PA Meeting – 3/1/24

During our March PA meeting, we enjoyed the stage decorations for the Middle School Musical, Frozen, Jr. Hope you got to see the amazing show over the weekend!

Thank you to those who joined the March 2024 Parent Association Meeting. Below, please review a summary of the topics we covered during the meeting.

Our next meeting will be Friday, April 12, 2024, at 8:30am in Egan Hall. Please note this meeting occurs out of our normal schedule due to Easter holidays and school closures.

Admin Update: Pablo shared the following updates with us:

  • Playpit renovation is underway! Cement will be poured the week of March 4. Thank you for your support of this effort through last year’s Fund-A-Need.
  • This year’s Fund-A-Need will continue to raise money for the Playpit updates, including new fencing. If there are funds left over after the Playpit is complete, they will go toward updates to our intercom system.
  • Admission Update: We have space available to welcome more First Graders for the 2024-2025 school year. Please spread the word.
  • Principal Search Update: Our rigorous and thoughtful process has resulted in two final candidates. Father Crispin interviewed them last week and is currently in the discernment phase of our process. He should have a final decision soon. The decision will be announced via email and NewsViews. There will be an opportunity to meet our new Principal before the beginning of next school year. More information to come.
  • Volunteering Update: Admin is currently reviewing the new Volunteer Handbook. We expect this new resource to be available to families this Spring. If you have any questions or additional volunteer opportunities, please reach out to Amy Vithayathil at Amy.Vithayathil@gmail.com.

Save the Date!

  • A Fete for Principal O’Leary, Sunday, May 19. This celebration will include Mass and a reception.
  • A Jubilee for Father Crispin, Sunday, June 30. This celebration will include Mass and a reception.

Note: To properly celebrate our school and honor Principal O’Leary and Father Crispin, we will take a hiatus from this year’s end-of-the-year School’s Out, Grills Out BBQ.

Auction Update: Here’s what you need to know about the Auction:

  • Tickets: It’s your last chance to get your Auction event tickets! Purchase tickets here no later than Wednesday, March 6.
  • Book Release Party Auction Preview: Join us on Wednesday, March 13, 2:30-5pm for a chance to preview the class art projects, turn in raffle ticket, and purchase Mexico raffle tickets. There will also be a chance to purchase class art projects at a special “Buy It Now” price. Bring your kids after pick-up and see what’s in store for us at the Auction this year.
  • Raffle Tickets: All cash and unsold raffle tickets must be turned in by Friday, March 15. Students of families who complete their raffle contributions by March 15 earn Free Dress that day.
  • Costumes Encouraged! Looking for outfit inspiration? Check out the auction website for ideas.

Groark Update: Last month, our PA Co-Chair, Rachael Groark and her family welcomed twins, Mimi and Micah. Everyone is now home from the hospital and doing well. Thank you for all your love and support.

The Groark Twins – Mimi and Micah

We had a brief Spirit Day Recap and discussion about changes for next year. The kids are still talking about this cozy and fun event. If you have any feedback, please email Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org.

The new Welcome Committee leadership team is busy planning for this Spring and Summer’s activities to welcome our new families. More information to come! If you are interested in joining the Welcome Committee, please reach out to Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org.

Heart Health Alumni Event: Amy Gentzkow, mom of St. John alumni Mili and current 6th grader Audri, joined our meeting to tell us about an exciting community event. Mili, who was born with a congenital heart defect, was nominated as a Teen of Impact for the American Hearth Association this year. As part of her efforts to support AHA, Mili is partnering with the Ballard Elks and Barre3 Ballard to host a FREE Barre3 class on March 10 at 2pm at the Ballard Elks Lodge. Entrance to the class is free! Register for the event here. Please bring your own yoga mat and water bottle. We will be hosting a raffle (prizes will include a month of free classes and Barre3 swag). Come for a free heart healthy exercise class (great for all fitness levels) and learn about all the great things the American Heart Association is doing for you! 

PA Meeting – 2/2/24

The Groark Twins – Mimi (Left) and Micah (Right). Welcome to the St. John community!

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.

Spirit Lunch Set-Up

PA Meeting – 1/5/24

Thank you to those who joined the January 2024 Parent Association Meeting. Below, please review a summary of the topics we covered. Our next meeting will be Friday, February 2, 2024, at 8:30am in Egan Hall. Following the meeting, we will hold a work party to set up for the PA-sponsored Spirit Lunch. Please consider staying and lending a helping hand.

PA Leadership Update: Rachael Groark, PA Co-Chair, who is currently pregnant with twins, experienced complications that resulted in hospitalization over Christmas break. She has since stabilized and returned home with limited activity and will step back from her PA duties. Both babies are healthy and thriving. We had already planned for Rachael to be on maternity leave starting in February, so this is a small change to the existing plan. She will return to her PA role once the babies are settled at home and she is comfortable doing so.

