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.

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 tomorrow, 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 did 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 are a returning family and have a new student who you would like to be considered for admission, you only have until this Sunday January 28,2024 to apply for that student with preference (your student will be assessed and interviewed before other applicants). We will not be giving sibling preference to applicants after that date. Applications have been open since January 8,2024.

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 first day of the 2024-2025 school year will be Monday, August 12th, 2024.

Please remember that parents who are picking up students from Aftercare will need to park their car and go to the Parish Center or to the playground gate to retrieve his/her child(ren). Due to safety issues, Aftercare personnel will not allow students to leave the Parish Center on their own or to go out the playground gate unattended to go to a parent's car. Please wait at the Parish Center door or the playground gate for your child(ren). Thank you for adhering to this procedure that keeps all of our children safe.

Family movie night is tomorrow evening! Please join us for a movie under the stars!

Click this link for a printable copy of the flyer: Movie Night_2024.pdf.docx

Our annual Mary Hession Nun Run is this weekend! Come join us on Saturday, January 27th beginning at 8 a.m. in the parking lot.

This will be an exciting 3.1 mile run/walk on a pet friendly, flat course out and back along the Chain of Lakes trail. For more information, contact Allison Beeman at sjcsnunrun@gmail.com.

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!

Packet pick up will be after carline on Friday afternoon, at the Family Movie night Friday evening, and the morning of the run by 7:40 am.

We are in need of snacks such as water, Gatorade, bananas, and apples for the runners of the Mary Hession Nun Run. Remember that every $10 spent can be counted as 1 hour of the 20 required hours of volunteering for this school year. All donations will need to be sent to the office today, January 26th, or tomorrow, Friday, January 27th.

Click the link to help with this. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4AA4AF2EABFC1-47241178-mary

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.”

Students will be lectors, gift bearers, and cantors at all Masses this weekend. If any 3rd-8th grade student is interested in singing in choir at the 7:30 a.m. mass on Sunday, January 28th, please email Ms. McGillin at kmcgillin@stjosephwschool.org.

We are collecting gas gift cards for Thomas Hammen's seminary and Sarah Pack's orders to help them continue their mission work. Please consider donating a gift card. The dollar dress down day on Thursday, February 1st will be for purchasing gift cards.

It's back! Catholic Trivia Night was so much fun last year! Please join us for an evening of food, fellowship and fun at our annual Catholic Trivia Night and Spaghetti dinner on Monday, January 29th at 6pm in the Parish Center. Please register by using the Sign Up Genius link.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084BAAAE2EA0F49-47334095-trivia

It's a great time. All ages are welcome! You don't want to miss it!

Would you like fries with that? Don't cook dinner Tuesday night! Instead, join us at McDonald's located at 245 Sixth Street for SJCS Spirit Night. You are sure to find SJCS classmates and staff at McDonald's. A portion of the proceeds from that evening will be donated back to SJCS.

Calling all SJCS alumni! Please join us for our Alumni Basketball Game on Tuesday, January 30th at 6pm in the gym. Reach out to Coach Edwards to confirm your participation at ledwards@stjosephwhschool.org.

Grandparents Day is next Wednesday, January 31st. All grandparents are invited to join us for Mass and a special morning at school. Please note that this event is reserved for grandparents or older relatives/close friends that serve in the role of grandparent for a student.

If a grandparent is not able to join us at school the morning of January 31st, they can send a card/letter to the school with the name of the student on the envelope. We will be sure that the student receives this piece of mail during Grandparents Day activities.

Below are the procedures for Grandparents Day.

• Students will not need to bring backpacks to school the day of Grandparents Day. Backpacks should be left at home.
• If a grandparent is NOT accompanying your child(ren) that day, please drop your child off as normal.
• We strongly encourage grandparents to arrive at SJCS church parking lot WITH their grandchild(ren) between 8am and 8:10am. Please let grandparents know that they do not want to arrive before 8am as they will be among carline. Parents and grandparents can also connect with one another in the parking lot to join grandparents with your child with his/her grandparent. We will be unable to call students from class to meet their grandparents for Mass.
• When grandparents arrive at school with their grandchild(ren), they will go directly to the church and sit wherever they like.
• Following Mass, we will have volunteers take pictures of grandchildren with their grandparents.
• Grandparents will visit the child's classroom until about 10:30am.
• If grandparents will be checking out your child(ren), we will have check out tables at the gate on the corner of the church going to the Parish Center parking lot, at the gate by the downstairs kindergarten room closest to Avenue M, and the office.
• Please note, if your child's grandparent will be signing him/her out of school at the end of Grandparents' Day, please be sure the grandparent is on the list of persons acceptable for signing out your child or contact the office to give permission.

We appreciate the cooperation of all to make this morning a success.

After mass, we will have cookies and water set up on tables throughout the school for all students and the grandparents. We are in need of donations of cookies and jugs of water for this special day. If you are able to donate either cookies or water please use the SignUp link below. Donations will be collected the day before in the office or during carline that morning.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A084EAAAC2CA7F58-47314492-2024

For any question please email Mrs. Claudette Biaggi at cmbs_13@yahoo.com. Your donations are greatly appreciated to make this day a memorable one for our children and grandparents!

Our annual Family Picnic will be held on Thursday, February 1st from 11:30am until 12:15pm. Families are invited to join us on campus for lunch. Please plan to arrive to campus promptly at 11:30. We will open gates at 11:30 for parents to go to their child's class to pick up your child(ren) for lunch. At that time, please let your child's teacher know if you will be checking him/her out. Bring picnic blankets and find a spot outside to enjoy lunch! Students will not be permitted to play on the playground equipment and must stay with their families during the picnic Students will return to their classrooms for movies and popcorn at 12:15pm. *Please note that school lunch will NOT be available on Thursday. All students will need to bring lunch to school that day.

There will be a table in the Parish Center parking lot for you to sign your child out if you are taking them home early.

Two of our fifth grade students, Kaylee and Danian, were recognized at school winners of the annual Tag Art contest. They will compete against other students around the county to be the Tag Art 2024 winner.

Students need to bring their own snacks to aftercare in the afternoons. We are not providing snacks this year.

Coming to the Daddy Daughter Dance? We want your song requests! Email your requests to Ms. Keown at rkeown@stjosephwhschool.org. Can't wait to see you there.

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

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.

Heartland for Children is so thankful for all the toys SJCS donated to children in need!

Special thanks to the Platas family for sponsoring our deputy at Mass this week, and the Sumner family for sponsoring our deputy at Family Movie Night.

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.

Then they came to Capernaum,
and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
Jesus rebuked him and said,
"Quiet! Come out of him!"
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
"What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."

His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

Mk 1:21-28

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