Dear Parents,
Below is information that was shared with our St. Joseph’s School Faculty by Fr.Creagan after school today. We share this information with our school families at this time.
Mrs. Cathi Budge
We need to inform you that Mrs. Cathi Budge has recently submitted her resignation from employment at St. Joseph’s Parish and School effective November 5, 2021.
Cathi expressed to us the following: “St. Joseph’s School has been my life’s focus for nearly 30 years and after much prayer and discernment I have decided it is time for me to shift my focus to my family and to myself.”
Cathi has generously served at St. Joseph since 1992. On behalf of the parish and school communities, we thank Cathi for her beautiful service at our school as a classroom teacher and administrator. We wish her well and all the best to her family. The parish will be presenting Cathi with a special gift to honor her for her years of service.
New School Leadership Team
In response to this staff announcement, a new School Leadership Team has been established to manage the transition. The new team will include: Greg Wesely, Principal; Patrick Menke, Parish Administrator; and Tom Gagliardi, Advisor. For those not familiar with Tom Gagliardi, we are very fortunate for his willingness to assist, as he brings a wealth of experience as both principal and administrator, in addition to a background in helping organizations in transition.
In addition to evaluating the administrative model of the school, this is also an opportunity for the School Leadership Team to make a broader assessment of the school’s overall health, staffing and direction to further our mission. There will be forthcoming opportunities for faculty and parents to provide direct input to this process; look for more details in the weeks ahead.
For any questions or concerns, please contact Patrick Menke, Parish Administrator, at 651.789.8349 or patrick.menke@churchofstjoseph.org.
November 1st & 2nd- St. Joseph’s School - In Session - No ISD 197 Bus Transportation
St. Joseph’s School will be in session on Monday, Nov. 1 and Tuesday, Nov. 2. ISD 197 is not in session on these days. There will be no bus transportation on either day. There will however be hot lunch provided for students. The lunch menu link below.
November 1st - Uniforms
As a reminder, today October 29th was the last day for students to wear shorts. Students will begin to wear pants on Monday, November 1. In addition, as fall weather has arrived, it is a good time to start sending your children to school with sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets.
Please note that sweaters, sweatshirts or pullovers worn by students in their classrooms must follow our uniform dress code. Clothing items, other than St. Joseph’s uniform, are not to be worn in the classrooms. Please remember to label all of your child’s clothing so that it can be returned to them in the event that it is misplaced or lost while at school. The last day to wear shorts is October 29.
Solemnity of All Saints - Monday, November 1
As our school approaches the Solemnity of All Saints, we look forward to many special events for our students. We look forward to celebrating Mass and praying to the saints for their guidance and intercession.
Many of our teachers have planned special activities to honor the saints; research, prayers, and dressing as a specific saint. Ms. Schmid and Mrs. Reisman’s fourth grade students will be attending Mass dressed as their saint they researched and presented to their class as well as attend a special retreat. Our kindergarten and first grade students have and will be celebrating saints during this special time. In addition, again this school year, each of our classrooms has a special patron saint.
We are blessed to be able to offer our students these opportunities to grow in faith with the great Communion of Saints. All you holy men and women, pray for us!
School Masses - Monday, November 1 and Friday, November 5
St. Joseph’s School students and staff will be attending Mass on Monday, November 1 - Solemnity of All Saints and on Friday, November 5. Both Masses begin at 9:00 a.m. in the Church. School families are invited to attend and pray with our priests, students, and teachers. Students may sit with their parents and families during the Mass.
Winter Sports Sign Ups for Grades 5-8 - Close Monday, November 1
Winter Sport Sign-ups are now open for students in grades 5-8. If your child is in grades 5-8 and is interested in participating in basketball, please click here to complete the registration. Registration closes on Monday, November 1st.
Preschool News
We are grateful to our preschool teachers and staff along with our families who make it possible for our preschool children to have wonderful experiences while in our preschool.
Preschool will not be in session on Monday, November 1 or Tuesday, November 2. Ms. Peg and Ms. Kirsten will be having Parent Teacher Conferences. Preschool will resume on Wednesday, November 3.
Respect Life Works of Mercy
This week our school had a very successful Layette (baby gear) Collection for Guiding Star Wakota. Thank you to our families for their generosity to mothers and families in need! Thank you to Mrs. Wagner for coordinating this wonderful event.
In addition, our 5th grade students helped Second Stork by preparing diaper bags for families in need. Second Stork is a non-profit organization based in St. Paul that provides essential infant-care items to families. They work directly with hospitals to help serve these families. Second Stork provides diapers and other needed items for families as they prepare to leave the hospital after the birth of their child.
