Parent Association

Thank you to those who joined the November Parent Association Meeting. Below, please review a summary of the topics we covered. Our next meeting will be Friday, January 5, 2024, at 8:30am in Egan Hall.

Principal Search Committee Update: The Principal Search Committee is currently working on the job description with the goal of posting the job in early December. They are working closely with a representative from the Office of Catholic Schools. Thank you for the more than 150 surveys that you submitted, providing feedback on what is important to you in our next principal. The target start date for the new principal is July 1, 2024. If you know anyone who would be a good fit for the position, please encourage them to apply. Assistant Principal Paul Kelley will continue in his position for the 2024-2025 school year. The Principal Search Committee will provide progress updates and information as quickly as they can. Teachers and staff are also receiving updates from the Committee.

Auction Update: Our Auction Co-Chair Lauren Exnicios provided us with an informative presentation on all things auction. Mark your calendars and start thinking about your outfits – the 39^th Annual St. John School Auction will be held on Friday, March 15, 2024. The theme is A Novel Soiree. Check out Lauren’s presentation for more details and ways to get involved.

The Wellness Committee held their first Try Me Day of the year on Friday, November 17. They served students popcorn with healthy toppings like nutritional yeast. Look for more information on how the day went in a future NewsViews update.

Thank you to Sara Dean for facilitating our first Parent Education Night on Tuesday, October 24. We had over 70 participants attend who learned about executive function from Dr. Erin Gonzalez. If you missed it, check out the recording here as well as a list of resources. We will hold another Parent Education Night in the Spring and are finalizing the topic now. Please send any topic suggestions to Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org.

Catholic Schools Week will be January 28-February 2, 2024. The week will kick off on Sunday, January 28 with Mass and an Open House for new and current families. The Parent Association will host a Spirit Lunch on Friday, February 2 to add to the festivities. We are currently assembling a subcommittee to plan this event. If you are interested in joining, please email Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org.

Hospitality Update: If you are planning to include Scrip gift cards in your holiday giving to teachers and staff, the deadline to place orders is December 8. Scrip is available from a list of vendors in specific denominations. For more information, click here. If you are a Hospitality Chair and looking for more support in your position, check out the resources available on the Parent Association website.

Admin Update: Assistant Principal Paul Kelley shared the following updates with us:

• The 6^th Grade’s Fund Drive to support St. Vincent de Paul is going on now. Instead of a food donation this year, please consider donating the cost of the food to help keep our neighbors sheltered.
• 7^th Graders will be hosting a Thanksgiving meal for Residents of the Martina Apartments on Tuesday, November 21.
• 4^th and 5^th Graders are continuing their efforts to provide hygiene kits within our Seattle community.
• School Open House: Our Open House for new and current families will take place as part of Catholic Schools Week on January 28, 2024. Spread the word to prospective families, especially with younger children.

The Welcome Committee is looking for new co-chairs. If you are interested in leading this important effort to make new families feel a part of the St. John community, please email Julia Tsurusaki at julia@thesakigroup.com or Kirsten Evangelista at farg03@yahoo.com.

Thank you to all who joined the October Parent Association Meeting. We are over a month into school and everyone is full steam ahead, check it out below. The next PA meeting will be Friday, November 17th due to no school on 11/3 for Parent/Teacher Conferences and no school on 11/10 in observance of Veterans Day. 

Parent Education Night (on Zoom) on October 24, 7 pm: Don’t miss our first PA-sponsored Parent Education Night on Tuesday, October 24th at 7 pm via Zoom, link here: https://zoom.us/j/2444379941. We are thrilled to welcome Erin Schoenfelder Gonzalez, Ph.D to speak to us about executive functions (EF), activities based in the brain’s frontal lobe, which is the “boss” or “executive” of our brain. Executive functions help us plan, organize, and manage our thoughts, actions, and emotions. For kids, this means things like paying attention, setting goals, and controlling impulses. Developing strong EF is crucial for success in school and everyday life. The elementary school years are the ideal time for children to learn good EF habits and strategies to compensate for EF weaknesses. 

