December 4, 2019

Dear Families,

This Friday, Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy will be holding its first official Family-Teacher report card conferences for the 2019-2020 school year. As you sit with your child’s teacher, you will have the opportunity to discuss your child’s academic progress, based on a wide range of assessments and endless hours of close observations. At the same time, we rely on what families tell us to deepen our understanding of students, and we hope you leave your conference with a richer and more detailed sense of who your child is at school to compliment your sense of your child in the wider world. Conferences pull together a portrait of your child’s progress so far this year–laying out early strengths and providing a chance to reflect on some next steps to support continued growth. 

Friday, December 6, 2019, has been set aside for Family-Teacher report card conferences. Students will be dismissed at 12 noon and there is no afterschool. You should have already received information from your child’s teacher regarding setting up an appointment. At conferences, you will receive your child’s report card, login credentials for a new math enrichment program we are using, and if earned, honor roll certificate. Terranova results have not arrived as of today and may not be here in time for your conference. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each and every student at Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy over the past few months and am looking forward to the remainder of the year!

Best,

Stephanie-Ann Germann

Principal

Welcome to the 2018-19 school year! Summer has flew by. You are now ready to pack those new backpacks with fresh school supplies. As you anticipate your return or your first day at SJWCA, there are a few items we would like to bring to your attention.

• Tuition Payment: Please sign in to FACTS. Afterschool and other fees will be collected through FACTS as well this year. Mrs. Gallina will answer your questions about FACTS jgallina@sjwca.org .
• Arrival: All Students will arrive through the Howard Avenue entrance ONLY from 7:30am-8:00am. (the schoolyard side of the building)
• As of 8:00am all students will enter through the main entrance on Windsor Place.
• PreK3 and PreK4 will go directly to their classrooms on the first floor. Grade K-4 will meet their classmates and teachers in the Cafeteria. Grades 5-8 will meet in the Gym.
• Wednesday 9/5 is a half day 11:30 dismissal. The first full day of school is Thursday, 9/6. Yellow bus service also starts on this day. After school begins on 9/10.
• Please sure your child brings lunch with them. Hot lunch program starts October 1.  
• Friday 2pm Dismissal: Please remember that every Friday we will dismiss at 2:00. For NO EXTRA FEE, students may stay in the afterschool program until 3pm. Students picked up after 3pm will pay the regular after school fees.
• Please indicate to your child’s teacher if they will be staying past 2pm weekly on Fridays.
• Back to School Night is on Tuesday, September 11th from 6:00-7:00 pm. New Parent Orientation will be at 5pm on 9/11.   

We look forward to a new and exciting year of learning! Thank you for choosing SJWCA for your child’s academic journey!

June  2018

Principal’s Highlights

End of Year

Summer Office Hours: 9am – 1pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday  

Summer Assignments: All summer assignments will be available online this year through the school website. They can be accessed by hitting the yellow tab on the homepage marked “Summer Information”.

Summer Communication: Option C messages will be sent out during the summer with information regarding the 2018-19 school year. Please make sure that your contact information is up to date with Mrs. Witthohn.

PreK3 and PreK4 Orientation: scheduled for August 21st. More information to follow.

Tuition: Families will receive information about next year’s tuition schedule before the summer break begins.

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Thank you for a wonderful school year at St. Joseph the Worker. We have so much to look forward to for the 2018-19 school year as we expand opportunities in technology and STEAM/STEM. Stay tuned! Until then….

We wish you a happy and restful summer. Enjoy your time with your family and friends.  

Kathleen Schneck

  May 2018

Principal’s Highlights

End of Year Important Dates:

Step-up Ceremonies in Shepherd’s Hall @ 9 am

June 19-  PreK3

June 20- PreK4

June 21- Kindergarten

June 15 – Last Day of Afterschool

June 18- Last Full School Day

June 22 – Last Day of School/ Academic Awards 8:30 am

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Card Party

Card Party Tickets are on sale in the Main Office.

