Eagle's Eye

St. Joseph Catholic School fosters a diverse community of disciples empowered through a rigorous and inclusive Catholic education rooted in Gospel values and service to others.

In the homily, Father Saji told us that Lent is a time of preparation for the resurrection of Jesus. When this comes, we should all be rejoiced. Preparation for His resurrection should be a little painful and a struggle which is how we can exercise our faith in the Lord. During Lent, we should be fasting, not feasting, to show respect for Jesus. We should give something up and do with less and give the extra away to others.

Hayden, 7B

Today we learned about going into Lent. Father Saji talked about how we prepare for Lent by fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. We celebrate Lent because of how Jesus suffered before he died. Lent is a time to reflect on what Jesus went through for us.

Alayna, 7B

Today we learned from Father Saji that in the season of Lent, we need to focus on almsgiving, fasting, and prayer. He told us that it would be a little painful and a struggle but that we should do it for Jesus because he did it too. So it is an opportunity to practice our faith and grow closer to God.

Morgan, 7B

We are welcoming family members of students at SJCS to school Mass. We have worked closely with the Polk County Sheriff's Office to identify appropriate protocols to allow those with ties to SJCS to join us for school Mass. We need everyone's full compliance in these protocols as we strive to maintain a high level of safety for our students and staff.

• All persons choosing to attend school Mass must first be cleared through our Raptor system, such is the requirement for all volunteers and visitors coming to SJCS.
• All persons choosing to attend school Mass must preregister by 12pm the previous school day using the Google Form provided by SJCS.
• For those individuals who have not been cleared through Raptor (using their driver's license), a photo of the driver's license must be provided to the school office via email no later than 12pm the previous school day. Please note that in this case, the individual must ALSO complete the Google Form.
• All persons choosing to attend school Mass must arrive between 7:55 am and 8:05 am and be checked in through the back church doors in courtyard by the Parish Center. The church doors on the Avenue M side will be locked and no admittance will be given to anyone attempting to enter on that side. Guests will sit in designated areas and must exit the church when directed by administration. Further, upon exiting the church, it is understood that guests will proceed directly to their cars and not congregate outside of the church/school.

• Once Mass begins, we will not open doors to visitors for the safety of our students.

This is the Google Form sign up link for Wednesday's 8:15 am Mass, February 21st.

https://forms.gle/5XfY6tVFssPYJNHSA

Lent is the Church's primary penitential season in the liturgical year. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts until the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. The season has six Sundays: the final one, known as Passion (or Palm) Sunday, begins Holy Week. The origin of Lenten observances dates back to the fourth century or earlier. The length of the season reflects the forty days Christ spent praying and fasting in the desert (see Matthew 4: 1-11) and is a time of preparation for the great feast of Easter. Here are calendars and a link for some Lenten activities for your family https://www.crsricebowl.org/families.

For the season of Lent, we will be participating in the Stations of the Cross each Friday morning at 8:15 am in the Church. If you would like to join us, please sign up on the Google Form link below by Thursday at 12 pm. This is the link for next Friday, February 23rd. The link for tomorrow was emailed on Tuesday.

https://forms.gle/NsCyr8QPvdwBC3jG6

There is no school on Monday, February 19th, in honor of Presidents' Day. Enjoy the day off!

Students in grades 2-8 will be taking our standardized tests, the Terra Nova, beginning on Tuesday, February 20th. Testing will continue through next Wednesday, February 29th. It is important that students are well rested and arrive to school on time as testing will begin promptly at 8 am. Students should bring a healthy snack to have during a break in testing every day. Thanks for your help in setting your child up to do his/her best!

The end of the second trimester is tomorrow, Friday, February 16th. Report cards will be emailed to all parents next Friday, February 23rd. Please check your child's grades in Renweb and reach out to the teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

Student lunches that are dropped off at the office need to arrive by 11 am. This gives the office time to notify the student and teacher that there is a lunch waiting before the class goes over to the Parish Center at their lunchtime.

If your child is in a music group with Mrs. James before school, he or she needs to be at before care by 7:15 am. This ensures that your child is at school and ready to be picked up by Mrs. James from before care to go to the music room. No students will be allowed to go to the music room after this time without Mrs. James.

