St. Joe's School

St. Joseph Catholic School kicks off Catholic Schools Week with an Open House at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27th. Prospective families are encouraged to visit and learn more about its academic standards and Christian values. No registration is required.

The school, currently serving about 300 students in 13 districts from pre-K to eighth grade, has several events scheduled for Catholic Schools Week.

On Monday, parents will join students for Lunch and Bingo, along with Crazy Hat and Hair Day. On Tuesday, students will be allowed to dress up as their favorite storybook character, while Wednesday is Movie and Pajama Day. Students will visit the YMCA and the ice rink on Thursday. Jump Rope for Heart activities will take place on Friday, followed by a Family Dance on Friday night.

Other upcoming events at St. Joe’s include the Penny Carnival, which will be held on March 16th at the school, and the Super Mammoth Sale, which is scheduled for April 6th.

Currently, 60 percent of families attending St. Joseph School receive some type of financial aid and nearly 20 percent are non-Catholic.

To find out more, call 343-6154 or visit www.sjsbatavia.org

The U.S. flag flying outside of St. Joe's School had gotten so tattered that teacher Marianne Clattenburg thought it needed replacing. She mentioned it to Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Hawley offered to deliver a new flag to the school.

Today, Hawley was joined by a group of third-, fourth- and fifth-graders to raise the flag for the first time.

After talking with students a bit about the importance of the flag and sharing a little bit about state government, Hawley and the students hoisted the new flag high upon the pole.

When the students found out their picture was going to be on The Batavian, they were thrilled and some wanted to be sure their names were included, so here they are: Shawn, 3rd; Rachel, 3rd; Tegan, 4th; Jocelyn, 4th; Andres, 4th; Bella, 5th; Garrett, 4th; Gabby, 4th; Vincent, 5th; Marlea, 5th; Faith, 5th; Jace, 3rd; Benjamin, 3rd; Spencer, 5th; Tori, 5th; Megan, 4th. Their teacher today was Karen Green.

Genesee County's two Catholic elementary schools are apparently planning a merger, according to a letter sent home to parents.

The letter obtained by The Batavian was sent to parents of children at St. Joe's in Batavia and Holy Family in Le Roy. It states:

Local leadership has agreed that the schools will reconfigure next September for the beginning of the 2012-13 school year. Following a thorough analysis of several reconfigurations, the model emerging as one of the favorites: Pre-K to 8 and an after-school programs at the current St. Joseph School site; Pre-K and an after-school program at current Holy Family site.

The letter states that a name has not yet been selected for the reconfigured school.

The letter is signed by Kevin Robertson, principal of Holy Family, and Karen Green, principal of St. Joseph School.

The reason for the merger, according to the letter, is driven a lot by the declining elementary school population in Genesee County.

The number dropped by 7 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to the letter.

"We need to meet the spiritual and pastoral needs of all of our parishioners," the letter says. "That requires a more equitable distribution of parish income."

Discussions among local leaders began in the early fall, according to the letter, which invites parents to provide feedback on various options for curricula and programs in the reconfigured school.

The big honkin', humongous SUPER MAMMOTH Indoor Garage Sale at St. Joe's School is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday. It's located at 2 Summit St. in Batavia.

While planning it hasn't put Chairwoman Kathy Stefani in seventh heaven, she knows the proceeds are heaven sent, so to speak, and will be used to buy state-of-the-art instructional technology for the school.

Now in its seventh year, this thing has grown quite a bit since its inception.

Stefani, a St. Joseph's parent, began chairing the sale as a fundraiser for St. Anthony's School in Batavia, where her children attended until the school closed several years ago. She's the one who gave it the name MAMMOTH, because "even (during the first year) it got real big."

"It's gotten to the point where it's not just a sale," Stefani said. "It's really an event."

It will fill all the main areas of the school -- both upstairs and downstairs -- as well as the green space outside, which will feature a 20-by-40 foot tent in which lawnmowers and outdoor furniture will be sold.

Volunteers have been collecting donations all year, and have spent the last two weeks setting up. The latter process has included the tasks of washing and pricing the items.

Speaking of prices -- bibliophiles will definitely want to get to showroom #2 (a.k.a. the gym), where a large variety of books for all ages will be sold for only 25 cents each.

And for $20, you can own a 49-star American flag.

Shoppers will have a total of 19 cashiers, two of whom will be "express cashiers," to assist them.

In addition to antiques, furniture, books, needful things and other goodies to which customers have come to look forward to, there are some exciting new features this time around.

• Clor's Chicken BBQ will be sold outside, with picnic tables and benches available for sit-down meals.
• A bake sale, featuring all homemade items, including cakes and fresh-brewed coffee.
• Because there is so much merchandise this year -- "tens of thousands of items," according to the ad flier -- Stefani and other volunteers will be restocking tables at 12:30 p.m. on the day of the sale. So, if you are not a morning person, you will still have plenty of choices if you come in the afternoon!
• A special attraction will be an Artisan Doll Shoppe, staffed by an expert in vintage and collectible dolls who will be able to answer questions and offer free appraisals.