This Week at St Joes - November 16, 2020

St Joseph High School - A Catholic College Preparatory Community

Dear Friends,

Good morning and Happy Monday. I hope that your family enjoyed a wonderful weekend. Recently, my private thoughts have been consumed by the concepts of gratitude and kindness – being more thankful for God’s many blessings and properly expressing appreciation for the human decency of others.

As a society, we naturally tend to be more outwardly thankful and compassionate during the holiday season, however, I have the unique privilege of witnessing human decency and genuine goodness each and every day at St Joseph High School. First and foremost, I could not be more proud of our students for their grace and maturity in handling the unique challenges and disappointments associated with COVID-19 – they are truly amazing. Also, my SJ teammates have lovingly stepped forward to support each other and our students, especially over the past month. And you, our SJ families, for trusting, supporting and partnering with us to ensure that we remain unified and demonstrate to the students that Cadets Carry On and as a school community – we are always stronger together! Please know that we appreciate you!

I wish each of you a happy and fulfilling week ahead. May God bless your family and keep you safe.

With Respect and Gratitude,

David J. Klein

President

Maroon & Gold Gala - Reservation Deadline Extended!

Jocelyn Maminta - Maroon & Gold Gala 2020

Reserve your spot by Wednesday for our our Maroon & Gold Gala this Saturday, November 21 at 6:30PM! Featuring event host, Jocelyn Maminta, this year's Gala will have both live and pre-recorded segments. You will be able to view the event from home while simultaneously bidding on auction items through our mobile platform!

Each reservation includes a Gala Gift Box for two and all proceeds will benefit the St Joseph High School Scholarship & Tuition Relief Funds.

Click Here to Reserve Your Seat Today!

Upcoming Events

On Friday, November 13, President Klein sent an email to all families regarding St Joe's switch to virtual learning From November 16 - November 24.

This period of virtual learning will allow us to deliver our academic and student involvement programming without compromising the safety and health of our community.

We will communicate transparently and often as we monitor our internal staffing metrics and the state and local infection rates as we prepare to return to our hybrid learning model beginning Monday, November 30.

Senior Homecoming Flowers Donated to a Great Organization

Our Homecoming celebration for the Class of 2021 unfortunately had to be postponed. The Senior Class wanted to bring some joy to others, so we had the individual flowers purchased for the celebration turned into beautiful bouquets of Maroon & Gold that we could donate to others. The floral arrangements were delivered to Spring Meadows Trumbull Retirement Community and Lord Chamberlain in Stratford. Lord Chamberlain was taken aback by the thoughtfulness of the Class of 2021 and said the flowers would bring sunshine to their residents. We were greeted at Spring Meadows by alumnus George Dewey Jr '89, who mentioned the delivery brought back memories of his days at SJ.

Wreath Sale Extended: Order by November 27!

This holiday season, support the Parent Association with the purchase of a holiday balsam wreath! Wreaths are 22" in diameter and $20 each. Wreath pickup will be after school on December 3 & December 4!

About PA: Every parent at St Joes is a part of the PA -- an energetic group, who in conjunction with the staff, and administration, work hard for the benefit of the students and school community.

Learn More

Thanksgiving Travel Advisories

In observance of Thanksgiving, there are no classes scheduled November 25-November 29. If you plan to travel during the holiday weekend, we urge everyone to be aware of CT's travel restrictions and quarantine protocols. Anyone traveling into CT from a state or country listed on the Travel Advisory List must self-quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of last contact within that state. Please note, the CT Travel Advisory list is ever-changing, therefore we recommend you check the list regularly surrounding the dates of your planned travel. You can view the list of affected states here. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our school Nurse, Mrs Miller at (203) 378-9378 x307.

Support St Joes While Holiday Shopping on Amazon!

AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support St Joseph High School every time you make a purchase, at no cost to you.

Just visit smile.amazon.com (it can also be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones) and choose St Joes as your charity.

As you make your purchases, St Joes receives a donation from Amazon -- at no cost to you!

Click to Get Started

Successful Book Signing for Coach Vito M Montelli!

Last Saturday, November 14, SJ's legendary Coach Vito Montelli returned to the court that he called home for decades to sign copies of his new book, “God, Family and Basketball”. Although he was behind plexiglass and a maroon & gold mask, that didn’t stop Coach from passing along words of wisdom to alumni, former players, friends and fans alike. “Love God and your family” was his message, along with laughter and good spirits filling the gym as many remembered so many victories won on the court. Want to buy a copy? You can email godfamilyandbasketball@gmail.com or check out the facebook page here.

You Can Continue to Donate to Our Season of Giving!

Thanks to all who have donated so far to our Season of Giving campaigns! We're currently in the second stage - which asks everyone to donate non-perishable food items for the Blessed Sacrament Food Pantry.

At this time, since our students cannot bring items to the school, we ask all families to make their donations directly to Blessed Sacrament anytime between now and Weds, Nov 25. Alternatively, you may drop off food items on Sat, Nov 21 (10am-12pm) or Sun, Nov 22 (11am-12pm) at scheduled food drives.

Thank you for assisting the food pantry with their much needed items!