 |
|
Pay Tuition Online
St. Joseph School accepts electronic tuition payments. Click
here to learn more about this convenient service. |
Just a reminder that all non-electronic tuition
payments should be in an envelope marked “Tuition” or “Mrs.
Bergan”. If you haven’t checked out our new debit
system, you might want to give Robin a call (478-4066). You can actually
spread your tuition payments over 9 months using our new debit system.
 2007-2008
School Supplies List |
|
| We have enclosed the 2007/2008 school
supply list in your weekly envelope (05/24/07) so you can take advantage
of the sales as they happen. If you should lose or misplace
this copy, you can click on the following link to view it
on the St. Joe’s Web site. |
 |
Click
here for the school supplies shopping list (72 KB) |
Over 100 Years of Transforming the World
through Education
In 1905 St. Joseph’s School opened with 105 students. Sister Mary
Callistan taught grades 1,2, 3 & music (35 students), Sister Mary
Ingrid 4, 5, & 6 (37 students) and Sister Mary Ivana grades 7 & 8
(only 31 students). Father Francis Hess,
who encouraged the building of St. Joseph’s School, died after
having been pastor for 60 years.
• Click
here to view the history of St. Joe's School, or select the Our
History button, on the left navigation bar, to learn
more.
Our St. Joseph School Song
We are the Blue Jays.
The St. Joe’s mighty Blue Jays.
We will hold true to thee.
Through the honored blue and gold!
Underneath the water tower,
Teams come and test our power.
Hail, Hail the mighty Blue Jays.
Come out strong and bold!
The music to this song is the University of Michigan’s
fight song. Lyrics by: Sam Gage
St. Joseph School Staff/E-mail Addresses
Who would have thought, over 100 years ago, that you could be
sitting at home, at midnight, sipping tea or another beverage of choice,
and be able to contact your child’s teacher or other school personnel.
Please take advantage of this great new service. The teachers will be
checking their mail daily.
*Mrs. Penny would prefer to speak personally with parents.
Please contact her via telephone at 648-5108.
 Birthdays
Happy Birthday to the following students who will be celebrating
their birthdays: |
|
| Month |
Birthday
Staff/Students |
|
| May: |
Kegan S., Samuel K., Ryan T., Matthew H., Joseph F., Elijah B. |
|
| April: |
Ava S., Autumn H., Joslyn S., Brandon B., Jason L., Tommy B., Mrs. Cleghorn |
|
Help Needed!
We need the strong, the willing, and the available helping hands to install another back drop on our playground. Please contact Mrs. Parsons here at school or e-mail her at stjoes@charter.net.
Fr. Ron's 50th Anniversary
A celebration to honor the 50th anniversary of Father Ron’s Ordination will be held Sunday, June 15th at St Joseph’s. A Mass of Thanksgiving will be at 12 noon followed by refreshments and buffet luncheon from 1:00 -3:00 p.m. All are invited. Please RSVP by May 20th (stjoes@charter.net or call 478-3221).
Strep Throat
We have 4 confirmed cases of strep throat.
4K & 5K Parents
Please remember to bring your child’s bike and bike helmet to school on Monday morning. If you need to make special arrangements to get your child’s bike to school, please call Jelena Spencer.
May 23rd: Principal for the Day
On May 23rd, Myranda Setz will be Principal for the Day. She requested that cold lunch students be able to purchase hot lunch on that day. If you normally send a cold lunch, but would like to purchase a hot lunch for your child, please send $2.25 to school in an envelope marked “May 23rd Hot Lunch.” Also, please remember to write your child’s name on the outside of the envelope. Payment and sign-up deadline is Monday, May 5th.
Wanted! Half-Price Book Fair Co-Chair
Do you want to get involved? Become the co-chair of the Book Fair! This is a wonderful chance to get involved in a short-term project. It takes about 2 hours to set up and the Book Fair runs itself (mostly.) In a week it is all over! I can teach you everything you need to know. Give me a call or an email if you are interested or want to ask questions (478-1160, thehogans4@verizon.net).
The Fair runs from May 14th - May 19th and everything is half price: books, posters, fun pens, computer games, EVERYTHING! Buy for your own family or for gifts!
Scholastic Book Fair Results
Scholastic book fairs have generated $16,439 for our school. This means that we have put over 2600 books in the hands of St. Joe’s children. Our school has earned $3,055 in cash, voucher, or book profit to meet our school’s fundraising needs.
