Principals' Peek at the Week

As we embrace the excitement of Halloween, we hope our students and families have a spooktacular time filled with family fun!

Tomorrow, we wish Sr. Rita a very happy 90th birthday! Her dedication and service to our school community over the years have touched the lives of many, and we are so very grateful for all she has done and continues to do for SJJ!

As a reminder, tomorrow students may wear SJJ spirit wear tops with uniform bottoms. It’s a great way to show our school spirit and pride on the first Friday of a new month! Please note that uniform shorts paired with tennis shoes are no longer permitted as of November 1.

We hope to see you at our first SJJ School Family Mass of the year, which will take place this Sunday at 10:30am at St. Joseph Church. Our 6th , 7th and 8th graders will be featured during the family Mass. It’s a wonderful opportunity for our school and church community to come together in faith, and support our students as they take part in this special celebration at the table of our Lord.

Please read on for important updates, fun upcoming events, learning highlights from this past week, and more.

Wishing you a joyful Halloween and a wonderful weekend!

Fall Blessings,

Mrs. Schenek and Mrs. Francis

Teachers in the primary hallway surprised their students and dressed as their favorite characters from the Superkids reading series!

Pants, skirts and jumpers only begin tomorrow with school uniform shoes. No tennis shoes are to be worn in Grades 1-8 (The exception is for gym days).

Shorts are no longer permitted as of November 1 as a uniform option.

Students may wear spirit wear tops with uniform bottoms to show their Viking pride tomorrow, Friday, November 1.

Please remember that students must have a jacket/coat/hat to play outside during recess as the temperatures cool down.

The SJJ Student Handbook offers detailed information regarding the dress code.

First grade is carrying on the tradition of dressing as Saints on All Saints Day!

This year's celebration is on Friday, November .

Parents are welcome to join us at the All Saints Mass at 8:05am on November 1 at St. Joseph's Church, followed by a special parade of our little saints through the hallways of the school. We hope to see you there!

We want to honor YOU! If you would like to attend the Veterans Day Mass followed by pastries and a special recognition clap out by our students, please RSVP by completing this form, https://forms.gle/FTh5DsGC778wA8oV7.

Families of veterans attending are also invited to stay for pastries in the school cafeteria (McGraw Hall) following Mass.

We’re excited to continue our newest tradition: Christmas in the Courtyard!

If you’re interested in helping decorate our courtyard for this festive event in December, we would love your support.

Please reach out to Mr. Will Lasiter at wlasiter@sjjschool.org if you're interested in getting involved.

Thank you, and we look forward to celebrating together!

The kindergarten classes showed off their Halloween costumes by visiting each classroom.

The first graders had a visit from Strongsville Fireman Mr. Schenek and learned about fire safety.

Mrs. Towne’s first grade class told fiddlestick stories using Halloween story starters. If you don’t know what a fiddlestick story is, ask a first grader. They will be happy to tell you!

Mrs. Tinnirello's first grade class had a lot of fun at their Halloween party. They did crafting and played games in the courtyard.

The second graders had a visit from Fr. Andy who came in to wrap up their unit on the Holy Trinity and talk about the Saints.

The fourth graders had a Glow Day! They completed various activities with a blue light that made neon colors come to life. Mrs. Francis stopped by and participated in the activities, too!

Fourth and fIfth grade used Science Mystery to make Halloween come to life. They learned about how important the skull is in protecting the brain and they made skull masks.

Halloween is very exciting when you are a Little Viking. This week started with a Pumpkin Prayer Service and our littles kept focus on Halloween Party Time.

Families and students enjoyed the community time, crafts, games, and delicious snacks our Room Parents and families provided. We wish all a Happy All Hallow's Eve and safe, fun times

this evening.

SJJ Cafe is looking to add an additional microwave to the lunchroom to decrease wait times for students warming up their lunches. If you have a countertop microwave that you no longer need or would like to donate one to SJJ Cafe please contact Sharon Gyurko at sgyurko@sjjschool.org

Thank you!

Saturday, November 2 is our CRAFT FAIR from 9AM - 4PM @ SJJ school. Free admission. Bring your family and friends to shop the hallways and check out our crafty vendors. Just in time before the holidays! If you would like to volunteer for the SJJ PTU Craft Fair, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E45ADAA2DA7F58-51769026-sjjptu?useFullSite=true#/

Wednesday, November 20 is our SJJ Boy & Special Lady Bowling Event! Please check out the flyer for more details. Link to buy tickets: https://sjj-ptu-boys-special-lady-night-24637.cheddarup.com/

Sunday, December 8 Save the Date for our Breakfast with St. Nick @ St. John Neumann church. Join us for a pancake breakfast, crafts and pics with St. Nick! Come anytime between 9am-1pm. Tickets on sale NOW through December 5th. Link: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/breakfast-with-st-nick2024/items?cart

Our Honeybaked Ham gift card fundraiser is now LIVE. Purchase gift cards from now until December 31 on our fundraiser site and we'll get 20% on every purchase. You can purchase gift cards for your family or friends and gift them with a holiday ham, turkey and yummy sides! Link to buy gift cards: https://www.honeybaked.com/fundraising/Sts_Joseph_and_John_PTU

If you are a current family who does not currently have a Preschooler but will in the 2025-2026 school year and cannot make the open house, please contact Mrs. Cimino at vcimino@sjjschool.org.

Our school website is updated and available to access. The changes that were made were 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 prioritizes 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 was 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

SKI CLUB is filled, but you can reach out to Mrs. Thomas (kthomas@sjjschool.org) and asked to be added to the waitlist.

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