Thank you to those who joined the February 2024 Parent Association Meeting and for your extra effort to transform Egan into a winter cozy cabin for our Spirit Lunch. The snowflakes were shimmering, the tabletop faux fires were crackling, and the trees were glistening with snow. What a great group effort! Below, please review a summary of the topics we covered during the meeting.
Our next meeting will be Friday, March 1, 2024, at 8:30am in Egan Hall.
PA Update – The babies are here: Our PA Co-Chair, Rachael Groark, and her family welcomed their twins – Micah and Mimi – on February 1. Just in time for the PA meeting! Babies and moms are all doing well. A big thanks to Lauren Exnicios for organizing a baby shower during our February meeting. We collected donations in honor of the Groark twins to benefit Westside Baby and signed some books to add to the twins’ nursery library.
PA Spring Event: Rather than hosting another PA-specific event in the spring this year, we have decided to shift our energy to support Ms. O’Leary’s send-off and help ensure we honor our principal in an amazing way. The date of the event will be Sunday, May 19. We are beginning to form a subcommittee to lead this effort. If you are interested in joining, please come to the first meeting on Tuesday, February 6 in the Admin Building after drop-off. Can’t make the meeting? Reach out to Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org to express interest. We will also be organizing a send-off for Father Crispin on Sunday, June 30 and asking for help to plan this event.
Admin Update: Pablo shared the following updates with us:
- We received great feedback on State of the School. People appreciated having the virtual option, showed a high level of understanding of our Fair Share model, and requested a chance for Q&A.
- Safety Update: The Teacher In-service Day on February 9 will be used as a Professional Development Day focused on safety. Teachers will review the three levels of lockdown and participate in a drill, with our partner Highlander 6, simulating the highest level of lockdown when there is an active threat on campus.
- Playpit construction will begin the week of February 5! The playpit will be closed for a number of weeks during construction. Thank you for your support of this effort through last year’s Fund-A-Need.
Box Tops for Education: Grab your phone and download the Box Tops App to help our school raise money! This is super easy and the funds benefit out playground and play equipment. Click here for more information. *Room Parents* Please share this information with your classes.
Catholic Schools Week: Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Catholic Schools Week such a wonderful celebration. Between creating s’mores kits, cutting snowflakes, helping your kids dress up, bringing flowers for our teachers, sharing your vocations, and more, this community has done so much to make this week extra special for our kids. Your efforts are appreciated!
Volunteering Update: Amy Vithayathil, PA Volunteer Lead, is working to include as many volunteer opportunities in the new volunteer handbook as possible. *Room Parents* Please connect with your teachers to determine what volunteer opportunities are available and then pass the information along to Amy at Amy.Vithayathil@gmail.com.
Auction Update: Raffle tickets were sent home with the youngest sibling on Thursday, February 1. Families must turn in cash or unsold raffle tickets by March 14. Completed turn-in equals a free dress day for students on March 14. Event tickets are also on sale now. *PA Reps and Room Parents* Please help make the auction an inclusive experience and be a contact for people. You can reassure people, especially new families, if they don’t have a group to sit with, they will be grouped by grade and class. Just include this information when purchasing tickets. Looking for outfit inspiration? Check out the auction website for ideas.
Hospitality Update: Thank you for all your efforts to appreciate our teachers and staff. This really means a lot to our community! We are looking for someone to take the Hospitality Lead position for next year when Chris steps down. If you are interested, please email Chris at Mr_and_mrs_so@hotmail.com or Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org.
The Welcome Committee now has a group of parents who will lead this work for the upcoming school year. More information to come! If you are interested in joining the group, please reach out to Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org.
