Thank you to those who joined the January 2024 Parent Association Meeting. Below, please review a summary of the topics we covered. Our next meeting will be Friday, February 2, 2024, at 8:30am in Egan Hall. Following the meeting, we will hold a work party to set up for the PA-sponsored Spirit Lunch. Please consider staying and lending a helping hand.
PA Leadership Update: Rachael Groark, PA Co-Chair, who is currently pregnant with twins, experienced complications that resulted in hospitalization over Christmas break. She has since stabilized and returned home with limited activity and will step back from her PA duties. Both babies are healthy and thriving. We had already planned for Rachael to be on maternity leave starting in February, so this is a small change to the existing plan. She will return to her PA role once the babies are settled at home and she is comfortable doing so.
Principal Search Committee Update: Our principal position has been posted since mid-December and we are actively searching for candidates locally and nationally. There is lots of interest in the position and we are confident we will get a quality pool of candidates. The Office of Catholic Schools is the first to review applications; then, applications are passed along to the Committee. The Committee will meet on Tuesday, January 9 and hopes to review the first round of applications. There will be a broader Principal Search Committee update included as part of the State of the School.
State of the School attendance is required for all families intending to enroll a student(s) in Grades K-8 for the 2024-2025 school year. The State of the School will be presented on the following dates:
- Tuesday, January 23, Virtual, 7pm
- Thursday, January 25, In-person, Egan Hall, 7pm
Catholic Schools Week will be January 28-February 2, 2024. Here’s some highlights for the week and the theme for each day. Dress code for each day is underlined.
- Sunday, January 28: The week will kick off with a student-focused Mass at 10:30am and All-School Open House. The Open House for new and current families will be held 12pm to 1:30pm and is a great time for you to visit your students’ classrooms, chat with teachers, and connect with prospective families.
- Monday, January 29: Hearts Transformed – Thank You to parents, volunteers, community, and neighbors. School Uniform for students.
- Tuesday, January 30: Minds Prepared – School Spelling Bee (Grades 3-8). Dress Uniform for students.
- Wednesday, January 31: Staff Appreciation Day – Lunch provided for all staff. Students bring flowers from home. Book It- Dress as your favorite book character and support our School Auction theme.
- Thursday, February 1: Mission Ready, Vocation Day – Father Crispin will conduct an adoration tour and class visits. Teachers invite parents to come and speak about vocations (ongoing invites all week). Students dress as a teacher or future self.
- Friday, February 2: Spirit Day – All-school Spirit Lunch sponsored by the Parent Association. Dress in your Purple and Gold spirit gear. Check out the volunteer opportunities to support this fun tradition and sign up today! There’s even a chance to support this event at home on your own time.
Uniform and Spirit Store – Order Today! Get ready for Spirit Day by placing your order for spirit gear at the Uniform and Spirit Store. Orders should be placed by January 10 to receive items by the end of the month. Uniform items may also be purchased through this site.
Volunteering Update: Amy Vithayathil, PA Volunteer Lead, presented to us about the work she’s been doing to support volunteering in our community. She has created a Volunteer Handbook to help families get information about volunteering expectations, how volunteering supports our faith, what volunteering opportunities are available, and tools to make a volunteering plan. **Room Parents** Amy is looking for your help to gather classroom-specific volunteer opportunities. Please email her at Amy.Vithayathil@gmail.com and provide her with information on any existing volunteer opportunities or future/recurring known opportunities. She will work with you to get the details on each opportunity. The Volunteer Handbook will also be highlighted at State of the School.
Auction Update: Make sure you read the Auction emails to get all up-to-date information about our upcoming Auction – A Novel Soiree on Friday, March 15. Tickets will go on sale on February 2 and costume/dress-up ideas will be provided in future communications. You know how much St. John loves to dress up! But, right now, we are focused on Procurement. There will be an opportunity to drop off procured items on Friday, January 12. The FINAL Procurement Date and Sponsorship due date is Friday, January 26.
Hospitality Update: Thank you for all the grades who have provided amazing luncheons to show appreciation for our teachers and staff this year! Keep up the good work. 2nd Grade will provide the luncheon for January which coincides with Teacher Appreciation Day during Catholic Schools Week (January 31). Also on January 31, remember to send students to school with a single stem flower to include in arrangements for teachers in their classrooms.
Admissions Update: New family applications are currently open through the end of January. Acceptances will go out in March. Current family re-enrollment will open after the State of the School has been delivered. If you are a current family with a new student, please remember to submit your re-enrollment first; then you can add your new student.
Admin Update: Principal O’Leary shared the following updates with us:
- Progress Reports will be sent home January 18 for Grades 3-8. This is a great time to reset/refocus on current goals and set new goals.
- Ms. Shaw is back! Thank you to Mrs. Manley who served as our School Counselor while Ms. Shaw was on maternity leave. They created a seamless transition to support our students.
- High School applications are submitted and we will receive results in February.
- If you have an idea for an Elective Class you think our Middle School students may have interest in, please reach out to Admin about and share your skills by volunteering to teach. We are always looking for new ideas.
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.