Calendar Hold for Spring Event on April 27th: The PA is seeking ideas for this family fun event! There is so much happening in the Winter and Spring that April 27th is the only date we have available to host another family fun night. Last year this was the Decade Dance. The PA Team is open to feedback on what this event could be. Some current ideas: a family bingo night or another dance. Feel free to brainstorm and bring your ideas to the next PA meeting. 

State of the Parish – One Mass Only, October 29th: In the past, the State of the Parish, was available at all 3 masses. This year it will only be available at the 1030 a.m. mass on Sunday, October 29th. School families – in order to be eligible, and to remain eligible, for Parish Fair Share tuition, each family must attend the State of the Parish. There will be a link available for viewing on October 31st, but in-person attendance is strongly encouraged. 

Parish Events: 

• Family movie night: Join us on 10/28 following the 5 O’Clock mass for pizza and Coco. Preview the movie here. Sign-up here. Please be sure to indicate how many people (adults and children) will be joining. This event is for all families, kids can bring cozy items to lay out during the movie. Parents are required to stay for the event. 
• Parish Sunday Speaker Session: On Sunday 10/15 at 7 p.m. Seattle University Theology Professor, Donna Teevan, PhD will speak about why younger generations are dissociating from religion. 

Team Lead Updates: 

• The Welcome Committee is looking for new co-chairs for 2024! Current co-chairs are excited to mentor. If interested, please contact julia@thesakigroup.com or farg03@yahoo.com.
• PA Reps: A reminder that the PA Reps have been asked to organize a fall event and sprint event for their classes. Some examples of a few that have been planned: pumpkin patch, Blachette football game, parents’ night out at Ridgewood. 

Partners in the Gospel – PLEASE SUBMIT FEEDBACK ONLINE: All in-person listening sessions took place last week. It is not too late to submit your feedback online. The input form will close this Saturday, October 14th. Principal O’Leary has received a lot of questions concerning the effect of this on our School. Her response – Please speak up, give feedback, and share your voice now and in the 3 years to come. We have an opportunity to help shape this, but only if we show up and share what we think and want to make happen. Even if you have attended the in-person events, feel free to submit more feedback and thoughts online. This is our part and duty to advocacy. Your feedback doesn’t have to be directly related to what you think of our proposed parish partners but can be about Partners in the Gospel at a high level. This is a great opportunity to give feedback to the Archdioceses. 

The Endowment Event is Sunday, October 22nd: How is this different from the auction and other fundraisers? The endowment was started in the 80s and is similar to a savings account or 401k, it is a portfolio and a perpetual gift. Once the fund reaches a certain amount of money, St. John’s can start withdrawing the interest made on the money. This money is what makes our Fair Share Program possible (and scholarships). We have just started withdrawing money in the last few years. This is very important as it creates an ongoing source of money to keep our fair share program going. Please come and support – it will be very fun! Don’t forget to see if your employer matches. More details here.

Preschool and kindergarten Open House November 8th at 7 pm: Please spread the word in your community. This is a great time for people to learn more about St. John’s School and community prior to registration in January. 

CYO Updates:

• Sportsmanship Reminder: Unfortunately there have already been some incidents of poor sportsmanship. Please remember to put the kids first and continue to make St. John’s a leader in sportsmanship. 
• CYO Basketball, Grades 4-8, Registration is Open – closing this Friday, October 13th! CYO Grades 4-8 Basketball registration is open! They are working to get teams filled by the end of the week, please register ASAP. 

