St. Joseph the Worker School is a fully accredited Transitional Kindergarten through Eighth Grade Catholic Parish School in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. We affirm that each child is unique, and, with dignity and respect, we guide each student to obtain his/her fullest potential. We serve our community by providing a caring, educational environment in which each child is able to develop spiritually, academically, socially, and physically. In collaboration with our families, we provide our students with a foundation for success in high school and for development into responsible adolescents and adults. We are committed to nurturing a community of understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity.
Since 1958, Saint Joseph the Worker School has served the children of the San Fernando Valley by providing a value centered Catholic education committed to the fourfold ministry of the Church: worship, love, service, and witness. While celebrating our diversity, we define ourselves as members of one Body, the Body of Christ. Our community has a values-centered education committed to the fourfold ministry of the Church: worship, love, service, and witness. By affirming and modeling the values Jesus lived and taught, our school community reflects our parish’s Catholic identity.
St. Joseph the Worker School opened its doors in February, 1958, with an enrollment of 360 students in grades one
through three. The staff included three Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and four lay teachers. Sister Anne Harrington,
C.S.J. (Sr. Kathleen Joseph) was the first principal.
The original school building had eight classrooms, and another eight classrooms were added in 1960. The student
enrollment eventually expanded to include two classes of each grade, levels one through eight.
The Archdiocese requested in 1971 that the school close one of each grade annually until a total of eight classes was
reached. The reason for this request was not diminished enrollment, but rather the exorbitant expense to the parish
created by such a large school.
As classes were eliminated, the vacant classrooms were utilized in a variety of ways. Some of these included a religious
education office, a school library, a computer room, a math room, a music room, and rooms for small group instruction.
In September 1982, a kindergarten was opened. Extended day care was offered in October, 1986. Pre-kindergarten
was established in 1998. During that same year, an unused conference room was converted into a small science lab.
When each of these changes occurred, the administration hired appropriate personnel.
Improvements to the school building continue each year. Some of the highlights include: In 1990 a new pavilion was built
to provide shade for the students in the eating area. In 2001 and 2002, existing damaged and missing tiles in the
classrooms and halls were replaced. Removal of old carpet and asbestos tiles were removed and replaced with new tile.
The existing asphalt was pulverized and removed and replaced with compacted asphalt which was newly paved, and
striped for playground and parking lot areas. Existing lighting on the first and second floor hallways and library were
removed and replaced with energy saving fluorescent lamps. In 2003 and 2004, a new hot mop and cap sheet roof was
installed on the school building and pavilion. Copper piping was installed in the entire school, ceramic tiles were repaired,
and 30 gallon hot water heaters were installed. Rubber tile and safety strips were replaced and installed on the stairs and
landings. The Computer Lab received 5 new computers and in 2004 and 2005, an additional 35 new computers were
purchased for the Computer Lab.
In 2008, St. Joseph the Worker School celebrated its 50 year Anniversary with a Mass concelebrated by Msgr. James
Loughnane, second pastor and Msgr. Jim Gehl, the third pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Church. Students, alumni,
parents, teachers and staff all joined in the Solemn Mass followed by the Anniversary Banquet.
During the summer of 2010, the Parish Hall was converted into a gym. The floor was lined for both basketball and volleyball, and appropriate standards were added.
Textbooks are replaced periodically. At the end of the 2010-2011 school year, it was determined that this need was especially great. By the grace of God, an anonymous parishioner challenged both the parish and school with a donation of $10,000, the check to be cashed when the amount was matched. A Jog-A-Thon for Textbooks was held to help raise matching funds. The summer of 2011 brought a much-needed padded backboard in the gym; in addition to its primary use as protective padding, the padding highlights the school's name and mascot.
In 2011-2012 the Administration, Faculty, Staff, and Parents prepared a complete report for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA) for the renewal of accreditation for St. Joseph the Worker School. After the visiting WASC team completed the thorough observation and assessment process, the school received the full six-year accreditation for success in presenting an academic program exceeding the needs of students from Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade, as well as a commendation for the quality of the Catholic Education they observed at St. Joseph the Worker School.
