12/13/24 PA Meeting

Thank you to those who joined our December Parent Association meeting, the last meeting of the year. We are so grateful to have such a wonderful group of administrators, teachers, staff, parents, guardians, and caregivers supporting our community. A huge thank you for all you do. Wishing you a happy holiday season from the Parent Association. See the summary of what was discussed during our meeting below.

 

Parent Education: As we wrap up 2024, we want to remind you of the parent education talks we have had since school began. Check out the links for highlights, resources, and full recordings of the events.

  • Jodee Blanco, Bullying Expert – October 7. Click for resources.
  • Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation: Essential Strategies for Rewiring Childhood – October 15.
  • Alok Kanojia, Level Up: Winning Strategies for Parents of Gamers – November 7.
  • Delaney Ruston, Raising Digital Natives: Solutions for Healthy Screen Time Habits – November 19.
  • Teacher Tom Hobson, All in a Day’s Play: Boosting Brain Power through Play – December 4.

We have 8 more speakers coming your way in 2025. Register for FREE for the next event or the whole series using promo code STJCATHSCH.

  • Next Up: Ned Hallowell, Navigating Neurodiversity: Strength-Based Support for ADHD Kids on Thursday, January 16, 12-1pm. Zoom link provided with registration.

We are currently planning a community event to follow up on these great parent education events in early 2025. We aim to bring our community together to discuss the top-of-mind topic of tech and our kids – cell phones, social media, gaming, screentime. We will focus on the events from Haidt, Kanojia, and Ruston. If you haven’t had a chance to watch those events, check them out. More details to come.

 

Catholic School Week

Catholic Schools Week will take place the last week of January 2025.

  • January 26 – Mass and Open House. We hope you will join us for this special Mass followed by an all-school Open House. It’s a great opportunity to visit your children’s classrooms. More details to come.
  • January 31 – Spirit Day and Spirit Lunch.
    • Spirit Lunch – Planning is already underway for our PA-sponsored Spirit Lunch, a favorite event of many of our students. Our theme will be New York, New York.
  • More details about the rest of the week will be shared soon.

 

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities:

  • Join the Spirit Day Planning Committee that will host Spirit Lunch as part of Catholic Schools Week on Friday, January 31. We would love to have a few more people on the committee. Email Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org to join.
  • Join the Spring Family Dance Committee that will plan a family dance event, tentatively scheduled for Friday, February 21. Anyone have event planning experience and want to put it to good use? Email Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org to join. Planning will begin in January 2025.

 

2025 Auction: Save the date – Friday, April 4 at Fremont Studios. Come Sail Away!

  • What’s changed? The format will be different this time around. We will have a longer Spotlight Silent Auction to start things off. Around 8pm, we will move into the big room which will have soft seating and buffet stations. The Live Program will be shorter with fewer items. The Dessert Dash will get a new spin to accommodate the format changes.
  • What’s not changing? We still want to raise as much money as possible to support the operating fund. Please come! It’s going to be a lot of fun for a great cause.
  • Auction to do list – Make sure you:
    • Donate: As part of your fair share commitments, each family is asked to provide quality auction item(s) or make a cash donation of $250. Please see the item donation and cash donation pages for more information.
    • Sponsor: Sponsorship helps offset the cost of the auction. If you have a business or know a business, consider becoming a sponsor of the auction.
    • Volunteer: There are so many great ways to volunteer and support the auction. We’re looking for a shadow auction chair, procurement committee members, volunteer coordinator, and item photographer. Find the role that’s right for you! Reach out to Lauren Exnicios at lmexnicios@st-johnschool.org for more details.
  • If you are interested in volunteering, join the informal volunteer social on Tuesday, December 17 at 6:30pm at Phinney Station.

 

School Updates from our Admin Team

  • Christmas Spirit Days: To get ready for our Christmas break, we will have some fun holiday spirit days.
    • Wednesday, December 18: Crazy Winter Scarves/Socks Day (Uniforms still required.)
    • Thursday, December 19: Holiday Headwear Day (Uniforms still required.)
    • Friday, December 20: Cozy Day.
  • Early Dismissal Friday, December 20 at noon
  • State of the School will be the third week in January. We will review Fair Share and open registration.

 

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