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.

• 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, February 4.
• 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, February 4.
• 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://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvcP6Lfzsfn7WMYu8jUHjlUYbDDKqsbPvbBrnDi93aQObe7g/viewform?usp=sharing

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

In today’s homily, Father Glenn said, “Faith does not begin at school but it begins at home and with family.” This means that even though our relationship grows at school and church, our faith grows stronger and faster when we spend time at home with our family and friends. After the homily, I thought of how my grandmother and grandfather’s devotion to God by praying daily, going to mass, and blessing the house weekly affected my faith over time and how it encouraged me to grow closer to God. Kaleb, grade 8

Today in mass, Father Glenn talked about how we should choose the right path, like the example in the Gospel story about the seeds. He talked about how we should make the right decisions in life so our faith can grow, and so that we don't stray from God. He also shared how we are blessed to go to Catholic school.

Declan, grade 8

In today’s Grandparents Day Mass, Father Glenn spoke about the importance of a great faith-filled foundation. He said he’s so proud of all the students and how important it is for grandparents to start shaping their children in faith from a young age by attending mass, reading the Bible, and encouraging disciple-like behavior. This message in the Gospel of planting good seeds will follow children their whole lives.

Eliana, grade 8

There will be an altar server training for new altar servers next Saturday, February 8th, at 10am in the Church with Ms. Shirley. Please arrive 10 minutes early. To be an altar server, students must have been baptized and received their First Communion.

Our annual Family Picnic will be held tomorrow, Friday, January 31st from 12pm until 12:30pm. Families are invited to join us on campus for lunch. Please plan to arrive to campus promptly at 12pm. We will open gates at 12pm for parents to go to their child's class to pick up your child(ren) for lunch. **Please remember that only students who have a note from a parent will be allowed to go to the picnic with another parent/family. These need to be sent to the classroom teacher. When picking up your child at the classroom, please let the 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 12:45pm. *Please note that school lunch from Maschios will NOT be available on Friday. 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.

We need parents of 5th-8th grade students join our booster club! For information, please contact Brittany Coulter (brittanycoulter@gmail.com)

Booster clubs play a vital role in supporting extracurricular programs, particularly in schools and sports. They help provide essential funding for equipment, uniforms, and travel expenses that may not be covered by school budgets. Beyond financial support, booster clubs foster community engagement, bringing together parents, alumni, and local businesses to rally behind students. Their efforts contribute to enhancing the overall experience for participants, while strengthening school spirit and teamwork. In essence, booster clubs are crucial for enriching student activities and creating a thriving, supportive environment.

For the next few weeks, students in grade 3-5 for Aftercare will be in Mrs. Brown's PreK4A room around the corner from the Science Lab. Middle school will still be in the science lab and Prek-grade 2 will be in Mrs. McDonald’s PreK4B room.

There will be no school on Monday, February 17th, for students. This originally was a hurricane make up day on the calendar, but we do not need to use it.

New student registration is 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. 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

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

If you are planning to register your child in VPK at SJCS for the 2025-2026 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

We had a wonderful, faith filled evening on Monday for Mission: Family Faith. We are thankful to the committee for creating such a wonderful family evening!

Thank you to the Moultons for sponsoring McDonald's Spirit on Tuesday. It was another beautiful event for our families!

Our alumni enjoyed fun and fellowship at an alumni basketball game this week. It was wonderful to see so many former students!

What a blessing yesterday was with all of our beloved grandparents on campus for Mass and classroom visits! Our Church was full and the students enjoyed showing their grandparents their classrooms. Thank you to Ms. Moore, grandmother of Carlow and Creigton, for speaking about the impact Catholic education has had on her family. Thank you also to the Grandparents' Day committee members who helped with welcoming parents and providing a treat in the classroom for everyone.

If your grandparent missed out on the new shirts being sold today, here's a great gift idea! They are only $15.00 and can be ordered through the office by next Friday.

We have 1 more dress down day planned for tomorrow. If you would like to make a donation tomorrow, we will collect that money and send it to Catholic Charities. They will send it to California to those who have been affected by the recent fires. We pray for their continued safety during this difficult time.

The Daddy Daughter Dance will be Friday, February 7th. We are in need of donations for this. Click the link to donate. Every $10 spent equals one service hour of the the 20 required service hours per year for each family. Daddy Daughter Dance

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

The Student/Parent Consent Form for Digital Resources was signed at the beginning of the school year by all parents. The form has been updated to include Padlet as a student technology resource.

