Greetings from St. Joseph’s School! I hope you are enjoying the long weekend. For the past two days, St. Joseph School faculty were engaged in Professional Development.
On Thursday, our elementary classroom teachers and Miss Muellerleile worked with Laura Gifford, a national mathematics consultant with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing. On Wednesday, Laura met with each of the teachers to discuss and share ideas on the implementation of our new math resources; Math-in-Focus. Math-in-Focus: Singapore Math by Marshall Cavendish is the world-class math curriculum resource from Singapore adapted for U.S. classrooms. Our Middle School teachers visited St. Thomas Academy and Visitation School and met with some of the school’s administration and faculty. We were interested in learning more about their high school programs and how we can continue to prepare our students for the transition to and beginning of high school. The teachers will also be visiting Cretin-Derham Hall and Sibley later this school year. Our specialist teachers work together on reviewing their curriculum standards at each grade level.
On Friday, our faculty began our day with Mass. We welcomed Mr. Steve Ruff, M.A., a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist in the Twin Cities to discuss the topic of mental health in schools. He shared information on and provided strategies for working with students with mental disorders including anxiety, ADHD, depression, and autism spectrum disorder. We completed our day by receiving reports from our Academic Curriculum Teams. Our faculty are doing a tremendous job of reviewing our curriculum, the standards, and best teaching practices in all content areas.
School will resume on Monday, November 12. We look forward to seeing you!
Math-in-Focus Parent Information Meeting - November 7 - Thank you for attending!
We would like to thank the parents who were able to attend special Mathematics Information Meeting on Wednesday. Laura Gifford, shared information with parents about our school’s new math resources Math-in-Focus. This included information on mathematical thinking, instruction, and the math resources being used by our teachers and students. The parents did a very good job completing the sample problems she presented and having math talks to explain their reasoning.
Give to the Max Day – November 15 A group of generous supporters have offered us a matching grant of $25,000 for the upcoming MN Give to the Max Day! Please consider making a gift to St. Joseph’s School on MN Give to the Max Day, November 15th. All gifts will be matched 100% up to $25,000 and will support the mission of St. Joseph’s School and help make tuition affordable for all families. Visit givemn.org/stjosephschoolwsp for more information. Please share this information with others encouraging them to support the mission of St. Joseph’s School.
Fall Open House – November 16 Help us spread the word about our growing school! School parents, friends, neighbors and family members are all invited to attend our PreK through 8th grade Open House on Friday, November 16th from 10:00am – 3:00pm. A special School Mass will be celebrated at 9:00am. Our Fall Open House is a great way to see our school and experience the St. Joseph’s community in action. We look forward to seeing you there!
Fall Fest 2018 – Save the Date! Save the Date! This year we are excited to have our Annual Fall Fest Gala Fundraiser on December 1st at the Intercontinental Hotel in St. Paul. Please watch for invitations coming in the mail soon. A HUGE thank you is extended to Mitzi Welk, Adrianna Birk, Bri DeLeon, Mollie Rubenzer, Katie Grondahl, and Cheryl Weimer for Chairing this event. You won’t want to miss this great evening!
Fall Fest Raffle Tickets on sale now. Raffle ticket forms were previously sent home your child’s Friday Folder. Please use this form to order your tickets for a chance to win two tremendous prizes. (Raffle Form also attached)
Fall Fest Buy it Now! Out of Uniform Passes are now available! These make for fantastic stocking stuffers for your students. These are available for a limited time so please get your orders in! Flyers attached to this letter.
Fall Fest Buy it Now! Back by popular demand ~ Mr. Wesely’s Morning Announcement Helper! SOLD OUT! THANK YOU!
Thanksgiving Food Drive “Do a good deed; help a neighbor in need!” St. Joseph’s eighth grade class is sponsoring a canned goods / nonperishable food collection to support the work of Neighbors, Inc. Our collection will be Monday, November 12-Friday, November 16. Please consider helping people in need of food in our area by donating food items during the collection. Thank you for your generosity.
School Mass – Thanksgiving Mass, Friday, November 16 Please join us for our school Mass Friday, November 16 at 9:00am in the church. School families, friends, and members of the parish are invited to join our students and faculty in prayer and song.
The Weather is Changing The cooler and snowy weather has arrived in West St. Paul. We encourage you to start sending your children to school with their sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets, and “snow gear” when needed. It can be very cool at the bus stops and on the playground. Please remember to label all of your child’s clothing so that it can be returned to him/her in the event that it is misplaced or lost while at school.
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 as we continue to partner with you to provide your children with a quality Catholic education. Thank you for supporting our school mission in so many ways throughout 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.
Upcoming Parish events include;
Children’s Christmas Eve Choir- for All Students in Grades 4-8 Once again, this year, at the 5 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass, we will have the Children’s Choir. Practices will be held in the church on Wednesdays: November 28; and December 5, 12 and 19, from 3:45 to 5 p.m.; and an additional practice, if needed, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 10 a.m. Welcome the newborn King into the world with your glorious voice! Please mark your calendar for the practice dates above, and sign up by contacting Denis Allaire at (651) 789-8355/
denis.allaire@churchofstjoseph.org.
Adoption Potluck Dinner – Saturday, November 10, 2018 Please come celebrate National Adoption Month! All families who have been blessed by adoption or foster care, along with everyone who would like to celebrate adoption and the gift of family, is invited to celebrate the gift of family after this Saturday’s, November 10th, 5 p.m. Mass. Please bring a dish to share, especially food reflective of your child's heritage! Food items needing heating or cooling can be brought to the Great Room prior to Mass. Adoptive stories and kids games will add to the celebration. Help us celebrate our amazing families, and please invite other adoptive or foster families as well. Contact Amanda Carnes at 651-789-8357 or Sandy Knudson at 651-307-9218, with any questions.
Advent Night of Reflection Invitation for all Women This special evening will be Thursday, December 6, 2018 from 6-9pm in the Great Room with Speaker Sarah Damm.
All women are invited to take a little break from the busy-ness of the season and treat yourself to an evening of friendship, dinner, delicious desserts, and beverages. There will also be a chance for confession and adoration. If you would like to attend, please register on the parish website by Monday December 3rd. There will be a free will offering to help us offer more nights like these to women.
November Calendar Look Ahead: Please consider joining us for some of the special events at our school.
° Thursday, November 8 – No School- Teacher Professional Development
° Friday, November 9 – No School- Teacher Professional Development
° Monday, November 12-Friday, November 16 – Thanksgiving Food Collection
° Tuesday, November 13 – NET Night – Great Room
° Friday, November 16 – Mass 9:00am followed by our Fall Open House 10am-3pm
° Tuesday, November 20 – Mass 9:00am
° Wednesday November 21 – Friday November 23 – No School, Thanksgiving Break
° Tuesday, November 27 – Picture Retake Day – Out of Uniform
° Friday, November 30 – Mass 9:00am – Last Day of Trimester 1