ST. JOSEPH PARISH SCHOOL

281 Dakota Street South

Prescott, WI 54021

Phone: 715-262-5921

Fax: 715-262-5901

General Office Email:

school.office@stjosephprescott.com

Principal Email:

cmeshak@stjosephprescott.com

St. Joseph Parish School Website

http//stjosephprescott.com

In This Edition:

Calendar of Events P2 & 3

We’re Proud Of… P4 Dr. Kahn Parenting Article P5 & 6

Phy Ed News P 7

Music Notes P 8 & 9 Library News P 10

Teaching the Way of Love P11& 12

Easy Fundraisers P 13 Odds & Ends P 14

October Lunch Menu P 15

In This Edition:

Calendar of Events P2 & 3

We’re Proud Of… P4 Love & Logic P5

IOWA Testing Parent Letter P6

Veterans Day Invitation P7 Odds & Ends P8

Monster Book Fair P9

Library with Mrs. Meshak P10 Thanksgiving Meal Invitation P11

November Lunch Menu P12

St. Joseph Staff Fr. Gerogre Szews Pastor

Jerry Rynda Deacon

Christine Meshak Principal

Andrea Hince 4K

Suzi Linder 4K Assistant

Darla Ironside K

Monica Graske 1st

Kris Mutschler 2nd

Nicole Singerhouse 3rd

Shirly Hayes 4th

Judy Huppert 5th

Vicki Olson 6th

Monica Laust Music/PE

Sr. Laverne Volunteer

Sr. Geralyn Sacristan

Trisha Matzek Admin. Assistant

Katy Hillebrand Admin. Assistant

Carol Mercord DRE

Howie Kittleson Bldg. & Grounds

Manager

Patty Banks Custodian

Tyler Johnson Custodian

Susan Schmidt Food Service

Manager

Thomas Rynda Kitchen Aide

An Schwebach Finance Secretary

Carrie Haas Parish Secretary

October Knightwriter 2015 St. Joseph Parish School’s New Website has Launched!

Here are some of the school website highlights:

Updated format with easy to find drop down menus

Pictures featuring our school and students in action

A calendar that is updated with all school events and happenings—the most recent happen-

ings are highlighted on the home page, and a complete calendar of events for the entire

school year is available with a click of your mouse

Teacher websites that will replace the weekly email newsletter

Complete, easy to read school fundraising descriptions

The site is not finished. There are still improvements being made, but the majority of the work

is completed. The most amazing part of this endeavor is that it was done completely by volun-

teers, specifically our Marketing Committee. From the initial idea of updating our website, the

many hours spent researching, gathering, and hashing out ideas, to the actual website develop-

ment, all was done by a group of caring parents dedicated to the students, staff, and families of

St. Joseph Parish School. Thank you to all of these volunteers for giving their time and talent.

Please check out our new website! You can access it from our Church webpage, or find it at

http://school.stjosephprescott.com/.

Out of Uniform Day Tomorrow!

In celebration of our Harvest Dance to-

morrow, Friday, October 16th, we will

have an Out of Uniform Day. Please see

our uniform policy with any questions

about appropriate out of uniform dress.

Encourage your children to wear their St.

Joseph Parish School Spiritwear!

Magazines & More!

So far we have 11 students registered for

our Magazines & More fundraiser.

We have a total of $831 in sales which is a

$328.65 profit for our school. The maga-

zine purchases are almost equal with the

“more” purchases.

These 11 students will be entered into the

drawing for the $50 AMC Inver Grove

movie theatre drawing tomorrow.

You still have time to get your student en-

tered by going online and ordering Maga-

zines and More. You can find the link to

the sale from our school website. Just click

on Fundraisers and click on the Magazines

& More tab. We will announce the winner

of the of the movie gift certificate at the end

of the school day tomorrow.

Last year we earned $1,662 from this fund-

raiser. We can totally beat that this year!

Thank you for your support !