We are still accepting donations.

50/50 Tickets are on sale in the Main Office $5 each or 5 tickets for $20. You do not have to be present at the Card Party to be a winner!

Kathleen Schneck

   April  2018

Principal’s Highlights

6th Grade-         Shout out to the 6th grade girls for being leaders in the 1st grade classroom! They are spending free time helping 1st graders with reading and writing.

N.U.T. Day –       The March 7th N.U.T. Day raised $230 for the Catholic Relief Fund.  

Stages on the Sound-  Grades 4,6, and 8 all participated in the Artist in Residence program Stages on the Sound. Grade 4 did a fun stop-animation film about a Parrot Named Llama. 6th graders put on original skits, and 8th grade performed Shakespeare.

Chocolate Sale – Thank you families for making the World’s Finest Chocolate Sale a success. The winner of the Great Candy Sale Race was Grade 5, they sold 49 boxes. 2nd place went to 4th grade and it was a tie for 3rd between 8A and Grade 3.

Service Hours –  Parents looking to fulfill service hours, we have a list under Parent Resources on sjwca.org about how you can get involved in the school community. You can also contact the main office or Ms. Schneck for more ideas.

Card Party –        Tickets are now on sale in the main office, the event will be May 18th. We are continuing to accept donations of items or experiences. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, so spread the word!  

Run/Walk Club – Ms. Schneck with the help of a PreK4 parent, will be starting on April 10th. Parents and students are invited for a weekly walk around Prospect Park. This is a time for families to exercise and socialize. Students coming without a parent will need to have a permission slip. We will meet at the main entrance at 3pm.

Kindergarten –   Through science, they learned how liquids can become solids through making butter. What a fun real-world experience in the classroom!

Kathleen Schneck

   March  2018

Principal’s Highlights

8th Grade-          As you may have noticed, our entryway bench underwent a transformation. It was designed and painted by 8th graders Aida, Tristan, Madison, Ismael and Daniel. I look forward to more project proposals like these throughout the building. Parents, students and staff are welcome to submit ideas.

Open House –     There will be an Open House for new families to tour the school on March 16th from 5:30-6:30pm.

Lenten Projects- Grades 4-8 were asked to do projects to brighten the school as a part of their  celebration of Lent. 5th graders are sending gift packages to each class to remind them of the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit. 8th graders are doing daily readings and a new painting project. 7th graders are doing good deeds for the lower grades.

Paint Night –       Sign up is available for March 23rd at 6:30pm. Doors will open at 6:00. The event will be held in the cafeteria. There is limited space available, so get your reservation in right away.

Card Party –        Will be held on May 18th. We are  continuing to receive donations. For more information about requests for donations please email myself or Mrs. Papa.  

Mommy and Me – Due the success of this program, it will be held weekly until the end of the school year starting March 9th. Families can buy class packages in the main office.

Re-registration – Please hand in forms to make the early registration deadline. Parents can re-register on Option C. Payment of registration fee will be $200 before March 27th and $250 thereafter.  

Run/Walk Club – Ms. Schneck will be leading a new after school club starting after Easter Break. Parents and students are invited for a weekly walk around Prospect Park.

Kathleen Schneck

    February 2018

Principal’s Highlights

Save the Date! – Paint Night – Starting this month you can sign up for a night of fun on March 9th at 6:30pm. Registration forms will be sent home through Option C and available on the school website.

Card Party –       Is currently accepting donations. We have already received some wonderful donations.

Candy Sale –     There will be a schoolwide contest for the class that sells the most candy. 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes will be handed out to classes.

Re-registration – Parents can re-register on Option C. Payment of registration fee will be $200 before March 27th and $250 thereafter.  

Run/Walk Club – Ms. Schneck will be leading a new after school club starting this Spring. Parents and Students are invited for a weekly walk around Prospect Park. Sign up will be sent out next month.  

