Principals' Peek at the Week

Saints Joseph and John School - October 3, 2024

Dear Saints Joseph and John School Families,

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” – John 15:11

We are well underway with our school year; classroom routines have been established, MAP testing is almost complete, safety drills have been conducted, and our school Masses are more joyful than ever!

At the beginning of the year, we spend a lot of time reviewing our safety procedures, practicing drills, and enforcing our school-wide expectations. In light of a recent uptick in violent rhetoric nation-wide, we want to take this opportunity to review some of our expectations with a special emphasis on how we expect students to express emotion, solve conflicts, and speak to one another.

At Saints Joseph and John School, we believe that every person is a gift from God. We expect students to use nonviolent language when expressing their emotions and solving conflicts. Emotions such as anger, frustration, sadness, irritation will be validated, however threatening words to express these feelings will not be tolerated. As our handbook states, all comments threatening harm to others are taken seriously, and will be investigated.

Please take this time to review these concepts with your child/children.

We take pride in our school community, and the partnerships between our school and families. As always, reach out with questions or concerns. Let us continue to raise children who serve, lead, and love one another using Christ as our model.

In Christ,

Mrs. Schenek & Mrs. Francis

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SPIRIT WEAR DAY TOMORROW (FRIDAY)!

Tomorrow, students may wear school-approved spirit wear (sold by the SJJ PTU or purchased through CYO only) with uniform bottoms and school shoes. If this day falls on a gym day for some students, the student may wear gym uniform bottoms and tennis shoes with their spirit wear top.

THIS WEEK'S LEARNING AND SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

Mrs. Tinnirello's First Grade class had fun playing apple math and reading games. They invested the inside of apples which reminds us of the Holy Trinity. And, they used their STEM building skills to design an apple picker! Thank you parents who helped with Mrs. Tinnirello's Johnny Appleseed Centers last Wednesday!

Our Second Grade classes were visited by Fr. Andy and learned about the Rosary. Mrs. Tortorici's Second Grade class took their letters to Mary to the church and read them to her.

Our Fifth Grade classes dissected owl pellets this week. They are currently learning about owls in Science class.

On Wednesday, October 2, we held out first Rosary for Grades 1-8 at Saint Joseph Church of the school year.

SIT BACK AND RELAX: OUR NEW COLORFUL BENCHES ARE HERE!

We’re thrilled to announce that thanks to a generous donation, our campus received new benches adorned in our school colors! These vibrant additions will not only enhance the beauty of our surroundings but also provide comfortable spaces for our students, faculty and staff to relax, pray, study, and connect.

The benches will soon be placed around campus. We hope they will become popular spots for gatherings, outdoor learning, and simply enjoying our school’s vibrant atmosphere.

Let’s take good care of these benches and make the most of the new spaces they create!

LITTLE VIKINGS PRESCHOOL NEWS

C is for Community Helpers! This week our P3 Little Vikings had a visit from the Strongsville Police. They learned about police tools and jobs and how the police help keep our city safe. They even were able to sit in a police car!

Next week the P4 and PreK Vikings are having a visit from the Strongsville Firefighters. We are keeping all of our community helpers in our prayers.

AN UPDATE FROM THE VIKING CAFE

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your patience over the last week with all of the lunch changes! If you have not heard, we received a grant earlier this year for a dishwasher that has been getting installed. Due to some delays, we have had to be creative with lunches during the construction process. I am hoping to be back to scheduled lunches starting tomorrow, Thursday 10/3. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me at sgyurko@sjjschool.org.

Thank You!

Sharon Gyurko
Cafeteria Manager

SJJ October Calendar

Please click on the button above to take you to the SJJ Calendar. Please be sure to check back frequently, as the calendar may update as events are added.

CALLING ALL KIDS OF FAITH

FROM THE SJJ PTU

Tuesday, October 8 is our first restaurant night of the year to support PTU! Come out with your family from 11:30AM-8PM on 10/8 and enjoy the amazing subs and sandwiches of MR. HERO! The Mr. Hero is an SJJ family owned business and it is National Hero Day!

Thursday, October 17 is the SJJ Fall Fest from 6-7PM at the school for Preschool-Grade 3. This event is so much fun for our students as they trick-or-treat the hallways. The PTU will provide juice and treats!

