Eagle's Eye

August 11, 2022

Mission Statement

Mission Statement

St. Joseph Catholic School fosters a diverse community of disciples empowered through a rigorous and inclusive Catholic education rooted in Gospel values and service to others.

Mission Statement
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congratulations mrs. hengesbach

congratulations mrs. hengesbach

Mrs. Laura Hengesbach was recognized as our Distinguished Educator of the Year at the Diocesan Kick Off Day earlier this week! Mrs. Hengesbach teaches seventh and eighth grade math. Her passion for math, commitment to Catholic education, and great rapport with middle school students is evident and contagious. Mrs. Hengesbach serves on the Diocese of Orlando Math committee. We are fortunate to have her at St. Joseph! Congratulations Mrs. Hengesbach!
congratulations mrs. hengesbach
st teresa of calcutta award

st teresa of calcutta award

St. Teresa reminds us to do small things with great love! The love and generosity that our students showed through service projects last year was recognized by the Diocese of Orlando. St. Joseph Catholic School was awarded the St. Teresa of Calcutta Service Award earlier this week! This beautiful St. Teresa bust will adorn our office for the current school year. A plaque will also hang in our school common area.

We invite you to watch the video depicting the great love that our students shared with those in our community! Way to go Eagles!

st teresa of calcutta award
SJCS Service 2022

first day of school

Welcome Back Eagles! We had a great first couple days of school! It's going to be a fantastic school year!

tears and cheers reception

Your SJCS PTO invites YOU to our Tears and Cheers Reception on Friday, August 12 at 8am in the Parish Center! Whether you are celebrating that we are back to school or need to commiserate that the lazy days of summer are over (and that your baby is a year older), join us! This is a great opportunity to meet other parents, and we sincerely hope you will make plans to be there!
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picture day wednesday

This Wednesday, August 17th is School Picture Day! Order forms have been sent home with all students. You must preorder pictures using the order form and envelope provided. Please remember that all students in kindergarten through grade 8 wear WHITE MASS POLO shirts for picture day.

attendance policy

SJCS has a new attendance policy for the 2022-2023 school year. It's been in recent editions of the Eagles Eye and is in our Parent Student Handbook. All parents should expect their child t bring home a hard copy, if they haven't already, to be signed and returned to the school. Please watch for this document and send it back by Wednesday, August 17th.

parent orientation

There will be a series of Orientation Meetings for parents over the course of the next few weeks. It is very important that all parents attend the Orientation meeting that relates to their child(ren). These meetings are critical as we begin the year together. These meetings are for adults only; please do not bring children. Please read below carefully and make plans to attend Parent Orientation:


Tuesday, August 16: Orientation at 5:30pm for parents of any students interested in playing a sport at SJCS this year in the Parish Center.


Tuesday, August 16: Orientation at 6pm for parents of students in grades 5-8. It is very important that parents arrive on time. Parents will be starting in their child's homeroom and moving from class to class to hear from all of their child's teachers.


Wednesday, August 24: Parent Orientation for Grades 1-4 at 6pm. Parents will report directly to their child's homeroom class.

Volleyball and Soccer teams now forming

We are now accepting sign ups for students in grades 5 through 8 interested in playing Fall sports. Our Fall sports are boys soccer and girls volleyball. Interested students need to sign up, during PE class, in the gym. At that time, the students will also need to take a permission slip that should be returned to the front office. The cost for each sport is $45, which will be billed to your FACTs account. Please do not send check or cash to school for the athletic fee.


Any parents interested in assisting in coaching the boys soccer or girls volleyball

teams should email Lori Edwards at ledwards@stjosephwhschool.org.

This is a great way for parents to earn service hours.

altar server training

On Saturday, August 20th at 10 am, St. Joseph Catholic Church will host an Altar Server training class for current and new servers. The training will be in the church.

This ministry seeks to encourage the youth of our parish to fully engage in our faith through their service to the Church as altar servers. Serving at the altar gives youth a hands-on, personal experience of God's work in the liturgy.

Requirements are that the children have received their First Communion. Children over the age of 14 will need to complete the Safe Environment Training and Fingerprinting. Please contact the Church office, 863-294-3144, with any questions.

from the st. joseph youth ministry office

Come out to St. Joseph’s Middle School Youth Ministry in Family Life Room 3. There is a pool table, foosball, air hockey, and other fun wacky games. Come Make friends, share some laughs, and draw closer to Jesus.

This upcoming Kick-off, August 17th, will be a cardboard battle to be remembered! You will not only build your own set of (cardboard) armor, you will also face off against each other in battle. Will your armor stand up to the test?!


Come join us as we reveal the new annual theme for youth ministry, and delve into this seasons curriculum called the Artist! In the Artist, we’ll tackle questions like: Who is God? Can we even know if God is real? What proof is there that God exists? What does this mean for my life?Journey with us as we navigate these questions and more!


Ministry Events:

August 17, at 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (kick-off - Box/Cardboard War) in Family Life Center Room 3

August 31st, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM in Family Life Center Room 3

Sept. 14th, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM in Family Life Center Room 3

Sept. 28, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM in the Family Life Center Room 3


Do you want to get reminders and the full calendar for Middle School Youth Ministry?

Here’s how you can:

1. Download the Band app from the app store onto your phone.

2. Sign-up with your phone number, and set a password.

3. please follow the link below to be added to the Middle School Ministry group.

https://band.us/n/a9af764cI2f5E

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Thank You for sponsoring our police officer

Thank You for sponsoring our police officer

Special thanks to the Jones family (Juliette in grade 6) for sponsoring our police office for mass this week! If you would like to sponsor an off duty Winter Haven Police Officer for an upcoming school mass, please contact Miss Summer at sdehaven@stjosephwhschool.org to schedule. The cost is $135 per three hours.
Thank You for sponsoring our police officer

Resources

This section of the Eagle's Eye will remain in every edition of our newsletter. It will contain links to information that parents may need from time to time. When parents have questions, we urge you to check this section for possible links that could get you the information that you need.

St. Joseph Prayer

St. Joseph Prayer

O Blessed Joseph, faithful guardian of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, protector of Mary, the virgin Mother of God, I choose you this day to be my special patron and advocate and I firmly resolve to honor you all the days of my life. Therefore, I humbly ask you to receive me as your client, to instruct me in every doubt, to comfort me in every affliction, to obtain for me and for all the knowledge and love of the Heart of Jesus, and finally to defend and protect me at the hour of my death. Amen.
St. Joseph Prayer
St. Joseph Catholic School

St. Joseph Catholic School

St. Joseph Catholic School

Principal: Mrs. Haas

Assistant Principal: Mr. Reilly

Assistant Principal: Mrs. Insua

Canonical Administrator: Fr. Tim LaBo

Superintendent: Mr. Fortier

535 Avenue M Northwest, Winter Haven, FL, USA thaas@stjosephwhschool.org 863-293-3311 stjosephwhschool.org