A Message from Mr. Hackenson
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Dear Parents,
The first of several Advent Services will take place at the 9:30 a.m. Family Mass, this Sunday, December 3rd. Please join our 7th Grade Class as they assemble the Advent Wreath.
In addition, the Christmas Pageant, which is another one of St. Joseph School's wonderful traditions, is quickly approaching! As you plan your holiday festivities, please remember the following:
- ALL students are expected to participate in the event. Our students have worked very hard on their music to prepare for the concert. Please allow them the opportunity to show-off their accomplishments by having them attend.
- Students are to dress in their "Christmas Best." Please remember our dress code with respect to the length of dresses/skirts. Uniform skirt length, which is no more than 3 inches above the knee, is encouraged. Also, jeans (tight, ripped, etc.) and sweatshirts are not allowed. (Please refer to our the 2017 - 2018 PARENT - STUDENT HANDBOOK where jumper, skirt and skort length was recently clarified in the 11/29/2017 revisions.)
- Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased in the school office! Adults are $8. Children and seniors are $5 (No ticket is needed for SJS students.)
- Please return the PERMISSION SLIP so we can plan accordingly.
This is a wonderful and exciting time of year for our students. So that events and activities go smoothly, please check-out the service hour opportunities listed below. We cannot offer our students opportunities such as the Santa Shop, Christmas Tree Lighting, and Holiday Feast without the support of our parents. Volunteering will bring a smile to the students' faces as well as yours. Plus, you will be having fun while you complete your service hour requirements.
Finally, please take a few minutes to review this newsletter. There is a lot of information! We don't want you or your child(ren) to miss out on the opportunity to come together as a Parish and School Community and celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And, be sure to check-out the final drawing in our Gift Card Calendar fundraiser and the picture of our altar servers at the bottom of the newsletter. Congratulations students!
Happy Holidays,
Principal
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Square 1 Art orders for Pre-K through Grade 5 students are due by
November 30th
There are two ways to order: online or by phone.
Please refer to your
individualized
order form for more details.
Celebrate you child's achievements with cherished keepsakes and gifts.
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No School
Friday, December 3rd
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Thursday afternoon rehearsals from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. will continue as scheduled. All members of the choir should plan on attending. Choir members are also needed to perform at the upcoming Advent Masses and the 9:30 a.m. Family Mass on Christmas Day. (Dates are as follows: 12/3, 12/9, 12/17, and 12/25)
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Photo Retakes:
Orders Due
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If your child had photo retakes, place submit your Casson-Foster order form to the school by Monday December 4th. Late orders will incur a $5 fee and will need to be returned directly to Casson-Foster Photography.
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The winter athletic season kicks-off this Saturday! Our intramural team plays Trinity Catholic Academy at 10:00 a.m. at the St. Louis Gym. Later that day, our JV girls and boys, as well as our varsity girls and boys travel to Southbridge to also battle Trinity Catholic Academy. Tip-off is 2:00 p.m. We hope you can be there to support our teams!
Additional intramural practices have been scheduled on Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday practices will remain the same. The Thursday intramural practices will take place at 1 Stop Basketball, 24A Town Forest Road, Webster, MA 01570.
Practice and games schedules are posted on the school
CALENDAR.
Click
HERE
for a printable version of the game schedule. Click
HERE
for a printable version of the practice schedule.
GO EAGLES!
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Our three LEGO Robotics teams will be competing in the Worcester Qualifying event on Sunday, December 3rd. This year's challenge topic is Hydrodynamics. Good luck teams!
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Santa's Mailbox has Arrived!
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Santa is waiting for your child's letter. Please use this
TEMPLATE
and help your child write his/her letter to Santa. Return it to the school by Friday, December 8th so it has plenty of time to make its way to the North Pole and back. All letters sent to Santa using this
TEMPLATE
will receive a personalized response.
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Once again, the St. Joseph School Student Council, in conjunction with the Webster Police Department, is sponsoring a winter coat drive. Collections begin Monday, December 4th. Donations of new hats, scarves, gloves, and mittens are also welcome. All donations will be distributed through the Webster Dudley Food Share. Thank you!
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December 3rd:
Advent Wreath Ceremony
Join our 7th Grade Class at 9:30 a.m. for Family Mass. We will celebrate the beginning of Advent by building an Advent Wreath.
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December 8th:
Holy Day of Obligation
Immaculate Conception
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SJS students in Grades 1 through 8 will be attending Mass on Friday, December 8th. Gym uniforms may be worn.
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December 9th: Second Sunday of Advent
Installation of Children of Mary & Annual Tree Lighting
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Join the St. Joseph Community at 4:00 p.m. vigil for the installation of the Children of Mary. Following Mass, we will hold our Annual Christmas Tree Lighting that will include a special visit from St. Nicholas. You will also have the opportunity to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate while you visit our Santa Shop.
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December 10th:
"A Play in a Manger"
& The Annual Christmas Pageant
- Join our Drama Club for their holiday presentation of "A Play in a Manger." The performance will be followed by our Annual Christmas Pageant. All St. Joseph Students participate. Tickets are on sale now in the school office. Remember, arrival times are as follows:
- Actors in the Drama Club Only - 1:00 p.m. in full hair and make-up. (No earlier)
- Pre-K & Kindergarten - Arrive at intermission at 2:30 p.m. or if your child would like to see the first half of the show, they are to sit with you in the audience until intermission. Report to the Band Room at intermission.