Thank You
Once again we need to say thank you to our wonderful school families: To the Meitner & Tamez Families for taking out the old basketball poles and to Tim Barlow for building the sit and stretch table for the Presidential Fitness Testing. Thank you to Diane Fair, Ami Bauer, and Mr. & Mrs. Jeschke for giving of their time for all of their help with the fitness testing.
Hand Chimes at Mass
Our 3rd & 4th grade students will be playing the hand chimes at the volunteer Mass on May 9th. Our 1st and 2nd grade students will be playing on May 16th.
From the Desk of P2
St Joe ’s is celebrating both our volunteers and donors this week. We need both and are most grateful for both. It never ceases to amaze me how generous people are with their time and treasure.
We have volunteers to help our teachers and our students, volunteers to work at fundraisers, clean up, fix, build, clean, chaperone, referee, serve, sing, dance, (OK, not much dancing). We have donors for tuition, endowment, special items for school, and many other special things.
Like Brett Favre and Donald Driver (sorry had to get Brett in one more time), love and marriage, and horse and carriage; we can’t have one without the other.
Considering Piano Lessons?
Come Watch Talented Tuesdays!
On every Tuesday from April 22 to May 27 from 8:30-11:30 a.m., St. Joe's parents may stop by the music room at school to observe Miss Emily's piano lessons and learn about what piano lessons are like. This is a great opportunity for parents who are considering piano lessons but are not sure what is expected or if lessons are the right choice for their child.
Parents may ask any questions or share any concerns they have following the conclusion of each lesson. For more details, please contact Emily.
Photos Needed
If anyone has pictures (digital okay) of this school year ’s activities,
please submit by email or bring to the office. It is yearbook time again
and we need some special “Kodak Moments.”
Kohl's Nomination
If you know of a kid between the ages of 6 and 18 years old who stands
out as an outstanding young volunteer, you can go to www.kohlskidswhocare to
nominate him/her for the Kohl Kids Who Care Scholarship Program.
 Standardized Testing and Results
Our students once again performed exceptionally well on the standardized tests
given in the fall. I thought that perhaps all of the families would like to
receive information on our testing scores. It is important to note, that St.
Joseph School does not teach the test as some schools have been known to do. In
other words, the tests are given with the intention of being used as one tool in
the evaluation of individual students as well as the school’s overall
performance. The Catholic schools in the Madison Diocese are currently required
to use the Iowa Basic Standardized Test.
The following chart shows St. Joseph Catholic School as compared with other
schools, both private and public throughout the United States. The test was
given when the students were in school one month as shown in the bottom row of
the chart. (For example, 6.1 means the student was in sixth grade one month).
Looking at the column of grade six, the average sixth grader, one month into
the current school year, was reading at an average eighth grader, eight months
into the school year; had language skills of a ninth grader, in the seventh
month; math skills of a ninth grader, third month, etc.
| Category |
Grade 4 |
Grade 5 |
Grade 6 |
|
| Month/Year Taken |
4.1 |
5.1 |
6.1 |
|
| Reading |
6.0 |
7.5 |
9.0 |
|
| Language Skills |
6.6 |
7.5 |
10.3 |
|
| Math Skills |
48 |
5.7 |
9.2 |
|
| Social Studies |
6.0 |
7.9 |
10.8 |
|
| Science |
9.4 |
9.4 |
11.5 |
|
| Complete Test |
5.8 |
7.5 |
9.9 |
On a final note, registration for the upcoming school year is upon us. A
registration form is included in your weekly envelope. We ask that
registration be completed and returned with a $100 registration fee by Tuesday,
March 25. (The 4K program has increased in class time to five mornings a week
hence the increase in tuition to the same as kindergarten). Through Parish and
Endowment Fund support, we are able to keep tuition at a reasonable level.
Tuition is about $25.00 per week. Parents are asked to support less than 40% of
the total cost associated with the education of their child. We offer a wide
range of payment options, and are flexible in meeting your financial needs.
(Yes, you can even pay by the week). Scholarships are available upon request.
Additional scholarship information will be sent in the fall registration packet.
Have Your Circumstances Changed?
If you are temporarily laid off or had a decreased income for any reason,
you can check to see if you are eligible for reduced or free meals.
Please contact Joni Crave with questions. cjcrave@wildblue.net All
information remains confidential.
Please let the office know if your employment information (i.e.: phone
numbers) or address has changed so that we can contact you in case of an
emergency.
