Parent Letter 9/3/21

Dear St. Joseph's School Parents,                                                                                                               

We’re Back!
Our first days of the new school year have been terrific!  It is wonderful to have our students and faculty back in the school building.  Everyone seems to be getting into the school routine.  It was so joyful (#joyfuljaguars) to see our students back at school and hear their voices and laughter through the day.  As the new school year begins, please do not hesitate to contact the school office if you have any questions or need assistance (651-457-8550).  Lisa Wrobel, our school’s Office Manager and Carolyn Pilney, our school’s Attendance Receptionist are very happy to assist you.  

Mission

“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.

St. Joseph’s School Enrollment Update
As the new school year begins, we invite you to welcome 46 new families and 81 new students to our St. Joseph’s School Community!  Currently, in grades K-8, 366 students are enrolled.  This is the largest number of K-8 students in several years.  In addition, we are excited to have the largest Kindergarten class with 52  students in many years along with opening a third section in 1st grade.  Our outstanding Preschool has 61 children enrolled in the programs.  We are so grateful to you for partnering with our faculty and entrusting your children to us this year.      

​​We would like to introduce and welcome additional new members to our school faculty.  We thank them for responding to the call to join our school community and know they will be wonderful additions to our faculty.  

Cathy Wagner - Fifth Grade

Priscilla Lundquist - Middle School Communication Skills

Jane Thornton, Futura Language Professionals - Spanish

Sandy Knudson - Preschool Classroom / Office Assistant (PreK 4s)

Julie Mahoney - Preschool Classroom Assistant (PreK 4/5s)

We ask you to also join us in welcoming them as we begin the school year.

No School - Friday, September 3 and Monday, September 6 
There will be no school on Friday, September 3rd  and Monday September 6th.  Please enjoy the Labor Day holiday weekend with your family!  We look forward to seeing our students when they return on Tuesday, September 8.

St. Joseph’s Preschool Begins Next Week!
Please join us in welcoming our youngest Jaguars into the building next week!  Our Terrific 3’s and our PreK4/5’s classes will have their first day of school on Tuesday, September 7 and our PreK4’s class will have their first day on Wednesday, September 8.  We are so excited to have them join us!

School Mass
Our first Mass of the school year was celebrated on Thursday.  Our students prayed and sang very well together.  It was a beautiful way to end the week.  Our school Masses are scheduled on Friday beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the Church of St. Joseph.  Please note that exceptions may be for Holy Days of Obligation and days when school is not in session.  School Masses will be listed in the Friday Letter each week.

At this Mass, Fr. Creagan, our pastor, wore his St. Joseph vestment and during his homily he shared information about St. Joseph.  At the end of the Mass, Principal Wesely shared the following prayer to St. Joseph;

Hail Guardian of the redeemer,

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin mary.

To you God entrusted his only Son;

In you Mary placed her trust,

With you Christ became man.

Blessed Joseph, to us too,

Show yourself as Father and guide us in the path of life.

Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,

And defend us from every evil.  Amen

School Update
Summer has been very busy on campus at St. Joseph’s School!  Our school has been in need of several updates and repairs in many areas of the building and grounds.  We would like to thank our Parish Leadership team; Fr. Creagan, Fr. Bruno and Patrick Menke, Parish Administrator, along with our Trustees Tom Hurley and Tom Gainor.  Our hallways and stairwells have been refreshed with new paint, our classroom windows have new shades, the cafeteria underwent a makeover with new paint and ceiling tiles, and the sidewalks leading up to the school and preschool were replaced with new concrete.  School parents and parish members will now be parking on a new paved parking lot on the west side of Seminole Ave.   

Uniform Dress Code
Everyone looked great in his or her uniform as we all returned to school. Thank you for assisting your child with getting back into the school routine.  Please remember these uniform dress code requirements; 

Skirts/Jumpers: Girl’s skirt lengths are to be no more than 2 inches above the knee in order to reflect a more modest appearance.  Skirts waistbands are not to be rolled. 

New this year:  Girls in grades 4 - 5 may wear either the plaid skirt or the plaid jumper.

Shorts: Navy blue uniform short only.  Uniform shorts are to be no more than 2 inches above the knee in order to reflect a more modest appearance.

Socks/Shoes: White or navy blue crew socks.  Must be a minimum of four inches above the ankle. Low-riding/no show golf sock styles are not allowed.  White or navy blue tights.  Navy blue leggings may be worn under skirts or jumpers, not intended to be worn as pants only.  No open toe or open back sandals/shoes, flip flops, or clogs.  Tennis shoes are required for physical education classes.

