3/28/25 PA Meeting

2025-2026 PA Co-Chairs Stephanie Glassburn and Maile Sullivan with honorary PA member Eleanor Johnson

Next PA Meeting: Our May PA meeting will be held on Friday, May 16 at 8:30am in Egan Hall. This will be our final meeting of the year. (Note: We will not meet in April.)

Thank you to those who joined our March Parent Association meeting. See the summary of what was discussed during our meeting below.

Parent Ed Wine Down – Thursday, April 10, 7pm, Egan Hall

This year, we hope you’ve gained parenting insights and useful nuggets of information through our ParentMap Education Web Series. We hope you will join us at our Parent Ed Wine Down. Please RSVP here.

Our post-viewing discussion aims to provide a supportive space to talk through key takeaways and exchange ideas on how to apply what you’ve learned. Grab a drink, relax, and connect as we explore strategies for navigating the joys and challenges of parenting together! Please RSVP for this event to help us plan refreshments.

 

Parent Education: ParentMap continues to offer great education events that you can join or watch the recording for free.

  • In case you missed it…Check out a recording of the March event.
    • Harmony at Home: Successfully Navigating Parent-Child Differences with Dr. Ann-Louise T. Lockhart, pediatric psychologist and parent coach. Details here.
  • Our next event will be From Chaos to Calm: Compassionate Discipline for Spirited Kids with Joe Newman, parent coach and author of “Raising Lions”.
    • Tuesday, April 1, 12-1pm. Zoom link provided with registration.
    • Register here using the promo code STJCATHSCH

 

2025 Auction Update: The countdown to April 4 is here! We’ve set our first auction record of the year by selling the most tickets ever to this amazing event. Let’s continue setting records and raise the most money at St. John’s biggest fundraiser. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Volunteers: We’re looking for volunteers to support the Auction. You can even volunteer if you are attending the Auction. There are also some roles for high school students. Sign up to volunteer here.
  • Dessert Dash Donations: This year’s “Dessert-ed Island” needs your help. Donate a dessert that guests will have an opportunity to pick from at the event. Sign up here.
  • Registration: Click here to pre-register a credit card for the event and save time at check-in.
  • Let’s start bidding! Preview the spotlight and live auction items and bid in the online auction.
    • The online auction will open March 31 at 7am and close April 6 at 9pm. Bid here.
    • Fund-A-Need is live! Donate now.
  • Raffle Tickets are due on Friday, April 4 by 4pm. Please turn in sold stubs, unsold tickets, and money to your students’ homeroom teachers or the Admin Building.
  • The new format is going to be awesome. And we have the same fundraising goals.
    • Help us meet our fundraising goal of $365,000 for the Auction and an additional $100,000 for the school’s Fund-A-Need.
  • Have questions about the Auction: Check the Frequently Asked Questions. Still have questions? Reach out to Lauren Exnicios at lmexnicios@st-johnschool.org or Chris Sourov at fundraising@st-johnschool.org.

 

The Welcome Committee has a strong team this year with everyone returning from last year. Soon, the letter writing campaign will begin, buddy family sign-ups will go live, and summer playdates will be announced.

  • Save the Date – PreK and K Welcome Happy Hour, Thursday, May 22, 5:30-7pm.
    • John “pro families” (that’s you because you’ve been here and know the community) are encouraged to come and welcome our new families.
  • If you know anyone with a rising Kindergartener, let them know there are currently spots available for the 2025-2026 school year.

 

The St. John Garden team will be looking for support during the summer with watering. Look for information coming soon. Thank you to everyone who supported our seed sale. If you haven’t had a chance, stop by and check out the garden. It’s looking great!

 

PA for 2025-2026: Our PA leadership team for the 2025-2026 school year is coming together.

  • Maile Sullivan and Stephanie Glassburn will lead as Co-Chairs. With Stephanie leaving the Communications role, we will take the opportunity to reorganize how some of the work is divided.
    • We are currently looking to fill the following roles in our leadership team.
      • General Communications: Focused on leading the grade-level Room Parents, providing PA updates for NewsViews, and creating events communication copy.
      • Web and Graphics Support: Focused on maintaining the Parent Association website and creating graphics for PA-led events and web content.
      • ParentMap Parent Education Liaison: Focused on coordinating parent education events with ParentMap as main point of contact and consolidating resources related to the events.
      • Volunteer Lead: Focused on being the point person for volunteer opportunities (not responsible for filling all volunteer needs), creating SignUpGenius forms for PA events, and implementing the current volunteer handbook as needed.
    • The Events Lead position will no longer be needed. The Co-Chairs will take the lead on PA event planning with support from the other leads as needed.
    • PA Reps: The grade-level PA Rep roles will have the additional responsibility of:
      • Meeting notetaking, on a rotating basis (e.g., each grade will be responsible for one month of notetaking during the school year). A template will be provided, and notes will continue to be sent out for the community to leverage.
      • Volunteering to participate on at least one PA event planning committee (while still helping recruit and volunteer for community events).
    • If you are interested in taking on one of our leadership roles or becoming more involved in PA, please reach out to Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org.

 

Admin Updates

  • STEM Night: Thank you to everyone who attended STEM Night. It was a great success, and the kids had an amazing (and somewhat messy) time exploring the activities. Thank you to Mr. Bretz and the middle school MakerSpace Elective students for hosting.
  • Auction: We are so excited about the upcoming Auction!
    • Make sure you complete your auction to do list prior to Friday and consider volunteering for the event.
    • Help us meet our fundraising goal of $365,000.
    • Help us meet our Fund-A-Need goal of $100,000.
      • This year, Fund-A-Need is focused on replenishing technology and finishing acquisition of school furniture for Intermediate classrooms and the Music Room.
        • Consider, it costs the school about $130 per chair and $250 per Chromebook used by the students.
      • End of Year BBQ: We are beginning to plan the end of year BBQ and are looking for help. If you would like to lend a hand with the planning, please reach out to Assistant Principal Paul Kelley at pkelley@st-johnschool.org.
      • Admissions: We still have a few spots available in Kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year. Please spread the word.

 

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