This Week at St Joes: Oct 8

St Joseph High School - A Catholic College Prep School

Walk-a-Thon is Next Tuesday: October 16!

Check out this Pep-Video Created by Abby Solomon '20

Parents & Students: We Need Your Help To Make Walk-a-thon 2018 a Great Success!

Students: Reach Your $100 Goal!

Incredible Raffle & Prizes!

Parents: Donate Baked Goods!

Fundraising is easier than ever! Bring donations to the main office, to homeroom on October 12 and 16, or donate online at www.bidpal.net/walkathon .

T-Shirts will be on sale for $5 this week. October 12 will be a dress-down day for those who purchase a shirt. We are grateful for Vazzy's for sponsoring our t-shirts this year!

Every student who raises $100 will receive a pair of

SJ Slides!

Students also receive one entry in the prize raffle for every $50 they raise –

prizes this year include a Nebula Projector,

Amazon Gift Card,

Tickets to Prom, School Dances, and more!

Help keep our students fueled up as they walk!

St Joes is looking for baked goods to share with our students as they walk their laps around the school.

Baked goods can be brought to the main office the morning of October 16. Thank you for your support!

Spirit Week Starts October 15!

Monday, Oct 15 - Mass
Tuesday, Oct 16 - Walk -A-Thon
Wednesday, Oct 17 - Red, White & Blue Day
Thursday, Oct 18 Color Wars
Friday, Oct 19 - Mass & Homecoming Day (Pink shirt and uniform bottom $2)
Saturday, Oct 20 - Homecoming

Discovering the Amistad: Peer Ministry Learns

About Social Justice

On Tuesday, October 3, Mr Smith’s Peer Ministry class participated in an exciting social justice program through Discovering Amistad.

Discovering Amistad is a non-profit educational organization that provides full-year programming on its ship, the Amistad, in classrooms and at historic sites of partner organizations. We are proud to partner with an organization that provides learning opportunities for students and adults to discover the relevance of the Amistad to today’s world. Read more about the trip on our website's news page!

SJ's First Freshman Retreat a Great Success!

On Friday, September 28, our Freshman Retreat was a great success! Peer Ministry seniors helped create a new retreat format that included a “keynote” reflection and small group sessions. Tripp Ryan '19 delivered a reflection on his image of God in a most genuine and thoughtful manner.

Our thanks to all of the faculty, staff, and students who supported this great event as well as Chris Rossetti '19 and Lindsay Gallagher '19 who ended with a prayer: “We ask you to come as you are and remind you that all are welcome at SJ”.

View photos of the Freshman Retreat on our Smug Mug page.

St Joes Hosts Dr Laura Trombley, President of the University of Bridgeport

Last week, St Joes hosted Dr Laura Trombley , the University of Bridgeport’s new President for a visit, along with Provost Stephen Healey and Board Chair, Attorney Robert Berchem.

In truth, most of the St Joes’ team were interested in meeting the renowned Mark Twain scholar now come to Samuel’s home state, but Dr Trombley had much to share about her new vision for the University and a wealth of new programs in Nursing, Physician Assistant, Computer Science, Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence. Dr Trombley laid out a practical, career oriented curriculum that is fiscally and professionally gratifying.

We explored potential dual enrollment courses, college level exchange experiences, and the Unoversity of Bridgeport's “Conversations” program intended to educate the college prep student to college pathways that ensure career readiness.

The Proof is in the People: New Faces at St Joes!

Robert Nayden

Theology Teacher

Cleave Hatton

Security Officer

A graduate of Fordham University, with a BA from Fordham University where he double-majored in Classics and Philosophy, Mr Nayden is currently a PhD candidate in Classics at Fordham University where he has worked as a teaching fellow for the past two years.

My Nayden spent his undergraduate years discerning the priesthood at St John Fisher Seminary in Stamford and also has considerable experience in Catholic youth ministry.

Together with his wife, Jess, he is a leader for St Thomas Aquinas Youth Ministry in Fairfield and has worked in adult faith formation both at the parish and diocesan levels.

If you visit St Joes in the afternoon, you may have noticed a new face at the front desk!

Cleave Hatton is one of our new security guards and has been with St Joes since September.

Mr Hatton was born and raised in Bridgeport and comes to St Joes after retiring as a State of Connecticut Corrections Officer, where he worked from 1998-2018.

In his spare time, Mr Hatton referees basketball in Fairfield and walks four miles a day! He lives with his wife; and has four children, 3 grandchildren, and 2 great-grand children!

2018-2019 Francis Xavier International Scholars Trips will be revealed on October 10!

