In 2020 the unthinkable happened, not only were we facing a Global Pandemic, but as a country found ourselves transitioning over to facilitating school virtually for the last quarter of the school year.

St. Joseph Catholic School teachers rose to the task and instead of taking a Spring Break that year, they worked tirelessly throughout the week to prepare to administer curriculum through packets of printouts, books, and via ZOOM. In addition, these same teachers went out into the community to touch base with families to make sure students were able to get access to the help as well as the materials they needed.

We are so thankful to the amazing partnership that we have with our school families. This process would not have been implemented without your support.



So, what did this situation teach us? Going VIRTUAL reiterated the importance of needing 1 to 1 technology for every student and having SJCS be at the forefront of the latest electronics to help facilitate school whether online or in the classroom.

As students came back to campus for the 2020 – 2021 school year, our teachers were able to offer hybrid learning for those on campus and those who chose to remain at home. By the end of that school year, everyone had returned to campus.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to continue our tradition of academic excellence while leading our students through this challenging time. Thanks to DONORS like you, during the 2020 Giving Challenge we were able to raise $135,000 that included a $30,410 match from The Patterson Foundation as well as a $10,000 Doss Family Foundation Match, a $10,000 Ierulli Family Match, and an anonymous $5,000 Donor Match.



Not only were we able to support our STREAM Initiative at the school (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) but we were able to purchase new and replace old electronic devices and purchase charging carts for all our classrooms. Thank you for BEING THE ONE to make this technology possible for our students.

Now, if the occasion ever arises where students need to learn virtually, every student at St. Joseph Catholic School has access to their own device, whether through an iPad or a ChromeBook. In addition, these upgrades have added to the programs our students can use to reinforce subjects and have helped prepare these future leaders with the skills necessary to communicate and advance in an ever-changing world.

Improvements at St. Joseph Catholic School haven't stopped, and as we continue to grow we need you to BE THE ONE again for this year's Giving Challenge from noon to noon April 26- 27, 2022. Help us to complete upcoming renovations and upgrades to our campus to provide additional enrichment for our students, as well as updated facilities.



Keep reading below for the EXCITING news about the upcoming 2022 Giving Challenge and the upgrade to our Early Learning Playground as part of our North Campus Improvement Plan.

Deborah Suddarth, Principal ED.S.
Carlee Colonneso, Development

In advance of the upcoming Giving Challenge on April 26-27, St. Joseph Catholic Church has committed $20,000 to the fund to renovate the Early Learning Playground.

St. Joseph Catholic School has now raised over $80,000 for this playground project, however before we can get started with the renovation, we first need to remove the 2 Portables Buildings. This is to clean the area for the playground as well as to prep the ground for a future structure. This will cost approximately $150,000.

In the next 2 months SJCS will be out in the community speaking to potential donors and sending out communications on ways we can double and even triple our donation dollars. We already have a commitment from our school PTO to donate $500 as a Donor Match. This means that after the first 5 individuals make a $100 donation during the Giving Challenge, The Patterson Foundation will make a 1 to 1 donation of $500 and with the funds from PTO our school will receive $1,500.

If you are interested in also becoming a Donor Match or have questions about the Giving Challenge, please reach out to Carlee Colonneso at Development@sjsfl.org or call the office at (941) 755-2611.

SJCS is so grateful to St. Joseph Catholic Church for getting us over our goal for the Early Learning Playground and when you see Father Rafal, please let him know how much our school community appreciates him.

See our Parent Newsletter Announcement.
See our Community Announcement.
See our Alumni and Friends Announcement.

We are excited to share that in advance of the 2022 Giving Challenge, St. Mary Star of the Sea has committed $10,000 as a donor match to St. Joseph Catholic School. SJCS is so thankful for this donation and appreciates everything that Father Robert and the parish does for our students and school community.

We are happy to announce that Our Lady of the Angels has donated $10,000 to St. Joseph Catholic School in advance of the Giving Challenge. SJCS is so thankful for their support and appreciates everything that Father Sebastian and the Parish Community does for our school.

EXCITING NEWS! The Giving Challenge is less than 2 weeks away and we are happy to announce that Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Ierulli and Family have committed a $30,000 match opportunity to St. Joseph Catholic School. SJCS is so thankful for this donation opportunity and appreciates everything that the Ierulli Family does for our school!

Let's Be United In Our Vision for the Early Learning Playground and the North Campus Improvement Plan. From Noon to Noon on April 26-27, 2022 you can triple your 1 to 1 $100 donation! We now have the potential to exceed over $145,000 in donations once we reach $30,000! Visit our direct donation page HERE: https://bit.ly/GivingChallengeSJCS2022

St. Joseph Catholic School has another exciting announcement! In addition to the Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Ierulli and Family committing a $30,000 Match for the Giving Challenge, they have also provided a BONUS OPPORTUNITY.

If every one of our 202 School Families donates between $25 and $100 on April 26th-27th from Noon to Noon, we will receive up to an additional $20,000. Remember that individual donations up to $100 will also be matched 1 to 1 by The Patterson Foundation, which will in turn triple our donation dollars helping us to potentially reach over $150,000. We are grateful for both these opportunities and appreciate everything that the Ierulli Family does for our school!

Please visit our direct donation page HERE: https://bit.ly/GivingChallengeSJCS2022
 

We would like to send a Donor Shout Out to Tyke Appraisals for the Giving Challenge. They are providing a Donor Match of $5000 once we reach $15,000 in donations!

St. Joseph Catholic School is grateful for this opportunity to help increase our donations and appreciate everything that Tyke Appraisals has done for our school. Please visit our direct donation page HERE: https://bit.ly/GivingChallengeSJCS2022

St. Joseph Catholic School has surpassed the goal of $200,000 for #GivingChallenge2022 and it took A LOT of wonderful people to make this happen!

Thank you to The Patterson Foundation and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County for facilitating this AMAZING opportunity for Non-Profit Organizations.

Thanks to the outpouring support of  our families, faculty, local businesses, Parish Communities as well as Staff, and our generous Matching Families and Organizations for turning the VISION of the North Campus Improvement Plan into a reality! 

SJCS has now more than TRIPLED Donations thanks to the generosity of the Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Ierulli and Family and their $30,000 Match, the St. Joseph Knights of Columbus Council matching the first $10,000 in $100 Donations, St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish matching the first $10,000 in Donations, and Tyke Appraisals matching the next $5,000 in donations at the $15,000 level.      

Plus, we were off to an amazing start with advanced donations of $20,000 from St. Joseph Catholic Church and $10,000 from Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church.

St. John the Evangelist Parish in Naples came in on Day 2  with a Match of $10,000, and we are also excited to announce that because of our school family's participation, we received a BONUS Match of $20,000 from the Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Ierulli and Family! This is in addition to the $30,000 Match for a total of $50,000!

With over 450 Donors, St. Joseph Catholic School was ranked #6 out of 669 organizations in Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto, and Charlotte Counties and also received recognition for being one of the first to reach 50 donors.

We thank DONORS like you for helping to make this happen and CONGRATULATE our community on a job well done! 

SJCS looks forward to providing updates as we continue forward with our fundraising initiatives and these improvements to our school. You can learn more at sjsfl.org/donate.

The staff at St. Joseph Catholic School would love to speak to you about ways you can help support the ONLY Catholic School in Manatee County and the vision of the North Campus Improvement Plan. Please feel free to reach out to Carlee Colonneso at development@sjsfl.org or call (941) 755-2611 for more information.