- Students in Grade 1 through 8 - 1:30 p.m. Report to your teacher in the auditorium.
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December 17th:
Third Sunday of Advent
Bambinelli Sunday
Blessing the Christ Child
Our children prepare for Jesus by bringing the Christ Child from their Nativity to 9:30 a.m. Mass for a special blessing. They will also receive straw for their creche.
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December 25th:
Christmas Family Mass & Holy Day of Obligation
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Please join the St. Joseph Community at 9:30 a.m. Family Mass as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Holiday Schedule: Enjoy Your Christmas Vacation
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December 22nd:
Early Dismissal for Christmas Break
(No aftercare or buses)
December 24th:
4th Sunday of Advent
December 25th:
Christmas Day - Holy Day of Obligation
January 1st
: Mary, Mother of God - Holy Day of Obligation
January 2nd:
Classes Resume
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Service Hour Opportunities
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We STILL have immediate needs for volunteers to help organize the uniform store, clean the teachers' lounge, and assist with serving our pre-school students lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 11 a.m. In addition, we need assistance prepping and serving the Christmas Feast on December 21st. If you're available to volunteer, please contact our School Secretary,
Mrs. Kohut
.
The Home and School Association also needs volunteers to donate baked goods for the Christmas Pageant on December 10th, as well as staff the raffle and food sales tables. Plus, volunteers are needed to help staff the Santa Shop during the school day from December 11th through December 14th, and assist with our
Letters to Santa
program. Pleases watch for more information. Please email the
HSA
if you can help.
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Support St. Joseph School!
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The second Boxtops for Education collection is underway. Our goal for this year is $1,000, and we have already earned $200 so far. Thank you!
To help meet our goal, there will be a contest to see which classroom can bring in the most Boxtops by the end of February. With the holidays, there will be lots of good cooking, baking and eating – and plenty of Boxtops to gather. Ask family members, friends and even co-workers to check packages and save their Boxtops for you. Then attach them to a
COLLECTION SHEET
or send them in envelopes or baggies. Have your child put them in the specially marked boxes in their classrooms.
The Boxtops will be counted and the classroom who brings in the most will receive a special treat. Thank you for supporting this challenge. It is an easy way to earn “free” money for St. Joseph School, and your participation is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, contact
Lisa Villa.
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SCRIP fundraising is a no-selling program that allows our families to raise money while they shop. Scrip is just another way to pay for everyday purchases using gift cards in place of cash, checks, and credit cards. The SCRIP Gift Card program is part of the St. Joseph School
Fair Share Program
and the profit from SCRIP Gift Card purchases will be applied to your
SJS Fundraising obligation
. We will be running the SCRIP Gift Card Program throughout the Christmas Season. Please click
HERE
for the Flyer outlining the program or visit
shopwithscrip.com
. Please click
HERE
for this week's order form, which is due on Monday, December 4th. New this year, there will be a $2 charge per an order to cover the cost of shipping. Please email the
H.S.A
. with questions.
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When you shop at Amazon Smile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to St. Joseph School. Be sure to click on the link
HERE
when you shop. You will also find the link on the bottom of our
W
ebpage
. For more information, click
HERE
.
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Congratulations to Our Newly Installed Altar Servers
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Fourteen St. Joseph School students were recently installed as altar servers at St. Joseph Basilica. For the past 10 weeks, these students participated in weekly training sessions with Associate Pastor, Rev. Grzegorz Chodkowski. Their hard work and dedication culminated this past Sunday, November 26th, when they received their cassocks, took their Pledge of Service, and were blessed by Rev. Msgr. Anthony Czarnecki.
Students include: Third grade – Leah Boudreau, Gabriela Pianka, and Natalie Smith; Fourth Grade – Andrew Bergeron, Gabriel Faria, Matthew Obrycki, Rocco Rudnicki, and Hannah Watson; Fifth Grade – Dale Boudreau, Evan Pomfret, and Grace Pomfret, Eighth Grade – Seth Boudreau, Antonia Peters, and Riley Peters.
Thank you for answering God's call to serve at His Holy Altar
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Gift Card Calendar Fundraiser
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We have concluded the daily drawings for our Gift Card Calendar Fundraiser. Thank you to all who worked to solicit donations, as well as the businesses and families who contributed. One again, a HUGE thank you to Jill Mello, mother of 4th Grade student Isabella Mello for organizing the fund raiser. Finally, congratulations to Faustina Kohut and Isabella Mello for having the highest Gift Card Calendar sales. Please view the final drawing below. You may also find the complete list of winners
HERE.
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Tickets are still available! Catch the Spirit of Christmas at the St. Joseph Basilica Dinner Dance on Saturday, December 2nd, at 6:30 p.m. at the PACC, 37 Harris St., Webster. Ticket donation is $35 pp. Tickets are available at the rectory.
This is a traditional celebration that takes place before the season of Advent. Everyone is invited. From past experience, these gatherings have been an entertaining evening of great food and music for your dancing and listening pleasure. You won't be disappointed!
All $$ raised is profit and will benefit the necessary upgrade to the church heating system.
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Don't forget to follow us!
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SAINT JOSEPH SCHOOL
47 Whitcomb Street
Webster, MA 01570
Phone: 508-943-0378
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