Far from just a “travel” program, the goal of the St Joseph High School Francis Xavier International Scholars Program is to broaden student awareness of the global mission of the Church, while also helping them traverse, with confidence, the distances between culture, economics, religion, and geography .Click here to learn more!

If you have any questions about our Immersion Trips, please contact Maureen Anderson, manderson@sjcadets.org.

Thank You For Your Support:

Student Phone-a-thon a Great Success!

On October 2 and 3, our student callers dialed and dialed to raise funds for the St Joseph Fund Campaign, and what a job they did!

In two nights, students raised over $6,000 in committed pledges and connected with many of our SJ friends and family who agreed to send in a donation!

We extend a special thank you to Ross Bacarella ’80, Katie Bacarella ’06, Joe Bacarella ’09, and Brian Bacarella ’12 of BTX Global Logistics. Without their help and BTX phones to make our calls, we wouldn’t have been able to host this event. We are also grateful for Johnny Vazzano ’80 for providing dinner on both nights to our students. The food was delicious and truly appreciated!

Thank you to all our student callers, especially our winners for most funds raised and top callers: Jilliana Mutale, Jailyn McClean, Marcella Silberger, Al Paolozzi, Bianca Espaillat and Kevin Oko!

News from Guidance and College Counseling!

St Joe's College Fair - Rescheduled for Oct 23

Financial Aid Night

Oct 15

Upcoming College Fair

Schedule

Due to inclement weather, St Joe's college fair, originally scheduled for September 25, had to be cancelled.

We are happy to announce that the fair has been rescheduled for Tuesday, October 23rd from 7pm-8:30pm in our gymnasium.

More than 50 colleges and universities will be represented. All high school students are welcome. St Joes Juniors and Seniors are required to attend.

The more students and families plan ahead for college, the more smoothly those four years (or more!) will go.

The Office of College Counseling & Guidance

will host a Financial Aid Night on Wednesday, October 15 from 6:30pm-8:00pm in the auditorium.

There have been many changes to FAFSA recently and these will be covered by our staff. All are welcome!

Sacred Heart University

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

9:30am - 11:30am

William H. Pitt Health & Recreation Center

College & Vocational Fair

Monday, October 15, 2018

5pm - 8:30pm

Danbury Fair Mall

Danbury, CT

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

6:00pm - 8:00pm

Recreation Center

Get On Board Early:

Tuition Raffle & Yearbook Ads

Tickets for St Joseph High School's annual Tuition Raffle are now on sale!

Tickets are available in the Advancement Office and at all fall events! Tickets are $100 each and the $15,000 prize can be used toward tuition for any accredited K-12 School, college or university or to pay off student loans. Only 500 tickets will be sold!

Contact dhandwerker@sjcadets.org for more information.

St Joes' yearbook is an award winning publication that is staffed primarily by SJ students. P arents: this is the perfect time for you to purchase an Ad for your Grad!

To place an Ad, click here. Or call 1-800-358-0800 (for questions or assistance).

To order a yearbook, click here . Or call 1-877-767-5217 to order by phone. Seniors do not have to purchase a yearbook.

Librarian Recommended: Book of the Week!

The Second Life of Ava Rivers by Faith Gardner

Vera Rivers' life is split in two: before her twin sister Ava disappeared twelve years ago and after.

Now, at eighteen, Vera is counting down the days until she starts her new life at college in Portland, OR, far away from the dark cloud she and her family have lived under for twelve years. But all that changes when a girl shows up at the local hospital.

Her name is Ava Rivers and she wants to go home.

Ava's return begins to mend the fractures in the Rivers family. Vera and Ava's estranged older brother returns. Vera reconnects with Max, the sweet, artistic boy from her childhood. Their parents smile again. But the questions remain: Where was Ava all these years? And who is she now?

Powerful and gripping, The Second Life of Ava Rivers is equal parts thriller, mystery, and haunting meditation on grief, family, and forgiveness.

Parents: Volunteer Opportunity During Homecoming!

We are in need of 10 volunteers to serve food at the Homecoming Dance on Saturday, October 20 from 7:00pm-10:00pm. Please be assured that volunteers will not be chaperoning. The dance takes place in the gym and volunteers will serve food in the cafeteria.

Please contact Dawn Handwerker, dhandwerker@sjcadets.org, if you are able to help. All volunteers must be VIRTUS trained.

Share the News:

SJHS Open House is Oct 14!

St Joe's Open House is unlike any other! This event is open to all prospective students (5th grade and above) and their families. Pass on the invitation! Click here to register today!