Buddy Days –      February 16th and March 15th will be designated Buddy Days where students can host a friend, relative, neighbor that may be interested in attending SJWCA in 2018-19. Family service hours will be provided and a N.U.T. card if you bring a buddy.

Technology Donation- Our school received 10 new Amazon Fire Kids Edition tablets in December. Our PreK students are using them for language acquisition and number recognition. We also received 3 refurbished laptops for teachers to use with their SMARTboards. ***Please let us know if you can help us continue to move towards effectively using technology in our classrooms.***

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” – Mother Teresa

Kathleen Schneck

January 2018

Principal’s Highlights

2018-19 Registration Dates -will be released soon. If you know of any new friends or families that want to reserve their spot for next year, they can fill out a Pre-registration form. Available in the main office now.   

GoFundMe – We have raised $500 to date. Please help get the word out about our technology expansion efforts. We have been starting to make some small improvements. Each time you share our GoFundMe link, you can gain credit towards your service hours. https://www.gofundme.com/what-the-tech

Card Party- planning has begun. If you have items to donate please see Ms. Pat. If you would like to help with getting donations, please email Ms. Schneck for more information.  

Decorate That Door! Contest – was a huge success due to the help of all the class parents. Thank you for your time and supplies to make this contest possible. 3rd graders’ animal habitat themed door won them the 1st prize class pizza party, PreK3A came in second with their snowflake theme, and 2nd grade won 3rd prize with their Winter Adventureland.

Uniform Swap/Sale- items can still be purchased. Please see either Karen or Pat to make a purchase. All proceeds go to fundraising efforts. Thank you to Mrs. Torio and Mrs. Lang for planning the event. Thank you to all the other parents that helped with selling and organizing items.

Catholic Schools Week- is coming up at the end of the month. A special events calendar will be sent home. Parents who signed up to volunteer will be contacted about different events you can help out with that week. Stay posted!

School Improvements- Thank you to Mr. Kennedy for giving new life to the Scout Room! Thank you to Roger’s House Painting for doing the main entryway makeover! Thank you Mrs. Kennedy for designing our new mascot! We are officially St. Joseph the Worker Lions.

“Mommy and Me”- has generated a lot of interest. So far, we have held 2 classes. We will be expanding dates in the new year due to the popularity of the program.

Vendor Sale/Open House- Thank you to Mrs. Papa for all your work planning the event. Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Francone for helping out with Open House tours. Thank you to all the vendors and volunteers too!

Happy New Year!

Kathleen Schneck

Principal’s Highlights 

Save the Date! –

• December 5th – To attend our next #parents workshop with PDHP school counselors PLEASE RSVP by 12/1
• December 7th -Report Card Distribution Afternoon 12:30-2:00 Night 4:00-6:30 and Option C Open Workshop an expert will be available to answer all your questions from 5-6pm.
• December 19th – Annual Christmas show at (Bishop Ford) Tickets are on sale.

$8 for people over 5, $5 under 5. Students participating in the show do not have to purchase a ticket.

Grade 3 – made impressive and creative dioramas of animal habitats that demonstrated their science research projects. They are proudly displayed on the 2nd floor. Check them out on our website!

8th grade – A select group of artistic 8th graders have begun making over our entryway seating area.

 Spanish – Grades 1 and 2 are having fun learning to sing in spanish. See our website for a video to see 2nd graders   in class performance.

Fundraising – We got close to our goal of $10,000 for the Walk-a-thon with a total of $7,325. Our next goal is to get tablets for PreK classes and the art room sink completed. We will be sending out information about our Kickstarter Project to integrate more STEAM/STEM learning into our school.

Other fun happenings – Students have a Decorate that Door! Contest where the winning class will get a Pizza Party.

Vendor Fair/Spring Card party – We are seeking donations. Please send inquiries to Ms. Karen or Ms. Schneck.  

Check the website calendar for more upcoming events. Thank you families for your support!

Kathleen Schneck