Harvest Dance The Home & School Association wel-

comes all families to the Harvest Dance

tomorrow evening, Friday, October 16th

from 6-8:30 p.m.

There will be hotdogs and walking tacos

as well as snacks and drinks available.

Tickets are $1 per ticket, or 6 for $5.

The following prizes will be raffled off

during the evening:

Popcorn/Movie Party

Extra Recess

No Homework Pass

Teacher for the Day

There will also be dance contests with

prizes, so we hope you will join us for

this evening of community and fun!

Basketball Hoops Mr. Howie would like you to know that the new

basketball hoops that were purchased through

our Penny Wars fundraiser last spring are sched-

uled to be put up in the next couple weeks. He

thanks you for your patience.

Parents - Mark Your Calendars!

Sept. 20th St. Joseph Catholic Parish Fall Festival Sept. 21st No School-Diocesan Fall Regional Sept. 23rd 1st Reconciliation Parent Meeting 6:30 p.m. Sept. 25th Early Release/Professional Development Day (PDD) Sept. 26th Altar Server Training-5th & 6th Grade 9:30-10:15 a.m. Oct. 2nd Harvest Dance 6-8:30 p.m. Oct. 8th No School – Conferences 12-8:00 p.m. Oct. 9th No School Oct. 12th No School - PDD Oct. 21st Reconciliation Learning Centers 4-7 p.m. Oct. 29th Festival of Nations – 5th & 6th Grade 1:45-2:45 p.m. Oct. 29th Picture Retake Day – 8:30 a.m. Nov. 2nd -Nov. 20th IOWA & CogAT Testing – Grades 2-6 Nov. 4th All Saints Day Mass & Bingo Nov. 6th Early Release Day-PDD Nov. 9th H & S Meeting – 6:30-7:30 p.m. Nov. 9th-13th Book Fair Week Nov. 11th Veteran’s Day Program 10:30 a.m. Nov. 13th Family Fun Night 6-8 p.m. Nov. 25th Thanksgiving Dinner – Parents & Grandparents invited Kindergarten Nursery Rhymes Program 10:15 a.m. 4th Grade Saint Museum 9:30 a.m. Nov. 26th & 27th Thanksgiving Break Dec. 1st Reconciliation grades 3-6 9:00 a.m. Dec. 9th 1st Reconciliation for grade 2 1 p.m. Dec. 11th Family Fun Night 6:00-8:00 p.m. Dec. 12th & 13th Home & School Bake Sale After all masses Dec. 17th Christmas Concert 1 p.m. & 7 p.m Dec. 23rd -Jan 3rd Christmas Break Jan. 4th School Resumes Jan. 8th Geography Bee 12:00 p.m. Family Fun Night 6-8 p.m. Jan 22nd No School – PDD Jan 27th 1st Communion Speaker 6:30 p.m. Jan. 30th – Feb.5th Catholic Schools Week Jan. 30th Hollywood Knights Gala Feb. 3rd 1st Communion Learning Centers 4-7 p.m.

Feb. 5th Family Fun Night/St. Joseph School Open House

Feb. 10th Ash Wednesday

Feb. 12th Early Release Day/PDD 12:15 p.m

Feb. 25th No School/Conferences 12:00-8:00 p.m.

Feb. 26th No School

March 1st Reconciliation grades 3-6 9:00 a.m.

March 7th Home & School Meeting 6:30-7:30 p.m.

March 11th Family Fun Night 6:00-8:00 p.m.

March 16th Celebrate Feast of St. Joseph – Students wear red

March 18th Science Expo 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Early Release Day/PDD

March 21st-March 28th Spring Break

April 1st School Carnival

April 6th Class Pictures by Lifetouch

April 8th No School - PDD

April 20th 1st Communion Rehearsal 2 p.m.

April 22nd No School – Diocesan Spring Regional

April 24th First Communion 10 a.m.

April 29th Walk for Virtues 9-11:30 a.m.