Give to the Max 2021
Mark your calendars! Give to the Max 2021 is on Thursday, November 18. Give to the Max is a virtual, statewide giving event which St. Joseph’s School has participated in for many years. Stay tuned for more information about matching gift information!
Parent Teacher Conferences
The administration and teachers would like to say “thank you” to the many families who participated in our Parent Teacher Conferences. We are grateful to partner with you in educating your child. Thank you to our Bri Brekke, Jenny Reeves and our Home & School Association for providing dinner for our faculty and staff during conferences!
COVID-19 Update
St. Joseph’s School has had No lab confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 to report during this week of school. To date we have had a total of 2 COVID-19 positive cases in our school. State law requires our school to continue to report to the Minnesota Department of Health any cases of lab confirmed 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.
We are very grateful to our school families, teachers, and school staff for working together as we continue through the school year. Please know that we continue to have our COVID strategies in place to mitigate any spread of the virus.
Lifetouch Picture Day
School pictures are scheduled for Monday, November 15. 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. Please email Lisa Wrobel liwrobel@stjosephwsp.org if you are interested. If you have already ordered your pictures online, do not need to re-order. If you have not previously ordered, You may place your picture order online at mylifetouch.com and enter our Picture Day ID: EVTXTZRKK
St. Joseph’s Catholic School Positions - Help Needed
Lunchroom Assistant
Our school is currently seeking an individual to assist teachers supervising our K-8 grade students during their lunch periods. This part time position is approximately 2.5 hours per day (10:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.) on the days school is in session. Qualified individuals should be able to assist students and complete “light cleanup” between the lunch periods.
Recess Assistant
Our school is currently seeking an individual to assist teachers supervising our K-8 grade students during recess. This part time position is approximately 2.5 hours per day (11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.) on the days school is in session. Qualified individuals should be able to monitor and support students during their creative and organized play.
Individuals interested in learning more about these positions may contact Principal Greg Wesely; grwesely@stjosephwsp.org or at 651-457-8550.
St. Joseph’s School Gala 2021 - Save the Date: Saturday, December 4
The St. Joseph's Gala is our largest annual fundraising event of the school year. Gala 2021 will be an in-person event held at the Intercontinental St. Paul Riverfront on Saturday, December 4, 2021. Please start making your plans to attend and participate in this special event. Please consider inviting family and friends to join you.
GALA SEATING
Electronic invitations to our upcoming Gala have been sent out to school parents in the last couple days. We hope that you will be able to join us for this fun night together. As you make plans for attending, please make note of how seating has traditionally worked. Those attending are able to purchase individual tickets or a full table of 10. If a particular group of parents would like to sit together, we encourage you to consider having one of the parties purchase the table and make arrangements for (re)payment. If you are purchasing individual tickets, we will simply assign you to a particular table; OR if there is a particular table or group that you would prefer being assigned to, please let us know by sending a preference request to Katherine.Walcher@gmail.com. We especially encourage you to consider purchasing a table and inviting friends, family, alumni, and former parents to join you to support the great cause of Catholic education at St. Joseph School.
Ticket Sales are now open -please click here to purchase tickets.
Veterans Day Concert - Thursday November 11 St. Joseph School will have a Veterans Day Concert on Thursday, November 11th at 7:00p.m. in the gymnasium. A rehearsal of the concert will be held at 2:00p.m. Students in grades 3, 4, and 5, under the direction of Mrs. Bowe, have been preparing songs for this concert, “Oh, I Love America”. We would like to invite all family and friends to attend the concert as we honor and thank our veterans. All service men and women are encouraged to wear their uniform. We hope you are able to attend.
Volunteers Needed for Recess Supervision & Home and School Association Information
Our school is looking for assistance with supervising our students during their recess 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 November & December.
Thank you to the many volunteers who make up our H & S Association! Please click here to view the minutes from the October meeting.
Friday Letters
All non-emergency communications will come electronically through our school’s Friday 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.
Attendance Communication
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”.
Hot Lunch Menu
November Menu
The Weather is Changing
As fall weather is fast approaching, it is a good time to start sending your children to school with sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets. It can be very cool at the bus stops and on the playground.
Please note that sweaters, sweatshirts or pullovers worn by students in their classrooms must follow our uniform dress code. Clothing items, other than St. Joseph’s uniform, are not to be worn in the classrooms. Please remember to label all of your child’s clothing so that it can be returned to them in the event that it is misplaced or lost while at school. The last day to wear shorts is October 29.
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.
Middle School Youth Group
This year the parish will have a middle school youth event once a month. We are looking for Adult volunteers. If you are interested, please email Jake Debolt jake.debolt@churchofstjoseph.org.
November Look Ahead: