St. Joseph's School Parent Letter

A Message from Principal Rickbeil
In this week’s video, Mr. Rickbeil gives seven reminders for parent-teacher conferences, which take place next Thursday and Friday here at Saint Joseph’s School.  

Mixed Nuts Comedy Program for Prek on Up -Tomorrow at 9:30am  School Gymnasium
Please join us for a morning of fun physical comedy, age-appropriate humor and uproarious audience participation! Mixed nuts have tickled funny bones throughout the region providing side-splitting laughter for the whole family! Please join us tomorrow morning, Saturday, October 7 at 9:30am.  Park in the back parking lot and enter through door #11 and come up the stairs to the gym!

Parent Teacher Conferences – October 12 & 13 - Sign-Ups close Sunday Night!
Parent Teacher Conferences for students Prek – 8^th grade will be held on Thursday, October 12^th 4:30-7:30pm and Friday, October 13th from 9:00am – 11:30am & 12:15 - 4:00pm. (Please note: Conferences closed 11:30-12:15 for teacher lunch) Conferences for K – 5 students are scheduled by you through Sign Up Genius. 

IMPORTANT - Please follow the tabs at the top of the page to find the grade level that you are looking for.  The first one that will come up will be Kindergarten, move to the top of the page and tab to the grade that you need.  Once you click on the correct grade, scroll to find the correct teacher and time slot.

Please click here to sign up for K-5 Conferences. 

Middle School Conferences (grades 6-8) are conducted arena style and will be held in the school gymnasium.  All Specialists; Music, Spanish, PE, and Art will also be located in the gymnasium and available to meet with you (no appointment necessary).  

Preschool Conference Sign Ups are sent out directly from preschool teachers.

Conference sign-ups will close on Sunday, October 8^th at midnight. 

Please contact the school office if you have any questions.

Afterschool School St. Joseph’s Athletics Games - Fan Support - Updated Rules and Guidelines
We are excited to be hosting several upcoming St. Joseph’s Girls Volleyball games. We have updated our rules and guidelines for our students who would like to come and support our St. Joe’s teams by cheering them on in the stands.  Beginning Monday, October 9, STJ Middle School and 5th grade students may attend home games without parent supervision.  We will require 5th-8th grade students who attend home games without supervision to sign in and sign out.  Once students are signed in, they are required to stay in the gym until they are leaving to go home.  Students in grades 5th-8th are not allowed to be responsible for a younger sibling.  If you would like for your younger children to attend prek-4th grade, parents we ask that you attend as well.  We will have concessions for sale. Upcoming home games listed below.  Go Jaguars!

10/9/23  4:00pm 8th gr. STJ vs. St. Rose of Lima 
10/9/23  4:45pm 7th gr. STJ vs. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

10/11/23  4:00pm 5th gr. STJ vs. St. Thomas More
10/11/23  4:45pm 8th gr. STJ vs. Holy Trinity 
10/11/23  5:30pm 7th gr. STJ vs. St. Patrick Hudson
10/11/23  6:15pm 6th gr. STJ vs. St. Croix Catholic

10/16/23 4:00pm 6th gr. STJ vs. Trinity River Ridge
10/16/23 4:45pm 7th gr. STJ vs. St. Paul Academy
10/16/23 5:15pm 8th gr. STJ vs. Community of Peace

Respect Life Month
October is Respect Life Month.  Our school is having a Layette (baby item) Collection during this month.  We will hold the collection October 9-27.  Please consider
donating the items in most need -  outfits-size 18 months to 3T, winter coats- size 18 months to 3T, winter boots/shoes- SZ 3T to 10T,  baby bottles, strollers, infant car seats, disposable breast pads, one-gallon and one quart ziplock bags, baby bottles, wipes and baby shampoo to benefit and support the work of Wakota-a Guiding Star Center in West St. Paul.

Donation Drive for the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus
Thank you to the many families that have already generously donated to this donation drive!  The Handmaids picked up their first round of donations on Wednesday, and they are so grateful.  We've added a few new items that the sisters could currently use, so please click HERE for details and to sign up to donate. Our last two drop off days for this donation drive are Tuesday, October 10 and Wednesday, October 11.  Thank you for your consideration and generosity! 

