St. Joseph High School News 4/26/21 - 4/30/21

 St. Joseph High School News

Graduation Speech: Senior Tryouts

Seniors, if you are interested in giving a speech at graduation, please sign up and submit a hard copy of your speech in the guidance office by 8:00a.m. May 3 (Guidelines for graduation speeches are on Mrs. Koch's desk.)

Tryouts will be Tuesday, May 4 at 2:45 p.m in Mrs. Hunter's room.  See Mrs. Koch or Mrs. Peterson with any questions.

Prom Tickets:

Prom Ticket sales begin Monday, April 26 for SJHS SENIORS ONLY.  Tickets are $15 each and will be sold at all lunches.  Limited quantity available; first come, first served. Exact cash or a check made out to St. Joseph Public Schools is preferred. 

 

Virtual students may purchase tickets during lunch time in the student center from 11:00 a.m. - 12:39 p.m. or prearrange a pick-up during school hours in the front office. To do so, contact Mrs. Becker (tbecker@stjoebears.com) or Mrs. Culver (jculver@stjoebears.com) to arrange a time; you will receive a confirmation email indicating your ticket is ready to be picked up. Exact cash or a check made out to St. Joseph Public Schools is required for pick-up. Our front office will not be able to make change. 

 

Ticket sales will open up to SJHS JUNIORS the following week, beginning May 3rd. 

 

Seniors and Juniors must purchase their own ticket and may not buy for others this year. 

 

If you have questions, please reference the SJHS Prom FAQ sheet or see Mrs. Becker or Mrs. Culver.

School of Choice:

We will accept Schools of Choice applications May 3-21 this year.  If your child currently attends St. Joseph Public Schools and you moved out of the district this school year, you must apply via schools of choice in order to continue your child’s education at St. Joe.  If you are a non-resident and have children you would like to enroll that are new to the district in the fall, you may fill out an application packet.  You can find the application packet on our website www.sjschools.org beginning May 3.

SJHS Virtual School Update:

https://stjoevirtualschool.blogspot.com/

Seniors: 

Dear Senior Parents,

It’s hard to believe our seniors will be graduating soon!

A 2021 Senior Class Parent Committee has been created to plan some really special events for our students who have worked so hard through such difficult times.

Please note, this group has no ties to the school - it is a group of senior class parents who are volunteering to plan several special events to commemorate our student's last year at school.  That said, the group has set up a Go Fund Me page which will be the sole fundraising effort that will pay for all events.

Here’s what we have planned:

• 4 Week Countdown - every Friday in May we will surprise our seniors with small gifts.

• Senior Celebration - this is taking the place of the Senior Dinner Dance and the All Night Party immediately following graduation, on Sunday, June 6th.  Students will be bused immediately following the ceremony to a surprise location.  Every senior student - in school and virtual, is invited to this free and semi-formal event.

There’s not much time and we need your help with fundraising and spreading the word!  

Be on the lookout for an email from 2021seniorclassparentcommittee@gmail.com with updated information on activities and events.

Please also note, due to the current Covid-19 situation, all activities and events could be cancelled at the last minute.

The school and the committee are doing everything they can to create a memorable experience for all students while still following Covid-19 restrictions and the safety of all involved in mind.

Thank you!

Jamie Bingaman

Janna Conybeare

Co-Chairs 2021 Senior Class Parent Committee

Class Officers for Next Year: 

Current Sophomore and Junior students interested in running for a class officer position for next year, sign up in the Guidance Office no later than Friday, April 30 by 3pm. Please also see the class officer requirements sheet when signing up! One minute speeches will take place via Flipgrid due Monday, May 3 and voting will occur on Tuesday, May 4 during announcements. 

Guidance Office News: 

 

GUIDANCE NEWS

HOPE is our theme for April 

 

We are excited to be returning to in-person learning this week and hope that your family is as well! 

This last marking period always goes quickly and we are hopeful that our students will be able to experience some of the milestones they may have missed out on last Spring.

 

What's New This Week in our google site COVID-19, Guidance & SEL:

 

In the Parent Resources section:

 National College Decision Day -   is May 1st - hard to believe it’s almost time for our Seniors to be done!

 

April is Arab American Heritage Month - Here are some resources from Learning for Justice to help celebrate Arab identity, counter negative stereotypes and teach history & culture.

Supporting Arab American Students

Presently Invisible: the Arab plight in American classrooms

  

 

What’s Happening at School:

 

At the HS,  our upperclassmen are preparing for AP testing, making decisions about their future and looking for summer employment.  Don’t forget to check out the  SJ Schools webpage; click on SJHS; click the  Guidance tab for  scholarship information and encourage your student to check their grade level google classroom in the classwork section under general info for job postings. 

If you have job opportunities we can share,  please reach out so we  can get your information to our students!

 

At Upton, our support groups are still going strong.  We will  be starting an academic support group to help students with organizational skills during the month of May.

 

Please remember we are here to support you - reach out if you have a question/concern:

guidance@stjoebears.com

2021-2022 Calendar- Spring Break 

I have had several questions about our spring break in 21-22 from families planning vacations for next school year, as many have heard about a change in the county to the timing of spring break.  Berrien RESA sets a 5-year calendar inclusive of a December Holiday Break and Spring Break.  Every district in Berrien County must follow the dates of the Holiday and Spring Break that RESA sets.  UNLESS, a district is under a contractually negotiated calendar.  SJPS is currently in year two of a three year negotiated calendar, which means we will, for next school year, still have spring break in April (April 4-10, 2022).  

Athletics: 

Monday:

4:00  Varsity/JV Tennis vs. Kalamazoo Central

4:00  Varsity Golf @ West Jamboree/Lake Michigan Hills

4:00  JV Golf vs. Lakeshore/Blossom Trails

5:00  JV/Varsity Soccer vs.Mattawan

 

Tuesday:

4:00  Boys/Girls Track @ Portage Northern w/ Lakeshore

4:00  Varsity Baseball/Softball vs. Edwardsburg

4:00  JV Baseball/Softball @ Edwardsburg

 

Wednesday:

10:00  Varsity Golf @ SMAC Invite/Stonehedge North 

4:00    JV/Varsity Tennis vs. Lakeview

5:00    JV/Varsity Soccer @ Portage Northern

 

Thursday:

9:00  Varsity Golf @ Gull Lake Invite/Bedford Valley 

4:00  Varsity Baseball/Softball vs. Kalamazoo Central

4:00  JV Baseball/Softball @ Kalamazoo Central 

4:00  Varsity/JV Tennis @ Sturgis

 

Friday:

12:00  JV Golf @ Berrien Springs Invite/Pipestone Creek

4:00    JV Tennis West Jamboree

4:15    JV Baseball vs. Berrien Springs

4:15    Varsity Baseball @ Berrien Springs

 

Saturday:

9:00  Varsity Tennis @ Allegan Quad

9:00  Boys Track @ Grand Rapids Elite Challenge

2:30  Girls Track @ Grand Rapids Elite Challenge 

 

Upcoming Events: 

4/28 - Wed. - 1 Hr. Late Start