Tiny Tots
Just a reminder that tiny tots meet on Thursday mornings in the St. Joe ’s
gym from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Bring your little one and get to know
some other parents in a fun atmosphere.
 Blue
Jays Basketball
Each week the upcoming games will be noted in the printed school newsletter.
Please come and support your Blue Jay teams.
FYI: Regarding Basketball
Participation in athletics, both as a player and as a spectator, is a
privilege that carries with it responsibilities to the parish, school
and team. Your cooperation will ensure that athletic events are a good
experience for all involved.
• We ask that all spectators refrain from
being on the court at half time and between games. We are concerned about
the safety of all, especially the younger children who can easily get
hurt with all of the activity on the court. The playing surface also
becomes dirty with the spectators who are wearing street shoes. We ask
your cooperation to ensure that only the athletes and coaches are using
the court.
• We also request that students/children
stay in the gym and supervised areas during events. This is both for
the safety of students as well as the security of our building.
These events are an opportunity for families to be
together and support one another. It is our expectation that the facilities
and their contents should be treated with respect. Proper parental supervision
will ensure that this happens.
Thank you for your full cooperation. Your help will
make these events enjoyable, safe and reflective of the mission of our
athletic opportunities which is to enhance and complement our educational
program.
Immunizations
Please make sure that the school has an up-to-date record of your child’s
shots. I will be working on the state report next week and all students
need to be compliant or provide a waiver if they have a religious, personal,
or health reason for not being immunized.
Ways You Can Help
Even if your schedule does not permit you to volunteer on site, we have
many ways that you can help. Read the insert about clipping UPC
codes from Campbell’s
products and other items you may turn in to school.
Piggly Wiggly Receipts.
Support your local, Lannoy's Piggly Wiggly... remember to "Shop
the Pig!"
Milk Moola. Caps or
bag tops from Kwik Trip milk and other Nature’s Touch drinks and
codes from their donut boxes.
Betty Crocker. Box
Tops for Education.
Kemps. Milk caps.
Aluminum Cans. There
are collection barrels on St. Joseph grounds. Joni and Chuck Crave generously
give their time to transport the cans to the recycling center.
Pick-n-Save. If you
shop in the Sun Prairie or Columbus stores, please use this code: 780100
Thanks to all of your clipping and cutting, St. Joes receives money,
gift cards, and premiums. Every little bit helps.
Pre-Pre School Playtime
Kim Jennings has arranged to have a playtime on Thursday mornings from
8:00 to 9:00a.m. in the gym for the pre-school siblings of our St.
Joe’s students. This activity is for the parent and child and will
begin on Thursday, Sept. 20th.
Mark Your Calendar
The St. Joseph School Organization will once again be holding our annual
Christmas tree and wreath sale. Now is the time to start reminding
family, friends, and neighbors of our upcoming event. We will begin
officially selling the first part of October; however it is never too
early to order your wreath. Watch your weekly school envelope for more
information.
Is Your Homework Done?
Each student in grades 1-6 has been given an assignment notebook. Please
take a moment each night to check and sign your child’s assignment
notebook. It can be a nice bonding experience.
Traffic Flow
Please do not park in front of the school doors. That area is only meant
to be a drop-off point. If you need to come into the building or visit
with another parent, please park in one of the designated parking spaces.
This will allow the traffic to flow in a timely manner and protect
the safety of our children.
Dress Code
A gentle reminder that shorts are not appropriate for Friday Mass. Students
are more than welcome to change after Mass. One of the reasons we have
this rule is to teach the children that Mass is indeed special, and
we need to dress up.
Contact Information
Whenever we have a run of sick children at school, and in trying to contact
some of our parents, we often find that the contact information we
have on file is no longer current. If your information has changed
since the beginning of the school year, please call the office to update
it. Your assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated.
Food Allergy
If your child has a food allergy, it is important that you fill out the
form that was sent home (with registration materials) in the hot lunch
packet pertaining to food allergies. This form needs to be signed by
a medical professional. In order for the kitchen staff to make
adjustments, they need to have this form. If you have not done so,
please get this form back to us A.S.A.P.
Meal Fees
If you would like to set up this payment as an automatic bank withdrawal,
please contact Robin Bergan at 478-4066 or via email.
Lunch Time Planning
If your child eats a cold lunch at school, please be sure that it is
a cold lunch. We do not have facilities or staff to heat food from
home.