2024 Thursday Ski Bus to Summit at Snoqualmie: The Ski Bus is a parent-led opportunity and is not affiliated with St. John School. Contact Amanda O’Rourke, amandavorourke@gmail.com if you have questions. It is for grades 3-5 and registration is open on a first come, first serve basis. It appears that lessons might be full but you can still register for transportation. Since there are limited spaces, please be considerate of your commitments in January and February to ensure you can make it. Registration is through the SSCS website and payment is via Zelle: https://www.snowsportsconsultingservice.com/student-lessons—info.html

Simple Fundraiser for St. John – Box Top for Education – We need a Coordinator! For over 25 years, Box Tops for Education has given families an easy way to earn cash for their school. Now you can simply scan your store receipt with the Box Tops mobile app to identify participating products and instantly add cash to your school’s earnings online. St. John School has earned over $13,000.00 through this program, which helps fund playground equipment.

It’s never been easier to sign up! Download the app and start earning for St. John! 

We are looking for a coordinator to lead this effort. If you are interested, please contact julia@thesakigroup.com. 

The Middle School Musical: The 2024 Middle School Musical will be announced next week! This is a rare opportunity for kids to learn so much while having fun and being creative. This is also a great opportunity for parents to volunteer their creative skills – all types of help are needed and your student doesn’t need to be in the musical to volunteer. Please contact Kari Aguila at kaguila@st-johnschool.org. Kari has been leading and directing the Middle School Musical for almost 5 years. She plans to pass the torch over the next 2 years. If you have any interest in exploring this role, please contact Kari. 

Next PA Meeting: Friday, November 17, 2023, 8:30 a.m., Egan Hall.  

PA Participation: Interested in being a part of the PA? The Parent Association facilitates, encourages and ensures ongoing community-building by providing activities, events, and service to the parish and school community. All parents/guardians of students attending St. John School are members of the PA and are welcome to join meetings. Check out this summary of the Parent Association for more information and a calendar of upcoming events. If you want to get more involved, we are still looking to fill some grade-level PA roles.

Overview of Grade-Level PA Roles: To support PA activities throughout the school year, each grade aims to be represented by two individuals in each of the following roles. If you are interested, sign up here! If you are new to St. John or haven’t held a role with the PA before, don’t hesitate! There are so many people available to support you if you take a role. We are all in this together!

• Room Parent: Acts as teacher liaison, handles parent communications, and coordinates any teacher/classroom needs and opportunities for involvement.
• PA Rep: Supports as many school-wide and grade-level events as possible, encourages others to volunteer in support of school and parish events, attends monthly PA meetings, and organizes grade-level socials.
• Hospitality Chair: Oversees gift-giving for teachers/assistants and school staff throughout the year, coordinates grade-level voluntary contributions, and manages gifting budget.
• Auction Liaison: Serves as main point of contact for class auction information, coordinates class Auction Package, and manages the class Auction Art Project or appoints an Art Lead to design/create a class Art Project.

Leadership Roles: To support School and PA activities, we have a great group of leads this year.

• Stephanie Glassburn, Communications Lead, manages communications for the PA at the school level and partners with Room Parents to support parent/guardian communications.
• Chris Sourov, Hospitality Lead, oversees the grade-level Hospitality Chairs and the All-Staff appreciation events as well as Coffee & Donuts for the parish.
• Madeline Pennington, Events Lead, manages PA-sponsored events and brings all the fun to our community with the Back to School BBQ, Bingo Night, Spring Dance and more.
• Amy Vithayathil, Volunteer Lead, holds a new position for this year aimed at creating greater visibility for all the volunteer opportunities across our School and Parish. She will certainly help us all achieve our volunteer hours for the year.
• Julia Tsurusaki and Kirsten Evangelista, Welcome Committee Co-Chairs, ensure all new families feel welcome in the St. John community and get them information they need for a smooth transition.
• Lauren Exnicios, Auction Chair, leads our Annual Auction and the team who helps make our Auction so fabulous.

