From the High School Director

I can almost predict it for each of my kids. One of them gets more and more animated at the homework table and starts erasing more and more aggressively. Another gets quieter until he’s finally just staring at a page. I know at that point I’m about to be asked if I can “help with ____________.” Often, it’s math, sometimes it’s writing an essay.

It’s no secret that students struggle with homework, or that math is probably the most frequent request for help. It can be tempting for any parent to essentially do the work, and then hope the student benefits from watching (assuming, of course, we remember how to do the problem not always a given when they reach higher level courses).

Research suggests, though, that showing someone how to do a math problem is less effective than questioning what they’ve done so far. In some cases, it’s actually better to pose questions even if you don’t arrive at the answer. Math teacher Crystal Frommert goes so far as to tell parents to help without picking up a pencil. Then you’re not tempted to correct too much, essentially short-circuiting the student’s thought process. She suggests three helpful questions that can be adapted to different kinds of assignments:

1. What have you done so far? Get the student to show you what hasn’t worked, and ask if they know why that was the wrong approach.

2. Where did you get that number? This is one of the best questions for multi-step problems. This not only checks the process, but it corrects a lot of careless mistakes.

3. Does that number seem reasonable? You’d be surprised how often that will reveal a simple mistake. One of my students recently worked out the interest on a small loan and arrived at tens of thousands in interest on a 1 year $500 loan. As soon as I asked if that made sense, he looked at the answer and immediately corrected it.

Research on the efficacy of homework as a teaching tool is all over the map, but everyone agrees that keeping it from being a tense, conflict-driven process at home is a good idea. One of the goals should be to identify areas where a student is going wrong so that the questions in class the next day can be more targeted, more efficient, and ultimately more helpful.

From the Academic Support Services & College Counseling Office

High School Course Requests for 2023-2024

The High School course request process for the 2023-24 academic year will begin in February. During the week of February 6, students in grades 8-11 and their parents will receive an email from the registrar with detailed information pertaining to the course request process, graduation requirements, course appeals for Honors and AP courses, etc. Students will select their initial course requests online in FACTS Family Portal during the designated registration period scheduled for February 10-24. Counselors will set up individual meetings with students in February & March to review academic goals, course requests, course appeals, and facilitate any changes to requested courses.

Seniors

Make sure that you are visiting the College Financial Aid and Scholarships link on the College Counseling page regularly as we add new scholarship opportunities as we receive them.

Senior College Acceptances/Scholarships

Please continue to share your good news and update the C ollege Counseling Office of college acceptances and scholarship awards.

High School Students

Please make sure to visit the Upcoming Special Programs and Events link on the College Counseling page on a regular basis since we add new programs as we receive them.

College Visits

• Sophomores, juniors and seniors who would like to visit colleges should register for visits through the colleges’ websites or with the admissions offices and then email The Front Office to let us know what date(s) you will be attending the college visit. Please remember to bring back the proper documentation (College Visit Record Form with required signatures and official documentation see form for details) and turn it in at the Front Office.

• Juniors should also consider signing up for the college visit Minimester. This is a great opportunity to visit a few local colleges or one to two further away colleges without having to use your college visit days or personal days.

College Counseling is on Instagram

This is just a reminder that the College Counseling Office has an Instagram account! Please be sure to search and follow sjcs_collegecounseling for scholarship updates, application process tips and tricks, college visit announcements, and much, much more. This is a great way to stay connected with our office so we encourage everyone to follow along

From the Athletic Department

Spring Sports Tryouts begin on January 30

Please keep in mind that any student participating in a sport for the 2022-2023 school year at SJCS must have a physical dated after April 1, 2022, and complete the required forms ONLINE at Big Teams (found HERE) prior to the first tryout or practice (this includes Off Season Practices and Weights) No paper forms will be accepted, NO EXCEPTIONS! Returning athletes, please use your existing login. The required forms that must be filled out online prior to the first practice (including summer practices) are: Pre-Participation History and PreParticipation Sports Physical Exam (please print and take with you to your doctor, and then upload), Parent Consent Form, Concussion Form, a copy of your athlete’s birth certificate, and Steadman Hawkins form. All required athletic forms must be submitted through Student Central at Big Teams.com found HERE. Information for new athletes on how to create the parent and student login at Big Teams will be available on the SJCS website HERE. Please note that you must login to the SJCS website first. Be sure to type St. Joseph’s Catholic School in the search line when looking for our school. This website is available in any language. To change the language, click on the person icon in the top right corner. Also, there is a new Big Teams feature where you can toggle between the athlete account and parent accounts once linked. To do this, click My Profile and Linked accounts.

