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.

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, December 13th.

https://forms.gle/mqvpcRDNtKi1EErp6

Our first trimester academic awards will be Wednesday, January 3rd after the 8:15 am Mass. If you would like to attend, please see the procedures above. Parents must register by 12 pm on Tuesday, January 2nd.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Father Fracilus. He passed away on Friday. His funeral will be in Miami next Saturday. Please keep the family in your prayers.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace!

Please make sure that when dropping off PreK students in the front office parking lot that you are only turning right to exit the parking lot. With the amount of traffic, it is unsafe to turn left and it backs up the PreK drop off line when waiting. Also, when approaching the stop sign at Avenue M and Unity Way, only right hand turns are allowed. We appreciate your help with this.

The Unity Way gate will be closed every afternoon beginning at 4 pm. Please use the Highway 17 entrance to enter and exit the campus after 4 pm.

Siblings of students are not able to be at school when a parent is volunteering or coming for a classroom event/celebration. This policy is stated in our Parent Handbook. Thank you for adhering to this.

When the school calls to let you know that your student is sick and needs to be picked up, please come to the school immediately. Sick students cannot stay in the clinic for extended periods of time. When this happens, it exposes other students as well as staff members to illness.

St. Anthony Catholic School is in need of a guidance counselor. If you are interested in this position or know someone who is, please contact Dr. Anna Adam at aadam@saintacs.com or 863-858-0671.

We will have our annual Christmas programs on Thursday, December 14th in the Church. Students in grades Prek through 2nd grade, the concert choir, honor band, and drumline will perform at 10 a.m. Students in grades 3 through 5, concert choir, honor band, drumline, and our seventh and eighth grade bands will perform beginning at 6 p.m. For the evening performance, students in grades 3 through 5 need to be in their classrooms by 5:30 p.m. Honor band, drumline, and our seventh and eighth grade bands will meet in the Parish Center by 5:30 p.m.

All students should wear dressy Christmas attire. Please, no Santa hats, elf hats, antler headbands, etc.

We are in need of a sweets and treats for Sweets with Santa. Remember that every $10 counts for one hour of the required 20 hours of service for each family. Any donated items can be sent to the office.

Sign-up Genius for Sweets and Treats; Please bring to the office by Friday, December 8th

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0C4EAAAB28AA8-46394636-sweets

Surprise your son, daughter, friend, teacher, buddy, etc. with a Christmas Singing Gram. Christmas Singing Grams will be performed by a group of students from the Concert Choir on Monday, December 11th. Recipients will also receive a card and a treat.

Forms due no later than today, December 7th.

Sarah Pack, Mr. Pack and Mrs. Pack's daughter, recently received her habit, entering into religion life with the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin Matara. We are so happy for Sarah and continue to pray for her on her journey!

Second semester student progress reports will be sent home on Thursday, January 11th. Grades can also be checked daily on Renweb.

The date of our Taste of Achievement Gala has been changed. Please make a note on your calendar that the Gala will be held on Saturday, March 2nd. You will not want to miss it. Save the date and make plans to join us.

Our Middle School students have been cultivating crops using hydroponics. This is growing plants using a nutrient rich water rather than soil. The students enjoyed a salad from their harvest.

Our eighth grade students recently took a field trip to Santa Fe to learn about the Catholic high school. The students had a great time learning what it is like to be a Catholic high school student. We appreciate Santa Fe allowing our students to visit and all the parents who volunteered to transport students. Thank you!

Many parents, students, staff members, and even some alumni recently enjoyed dinner at our Chick Fil A spirit night. It was a great evening of food and fellowship!

On Saturday, December 9th, there will be an altar server appreciation event at the Knights of Columbus Hall from noon to 2 p.m. All servers are welcome to attend!

Our fall book fair will be December 4th through the 8th during school hours, from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm, and on Saturday, December 9th, during Sweets with Santa. Our school book fair is the perfect place to pick up a book for a Christmas present! You can browse book selections here: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/stjosephcatholicschool32

Additionally, below is the Sign Up Genius link to volunteer to help Mrs. Reece. These hours will count toward the family requirement of 20 hours of volunteering.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094FABA822AAF4C70-stjoseph1

Students will be dismissed at 12 p.m. on Friday, December 15th. There will be no Aftercare that day so students must be picked up by 12:30 p.m. that day.

Please consider helping with this year’s Advent Project, collecting toys for children in need.

You can send in a new toy with your child or use one of the links below to order from the Amazon Wish List and get the item sent directly to the school. Toys can also be brought and dropped off at Sweets With Santa. All toys are due by Saturday, December 9th to give us time to deliver them. Thank you again for all your support.

Preschool Link:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/28HXD6L9FMK?ref_=wl_share

Primary Grades Link:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/28HXD6L9FMK?ref_=wl_share

Intermediate Grades Link:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/28HXD6L9FMK?ref_=wl_share

Middle School Link:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/7K0A54XKB53S?ref_=wl_share

The season of Advent continues this Sunday, December 10th, with the second Sunday of Advent. The second Sunday of Advent is purple for peace. Next Sunday, December 17th, is the third Sunday of Advent and is represented by a pink candle for joy. The fourth Sunday of Advent, Decemeber 24th, is represented by a purple candle for love.

Special thanks to the Robinson 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.

With the holidays around the corner, our Catholic Charities Food Pantry needs our help to stock the shelves. This collection is in addition to the items students are encouraged to bring to Mass on Wednesdays. The items listed below are collected throughout the week in the classrooms. We will track the number of items collected in each class. The class with the highest total number of items in prek, primary (K-2), intermediate (3-5) and middle school (6-8) will receive a special treat.

Week of December 3: Cans of Tuna/Canned Meat

Week of December 10: Cereal/Oatmeal

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. 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!

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.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad.
He leaves home and places his servants in charge,
each with his own work,
and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore;
you do not know when the lord of the house is coming,
whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” MK 13:33-37

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.

Interim 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