s School has 388 students enrolled in Preschool – grade 8.  Thirty-five new families joined our school community.  This year, we welcome 75 preschool children and families which make up the largest number of preschool children we have ever had in our program.  We know that you have a choice when considering the education of your children.  Thank you for choosing to have your children attend St. Joseph’s School!
 
A Message from Mr. Wesely
The following message was emailed to our school families this morning.  We provide it here in the event that you missed the original message.
 
Good morning St. Joseph’s School Families!
 
This morning as we were beginning our day, our school received a concerning telephone call from a parent stating there were several West St. Paul police active with a situation a few blocks from the school; the police were actually diverting some of our parents dropping off their students.  With this limited information, I made a decision to exercise precaution and placed our school on official ‘lock down’.   Our faculty and I worked quickly to secure our building and account for the students arriving at school.  Students were immediately brought into the school building. 
 
Shortly thereafter, I was able to talk with a West St. Paul Police Officer.  He shared with me that the situation they were addressing was resolved, and there was no safety concerns for the school.  I returned to the office and issued an all clear for our teachers and students.  We were able to begin our school day on schedule.
 
Situations like these always remind us of our highest priority,  providing a safe environment for our students to learn.  We will always exercise precaution when it comes to the safety of our students.  I want to honor my faculty this morning for their quick and calm response to this lock down procedure.  I’m also grateful for the continued positive and supportive relationship we have with the West St. Paul Police in providing a safe environment for our students. 
 
If there are any further questions you might have, please feel free to contact me.
 
Student Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures (see attachment with this letter)
As we begin the new school year, we need to remind our parents and family members of the procedures for dropping off and picking up students at school.  The safety of our students is very important during these busy times of day.  School faculty will be present during drop off and pick up to assist our students.  Thank you for your cooperation with following the specific procedures.  Also, we love our school neighbors.  Please refrain from blocking our neighbors driveways when you park Seminole Ave. in front of the school.
 
Classroom Blessings
Today, Fr. Creagan and Fr. Wratkowski visited our classrooms and areas of the school blessing our students and faculty as we begin the new school year.  We thank them for helping all of grow in our faith!  Please watch for pictures of Fr. Creagan blessing our students on our social sites.
 
Sacrament of Reconciliation
This week, our third through eighth grade students and faculty attended a Penance service and received the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  We thank Fr. Creagan for leading our service as well as Fr. Wratkowski and the visiting priests who were present to administer the sacrament.
 
Middle School Retreat
This week our middle schools students gathered for a special beginning of the school year retreat.  Mr. Butler, Middle School religion teacher, Mr. Jake DeBolt, Church of St. Joseph Middle School Youth Director, Mr. Wesely, and our Middle School teachers facilitated the retreat for our students.
 
NWEA MAP Assessments
On Monday September 16, students in grades 2-8 will begin the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) assessments.  The assessments will be given over the next two-three weeks.  The students will complete a mathematics assessment first followed by a reading assessment.  Please help your student by reminding them to get a good night sleep and to eat a healthy breakfast.  Please click here for a letter containing more information for our students and families in grades 2-8.  We thank Mrs. Budge for coordinating and facilitating the assessments for our students.
 
New Six-Day Cycle School Schedule
Our faculty and students will be counting days as part of a new rotating six-day schedule being implemented at our school this year.  With this new schedule, students will attend our specials classes of Art. Music, PE, and Spanish on a numbered day (Day 1-6) rather than a day of the week.  In our schedule, elementary students will attend their specials classes three times during the six days.  Our middle school students will attend Art one time, Music one time, PE two times, and Spanish two times during the six days. 
 
The greatest advantage of this new schedule is consistency.  With our previous specialist schedule, holidays and days off of school would result in some of our students missing specials classes.  Students who had a specials class on a Monday and/or Friday would miss many of their classes during the school year.  This will not be the case with a rotating six-day schedule.  Your child’s classroom teacher can provide details on their specific rotating schedule.  Please click here for a calendar providing the 6 day rotation.
 
Parent Educate Access – Middle School
Educate (our school’s on-line grading system) for middle school will be open on Tuesday, September 17.  More information containing directions on how to use the account will be sent to families next week.  Please contact Mrs. Bruce ( lobruce@stjosephwsp.org) with any questions about using Educate.
 
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd sessions began this week for all students in Kindergarten - 5 ^th grade.  We thank Director of Catechesis & Formation Christina Stokman, and Catechists Katy Lasure, Teri Jackson, Jennifer Thompson, and Laurie Garcia for instructing our students while they visit the Atrium.  Please take a moment to visit the link under the Faith Formation tab on the St. Joseph’s School webpage to learn more about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd .  You will find pictures and other information about this beautiful program that we are able to offer to our students.
 
School Masses
Parents, grandparents, and family members are always welcome to attend our school Masses and prayer devotions during the school year. We do ask that for the month of September, all students sit with their teachers and class to establish routines and procedures.  Fr. Creagan and Fr. Wratkowski will be sharing information on parts of the Mass during their homilies.  We are also implementing some specific Mass “etiquette” for our school Masses.  Thank you!
 
School Leadership Groups
The St. Joseph’s School leadership groups are set up and will be meeting throughout the school year.  We would like to thank Angie Flynn for her work with the Home and School Association, and Matt Mollner & Alyssa Troje, for their leadership on the School Advisory Council.  It is certainly true that many hands are needed to support our school community!  We invite you to become involved in any of the many volunteer and leadership opportunities at our school - it’s a great way to meet other school parents.
 