Belts: All uniform pants and shorts must be worn with a belt; solid dark colored (black, blue, brown).

General Appearance  

As we all return to school, please make note of the following General Appearance requirements;

• Hair style and color should not district or draw undue attention to the student.
• Hair is not to be dyed a color that cannot be grown naturally.
• Boys hair styles shall not exceed below the top of the ear on the side, and should not touch the collar in back nor extend below the eyebrows.
• Boys are to be clean shaven.
• Jewelry should not distract or draw undue attention.  Small earrings may be worn.  (No other body piercing is allowed.)
• Hats and bandanas are not worn inside during the school day, except on designated “theme” days.
• Body ink: henna designs (or something similar), excessive ink writing are prohibited.
• Shirts must be tucked into skirts, pants, shorts.
• Only plain white t-shirts are to be worn under uniform shirts.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
We would like to take a moment to thank . . .

St. Joseph’s School Faculty and Staff
This amazing group of exemplary educators and staff members have dedicated their lives to serving others.  As these uncertain times continue they have stepped up and have stood strong to provide an in person educational experience for our students.  Their unwavering dedication to our St. Joseph’s Community is commendable!  

Church of St. Joseph
We would like to extend a very sincere thank you to Pastor Fr. Creagan, Parochial Vicar Fr. Bruno, Parish Administrator Patrick Menke, and the entire parish staff for their amazing support and prayers as we planned for the new school year.  We are truly blessed to have such tremendous support from our Parish.  

St. Joseph’s School Families
We are so excited to have you back with us!  Whether you are a returning family or a new family, we are together for in-person learning!  We are honored that you have chosen St. Joseph’s School to educate your child(ren).  We are blessed to have such a strong and loving community!

In addition . . . Thank you!
We would like to thank Cheryl Weimer for the beautiful flowers out in front of our school and around our St. Joseph Statue!  St. Joseph, pray for us!

ISD 197 Bus Evacuation Drill - September 7
St. Joseph’s School students may be transported to and from school on school buses.  In addition, our students and faculty may be transported to and from field trips on school buses.  For these reasons, ISD 197 and St. Joseph’s School partner to provide a Bus Evacuation drill at the beginning of each school year.  This year’s drill, facilitated by ISD 197 staff and Mrs. Budge, will be on Tuesday, September 7.

St. Joseph’s Home and School Association 
Your Home and School Association exists to support our faculty, students, and families by coordinating volunteers, organizing community events, and providing enrichment opportunities for our students.  Did you know that YOU are a part of the St. Joseph’s Home and School Association?  Every family is a member, and all members are represented by grade representatives and an executive committee.  Everyone is welcome to learn more about Home and School.  Please contact Christina Mahady  christina.mahady@gmail.com.   Meetings are typically held the first Wednesday of each month at 7 pm. If you are unable to attend, you can also send your ideas to your class rep.  We are looking forward to a GREAT year at St. Joseph’s!

Used Uniform Sale                                                                                                                         Thank you to Bri Brekke and Sara Rogers for organizing the Used Uniform Sale in August.  The Sale brought in dollars for our school. Thank you to the following volunteers for giving your time to make the sale a success: 

Book Covering Fundraiser                                                                                                          Betsy Joyce led the Book Covering Fundraiser toward the end of August. Thank you to all teachers grades 4 – 8 for helping to streamline the process this year with having the books ready and waiting to be covered! Thank you, families, for purchasing the covering service this year.  All proceeds will help fund the St. Joe’s annual Gala. Thank you to the following volunteers who donated some of their last hours of summer to help cover books:   Many hands truly made light work this year! 

ISD 197 Food Service
ISD 197 will begin providing hot lunch and milk options to our school on September 7th.   Please view the
 September Menu.  

ISD 197 Transportation
Bus transportation will begin on September 8th.  You should have received bus cards directly from ISD197.  Please let your child’s teacher know what their bus numbers are for their records.   If you have questions regarding bus transportation please contact ISD Transportation directly:  651-403-8320 or transportation@isd197.org.  

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”. 

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.

Relevant Radio’s Fr. Rocky - Evening of Reflection
The Year of St. Joseph - Evening of Reflection with Fr. Francis Hoffman (Fr. Rocky), Executive Director of Relevant Radio.  This special event will be Wednesday, September 15, 2021 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the church.  The evening will begin with the Family Rosary Across America followed by a reflection on our patron St. Joseph.  We invite you and your family to attend.

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.