Mr. Eric Frenette, LPC, NCC
Principal of St. Joseph School

[email protected]

Mr. Frenette's Bio:

  • Graduate of St. Joseph School (Class of 1998)
  • Bachelor's Degree in Psychology (UConn, 2006)
  • Master's Degree in School Counseling (UConn, 2009)
  • Master's Certificate in Catholic School Leadership (Creighton, 2017)
  • Six years as a Secondary School Counselor
  • Began tenure as Principal of SJS in Fall of 2015
  • Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of CT
  • Nationally Certified Counselor
  • Long-time Bristol resident and parishioner of St. Joseph Parish
  • Father of two boys (both enrolled at SJS)
  • Served as the part-time Assistant Superintendent of the Archdiocese of Hartford's Catholic Schools from July 2022 to July 2024.

January is Catholic Schools Month!  Historically, the last week of January is a time when Catholic Schools from across the country celebrate their communities.  At St. Joseph School, we have much to celebrate!  See below for a list of events coming up this year!

2025 Catholic Schools Week!

Sunday

Jan. 26

“Our Parish”
  • 8th Grade will participate in the 10am Mass.  All families encouraged to attend!
  • SJS Open House:  10am to 12pm

Monday

Jan. 27

“Our Community”
  • Color Wars Free Dress for $5
  • Students can engage Faculty in Rock, Paper, Scissors throughout the day for a chance to win prizes.

Tuesday

Jan. 28

“Our Students”
  • Student Appreciation Day
  • Students get Free Dress!
  • Mini Golf in Guild Hall for all grades provided by HSA.

Wednesday

Jan. 29

“Our Nation”
  • “Red, White, and Blue” Free Dress
  • Traveling Indoor Planetarium for Astronomy presentation!

Thursday

Jan. 30

“Our Vocations”
  • Pastor Appreciation Day
  • “Dress for Success” Day:  students can dress as their future career.
  • Fr. Federico to speak to students about finding their vocations through a personal relationship with Christ.
  • Career Day with Community Speakers

Friday

Jan. 31

“Our Faculty & Staff”
  • Teacher Appreciation Day
  • “Students Dress Like Faculty” Free Dress
  • 8th Graders Take Over Classes
  • Special Friend Lunch in Guild Hall
  • School-wide Bingo

Saturday

Feb. 1

“Our Families”
  • Families are encouraged to spend the day as a family and to attend the 4pm Vigil Mass at St. Joseph Church.

 

 

 

During the Advent season, I love to watch all the Christmas movies.  My traditional favorite has always been It's a Wonderful Life.  I'm sure you all know the story well.  A young man sacrifices many of his hopes and dreams to help his community by running the family business, and in the process, giving hopes and dreams to others.  At the end of the movie, he discovers that his greatest gift has been to simply exist and be himself, which has had ripple effects on almost everyone in the town of Bedford Falls.  

 
A new favorite of mine has only recently been brought to my attention but is close in age to the Jimmy Stewart classic mentioned above.  This one is Going My Way starring Bing Crosby.  While one may argue it is not a true "Christmas movie", it is more Christmas adjacent, having some Christmas scenes throughout the film.  In this film, Bing portrays a young priest who has been assigned to replace a parish's founding pastor, who is getting long in years and out of touch with his community, in order to save the troubled parish.  The film shows the young priest going about this mission in the most humblest of ways.  It culminates in the young priest saving the parish, inspiring the city youth, rejuvenating the elder priest, and quietly exiting before recognition or even a word of thanks can be given to him.
 
The mission of St. Joseph School is to provide the highest quality of spiritual and academic education.  We do this in many ways.  And even when we face difficulty or resistance, I know that seeds are being planted in our students that will continue to grow for the rest of their lives.  If these two "Christmas movies" have taught me anything, it is that truly living one's life is the giving of one's self for a purpose.  My hope is that our students continue to grow in faith and knowledge so that they can make the best out of their lives in order to give their best back to others.  Our world is in desperate need of more George Baleys, those who give simply because there is a need.  We need more Fr. O'Malleys who do the right thing because it needs to be done and not for the glory or gratitude that may result.  As parents and educators and Christians, our job is to be humble servants.  For us at St. Joseph School, our purpose is our students.  May we model the behavior we hope to instill.  This Christmas, may we reflect on how we live this out in our lives and how we can continue to instill this in our children.
 
May God bless us, everyone.
 
Merry Christmas!
 

November is a month where we, as a country, collectively reflect on gratitude.  We recognize and celebrate the many things that we are thankful for.  We also exercise our American responsibility to vote.  It is interesting how these two things fall in the same month and yet they often become a dichotomy of each other.  Our political culture, and even our “regular” culture for that matter, have become such an issue of contention, animosity, and sometimes just ugly hatred.  My prayer is that one day soon our country and our culture may unify through gratitude.  Thankfulness and gratitude can often help us rise above differences, the things not going our way, or even the blatant problems and help us focus on what is truly good.

At St. Joseph School, I am thankful for many things.  I am thankful for our students who come to school each day with smiles on their faces and love in their hearts.  I’m thankful for our families who have trusted us with their children and often linger in our parking lots building our community.  I’m thankful for our pastor and our parish for their endless support.  I’m thankful for our dedicated teachers and staff who are here truly because they believe in the mission of our school.  But beyond the obvious, I’m thankful for when I walk the halls and see classrooms full of learning, joy, and innocence.  I’m thankful for looking out the window during recess and seeing children being kind and happy.  I’m thankful for the beautiful grounds of our campus, the student who thinks no one can hear him singing in the echo-y bathroom during a break, for the leaky sink I need to fix or the stuck gate that needs to be opened.  I’m thankful for even the difficult days at St. Joseph School.  Why?  Because without the “autumns” we can’t appreciate the “summers”.  Without the bad, we lose sight of the good.  The simplicity of each day, the quiet moments, the things we often take for granted can help us rise above the angry noise in the world and truly see the gifts from God.

One of the more obvious and more important things that I am truly thankful for at St. Joseph School is our yearly Auction run by our Home & School Association and dedicated volunteers.  This year, our Auction will be on November 16th.  Tickets are due this Friday (Nov. 1)!  Please consider attending this wonderful community event.  This event is our largest fundraiser and (I’m biased) just a great night out to celebrate our community.  Each year I am blown away by the dedication, creativity, and generosity of our community.  And while the auction and bidding can be fun, it’s not everything.  Sharing a meal, having some laughs, and being together are just some of those “quiet moments” that we can often take for granted.  Come join us and build up our wonderful community!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  We truly have a lot to be thankful for….