Our first PA-sponsored Parent Education Night will take place the evening of Tuesday, October 24 and will feature a conversation with Erin Schoenfelder Gonzalez, Ph.D., from Seattle Children’s Hospital. She will focus on Executive Function (EF), activities in the brain that help us plan, organize, and manage our thoughts, actions, and emotions. For kids, this means things like paying attention, setting goals, and controlling impulses. Developing strong executive functions is crucial for success in school and in everyday life. More information to come.

Welcome Committee: As the school year begins, look out for new families and welcome them to our community. If you are new to the St. John community, Welcome! Small group sessions to answer all your questions are coming soon. More information to come from the Welcome Committee. 

The 2024 St. John Auction will take place on Friday, March 15. The Auction theme will be revealed at Curriculum Night this month. There will be many opportunities to volunteer to support the Auction.

Jog-a-thon fundraising is currently underway. We are working toward attaining our ambitious goal of $130,000 by September 22. This year, if we meet our goal, all students will participate in the ever-popular Cash Grabbin’ Gekko game! *Room Parents* Please encourage parents to continue fundraising efforts to help us achieve our goal! All students are encouraged to participate in fundraising and will run/walk in the Jog-a-thon on Friday, September 15. Check out the Jog-a-thon information packet for scheduled jog times, prizes, and more!

Greenwood Scouts will hold their first pack meeting this Wednesday, September 13 at 6:30pm in Egan Hall. All are welcome to join. Reach out to cubmaster.chiefseattle121@gmail.com with any questions.

The Back to School BBQ will surely prove to be an amazing time as we expect record attendance! Can’t wait to see you there.

School Updates from our Admin Team

• Building Improvements: We are enjoying the new ventilation system and the new doors and trim on our Portables.
• Our new Library is located in Portable Room 40 and has begun to welcome students! We are so excited to have a library back at St. John.
• Safety Updates: We are partnering with safety consultancy group, Highlander Six Consulting, on safety training and improved safety protocols.
  • Our 2023-2024 School Year Goals include 1) living the St. John mission and leading the students to meet the student learning expectations, 2) actively participating in Partners in the Gospel and encouraging all families to do so, and 3) completing the year one activities outlined for accreditation goals.
• Bump It Up, our adult volleyball league fundraiser, is returning soon! Look for more information to come in NewsViews.
• We need help with our Crossing Guards and Recess Monitoring. If you are interested in helping, reach out to Jonna Skokan (jskokan@st-johnschool.org) and Melissa Heron (myanik1@msn.com), respectively.

Any Questions? Reach out to Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org.

Next PA Meeting: Our October PA meeting will be held on Friday, October 6 at 8:30am in Egan Hall. Hope to see you there!

As we held our final Parent Association meeting of the year, we had so many people to thank. Thank you to our amazing PA Co-Chairs, Sara Dean and Allan Quiaoit, whose active and inclusive leadership shined bright along with their commitment to fun. Thank you to Rachael Groark and Maile Sullivan who will take on the PA Co-Chair roles for the 2023-2024 school year. We know the PA will continue to do great things in your capable hands. Thank you to the PA leadership team who contributed above and beyond in their roles – Stephanie Glassburn (Communications Lead), Madeline Pennington (Events Lead), Chris Sourov (Hospitality Lead), and Julia Tsurusaki (Welcome Committee Chair). Thank you to all who took class-levels PA roles this year. Your dedication to our school, teachers and staff, and students helps make St. John such a vibrant community. And, thank you to our Administration Team, Bernadette O’Leary, Paul Kelley, and Jonna Skokan for their support of the PA. Their additional time and effort contributed toward PA-sponsored events throughout the year make success possible.  

Welcome Committee Update: Activities are ramping up in support of our new families. This year, new students received welcome notes, summer play date planning is underway, and buddy family assignments are coming soon. Two Parents/Guardians-Only Happy Hours are coming up May 11 (Preschool) and May 18 (K-8). As current families, we encourage you to join and welcome new parents/guardians to our community. If you are interested in becoming a buddy family and have not yet signed up, please email Annik at annikjohnson@gmail.com or Ellen at ecmurr@gmail.com.