TBD Last H & S Meeting & Picnic

May 18th Spring Concert 1 p.m. & 7 p.m.

May 27th Early Release Day/PDD

May 29th 6th Grade Graduation 10:00 a.m. Mass

May 30th No School – Memorial Day

June 2nd Kindergarten Graduation & Last Day12:30 p.m.

Talent Show 1:30 p.m.

June 3rd Last Day of School

TBD 6th Grade Valley Fair Trip

*All events and/or changes/additions will be highlighted in the St. Joseph School Knightwriter, school website, and other home/school

communication as the dates draw near.

**Please join us for worship at our school Masses on Wednesday mornings at 8:15 at St. Joseph Catholic Parish. On days that Fr. Szews

is not available, we will have a prayer service in the school gym.

We’re Proud Of...

***Help us fill this section each month! Please email Principal Meshak with happenings, like

sporting events, special honors, and other accomplishments that we may not otherwise know

about. So many of our students and alumni are doing great things outside of the school day, and

we want to recognize them and share the good news. Thank you!

Our teachers who worked hard on Monday, October 12th during our

Professional Development Day (PDD) on our writing curriculum and

on their classroom website.

Our Kindergartners who gave our bus drivers a special Thank You

card and sang them a special “We Appreciate You” song at our annual

Bus Driver Breakfast. We hold this breakfast every year as a celebration of the partnership be-

tween St. Joseph Parish School and the public school bus company. We are so thankful for their

service and dedication to the safety and well being of our students.

Our 5th & 6th graders who have been researching and learning about countries for their Festival

of Nations presentations.

Miss Sue, our Food Service Manager, who passed our DPI food service inspection with flying

colors. Thank you for providing us with such an awesome lunch and wellness program!

St. Joseph’s Home & School Officers Chairperson Katy Hillebrand

Co-Chair Joy Ptacek

Secretary Vicki Olson

Treasurer Chris Chesney

Education Committee Members

Gordy Dalman

Sr. Laverne

Patricia Rynda

Tom Budworth

Katie Block

Finance Committee Ron Murphy

Josias Franco

Maurice LeBrek

Joe Brady

St. Joseph Parish—Home—School Connections

School Office 715-262-5912 School Fax 715-262-5901

Parish Office 715-262-5310 Parish Fax 715-262-4543

Pastoral Council Deacon Rynda Scott Hiltgen

Roger Boros Gordy Dalman

Tricia Carmody Trevor Shearen

Jerry Voss Carol Mercord

Bart Matzek

Next Meeting:

November 9th 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Childcare will be provided

The Kindergartners with the

bus drivers.

Sometimes Our Kids Need To Tough It Out

I had an opportunity to meet a young man who gave me great hope for the upcoming generation. When

he was in sixth grade, he had a teacher he didn't like. This teacher was too tough. His two best buddies

agreed and they decided they needed to get out of the class.

That night they all went home with their tale of woe: Mr. Morgan was too tough, gave too much

homework, his tests were too difficult, and he did not tolerate tardiness.

His buddies were successful in getting out of Mr. Morgan’s class; their parents didn't want them to have a

teacher who might not give them "A's" and anyway, there were mornings when it was challenging to get

them up and to school on time.

Joe didn't do as well. His mother told him she thought Mr. Morgan's expectations were fair and just what

she expected of a teacher. She told Joe how lucky he was: In life, he would come across many tough—as

well as some unfair—people and this experience would prepare him to deal with them successfully.

How did that year go for Joe? It was tough, but he got all "B's" and a life lesson that has helped him

become successful.

As we continued to visit, he remarked, "You know, I was really upset with my mother at the time, and now

that I'm a father, I've realized how difficult it must have been for her to do the right thing. I've told her how

proud I am of her and I hope I can be just as strong for my own children when the time comes."

.

