Principal's Peek at the Week

“Hold fast to the hope that lies before us.” – Hebrews 6:18

As the Lenten Season is underway, we know that we are called as Catholics to begin acts of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. As a school community this year, we will fill this holy season with many different types of prayer opportunities. One way is our Lenten Prayer Cross which has been placed in the main lobby. If you visit us over these next weeks, please stop and write an intention on one of the small yellow pieces of paper and drop it in the basket at the foot of the cross. We will pray together throughout the season of Lent for all of the intentions that have been left for God to hear.

Our 7th and 8th graders are preparing for their SJJ Family Mass Takeover. It will take place at St. Joseph Church during the 10:30 am Mass on March 3. Our students will be taking over various roles such as greeters at the doors, readers, as well as a Mass introduction prayer. The Children's Choir will also sing at Mass that morning. We are looking forward to celebrating Mass with our school families and Saint Joseph Parishioners!

With a fundraising effort led by the Saints Joseph and John School Institutional Advancement Committee, we have raised $148,185 for the SJJ Playground Project! The playground project will consist of preparing the plot of land for the installation of the playground, the installation of the playground itself, and the installation of fencing around the perimeter of the playground area. The Institutional Advancement Committee is dedicated to improving Saints Joseph and John School for the betterment of our students, faculty and staff. We are thrilled that the playground project was successfully funded through generous contributions! The project, which will begin this summer, will allow recess to safely continue through the remainder of the school year. Again, thank you very much to all of those who donated, as you made this project come to life for our students!

We are looking forward to this Holy season together and HOPE that this time brings a new awareness of God’s call to each one of us!

Blessings,

Mrs. Schenek

TODAY, Thursday February 15 the last day to sign up grandparents for our Grandparents/Special Person Day. Registration is closing at the end of the day today so we are able to get an accurate headcount for refreshments and activities.

As we prepare for the event, we are asking our families for donations of jigsaw puzzles for a special activity our students will do with their grandparents/special guests. If you would like to donate a puzzle or two, please have your child bring them to Mrs. Kazimir in Room 1.

We are also putting together a mega slideshow of our students and their grandparents/special person that will be shown in the classrooms that day. If you would like your child and their special guests to be part of the slideshow, please send a photo or two of your child(ren) with their grandparent/special person to: grandparentsday@sjjschool.org. All photo submissions must be received by Friday, March 8.

Our Eager Engineers created Valentines while learning about balance and symmetry.

Our 3rd graders had a Valentine's Challenge this week in STEM creating structures out of hearts. They worked on balance, a strong foundation, and working in a team.

The 4's also had their first visit from Father Andy. We were excited to meet him and talk about the symbol of ashes during Lent!

Attention Vikings! Our sports logo is going through a rebranding, and we need YOU to pick the new logo!

Here is the process:

We’re asking that graphic designers create a logo and submit it for a contest. The design should embody what we are as Vikings: innovative, determined, Catholic, ambitious, and humble.

We are STILL the Vikings, holding onto our tradition of navy and gold, so designers should capture this in their logo creation.

The logo should be submitted as a high resolution PNG via email to jclark@sjjschool.org by Tuesday, March 19, the feast day of Saint Joseph.

On Tuesday, April 23 at our Family STEAM Night at school, votes will be cast for the new logo! More information on STEAM night coming soon!

**Please send this to any graphic designers who would like to participate**

Congratulations to all of our 7th graders, who presented the results of their science experiments to a judging panel from Baldwin-Wallace University and parents at today's Science Fair. A special thank you to Miss Kopy for her leadership and organizing the event! We are very proud of our students' hard work!

SJJ PTU Rockin’ Reverse Raffle

Get ready to ROCK it out on Saturday, March 2, 2024 from 6-11pm at St. Paul’s Hellenic. You can purchase tickets and sponsorships at https://2024-rockin-reverse-raffle.cheddarup.com. Don’t forget to buy your raffle tickets in advance too! We are also looking for donations of wine and gift cards for the raffle baskets. Sign up here: SJJ PTU: PTU Rockin Reverse Raffle Donations (signupgenius.com). For questions, contact Kerry @ kerrywoloszynek@gmail.com

SJJ Night at Kalahari

Join the SJJ PTU for a night at KALAHARI! No school on Friday, March 15 means a long weekend....let's take advantage of it and head to Sandusky! Link below to reserve your room for $154 (Thursday night special rate) which includes two queen beds and 4 waterpark passes; options available for larger families as well and the PTU receives a portion of the proceeds from each overnight stay! Here is the link to register:

https://book.passkey.com/event/50667706/owner/49785631/home

PTU EXECUTIVE BOARD:

• Co-Presidents- Natalie Pratt, Roxanne Yurcik
• Treasurer- Tina Dzik
• Secretary- Laura LaNasa
• VP of Operations- Krista Klefos
• VP of Marketing- Julie Lytle
• VP of Fundraising- Kristina Arch

To reach our PTU team please email stsjjptu@gmail.com

On Tuesday, February 27 the Strongsville Women's League will present "Protect Our Children: Human Trafficking 101" at 7:00 pm at the Strongsville Recreation Center.

Our speakers will include: Debbie Hughes Butts, Victim Specialist from the FBI; Stephanie Kochara, FBI Special Agent; Jasmine Myers, Program Coordinator from the Collaborative on Human Trafficking; and a member of the Survivor Advisory Council of the Collaborative on Human Trafficking. Our moderator for the evening will be Mike Astrab, Legal Counsel for Summit County Children's Services and former judge and prosecutor. This program is deemed appropriate for adults and children ages 13 and over.

The window to reapply for Ohio Department of Education scholarships, including the EdChoice Expansion Scholarship for the 2024-2025 school year (Fiscal Year 2025) is now open

Check your email about the steps necessary to reapply for the 2024-2025 (Fiscal Year 2025) school year. In most cases, families will only need to complete a renewal application form and upload a current utility bill. For renewals, Income Verification is not required again unless your family income has changed significantly and you choose to resubmit.

Please note that Preschool or PreKindergarten students are not eligible for the state scholarships. However, families may apply for Diocesan Tuition Assistance through FACTS. Please reach out to Mrs. Briggs in the Business Office for more information.

MORNING

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 7:15 am.

7:45 am- Tardy Bell Rings.
Students not in their seats and ready to learn at 7:45 am are marked tardy.

Please do not drop children off at the Main Entrance during morning drop off. All cars must go through the car line for everyone's safety, as there is heavy bus traffic along the drive between the church and school.

Shelly Schenek, Principal

sschenek@sjjschool.org

Jennifer Francis, Assistant Principal

jfrancis@sjjschool.org

Angela Bosko, Little Vikings Preschool Director

abosko@sjjschool.org

Patricia Briggs, Business Manager

pbriggs@sjjschool.org

Joe Clark, Admissions and Marketing Coordinator

jclark@sjjschool.org

Fr. Barry Gearing, President

FrBarry@sjnohio.com

Fr. Andy Gonzalez, Treasurer

agonzalez@sjohio.org

Saints Joseph and John School lives the values and teachings of our Catholic faith, serves as Jesus served and encourages lifelong learning.