10/12/2018 Newsletter

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From the Principal's Desk...

Parents and guardians,

We are already half way through the first quarter and progress reports are available online for parent viewing. We will not be printing paper copies of the reports.

With increased enrollment and more participation in the after care program we want to keep students safe, particularly at pick up. Please have all people that will be picking up your child recorded in the office. If it is a new request or just a one time pick up, please be prepared for teachers to ask for identification. If teachers are in doubt, they will bring the student to the office for verification.

Students in grades 3-7 will begin testing in ELA, Reading, Math and Science within the next few weeks. These tests are computerized and will give us immediate results. We will then test again in January to see if there is academic progress, and then finally in March. This will give us a view of academic growth, it will help us begin to review and revise our curriculum instruction to continue academic excellence.

Many high schools have already begun to visit our eighth grade students to learn about their schools so that the students can make an educated decision on where they will attend for their freshman year. Schools that have visited so far are Marianapolis Preparatory School, Putnam Science Academy, Holy Name High School, and Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School. Scheduled at a later time are: St. Mary's High School of Worcester and St. John's of Shrewsbury. We are awaiting confirmation on our tour Nichols College. This is always a great opportunity to expose students to a college campus and have them think of their future goals.

Sincerely,

Michael Hackenson M.Ed.

Principal

Sr. Mary Valenta Akalski

Retired Religious Award

This coming Sunday, October 14th at 10:15am Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul, Bishop McManus will recognize Sr. Mary Valenta Akalski posthumously, when he presents her the Retired Religious Award. The Cathedral of St. Paul is located at 38 High Street, Worcester, MA. It would mean so much to Sr. Jeanne if St. Joseph School students and faculty attend the Mass and support her at this special event. Students are asked to wear their formal uniforms.

Scholarship

We are most grateful to the many school families and the kindergarten class of 2018 who offered generous donations in memory of Sister Mary Valenta. According to Sr. Jeanne’s wish, these donations will be used to establish the Scholarship Fund for eighth grade students who will be enrolling in Catholic high schools. To date, we collected $4,085 in the Scholarship Fund.

It is our wish and hope that this will become an annual scholarship in Sister Valenta’s memory. Therefore, if you would like to make a donation in support of this scholarship, you may send it at any time. The check should be made out to St. Joseph School Scholarship Fund with Sr. Valenta’s Scholarship on a memo line. This new scholarship will replace the Msgr. Anthony Czarnecki’s scholarship which had been awarded to students enrolling in the Catholic high schools. We are grateful to Msgr. Tony who for over 10 years financed this scholarship with his annual donation of $1,000 or more. This annual donation, which was divided evenly among the students, was very much appreciated by the families in their pursuit of strengthening their children’s faith by enrolling them in Catholic high schools. We prayerfully ask that you consider donating to this worthy cause in memory of Sr. Valenta so that more graduates of St. Joseph School could continue education in a Catholic high school. May God reward your generous heart with many blessings.

Bingo at St. Joseph: Help Needed

Bingo at St. Joseph School has been temporarily suspended so we can upgrade our equipment and transition into the new Parish Center. We are also looking for "teams" of parents who are willing to manage the event. Our goal is to have enough "teams" of volunteers so that you only volunteer a few hours every 4-6 weeks.

For the past several years, Bingo has generated significant funds for the school. By creating "teams," our goal is to continue this support while minimizing the time required to oversee the weekly program. Up until now, Sheri Bergeron and her husband Rudy have coordinated the bingo every Friday night . However, they are unable to do so anymore. We are extremely grateful for their hard work and dedication, and wish them well!

A Bingo planning meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, October 24th at 6:30 PM at the Rectory. Please email bboudreau@sjs-webster.com if you are interested in getting involved by coordinating or participating on a "team."

St. Joseph School Athletics

The 19 ^th Annual St. Joseph School Golf Tournament was held on Saturday, September 29 ^th at Dudley Hill Golf Club. It was a beautiful day for golf and a great day for the St. Joseph School Athletic Program! Thanks to our generous sponsors, golfers, and volunteers, we raised over $8,000 for the program.

Sponsors: $ 1,000 Eagle Sponsor: Dollar & Baron Families; $500 Birdie Sponsors: J.J. Bafaro, Inc. and LMT Oil, Inc.; $250 Hole Sponsors: D. Mason Paving, Lauring Construction, Harr Jeep, Marlene A. Proulx in Memory of “Coach Reggie,” Ripple Effect Insurance, Inc., CBS-A Xerox Company, and The Knights of Columbus Council #12980; $100 Program Sponsors: The Dery Family, Putnam Vision Center, Curt Avery from B&D Supply, S. Bell Exterior Remodeling, Woodstock Building Associates, Monsignor Anthony Czarnecki, Linda Cieszynski, L&M Marble and Granite, C. Richard Piasecki, CPA, St. Joseph Women’s Club, Diane & Noel Levesque, Harrell’s, Dr. John Kalinowski, Pete’s Tire and Oil, Natalie M. Stanley DMD, RPM Heating, Websterfive, PAV, and Pizza Chef.

