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.

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.

• Family members of students at St. Joseph Catholic School who would like to attend school Mass at 8:15 a.m. must preregister by 12pm on Tuesday, April 29th.
• If you have previously visited SJCS and been cleared through the Raptor System using your driver's license, simply submit the form below.
• **Please note that you must be cleared through the Raptor System each school year. If you have not had your driver's license scanned this year, please go to the school office to have this done.
• If you haven't been cleared through Raptor, please complete the form below AND you must go to the school office to have your driver's license scanned into our Raptor System for attendance at future events by 12pm on Tuesday, April 29th.
• If you submit by noon on the Tuesday before Mass, please plan to arrive at the back doors of the church in the courtyard by the Parish Center between 7:55 a.m. and 8:05 a.m. on the day of the Mass. 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.
• Once Mass begins, we will not open doors to visitors for the safety of our students.

Click here to sign up to attend Mass: https://forms.gle/4Byeu9CvwXaZiiz89

*****Please use your name on the form that appears on your driver's license.

Last Sunday, Palm Sunday, began Holy Week. Several of our students were part of the children's choir at the 430pm Mass. Thank you for beginning this most holy of weeks for us as you sang, "Jesus, Remember Me".

This final week of Lent is a time of spiritual preparation for Easter and the most sacred week in the Catholic liturgical calendar. It commemorates the last days of Jesus' life, culminating in his death and resurrection. Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Holy Saturday, with Good Friday marking the day of Jesus' crucifixion. Below is the schedule of Church events beginning this evening.

• Holy Thursday, April 17, The Lord's Supper Mass at 7 pm (English)
• Good Friday, April 18, Veneration Of The Cross at 3 pm (English)
• Easter Vigil Mass, Saturday, April 19 at 8 pm
• Easter Sunday, April 20
• 7:30 & 11am Mass English
• 11:15 am Mass English (chapel)
• 9 am Mass Vietnamese
• 1pm Mass Spanish
• 12:30 pm Easter Egg Hunt On The Playground *Please Bring Your Easter baskets

In the Gospel, we learned that Judas, a disciple of Jesus, is going to betray him for 30 pieces of silver. Judas proceeds to deliberately lie to Jesus as if he has no idea what Judas is doing. This is a reminder to us that honesty is love. Honesty shows you care because you are able to admit what you did wrong. The Gospel tells us this story so that we can be better than Judas, that we can be someone that is honest and loving. As we continue this journey with God during Holy Week, keep in your mind that Jesus’ sacrifice is for you. He carries the weight of your sins so you may have a chance at eternal life. Be an example of God’s kingdom by being honest and loving your friends and family. Let your love inspire others to love more. Joan, 7B

Father Glenn shared with how much Jesus loves us, He told us that Jesus would do anything for us, including being crucified on the cross to save us all from sin. Father said that sin is our real enemy, not other people. We should love one another with care, we shouldn't hate each other. In Isaiah 50:4-9, it says that God has all power, he is almighty. God controls everything and created everything, therefore we should praise him to show love, respect and thanks. Marvins, 7B

On Friday, May 2nd, we will have Eucharistic Adoration at 8:15am in the Church. This is a time for us all to pray in front of the blessed Sacrament, the consecrated host, to worship and be closer to Jesus. Please sign up here by Thursday to pray with us. https://forms.gle/xbSGS8XhCRAenXVSA

What a wonderful week of giving we have had for our schoolwide Lenten service project. Last week alone, we have collected 2,050 cans of tomato sauce and ravioli. This brings us to a total of 4,628 food items for those in need. What an incredible blessing! Thank you so much for your generosity! The classes in first and second place continue to be very close. In first place is KA with 1,068 items, second place is 2A with 1,025 items and in third place is KB with 937 items. The class with the highest number of items by today will earn a dress down day and a special treat. For this final week of Lent, we are collecting crackers and ramen noodles.

The 4th grade service project, in honor of St. Anne, is to collect socks to WARM THE SOLES of the homeless in our community. The 4yh grade students will also make hand written cards to be attached to the socks to WARM THE SOULS.

