Parent Letter 9/24/21

Dear Parents, 

Greetings from St. Joseph’s School!  As we complete the fourth week of school, we share with you the following school information.  Thank you for your prayers and support as we continue through this school year. 

Priesthood Sunday
Sunday, September 26 is Priesthood Sunday.  It is a day to reflect upon and affirm the role of the priesthood in the life of the Church.  Our school community thanks Fr. Creagan and Fr. Bruno for their ministry to our parish and school.  We are so grateful for their leading us in prayer, celebrating the Mass, providing us the sacraments, and visiting our classrooms.  The students and staff presented Fr. Creagan and Fr. Bruno with a prayer chain including numerous prayers and well wishes. 

Bishop Andrew Cozzens to visit St. Joseph’s School
Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul Minneapolis will be visiting our school on Friday, October 1.  During his visit he will preside at our school Mass as well as visit our classrooms to see our students and teachers. Parents and family members are invited to attend the Mass at 9:00 a.m.

NWEA MAP Assessments
Next week, our students in grades 2-8 will complete the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) assessments in Reading.  Please click here for a letter containing more information for our students and families in grades 2-8. 

COVID-19 Update
St. Joseph’s School has had no lab confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 to report during the first four weeks of school.  State law requires our school to continue to report to the Minnesota Department of Health any cases of COVID-19 that occur among students or staff in our building.  In addition, the Archdiocese of St. Paul Minneapolis requires Catholic schools to report a lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 in a student or employee associated with our school each week.  

When a lab confirmed positive case of COVID 19 in a staff member or student is reported to our school, an electronic notification will be sent out to the families in the affected grade and/or class.  Close contacts will be notified separately by our school nurse or school office. 

A Message from the School Nurse
Children's COVID-19 symptoms
While children and adults experience similar symptoms of COVID-19, children's symptoms tend to be mild and cold-like. Most children recover within one to two weeks. Possible symptoms can include:

• Fever
• Cough that becomes productive
• New loss of taste or smell
• Changes in the skin, such as discolored areas on the feet and hands
• Sore throat
• Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, belly pain or diarrhea
• Chills
• Muscle aches and pain
• Extreme fatigue
• New severe headache
• New nasal congestion

Please have your child tested for COVID-19 if he/she is sick with at least TWO of the above symptoms and forward those results to the health office: ammilosch@stjosephwsp.org

Absences - Students who are absent for three or more days with COVID-like symptoms must provide the School Nurse with a negative COVID-19 test or a physician’s note to return to school.

If your child receives a negative test result but is still having symptoms, please keep them home until those symptoms have improved.  A student may not return to school until they are fever free for 24 hours without medication.

We currently are following the CDC’s 7 day quarantine path. This means close contacts of a person testing positive for COVID-19 need to quarantine for 7 days from exposure, test no sooner than day 5 after exposure, receive a negative test result (molecular PCR test) and remain symptom free.  They may then return to school on day 8 after consulting with the school nurse, and continue to monitor for symptoms through day 14.

Please review the  COVID-19 Fact sheet  

For your convenience please find a list of  COVID-19 Testing Sites

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Our Preschool 4/5s and Kindergarten - grade 5 students are attending Catechesis of the Good Shepherd during this school year.  Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is a unique method of faith formation that our parish offers to our school children on a weekly basis.  This method strives to proclaim the message of Jesus to children by presenting the mysteries of our faith in a Montessori learning environment which incorporates beauty, silence and prayer in a prepared setting called the atrium.  This also compliments our classroom religious instruction.  We thank Chris Stokman and the trained Catechists for providing this experience for our students.

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 or October.

As a reminder, all volunteers must have completed their Virtus Essential 3’s.  If you need to update your current Virtus account, please click here.  If you are doing Virtus for the first time, please click here.

Lifetouch Picture Day
School pictures are scheduled for Monday, October 4.  This will be an out-of-uniform day.   Lifetouch is looking for parent volunteers to help line up the students and assist the photographers.  Volunteers receive a free picture package for their child.  Picture Day forms also went home with students this week.  Online ordering or returned envelope will be used.  Please email Lisa Wrobel liwrobel@stjosephwsp.org  if you are interested.  You may place your picture order online at mylifetouch.com and enter our Picture Day ID:  EVTXTZRKK

Parent Letters and Attendance Communication
All non-emergency communications will come electronically through this Parent Letter.   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.   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
St. Joseph’s School families with eighth grade students had the opportunity to meet and learn about our area Catholic High Schools at a High School Preview Night.  The high schools presented to share information about their school in a “fair-style setting”.  We thank the following high schools for being present at the Fair;  St. Thomas Academy, Visitation, Cretin Derham Hall, Saint Agnes, Unity, Trinity and Hill Murray.  

Mission

“St. Joseph’s Catholic School educates students through faith formation, academic excellence,

and the development of virtue to be disciples of Christ.”

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. 

Archdiocese Synod
Members of the parish and school community are invited to support the important work of our Archdiocese and our Parish by participating in the Synod Small Groups at St. Joseph’s this Fall.

The Synod Small Groups will be held on Tuesdays at 8:30-10:30 a.m. or at 6:30-8:30 p.m.  You may register online at churchofstjoseph.org/small-group-registration.  Please contact the Parish Office for more information; 651-789-8350.

St. Joseph Church Bulletin

October Look Ahead:

• Friday, October 1 -  Mass 9:00am
• Monday, October 4 - School Picture Day - Out of Uniform
• Thursday, October 7 - Memorial Our Lady of the Rosary; 9:00am  Rosary - all school
• Friday, October 8 -  Mass 9:00am
• Friday, October 15 -  Mass 9:00am
• Thursday, October 21 & Friday, October 22 - No School MEA
• Tuesday, October 26 - Parent Teacher Conferences - Evening
• Thursday, October 28 - Parent Teacher Conferences - Evening
• Friday, October 29 -  Mass 9:00am