Dear Parents-
We certainly hit the ground running since we returned from Easter break! At our school Mass on Friday, May 3, we celebrated as four members of the St. Joseph Catholic School Family were
Baptized, Confirmed, and received Holy Communion for the first time. We also celebrated with three additional members of our school community who were received into full communion with the Catholic Church. What a joyous day, and we felt so blessed as a community, to be together for this special event in the lives of our students. Please keep Sophia B.,
Lauren P., Sydney P., Nicolas W., Aiden M., Jordan Q., and Jonathan Q., in your prayers as the celebrate these important milestones in their faith journeys.
Congratulations and kudos to Mrs. Bilbo and her 8th grade literature students who celebrated their love of poetry at the
Splendid
Saints Coffee House
. The groovy scene was one of peace and love surrounded by lava and fiber optic lamps that complemented the beret wearing, dark clad participants! The students performed memorized classic poetry, or, some students performed their own original works. I was amazed at the depth of feeling in some of the original works, and the confidence each student had in his or her performance, ...and I had never seen a poem recited by a student standing on a teacher’s desk!! The Coffee House was a great event, and again, I congratulate all!
Last Friday, students enjoyed an afternoon with
Ray and Jannet Clark
, who reprised their performance form last January’s PTO meeting, this time designed for a K-4 target audience, and then again for the older 5-8 audience. Ray and Jannet are motivational speakers, who ground their message in faith, and help students focus on inner strength to overcome difficult circumstances. Students in both sessions were fully engaged and enjoyed the program. The message from the assembly was positive and empowering.
End of year testing
is in full swing. The last Scantron testing window opened Monday, May 6. Students will test on math, reading and language arts over the course of the next three weeks. The Spanish World Language exam was completed today, and the Algebra Exemption exam for students who took Algebra with Mrs. Jones, and who will attend a Catholic high school, is scheduled for Saturday, June 1. Mrs. Jones will provide details to the affected students. As is at the case at the end of every school year, there are many assessments that have to be completed. Please make sure students are in school, and on time each day. With only 26 school days to go, each one is very important!
Final reminder...
Elections for a new PTO Executive Board will be held tomorrow, May 8!! I hope to see you at the meeting, as we are blessed to have several parents who have volunteered to serve on the board, if elected.
Use this link to access the bios of our candidates. Doors open at 6:30, with light hors d'oeuvres and refreshments, provided by the teachers and staff, as a
thank you to all the volunteers, without whom we could not function.
And most importantly, I ask that you keep our second grade students in your prayers as they complete final preparations leading up to their
First Holy Communion
, on Saturday, May 11. Mrs. Carroll and Mrs. Moskowitz have done a wonderful job preparing students and Father Tom paid a special visit last week to meet with students and share the story of St. Imelda, the patron saint of first communicants!
As always, if you have any questions, please let me know.
Rejoice and Be Glad!
Denise Rutledge
Principal
