St Joseph High School - A Catholic College Preparatory Community
Dear Friends,

Good morning and Happy Monday. I hope that all is well with your family. We are looking forward to an exceptional week on Campus as we engage in important instruction and festivities leading up to Christmas break. That said, the student voices and laughter in the classrooms, hallways, and common spaces last week was absolutely invigorating and indicative of the social-emotional benefit of in-person education. To assist you with your Christmas week planning, let me take this opportunity to inform you of some important information for December 21-25, 2020.

  • Monday, December 21 – Gold Team Day & Festive Holiday Sweater Day for SJ Students & Adults
  • Tuesday, December 22 (Early Dismissal) – Maroon Day & Festive Holiday Sweater Day for SJ Students and Adults
  • Wednesday, December 23 – No School – Enjoy the Christmas Break!   

Have a wonderful week ahead and thank you for being so engaged and supportive during this challenging time. Our entire SJHS Team sincerely appreciates your partnership!

In Faith and Fellowship,

David J. Klein
President 
Last Day to Sign Up for SJ's Gingerbread House Contest!
On Thursday, December 17 at 6:30pm, we invite all students to join us for a virtual Gingerbread House Contest! Whether you use a store-bought gingerbread kit or simply some graham crackers with frosting, we want to see your decorating skills! All participants will virtually build their houses together and afterward, vote for their favorite designs. Prizes will be awarded for the best design per class and the best design overall. Click here to view a tutorial on building gingerbread houses.
December 15
Pizza & Prayer

December 16
Junior Parent College Webinar

December 17
Gingerbread House Contest (Virtual)

December 24 - January 1
Christmas Vacation
(No Classes)

January 4
Classes Resume

Reminder: Mid-Terms Cancelled
In lieu of the exams, we will extend the end of the second quarter from Jan 8 to Jan 15.
Pope Francis Declares 2021 the Year of Saint Joseph
2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the Church’s declaration of Saint Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church. In honor of this anniversary, Pope Francis, has declared 2021 as the Year dedicated to Saint Joseph.

During the course of this year, special graces and indulgences are granted by calling on the intercession of Saint Joseph as a way to both celebrate Saint Joseph but also "to perpetuate the entrustment of the whole Church to the powerful patronage of the Custodian of Jesus.” Click here to read more.
St Joe's Bookstore Giveaway Contest
Throughout the month of December, St Joes will be giving away a $25 bookstore credit to one randomly chosen student each day!

We'll post the week's winners each Friday on Facebook and the following Monday in this newsletter.

Congratulations to our second set of winners: Robert Sluga; John Dye; Rosanna Alibrandi; Sam Kimmel; and Vanessa Cruz! Be sure to reach out to Mrs Russell in the Media Center when you'd like to redeem your credit!
St Joe's Virtual Tree Lighting!
Yesterday, all students and parents should have received an email inviting you to watch our Virtual Tree Lighting at St Joes!

Many thanks to Student Council, SJTV, and Father Silva for continuing a great St Joes tradition! Click the video above in case you missed it!
Volunteer Oppportunity with Nutmeg Games!
From Dec 27-29 and Jan 1-3, the 8th Annual Nutmeg Holiday Basketball Festival will take place in Middletown, CT.

88+ boys and girls travel teams in the 4th through 8th grades will battle it out on the court to be crowned Tournament Champions.

Volunteers are needed as score-keepers and clock operators.
Pizza & Prayer: Tomorrow, Dec 15
The next Pop-Tarts & Prayer event will take place on Tuesday, December 15 from 5:30pm-7:00pm. The event will be held in-person at St Pius X. Church in Fairfield.

The speaker will be Lauren Pleszko '21 who will be speaking on “Why Traditions Are Important”. All are welcome, but interested students should sign up via the link below. All attendees will earn 1 service hour.

For those who'd like to attend virtually:
Cadet Spotlight! Amanda Romano '22 Performs as the Snow Queen!
On Saturday, December 12, Amandra Romano '22 performed in a Live Stream of The Nutcracker!

Amanda performed as the Snow Queen in this production by the Academy of New England Ballet Company! Way to go, Amanda!
Season of Giving Continues Until December 21!
Thanks to all who have donated to our Season of Giving! So far, we have stocked the food pantries at Mercy Learning Center and Blessed Sacrament!
 
