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.

Today, Pope Leo XIV was elected in Rome and our students watched this on live TV. As the spiritual leader of over a billion Catholics around the world, Pope Leo XIV has already touched hearts with his humility, deep faith, and vision for a Church renewed in compassion and peace. We pray for Pope Leo XIV, asking God to strengthen and guide him in his mission.

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, May 13th.
• 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, May 13th.
• 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/Q8L3dscTEgyxb3MaA

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

The Gospel was about the church and early Christians that when the Church gets attacked it makes them stronger and closer to God. It is about how powerful the Church is plus how the apostles spread out to preach the word of God. Jude, 2nd grade

When Jesus said he was the bread of life and we will have eternal life in heaven with God and Jesus. When Jesus said if you come to me you shall not hunger if you come to me you shall not thirst, come. Emily, 2nd grade

The reading was about Jesus declaring that he is the body and blood and he is our savior so now we should always believe him no matter what because he is real. Never let something get in your way of loving God. Destiny, 2nd grade

May is traditionally celebrated as the month of Mary in the Catholic Church, a time dedicated to honoring the Blessed Virgin for her faith, love, and devotion. At our school, this devotion is marked with a special event called the May Crowning, where students gather to place a crown of flowers on a statue of Mary, symbolizing her role as Queen of Heaven and Mother of the Church. This beautiful ceremony includes prayers, hymns, and often a procession, offering students a meaningful way to express their reverence and love for Mary during this sacred time. This will be in the Church on Tuesday, May 13th at 8:15am. To join us for this beautiful ceremony, please click the link to sign up. https://forms.gle/6JgAH5q7RB4qPQLb9

The Passing of the Light ceremony is a meaningful SJCS tradition that symbolizes the transition of leadership and responsibility from the 8th grade class to the 7th graders as they prepare to become the new leaders of the school. During the ceremony, each 8th grader passes a light to a 7th grader, representing the sharing of wisdom, guidance, and school spirit. Please join us after the 8:15am Mass on Wednesday, May 14th to share in this beautiful tradition. All attendees must have attended Mass, as the Church doors will not be opened once Mass has begun.

Congratulations to all our students who received their First Communion. May God continue to bless you on your faith journey.

Below are the links to the photographs taken during First Communion.

Click the link below for the following Mass times.

4:30 Mass April 26

https://anthonyinsua.smugmug.com/First-Communion-St...

11am Mass April 27

https://anthonyinsua.smugmug.com/First-Communion-St...

1pm Mass April 27

https://anthonyinsua.smugmug.com/First-Communion-St...

We are so proud of our students for their accomplishments and commitment to living out the mission and vision of St. Joseph Catholic School.

For parents and family members who are coming to school events, all vehicles need to be parked in the parish center parking lot in the spaces along the recess field (the roadway that connects with the Unity way exit, not the spaces in the drop off/pick up line) or in spaces closest to the soccer field. Please do not park in the school office parking lot as there are limited spaces there. Also, please do not park in the Church offices parking lot as those parking spaces are for Church office business or the chapel. Once parents and family members have parked, they can walk down Unity Way to reach the school office.

Please know that when planning classes for the upcoming academic year, special care is taken to ensure that each child is placed in an environment where they can thrive both academically and socially. The process involves careful consideration of each student’s individual needs, learning styles, and personality traits, as well as input from teachers who know the students well. Additionally, efforts are made to create balanced classrooms that promote a positive and effective learning atmosphere for all. Please note that we are unable to take individual parent requests for specific teachers or class placements. Thank you for understanding and trusting in our process. Teacher assignments will be shared with families during the new school year packet pick-up.

We will have our end of the year PTO meeting in which parents can receive their child(ren)'s Terra Nova test scores soon. There are two different times available for you to attend: next Monday, May 12th at 8am in the Parish Center or next Tuesday, May 13th at 600pm in the Parish Center.

Spring Concert (Elementary & Middle School Concert Choir, 6th, 7th & 8th grade bands, Honor Band & Drumline) – Thursday, May 15 6pm in the Church. All middle school students are required to attend.

We have so many wonderful things happening in May!

Wednesday, May 7th Mass at 8:15am and Acts of Kindness and Soaring Eagle recognitions; TriM Music inductions

Tuesday, May 13th May Crowning at 8:15am in the Church

Wednesday, May 14th Mass at 8:15am and Passing the Light with 7th and 8th grade

Wednesday, May 21st Mass at 8:15am and SJCS Volunteer recognitions

Wednesday, May 28th 8th grade Baccalaureate Mass at 8:15

We welcome all 2025 high school seniors who are SJCS alumni to join us on Friday, May 16th at 2:15pm for our annual Senior Walk through the hallways of SJCS. Our staff and students want to honor you as you graduate from high school. You will need to bring your driver's license with you that day. We are so excited to welcome you all back! Click the link to sign up to join us.

https://forms.gle/mbH887fqXe1d3uQQ7

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

Please consider helping teachers with packing or cleaning, lost and found clean out, summertime prep, etc. This is a great way to earn your 20 required service hours for each family. Reach out to your homeroom teacher to see what you can do to help. Volunteers will need to be fingerprinted if help is provided during the school day.

According to the Diocese of Orlando policy, all vehicles used for transporting students on field trips must have a minimum of two adults present at all times. This requirement is in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants and to maintain appropriate supervision standards throughout the duration of the trip.

**SPORTS AWARDS**

Our athletic awards are on May 20th at 6pm in the gym. This event is for athletes and their families.

Please RSVP with the athlete name and who will be attending to mkupka@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.

Our Good News Book Fair is this week and we still are in need volunteers. Click this link to sign up to help Ms. McGillin during the week.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084BAAAE2EA0F49-56579594-2025

All library books are due this week. Please help your students locate those and return them to the school. On Monday, May 19th any student with books still checked out will be given an overdue notice listing the titles and price of the book. 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 16th

Last Day for AR testing Friday May 23rd

If you are still looking for a way to fulfill the 20 hour service hour requirement, please consider donating a book off our Book Fairy Wishlist. These books were once a part of our collection but have been lost or damaged. Reminder: Every $10 is 1 service hour.

Book Fairy Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2S6G0MFCC15VU?ref_=wl_share

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

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month

May is a special month for speech/language pathologists and audiologists. It’s the month to recognize the importance of these two professions and their contributions to the betterment of our community. We’re celebrating at SJCS in a variety of ways. The “speech team” at SJCS, Mrs. Robinson and I, are providing our teaching staff with some suggestions on how to maintain a healthy speaking voice. Our suggestions include adequate hydration, no throat clearing and a limited use of a loud voice. It would be very hard to be a teacher without a strong, clear voice! Hooray for Better Speech and Hearing Month at SJCS!

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 on May 6th. 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.

At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing."
They said to him, "We also will come with you."
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?"
They answered him, "No."
So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something."
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord."
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught."
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast."
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?"
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs."
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep."
Jesus said to him the third time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time,
"Do you love me?" and he said to him,
"Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."
Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go."
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."

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.

• 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