Principals' Peek at the Week

On behalf of the faculty and staff at Saints Joseph and John School, we want to wish you and your loved ones a warm and joyful Thanksgiving. May your Thanksgiving holiday be filled with happiness, rest, and many blessings.

We are truly thankful for each and every one of you!

In gratitude,

Mrs. Schenek and Mrs. Francis

#weGIVECATHOLIC will occur on Tuesday, December 3! Please see details below for donation times and what students, families, Grandparents/Special Person can win!

Please use the QR code below to donate directly to SJJ on Tuesday, December 3 for #weGIVECATHOLIC.

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!

First graders in Mrs. Tinnirello's room celebrated Thanksgiving during their centers.

First graders in Mrs. Towne's class listened to the book “Balloons Over Broadway” and made their own parade balloons. They then paraded in the hall to show off their hard work!

The second graders in Mrs. Ketterick's room celebrated Thanksgiving by writing a Thanksgiving poem using similes and onamonapias.

Dahlia visited with Mrs. Blake's and Mrs. Estephan's class this past week. The students in these were on their best behaviors during lunch time.

Mrs. Estephan’s class took good care of little Dahlia, the cow! The students all enjoyed her “milk” chocolate kisses and more importantly, realized that their kind deeds did not go unnoticed! Thank you lunch ladies for this awesome program!

Girls on the run participated in their 5K at Mayfield High School. This after school club ran for 8 weeks and concluded with the 5K. They did a great job!

Some of the Middle Schools went to Generations Senior Living Center. They went to play bingo with the elderly and managed to skip the rain.

All Little Viking Preschool students and staff wish the SJJ community a healthy, blessed, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Please see the new form below for purchasing snack bar tickets for your student's birthday.

The Winter Spirit Wear Sale will continue through Nov. 24! Order your new gear THIS WEEK so we can get it delivered to you before basketball season begins! See flyer for new clothing. New sweaters/sweatshirts available and Page 2 includes our new basketball shirts! Link to order: https://forestcitytees.com/collections/sjj-vikings?page=1

December 4 and 5 - SJJ Santa Shop! It’s a special time of year when your student(s) can shop at school for holiday gifts for you and your family. Envelopes will be sent home next week with your student for you to include a holiday shopping list and to send in cash or check. You can also sign up to be a personal shopper or gift wrap at the Santa Shop during your students shopping time. See schedule and flyer below. Sign up to volunteer here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0E4AA9AE2AAAFD0-53068092-sjjsanta?useFullSite=true#/

Sunday, December 8 - 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 5. Link to buy tickets: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/breakfast-with-st-nick2024/items?cart

Sign up to volunteer here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4CAEA62DAAFD0-53132204-breakfast?useFullSite=true#/

Thursday, December 19-Holiday Gift Drop Off from 5:30-6:30 PM @ the SJJ School Main Entrance. The PTU Board members try to make it easier on parents who don't want to weigh down backpacks and send in gifts with their students so we offer an hour for gift drop-off where we will personally deliver gifts to your teacher's classroom or staff/faculty office. This way, you know the get in the rights hands and they will receive gifts before Christmas break. We just ask that you label the gift with the recipient NAME and ROOM # if you know it. Please not that gifts are always appreciated but not required.

Thursday, January 9-SJJ Night @ the Chalet - reserve your spot for the entire family to go tobogganing down the chutes in the Strongsville Metropark. How fun! Our private event is from 5:30-8:30 PM. Tickets are non-refundable and on sale until Jan. 2. Link to order tickets: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/sjj-night-at-the-chalet2025-tobogganing-event/items?cart

Honeybaked Ham gift card fundraiser is now LIVE. Purchase gift cards from now until Dec 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

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.

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