Artsonia
Artsonia is an online gallery for student artwork. Nearly every piece of artwork your student creates in the art room is captured in a photo and uploaded to Artsonia. You can view your child's artwork, gather "fans" for your child, as well as purchase fun products with their art on it (magnets, mugs, jewelry, etc). A portion of the purchases is given back to our art program! Get updates from your child's Artsonia account by clicking this link.

https://www.artsonia.com/connect/6PZHNHDJ

No School - MEA 
There will be no school on Thursday, October 19 and Friday October 20 for MEA.

Trunk or Treat Save the Date:  Sunday, October 29
On Sunday afternoon, October 29, we will be offering a trunk or treat, open to all families in our Saint Joseph’s community.  This will take place here at Saint Joseph’s from 2:30-4:00 PM.  Look for more details in future newsletters, such as information on registration, candy donations, and prizes for best car decorations and best Saint costumes. Thank you for your support!

St. Joseph’s School Band Program in Coordination with Totino Grace- Grades 4-8
St. Joseph’s School has coordinated with Totino Grace to welcome their band instruction program into our school.  We are grateful for this partnership with Totino Grace to provide a school band program for our students. Below is an introduction from Band Director, Jessica Koehler jessica.koehler@totinograce.org who will be working at our school 1 day per week.  Band is offered to students in grades 4-8.  Please follow the links below to learn more, sign up!

Sign Up Link
Eckroth Music Website
Totino Grace Information Sheet

Parent Survey
Every 7 years, St. Joseph's School completes a self-study and renews our strategic plan as a part of our accreditation through MNSAA (Minnesota Non-public School
Accrediting Association.) To help us complete this process, we feel it is important to get input from our stakeholders. We ask that you answer each question to the best of your ability. Please know that your feedback is important to us, as it helps drive our decision-making and strategic planning. It is our goal to continue providing an exceptional education for your children.  Please click here to complete the survey.

Last call for FamFare Kitchen pick-up on Tuesday!
Do you know what you're having for dinner next Tuesday? Take a break from meal planning and order dinner from FamFare Kitchen instead! 15% of your order price will be donated back to St. Joe's.

What's on the menu this month? Martha's delicious meatloaf made with pork and beef topped with a sweet and savory red sauce served with classic sides, simple salad and freshly baked bread. Take home the frozen option, too - White Chicken Chili and Sweet Corn Cake.

Order by Sunday, Oct. 8 for pick-up Tuesday, Oct. 10. Meals can be picked at school, by the Church entrance from 3:00-3:30 p.m. Click here to order!

The Gerten's Poinsettia & Holiday Greens Fundraiser is LIVE! 
 It may feel like summer, but Christmas will be here before we know it. So plan ahead and order your Gerten's Poinsettias & Holiday Greens today! 30% of all plant sales and 15% of gift card (GREAT gift idea!) sales will go directly back to St. Joseph's School - so feel free to share with friends and family. Plants will be delivered to the school on Thursday, Nov. 30 and must be picked up on that day.

How to order:

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

Helpful tip: Please ensure you click through ALL the screens when placing your order until you see a "Thank you for your order!" message. You will receive a confirmation email from Gerten's right away if your order was received. If you don't, you may want to go back and make sure you completed your check-out. 

All orders must be placed by Monday, Oct. 23 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, NOV. 30. Pick-ups will be available in the afternoon along with limited evening pick-ups.

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

St. Joseph’s Home and School Association   

Recess Helpers Wanted! Want to volunteer, but running short on time? Sign up to be a recess helper! In just 20 minutes, you'll get to enjoy some fresh air and give our amazing staff a little extra support. Have a little more time? Sign up for more than one slot! Have a grandparent who wants to volunteer? Anyone who has completed their VIRTUS Training is welcome, so feel free to share with other family members, too. Click HERE to sign up.

Lunchroom Helper Lunch is a busy time at St. Joe's and volunteering to be a lunchroom helper is a quick and easy way to support our staff and help our students focus on what lunch time is REALLY for - eating! Have a grandparent who wants to volunteer? Anyone who has completed their VIRTUS Training is welcome. 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 on the link to learn more about Cub Scouts

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

• Saturday, October 7 - Mixed Nuts Program - Gym 9:30am
• Wednesday, October 11 - Mass 8:45am
• Thursday, October 12 - Parent Teacher Conferences 4:30pm-7:30pm
• Friday, October 13 - No School Prek-8 - Parent Teacher Conferences 9am-4pm
• Wednesday, October 18 - Mass 8:45am
• Thursday, October 19 & Friday October 20 - No School MEA
• Wednesday, October 25 - Mass 8:45am