Saturday, November 2 SAVE THE DATE for our popular CRAFT FAIR from 9AM - 4PM @ SJJ school. We’ve had so much interest that vendors are already SOLD OUT! Free admission. Bring your family and friends to shop the hallways and check out our crafty vendors. Just in time before the holidays! More details to come soon. Questions? Email: sjjptucraftfair@gmail.com

Wednesday, November 20th Save the Date for our Mother/Son bowling event! More details will be shared soon.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook for frequent event updates!

Search: SJJ Vikings PTU

SAVE THE DATE

SCHOOL WEBSITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Our school website is currently under construction as we undertake a significant update. These changes are aimed at enhancing the site’s design and functionality, with a particular focus on improving our marketing and outreach efforts.

As a result, the new SJJ website will prioritize marketing aspects over detailed information for school families. Information and resources such as the school handbook, school policies, lunch menus, gym uniform and book store order forms can be found by going to the SJJ Families Group under the "resources" tab on auth.digitalacademy.org.

Our goal is to create a vibrant and engaging online presence that effectively showcases our school’s strengths and achievements to the public, while Digital Academy houses the information that is school-family focused.

Our goal to relaunch the website is set the end of Quarter 1.

Digital Academy is SJJ's New Education Management System

This school year, we have transitioned to Digital Academy, a new and comprehensive system designed to enhance various aspects of our school operations. As we work to implement its features, please be aware that this process will take some time.

We anticipate encountering a few glitches along the way as we navigate this learning curve. We are dedicated to addressing any issues promptly and efficiently as possible. Our goal is a smooth transition without overwhelming anyone and to get everything up and running at a manageable pace.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we adapt to this new system. Thank you for your support!

2024-2025 DAILY SCHEDULE

PLEASE NOTE THE SCHOOL SCHEDULE FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR:

MORNING

6:30 am- Mornings at Cove opens (pre-registration is required, fee involved)

7:15 am- Building opens and students may enter the building to report directly to McGraw Hall.

Car drop-offs may not occur prior to 7:15am unless students are being dropped off at Viking Cove

7:30am- Teachers pick up students from McGraw Hall and escort students to homeroom. Students arriving after 7:30am report directly to their classrooms.

7:45 am- Tardy Bell Rings.
Students not in their seats and ready to learn at 7:45 am will be marked tardy.

AFTERNOON

2:00pm- End of day bell, dismissal after closing prayers.

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.

DRESS CODE REMINDERS

Please follow the guidelines as stated in the SJJ Student Handbook:

Field Trips: Traditional School Uniform or Gym Uniform (based on the nature of the trip and determined by administration).

Spirit Wear Days: On designated days, students may wear school-approved spirit wear (sold by the SJJ PTU or purchased through CYO only) with uniform bottoms and school shoes. If this day falls on a gym day for some students, the student may wear gym uniform bottoms and tennis shoes with their spirit wear top.

Our students have been doing a great job adhering to the dress code so far this year. To keep this year running smoothly we ask that parents and students familiarize themselves with the Dress Up Day policy.

When students are permitted to be out of uniform, they will dress up. Days include but may not be limited to:

Picture Day: Dress Up Only
Birthday: Dress Up Only
Dress Up Day defined:

Girls may wear dresses, skirts, blouses, sweaters, dress shoes, dress slacks. Make-up and

jewelry guidelines apply.

**Note: Leggings or tights are permitted only with uniform length skirts or dresses.

Boys may wear slacks, dress shorts (during warm weather uniform months), collared shirts, dress shirts, ties, sweaters, dress shoes, socks appropriate for school.

Jewelry guidelines apply.

The following items are not permitted to be worn on a Dress Up/Out of Uniform Day:

Tanks, sleeveless, or narrow strap tops; Top that are revealing low-cut necklines, or expose bare midriffs when sitting, stretching, stooping, etc.; Athletic shorts or jeans; Pajama pants;

Low or sagging pants or shorts; Skirts or dresses shorter than the top of the knee; If dresses or skirts are shorter than the top of the knee, they must be paired with tights or leggings;

Leggings or other tight fitting pants, unless paired with uniform length skirts or dresses;

Ripped or torn clothing; Hoodies

Administration reserves the right to deem what is appropriate. Students not adhering to rules on

Dress Up/Out of Uniform days will call home for either a change of clothes or their school uniform. If a school uniform or change of clothing is not brought to school by 8:30am, a uniform violation will be issued to the student.

Students are always welcome to wear their traditional school uniform instead of dressing up.