Responsive Classroom
I hope you have heard your children talk about some of the activities and things they are doing in their classrooms.  Did you children share with you their hopes and dreams for this school year?  You may have heard them use the term Responsive Classroom and/or talk about some of the activities and chant/cheers they are doing in their classroom.
 
Responsive Classroom is an evidence-based education approach associated with greater teacher effectiveness, higher student achievement, and improved school climate.  The Responsive Classroom approach consists of a set of practices that build academic and social-emotional skills. 
 
Independent research has found that the Responsive Classroom approach is associated with higher academic achievement in math and reading, improved school climate, and high-quality instruction.  Additional information about the Responsive Classroom Approach will be provided during the school year in our Friday Letter.
 
2019-20 St. Joseph’s School Band Program (Grades 4-8)
Our school band program this year is being facilitated by Hill-Murray High School’s Pioneer Pathways Program.  Our school band program will be under the direction of Mr. Gideon Matchey.  Band lessons and instruction will occur during the school day.  Please email Mr. Matchey at gmatchey@hill-murray.org for more information or with any questions you may have about the band program.
 
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 click here to volunteer in September.
 
Uniform Dress Code
Families are reminded that all students are expected to be compliant with our school’s uniform policy.  This includes:

• Socks should be white or dark (navy or black).  A small logo in white or black is permitted.  No-show socks are not allowed.
• Belts need to be worn by any student wearing shorts or pants.  Belts can be leather, cloth, or braided but should be dark in color.
• Skirt length should be no more than four inches above the back of the knee.
• Sweatshirts, vests, and pullovers labeled with St. Joseph’s School may be worn during the school day.  Spirit wear clothing and community sweatshirts may be worn to and from school and at recess only.  

 
Parent Letters/Friday Folders/Attendance Communication
All non-emergency communications will come home on Fridays in the red Friday folder.  Parent letters will only be sent out by email every Friday (or the last day of the school week.)  Friday Letters may be found on the school website, www.stjosephwsp.org.  Teachers may be reached via the school’s voice mail system at (651-457-8550) or their email account by using the first two letters of their first name followed, without a space, by their last name (e.g. grwesely@stjosephwsp.org).  When leaving a message, remember teachers may not be available to return calls/e-mails until the end of the day.  Our Attendance Hotline is 651-457-3031.  If your child is going to be absent or late due to a morning appointment, please leave a message on the “Hotline”. 
 
Catholic High School Preview Night – Save the Date. . .Tuesday, September 24
St. Joseph’s School families with seventh and eighth grade students are invited to attend a Catholic School Preview Night on Tuesday, September 24 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the Monsignor Foran Great Room at the Church of St. Joseph.  Area Catholic High Schools will be present to share information about their high school in a “fair-style setting”.  Additional information will be sent to families of seventh and eighth grade students next week.
 
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.
 
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Parent Information Meeting – Date Correction
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd “Come & See” will be held on Wednesday, September 18 from 6:15-7:15pm in the Great Room Conference Room/Rosary Room.  Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has been catching the attention of Catholic parents and educators in our Archdiocese and across the globe.  Children in the 4/5’s program-5th grade at St. Joseph’s School participate in this beautiful program.  Please come and learn more about how this method is leading young children into a deep and personal relationship with Jesus and how you can accompany your child on this journey of faith. See flyer attached.
 
MENS MINISTRY
Food, Fire, and Fellowship:  We would like to thank the school and parish dads who were able to attend the Food, Fire, and Fellowship event that was sponsored by the Men of St. Joseph’s Church.  The evening included prayer, a talk by Mr. Wesely, food, fellowship and fire outside.  During the evening, the dads prayed for their children, our students and teachers, for the safety of everyone, and a successful school year.  Special thanks are extended to school parent Ben Bitzer and parishioner Jeff Lentsch, for organizing this special event.  St. Joseph, pray for us!
 
WOMEN’S MINISTRY
A Blessed Brunch: Saturday, September 21   8:30 - 10:30am
All women are invited to join us for a beautiful potluck brunch.  See our parish website to register.
 
MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH MINISTRY
Fall Kickoff Event ~ Middle School Youth Night!  Tuesday, September 17   4:00 - 5:30pm  Monsignor Foran Great Room.  All students in grades 6-8 are invited to join us.
 
MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT: Marriage in Christ Seminar
Sunday, October 6 - November 3   I   6:00 - 8:00pm - Monsignor Foran Great Room
Couples are invited to this popular, 5-week seminar to enrich your marriage whatever stage of life you’re in!
Childcare is available. See the parish website for more information and to register or contact Amanda Carnes at: amanda.carnes@churchofstjoseph.org
 
Click here to link to the weekly St. Joseph’s Church Bulletin .
 
Important Links:
Pick up and Drop off Procedures
Cherokee Meat Raffle Sunday, September 15th
September Lunch Menu
Blackline Aquatics
Cub Scout Night – September 19 ^th
Art Academy Flyer
Good Shepherd Come & See Flyer
 
September Look Ahead:
       °  Monday, Sept. 16-Oct.4 – Gr.2-8 Standardized Testing
       °  Tuesday, Sept. 19 – Cub Scout Sign-up Night 6:00-7:00 pm Cafeteria
       °  Friday, Sept. 20 – 9:00 am Mass
         °  Friday, Sept. 27 – 9:00 am Mass