St. Joseph Catholic Church is in need of money counters on Monday mornings to help with counting each week's collection from the Masses. Money counters must have fingerprint clearance and parents of SJCS can earn service hours for this. The money counters will work on a rotating basis of every other Monday. Please contact Mr. John Richards at hrichards@stjosephwh.org for more information.

If you know anyone who is interested in applying for these positions, please have them visit https://www.orlandodiocese.org/find-jobs/

They can also contact Mr. Kupka for more information!

Do you have duplicates of Christmas gifts or gifts that just don't fit you? Do you have bottles of wine that you will not use? Do you have leftover baskets that can be used for making our Gala baskets for the silent auction? If you can answer yes to any of these questions, we would love to have those items! Please send in any of the above items to the office and let us know they are for the Gala.

We are in need of live auction items for the Taste of Achievement Gala such as vacation homes, experiences, tickets, etc. Please contact Katie Collany at katie@collany.com to donate.

With the cooler weather upon us, we want to take a moment to share a few reminders regarding cold weather uniforms.

• Outerwear Outside the Building: Students are required to wear either an SJCS jacket, sweater, or sweatshirt (P.E. day only) when they are outside the school building (e.g., during carline, recess, etc.). These must be purchased from Sir Walter.
• Outerwear Inside the Building: Students are also required to wear Sir Walter issued cold wear gear, such as the school sweatshirt (P.E. day only), sweater, or jacket, inside the buildings.
• Boys Pants: Boys MUST have one pair of trousers for Mass days and cold weather (blue for K-grade 8; khaki is appropriate for grades 6-8).
• Girls' Leggings and Tights: Please note that leggings are not permitted. Only tights that extend from the tip of the toe to the hips are allowed. Students wearing leggings to school will be asked to remove them.
• Girls' Pants: Navy blue pants are acceptable for grades K-5; navy blue or khaki pants are acceptable for grades 6-8.
• Sweatpants: Sweatpants may only be worn by students on PE days and must be Sir Walter issued with the school logo.
• Hoodies: Hoodies are not permitted, including pull-over or zipper style. On dress down days, hoodies are not permitted.
• Heavy Outerwear: On extremely cold days, students may wear heavier outerwear that is NOT from Sir Walter. These must be removed once inside the school building.

Middle School Edge will be on Wednesday, February 5th from 6-8pm in Room 2. Parents who volunteer to help with EDGE may earn SJCS service hours.

I wanted to highlight a website that can help you determine if a book, movie, show, or video game is appropriate for your children. Commonsensemedia.org offers incredibly detailed reviews of content. Each review gives an overall rating and age recommendation and then provides specific rating from 1-5 for violence, language, romance, and substance use with a detailed explanation of what specific parts of the book earned that rating. You can also set preferences for each of your children and books will "flag" if the media is outside your allowed ratings.

The website allows for 3 free reviews a day with their free account. Their paid account has unlimited reviews and is priced at $3.99 a month or 39.99 a year.

Interested in helping us replace lost and/or damaged books? Be a book fairy and donate a book from this list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2S6G0MFCC15VU?ref_=wl_share

Parents interested in chaperoning for field trips are reminded that they must wear a SJCS shirt. There are several options. Parents may either purchase a SJCS polo from our uniform company or a t-shirt from Boosters. Please keep this in mind as you start making commitments to chaperone field trips. These can be purchased in the office.

The chess club meetings will be meeting on February 7th and 15th in Mrs. Motsch's classroom.

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 February 4th. 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.

We have a new religious education coordinator, Ms. 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.

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
“Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them,
“Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

Our next Box Top goal is $400. Remember all you have to do is scan your receipts to help us reach this goal and all students will earn another dress down day.

Pikmykid is the new servicer for our Parent emails. All whole school emails will show as being from noreply@pikmykid.com.

If you feel like you are not receiving parent alert emails, please contact Mr. Kupka. He will contact PikmyKid so that a case can be created to get the email re-subscribed to the parent alert list.

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.

• January 20th: Martin Luther King Day: No School
• March 17th-21st: Spring Break
• April 18th-23rd: Easter Break
• May 26th: Memorial Day: No School
• May 29th: Last Day of School

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.

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: 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