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, March 11.
• 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, March 11.
• 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/xAts7pNMJdKdupVx7

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

Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It's a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter.

Stations of the Cross

During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer. As a school community, we will pray the Stations of the Cross, as we accompany Jesus' on his journey to crucifixion. The next Stations of the Cross will Friday, March 14th, at 8:15am in the church. Click the link to sign up to pray with us: https://forms.gle/bTfo6653Kh8qvfzf7

Eucharistic Adoration

Tomorrow, we will have Eucharistic Adoration at 8:15am in the Church. This is a time for us all to pray in front of the blessed Sacrament, the consecrated host, to worship and be closer to Jesus. Please sign up here to pray with us. https://forms.gle/Exp1zvvrrH1ByZYM9

The same safety procedures for Mass are in place for Stations of the Cross and Adoration.

In the first reading from Joel, we learned that as we enter the Lenten season, a divine voice from Jesus is speaking to us, inviting us to turn to God again. The reading describes that our return to God should be shown through fasting, prayer, and forgiveness. I believe that this reading is suggesting that there is something everyone could strengthen or fix in their relationship with God, and the divine voices are calling us to improve our relationship. Overall, today’s Mass calls us to better our relationships with God and people in our lives during this Lenten season.

Juliette, 8th grade

In the Gospel of Matthew, he tells us to worship and express our faith not for attention, but to glorify God. Instead of praying in public just so people can see, you should pray in private and the Lord will reward you. When you fast, you shouldn’t be like the hypocrites who make themselves look like they're fasting. You should wash and clean yourselves so you do not appear to be fasting, but are sacrificing to God.

Dang, 8th grade

In today’s homily and Gospel, Father Glenn told us that Lent is a time of preparation for the Resurrection of Jesus. To prepare for it, Father Glenn told us that during this Lent, we should practice fasting and abstinence from things that bring us further away from God like cursing and disobeying our parents to hopefully grow closer to God. When we fast, we could use the time we would normally be eating to be with God.In the Gospel, Jesus told us we should not be like those that praise God for public glorification but do things for the glory of God in secret for He who sees all will reward us for this.

Hayden, 8th grade

For Lent, we will be collecting different food items for Catholic Charities.

• This Week: Mac n Cheese and canned fruit
• Week 2: Cereal and oatmeal
• Week 3: Rice and pasta
• Week 4: Canned beans, corn, green beans
• Week 5: Tomato sauce and ravioli
• Week 6: Crackers and ramen noodles

The class with the highest number of items after week 6 will earn a dress down day and a treat of the class’ choice

Here is the information about Trimester Awards for grades 3-8.

• Principal's Award: All grades in reading, math, social studies, Religion, and Science are 95% or above; Middle School also includes Spanish grades
• High Honors Award: All grades in reading, math, social studies, Religion, and Science are 90% or above; Middle School also includes Spanish grades
• Honors Award: All grades in reading, math, social studies, Religion, and Science are 85% or above; Middle School also includes Spanish grades

Behavior Matters for Honor Roll Eligibility

At St. Joseph Catholic School, we believe that academic success is connected with positive behavior. To encourage a well-rounded approach to learning, students who receive a "3" for conduct on their report card will not be eligible for the Honor Roll. We encourage all students to strive for excellence both in the classroom and in their behavior. This fosters an environment of respect, responsibility, and achievement!

Our students who are receiving second trimester awards will be recognized immediately after Mass on Wednesday, March 26th. The calendar noted that this would be on February 26th, but the date has been changed. We will not do this on Ash Wednesday or on March 12th as the 8th grade students will be on their Tallahassee field trip. Please sign up to attend Mass that day to attend.

Congratulations to our students; Anh and Jalian, for their recognition at this evening’s 19th Annual Polk County Kids Tag Art Awards of Distinction.

We are so incredibly proud of you

A big thank you to Mr. Art for his countless hours spent helping our students reach their full potential

Thank you to Mrs. Harrison and Mrs. Becker for leading our A Team to 4th place in the Polk County A Team Championships. A Team consists of middle school students who compete against other teams in academic challenges. We are so proud of our Eagles!

February 26, 2025

Dear Parents and Altar Servers,

As Easter approaches, we will be having a Mandatory Altar Servers training to prepare us for the Easter Season. On March 29, 2025, we will have training, see a video, and Father Glenn has asked to talk to the Altar Servers.

Please mark your calendars for March 29th, from 10 to about 11:30. I am trying to give you plenty of notice in order that you will attend.

Any Altar Server that is on the schedule for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil will also have trainings the week before Easter. Father Glenn wants to have rehearsals for everyone to know what is expected and to know what we will need to do to assist the priest.

If you have any questions, please give me a call at 863-412-7750. Hope to see you all on March 29th.

Thanks,

Shirley Roberts

Hebe Richer

Our concert choir will be performing at the Lakeland Tigers vs. the Pirates this Sunday, March 9th, at 1:05pm. Tickets are available for anyone who would like to enjoy an afternoon of baseball. Click the link to buy tickets: https://mlb.tickets.com/schedule/?agency=MLBST_MPV&orgid=25241#/sales_groups;salesGroupId=5187

Storybook Tissue Box Competition has been extended through Friday March 8th!! The only rules are that the tissue boxes must be new and able to be used without destroying your work! Bring finished designs to the front office.

