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.

• 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 14.
• 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 14.
• 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/yVdVs6yWUeJnS9dB9

Today, Father Raju talked about helping people to not be afraid of God's presence in his homily. He also talked about having courage to get closer to God. Also Father told us about the story about the apostles on a boat, and they thought they saw a ghost, but when the figure came closer, they believed and realized that is was Jesus!

Neil 5A

The homily meant to me about loving your neighbor and yourself to get to Heaven. The homily was also about loving anybody you want. You also have to love your teacher, love everybody, and love God.

Ally 5A

The homily today was about everybody being Jesus and you trusting him. The homily was trying to imply that you should trust Jesus and Jesus is in everyone. You should trust everyone. You should also love others because if you love Jesus, you love one another.

Nico 5A

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 support!

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.

Hallow, Simple Solutions, and Adobe Express have been added to the Parent Consent Form for Digital Resources. This was signed by all parents at the beginning of the school year. We just want to make you aware of these changes to what your child is using at school.

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.

There will be no art club next Tuesday, January 14th.

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.

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

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. Those students who return this by tomorrow may dress down.

We will have a PTO Meeting next Tuesday, January 14th, in the Parish Center, beginning at 6:00pm. We will be discussing new tuition rates and we will be learning about the new App Hallow that is available to all students and families for free to use. Please join us! A dress down pass will be given to students and families who attend.

Please download the app on your mobile device before the event.

SJCS’s chapter of the National Junior Honor Society teamed up with Meals on Wheels for our Advent service project, Meals for Change. We collected change each day in December in every classroom to pay for ”Angel Meals.” Our donation to Meals on Wheels of Polk County will help support their mission to provide nutritious meals and keep seniors safe and living independently in our community. $195 provides someone meals for a month. Thank you so much for all of your generous donations!

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.

We will dismiss at 2:45 on Friday, January 17th. There is a wedding at 4:00pm that day in the Church and the parking lot will need to be clear for those attending.

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

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.

The media center will be getting new books starting this week thanks to the money we made at the used book sale and the book fair. Thank you for the continued support of the SJCS media center!

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

Remember: Every $10 of books counts as a one family service hour!

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.

Chess club will not meet on the 10th and 17th. January club meetings will be on 24 and 31. Reminder of the tournament on 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.

The people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

After all the people had been baptized
and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,
heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him
in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven,
“You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased.”

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.

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