Recap of Bingo Night and the Family Decade Dance: These two PA-sponsored events provided fun opportunities for our community to come together in different ways. We discussed some elements that worked well and some changes that could be made for next time.

We will send out the Spring PA Survey again this year as a quick way of gathering feedback about your experience. Thank you in advance for your time to help us make next year even better.

Volunteer Hours: For those who have not yet met their volunteer commitments, there are several upcoming opportunities including Grand Day and the End of Year BBQ.

Grand Day – May 19: Grandparents and special friends of grades K, 1, and 2 will be welcomed for Grand Day on May 19. Click here for event details. We need your help supporting this event. Please consider volunteering here.  

End of Year BBQ Celebration: We will celebrate the end of the school year with a BBQ on Friday, June 2. More details to come. We will need many volunteers to make this event a success. Please look out for a Signup Genius coming soon.

Last Day of School – June 14: We will distribute popsicles on the blacktop for the last day of school. Additionally, we aim to provide a fun place for kids after the school day concludes. We are not coordinating an official PA-sponsored event. Instead, PA Reps, please pick a meeting spot and make sure it is publicized to everyone within your grade.

Next PA Meeting: Details to come for our first meeting of the 2023-2024 school year. Enjoy the rest of this year!

Thank you to all who joined the April Parent Association Meeting. We held our meeting early due to Holy Week next week. Our next and final official PA Meeting of the year will be Friday, May 5. This year is flying by, but we still have some exciting events to look forward to.

The 38th Annual St. John Auction: The auction was a huge success, raising $560,000 in gross revenue for the school! It was a record-breaking night and an amazing show of support for St. John. Thank you to the Auction team as well as all volunteers and donors for making this possible. Mark your calendars – Next year’s Auction will be held on March 15, 2024 and will be led by Lauren and Andrew Exnicios. During our PA meeting, Lauren collected feedback from the group. Thank you, Lauren!

Middle School Musical: The middle school musical, Shrek Jr., proved to be a wild success this year. Congrats to all who were involved. 1200+ people saw the show over four performances. Moving forward, we are looking for parents of younger students to get involved with the production earlier on instead of waiting until their kids are in middle school. If you have hidden creative talents like singing/acting, sewing, or painting, contact Kari Aguila at azeusa@gmail.com.

Family Decade Dance – Saturday, April 22, 6:30-9pm: Save the date! Come show off your moves and spend time with your family and friends. In addition to dancing through the decades up in the gym, families will enjoy themed activities, a costume contest, a photo booth, a concession stand and, in honor of Earth Day, a few green activities! Friends, neighbors and families of the Parish are welcome. Tickets will be $12/individual and $40/family and go on sale during the week of April 3. Buy your tickets before heading out on Easter Break! We are looking for volunteers to help make this event a success. Sign up to lend a hand here.  

Hospitality Update: Thank you for supporting our teachers and staff! As we approach the end of the year, Hospitality Chairs will be coordinating end of year giving. Scrip will be an option and will likely be available at the end of May.

Last Day of School: We are not coordinating an official PA-sponsored event for the last day of school, June 14. We hope grades will create inclusive gatherings so kids will have somewhere fun to be. PA Reps, please work with your teams to plan and communicate details to your grades. Think about transportation support options as well for those whose parents are not available to drive them.

Grand Day – May 19: Grandparents and special friends of grades K, 1, and 2 will be welcomed for Grand Day on May 19. Click here for event details. Please RSVP for the event here by May 17. Keep an eye out for a request for volunteers.

STEM Night will return in May. More information to come! We will need volunteers for this event.

Next PA Meeting: Friday, May 5, 2023, 8:30 a.m., Egan Hall.  

Thank you to all who joined the March Parent Association Meeting. As Spring approaches, our community prepares for many exciting events on the horizon. Read on to learn about details discussed at the meeting.

