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.

Father Zach was telling us that Saint Andrew Tae-gon was the first native Korean to become a priest. Saint Andrew went to Korea fully knowing the danger. He was killed because the Koreans were suspicious of what he was doing. He died spreading the Word of God. Why? Simply because of love.

Marlons, 6A

In today’s homily, Father Zach told us about our saint of the day, Andrew Tae-gon, and his companions. He was a martyr, being put to death for teaching people of his faith. Saint Andrew was the first Korean native to be ordained as a priest and came back to his homeland, knowing for a fact that he would die. The reason he came back was simply love. Love for God and his country, because no sacrifice is too great for the sake of love.

Elena 6A

Father Zach said today in Mass that Andrew Tae-gon was living and serving in Korea. He was the first native Korean to become a priest. He was given a choice to go wherever he wanted to go. He used it to go back to Korea even though he knew he was going to die. He was young and sacrificed his life for his people and especially for god and Jesus. That is love right there.

Kateryna 6A

A very special thank you to the Tran family for sponsoring the police officer at Mass this week. Family sponsors cover the $135 cost for our off duty Winter Haven Police Officer to be present on our campus during school Mass or other special events. The sponsoring family also receives 13.5 volunteer hours (as families earn 1 hour for every $10 when requested by the school). A special thank you to all families who have already scheduled a sponsorship of a police officer. If you are interested in sponsoring a police officer, please reach out to Ms. Summer at sdehaven@stjosephwhschool.org.

Thank you so much for your generous support of our Read A Thon fundraiser! We surpassed our goal. The funds raised at this year's Read A Thon will be set aside for the purchase of new air conditioners to replace our chiller. We look forward to celebrating the success of our Read A Thon on Tuesday, October 3rd.

Please remember that SJCS will dismiss at 2pm on Thursday, September 21st for teachers to participate in professional development. Aftercare will be provided until 6pm.

PTO is hosting a Spirit Night at Tijuana Flats on Wednesday, September 27th. Come to Tijuana Flats on Cypress Gardens Boulevard between 5pm and 9pm. Enjoy a night out with SJCS families. Be sure to mention that you are there with SJCS, and a portion of your bill will be donated back to SJCS.

Cool weather is around the corner, or so they say! We will be holding a New and Used Uniform Sale during conferences on Wednesday, October 4th from 2pm until 6pm in the parish center. This is your opportunity to pick out and try on long pants, sweatshirts, etc for those cooler days. If you aren't able to attend this sale, you will need to order items online through Sir Walter.

As stated in our Parent Handbook, teachers will not provide missing work to students when they are absent from school. If a student is absent and wishes to do some school work, he/she is encouraged to read. Older students can also keep up with schoolwork by logging into their Google Classroom. Parents may not call or send messages to the teacher requesting work to complete during an absence.

The St. Joseph Catholic School’s chapter of the National Junior Honor Society held the election of officers for this school year. Members voted anonymously for the officer positions from the 18-member roster. The election results are:

Evie Keown, President,

Rawan David, Vice-President,

Vincent Soriano, Secretary,

Declan Hengesbach, Treasurer,

Tatiana Pechango, Historian

Eliana Torres, Parliamentarian.

Congratulations to these students for this achievement.

It is hard to believe that we are already approaching the halfway point of the first trimester. Parent Teacher Conferences for parents of all students at SJCS will be held Wednesday, October 4th and Thursday, October 5th. Please watch for a link to schedule your conference with your child's teacher. During these conferences, parents will receive their child's midterm progress report for the first trimester.

At least one parent from each family is required to attend a Mandatory PTO Meeting on Tuesday, October 10th at 6pm in the church. This meeting will last one hour. We will offer free babysitting for students enrolled at SJCS. Please make plans to attend this important meeting. Students whose parents do not attend this meeting will lose the privilege of using school issued devices (chromebooks or iPads) at school.

First grader Priscilla Stewart was recently baptized in our church! God Bless you, Priscilla!

Our PTO is asking all parents to complete this Google form (see link below). Keep in mind that each family is required to give 20 service hours per school year. If you can let us know your interests and availability to get involved, it will allow us to reach out to you at times to assist. This should only take a few minutes. Thank you in advance.

If you wish for your child to receive the sacraments of Baptism and/or First Communion at St. Joseph Catholic Church, please watch for information about registering in future editions of the Eagle's Eye. Also, please save the date for a Sacramental Preparation Orientation meeting for parents on Sunday, October 1st at 9:45am in English and 11:30am in Spanish. More information will be forthcoming.

Come out and cheer on our Volleyball and Soccer teams next week.

Good luck to our Girls' Volleyball teams that will compete at Resurrection on Monday, September 25th at 4:30pm and 5:30pm.

Girls Volleyball teams will play at home on Tuesday, September 26th at 4:30pm and 5:30pm.

SjCS Volleyball and Soccer teams will host St. Anthony Catholic School at 4:30pm on Wednesday, September 27th.

Our SJCS Boys Soccer and Girls Volleyball Teams will play at Berkley on Thursday, September 28th. Volleyball games are at 4:30pm and 5:30pm. Soccer game is at 4:30pm.

Good luck, Eagles!

We are looking for another employee to add to our Aftercare Team. Candidates must be 18 years old and have completed high school. If interested, please email Mr. Reilly at jreilly@stjosephwhschool.org.

St. Joseph Catholic Church is currently seeking an individual to fill the role of Director of Religious Education. To learn more and apply, please visit the Diocese of Orlando website of job postings. https://www.orlandodiocese.org/ministries-offices/human-resources/career-opportunities/

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. Haas

Assistant Principal: Mr. Reilly

Assistant Principal: Mrs. Insua

Canonical Administrator: Fr. Tim LaBo

Superintendent: Mr. Fortier

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