St. Joseph&#039;s School Parent Letter

by Mr. Rickbeil

A Message from Principal Rickbeil
In this week’s video, Mr. Rickbeil takes six minutes to discuss the safety and security protocols the school has in place, and the work done this year to train staff and implement protocols. Within this video, Mr. Rickbeil explains the “I Love U Guys” standard response protocols, which detail procedures and communications used within the school to respond to different crisis situations.

Security and Safety Updates
During the course of this school year, we have been working with the West Saint Paul police department to update our security and safety procedures. To date, we have done the following:

Hired off-duty police officers to work as a security presence at our Wednesday school Masses
Hosted a professional training for all of our faculty and staff members on how to respond to an active assailant situation
Conducted a security walk through of our building with West Saint Paul police to identify the highest priority security enhancements
Adopted the “I Love U Guys” standard response protocols and trained all faculty on these procedures.

Please take a few moments to video the weekly video posted above to familiarize yourself with our response procedures, which we will use when conducting drills for the remainder of the school year,

No School February 15th, 16th & 19th
There will be no school Thursday, February 15th as we are holding parent teacher conferences from 10am-6pm. There will be no school Friday, February 16th and Monday, February 19th for a long Presidents Day Weekend.

Parent Teacher Conferences February 15th - Sign-ups Close Sunday Night
Parent Teacher Conferences for grades PreK-8 are scheduled for Thursday, February 15th from 10am-6pm.

Mid year conferences are set by teacher request (you would have received a notification from the teacher to sign up if there was a request). Although these conferences are not required, they are highly encouraged allowing parents to receive an update on their child’s academic progress and social development during the school year. If you did not receive a request and you would like to meet with your child(ren)’s teacher, K - 8 please click here to sign up. The sign up genius will close Sunday, February 11th.

Ash Wednesday - February 14th
Please join us for Ash Wednesday School Mass, February 14th at 8:45am.

Valentine’s Day
This year Valentine’s Day falls on Ash Wednesday. On Wednesday, February 14th students should come to school in their school uniform as this is a Mass day. On Tuesday, February 13th, students are welcome to wear valentine shirts or colors of red/white/pink, fun Valentine socks, hair accessories etc. Students will wear their school uniform bottoms on this day. (Girls in K-3 should plan to Valentine shirt over their jumper if they are participating). If students do not wish to participate in this optional Valentine dress opportunity on February 13th, they should come to school dressed in their school uniform.

Gala Donation and Volunteer Sign Up
The St. Joseph’s Gala will be held on Saturday, April 6th, 2024 at the Omni Hotel. Please mark your calendars with this important date change. If you are interested in volunteering for this great event, please click here. Our Gala team is looking for donations. Please click here to view these opportunities.

Tuition Next Year
Our tuition prices for next year have been approved. Prices are as follows:

K-8 Tuition: $6,150
Full-Day Preschool Tuition: $6,500
Partial-Day Preschool Tuition (4/5’s): $3375
Partial-Day Preschool Tuition (4’s): $2,250
Partial-Day Preschool Tuition (3’s): $1,675

The tuition price reflects an approximately 3% tuition for most grades, with the exception of the full-day preschool program. Our full day preschool program received roughly a 9% increase after our first year due to program needs.

St. Joseph’s School Summer Camp - Coming Soon!
We are so excited to have our summer camp coming back again this year. We will have a variety of options for students to choose from. Please watch for that full list and registration coming soon.

Enrollment for 2024-2025 and Important Financial Aid / Scholarship Deadlines
Financial Aid and Aim Higher Scholarship deadline is February 23, 2024. Please note that you are required to apply each year for both financial aid and the Aim Higher Scholarship. Please do not miss these deadlines. The Scholarships Section of the Aim Higher Foundation website also provides resources for you, including deadlines, links to TADS, flyers in Spanish and English, an extensive FAQ list, and more.

Please watch for more information in the weeks to come.

Yearbook Preorder - Now Open!
The St. Joseph’s School Yearbook Preorder is now open. Yearbooks are pre- ordered online and will be arriving and distributed to students the last week of school. Please click here to pre- order your yearbook, school ID code is 1075424 . We do recommend pre-ordering your yearbook as we will only have a limited number of yearbooks available for purchase.

Gerten's Spring Plant Fundraiser: SALE STARTS MONDAY!
The St. Joe's Home & School Association is pleased to announce the return of the Gerten's Spring Plant Fundraiser! Starting Monday, Feb. 12, place your order online and 30% of all plant sales and 15% of gift card sales will go directly back to St. Joseph's School. Feel free to share with friends and family!

How to order:

Go to www.gertensfundraising.com
Enter the Store ID for St. Joseph's School: 506.

All orders must be placed by Thursday, March 28 at 10 PM and quantities are limited on fundraiser items! Please order early to ensure availability. Items that are sold out will be removed from the website.

PLEASE NOTE: ALL ORDERS MUST BE PICKED UP FROM SCHOOL ON THURSDAY, MAY 9. Like last spring, you will be asked to schedule a pick-up time. Sign-up for pick-up slots will be available in April. Please watch for more information.

Please contact Christina Mahady, Home & School Fundraising Coordinator, with any questions.

FamFare Kitchen Pick-Up: Tuesday, Feb. 13
FamFare Kitchen is back next week with another hot-and-ready meal ready to pick-up after school. Whether it's dinner for that night or a frozen option to pop in your freezer, FamFare is there with meals to please your whole family!

Order by Sunday, Feb. 11 at 3:00 p.m. for pick-up on Tuesday, Feb. 13. And remember - 15% of your order will go directly back to St. Joe's! Thank you!

On the Menu: Chicken Fried Rice Bowls with Green Beans and Asian Crunch Salad (Hot Option) and The Weekender Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Bake (Frozen Option). A Dozen Freshly Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies are also available as an add-on!

Order by: 3:00 pm on Sunday, Feb. 11

Pick up: Tuesday, Feb. 13 in the St. Joe's School parking lot (by the church entrance) between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m.

Order here: https://famfarekitchen.com/raisefunds

Please contact Christina Mahady, Home & School Fundraising Coordinator, with any questions.

St. Joseph’s Home and School Association
Recess Helpers Wanted! Click HERE to sign up. Lunchroom Helper Wanted! Click HERE to sign up.

If you are a new volunteer and have never completed your Virtus Training, please click here and follow the instructions. If you are an existing volunteer and need to update your account (updates are required every 3 years), please click here for instructions.

Please click here to view The Church of St. Joseph Website or view the Church Bulletin by clicking here.

Tuesday, February 13 - Students may wear Valentine colors with uniform bottoms.
Wednesday, February 14 - Ash Wednesday Mass 8:45am
Thursday, February 15 - No School for Students Prek - 8 - Parent Teacher Conferences
Friday, February 16 - No School
Monday, February 19 - Presidents Day
Wednesday, February 21 - Mass 8:45am
Friday, February 23 - Financial Aid and Aim Higher Scholarship Deadlines
Wednesday, February 28 - Mass 8:45am
Friday, March 1 - End of Trimester 2 - Spirit Wear Day!
Saturday, March 2 - Father Daughter Dance Parish/School
Monday, March 4 - Beginning of Trimester 3
Wednesday, March 6 - Mass 8:45am