Lunchtime Supervisors
We are very fortunate to have several parents who volunteer to help with
our lunchtime supervision, and we have come to depend on and appreciate
their help. There are times, however, when schedules change and things
just come up and our “regulars” cannot be here. We are
in need of a parent or two who is willing to be a substitute for our “regulars.” If
you would like to help on a substitute basis, please contact Jackie:
• Phone: 478-3221 or E-mail: stjoes@charter.net.
A Note From the Library
A reminder to all families that library books are due back each
week. This is especially true when it comes to our selection of holiday/picture
books. Please return them in a timely manner so everyone has a chance
to enjoy them. Thank you.
Meeting with Your Child’s
Classroom Teacher
For many of us, stopping to chat with our child’s classroom teacher
after school is a good way to briefly catch up. However, there are times
when more than just a brief exchange is needed. When these situations
occur, please contact your child’s teacher via email or by leaving
a message in the office, to request that a conference be scheduled.
Our teachers appreciate the opportunity to exchange
pleasantries with all of our parents, and they also need time at the
end of the day to begin setting up for the next day’s activities.
Please help them use their time wisely by scheduling specific times to
meet with them to discuss concerns, or ideas you may have.
Classroom Access
Please be aware that our classrooms and office are off-limits to visitors
after the building has been closed for the night. Our teachers and
administration use their classroom space for more than just accomplishing
their daily tasks. We keep student records, grade books, lesson plans
and other confidential items in and on our desks and in our classrooms.
We appreciate all the time and effort so many give
to make our school the community it is, but we also need to request that
when the school day is finished and the classrooms are shut-down for
the night that our privacy be respected.
Sign Out
A gentle reminder that students going to a friend ’s
house, or anywhere out of their usual routine, need to have a note, or
call school. A note in the morning is easily forgotten, so a phone
call will suffice. I once forgot to send a note for one of my
children, only to have her write her own. The note written in a
first grader’s hand, informing the teacher that she was to go to
a friend’s house was signed Mom instead of Mrs. Parsons. As
stated earlier, if the note is forgotten, a phone call will suffice.
Target Stores Take Charge
of EDUCATION
Our school is a designated school in the Target Take Charge of EDUCATION
program. This means if that you use your Target Visa or your Target Guest
Card, and specify St. Joe’s School, Target stores will donate a
percentage of the sale to our school. Thank you to those who already
participate!
If you’re a Target shopper, and if you have
a Target Visa or a Target Guest Card please consider specifying St. Joe’s
as a designated school in the Take Charge of EDUCATION program.
Pick 'n Save: Did You Know?
Pick ‘n Save will make a donation to St. Joe’s school if
shoppers use our code when they check out. If you are a Pick ‘n
Save shopper, please ask the store to assign the St. Joe’s code
to your shopper card. St. Joe’s code is #780100.
Office Depot Shopping Benefits
Office Depot provides a similar benefit. They will donate supplies to
the school based upon purchases made using the ID #70110748. If you
shop at Office Depot, please consider using this code when you check
out.
Campbell’s Back-to-School
Promotion – Double Label Values! As you collect labels,
please pay special attention to labels from the following products
as they are worth 5 Labels each.
• Campbell’s Condensed
Soups: Meatball Goldfish
• Batman SpaghettiOs
• Dora the Explorer soups & Jimmy Neutron soups
Thank you for helping our school in so many ways!
Note (03/09/2007): When
you peel the labels off the can, we need the UPC code in readable
condition. We no longer need the fronts of the labels. Campbell’s
will no longer give credit if the UPC code is not sent in to them. Thank
you!
Piggly Wiggly Receipts
Thank you to all who save and donate their Piggly Wiggly receipts. "The
Pig" gives us gift cards that total .05% of their receipt total
before tax. Please send receipts in your weekly envelope or put in the
box at the back of church.
Note: Please send in any “ Box
Tops for Education” found on General Mills products. We do not
need the “point’s coupons.”
Kemp's Milk Caps
Please save your Kemp’s milk caps and bring them into school. Kemps
will pay 5 cents for each cap sent in to them by our school. We appreciate
all the labels, box tops and receipts that our parents save for the school.
Thank you!
Dressing for Winter/Early Spring Weather
It’s happened. Cold weather has arrived. Students should wear warm
coats, hats and mittens/gloves to school daily. Please be sure your child’s
name is written inside all outerwear.
As our weather patterns have been confusing for weather
forecasters, so they have been for our students. Knowing exactly what
they will need to wear outside for optimum play has been a daily question.
To clarify for all of us the following strategy will be in effect until
warm spring breezes blow and everything has dried up.