We're currently in our final phase of our Season of Giving and will be collecting bedtime bags for children and blessing bags for the homeless until December 21! All donations will go toward Blessed Sacrament and Bridgeport Rescue Mission!
Join the Amaranth Club!
Anyone interested in being a part SJ's Literary and Arts Magazine, Amaranth, is welcome to join their first information meeting on January 8 in room 209 (or virtually by joining the
Google Classroom (tqx6c5).    

This year's theme will be Resilience and submissions are welcome from students, faculty, and staff. Submissions may include everything from creative writing (short stories, poetry, essays, op-eds) and Art (photography, paintings, sketches, cartoons, pottery, etc)
Student Spotlight: Ava Argento '23 Designs St Joe's Christmas Card!
Many thanks to Ava Argento '23, who designed this year's St Joseph High School Christmas Card!

Ava is a sophomore from Seymour, CT. She came to St Joes from Fraser Woods Montessori school. Ava primarily works with pencil sketches, but has recently started working with watercolor art as well. She has competed in, and won, the Saint Joseph depiction contest and the amaranth contest. Ava hopes to be able to compete in more art contests in the future, and greatly enjoyed working on this year’s Christmas card.
Club Meeting Times & Activities This Month!
All December long, there are a number of club meetings and activities going on!

From Movie Parties to Trivia Games to Italian Christmas Carols there are a number of ways to be involved! Students are welcome to join a Club at any time. Simply reach out to the Moderator for more information or click the link below!
College Counseling Webinar for Junior Parents on December 16
On Wednesday, December 16 from 6:30pm-7:30pm, the College & School Counseling Office invites all juniors and their parents to a College Planning Webinar.

The two guest presenters will be:
  • Jennifer Flores, Associate Director of Admission, College of the Holy Cross
  • Chris Flores, Associate Director of Admission, Tufts University

As we begin the College Planning process for the Class of 2022, please join us and learn from our two guest speakers. The College & School Counseling staff will give an overview of the college process followed by a question and answer session.

Meeting ID: 717 6697 0315
Passcode: ektF8k
Student Academic Center Hours
The Student Academic Center is available in room 209:
  • M-Th 2:25pm-2:55pm
  • T & Th 7:15am.
  • Virtually on Weds 2:25-3:00pm.
  • Email Mrs. Conetta to schedule a virtual appointment with an NHS tutor.

The SAC will be hosting a workshop, “Making the Most of Your Day During Uncertain Times” on Tuesday, 12/15. This workshop will focus positive, realistic organizational hacks that will help you make the most of your time.

To join this workshop virtually, use the SAC classroom code h46jmzf and click the Meets Permalink to join. All are welcome.
NCAA Signing/Commitment Day Moved to Thursday, January 21
The athletic department will be hosting their NCAA Signing/Commitment Day on Thursday, January 21 (time TBD). This ceremony is to honor all our senior-athletes who have committed to play at the NCAA Div. I, II and III levels next year in college. The event has been moved so we can hopefully hold an in-person ceremony for our students and parents.

If you are a student-athlete and will be playing college athletics next year, please email Mr. Butler, Assistant Principal of Athletics at kbutler@sjcadets.org with your name, sport and college you will be attending so you receive all the details leading up to the event on January 21st. We can't wait to celebrate your achievements!
SJ Students, Parents, and Staff: Share Your Thoughts!
We are so proud of the way our students, faculty, staff, and parents have responded to our Hybrid Model. But we know that we can always improve.

If you feel so inclined, feel free to take a few minutes to visit the Come Home to Joe page and share your thoughts on how our Hybrid Model has been working.

We invite all parents and students, to share their feedback.
Cadet Spotlights! Student-Athletes Receive All-State Awards!
GameTime CT released the All-State awards and we are proud to share the great news about our Cadets!
  • For Girls Soccer, Maddie Fried was awarded First Team All-State and Player of the year. Also Mary Lundregan was awarded Second Team All-State.
  • For Boys Soccer, Manny Santos was listed as Honorable Mention.
Great work this season!!
Seniors: Share Your College Acceptances With Us!
Senior Cadets, you've worked so hard these past four years and we want to celebrate you!

As those acceptance letters begin to roll in, let us know all about it so that we can spread the news!

Be sure to update your SCOIR account with acceptances. If you have any questions, reach out to your counselor.
On the 8th Anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, we remember the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “May the God of consolation touch their hearts and ease their pain. During this Advent Season, let us dedicate ourselves more fervently to prayer and to acts of peace. Upon those affected by this tragedy, and upon each of you, I invoke God’s abundant blessings.” ~ 2012

We remember with purpose. We remember always.