Principals' Peek at the Week

Saints Joseph and John School - December 5, 2024

Dear Saints Joseph and John School Families,

As we continue to prepare our hearts to light the second candle of Advent this Sunday, we celebrate and pray for peace as we make space in our hearts for the coming of Jesus. We are encouraged to reflect on our lives and grow in kindness, patience, and love. Let this Advent be a time of quiet reflection, joyful anticipation, and a renewed commitment to living out our Catholic faith.

Warm SJJ Welcome: We are excited that the St. Joseph El Salvador Mission Team has arranged for three teachers and the principal from our sister parish/school in San Jose Villanueva, El Salvador to visit our school on Monday. The teachers will tour our school and give a presentation to our 5th and 6th graders as they talk about their home country and share what school is like in El Salvador. Mr. John Novak, parishioner of St. Joe's and committee chair for the El Salvador Mission, helped to organize the visit for us. Each year, our 5th graders, under the direction of Mrs. Estephan, also become pen pals with 5th grade students at our sister school. This has been an amazing experience for both schools to see and learn more about each other!

A Heartfelt Thank You: We are excited and deeply grateful to announce that, thanks to your incredible support, we have raised $32,531 through our #weGiveCatholic fundraising campaign! These funds will allow us to purchase a new digital sign for the front of the school, which will enhance communication and visibility for our students, families, and visitors, making it easier for everyone to find and connect with us.

We are overwhelmed by the kindness and dedication of our school community—parents, students, alumni, and friends. Your efforts are making a difference, and we are truly blessed to have such a strong and supportive network.

Enrollment Season: We are nearing the end of our priority enrollment period for our Little Vikings Preschool and PreKindergarten. Current Little Vikings families, parishioners of St. Joseph and St. John Neumann, or those who attended the fall open house are all able to apply at a priority rate until December 31. On January 6, open enrollment for the Little Vikings Program will begin. More information on K-8 enrollment will be coming soon. Meanwhile, if you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Cimino, Director of Marketing and Enrollment.

School Upcoming Events:

December 8- SJJ Family Mass~ Grades 2&3 at St. John Neumann Church (11:00am)
December 9- Feast of the Immaculate Conception All-School Mass (8:05am)
December 10- Christmas in the Courtyard (6:00-7:00pm)
December 12- K, 1, 2 Christmas Musical in McGraw Hall (doors open at 8:30am; Musical at 9:00am)
December 19- Middle School Christmas Dance in McGraw Hall (6:30pm)
December 20- Last day of School before Christmas Break (early dismissal at 11:45am); 1st Grade Nativity following Mass

Advent blessings,

Mrs. Schenek & Mrs. Francis

SJJ November Calendar

Please click on the button above to take you to the SJJ Calendar. Please be sure to check back frequently, as the calendar may update as events are added.

THIS WEEK'S LEARNING AND SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

Our Kindergarten classes learned how to be an Elf this week on their Elf Day.

Congrats to our First Grade Thanksgiving Break IXL Challenge winners: Brynn P. & James in Mrs. Tinnirello’s classroom and Maddie & Alex in Mrs. Towne’s classroom. Great job practicing school work over your break!

The second graders had a lot of fun making gingerbread houses in math today!

Before Thanksgiving break, the fourth graders used their math and science skills to make pumpkin pies. This week they showed their mapping skills by taking a map skills test. Who says you need a paper and pencil to take a test?

Our fifth graders picked a Biome, researched it and created a project depicting the biome, including its plants and animals.

In sixth grade social studies, the students are studying ancient Egyptian cultural practices, including mummification. The students had a little competition today to see which group could “mummify” their partner the quickest! Mrs. Noga used this lesson to do a cross curricular lesson with science and social studies. The students mummified apples to tie in science with this historical lesson.

The eighth graders learned about erosion in their science class.

LITTLE VIKINGS PRESCHOOL UPDATE

The Little Vikings started the Advent Season gathering for Mass as a community and crafting ornaments for home and school. The front yard trees are very special to us! Mr. P from the Strongsville Library and his beloved "Fezzick” the puppet visited all our preschool classes with books, movement and fun this week.

VIKING CAFE UPDATES

NEW SNACK BAR PROCESS FOR BIRTHDAY TICKETS

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

pdf

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Snack Bar Order Form.pdf

December Lunch Menu.pdf

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PICTURE RETAKE DAY

Retake Day is scheduled on: Wednesday, December 11th

Online Ordering Code is: 1001169388
***Online ordering access expires 48 hours after Retake Day

Online Ordering Link is:
https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001169388?code=1001169388

**If you are unable to click on the above link to open the online ordering site, copy and paste the link to the address bar located at the top of the page.

FROM THE SJJ PTU

THANK YOU to our parent volunteers that worked the Santa Shop as well as parents who sent in funds for their kids to have fun shopping. We appreciate your support to make this so special. A big shout out to the Santa Shop chair, Michelle Hughes, for organizing this wonderful event.

Don’t forget that THIS Sunday, December 8 is our Breakfast with St. Nick @ St. John Neumann church. Ticket sales close Friday morning so it’s your LAST CHANCE to purchase tickets: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/breakfast-with-st-nick2024/items?cart

Be sure to post some of your favorite pictures to our Facebook page “SJJ Vikings PTU”. THANK YOU to Tina Dzik and Cara Gleine for all of your hard work in planning this memorable event!

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 they will receive gifts before Christmas break. We just ask that you label the gift with the recipient NAME and ROOM #. Please note 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 runs through the end of the month! You can purchase gift cards on our fundraiser site and we’ll get 20% on every purchase. It’s the perfect time of year to gift your friends and family with yummy, festive food! Link to buy gift cards: https://www.honeybaked.com/fundraising/Sts_Joseph_and_John_PTU

CHESS CLUB SIGN UPS- GRADES 2-6

KIDS OF FAITH FOR GRADES 6-8

SJJ'S OFFICIAL COLORS, LOGOS and FONTS

SAVE THE DATE

Check Out Our Updated Website

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.

Digital Academy is SJJ's New Education Management System

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!

2024-2025 DAILY SCHEDULE

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.

DRESS CODE REMINDERS

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.