Dear Parents,
With the beautiful weather this week at school, it has been so exciting to see our students being able to be outdoors for classes like P.E., music, as well as eating lunch and enjoying running and playing at recess. We know that with the changes in seasons that this will not last, so our teachers and staff are taking every opportunity to be outside whenever possible.
Thank you for participating in our current school fundraising event - the All School Raffle. We are ‘Racing for a Goal” of raising $75,000 to continue the mission of St. Joseph’s School, fund the numerous investments our school made as we reopened our school in August, and to continue to provide an affordable quality Catholic education to all of our families.
Speaking about racing, did you hear from your children that Fr. Wratkowski and I will race mini bikes in front of all of the students and teachers as part of the all school celebration if our school can reach our goal. A video of the announcement can be found on our school’s Facebook page. Gentlemen, start your engines (or gentlemen, do you know how to start the engines?). Let’s reach our goal and we will see! Go Jaguars!
COVID Update
We want to thank everyone again for following the protocols and procedures our school has in place for the health and safety of everyone. Earlier this week you received letters sharing reports of lab confirmed COVID diagnosis. These correspondences were sent to families as part of our commitment to providing clear communication as we follow the guidance of MDH in these situations.
As a reminder, the most common symptoms of COVID-19 infection are cough, fever, and/or shortness of breath. Symptoms usually develop between 2-14 days after exposure. You may find out more about COVID-19 from the Minnesota Department of Health. It is very important to continue to monitor your children for any signs of illness, keep them home if they are sick, and contact the school office..
Please continue to talk with your child(children) about the importance of wearing face coverings during the school day (please note, student face coverings must fit students faces appropriately - masks and gaiters that are not sized correctly do not properly cover the nose and mouth and are a distraction for the student), washing hands thoroughly with soap, and covering coughs and sneezes.
It is through the diligence and transparency of our school community, that we are successfully following our school reopening plan. Please contact our School Office 651-457-8550 or our school Nurse Amy Milosch ammilosch@stjosephwsp.org if you have any questions or concerns.
All School Raffle
The third week of our All School Raffle wrapped up with our turn in day on Thursday. You will recall, our school has secured donations of a brand-new 2020 Ford Escape (you may check out the vehicle in the school parking lot at student drop off and pick up each day), tickets for a pilgrimage for two people through Mater Dei Tours, and $1,000 “Christmas Cash”. Tickets will be drawn and the lucky winners announced at our school’s Gala on Saturday, December 5.
Currently, $43,160 has been raised toward the $75,000 goal (58%). We had 3 happy winners with our $50 Target gift cards through a special drawing. Please continue to work hard contacting family, friends, and neighbors to sell your raffle tickets. One of the goals for the raffle is to have 100% of our students and families participate in selling/purchasing tickets. More raffle tickets may be obtained in the school office. Raffle tickets and money FINAL TURN IN DAY is Thursday November 12.
The raffle will include special incentives and exciting contests for our students as they sell their raffle tickets. Next week’s prizes include:
Top Five Individual Sellers: (1st) $100, (2nd) $75, (3rd) $50, (4th) $25, (5th) $25
Top Selling Grade: K-8: Out of Uniform Day with Special Treat
Homeroom Reaches Their Goal: Jaguar Snack Party
Top Homerooms: (1st) “Rule the Playground” for one week, (2nd) Movie and Special Treat,
(3rd) “Dilly Bar” Party
School Reaches Our Goal: Celebration and Mini Bike Race
One hundred percent of the proceeds from the Raffle will be used to support St. Joseph's School’s commitment to provide affordable, quality Catholic education to all families and by financially assisting with the numerous investments the school has made to be open during the COVID pandemic. Your support through the raffle will assist our school in covering some of these expenses.
St. Joseph’s School Gala: Donations Needed
Our school needs your help to make this year's St. Joe's Gala Silent Auction the best one yet! We are looking for items to be donated to the auction. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
To make it easy, we have created a Sign Up Genius where you can sign up to donate an item. Donations are not limited to just within our community- if you know someone who has a business or item you think they would be willing to share, please forward this link to them! Our auction is one of the best ways to support our school and we appreciate all the help to make our auction a huge success! Click here to sign up to donate! If you have any questions please contact Bria Hammel, briahammel@gmail.com
The St. Joseph's Gala, our school’s largest annual fundraising event during the year, will be a virtual event held on December 5, 2020. It's an opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate Catholic education and the legacy of our school as well as raise funds for carrying out the mission of our school; educating students through faith formation and academic excellence. Please start making your plans to attend and participate in the Gala. If you are interested in sponsoring this event or know of businesses that might be interested, please email rachael.amarante@gmail.com
Professional Development
On Monday, November 2, St. Joseph’s School administration and teachers participated in a day of professional development. The day began with prayer and a Reflection provided by Fr. Wratkowski. The day continued with our teachers meeting with a consultant from Tierney, Gina Keenan, who is facilitating our teachers’ review of the NWEA MAP (Monitoring Academic Progress) assessment data in mathematics, a variety of technology sessions led by school faculty, and classroom planning and preparation. The day was very productive for all staff.
