9/4/26 PA Meeting

PA Updates

Welcome & Parent Association Overview (Liz & Stephanie)

Welcome to a new school year! The Parent Association is here to build community, support the school, and serve as a bridge between families and the administration. Stephanie Glassburn and Liz Le-Johnson will be your co-chairs for the 2026-2027 school year.

Every parent/guardian is automatically a member of the PA! There are many ways to get involved, meet other families, support the school, and earn volunteer hours. Getting involved in the PA is a great way to fulfill your Fair Share obligation. 

Grade-Level PA Roles

Sign up today! Each grade needs two volunteers in each of the following roles:

PA Reps (Led by Stephanie Glassburn & Liz Le-Johnson)

  • This role does not need to be classroom specific. 
  • Organize three grade-level events throughout the year.
  • Take notes at monthly PA meetings.
  • Volunteer for at least one PA-led event planning committee.
  • Encourage others to volunteer. 
  • Serve as the point person between the PA and their grade-level team.

Room Parents (Led by Ciara Byars)

  • Each classroom has one Room Parent.
  • Send weekly communications via email, WhatsApp, etc.
  • Collaborate with other grade-level PA volunteers.
  • Serve as the primary point person for their classroom.

Hospitality Chairs (Aleah Valley & Dana Showers)

  • Each classroom has one Hospitality Chair.
  • Oversee teacher and staff gifts.
  • Coordinate voluntary contributions for class events.
  • Support Coffee & Donuts, the teacher/staff appreciation luncheon, and teacher birthdays.
  • Initial grade-level communication will include information about upcoming birthdays; check the Google Doc for early September birthdays.

Classroom Auction Coordinators (Ainslie Clark & Courtney Blair)

  • Each classroom has one Classroom Auction Coordinator.
  • Serve as the main point of contact for Auction information.
  • Coordinate the class Auction package.
  • Facilitate the class Auction art project or appoint an Art Lead.
  • Auction Information
    • The Auction is a fully parent-led event and requires lots of support throughout the year.
    • Auction: March 12 at Fremont Studios
    • PK-5th Grade: Art Projects
    • 6th Grade: Photo Booth
    • 7th Grade: Wine Cellars
    • 8th Grade: To be determined

Welcome Committee (Led by Jean Magbitang & Amanda Geismann)

  • Summer playdates were a success and brought together many new and returning families.
  • New families: Please find Jean if you have any feedback about your experience so far.
  • Looking for additional Welcome Committee members. Contact Jean Magbitang if you’re interested.
  • Next year’s Welcome Committee activities will kick off in the spring.

ParentMap ParentEd Talks

ParentMap will provide eight education talks throughout the year covering a broad range of topics.

  • Upcoming: ADHD is Awesome: How to (Mostly) Thrive with ADHD with The Holderness Family
    • Thursday, September 24, 12–1pm
    • Register for free using promo code STJCATHSCH to receive webinar details.
  • Register for the ParentMap series to receive information about upcoming talks.
    • Promo code: STJCATHSCH

Website (Led by Gary Hurley)

Interested in helping with the PA website or graphic design? Please reach out to Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org.

  • Look for updated PA information on our website. 

Volunteer Recruitment

Current top two volunteer priorities:

  • Back-to-School BBQ
  • PA Grade-Level roles 
    • PA Reps
    • Hospitality Chairs
    • Classroom Auction Coordinators 

School Garden (Led by Meggie Richards & Kate DeMotts)

  • A WhatsApp group will be used to share garden needs and communicate with volunteers.
  • Ideas are being explored for formalizing garden roles and creating more opportunities for families to get involved.

PA-Led & Supported Events

The PA organizes several annual community events, including:

  • Back-to-School BBQ
  • Spirit Day during Catholic Schools Week
  • BINGO Night or Family Dance (alternating years)
    • This year, we will host a Family Dance in the Spring 
  • Other parent and family events

The PA also supports many events led by other groups at school, including Endowment events, Grandparents Day, and general volunteer opportunities.

The PA also provides Parent Education opportunities throughout the year.

What to Expect from the Parent Association

  • Monthly meetings: Meetings are held in person, with notes shared through class parents and posted on the PA website.
  • Lots of volunteer opportunities: Many SUGs come through the PA. If you know of an opportunity or are looking for a way to get involved, reach out—we can help connect you!
  • Leadership support: The PA Leadership Team will work directly with grade-level teams to provide support as needed.
  • Community connection: The PA is one avenue for connecting families and parents with the school. We have a seat on the School Commission, work directly with the Admin team, and do our best to represent the collective ideas, interests, and needs of our community.

Upcoming Events 

Back-to-School BBQ

Friday, September 11, 6–9pm on the St. John blacktop

  • Activities for the kids
  • DJ and dancing
  • Volunteers still needed for:
    • Playpit monitoring
    • Food/grill
    • Clean-up

Please check out the Activity Support volunteer opportunities if you can help!

Jog-a-Thon

Friday, September 18

The Jog-a-Thon is a fundraiser for all St. John students, Pre-K–8th grade. Students will run with their grades during designated times throughout the day.

  • PK–3rd Grade: Upper Loop/blacktop
  • 4th–8th Grade: Lower Loop/Egan Hall block

Goals:

  • Raise $100,000 to support St. John School
  • Run a combined 1,000 miles
  • Volunteer! This is a fun and easy way to get in volunteer hours.

School & Class Incentives

  • School goal: $100K → Free Dress + cash-grabbing Gecko for the entire school
  • Top-selling grade: Silly String Showdown with the Principal and Vice Principal
  • Top-donating class: The class with the most donations by noon on September 16 gets to choose the 2026 Jog-a-Thon theme song.

Individual Incentives

  • Prize Raffle: $150 in donations by 9/11 and 9/16
  • Springfree Trampoline Raffle: $200 in donations + an additional entry for every additional $100
  • Top Mileage Runners: Additional recognition/prizes

Recess Monitors (Led by Malen Musgraves)

Volunteers are needed to monitor lunchtime recess rain or shine. Please consider signing up to help!

Admin Updates

2026–27 School Theme

This year’s theme is:

“We are rooted in God’s love, called to make a difference.”

School Families

School Families are back this year! Each of the 23 families will include students from Pre-K through 8th Grade.

This year, the school will also introduce the concept of siblings, pairing students from different grades—for example, 5th grade students will be paired with 2nd grade students.

New Staff

St. John has welcomed several great new hires this year, including:

  • New XDC Director
  • New Band Director
  • New Middle School Drama Director

Lunchtray

A huge thank you to Jon Grover for designing and rolling out the new hot lunch ordering portal, Lunchtray.

Main Building Bathrooms

The facelift of the main building bathrooms is complete and looks great! Thank you to everyone who donated to last year’s Fund-A-Need to make this project possible.

Traffic & Drop-Off/Pick-Up

Please be mindful of traffic patterns during drop-off and pick-up and be respectful of neighborhood parking.

See the traffic patterns and map for more information.