NJHS applications are available for students in grades 6-8. The minimum requirement is honors for the first and second trimesters this school year. Interested students should see Mrs. Hengesbach or Mr. Proctor for application information beginning Monday, Feb. 26th, not before. It is very important that, as a candidate for NJHS, students strictly follow all expectations from receiving the application through the submittal process. Applications will be due Wednesday, March 6th.

Tatiana recently competed the in the 2024 Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund Regional Spelling Bee. We are so proud of her representing our school!

With the onset of cold season, we are in desperate need of tissues. If you are able to donate some boxes, please drop them off at the school office. Every $10 spent counts for 1 hour of the 20 required volunteers hours.

Our 3rd and 4th grade Odyssey of the Mind team will be participating in a competition is at Mulberry High School on February 24 at 10:40. Odyssey of the Mind is a program that teaches students how to develop and use their natural creativity to become problem-solvers. We appreciate Ms. Brotherton and Ms. Brotherton for leading this with our students!

Re-registration for current students ended on Friday January 26, 2024, for the 2024-2025 school year. New student registration is open and your returning child(ren)'s spot may not be guaranteed for the new school year without re-registration. The cost for registration is $350. If you have questions or concerns regarding enrollment please reach out to Mrs. Brown at sbrown@stjosephwhschool.org.

If you are planning to register your child in VPK at SJCS for the 2024-2025 school-year, you will need to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility. You can do this on the Early Learning Coalition website by clicking on the following link and following the directions.

https://elcpolk.org/families/voluntary-prekindergarten-education-program/how-to-apply-for-vpk/

Applying for VPK is a two-part process and your application is not considered complete until we receive BOTH of the following items:

1. Registration Packet (from SJCS)

2. Certificate of Eligibility (from The Early Learning Coalition)

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Brown, Enrollment Specialist: sbrown@stjosephwhschool.org

The Diocese of Orlando Office of Schools has let us know that the first day of the 2024-2025 school year will be Monday, August 12th, 2024.

Our largest annual fund raiser is back this year with an evening of food, fun, dancing, and both live and silent auctions. The Taste of Achievement Gala will take place in the school gym on March 2, 2024. To purchase sponsorships and tickets, scan the QR or click on this link: https://sjcswh.ejoinme.org/2024gala

We will need help with the set up and clean up for the Gala. If you would like to help, please click the link to sign up. This time will count toward the 20 required hours of volunteering.

Gala Set Up and Clean Up Sign Up

We are in need of items for the classroom Gala baskets. The needed items were emailed to families recently. Remember that every $10 of donated items will count for 1 hour of the needed 20 volunteer hours this year. We are also in need of any extra baskets or containers for making the Gala baskets. Any donations can be sent to the office.

A special thank you to Mrs. James for leading our students in recent music competitions. Our students Sienna, Emma, Carson, Jenny and Tatiana were recently a part of the Pueri Cantores Festival and Mass. Carson and Khang were in the Florida Band Association solos and ensembles and both received a superior for their solos. We are so grateful for Mrs. James' leadership in cultivating our students' many talents!

There will be a required cross training of all current Altar Servers on Tuesday , February 20th, after school from 3:10 to 4:00 p.m. in the Church. We would like everyone to be able to carry the Cross and know how to handle the incense and carry the boat at the Masses.

Coming up, we have Easter Time and Confirmation which will require the use of incense and boat at every Mass until Pentecost. Ms. Richer will plan a schedule for this part of the Liturgical year and will need all servers knowing the positions.

Thank you for your service for the Masses. We could not do without your help. Thank you to the parents for your service also in getting your children to Mass 15 minutes before Mass begins.

Shirley Roberts

Catechist/Sacristan

Flag Football season is here! We will be hosting an informational meeting on Thursday, February 15th at 3:30 p.m. in Ms. Gandolff's classroom for all middle school boys who are interested in joining the team. This meeting is an opportunity for players to learn more about the program, meet the coaching staff, and ask any questions they may have. Players should bring their Chromebooks to the meeting. No prior experience is necessary, and we welcome players of all skill levels. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Gandolff at tgandolff@stjosephwhschool.org

The tuition rates for the 2024-2025 school year have changed.

