Parent Letter 1/14/21

Dear St. Joseph’s School Parents,                                                                                       

This afternoon, as the snow is falling (resembling a snow globe), we are completing the third week of full remote learning for our students and families.  We did it together!

Again, I want to express my sincere gratitude to our faculty for the work they did in preparing our students to remotely learn as well as the tremendous job they did instructing and engaging their students during full remote learning.  I want to thank our students for their work during this time.  Finally, I want to thank you, our school parents, for continuing to support your children by providing the at home learning environment for them.

During the past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to visit our teachers and students during their remote classes.  It was a privilege for me to attend the classes and witness first hand the fantastic job our teachers did during their instruction as well as see how engaged our students were during the lessons.  During my visits, some of the topics I learned about were; slope/intercept in middle school math, letters, sounds, and words during the Believe and Read (Groves) instruction in grades K-2, the use of bar models and multiplication, context clues, how to say the names of winter clothing in Spanish, and different types of writing to name a few. 

Our faculty are very excited to have our students return to school on Tuesday, January 19 for in person learning. 

No School - Friday, January 15th and Monday, January 18th 
There will be no school for students and staff on Friday, January 15th and Monday, January 18th as we observe the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday.  Enjoy your long weekend!

School in Session – Tuesday, January 19th - Welcome Back!
School will be in session on Tuesday, January 19th  for students and faculty.  Students will return to in person learning or remain remote learning if elected.   Our school day begins at 8:40 a.m. and ends at 2:40 p.m.  Student arrival and student dismissal continues to be staggered.  Please see the email sent be Mrs. Wrobel with additional information regarding returning to school.

Preschool Returns 
On Tuesday, January 19th we look forward to our youngest Jaguars joining us back into the building!

We hope our preschool children and their families enjoyed viewing the videos and completing the activities provided to them by Ms. Peg anMs. Kirsten during the pause.  Go Jaguars!

District Food Service and Transportation
District transportation will resume for all registered bus students on January 19th.  District food service will resume on that date as well with the free hot lunch program continuing through the end of the school year.  Please note that the “bag lunch” option is no longer available to students. Milk only option is a charge.  The hot lunch menu item will be the only available option moving forward.  Please see the menu choices for the last 2 weeks in January.

1/19 Pasta w/ Chicken Alfredo

1/20 Mini Corn Dogs

1/21 Nachos

1/22 Turkey & Cheese Sandwich

1/26 Chicken Burrito

1/27 Cheeseburger

1/28 Hot dog

1/29 Ham & Cheese Sandwich

NWEA MAP Assessments
Upon returning to school, students in grades 2-8 will complete the winter administration of the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) assessments.  The assessments will be given between January 19 and January 29, 2021.  The students will complete the mathematics assessment first followed by the reading assessment. 
Please click here for a letter containing more information for our students and families in grades 2-8.  Parents of our remote learners are receiving a telephone call from Mrs. Budge to make arrangements to complete these assessments.  We thank Mrs. Budge, Mrs. Nordgren, and our grade 2-8 teachers for coordinating and administering the assessments for our students.

St. Joseph’s School Calendar
Please note that some adjustments have been made to our original 2020-2021 St. Joseph’s School calendar.  There will be no school for students and staff on Friday, February 12th and Monday, February  15th as we observe the President’s Day holiday on Monday.  School will resume on Tuesday, February 16th.  Enjoy your long weekend!

Registration for the 2021-2022 School Year
It’s time for families to enroll for the 2021-2022 school year!  Current school families will be automatically re-enrolled with the required annual family registration fee applied to family TADS accounts in February. 

Prospective school families may visit our school’s website clicking on the “Visit Us” tab to obtain information about our upcoming virtual Open Houses, registration, and take a short virtual tour.

For additional information and/or questions about enrollment for next school year, please contact Lindsay Mayernik, Enrollment Coordinator at limayernik@stjosephwsp.org or by calling 651-457-8550.

