Eagle's Eye

St. Joseph Catholic School fosters a diverse community of disciples empowered through a rigorous and inclusive Catholic education rooted in Gospel values and service to others.

We will dismiss at 2:45pm, tomorrow. There is a wedding at 4:00pm that day in the Church and the parking lot will need to be clear for those attending. Aftercare will be available.

We will not have school this Monday, January 20th, in honor of Martin Luther King Day.

• Family members of students at St. Joseph Catholic School who would like to attend school Mass at 8:15 a.m. must preregister by 12pm on Tuesday, January 21.
• If you have previously visited SJCS and been cleared through the Raptor System using your driver's license, simply submit the form below.
• **Please note that you must be cleared through the Raptor System each school year. If you have not had your driver's license scanned this year, please go to the school office to have this done.
• If you haven't been cleared through Raptor, please complete the form below AND you must go to the school office to have your driver's license scanned into our Raptor System for attendance at future events by 12pm on Tuesday, January 21.
• If you submit by noon on the Tuesday before Mass, please plan to arrive at the back doors of the church in the courtyard by the Parish Center between 7:55 a.m. and 8:05 a.m. on the day of the Mass. The church doors on the Avenue M side will be locked and no admittance will be given to anyone attempting to enter on that side.
• Once Mass begins, we will not open doors to visitors for the safety of our students.

Click here to sign up to attend Mass: https://forms.gle/QfeNcAt9CzMw9e3r6

*****Please use your name on the form that appears on your driver's license.

Today in Mass, Father talked about the word contagious. He explained that not just illness can be contagious, but also emotion. If you're grump around someone, then your grumpy emotions will make someone else grumpy. Try to stay positive. Stick with happy emotions and do not let your emotions effect others.

Layton 5B

The priest wants us to pray every day because Jesus prayed every day so he want us to go to any place and pray there. So that Jesus could be very happy when we pray.

Jeyden 5B

The priest talked about how we should always pray every day. Father Saji also talked about how we should help others. From what he talked about, I know that Jesus loves us very much and that he wants us to pray anytime we want to talk to God or Jesus. He also wants us to help others because that is what Jesus would do.

Maddie 5B

Today Father Saji talked about how things are contagious and how California is suffering from the forest fires. He was trying to say how our positivity and smiles are also contagious. I hope California stays safe and that we will be more positive. Father was trying to tell us to pray more every day and he was asking us where was our favorite place to pray. so we should always thank God and to always pray to him if we need help or if we don't.

Layla 5B

Catholic Schools Week, January 26 to February 1, is an annual celebration of our Catholic schools. The theme for 2025 is "Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community". Our SJCS students will be hosting Masses the weekend of January 25th and 26th. We will need student volunteers to be altar servers, readers, cantors, and gift bearers. Please click the link to sign up your child to volunteer for a Mass. https://forms.gle/nY454k6KSoYTmqJa9

Click the link to RSVP for the Mission: Family Faith school scavenger hunt on Monday, January 27th, at 6pm. https://forms.gle/QyEchGoJZYuuXRjW7

Grandparents Day is coming quick, Wednesday January 29th. All grandparents are invited to join us for Mass that morning at 8:15 am in the Church and then spend a special morning in your grandchild's classroom. Please note that this event is reserved for grandparents, or older relatives/close friends that serve in the role of grandparent for a student.

If a grandparent is not able to join us at school the morning of January 29th, they can send a card/letter to the school with the name of the student on the envelope. We will be sure that the student receives this piece of mail during Grandparents Day activities. Please watch for additional information in next week's edition of Eagle's Eye.

For any question please email Mrs. Claudette Biaggi at cmbs_13@yahoo.com.

As previous years, after mass we will have cookies and water set up on tables throughout the school for all students and the grandparents. We are in need of donations of cookies and jugs of water for this special day. If you are able to donate either cookies or water please refer to the SignUp link to be included on our next week Eagle's Eye. Donations will be collected the day before in the office or during carline that morning. Your donations are greatly appreciated to make this day a memorable one for our children and grandparents.

2025 SJCS Grandparents Day

The SJCS eighth grade students are collecting gently used children’s clothing through January 17th. We will take all donations to Meals on Wheels to support their programs. Thank you for your help with this!

St. Joseph Catholic Church is in need of money counters on Monday mornings to help with counting each week's collection from the Masses. Money counters must have fingerprint clearance and parents of SJCS can earn service hours for this. The money counters will work on a rotating basis of every other Monday. Please contact Mr. John Richards at hrichards@stjosephwh.org for more information.

