Principals' Peek at the Week

As we move through February, this past week brought many exciting opportunities for our students. Be sure to check out the learning highlights below, as our dedicated teachers focused on making learning engaging and fun, with activities that promote critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.

In this newsletter, you’ll find important updates and reminders, including the RSVP link for our upcoming VIP Day, as well as a few key dates to mark on your calendar.

We hope our students and their families enjoy a relaxing extended weekend. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Tuesday, February 18!

In Christ,

Mrs. Schenek and Mrs. Francis

Our K-8 VIP Day is fast approaching, and we’re excited to welcome grandparents and special guests for a fun-filled morning at school!

Please use the following link to RSVP for your student to bring their VIP on Thursday, March 13th: RSVP Link.

The deadline to RSVP is Tuesday, February 18,

SJJ PTU is also selling t-shirts that your child can give to their VIP for their special day. These are a Gilden heavy cotton shirt, and come in adult sizes Small through XXL! They are $12.00 each and will be available through February 27 for purchase. At checkout you will be asked for your child's name and homeroom so we can deliver through school. Please click here to purchase: https://sjj-vip-day-t-shirts.cheddarup.com.

The shirts will not be for sale at the event, this is presale only.

Lastly, we will be collecting pictures of your child(ren) with their VIP to include in a slide show. Please email pictures to grandparentsday@sjjschool.org. Please send in pictures by Friday, March 7.

We look forward to celebrating this special day with our special people!

Both Kindergarten classes celebrated 100 days of school last week. They made shirts with a 100 different items on them. They also had a lot of fun activities to celebrate 100 days!

In Mrs. Tortorici's class, they worked in groups to make igloos with glue and marshmallows to keep the little animals warm. They are wrapping up our arctic animals unit this week with a look into the Iditarod dog sled races.

Ms. Nadeo's class worked on a STEM project that involved making statues of what they would like built to honor John Strong, the founder of Strongsville. Mayor Perciak came to speak with the students about the history and other aspects of Strongsville.

Love was in the air in preschool! The Little Vikings talked about loving others like Jesus teaches us to do. We discussed showing love to our friends and family. We exchanged valentines with our friends and used hearts to work on different skills like fine motor skills, patterning, and scientific skills.

We’re looking forward to our 2025 Vacation Bible School (VBS), which will take place the week of June 16! VBS is a fun and faith-filled experience for students entering grades K-4. At VBS children learn more about their faith and meet new friends. We need adult volunteers to run the games, crafts, science, and Bible stories stations. Please consider joining our adult team as a VBS coordinator, teacher, or activities leader, and email Linda Zvoncheck at lzvoncheck@sjohio.org if you are interested. Adults are needed to make this event a success! Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who attended the virtual PTU Committee & Parent Meeting! Our quarterly PTU newsletter is attached with our upcoming events. Check it out!

February 26 -Culver’s Restaurant Night is 2 weeks away! Bring your family out for a delicious dinner and support our SJJ students earning service hours. There’s still time to sign up to help!

Adult volunteers sign up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040844A4A92CA4F85-54522861-sjjptu

Student volunteers sign up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040844A4A92CA4F85-54522861-sjjptu

Student Council is excited to announce that our Kids Heart Challenge (KHC) Is underway until February 28, and we need your help to make it a successful event for our students.

Students can earn various incentives throughout the event, including wristbands, Finn's special cape (for completing Finn's Mission), and other prizes based on their fundraising levels:

• $5: Pepper

• $10: Wynn

• $25: Dakota

• $40: Rain

• $100: Ace

• $200: Riley

Thank you so much for your support in helping us teach heart health and raise funds for the American Heart Association!

We have received many inquiries about the Angel Fund. This is a direct, dollar for dollar tax credit against your state tax liability.

For individual returns, your maximum credit is $750 and for couples filing jointly, your maximum credit is $1,500.

Simply put, if you are going to owe the state taxes, please contribute to the Angel Fund. You have until April 15th, 2025 to contribute to the Angel Fund in order to receive the credit against your 2024 tax return.

Would you rather your tax money go to the state or to our school?