Winners: 1 ^st Place – Scott & Paul Konieczny, Justin Brezenski, and Ben Schmidt; 2 ^nd Place – Jamie & Greg Duval, Michael Hackenson, and David Daneault; 3 ^rd Place – Scott Provost, Kurt Bussiere, David DiDonato, & John Regele; Longest Drive: Ben Schmidt; Closest to the Pin: Paul Lango; and, Closest to the Line: Mark Lempicki

The event concluded with a Pig Roast Dinner at the PAV. Thank you to Eddie Rosario who prepared the pig and Stephen Soltys who prepared the side dishes. The food was delicious! We’d also like to thank everyone who donated raffle items: The Sullivan and Edwards Families, The Boudreau Family, McGee Toyota of Dudley, Virginia Woznicki, The Hester Family, Mr. & Mrs. Richard Parslow, Christell Gonsorcik LMT, Raceway Golf Club & Restaurant, Eddie Rosario, Paul Lango, Dudley Hill Golf Club, Worldwide Golf Shops, The Cieszynski Family, and the St. Joseph School Faculty.

The 19 ^th Annual St. Joseph School Golf Tournament Committee included Beth Boudreau – Chairperson; Michael Hackenson, Coach Al Cieszynski, and Coach Eddie Rosario – Committee Members. In addition, we’d like to thank Coach Yolanda Walker and Joey Boudreau who assisted with registration, as well as Sr. Jeanne Marie Akalski, Sr. Mary Ann Papiez, and Tara Edwards who assisted with raffle sales.

If was a great effort by all!

Thank you for supporting the St. Joseph School Athletics Program.

Soccer

Although our soccer teams have had some tough games, the sportsmanship and school spirit exhibited by our students has been incredible. Thank you to Coach Strong and Coach "Yo" Walker for your dedication to our students.

We will be taking team pictures and playing a student vs parent game on Tuesday October 16th. The schedule is below. All St. Joseph School students and families welcome to come and watch the fun, as well as attend the final game of the season on October 18th.

October 16th Schedule

JV pictures - 3:00pm

Varsity picture - 3:15pm

Parents vs Students - 3:30pm

A complete practice and game schedule may be found HERE .

Home and School Association News

Gift Card Calendar drawings are underway, but it's not too late to get in on the fun! Students and families are asked to sell gift card calendars for $10 dollars each. Checks should be make payable to the St. Joseph School HSA. Cash and checks should be returned to the school along with raffle entries in an envelope clearly marked "Gift Card Calendar." For extra calendars, please click HERE .

Videos of the drawings are posted on Facebook and the school website. Please click HERE for a full list of winners. Email HSA@sjs-webster.com with questions. Thank you for your continued support!

Spooktakular Halloween Party

The St. Joseph School Spooktakular Halloween Party is scheduled for Sunday, October 28th from 2:00pm to 4:00pm and it's one event that you don't want to miss! Come and check out the Haunted House, Games, Crafts, Music, and Bake Sale! Costumes are optional. It's also a fun way to earn service hours!!

Contact Kareen Powaza or Tara Edwards with questions or to volunteer.

Candy donations for the event are now being accepted in the office.

Dress Code & School Photos

This is a reminder that starting November 1st, Cold Weather Uniforms MUST be worn. Please refer to our Parent/Student Handbook or contact the school office with any questions.

Student Photos: Individual and Group

Casson-Foster will be at the school on October 23rd & 24th for individual and group photos. Please note that the Formal School Uniform MUST be worn for all photos this year. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Please refer to our Parent/Student Handbook or contact the school office with any questions.

LEGO Robotics Competition Team:

Bottle & Can Drive

The St. Joseph School LEGO Robotics Competition Team will be holding their Annual Bottle & Can Drive on Friday, October 26th. Please consider donating your carbonated soft drink, beer, malt beverage and sparkling water containers that may be redeemed for their five-cent deposit.

Team members will be collecting your donations at drop-off.

Thank you for your support!

Pre-K through Grade 3 Students:

Shake, Shimmy, & Dance with Miss. Sampaio

Students in grades Pre-K through Grade 3 are invited to shake, shimmy, and join Dance Club with Ms. Sampaio. Ms. Sampaio is a certified K-8 Dance Educator who is so excited to share her passion and love of dance with your kiddos!Your child will learn the basic technical skills of various dance styles. Students will learn choreographed combinations as well as improvisational skills. She will focus on lots of creative movement, but most of all having fun!

Session 1: October 23rd - December 14th

Age Group 1 - PreK-1st Grade - Tuesday's 2:30-3:30 starting October 23rd

Age Group 2 - 2nd - 3rd Grade - Thursday's 2:30-3:30 starting October 25th

$10 per session

Please complete the permission slip and return with payment no later than October 19th. Click HERE for the form.

Candlelight Procession

October 13th is the final service of the year honoring Our Lady of Fatima. We kindly request that the Children of Mary take part in this beautiful tribute to our Lady wearing their distinctive dress as they carry the statue of our Blessed Mother. We ask all the faithful to join our school children, members of the parish organizations & ministries, and altar servers in praying the rosary at 7:00PM in the Basilica.