St. Joseph's School Parent Letter

A Message from Principal Rickbeil
In this week’s video, Mr. Rickbeil comments on how the Christmas season is still ongoing at or school, and commends the students for their singing at this past Wednesday’s Mass.  Enjoy!

Thank you!
Thank you to our Home and School and to our amazing families for your generosity in providing  gift cards for all of our specialists and school staff for Christmas.  Our staff was so overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and generosity.  Thank you so very much!

All School Raffle - Next Raffle Turn in Day is Thursday, January 11
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.  Prizes this year are all CASH!  Our next  raffle ticket turn in date is Thursday, January 11.  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.

We are looking for volunteers to help count and to sell raffle tickets at mass.  Please click on the links to sign up!

Catholic Schools Week and Carnival
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.  We are in need of donations and volunteers to make Carnival great!  Please click here to donate items and click here to volunteer.  Please watch for more information on this after Christmas break.  Thank you to Home & School for sponsoring this event!

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.

Chess Club Sign Up Now Open - Starts January 10
Chess Club Signup Now Open:  The Winter Session for Chess Club is now open.  Chess Club is every Wednesday after school January 10 – March 13^th 3:10pm-4:10pm.  If you are interested and would like to register your child, please click here.  Chess is open to students K-8.

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.

Gala Save the Date and Volunteer Sign Up
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. If you are interested in volunteering for this great event, please click here.  Please watch for more information in the weeks to come.

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.

Yearbook Preorder - Now Open!
The St. Joseph’s School Yearbook Preorder is now open.  Yearbooks are pre- ordered online and will be arriving and distributed to students the last week of school.  Please click here to pre- order your yearbook, school ID code is 1075424 .  We do recommend pre-ordering your yearbook as we will only have a limited number of yearbooks available for purchase.

FamFare Kitchen: Next pick-up is Tuesday, Jan. 9!
St. Joes' next FamFare Kitchen pick-up is next week! 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

Closet Clean-Out Fundraiser with Eco Chico: Jan. 15-19
Home & School is pleased to be partnering with the new, STJ-family-owned Eco Chico Kid's Resale Boutique for the Closet Clean-Out Fundraiser! During the week of 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 a flyer coming home next week with additional details. 

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.

• 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