St. Joseph Principal Announcement

1 August 2018

Dear St. Joseph School Community,

On behalf of St. Joseph Parish and the Siena Catholic Schools of Racine it is our honor and pleasure to announce that Mrs. Heidi Hernandez has accepted an offer to become the next Principal of St. Joseph School. This is an important and transformational moment in the history of our school and we are truly thankful to have Heidi to lead St. Joseph.

In preparation for this important search and selection process meetings were held between Siena Catholic Schools and St. Joseph Parish leadership to best understand the unique needs of the school and to identify the skills that would best benefit both the parish and school community. While the timing of our opening dictated a need for a more rapid search than we might normally desire, our process generated a strong applicant pool from which multiple excellent candidates emerged. From this group 5 candidates were selected for an initial screening interview, 3 of which were advanced to a second interview with a team from St. Joseph, formed with the guidance of Fr. Steve. Two candidates were then granted a final interview with Siena leadership. From this group Heidi stood as our strongest candidate and we are blessed by her acceptance of our offer.

Heidi, who started August 1st, joins us following 6 highly successful years as Principal at Wauwatosa Catholic School, a school that combined the parishes of St. Bernard and St. Pius X within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Prior to her time in school leadership, Heidi served as a Title I Instructional Supervisor, a Literacy Coach, and an At-Risk Teacher in the Milwaukee Public School District.

Heidi is a fully licensed Principal holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Administrative Leadership from Alverno College. She also holds a second Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Marian University in Fond du Lac. Additionally, Heidi has completed the Latino Enrollment Institute at the University of Notre Dame.

Heidi’s leadership extends far beyond the walls of her school – she is recognized as a leader within the educational community of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. In addition to her work as a principal Heidi serves on the planning committee for the Archdiocesan Educator’s Convention, she has served a chair for her Deanery, and continues to be an important member of the Archdiocesan Committee on Assessment and Learning.

The selection process was a true blessing and all are excited and energized by its result. Special thanks to all of those who participated: St. Joseph Parent Mrs. Kristin Cafferty, Parishioner Mr. Brian O’Connell, as well as St. Joseph Staff Members Mrs. Laura Miller and Mrs. Coleen Ruediger. We are a stronger Catholic community for this collaborative effort and look forward to many additional successes in the years to come.

Blessings,

Fr. Steve Varghese, Pastor - St. Joseph Parish

Todd Willems, Director of Schools - Siena Catholic Schools of Racine

Taher Joins the Siena Team

Siena Catholic Schools is proud to partner with Taher, Inc., as our food service management company for the 2018-19 school year.  Taher will work with our food service personnel at each of our school sites to provide healthy and nutritious breakfast, lunch and after-school snack programs beginning in the fall.  Taher is the largest K-12 food service management company in Wisconsin and has built their reputation on a "chef-based food service program" with a focus on preparing meals at least 60% from scratch with fresh ingredients and priced affordably.

2018-19 National School Lunch Program Application

The 2018-19 Free and Reduced Lunch Application is now available on-line here at www.LunchApp.com.  Please complete the application early to avoid funding issues once the school year begins.

Any questions, please contact Siena Catholic Schools at 833-5515 or 833-5517.  Para asistencia en español, comuníquese con Jorge Santiago, Coordinador de Admisiones Bilingüe , al 262-632-2785, ext. 425.