Welcome back from Spring Break! Thank you to those who joined the April 2024 Parent Association Meeting. Below, please review a summary of the topics we covered during the meeting.
Our next meeting will be Friday, May 3, 2024, at 8:30am in Egan Hall. (*Note the date change from previous communications.)
Welcome back, Rachael and Happy Birthday, Maile! During our meeting, we were so happy to welcome back Rachael after being on leave and celebrate Maile’s birthday. Lots going on for our PA Co-Chairs!
Parent Ed Night: We are rescheduling our Spring Parent Ed Night to early May. Look for the date to be announced soon. We will feature a speaker discussing how to navigate the topic of screens and screentime. Our intent is to bring the conversation to the next level – a 2.0 version of what we have heard already – including helpful tips and resources. This is a topic requested by many, so PA is happy to bring it to you.
A Fete for Principal O’Leary, Sunday, May 19. Plans are fully underway to celebrate Principal O’Leary and honor her many years of service in Catholic education. We hope you join us for Mass and a “Brunch Bites” reception afterwards. This event is family friendly and will include food, beverages, and a short program. Check our event website for full details and make sure that you:
- Sign the Kudo Board by May 1 to celebrate, thank, and say goodbye to Principal O’Leary. She will receive these messages as a printed book as well as online. Make sure you add your contributions here.
- RSVP by May 6 here.
- Volunteer! There are many ways to help us make this an amazing event to honor Principal O’Leary. Check out the options and sign up here today.
A Jubilee for Father Crispin, Sunday, June 30. The planning committee is also busy organizing a celebration for Father Crispin.This will include Mass and a picnic with the Parish. We acknowledge this is a holiday weekend, but we really want to get as much school family involvement as possible. If you are in town, please come! More information and volunteer opportunities will be announced soon.
Last Day of School Class Gatherings: This year, we are again asking PA Reps to think about plans for the last day of school/end of year meetups. The intent is to ensure that, if there are planned meetups, they are inclusive and communicated broadly. This doesn’t have to be an elaborate plan (hosting and child supervision are out of scope and not expected.) If you choose not to have a meetup, it would be helpful to communicate this as well. Here is the spreadsheet. Please use the 2023 tab for ideas and then include your class’s plan on the 2024 tab.
Immediately following the 10:30am dismissal on the last day of school, there will also be popsicles on the blacktop.
The Back to School BBQ will be Friday, September 6 and we will be kicking off planning in May. This event will welcome us all back to school and incorporate a warm welcome to our new school and parish leadership. The Planning Committee will meet approximately once a month until school starts. If you are interested in joining the Planning Committee, please email Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org.
Auction Update: Thank you to our amazing community for coming out and supporting the Auction this year! If you have feedback about the Auction, please email Lauren at lexnicios@gmail.com or Chris at csourov@st-johnschool.org.
There are two opportunities still available to contribute to the Auction:
- Fund-a-Need: $125,000 was raised for Fund-a-Need. There is still time to make a gift if you would like to help us reach our goal. Donate HERE.
- Matching Donations: Does your company participate in corporate matching? Please consider submitting a matching donation request to your company. The school, students and teachers all benefit from those extra donations!
We are already looking ahead to our 2025 Auction which will take place on April 4, 2025. If you are interested in taking a leadership role in the Auction, please email Lauren at lexnicios@gmail.com or Chris at csourov@st-johnschool.org.
The 2025 Jog-a-thon planning efforts will kick off in May with the art contest and sponsorship recruitment. The team is looking for the next generation of leaders to spearhead this effort. No running required! If you are interested in joining the Jog-a-thon committee, please email Chris at csourov@st-johnschool.org.
Welcome Committee Update: St. John will welcome 50-60 new families in the fall. We will be full in every grade except First Grade. If you know any families with 2024-2025 First Graders who might be interested in St. John, encourage them to reach out to Jonna Skokan at jskokan@st-johnschool.org.
The Welcome Committee is currently focused on the following:
- Buddy Families to be matched with new families. The need is greater for families with younger children. Please express interest in being a Buddy Family here.
- The next Welcome Committee meeting will be held Tuesday, April 23 and will focus on writing letters to welcome new families and assigning Buddy Families.
- The Welcome Committee Happy Hour to welcome new families will be held Thursday, May 16, 5:30pm in Egan Hall. The event will include beer, wine, light appetizers, socializing and a quick presentation to welcome and acclimate parents to some key information. Buddy families are asked to attend this parents only event.
Admin Update: Pablo shared the following updates with us:
- The American Heart Association fundraiser is coming soon. Check out the NewsViews post for more information. We look forward to participating again this year!
- Principal Transition: Thank you to the Principal Search Committee for their hard work resulting in the selection of Ms. Mansfield as our next principal. Currently, the Admin team is working through the transition and integrating Ms. Mansfield into the team.
- As part of the Partners in the Gospel work, our new priests were announced. Father Colin Parrish will be the new pastor for our parish family which includes St. Alphonsus in Ballard and St. Benedict in Wallingford. Our parochial vicars will be Father Justin Ryan and Fr Kyle Poje. When they come together to lead our parish family beginning in July, their first step will be to determine a Mass schedule and where the priests will live.
Online Uniform and Spirit Store: The last day to order spirit gear for the 2023-2024 school year is Monday, April 15 for a mid-May delivery date. The spirit gear store will be updated with new gear and will reopen June 1-July 31, for an August 29 delivery, just in time for the start of 2024-2025 school year.