Socks are very often one of the greatest needs of the homeless. During the month of April, please help us to collect as many pairs of NEW socks, in all sizes, to be donated to Catholic Charities along with the handmade cards. Students may drop their socks off to the boxes outside the 4th grade classrooms for the socks.

For Holy Thursday today, we will have a 2pm dismissal. There will be Aftercare available until 6pm. There is no school on Easter Monday or on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week as our staff attends the NCEA (National Catholic Educators Association) conference in Orlando.

At NCEA next week, Mrs. Pack will be presenting "Is Data Your Destiny" and Mrs. Blanton and Mrs. Insua will be presenting "Our Students Don't Just Fly; They SOAR". We are so blessed to be able to represent all the wonderful things happening at St. Joseph Catholic School and share these with educators from around the United States and the world.

Educational summer camps offer exciting and enriching opportunities for students to continue learning and growing outside the traditional classroom setting. We encourage families to take advantage of these valuable experiences to help students stay engaged and inspired throughout the summer. Spots are limited and go quickly – register today!

Roberts Academy Summer Reading Camp - Intensive reading instruction in a whole group and small group setting along with independent practice. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math) – Students will be immersed in instruction to enhance learning. https://www.flsouthern.edu/academic-life/academic-centers/roberts-center-for-learning-and-literacy/summer-reading-camp

Kids At College – For children ages 5 – 13, choose from a wide variety of classes in topics including 3D Printing, Games Unplugged, Rocketry, Ninja Warriors, and Magic! https://www.polk.edu/kids-at-college/

Camp Early Bird – Camp Early Bird helps incoming kindergartners develop pre-reading skills through hands-on activities and learning centers based on reading readiness while continuing to support motor, social, and cognitive development. https://www.polkschoolsfl.com/quicklinks/earlybird

This summer, we will have new air conditioners and new windows installed. The teachers will need to pack up items in their classrooms so they do not get dusty. If you have any boxes, we would appreciate them! We would like them broken down flat so we can easily store them until May. You can drop those off during carline, before or after school, any day.

We will have Soaring Eagle and Acts of Kindness recognitions immediately after Mass on Wednesday, April 30th. To attend, use the Mass sign up link above. Parents or family members will need to attend Mass as no one will be admitted to the church after 8:15am.

Spirit Week is coming soon! The week of April 28th-May 2 we will celebrate SJCS with the activities below, as chosen by our 8th grade student service council. Please remember that dress down guidelines, including shoes, must be followed on all of these days.

Monday- School Spirit Day

Tuesday- Sport Day

Wednesday- Wear your favorite accessories AFTER MASS

Thursday- Match your Homeroom by wearing a color. Teacher picks

Friday- Decade day

Congrats to Coach Gandolff and the flag football team over for their win over BAMS 🏈 27-21 🦅

Tennis is going on now for Middle School! Permission slips are in the office or Coach Edwards has them as well. The cost for this sport is $30 and the student's FACTS account will be billed. For more information, contact Coach Edwards at ledwards@stjosephwhschool.org.

Coach Edwards will be hosting three days of learning volleyball skills and playing for any students in grades 5 or middle school students who have not played on our team in the fall. Plan to meet in the gym on Thursday, May 8th, Wednesday, May 14th, and Wednesday, May 21st, from 3:30-5:00pm. There is no cost for this but all students who participate will need a signed permission slip before attending on any of these dates. These can be picked up in the school office or Coach Edwards will also have them.

At conferences, your child’s homeroom teacher should have told you if your child has any overdue books. Please help locate those and return them to the school. If you are not able to locate a book, you will need to replace it with another copy or pay the school for the cost of the book.

If you have any questions about your child’s overdue books, please email me kmcgillin@stjosephwhschool.org

Upcoming Library Dates:

Spring Book Fair May 5th-9th 7:30-3:30

Last day for book checkout Friday, May 9th

SSYRA Club Lunch Friday, May 15th

The first day of the 2024-2025 school year will be Monday, August 11th, 2025.