Aim Higher Scholarships for 2020-2021 - Deadline February 20th
The Aim Higher Foundation provides two scholarships for students to attend Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Mpls.  The application period ends February 20th, 2021.   Please click here to view the flier.  

St. Joseph’s School Virtual Open House Events
We would like to share with you that our 2021-2022 Open Houses are scheduled for Preschool, Kindergarten, and Middle School.  Our Open Houses will be virtual this year and take place on;

• Saturday, January 23  Kindergarten  9:00 am
• Saturday, February 6  Preschool  9:00 am
• Thursday, February 11  Middle School  6:30 pm

During the Open Houses, families will meet administration and faculty, learn about our school programs, and receive information on registration for the 2021-2022 school year.  

We encourage all current and prospective families to attend any of the Open Houses.  In addition, if  you know someone that is interested in learning more about our school and our programs, please have them contact our school office; 651-457-8550 and/or email limayernik@stjosephwsp.org.

Catholic School Week
Catholic Schools Week is scheduled for January 31 - February 5, 2021.  Our week will look a bit different this year, however a variety of activities are planned to celebrate Catholic education and our school.  Please watch for more information and a schedule of events later this month.

Progress Reports & Parent Teacher Conferences (Virtual)                                       
Mid-trimester Progress Reports for students in grades 4-8 will be emailed to families Friday, January 29.  Parent Teacher Conferences for grades K-8 are scheduled for Tuesday, February 9 (evening)  and Thursday, February 11 (evening).   Please watch for more information and a Sign Up Genius from the school office to schedule your virtual conference.    
                                                                                                                                                   
 School Mass
Our next school Mass will be on Friday, January 22 at 9:00 a.m.  The Mass will continue to be live streamed on the Church of St. Joseph website; www.churchofstjoseph.org.  Parents and families are encouraged to join us virtually for the Mass.

8th Grade Confirmation Retreat
Faith Formation will hold their Confirmation retreat this weekend; Friday, January 15th 6-10pm and Saturday, January 16th 9am-4pm in our Church Great Room.   Please pray for our 2nd grade students who will be receiving their First Reconciliation on Saturday, January 30.  Please pray for our 8th grade students who will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation on Saturday, April 24 at the Church of St. Joseph.

First Reconciliation Retreat and Sacrament
The families of second grade students should have received a letter from Christina Stokman, Church of St. Joseph Director of Catechesis and Formation, with information about the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  

Please pray for our 2nd grade students who will be receiving their First Reconciliation on Saturday, January 30.  The students will attend a special retreat before receiving the sacrament with a priest.  

Specific COVID-19 protocols will be followed with sanitation measures, social-distancing between stations, and the wearing of face coverings.

We thank Fr. Creagan, Fr. Wratkowski, Mrs. Fallon, Mrs. Taplin, members of the parish’s Faith Formation Office, and our families for preparing the students to receive this special sacrament of God’s mercy and love. 

Restaurant Nights - Thank you!
We want to give a huge shout out to all of that for participating in the various restaurant nights we have had this year - thank you!  This is such a wonderful fundraising opportunity during this unusual time.   We would like to extend a special thank you to Bri DeLeon for coordinating these events for our school!  

Does Your Employer Offer a Matching Gift Program?
Employer matching programs are a wonderful way to maximize your donation to St. Joseph’s School.  Please look into your employer programs to see if they may participate in this program.  If you have any questions or need help with the process, please contact Lisa Wrobel in our school office.  Thank you.

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.

St. Joseph Church Bulletin

January/February Look Ahead:

• Friday, Jan. 15 & Monday, Jan. 18- No School Martin Luther King Holiday
• Tuesday, Jan. 19 - Students K - 8 Return to In-person Learning and Remote Learning (if elected)
• Friday, Jan. 22 - Mass 
• Monday, Jan. 25 - No School, Professional Development for Teachers
• Friday, Jan. 29 - Mass 
• Sunday, Jan. 31- Friday, Feb. 5 - Catholic Schools Week