Principals' Peek at the Week

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

As we approach the final full week of September, we’re grateful for a month filled with wonderful events, including the PTU’s opening meeting, our Back to School Night, and our first all-school Mass!

Looking ahead, we have many noteworthy activities planned for our school community:

Beginning Tuesday through Friday of next week, our Kindergarten through Eighth Grade students will participate in MAP assessments. Please ensure your child gets plenty of rest each night, eats a nutritious breakfast, and brings healthy snacks and a water bottle to school. Teachers will provide specific details about the testing schedule for each class.

We invite you to join us for the Safety Forces Prayer Service at St. Joseph Church on Wednesday, September 25, at 1pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to honor the selfless individuals who serve in our safety forces. We encourage you to bring family members who are part of these vital services to pray with us.

Quarter 1 Progress Reports will be emailed tomorrow (Friday) afternoon for students in grades 1-8. Kindergarten progress reports will be sent home with students tomorrow, as well. We’re proud of our students' progress and acknowledge our dedicated teachers for their commitment to their students!

Please mark your calendars for Parent-Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, October 23, from 2:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Thursday, October 24, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. More information on scheduling your conference will be shared via email and Digital Academy next week.

Wishing you a fantastic rest of the week!

Warmly,

Mrs. Schenek & Mrs. Francis

Mrs. Hamski's Kindergarten class had a flashlight alphabet scavenger hunt on Thursday.

The third graders were learning about plant life cycles. They did a science fruit or science vegetable activity with mystery science. In Art class, the third graders worked on drawing farm landscapes.

A Courtyard garden was planted at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. We have been able to pick a cucumber and we have tomatoes and a few others thing growing. We are excited to see it grow even more over the coming months and years.

Pre-K had their first Music class of the school year. They sang, moved, counted beats, and tried out tambourines!

There will be no hot lunch on Wednesday, September 25. Please make sure to pack your lunch!

Picture Days are:

Wednesday, October 2nd (4 yr + K-8th grade)

Thursday, October 3rd (3 yr olds + Absentees from Oct 2nd.) at Saints Joseph & John School

You can order pictures online by going to, https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001169388?code=1001169388+ and entering password: 1001169388. You can also turn in the flyer below with payment on the day of pictures.

Parents who have multiple children will need to place a separate prepay order per child.

Dress Up Days:

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, and 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, collared shirts, dress shirts, ties, sweaters, dress shoes, and 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.

• 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.

Hello SJJ Athletics families!

It's hard to believe we will be wrapping up the fall sports season in just a few short weeks. I certainly hope you all have had a wonderful season and it has been great to see our student athletes develop and grow over the season!! From our cheer teams rocking the field with their halftime shows, our cross country teams blazing trails and accomplishing personal records every week, our flag teams continually improving every game, our tackle football team dominating the gridiron to our volleyball teams bump, set and spiking their ways to victory; it truly has been a great fall season so far!

Our middle school teams will be preparing for CYO City Championship tournaments beginning in early October and wish them all much success to finish the season strong!

Even though the weather has been fantastic lately, we turn our attention to the Winter sports season and the dribbling sounds of basketballs throughout the diocese. SJJ Winter Basketball registrations are now open and will be open until October 14th. Deadlines to enter teams and rosters with CYO will be tight, so please register early as late registrations cannot be guaranteed after October 14. Basketball is open to all boys and girls in grades 3 through 8.

If you have any questions about eligibility, CYO or the Basketball season, please reach out to the Athletics Department at sjjcyo@gmail.com at any time.

In addition, we will host our winter sports parent meeting on October 16 at 7:30pm in the SJJ Gym.

Best of luck to all our student athletes as you begin to wrap up the fall season.

GO VIKINGS!

Craig D. Behm

Thank you to everyone that attended our in-person PTU meeting. We had an informative and productive meeting! We appreciate all the support we receive from our parent volunteers and we’re thankful for our continued partnership with administration.

Say hello to the Genesis Savings Program! It’s the youth savings account that rewards students for making smart savings and spending decisions. An Ohio Catholic FCU banker will be here at SJJ once a month from 7:10 am - 8:10 am to collect students' deposits and answer questions.

“Training in singing, in singing in choir, is not only an exercise of the external hearing and voice; it is also an education of interior hearing, the hearing of the heart, an exercise and an education in life and peace.” - Pope Benedict XVI

The Youth Choir will have 2 levels this year:

Younger (grades 3-4) and older (grades 5-8)

Older Choir Schedule

Sunday Masses:

Oct 13, 11am Mass, St John Neumann

Nov 3 St Joseph, 10:30am Mass

Dec 1 St Joseph, 10:30am Mass

Dec 8 St John Neumann, 11am Mass (combined with younger choir)

Dec 24 Christmas 4pm Mass St John Neumann (combined with younger choir)

Jan 26 St Joseph, 10:30am Mass (combined with younger choir)

March 9 St John Neumann, 11am Mass

April 20 Easter, St Joseph, 10:30am Mass (combined with younger choir)

May 11, St John Neumann, 11am Mass

Older Choir Friday School Masses: Oct 11, Oct 18, Nov 1, Nov 8, Nov 15, Feb 7, Feb 21, Feb 28, March 7, May 2, May 9

Older Choir Rehearsal times: always at St. Joseph, rehearsals 6:30-7:15pm.

October 3, 10, 17

November 7, 14, 21

December 5, 12, 19

March 6, 20,

April 10

May 8

Younger Choir Schedule

Sunday Masses:

Dec 8 St John Neumann, 11am Mass (PTU Santa Breakfast at SJN this morning)

Dec 24 Christmas St John Neumann 4pm Mass

Jan 26 St Joseph, 10:30am Mass

April 20 St Joseph, 10:30am Mass

Younger Choir Friday School Masses: Oct 18, Nov 15, Feb 7, May 2

Younger choir rehearsal times: always at St. Joseph, rehearsals 6:30-7:15pm.

December 5, December 19, March 20, April 10

Children may not sing at School Masses unless they join the choir.

Benefits:

• Proper vocal training and technique, to sing without strain or shout.

• Learn to read music, which improves all areas of cognition!

• To foster the beauty of our sung Catholic tradition, especially Gregorian Chant

• Grow in our faith and love of Jesus

• An excellent alternative to a “team sport,” that is still athletic in a different way.

Sign up by filling out this Google Form

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!

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.

We will keep you informed of our progress and will notify you once the updated website is live and fully operational.

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.

As you pick up your child in the afternoon car line, please ensure that your car tag displaying your family name remains visible until your child is safely in your vehicle. Keeping your tag visible helps our staff manage the car line more efficiently and ensures a smooth pickup process for everyone.

Thank you for your cooperation and assistance!

The FREE & REDUCED LUNCH application for 2024-25 is in the pdf below. Parents must to complete the application and send/email completed applications to Sharon Gyurko at sgyurko@sjjschool.org or to Patty Briggs at pbriggs@sjjschool.org by Monday, September 30.

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.

Click on the PDF files below to download information about Eager Artists and Eager Engineers!

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