We are beginning to work on the calendar for the coming school year. Here are some key dates for you to put on your calendar:

August 11: First Day of School for all students

November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break

December 22 - January 2: Christmas Break

January 6: School Resumes

March 16 - 20: Spring Break

April 3 - 6: Easter Break

May 29: Last day of school

* A full calendar will be shared this summer.

Please see the information below about the Food Allergy Management Program from Machio's for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year.

Please see the information below about the Step Up for Students scholarship. Here is the link for the Application Checklist.

https://go.stepupforstudents.org/hubfs/Scholarship%20Info/Scholarship-Application-Checklist.pdf?utm_campaign=SCHOOL%20PROVIDER%20-%20GENERAL%20Communication&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GcARUeCd0J0qJWsoArEhr7zZfKOCptd0zf-xM1mZIsmx7ri9EAeTtiGWfaiPsDhxbddjlNUKHyk-5tDm_bVCq8-MydCMmApmqhaMCkVoDmlIgkIs&_hsmi=344541403&utm_content=344541403&utm_source=hs_email

We have a few different choirs at SJCS.

School Mass Choir
Students in grades 3-8 are invited to sing in the choir at all school masses. Practice will be once a month with the next one April 29th. Please don't arrive to pick up your child(ren) until 4:00 pm if they are staying for choir.

Church Children's Choir

The Children's Choir for our church will practice from 3-4pm on Thursdays. Jitka Cinibulk, music director from our church, coordinates this ministry. This is for students to sing at weekend Masses. If you have any questions about this opportunity, please email her at jcinibulk@stjosephwh.org.

Concert Choir with Mrs. James

Students in 3rd-8th grade have the opportunity of joining Concert Choir. The SJCS Concert Choir performs at various community events during the school year including Carols in the Park, the Christmas program and singing the national anthem at the Rays, Bucs and Tropics games. During rehearsals, students will be developing many vocal concepts such as correct posture, resonance and technique. We will be singing a range of repertoire and work on two and three part harmony.

Grades 3-5

Rehearsals: 3rd, 4th & 5th grade on Wednesdays at 3:15-4:00pm beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 19th

Middle School Rehearsals: Thursdays from 7:15-7:45am

Please e-mail Mrs. James at vjames@stjosephwhschool.org if you have any questions. Thank you!

Church Handbell Choir

The Church Handbell choir is looking for 2-3 new ringers. The starting age is 10, so if any student is interested, this would be a great time to join us. Practice is on Thursdays 6-8 pm in the church. If you have any questions about this opportunity, please email Jitka Cinibulk at jcinibulk@stjosephwh.org.

The next Middle School Edge will be on Wednesday, April 30th from 6-8pm in Room 2. Parents who volunteer to help with EDGE may earn SJCS service hours.

St. Joseph Catholic Church's religious education coordinator is Mrs. Melady Roque.

If you intend for your child to receive any sacraments (such as First Communion or Confirmation) through St. Joseph Catholic Church, you can call the church office at 294-3144 or email Melady Roque at mroque@stjosephwh.org.

Confirmation classes will take place every Sunday from 12:15-1:00pm in Room 2. Confirmation is open to grades 8-12. Parents can contact Mr. Nathan Hayes with any questions at nhayes@stjosephwh.org or by calling the office at (863) 294 - 3144 ext. 224.

On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.

Our next Box Top goal is $600. Remember all you need to do is scan your receipts to help us reach this goal and all students will earn another dress down day.

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.

Important calendar dates for the 2024-2025 school year are listed below. ***Please note that the school intentionally schedules school closures at times throughout the school year. We are giving these dates to you early to help your planning for the 24-25 year. Families should schedule family vacations and other commitments during scheduled school closures; vacations should not be scheduled when school is open. Vacations are not considered excused absences and are a violation of the School Attendance Policy.

• April 18th-23rd: Easter Break
• May 26th: Memorial Day: No School
• May 29th: Last Day of School

Principal: Mrs. Insua

Assistant Principal: Ms. Lucarelli

Assistant Principal: Mr. Kupka

Parochial Administrator: Fr. Glenn Lopez

Canonical Administrator: Fr. Tim LaBo

Superintendent: Dr. Erika Wikstrom

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