Tuition: $9,400 (K-8)

Technology: $350

Registration: $250/$350

PreK 3: $4,000 (7:30am-11:50am)

VPK Wrap Around: $3,150 (11:50am – 3:30pm)

• After school care: $4.50 per hour

• Before school care: $2.50 per family per day

• Graduation fee: $125 per eighth grader

With the tution total of $9750 and assuming that the scholarship amount will stay the same for the next school year, below is the out of pocket expense per child.

$9750 Tuition

K-3 $1817 out of pocket based on this year’s scholarship

4-8 $2444 out of pocket based on this year’s scholarship

Please contact the school office with any questions.

Applications are NOT yet available for the 2024-25 school year for the following programs:

• Florida Tax Credit Scholarship / Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options
  (including Transportation and the Personalized Education Program)
• Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities

If your student is currently benefiting from one of these programs, please continue to monitor your email. More information will be shared next month.

https://www.stepupforstudents.org/scholarships/private-and-transportation/?utm_source=Private+School+Facebook+Apply+English&utm_medium=Facebook+English&utm_id=Private+School+Facebook+Apply+English

Absences (Including Early Dismissals)

• 10 absences, the parent receives an automatic email notifying them of the number of absences accumulated thus far and reminding them of the policy.

• 15 absences without documentation, the parent will either receive communication or be required to attend a meeting with a school administrator; the student could be placed on attendance probation.

• At the 19th absence, school administration will evaluate the documentation provided and determine if the student can remain at St. Joseph Catholic School.

Tardies

• 10 tardies, the parent receives an automatic email notifying them of the number of tardies accumulated thus far and reminding them of the policy.

• 15 tardies without documentation, the parent will either receive communication or be required to attend a meeting with a school administrator; the student will be placed on attendance probation.

• At the 19th tardy, school administration will evaluate the documentation provided and determine if the student can remain at St. Joseph Catholic School

Special thanks to the Neel family for sponsoring our deputy at Mass this week.

Please continue to scan your receipts so we can earn funds from Box Tops for our school. Our next goal is to earn $300. Students will have another dress down day once we reach this goal.

This section of the Eagle's Eye will remain in every edition of our newsletter. It will contain links to information that parents may need from time to time. When parents have questions, we urge you to check this section for possible links that could get you the information that you need.

• School Calendar
• Lunch Menus
• Maschio's Birthday Order Form
• Registering for a lunch account
• PikMyKid User Guide (English)
• PikMyKid User Guide (Spanish)
• Fingerprinting/Safe Environment Certification Instructions
• Fingerprinting/Safe Environment Certification
• Uniform Company
• Technology Responsible Use Policy for Students
• Parent Student Handbook
• Attendance Policy
• Accessing Facts Family Portal
• Family Portal Login
• Logging Service Hours: Parents and students can now enter and view their own service hours. You can use your app to view the hours, however, you have to use the web version to enter new hours. go to FACTS Family Portal. The district code is STJC-FL. Once logged in, click on the Family option in the menu on the left side. At the top of the screen, select the family member who will be adding the service hours. Click on the Add option on the right side of the screen in the Service Hours box. Fill out the information and click Save.

Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand over your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

"You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Mt 5:38-48

O Blessed Joseph, faithful guardian of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, protector of Mary, the virgin Mother of God, I choose you this day to be my special patron and advocate and I firmly resolve to honor you all the days of my life. Therefore, I humbly ask you to receive me as your client, to instruct me in every doubt, to comfort me in every affliction, to obtain for me and for all the knowledge and love of the Heart of Jesus, and finally to defend and protect me at the hour of my death. Amen.

Principal: Mrs. Insua

Assistant Principal: Mr. Reilly

Canonical Administrator: Fr. Tim LaBo

Superintendent: Mr. Fortier

Email: jinsua@stjosephwhschool.org
Website: stjosephwhschool.org
Location: 535 Avenue M Northwest, Winter Haven, FL, USA
Phone: 863-293-3311