St. Joseph’s Middle School Newsletter - The Jaguar Journal
St. Joseph’s School has a very robust and enriching Middle School program. Each Trimester our Middle School Faculty publishes a copy of The Jaguar Journal that shares information about current events and curriculum. Please click here to read the most recent Journal.
Jaguar Spirit Wear - Flash Sale
The St. Joseph's School Spirit Wear Store is open again, but just for a short time. Click here to order! Items ordered and purchased by 8pm on Friday, November 6th will be fulfilled by the end of November and sent home with students. If you have any questions about your order, please contact Betsy Joyce at betsybjoyce@gmail.com.
Restaurant Night - Cafe Zupas - Tuesday, November 10
School families are invited to the St. Joseph’s School Family Restaurant Night at Cafe Zupas in Eagan between 5:00pm and 9:00pm for Dine-In or Curbside. Please let them know you are there for the St. Joseph’s School Fundraiser or bring in or show the Cafe Zupas Flyer for our school to receive up to 25 percent of your purchase. You are encouraged to order online Cafezupas.com or through the Cafe Zupas App and enter code FUNDRAISER25 when you check out. Proceeds from our school’s restaurant nights are used to fund important programs within the school. Thank you to our Home & School for Coordinating this event!
Thanksgiving Dinner Restaurant Pre-Order - Jameson’s Irish Bar (Formally Cherokee Tavern)
Thanksgiving 2020 Curbside and pick-up: Please let them know you are there for the St. Joseph’s School Fundraiser and 15% of the proceeds will go to our school!
2 people $60
4 people $115
Add-on Leftovers $20, includes more turkey, mash potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole
Add a pumpkin pie for $12
Roasted turkey, white and dark meat, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh cranberry salad, green bean casserole, sweet yams, stuffing, cucumber salad, rolls and butter
Everything packaged oven ready with instructions, Pick-up is Wednesday November 25 from 1-7pm
Email order to sales@briecater.com or call the owner Brian Rubenzer 651-755-4798 and we will process payment and schedule a pick-up time that works for you
Preschool News
On November 2, , school administration were notified of a lab confirmed case of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) in a staff member of the St Joseph's School (Preschool) with exposure dates of 10/26/20-10/30/20. MDH determined that the children and staff in the classroom were close contacts of the case, and therefore needed to stay home (quarantine) through 11/13/20.
Due to the nature of the preschool program and out of an abundance of caution, the school administration made the decision to close all preschool programs during the quarantine dates of 11/2/20 - 11/13/20. The Preschool will reopen on 11/16/20 for all of our preschool students and staff.
Thanksgiving Food Drive “Do a good deed; help a neighbor in need!”
St. Joseph’s eighth grade class is sponsoring a canned goods / non perishable food collection to support the work of Neighbors, Inc. Our collection will be Monday, November 16 - Friday, November 20. Please consider helping people in need of food in our area by donating food items during the collection. Thank you for your generosity. Eighth grade students will be out collecting during morning drop off. Please help us to surpass our total collected food last year of over 1,000 lbs! Click here to view the flyer with more details.
Picture Retake Day
Picture Retake Day is on Monday, November 23. All students may be out of uniform on this day. If you would like to have your child’s picture retaken, please send back the original pack of school pictures on November 23rd with your child.
St. Joseph’s Home and School Association
Our Home and School Association leadership, classroom reps, and parents met virtually this week. A variety of topics related to our school were shared and Mr. Wesely provided an update on school happenings. Minutes from the meeting are posted on our school website after the meeting.
The Weather is Changing…...AGAIN!
As the fall weather continues to change (colder, warmer,, colder, warmer) it is a good time to start sending your children to school with coats and jackets. In addition, students should bring / wear long sleeves, sweaters, sweatshirts, or three quarter zip pullovers to be comfortable in their classrooms. Please remember that when there is snow on the ground and colder temperatures, please send your child to school with their “snow gear” allowing them to play in the snow while on the playground during recess. 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.
Parent Letters / Attendance Communication
All non-emergency communications will come home on Fridays in 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”.
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.
The Catholic Spirit - please see this special article
Did you know that Father Creagan, our pastor, is a major and the only Catholic chaplain in the Minnesota Army National Guard. Please take a moment to read this special article in the Catholic Spirit, the Archdiocesan newspaper. Veteran’s Day is Wednesday, November 11. Please continue to pray for Fr. Creagan and his ministry as chaplain as well as all men and women in the military.
Please click here to view our St. Joseph’s Church weekly bulletin.
Important Upcoming Dates:
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