From the Booster Club Booster Club at Work

• Nominations are open for the 2023 SJCS Athletic Hall of Fame, and must be received by February 22 Please click HERE to access the nomination form and Hall of Fame bylaws for a full description of the nomination criteria. Details on the Hall of Fame Banquet to follow!

• In an effort to provide more practice time to our multiple winter sports teams, the Booster Club is funding the rental of additional off-campus gym space.

• The Booster Club is also assisting with the financing of the softball field upgrades that are currently underway. These include regrading, site clean-up, installation of a new hitting cage, and storage facility.

• Be on the lookout for the Booster Club’s new “Yes! Booster did that!” social media campaign. See all the ways we have been helping support our SJCS coaches and student athletes. Recent highlights include locker room upgrades and improvements to our gym, including a multiple-sport scoreboard table, shooting machine for our nine basketball teams, and repairs to our bleachers. Booster Club also funds the Hudl live stream technology that allows out-of-town fans to watch our home games in both the gym and the stadium. More great things to follow…stay tuned!

Support Your Knights

• All of the above is only possible with your support, and it’s never too late to join the Booster Club! Your membership fees are critical to providing the financial support ALL our athletic teams need to enhance program excellence. Please click HERE to join or get more information on the various membership levels and benefits.

• Interested in advertising for your business or just showing your family’s support for St. Joseph’s Athletics? We have updated our banner program to create enhanced visibility at our sports venues and more flexible options for where you'd like your logo displayed. Please click HERE for more information on Athletic Sponsorships.

Special Thanks

• The Booster Club would like to recognize Logan Wolfram and Linse Wood. Logan coordinated the fabulous Food Trucks our fans enjoyed during the Varsity Football home games. Linse spearheaded the very successful Fall spirit wear sale along with the Parents Guild.

• We sincerely appreciate all of the hard work our Concessions Co-Chairs Dina Nelson and Mike Martin put into keeping our concession stands well stocked through multiple seasons and multiple sports. A special thank you as well to Coach Dorian Lane for his ongoing assistance with inventory management!

• Thanks to all our Team Parents and volunteers. Your dedication to SJCS Athletics ensures all of our events run smoothly and successfully. A special “Congratulations” to our Knights Athletics Volunteer All Stars –Donna Frank, Krystal Kennedy, Monica Dodge, Kathy Kelly, and Jason Okuley. If you haven’t done so already, check out their profiles on our Athletic social medial pages.

• Finally, if there is a volunteer who you feel goes above and beyond and should be recognized as an “All Star”, please email Kelly Gillespie with their name and info on their outstanding contributions. Thank you, and GO KNIGHTS!

From the Business Office

Re-Enrollment for the 2023-2024 School Year

Re-Enrollment for 2023-2024 school year will be completed online through Blackbaud Enrollment Management. In late January, when the 2023-2024 tuition rates are announced, parents will receive instructions on how to complete the Re-Enrollment process. The deadline to complete the re-enrollment process is Wednesday, March 15.

Flexible Tuition

Flexible Tuition offers individualized tuition rates for families based on a family’s documented financial ability to pay. Any family that is unable to pay the full price (which is set based upon the real cost to educate a student at St Joseph’s) is invited to apply for an individual rate. That rate will be determined based upon a strictly confidential analysis of the family’s financial position with the assistance of FACTS, an independent, third-party organization. Flexible Tuition is awarded on an annual basis and must be applied for each year. To get to the FACTS application website, click HERE. The priority deadline for applying for Flexible Tuition is Tuesday, February 15.

Tuition Recruitment Credit

In an effort to recruit more families like yours to St. Joseph’s Catholic School, and reward our best customers to help us with this endeavor, the school offers a $500 Tuition Credit Program. Based on parent feedback, we have learned that “Word-of-Mouth” is our most effective advertising medium for attracting families. The Tuition Credit Program is designed to reward current St. Joseph’s families for actively recruiting new families to St. Joseph’s. When a new family applies for admission, they have the opportunity to name the St. Joseph’s family on their application who recommended SJCS. After the new student(s) attends school for one quarter, the recruiting family receives a $500 credit on their next tuition bill, usually in November. Click HERE to read more about the program qualifications.

Senior Tuition Accounts

In order to participate in Baccalaureate Mass and Graduation, all senior tuition and fees, excluding the June draft, must be paid in full by May 19. If you have questions regarding your senior’s account, or if you need to set up a payment plan for past due accounts, contact Ann Gushue.

Annual Auction Gala