St. Joseph's School Parent Letter

A Message from Principal Rickbeil
In this week’s video, the staff of Saint Joseph’s would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  Have a wonderful Christmas break, and we will see you in 2024!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Many blessings to all of you!  We hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  We look forward to seeing all of the children back at school on Wednesday, January 3rd.

All School Raffle!
Our All School Raffle has begun!  The All School Raffle is one of our largest fundraisers of the school year and for that reason we ask that each of our students and families participate in the important fundraiser.  All of our students brought home a pack of 10 raffle tickets with an information sheet next week.   Christmas break is a great time to sell raffle tickets to family and friends.  Prizes this year are all CASH!  Our first raffle ticket turn in date is Thursday, January 4th.  Please help us to beat our goal of $85,000!

1st Prize is $10,000
2nd Prize is $3,000
3rd Prize is $1,000

The raffle drawing will be done on February 2nd at Carnival via live stream.  We couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up Catholic Schools Week!

Please check your child’s backpack next week for the envelope with raffle tickets and instructions.  Please note all unsold raffle tickets must be returned to school.  Thank you for your support.

Enrollment for 2024-2025 and Important Financial Aid / Scholarship Deadlines
Thank you for entrusting your children to us and being an important member of the St. Joseph’s School community.  Enrollment has begun for the 2024-2025 school year.  Current school students currently in grades K - 7 will be automatically re-enrolled with the required annual family registration fee applied to family TADS accounts in February.  All preschool, incoming kindergarten or transfer students must apply by clicking here for the next school year.    

Financial Aid and Aim Higher Scholarship deadline is February 23, 2024.  Please note that you are required to apply each year for both financial aid and the Aim Higher Scholarship.  Please do not miss these deadlines.  The Scholarships Section of the Aim Higher Foundation website also provides resources for you, including deadlines, links to TADS, flyers in Spanish and English, an extensive FAQ list, and more.  

For additional information and/or questions about enrollment for next school year, or if you would like to delay re-enrollment, please contact Lindsay Mayernik, Enrollment Coordinator at limayernik@stjosephwsp.org by January 5th, 2024.

Catholic Schools Week and Carnival - Save the Date!
Please save the date for Catholic Schools Week beginning Sunday, January 28th - February 2nd.  Our annual school Carnival will be held on Friday, February 2nd 12pm-3pm.  Please watch for more information on this after Christmas break.  We will be looking for donations for student raffles, general store and prizes.  If you see items on clearance after Christmas, please think of Carnival!

Prek - 2 Christmas Concert - Thank you!
Thank you to our Prek-2 students, Mrs. Bowe, Mrs. Dierberger, Mrs. Abbott, Mrs. Lamusga  and all of the faculty, staff and volunteers who made this wonderful event so special.  

Gala Save the Date - New Date Announced
Our Gala date has changed!  The St. Joseph’s Gala will be held on Saturday, April 6th, 2024 at the Omni Hotel.  Please mark your calendars with this important date change. Please watch for more information in the weeks to come.

Hat and Mitten Collection - 5th Grade Service Project
Hats and Mittens of Minnesota.  The 5th grade students are about to begin their service project collecting Hats and Mittens for those in need in Minnesota. We are asking students to bring gently used or new hats and mittens beginning January 3rd and will end January 25th.  The collection will go throughout January as they currently have requests for 26,000 sets. Help us decorate our tree and fill the boxes in the main hallway with your donations.

Volunteer Opportunity: Science Fair Judges on January 25th
We are looking for judges for our St. Joseph's Middle School Science Fair. Please have any interested parties email Ms. Carlson at macarlson@stjosephwsp.org.  We are looking for impartial judges that have a science/engineering background (all are welcome) and are available from 8:30-12 on Thursday, January 25th, 2024. Please reach out to Ms. Mary Carlson, if you'd like to learn more: macarlson@stjosephwsp.org.

NEW! Crew Carwash Christmas Fundraiser
St. Joe's Home & School is pleased to announce the start of our NEW Crew Carwash Christmas Fundraiser! Throughout the month of December, purchase any e-wash (Basic, Basic Plus, or Ultimate) and 50% of the proceeds will go directly back to our school! 

To purchase, click here. You will then be sent a confirmation email with a link to an actual gift certificate which you can then use yourself OR email directly to a gift recipient OR print out and wrap-up to give in person. Car washes make AMAZING Christmas gifts, especially for those hard-to-buy folks on your list. Know other people who love a good car wash? Feel free to share the link with them, too! 

Remember: All of the proceeds raised through Home & School fundraisers go directly to funding field trips, community spirit events, teacher appreciation initiatives and MORE! We couldn't do it without your support. Thank you!

FamFare Kitchen is back for 2024: Next pick-up is Jan. 9!
FamFare Kitchen, a STJ-family co-owned business, is back for 2024 with a new hot, homemade, family-style meal each month sure to please your whole crew! Order by Sunday, Jan. 7 for pick-up on Tuesday, Jan. 9. Remember - 15% of all orders will be donated back to the school! Thank you for your support.

On the Menu: Hot: Porcupine Meatballs with Seasonal Veg, Spinach Salad & Fresh Bread.  Cold: Greek Salad with Couscous & Chickpeas - Order by: 3:00 pm on Sunday, Jan. 7

Pick up: Tuesday, Jan. 9 in the St. Joe's School parking lot (by the church entrance) between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m.

Order here: https://famfarekitchen.com/raisefunds

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

Coming Soon: Closet Clean-Out Fundraiser with Eco Chico! 
Already thinking about a post-Christmas closet purge? Well, hold on to those giveaway bags and mark your calendars for the St. Joe's Closet Clean-Out Fundraiser with the new, STJ-family-owned Eco Chico Kid's Resale Boutique! Jan. 15-19 bring your gently-used items to Eco Chico located in Signal Hills, register as a consignor and let them know you'd like to participate in the St. Joe's fundraiser. Your items will then be processed according to their Buying Guidelines and you'll receive a donation receipt for the amount Eco Chico purchases them for (an average of $0.25 to $2.50 for basic clothing items and up to 10% of the brand-new retail price for premium items and baby equipment). Once sold, the proceeds will go directly to St. Joe's! Watch for more details in early January. 

St. Joseph’s Home and School Association   
Recess Helpers Wanted!  Click HERE to sign up.  Lunchroom Helper Wanted! 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 click here to view The Church of St. Joseph Website or view the Church Bulletin by clicking here.

• Thursday, December 21 - Monday January 1 - No School - Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
• Tuesday, January 2 - No School Teacher Workshops
• Wednesday, January 3 - School Resumes - Mass 8:45am
• Friday, January 5 - Spirit Wear Day
• Monday, January 8 - MAP Testing Begins
• Wednesday, January 10 - Mass 8:45am
• Monday, January 15 - No School Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Wednesday, January 17 - Mass 8:45am