ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL-isms

Back-Pack Mail/Communication Envelop: The St. Joseph communication highway comes home each week.  You simply take out info about upcoming events, sign the envelop, and put notes to your child’s teacher, the school office or monies for hot lunch into your family’s Weekly Communication Envelop and send it in the next day in your child’s backpack.  Your communication gets where it needs to be and, by using these envelops, we cut down on the numbers of flyers/notices each family receives.  Saving valuable resources- our way to show our SJS Green Power!

Bingo: Held every Wednesday night in Guild Hall and open to the public, this fundraiser is the easiest way to earn all of your required points. Workers are needed to set-up, clean up and run the Bingo games. Bakers and Cooks are also needed. You commit one Wednesday a month, 12 months a year and all of your activity points are earned.

Class Rep: Each classroom has a class representative (a complete list is provided in the Parent Handbook). These volunteers act as liaisons between the school and home and assist the teachers in coordinating many of the classroom field trips and social events. Your child’s classroom rep will be in touch with you through back-pack mail shortly after the start of school.

Guardian Angel: A program, which pairs our Pre-K and primary grade students (K-3) with a student from grade 4-8. Throughout the year they visit and work on special projects and attend school masses together.

Guardian Angel II: New Parents are matched up with volunteer Veteran Parents to assist them during their first year at St. Joseph’s. Expect your Guardian Angels to contact you within a week of the start of school to introduce themselves.

Home & School Association: Open Meetings are held on the first Mondays September-June at 7 pm in Guild Hall. All SJS parents are encouraged to attend the meetings of this volunteer organization to find out about upcoming events and fundraisers and get updates and insights into school-related issues. An elected Board is responsible for the actual operation of this group but everyone is welcome to join in and help. The exact meeting dates are always noted on the Monthly School Calendar.

Parent Handbook: A publication distributed each year that contains listings of faculty, class reps, academic policies and much more.

Points: The accounting method used to keep track of each family’s volunteer time accrued toward the required annual $250 activity fee. This activity fee can be paid in cash or by earning points (details provided by Home & School Association). Some easy ways to earn all your points are to work once a month at St. Joseph Bingo, chair or co-chair a fundraiser, or bake monthly for Hot Lunch or Bingo.

Scrip: A year-round, required fundraiser for each St. Joseph Family. You purchase gift certificates to local grocery stores, restaurants, retailers and the school gets a percentage of your purchase as profit. Details will be provided by the Home & School Association at their first meeting in September.

QUESTIONS

Why is my Family’s Name on the Calendar? A calendar of events is distributed to all students on a monthly basis. Each family has its name listed on the calendar one school day per year. On this day your family is prayed for during the morning prayers.

Is there a Hot Lunch Program? Hot Lunch is offered most weeks Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday throughout the year, with Subway on most Tuesdays and Pizza provided most Fridays. A menu/order form for each is sent home at the end of each month for the next month’s choices. Orders and money should be sent back into school in an envelope marked HOT LUNCH, SUBWAY or PIZZA LUNCH. (You may include all your Families’ slips in one envelope and provide one check for the total but please do not put Hot Lunch Subway and Pizza Lunch in the same envelope!) It is very important to send choices/payment into school prior to the deadline so that accurate meals can be made or purchased. Your child cannot buy lunch the day-of.

Where do I park? It is very important when dropping off or picking up your child/children that you drive into the parking lot across from the school on Center St. Additional parking is available on Queen St. or Goodwin St. The children are walked out of school through the front door and cross on the crosswalk to the opposite side of the street. Please do not block entrances to either parking areas or park in the faculty parking area directly in front of the school. Do not park on Center Street or drive into the school yard at any time.

How do I know if school is opening late or is cancelled (due to inclement weather)? In the event of inclement weather, the school follows the Bristol Public School announcements regarding school cancellation or late opening. Announcements are broadcast on WTIC 1080 AM radio or TV. Dismissal is normally at 12:30 PM, unless noted otherwise. Please refrain from calling the school. The Kindergarten Inclement Weather Schedule may be found in the Parent Handbook.

Can sneakers be worn to school? Sneakers are not permitted with the regular school uniform. Sneakers can be worn on gym day and/or when a student wears their khaki shorts and white uniform shirt in warm weather. Specifics of the School Uniform Dress Code and Gym Attire may be found in the Parent Handbook.

Are students allowed to ride the bus to other student’s homes if they are not on the same bus route? This practice is not permitted by the bus company. Please do not send in a permission noted to be signed by the principal.

Are buses available on half days? Buses are available for all 12:30 PM early dismissals. If you have a question, the dismissal time and the instances when there are “no buses” is noted on the monthly calendar.

Welcome to St. Joseph School!

The St. Joseph Recruitment & Retention Committee (R&R) would like to welcome you to our school community. As a new family to the school you probably have many questions. This brochure contains both the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions, as well as definitions of some often-used St. Joseph- isms. We hope that it helps to make you feel welcome from Day One!

WHERE ELSE CAN I FIND INFORMATION OR ANSWERS TO MY QUESTIONS?

If not found in this brochure, the answer to your question may be found in the Parent Handbook which will be distributed at the start of school, from members of the Home & School Association, from your Class Representative, from a call to our school office or from our website.

R&R Committee
St. Joseph School
335 Center Street
Bristol, CT 0601
Phone (860) 582-8696
Website: http://school.stjosephbristol.org/

TRADITIONS

Welcome Back Picnic: Held one of the first weekend evenings in September, and sponsored by the Home & School Association, this event brings everyone together to kick off the school year. Mark the date: Friday September 5th and look for details through back-pack mail!

Octoberfest: Scheduled for Friday, October 3rd, this fair is run by our 7^th & 8^th grade students. Some of the activities include games, face painting, and cupcake painting. Activities cost nominal amounts of money- most in the $.25 to $.50 range. Send your child to school in play clothes with $2-5 in change.

Auction: Mark Saturday, November 15th on your calendar now for this fun-filled evening. Members of the greater Bristol and St. Joseph School community donate a variety of items and services (large & small) to this annual fund-raiser. Come by yourself and meet some new friends or plan to attend with a group. Our persuasive Auctioneer, Mark Monnerat, will make sure that you don’t walk away empty-handed at the end of the evening!

Special Friend/Grandparents Day and Thanksgiving Mass: Hosted each year by our First Grade students, this tradition brings the St. Joseph School community and the children’s grandparents or special friends together prior to the start of the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend. Be sure to mark Wednesday November 26th at 10 am on your calendar!

Field Day: This Event is held in early June each year. A fun-filled day for the students, the day features a cookout style Hot Lunch and lots of free games and activities.