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.

Second trimester student progress reports will be sent home today. Students in Prek through 5th grade will receive a paper report. Please check your child's backpack or folder for this. Middle School student progress reports will be emailed. Grades can also be checked any time on Renweb.

There is no school for students on Monday, January 15th in honor of Martin Luther King.

The first day of the 2024-2025 school year will be Wednesday, August 14th, 2024.

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, January 17th. We will be honoring Soaring Eagles and Acts of Kindness student recognitions from each class.

https://forms.gle/R9GzWi3btbczXiwo9

There will be a required 8th grade parent meeting about the field trip to Tallahassee on Thursday, January 11th at 5:45 pm in the Parish Center. Paperwork will be filled out and more details about the trip will be shared. 8th grade students also need to attend this meeting. The field trip is scheduled for March 6th through the 8th.

Since 1974, National Catholic Schools Week is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. It starts the last Sunday in January and runs all week, which in 2024 is January 28 – February 3. The theme for National Catholic Schools Week 2024 is “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community.” More information about the week's activities will come soon.

Our students will be altar servers, readers, and gift bearers at all weekend Masses, Saturday, January 27th and Sunday, January 28th. We are in need of readers and gift bearers for all Masses. If your child would like to be a reader or gift bearer, please fill out the Google Form. https://forms.gle/PAoabHLe7Zdu59527

Our annual Mary Hession Nun Run will be an exciting 3.1 mile run/walk. It will be a flat course out and back along the Chain of Lake Trail, and is pet friendly. The event is on Saturday, January 27th beginning at 8 a.m. in the parking lot. For more information about this or sponsorship opportunities, contact Allison Beeman at sjcsnunrun@gmail.com. Sponsorshops are due by January 2nd.

Click the link below to register.

https://www.athlinks.com/event/372770

The class with the highest participation in the Nun Run can have an ice cream party!

Also, volunteers are needed for the event. Middle school students who want to volunteers must be accompanied by an adult.

Mark your calendars to attend our PTO meeting this comingTuesday, January 16th. In addition to sharing information about next year, our teachers are planning an interactive math night with stations of activities for all ages. This fun event is not one you will want to miss! Door prizes will be given out! Also, any students attending will earn a free dress down pass!

Re-registration for current students opened on Monday, January 8th, for the 2024-2025 school year. All FACTS payment plans, incidentals, and Mashios lunch accounts must be up to date to be able to re-register your child(ren). The deadline for re-registration is Friday, January 26th, by 3:00 p.m.. After this date, new student registration will open and your child(ren)'s spot may not be guaranteed for the new school year without re-registration. The cost for re-registration is $350 but if completed before January 26th, you will receive a $100 early registration discount. If you do not receive the email link for re registration, you will need to contact Mrs. Brown in the front office by email at sbrown@stjosephwhschool.org

If you have a sibling of a current student who you would like to be considered for enrollment as a new student next school year, please contact Mrs. Brown by email 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

Were you "over blessed" this year with more gifts that you can imagine? If you are looking to "rehome" gifts that you may have multiples of or just can't use, the Gala Committee would love to have those donations! They are also in need of any extra baskets or containers for making the Gala baskets. Any donations can be sent to the office.

Middle School Edge will be Wednesday, January 17th, from 6-8 pm in the school gym. Students should wear school dress down attire that follows the dress code.

A HUGE thank you to the students & staff for stocking our pantry with cereal, peanut butter, vegetables, tuna, rice, potatoes, etc. We could not continue our mission without you. God is good! You are all wonderful to support our food pantry.

Special thanks to the Tran 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.

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.

And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, “I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘make straight the way of the Lord,’”
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.

Jn 1:6-8, 19-28

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