We need parents of 5th-8th grade students join our booster club! For information, please contact Brittany Coulter (brittanycoulter@gmail.com)

Booster clubs play a vital role in supporting extracurricular programs, particularly in schools and sports. They help provide essential funding for equipment, uniforms, and travel expenses that may not be covered by school budgets. Beyond financial support, booster clubs foster community engagement, bringing together parents, alumni, and local businesses to rally behind students. Their efforts contribute to enhancing the overall experience for participants, while strengthening school spirit and teamwork. In essence, booster clubs are crucial for enriching student activities and creating a thriving, supportive environment.

We are in need of donations of rolls of paper towels. If you are able to help, please drop off your donation to the office. Remember that every $10 spent counts for 1 hour of the 20 required service hours for the school year.

Income Verification Forms were sent home on Monday, January 6th. A form is needed from each family. This form is for our school to be able to receive Title funds. Please send these back by tomorrow.

If you know anyone who is interested in applying for these positions, please have them visit https://www.orlandodiocese.org/find-jobs/

They can also contact Mr. Kupka for more information!

Reregistration for the 2025-2026 school year has begun! Reregistration is $250 if completed by Friday, January 24th at 3:00 pm. After 3pm on January 24th, reregistration will be $350.

Do you have duplicates of Christmas gifts or gifts that just don't fit you? Do you have bottles of wine that you will not use? Do you have leftover baskets that can be used for making our Gala baskets for the silent auction? If you can answer yes to any of these questions, we would love to have those items! Please send in any of the above items to the office and let us know they are for the Gala.

With the cooler weather upon us, we want to take a moment to share a few reminders regarding cold weather uniforms.

• Outerwear Outside the Building: Students are required to wear either an SJCS jacket, sweater, or sweatshirt (P.E. day only) when they are outside the school building (e.g., during carline, recess, etc.). These must be purchased from Sir Walter.
• Outerwear Inside the Building: Students are also required to wear Sir Walter issued cold wear gear, such as the school sweatshirt (P.E. day only), sweater, or jacket, inside the buildings.
• Boys Pants: Boys MUST have one pair of trousers for Mass days and cold weather (blue for K-grade 8; khaki is appropriate for grades 6-8).
• Girls' Leggings and Tights: Please note that leggings are not permitted. Only tights that extend from the tip of the toe to the hips are allowed. Students wearing leggings to school will be asked to remove them.
• Girls' Pants: Navy blue pants are acceptable for grades K-5; navy blue or khaki pants are acceptable for grades 6-8.
• Sweatpants: Sweatpants may only be worn by students on PE days and must be Sir Walter issued with the school logo.
• Hoodies: Hoodies are not permitted, including pull-over or zipper style. On dress down days, hoodies are not permitted.
• Heavy Outerwear: On extremely cold days, students may wear heavier outerwear that is NOT from Sir Walter. These must be removed once inside the school building.

Middle School Edge will be on Wednesday, January 22nd from 6-8pm in Room 2. Middle school students who attend EDGE may dress down on Thursday, January 23rd. Parents who volunteer to help with EDGE may earn SJCS service hours.

I wanted to highlight a website that can help you determine if a book, movie, show, or video game is appropriate for your children. Commonsensemedia.org offers incredibly detailed reviews of content. Each review gives an overall rating and age recommendation and then provides specific rating from 1-5 for violence, language, romance, and substance use with a detailed explanation of what specific parts of the book earned that rating. You can also set preferences for each of your children and books will "flag" if the media is outside your allowed ratings.

The website allows for 3 free reviews a day with their free account. Their paid account has unlimited reviews and is priced at $3.99 a month or 39.99 a year.

Interested in helping us replace lost and/or damaged books? Be a book fairy and donate a book from this list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2S6G0MFCC15VU?ref_=wl_share

Parents interested in chaperoning for field trips are reminded that they must wear a SJCS shirt. There are several options. Parents may either purchase a SJCS polo from our uniform company or a t-shirt from Boosters. Please keep this in mind as you start making commitments to chaperone field trips. These can be purchased in the office.

The chess club meetings will be meeting on January 17th, January 24th, and January 31st. There is a chess tournament this Saturday January 18th.

We have a few different choirs at SJCS.

School Mass Choir
Students in grades 3-8 are invited to sing in the choir at all school masses. Practice will be once a month with the next one February 4th. Please don't arrive to pick up your child(ren) until 4:00 pm if they are staying for choir.

Church Children's Choir

The Children's Choir for our church will practice from 3-4pm on Thursdays. Jitka Cinibulk, music director from our church, coordinates this ministry. This is for students to sing at weekend Masses. If you have any questions about this opportunity, please email her at jcinibulk@stjosephwh.org.