In June 2013, we proudly celebrated St. Joseph the Worker School's 50th graduating class, the 8th Grade Class of 2013. Scholarships and honors at entrance from local Catholic high schools continue to be awarded to our graduating 8th graders. Many of our alumni have continued their Catholic education at Bishop Alemany, St. Genevieve, Chaminade, Louisville, Crespi, and Notre Dame high schools.
In 2016, after sixteen wonderful years at St. Joseph the Worker School, Sr. Barbara Joseph Wilson retired. Her unwavering faith in or Lord and tireless dedication to the families of this parish are a testament to her as a Catholic community leader. With Sr. Barbara's retirement, the St. Joseph the Worker School community opened a new chapter in its history with its first lay principal, Mr. CJ Kruska.
Mr. Kruska began his career in Catholic education here at St. Joseph the Worker School in 2000. During his six years as principal, Mr. Kruska continued the legacy of continuous improvement at SJW. He began this legacy with an upgrade to the WiFi network, allowing more devices online at a time. He also procured a grant from LADWP to update the lighting throughout the school to even more energy-efficient (and better for the environment) LED lighting. Another environmentally responsible improvement was the update to the kindergarten play yard, moving to recycled tire rubber mulch.
During the summer of 2017, St. Joseph the Worker School purchased 40 new Chromebook laptop computers, in addition to procuring a number of refurbished iPads from St. Cyril of Jerusalem and ThinkPads from Louisville High School. The school library was modified and turned into a Library Media Center. New security cameras were installed throughout the school and playground. The Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten play yard was updated with a tricycle racing track. The 2017-2018 school year brought another visit from the WCEA/WASC accreditation team, and again St. Joseph the Worker School was awarded the full six years for its academic excellence.
More school plant improvements continued during the summer of 2018, with the downstairs restrooms receiving an update. New partitions, new paint, and a new ventilation system, along with updated faucets, helped to create this new look. In addition, the school received a C3 Ignite grant for 200 new iPad
The summer of 2019 brought additional security updates to the school. The interior doors of the school were all updated with lever locks that are designed for quick and easy access for children of all sizes.
With technology becoming more mobile via Chromebooks and iPads, the upstairs computer lab was converted into the music room. This allowed some grade-level transitions to occur, including moving the 4th grade classroom upstairs. The downstairs 4th grade classroom was converted into a youth ministry room for the SJW parish.
The spring of 2020 brought many changes to both SJW and the world with the Covid-19 Pandemic. On Friday, March 13, 2020 SJW closed its physical doors for "two weeks" in order to flatten the curve. Little did we know how long those two weeks would last! Our fabulous SJW faculty quickly adapted to online learning, and education continued to take place via Zoom and online with Google Classroom and Seesaw.
In March 2021, the school began slowly integrating "hybrid" classes, with a combination of Zoom and in-person learning. This continued for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year.
During the summer of 2021, St. Joseph the Worker School received a generous grant from the Shea Foundation to update the school. This update included the installation of new windows throughout the school; renovating the upstairs and downstairs boys' and girls' restrooms with new sinks and faucets, new toilets, and new dividers; installing new whiteboards, short-throw projectors, and AppleTVs in each classroom; providing each classroom with an ELMO projector; and providing each homeroom teacher with a MacBook Pro to use in conjunction with the new classroom technology.
At the end of the 2021-2022 school year, Mr. Kruska announced his decision to leave St. Joseph the Worker School and return to the classroom, teaching theology at the high school level. A new principal was hired for the 2022-2023 school year. Her time with the school community was short. On October 4, 2022, Ms. Guilbault, an alumna herself as well as a veteran teacher of 19 years at SJW, accepted the role of interim principal for the remainder of the school year. In the spring of 2023, Ms. Guilbault accepted the offer to continue as principal for the 2023-2024 school year (and beyond).
St. Joseph the Worker School will continue to be a community that acts with the love in our heart, learns from others, and
leads as servants of God. Our students are empowered because of the experience they receive every day and every moment
on campus.
