From the Middle School Director

“Only in Christ can men and women find answers to the ultimate questions that trouble them. Only in Christ can they fully understand their dignity as persons created and loved by God.”

Saint Pope John Paul II

It was the last weekend before school started this past August, and I distinctly remember thinking that Thanksgiving would be here in record time. My husband could recognize my anxious expectation for the New Year - not because I didn’t want to return to the full-time, all-persons-in-the-building schedule, but because I had so many hopes, dreams, and desires for our Saint Joseph’s community as we embarked on a new year. He told me, “Wanda, keep your focus on the one thing. Discard distractions. Remove obstacles. Stay your course.” I would often refer to John’s advice, particularly as it aligned so perfectly with our theme for the year: There is Need of Only One Thing - the story of Martha and Mary from the Gospel of Luke 10: 38 - 42.

Well, Thanksgiving came and went. So did many other events and happenings. And now we find ourselves with just a few weeks remaining in another remarkable year. Distractions and detours were present; however, repeated reminders continued to pursue me, bringing back my focus to the one thing. Even over the last few mornings, as my randomly selected Christian music playlist helped me get through morning workouts, an incredibly beautiful song made its way to me … First Things First by the group Consumed By Fire. The words in the refrain are so powerful:

First thing's first / I seek Your will

Not my own / Surrender all my wants to you

Keep the first thing first

To live Your truth / Walk Your ways

Set my eyes / Lord I fix my face on you

All my desires reversed

To keep the first thing first

As we reflect on this year, there is lots of evidence of significant growth in our students. It’s revealed in their works, their writings, their presentations, their decisions, their prayers, and the questions they ask. And all of this growth is really only fully possible because of our desire to help our students, and all of our community members, grow in a relationship with Christ. And while this kind of growth cannot be objectively measured, we catch glimpses of His hand at work, and we trust that it happens in accordance with His will, in His time. This is what makes the Saint Joseph’s experience compelling and unique.

I continue to ask for your prayers for our students, our staff and our families. Please ask our Lord for holistic health and protection for all of us, a deep desire to live in His truth, and the will to follow Him.

From the High School Director

The fall semester of 2023 will be the start of my eleventh year at St. Joe’s. Officially, that’s my longest tenure at any school. Assuming the third floor renovations go as planned this summer (and we covet your prayers on that front!), I will be in my new office on the second floor of the high school. By my count, this will be my sixth office in eleven years. That’s a lot of lugging boxes around, so much so that a few years ago I just took all the books home. Traveling light is much easier!

Truth be told I don’t mind moving offices, because the action of my day really takes place in hallways, classrooms, and the cafeteria. My best days are when I’m moving around, interacting with students and teachers, opening the gym for a few minutes of lunchtime basketball, and seeing our kids laughing with their friends. For trusting us with the formation of your children, I can only say thank you. They really are a blessing for me. True, sometimes they bless me in “unpredictable” ways, but even then, it’s a gift to work with the Knights.

I’m convinced that our mission is more important than ever. Our students need the St. Joseph’s Way, and our communities need people steeped in this kind of formation. My hope is to send our students out into their communities ready to do great, and good, things.

My best to all of you for a great summer.

From the Academic Support Services & College Counseling Office

Course Schedules Available Mid-July

HS students and parents will be notified via email in mid-July when schedules are available online. Students will have an opportunity to make limited change requests once they receive their schedules. MS students will receive their schedules when school begins in August.

High School Summer School Courses for Credit

There are a few spots in the Government class for this summer; however, Economics is full. Please see the class information HERE if you are interested in taking the Government class.

Senior Graduation Surveys

All seniors must complete their Graduation Survey in Scoir as soon as possible. Completing this survey is essential in your college receiving your final transcript.

Senior Final Transcripts

We will send final transcripts to the college(s) that you indicate on your Graduation Survey. Please note that this also includes the NCAA. Final transcripts will be sent out the first and second week of June. If your college requires a form to be included with the transcript, please make sure the College Counseling Office has this form. Please continue to bring in all college acceptance letters and scholarship offers to us.

Teacher Letter of Recommendation Request Forms for Juniors

All juniors should stop by the College Counseling Office to pick up their Letter of Recommendation Request Forms and then take them to their teachers to ask them for a letter of recommendation. This should be done before the end of the school year. If you have any questions, please contact the College Counseling Office.

Rising Senior/Junior Families

If you would like to have a follow-up meeting, please contact the College Counseling Office to set one up. All students should try to meet with their College Counselor at least one more time before the end of the school year or in June.

From the Athletic Department Summer Sports Training

Please keep in mind that any student participating in a sport for the 2023-2024 school year at SJCS must have a physical dated after April 1, 2023, 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. All Physicals submitted to participate in the 20222023 school year are valid until the last day of school. 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

Thank you to all our Boosters for helping make 2022-2023 a success. Our final board meeting of the year will be Wednesday, May 10 at 5:30 PM in the Boardroom. ALL are welcome! If you'd like to get a better sense of all that the Booster Club does, and are looking for opportunities to serve (there are many), we invite you to attend.

Our annual Coaches Appreciation Dinner is coming up in May. We look forward to celebrating the tremendous work of our dedicated coaches.

Friday, August 4 is the Fifth Annual Athletic Department Golf Tournament. Proceeds from this event directly benefit all teams, and sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact Kevin Meyer in the Development Office or Fundraising Chair Joe Eilers for more information on sponsorship packages and benefits.

And as always, please help us honor those athletic volunteers who go above and beyond in their service and dedication to the Knights. Please send nominations for our Knights Athletic Volunteer All Stars to Kelly Gillespie

From the Business Office

Non-Returning Students

If your child does not plan to return to SJCS for the 2023-24 school year, as per the Withdrawal Policy in the ParentStudent Handbook, please notify the Admissions Office, in writing (via email) on or before June 30, 2023. After July 1, 2023, as noted in the signed Enrollment Contract (a legal and binding document) that parents complete each year to re-enroll their child, a family’s obligation to pay tuition for the upcoming academic year is unconditional, and that the school, in assigning a place for this student, relies upon the parent’s promise to pay the tuition.

Re-Enrollment and Flexible Tuition Deadline

The deadline to re-enroll and apply for Flexible Tuition for the 2023-2024 school year has passed. If you have not yet re-enrolled your student, please contact Jenny Starks in the Admissions Office to see if there are any remaining spots. Any Flexible Tuition applications not yet complete are in danger of losing Flexible Tuition.

Tuition Accounts

• In order to participate in Baccalaureate Mass and Graduation, all senior tuition and fees must be paid in full, except for June tuition, by May 19, 2023

• All other student’s tuition and fee accounts must be paid in full before they will receive their 2023-2024 class schedule.

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. 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.

Annual Fund