Jim Fay

Dear Parents, This year St. Joseph School will be testing grades 2-6 with the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), and the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). These tests are required by the Office of Catholic Schools at the Diocese of La Crosse to ensure an academically rigorous education for each child. These are standardized tests. They are the same tests given in the same manner to all test takers. This means that tests are administered at the same time with specific directions and procedures to encourage a uniform testing experience for all students. Tests are scored using the same norms as all other schools taking the test. This not only gives each child an indication of their performance within our school and classroom, but also compares their performance to the entire group of students nationally. These tests are administered for a variety of reasons. One is to give feedback to parents and students about how your child is performing academically and cognitively within our school and nationally. We need to remember, though, that this is only one indication of a student’s performance. Though it is important, it is not the end-all, be-all evaluation. Many factors go into student achievement, and this test plus classroom performance, attitude, and growth must be taken into consideration when painting the true picture of academic progress. These tests are also used by teachers to assess our curriculum to find areas of strength and areas for improvement. Your child’s teacher will create a testing schedule for her grade and will communicate it to you. These tests will be given during the regular school day at various times. The students will continue learning curriculum during this time as well, so there will still be regular classes and homework. Often parents will ask how they might support their child in learning. The best way to improve academic performance is to read, study, or review an average of 10 minutes per grade level (i.e. 60 minutes for 6th grade) each evening, listen and participate in class, limit media (TV, computers, video games) to an hour per day, and maintain a “can do” attitude for learning. Keep supporting your child over vacations and during the summer with continual learning opportunities. This along with the strong curriculum provided by St. Joseph Parish School will give your child the building blocks to be successful. It is important your child gets plenty of rest (9-10 hours a night for elementary students) and eats a healthy breakfast which includes protein. This is important every day, and especially during testing time. Put your child’s testing schedule next to your family calendar to make sure they get this extra care during testing. Please discuss with your child the importance of taking their time and doing their best during these tests so we get an accurate picture of their abilities. Thank you for your help and support during this important time. If you have any questions about testing, please contact your child’s teacher. In Christ, Mrs. Meshak

Iowa Tests of Basic Skills November 2-20, 2015

We need your photos of people in your family who have served or are currently serving in the military. We will create a bulletin board by the gym doors honoring those family members. We will scan your picture and return it to you. Along with your picture, please write a description with the following information: Name of Veteran Branch of Service Years of Service Relationship to the St. Joseph student We have photos from previous years, so if you have already submitted a photo, you do not need to resubmit it. Only new photos are needed. Please turn them in to the school office by Friday, October 30th. Thank you for helping us make this tribute to our veterans.

St. Joseph Parish School – Veteran’s Day Program

We hope you will join us on November 11th at 10:30 a.m. in the gym for our Veteran’s Day program. Please invite all the special veterans in your life. We will serve a free lunch to our veterans, and if you’d like to join us, adult lunch prices are $3.60 and pre-school prices are $1.90. We will be serving lasagne, broccoli, pears, bread, and a brownie. Please call or email the school office with the number of people in your family who will be joining us for lunch. You can also visit the Book Fair before the program or after lunch!

St. Joseph Parish School Wall of Heroes

St. Joseph Parish School’s Festival of Nations Oct. 29th 1:45-2:45p.m.

You are invited to come to our Festival of Nations on Oct. 29th from 1:45-2:45 in the St. Joseph Parish School gym. Grades 5 & 6 will be celebrating 25 coun-tries from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Visit our displays and learn about the heritages and diver-sity of our world.

All Saints Day Celebration

Wednesday, November 4th

Since All Saints Day is on Sunday, November 1st this year, we will celebrate it in school

on Wednesday, November 4th. Please join us for our All Saints Mass at 8:15 a.m.

Please watch your classroom communication from your child’s teacher. She will give

you more information on how her class will dress up.

The Home & School Association is sponsoring Bingo at 9:00 a.m. for all classes to help

us celebrate. Thank you, Home & School! We are looking forward to a fun day!

Looking for a Catholic Middle or High

School?