Thank you so much for all of your support of our 2025 Taste of Achievement Gala. We appreciate all of you who helped set up before the event, aided during the event, and cleaned up at the end. All funds raised will be used to install a retractable stage in the gym and provide new bulletin boards, math materials, and art materials for the classrooms. We are so blessed by our generous and supportive SJCS community!

Live Auction

• Rayburn Family
• Pinzas – Catering
• Father Lopez
• DietrickKelso
• Camp Margaritaville- 2 day stay and 3 – 4 day passes

Raffle

• Southwest Ticket- The Neel Family

Teachers

• Mrs. James – Music Teacher for the Day
• Mr. Art – Art Teacher for the day
• Ms. Mcgillin- Librarian for the day
• Mrs. Ousley and Mrs. Pack
• Mrs. Blanton and Mrs. Dry
• Mrs. Gandolf- Football Camp
• Mrs. Insua- Lunch and Bok Tower

Silent Auction

• Knights of Columbus – Fish Fry
• The Worrell Family – Bourbon Basket
• Terry McDonald – Celsius Cooler and items
• Union Taproom
• Mahalak Auto Group
• Grove Roots
• Red Geranium
• Twisted Prop
• Marine Supply
• Kathy Weller – church parishioner – handmade quilt
• The Stable
• Hart Art
• Take Heart
• Dog House Forge
• Lowes Home Improvement
• Little Wolfe’s
• Bella Dopico
• The Salt Room
• Day Dreams
• Habitat
• Tally Ho
• Mint Law
• Winter Haven Inboards-
• Rayburn Pest Control
• Winter Haven Country Club- Scott Scamerhorn
• Ballet Conservatory Dance Company

Spring sports are beginning with girls’ soccer, golf, flag football, and track.

Tennis will not start until April and will take place at the Winter Haven tennis courts.

The forms for each of these sports can be picked up at the school office by parents/students or Coach Edwards will have them. Students must have the form filled out for each sport to participate.

Do you have too many books that you would like to donate to our book sale? Please send any gently used books to the office and Ms. McGillin will use them in her book sale on parent conferences April 9th and 10th to benefit the purchase of new books for the media center.

New student registration is open and your child(ren)'s spot may not be guaranteed for the new school year without re-registration. The cost for re-registration is $350. If you did not receive the email link for re registration, you will need to contact Mrs. Brown in the front office by email at sbrown@stjosephwhschool.org

Please see the information below about the Step Up for Students scholarship. Here is the link for the Application Checklist.

https://go.stepupforstudents.org/hubfs/Scholarship%20Info/Scholarship-Application-Checklist.pdf?utm_campaign=SCHOOL%20PROVIDER%20-%20GENERAL%20Communication&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--GcARUeCd0J0qJWsoArEhr7zZfKOCptd0zf-xM1mZIsmx7ri9EAeTtiGWfaiPsDhxbddjlNUKHyk-5tDm_bVCq8-MydCMmApmqhaMCkVoDmlIgkIs&_hsmi=344541403&utm_content=344541403&utm_source=hs_email

If you are planning to register your child in VPK at SJCS for the 2025-2026 school-year, you will need to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility. You can do this on the Early Learning Coalition website by clicking on the following link and following the directions.

https://elcpolk.org/families/voluntary-prekindergarten-education-program/how-to-apply-for-vpk/

Applying for VPK is a two-part process and your application is not considered complete until we receive BOTH of the following items:

1. Registration Packet (from SJCS)

2. Certificate of Eligibility (from The Early Learning Coalition)

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Brown, Enrollment Specialist: sbrown@stjosephwhschool.org

The first day of the 2024-2025 school year will be Monday, August 11th, 2025.

We are preparing for the The Championship Tournament on Saturday, March 8.

Please take note of the Chess Club dates for the rest of this school-year.

Fridays: 3/7- Chess Club- 3:30-4:30- Mrs. Motsch’s classroom

Saturday 3/8- Championship Tournament- Bartow Civic Center

Friday 3/14- End-of-Season Chess Club celebration- Mrs. Motsch’s classroom

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 April 29th. 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.

The next Middle School Edge will be on Wednesday, March 26th from 6-8pm in Room 2. Parents who volunteer to help with EDGE may earn SJCS service hours.

St. Joseph Catholic Church's religious education coordinator is Mrs. 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.

What does in mean when we say we are in Ordinary Time for the Church?

• The word "ordinary" comes from the word "ordinal" which means "counted"
• Each week of Ordinary Time is known by a number, such as the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When does Ordinary Time occur?

• Ordinary Time falls outside of the major seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. It's the longest season in the year, and it's divided into two parts
• The first part of Ordinary Time begins on the Monday after the Feast of the Epiphany and ends on Ash Wednesday
• The second part of Ordinary Time begins on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday and ends on the First Sunday of Advent.

What does Ordinary Time celebrate?

• Ordinary Time celebrates Jesus' teaching and ministry
• It's a time to reflect on how we live as Christians
• It's a time to examine and "order" our lives

What's the liturgical color for Ordinary Time?

• The liturgical color for Ordinary Time is green, which symbolizes growth and new life

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from him for a time.

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.

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.

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.

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

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