The 38th Annual St. John Auction – March 17: We are expecting a great turnout for this year’s Auction. If you haven’t bought your tickets yet, do so by March 7.

• Volunteer and Dessert Auction Sign-Ups: We need additional volunteers to make this event a success, especially food and wine servers. Please consider these volunteer opportunities or provide a dessert for the dessert auction.
• Raffle Tickets: Remember to sell your raffle tickets. All tickets must be turned in (sold and unsold) by March 17. Students who returned their raffle tickets will get Free Dress on March 17. If you would like additional tickets, please email amarquez@st-johnschool.org. 
• Class Art Projects will be on display in the Parish Admin Building beginning March 7, providing a preview prior to the Auction.

Bingo Night – March 31, 7pm: Join us for a night of fun and friendly competition at Bingo Night in Egan Hall. Tickets are $35 and will first be available through the online auction portal beginning March 13. Space is limited so buy your tickets early! And, please consider volunteering to support this event.

Decade Dance – April 22: Mark your calendars for the All School All Family Decade Dance in celebration of 100 years at St. John. We are currently forming a planning subcommittee. If you have ideas about how to make this event rock and want to join in the planning, email Sara (sara@shamelessmom.com) or Allan (mrqishereforyou@gmail.com).

Welcome Committee will meet on March 21, 6:30pm in the Parish Admin Building. We are still looking for buddy families, especially from K-2 families. Sign up here.

Fundraising Administrator: St. John seeks to fill the role of Fundraising Administrator (currently held by Andrea Marquez). The part-time position provides major fundraising support as well as event planning. If you are interested in the position or have questions, please email Andrea at amarquez@st-johnschool.org.

Accreditation Update: The 18-month evaluation process is complete. The action items created through our self-assessment were validated by our external Evaluation Team. Additionally, some changes were made to action items in the areas of Catholic Identity and our Technology Plan. Following submission of the report to the WCEA accreditation board in April, we will be fully accredited for another six-year term.

Next PA Meeting: Friday, March 31, 2023, 8:30 a.m., Egan Hall. Please note this is a week earlier than normally scheduled due to Good Friday.

*Classroom Parents: Please feel free to use this information in your communications with parents. Copy and paste or tailor to your classroom’s needs as you see fit.

Catholic Schools Week has been great fun. Sunday’s activities got us off to a wonderful start with two Masses, our Open House, many extra special features to celebrate our Centennial, as well as a visit from Mayor Bruce Harrell. Our vibrant community shined bright this week. Additionally, thanks to everyone who stayed after the PA meeting to decorate for our Spirit Lunch. Egan Hall was looking festively tropical by the time we were done. And the kids loved it.

State of the School and Re-enrollment: As a reminder, returning families must complete the re-enroll process by February 8, 2023. For instructions, look for an email with the subject “Re-Enrollment for Current St. John Students is Open!” The State of the School is required viewing for all St. John School families.

Online Uniform and Spirit Store: Spread the word – our new online uniform and spirit store will remain open for orders any time. Merchandise purchased by the 10^th of each month will arrive by the end of that month. Check out the FAQs for more information. We will be adding items regularly so visit the online store often. Please note, uniform items will continue to be available through Dennis Uniform as well.

The 38^th Annual St. John Auction: Tickets are currently on sale for the Auction taking place on March 17, 2023. Ticket prices will increase on March 1. PA Reps: Consider helping organize tables at grade levels to create an inclusive spirit.

PA-Sponsored Events

• Bingo Night – Date TBD: This year’s PA-sponsored auction item will be Bingo Night. Tickets for the bingo event will be available for purchase at the Auction. We will be looking for a few volunteers to support this event. More to come!
• All School All Family Decades Dance – April 22: Save the date! We can’t wait to see your moves. This event will require many volunteers to make it a success. More details to come.

Next PA Meeting: Friday, March 3, 2023, 8:30 a.m., Egan Hall