Concert Choir with Mrs. James

Students in 3rd-8th grade have the opportunity of joining Concert Choir. The SJCS Concert Choir performs at various community events during the school year including Carols in the Park, the Christmas program and singing the national anthem at the Rays, Bucs and Tropics games. During rehearsals, students will be developing many vocal concepts such as correct posture, resonance and technique. We will be singing a range of repertoire and work on two and three part harmony.

Grades 3-5

Rehearsals: 3rd, 4th & 5th grade on Wednesdays at 3:15-4:00pm beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 19th

Middle School Rehearsals: Thursdays from 7:15-7:45am

Please e-mail Mrs. James at vjames@stjosephwhschool.org if you have any questions. Thank you!

Church Handbell Choir

The Church Handbell choir is looking for 2-3 new ringers. The starting age is 10, so if any student is interested, this would be a great time to join us. Practice is on Thursdays 6-8 pm in the church. If you have any questions about this opportunity, please email Jitka Cinibulk at jcinibulk@stjosephwh.org.

We have a new religious education coordinator, Ms. Melady Roque.

If you intend for your child to receive any sacraments (such as First Communion or Confirmation) through St. Joseph Catholic Church, you can call the church office at 294-3144 or email Melady Roque at mroque@stjosephwh.org.

Confirmation classes will take place every Sunday from 12:15-1:00pm in Room 2. Confirmation is open to grades 8-12. Parents can contact Mr. Nathan Hayes with any questions at nhayes@stjosephwh.org or by calling the office at (863) 294 - 3144 ext. 224.

Our next Box Top goal is $400. Remember all you have to do is scan your receipts to help us reach this goal and all students will earn another dress down day.

Pikmykid is the new servicer for our Parent emails. All whole school emails will show as being from noreply@pikmykid.com.

If you feel like you are not receiving parent alert emails, please contact Mr. Kupka. He will contact PikmyKid so that a case can be created to get the email re-subscribed to the parent alert list.

Important calendar dates for the 2024-2025 school year are listed below. ***Please note that the school intentionally schedules school closures at times throughout the school year. We are giving these dates to you early to help your planning for the 24-25 year. Families should schedule family vacations and other commitments during scheduled school closures; vacations should not be scheduled when school is open. Vacations are not considered excused absences and are a violation of the School Attendance Policy.

• January 20th: Martin Luther King Day: No School
• March 17th-21st: Spring Break
• April 18th-23rd: Easter Break
• May 26th: Memorial Day: No School
• May 29th: Last Day of School

This section of the Eagle's Eye will remain in every edition of our newsletter. It will contain links to information that parents may need from time to time. When parents have questions, we urge you to check this section for possible links that could get you the information that you need.

• School Calendar
• Lunch Menus
• Maschio's Birthday Order Form
• Registering for a lunch account
• PikMyKid User Guide (English)
• PikMyKid User Guide (Spanish)
• Fingerprinting/Safe Environment Certification Instructions
• Fingerprinting/Safe Environment Certification
• Uniform Company
• Technology Responsible Use Policy for Students
• Parent Student Handbook
• Attendance Policy
• Accessing Facts Family Portal
• Family Portal Login
• Logging Service Hours: Parents and students can now enter and view their own service hours. You can use your app to view the hours, however, you have to use the web version to enter new hours. go to FACTS Family Portal. The district code is STJC-FL. Once logged in, click on the Family option in the menu on the left side. At the top of the screen, select the family member who will be adding the service hours. Click on the Add option on the right side of the screen in the Service Hours box. Fill out the information and click Save.

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to him,
“They have no wine.”
And Jesus said to her,
“Woman, how does your concern affect me?
My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servers,
“Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,
each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus told them,
“Fill the jars with water.”
So they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them,
“Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”
So they took it.
And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,
without knowing where it came from
— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,
the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,
“Everyone serves good wine first,
and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;
but you have kept the good wine until now.”
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee
and so revealed his glory,
and his disciples began to believe in him.

O Blessed Joseph, faithful guardian of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, protector of Mary, the virgin Mother of God, I choose you this day to be my special patron and advocate and I firmly resolve to honor you all the days of my life. Therefore, I humbly ask you to receive me as your client, to instruct me in every doubt, to comfort me in every affliction, to obtain for me and for all the knowledge and love of the Heart of Jesus, and finally to defend and protect me at the hour of my death. Amen.

Principal: Mrs. Insua

Assistant Principal: Ms. Lucarelli

Assistant Principal: Mr. Kupka

Parochial Administrator: Fr. Glenn Lopez

Canonical Administrator: Fr. Tim LaBo

Superintendent: Dr. Erika Wikstrom

Email: jinsua@stjosephwhschool.org
Website: stjosephwhschool.org
Location: 535 Avenue M Northwest, Winter Haven, FL, USA
Phone: 863-293-3311