Activities

St. Joseph Catholic School students are INVOLVED! Students are invited to join our many teams and activities to build their teamwork and time management skills. Beginning in third grade, students have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities. Opportunities expand as students reach the middle school age. St. Joseph Catholic School offers four instrumental ensembles, two choirs, nine athletic teams, and a variety of math, engineering, and spelling opportunities. Involvement in extracurricular activities complements classroom learning and gives many opportunities for application of learned content.

Student Council

St. Joseph School Student Council in middle school provides an opportunity for students to develop leadership and responsibility. Officers and permanent homeroom representatives are elected during August/September, and elections for quarterly temporary representatives take place during each quarter of the school year.

D.A.R.E

Drug Awareness Resistance Education is offered every school year. The fifth grade students meet weekly with Officer Tom Daubs from the Marion Police Department to learn this curriculum.

LEGO League

LEGO League provides 6-10 students an opportunity to build a robot made of LEGOs and attempt to complete designated missions at the regional and state tournaments. Team members program their robot with user-friendly computer software. The LEGO League team also must give three presentations at each of the two tournaments and answer questions from the judges. The project presentation involves creatively presenting research on the current year’s theme. The technical presentation involves demonstrating engineering principles. The teamwork presentation involves demonstrating team-building skills, good sportsmanship, and cooperation. LEGO League is a truly multidisciplinary activity utilizing engineering, science, math, computer programming, research skills, writing, public speaking, and creative and critical thinking.

Future Scientists and Engineers of America (FSEA)

Future Scientists and Engineers of America (FSEA) turns the thrill of hands-on learning into a lifelong experience for the future. FSEA, a national program of Discovery Science Center in California, has developed a lot of fun and challenging projects that allow students to do real engineering and science. FSEA is an award-winning national program that can motivate, inspire, challenge, and introduce students to the thrill of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It’s fun, engaging, and involves real-world application projects that help relate the importance of education to future career possibilities.

Crazy 8s Math Club

This after-school math club is where interested students in grades three through eight build stuff, run and jump, make music and make a mess! Participate in experiments like the Bouncy Dice Explosion, Glow in the Dark Geometry and Toilet Paper Olympics. 

STEM Club 

STEM Club is an after school club explores STEM principals and 21st century skills as they design, create, and make in grades 3-5.   

Fine Arts

Charger Band

Charger Knights Band is open to any 4th grade, or older, student, who would like to learn a band instrument. Charger Knights Band meets on most Tuesdays and Fridays from 3-3:45 p.m., with a supervised homework/snack time from 2:50-3 p.m. If there is an early out on a Tuesday or Friday there is not rehearsal.

Charger Knights Band is a graded class. Students receive points for attending weekly lessons, band rehearsal participation, concert performances, and weekly practicing. Students will learn technique, tone, rhythm, posture, pitch, and musical expression. Students need to practice at home in order to be successful learning an instrument.

Jazz Band

Jazz Band is open to all band students who have completed one year of band and are in Book 2 of the lesson book series.
Jazz band meets on most Tuesday and Friday mornings from 7:15 a.m.–8 a.m.

Middle School Band

Middle School Band is open to all 6-8 grade students who have completed one year of band. This ensemble meets Tuesdays and Fridays during the school day at 11 a.m. opposite study hall.

Middle School Band is a graded course. Students receive points for attending weekly lessons and completing assigned benchmarks, band rehearsal participation, and concert performances. Students will learn technique, tone, rhythm, posture, pitch, and musical expression. Students need to practice at home in order to be successful at learning their instrument.
Learn more about St. Joseph’s band opportunities at: https://sites.google.com/site/sjcsbands/

Major Faith Choir

Major Faith Choir is an extra-curricular choir open to all students in grades 3-5 and is a requirement to participate in the musical. Our rehearsals are Mondays & Thursdays from 3-3:45 p.m., with a supervised homework/snack time from 2:50-3 p.m.
MFC is an opportunity for students to strengthen their singing, music reading, and music performance skills. Students will sing a variety of music styles including 2-part and 3-part songs while developing diction, projection and music expression.