• Snow Covered Ground: To enjoy the snow and the playground areas
(including playground equipment, and tether ball) students must wear
boots AND snowpants, Students without proper clothing will be required
to stay in areas that have been cleared of snow.
• Cold but No Snow: To enjoy the playground areas (including playground
equipment, and tether ball) students must wear boots. Students without
proper clothing will be required to stay on the blacktop.
• Remember: Students go outside for recess every day, unless the
temperature is below 0 or it is raining. Coats, hats, mittens/gloves
are needed EVERYDAY!
Everyone goes outside, unless they are working with
a teacher. Everyone wears boots and snow pants with their winter wear
(jackets, hats and mittens). Students who do not have boots are to stay
on the sidewalk by the front door.
Indoor gym: for the safety of all, half the gym can
be a play area for the smaller children and the other half used for basketball.
Report to Parents: School Anxiety
Every child has days when he/she doesn’t want to go to school.
Children suffering from school anxiety, however, feel that they can’t
go to school. Fortunately, only about two percent of school-age children
develop school anxiety, and virtually all of them can learn to overcome
it with the help of parents, teachers, and counselors.
What causes school anxiety? There
are a variety of reasons why a child may feel he/she can’t go to
school. The most common are the fear of being bullied, test or performance
anxiety, and social isolation from classmates.
How is school anxiety treated? It’s
important that parents and teachers work together to identify what is
prompting the school stress. Once the cause is identified, work can begin
to find a solution. Usually that means helping a child feel more secure,
along with behavior management techniques to teach him or her how to
handle difficult situations. Rarely is it necessary to change the child’s
teacher or school.
What should we tell the child? There
are three really important points to get across to a child who is experiencing
school anxiety:
1. All children must go to school, by law. Staying
home is not an option.
2. Their family, teachers, and counselors will work with them to address
any of the reasons why they feel they cannot attend school. But the child
has to work on it as well.
3. Their family loves them, their school respects them, and everyone
understands that they are feeling stressed.
The best path to overcoming school anxiety is recognizing
the problem early, working with the teachers and counselors to identify
the reasons for avoiding school, and developing a plan of action to help
the child overcome it.
Field Trips and Chaperones
As teachers begin planning for field trips, we want to express our thanks
to the parents who volunteer to drive and chaperone. When you volunteer
to chaperone an event, please be aware that for liability purposes,
field trips are limited to chaperones, teachers and the students for
whom the trip has been scheduled.
Parking Lot Reminder
We request that no vehicles enter or leave the parking lot during
recess times:
10 – 10:15, 12:10 – 12:30, 2-
2:15
Your help in keeping our playground area safe is appreciated.
Are Your Child’s Records
Accurate?
At the beginning of each school year parents are asked to complete an
information form containing contact information for parents. If your
place of employment has changed, your family has a new address or phone
number, you have changed babysitters, or other information has been revised,
please let the school office know. In an emergency, we rely on this information
to make contact with the appropriate people, if it is not accurate we
can not care for your child in an effective manner. Thank you.
Arrival at School
Parents and students are reminded that children are not to arrive at
school prior to 7:45 a.m. There is NO supervision before that time.
Students are allowed into the building at 7:50 a.m.
Transportation Arrangements
Please let us know when plans change
Parents, recently there have been a large number of transportation changes
for our children. If your child's regular routine changes, if they are
going to ride the bus to a friend's house, if you or someone else is
picking them up, we need to know in advance. A phone call or, preferably,
a note from you will save all of us some worry.
As a matter of safety, we cannot accept the "Oh,
I'm going home with so-and-so," from our students. If we have not
heard directly from you, we will have no choice but to send your child
home in his/her usual manner. If they are usually a bus student, we will
send them home on the bus.
Advance notice of transportation changes is also
a courtesy for the bus services. Last week Marshall sent a bus to St.
Joe's for a pick up and we had no riders... If we had known of our students'
change in plans we could have notified Marshall in advance.
Please help us take care of your children's transportation
needs. Send us a note in the morning or just give a quick phone call
during the day, so we can be sure your child arrives at the correct destination
in the evening. Thank you for your cooperation.
Great Tunes!
Spread the word about OmegaRock—the
new Catholic web-radio station now broadcasting  for
college and high school students. The format includes pop-rock Christian
music, faith and moral scenarios, and talks that will move your mind
and soul.
Log on to www.omegarock.com and
listen to the station with Windows
Media Player |
