As we round out the month of February, signs of spring are just around the corner! March brings longer days, new beginnings, and a renewed sense of energy in our SJJ school community.

Next week, we begin the sacred season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. This is a time for reflection, growth, and preparation as we journey toward Easter. Our students will have opportunities to deepen their faith through prayer, service, and learning about the meaning of this season. More to come on the faith-filled opportunities we are planning for our students throughout this season! We can't wait!

Thank you for your continued support as we move into this exciting time of year. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!

In Christ,

Mrs. Schenek and Mrs. Francis

Our second graders put tremendous effort into their Biography Cereal Box projects, bringing famous figures to life in a creative and engaging way. Today, they had the opportunity to share their hard work with a special audience—their parents!

Families were invited to our Famous Person Hall of Fame, where students proudly presented their projects and shared fascinating facts about the individuals they studied. It was a wonderful celebration of learning, creativity, and history. Great job, second graders!

SJJ's STEM Committee is thrilled to invite you to our school's Full STEAM Ahead Night on April 28th at 6:00 PM!

This exciting evening will include hands-on activities designed to ignite curiosity and creativity in our students through Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math (STEAM).

To make this event truly special, we are seeking STEM and Arts-related companies, organizations, or nonprofits that would like to participate by hosting an activity or demonstration. If you or someone you know works in a STEAM field and would be interested in sharing your expertise with our students and families, we would love to hear from you!

Participation could include:
🔬 A hands-on STEM or Arts activity or experiment
🤖 A demonstration or interactive exhibit
🎨 An arts-focused workshop or project
⚙️ A short talk about careers in STEAM
🚀 Any other creative way to engage students in STEAM learning!

If you or your company/organization would like to get involved, please reply by filling out this Google Form.

Thank you for helping us inspire the next generation of innovators and artists!

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!

We are 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 are in need of parent helpers to assist during our VIP DAY. Please click on the link below to sign up.

**All volunteers are required to be Virtus trained.

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

Be sure to check out "The Church at Home" quick guides for the upcoming Lenten season. The guides include worship, prayer, and faith-based activities that are easy to do with your family from the comfort of your home.

Ash Wednesday

Lenten Devotions for the Home

Quick Guide for Mardi Gras

Another great season of SJJ Track & Field is kicking off soon, and new athletes to the team are welcome!

Who can join? Students in Grades 1-8 are eligible to participate.
When do practices begin? Monday, March 10th
How do I register? Sts. Joseph and John Athletic Boosters

If your child is interested in joining, please take a moment to register using the link above. We can't wait to see our Vikings in action this season!

For more information on CYO Track and Field, visit their website: Track & Field | Catholic Charities Diocese of Cleveland

A conference request form was sent home last week with K-8 students, providing details about our upcoming optional parent-teacher conferences at Saints Joseph and John School.

These conferences will be held on Thursday, March 13 beginning at 1:00pm.

If you would like to schedule a conference, please complete the request form and return it to the main office no later than Monday, March 3. Your child’s teacher will contact you to arrange a conference time.

If a teacher feels a conference would be beneficial, they will also reach out to you directly to schedule a meeting.

February 20-March 20 we’re excited to announce our Malley’s Easter Candy and Chocolate Sale is now LIVE! Check out the attached flyer for more details! Our unique link will automatically track sales so SJJ receives credit. Ordering link for SJJ families: https://app.fundraiseit.org/shop.php?code=2656FE

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!

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.

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.

The Saint Ignatius Harlequins present Shrek the Musical

April 4, 5, 6, 11, 12

in the Hummer Theater of the Breen Center for the Performing Arts

at Saint Ignatius High School

This production's cast, crew, and pit are made up of very talented, hard working, fun, and imaginative students from Saint Ignatius High School, Beaumont School, Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, Lakewood Catholic Academy, Magnificat High School, Padua Franciscan High School, Saint Joseph Academy, Walsh Jesuit High School, and The Welsh Academy. Our students are supported by director Amanda Martin, music director David Croglio, and a gifted team of technical theater mentors.

We hope that our creative arts friends from area grade schools will come to see the show and that your current students will one day be performing, designing, stage managing, playing in the pit, and constructing with the Harlequins.

Tickets can be reserved and purchased at https://www.ignatius.edu/shrek. Grade school and middle school students may receive a one-dollar discount with the promotional code (not passcode) gradeschool at checkout. Our event website has a note to parents and guardians about some crude humor in the show.

There is a special ticket package that can be purchased for April 6. Purchase tickets with + ICE CREAM SOCIAL IN THE SWAMP to meet your favorite characters from Shrek following the 1pm performance.

Messages of support and ads to be published in the playbill can be purchased here for the next couple of weeks.

We hope to see you in April!

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