Middle School Choir

Middle School Choir is open to any student in grades 6-8 who is interested in improving their musicianship, music reading and singing skills. Middle School Choir is a requirement for those students who wish to participate in Center Stage Show Choir. Our rehearsals are Mondays and Thursdays during the school day at 11 a.m.

Middle School Choir is a graded class. Students receive points for effort and demonstration of skills in rehearsal. In addition, students will have assignments to complete as homework and quizzes on concepts taught in class. Students are also graded on concert attendance and performance.

St. Joseph Musical

St. Joseph performs one musical a year starring middle school students with appearances often by younger grades. Middle school students, along with middle school staff and the music teacher, produce the entire musical–from set design to lighting to promotion to performance.

Center Stage Show Choir

St. Joseph and LaSalle middle school students come together as Center Stage Show Choir. They perform at several competitions and exhibitions in the winter and spring.

Athletics

Volleyball (Grades 5-8)

There are two volleyball teams at St. Joseph. The Varsity Team consists of 7th and 8th grade girls. The Junior Varsity Team consists of 5th and 6th grade girls.
Our Varsity Team plays against 7th and 8th grade teams from the around the area. We are an associate junior member of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. The Varsity Team also has matches scheduled against local Christian schools and plays in area tournaments. Our Junior Varsity Team plays against local Christian schools and in local tournaments.

Football (Grades 5-8)

There are two football teams available to St. Joseph students through the Xavier Saints Football program, one for 7th and 8th grade boys and one for 5th and 6th grade boys.
The 7th and 8th grade teams play schools in the MVC Conference and surrounding area. We are an associate junior member of the Iowa High School Athletic Association. The 5th and 6th grade play local teams in the Youth Sports Foundation (YSF).

Boys Basketball (Grades 5-8)

The 7th and 8th grade boys basketball team competes against schools in the area with middle school athletics. We are an associate junior member of the Iowa High School Athletic Association.
There are also non-league games scheduled against local teams from parochial schools such as Cascade Aquin, Cedar Valley Christian, Heritage Christian, Newhall Lutheran, Trinity Lutheran, etc.
St. Joseph also has a 5th and 6th grade boys basketball team. The 5th and 6th grade boys basketball team competes against local teams from Central City, Springville, Marion, Center Point-Urbana, Mt. Vernon, Lisbon, Iowa City Regina, North Linn, Alburnett, Gilbertville I.C./Raymond St. Joseph, Trinity Lutheran, Cedar Valley Christian, Heritage Christian, Newhall Lutheran, etc.

Girls Basketball (Grades 5-8)

The 7th and 8th grade girls basketball team competes against schools in the area with middle school athletics. We are an associate junior member of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. There are also non-league games scheduled against local teams from parochial schools such as Trinity Lutheran, Cedar Valley Christian, Heritage Christian, Newhall Lutheran, etc.
St. Joseph also has a 5th and 6th grade girls basketball team. The 5th and 6th grade girls basketball team competes against local teams from Central City, Springville, Linn-Mar, Prairie, Marion, Mt. Vernon, Lisbon, Iowa City Regina, Gilbertville I.C./Raymond St. Joseph, North Linn, Alburnett, Trinity Lutheran, Cedar Valley Christian, Newhall Lutheran, Heritage Christian, etc.

Wrestling (Grades K-8)

Wrestling is available to St. Joseph students through the Xavier Future Saints X-Men Wrestling Program. Wrestlers compete in weekend tournaments throughout the local area and have the opportunity to advance to a state tournament.

Track & Field (Grades 7-8)

The Boys and Girls Track & Field Team consists of 7th and 8th graders. We compete against schools in the area with middle school athletics. We are an associate junior member of the Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.