Attend Trinity School’s Open House to find

out how your child can experience a Catholic

secondary education.

© 2015 Scholastic Inc. 12474 • 161000

Dear Parents and Families:

Reading for pleasure inside and outside of school has real and long-lasting benefits. It unlocks the

power of information and imagination and helps children discover who they are. Here’s what you can do

to help children develop stronger reading skills and a love for reading:

Set the example. Let children see you read.

Have a collection of books in your home. Update this collection routinely to keep pace with

changing tastes and reading skills.

Support our school’s Book Fair. Allow your children to choose their own books to read.

Our Scholastic Book Fair is a reading event that brings the books kids want to read right into our

school. It’s a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level. Please

make plans to visit our Book Fair and be involved in shaping your child’s reading habits.

Book Fair Dates: November 9-13, 2015

Shopping Hours: M-F 7:30-8:15 a.m. & 3:15-4:15 p.m. Tuesday 10:00-12:30 p.m., and Friday 5:45-

8:00 p.m.

Special Activities: We will be open before and after our Veteran’s Day program & lunch and before

and after our Friday Family Fun Night.

If you are unable to attend the Fair in person, we invite you to visit our online Book Fair at

scholastic.com/fair. Our online Fair is available from [INSERT DATE] to [INSERT DATE].

We look forward to seeing you and your family at our Book Fair!

Remember, all purchases benefit our school.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Meshak

Principal

© 2015 Scholastic Inc. 12474 • 161203 Permission to reproduce this item is granted by Scholastic Book Fairs®

.

Remember Your Turn-In Day!

Kindergarten Wednesday

1st Grade Monday

2nd Grade Tuesday

3rd Grade Tuesday

4th Grade Monday

5th Grade Friday

6th Grade Friday

Please help your child remember to

bring his/her library book(s) back on

their turn-in day. If students want to

keep their book for another week, they

still need to bring the book to school

on their turn-in day to renew it.

with Mrs. Meshak

What’s Happenin’?

Scholastic Book Fair

Fall 2015

November 9th-13th

SPOOKTACULAR!

BOOK FAIR DATES, EVENTS, &

TIMES

Monday, November 9th

7:15-8:15 a.m. & 3:15-4:15 p.m.

Tuesday, November 10th

7:15-8:15 a.m. & 3:15-4:15 p.m.

Wednesday, November 11th

7:15-8:15 a.m. and 3:15-4:15 p.m.

ALSO BEFORE & AFTER OUR

VETERANS DAY PROGRAM

10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 12th

7:15-8:15 a.m. and 3:15-4:15 p.m.

Friday, November 13th

7:15-8:15 a.m. and 3:15-4:15 p.m.

ALSO DURING OUR

FAMILY FUN NIGHT

5:45-8:00 p.m.

How does my child purchase books from the

book fair?

WITH YOU!

Please attend the Book Fair with your child during

any of the before and after school times or during a

family event to purchase books. Don’t forget to invite

friends and family members to shop our Fair.

Thank you!

Please Join Us for our Thanksgiving Meal! Wednesday, November 25th, 2015

This meal is for parents and their child/ren. If no parent can accompany his/her child, a grandparent can be substituted. Menu: Ham with Pineapple Glaze Mashed Potatoes & Gravy Corn Bread Pumpkin Custard Coffee/Milk Time: 10:50 or 11:20 10:50 for parents whose name begins with A to M 11:20 for parents whose name begins with N to Z *Parents, please go to your child’s/children’s classroom(s) at the time your lunch begins and bring your child/ren to the cafeteria. When you are finished with your lunch, please return your child to his/her classroom.

Please return by Wednesday, November 19th. Family Name _____________________________________________________________ # of Adults Eating ___________________ # Preschoolers Eating ____________________ Adult Cost: $3.60 Preschooler Cost: $1.90 Adult and Preschooler lunches will be taken off the family lunch account, or you may pay by cash on the day of the lunch.