It’s that simple. Below are the steps:

1. Click here: Donate to Angel Scholarship Fund | Catholic Community Foundation | Cleveland, OH
2. Be sure to designate Ss. Joseph & John School for the "Gift Designation" on the drop down menu. This step ensures the donations to go to directly to our students.
3. Fill in the following (if your Parish is St. Joseph, select: St. Joseph – Strongsville - #289 or St. John Neumann- Strongsville- #354)
4. Fill out payment information and submit.
5. Print/Save your receipt.

We have recently noticed an uptick in illnesses among our students, including cases of Influenza. The school has been working closely with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health this past week to help ensure the health and well-being of our entire school community,

We ask that you review the resources the Department has provided to families, found below.

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind families of an important protocol:

Please keep your child at home if they are not feeling well, and ensure they stay home until they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of medication.

Your partnership in adhering to this policy makes a significant difference in preventing the spread of illness and supporting the health of all students and staff.

We know that it can be challenging to balance school attendance and illness, but by staying vigilant and keeping students home when necessary, we can all contribute to a healthier, safer learning environment.

SCHOOL POLICY FOR ILLNESS (p. 27 of the Saints Joseph and John School Handbook)

Please keep your student home if there is evidence of sore throat, fever, nausea, rash, swollen glands, eye infections, etc.

School guidelines for when to return to school after an illness are:

Conjunctivitis: 24 hrs after treatment is started.

Cough: Cough no longer persistent especially with thick/constant nasal drainage.

Diarrhea: 24 hrs after last episode without use of medicine.

Fever: 24 hrs after fever-free.

Head Lice: Hair is treated and nit-free.

Impetigo: 24 hrs after treatment start; sores should be covered.

Ringworm: 24 hrs after treatment starts; area should be covered.

Strep Throat : 24 hrs after treatment starts and fever free.

Vomiting: 24 hrs after last episode without use of medicine.

Please see below regarding the proper names, colors, font, and logos for Saints Joseph and John School. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Cimino at vcimino@sjjschool.org.

Saints Joseph and John School offers a safe, teacher-operated before- and after-school care program for K-8 students enrolled in our school: Viking Cove and Mornings at Cove.

Viking Cove is our after-school care program in our Viking Visionary Center. Available for students in grades K-8, Viking Cove operates from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. During their time in Viking Cove, students will have access to supervised homework time, after-school snacks, outdoor activities, open gym time, and the resources of our Viking Visionary Center.

Please note that Viking Cove is offered every day that school is in session, except for scheduled early release days and the last day of school. The fee for Viking Cove is $5 per hour per student, with charges billed in 60-minute increments.

In addition to Viking Cove, we offer our Mornings at the Cove, our new before-school care program. Open to students in grades K-8, Mornings at the Cove takes place between 6:30 AM and 7:15 AM. Students will receive a light breakfast and be taken to McGraw Hall at 7:15 AM. There is a flat rate Mornings at the Cove of $10 per student for this program.

Please click here if you would like more information.

We believe Viking Cove and Mornings at the Cove provide valuable support and care for our students and their families. If you have any questions or need further information about these programs, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Rosanne Puliafico at rpuliafico@sjjschool.org.

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If your child is attending Viking Cove or Mornings at Cove be sure to sign up for our REMIND messaging. On your iPhone or Android phone, open your web browser and go to the following link: rmd.at/vikingcove. Follow the instructions to sign up for Remind. You’ll be prompted to download the mobile app.

For pick up send a REMIND 10 minutes before arriving. A teacher will have your child ready at Door E and bring them out to the car. Please pull into the parking lots outside Door E.

If you need your child to attend MORNINGS AT COVE send a REMIND to notify staff you will be dropping off in the morning. Mornings at Cove drop-off begins at 6:30 A.M.

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Viking Cove is always looking for new or slightly used games, toys, flashcards, and puzzles. Send any donations to the Viking Visionary Center. We thank you for your consideration in advance.

Shelly Schenek, Principal~ Lower School

sschenek@sjjschool.org

Jennifer Francis, Principal~ Upper School

jfrancis@sjjschool.org

Angela Bosko, Little Vikings Preschool Director

abosko@sjjschool.org

Patty Briggs, Business Manager

pbriggs@sjjschool.org

Victoria Cimino, Director of Marketing and Enrollment

vcimino@sjjschool.org

Fr. Barry Gearing, President

FrBarry@sjnohio.com

Fr. Andy Gonzalez, Treasurer

agonzalez@sjohio.org