Principal Search Committee Update: Our principal position has been posted since mid-December and we are actively searching for candidates locally and nationally. There is lots of interest in the position and we are confident we will get a quality pool of candidates. The Office of Catholic Schools is the first to review applications; then, applications are passed along to the Committee. The Committee will meet on Tuesday, January 9 and hopes to review the first round of applications. There will be a broader Principal Search Committee update included as part of the State of the School.

State of the School attendance is required for all families intending to enroll a student(s) in Grades K-8 for the 2024-2025 school year. The State of the School will be presented on the following dates:

  • Tuesday, January 23, Virtual, 7pm
  • Thursday, January 25, In-person, Egan Hall, 7pm

Catholic Schools Week will be January 28-February 2, 2024. Here’s some highlights for the week and the theme for each day. Dress code for each day is underlined.

  • Sunday, January 28: The week will kick off with a student-focused Mass at 10:30am and All-School Open House. The Open House for new and current families will be held 12pm to 1:30pm and is a great time for you to visit your students’ classrooms, chat with teachers, and connect with prospective families.
  • Monday, January 29: Hearts Transformed – Thank You to parents, volunteers, community, and neighbors. School Uniform for students.
  • Tuesday, January 30: Minds Prepared – School Spelling Bee (Grades 3-8). Dress Uniform for students.
  • Wednesday, January 31: Staff Appreciation Day – Lunch provided for all staff. Students bring flowers from home.  Book It- Dress as your favorite book character and support our School Auction theme.
  • Thursday, February 1: Mission Ready, Vocation Day – Father Crispin will conduct an adoration tour and class visits. Teachers invite parents to come and speak about vocations (ongoing invites all week). Students dress as a teacher or future self.
  • Friday, February 2: Spirit Day – All-school Spirit Lunch sponsored by the Parent Association. Dress in your Purple and Gold spirit gear. Check out the volunteer opportunities to support this fun tradition and sign up today! There’s even a chance to support this event at home on your own time.

Uniform and Spirit Store – Order Today! Get ready for Spirit Day by placing your order for spirit gear at the Uniform and Spirit Store. Orders should be placed by January 10 to receive items by the end of the month. Uniform items may also be purchased through this site.

Volunteering Update: Amy Vithayathil, PA Volunteer Lead, presented to us about the work she’s been doing to support volunteering in our community. She has created a Volunteer Handbook to help families get information about volunteering expectations, how volunteering supports our faith, what volunteering opportunities are available, and tools to make a volunteering plan. **Room Parents** Amy is looking for your help to gather classroom-specific volunteer opportunities. Please email her at Amy.Vithayathil@gmail.com and provide her with information on any existing volunteer opportunities or future/recurring known opportunities. She will work with you to get the details on each opportunity. The Volunteer Handbook will also be highlighted at State of the School.

Auction Update: Make sure you read the Auction emails to get all up-to-date information about our upcoming Auction – A Novel Soiree on Friday, March 15. Tickets will go on sale on February 2 and costume/dress-up ideas will be provided in future communications. You know how much St. John loves to dress up! But, right now, we are focused on Procurement. There will be an opportunity to drop off procured items on Friday, January 12. The FINAL Procurement Date and Sponsorship due date is Friday, January 26.

Hospitality Update: Thank you for all the grades who have provided amazing luncheons to show appreciation for our teachers and staff this year! Keep up the good work. 2nd Grade will provide the luncheon for January which coincides with Teacher Appreciation Day during Catholic Schools Week (January 31). Also on January 31, remember to send students to school with a single stem flower to include in arrangements for teachers in their classrooms.

Admissions Update: New family applications are currently open through the end of January. Acceptances will go out in March. Current family re-enrollment will open after the State of the School has been delivered. If you are a current family with a new student, please remember to submit your re-enrollment first; then you can add your new student.

Admin Update: Principal O’Leary shared the following updates with us:

  • Progress Reports will be sent home January 18 for Grades 3-8. This is a great time to reset/refocus on current goals and set new goals.
  • Ms. Shaw is back! Thank you to Mrs. Manley who served as our School Counselor while Ms. Shaw was on maternity leave. They created a seamless transition to support our students.
  • High School applications are submitted and we will receive results in February.
  • If you have an idea for an Elective Class you think our Middle School students may have interest in, please reach out to Admin about and share your skills by volunteering to teach. We are always looking for new ideas.

The Welcome Committee is looking for new co-chairs. If you are interested in leading this important effort to make new families feel a part of the St. John community, please email Julia Tsurusaki at julia@thesakigroup.com or Kirsten Evangelista at farg03@yahoo.com.

PA Meeting – 11/17/23

Lauren Exnicios and Chris Sourov from our 39th Annual St. John Auction leadership team

Thank you to those who joined the November Parent Association Meeting. Below, please review a summary of the topics we covered. Our next meeting will be Friday, January 5, 2024, at 8:30am in Egan Hall.

Principal Search Committee Update: The Principal Search Committee is currently working on the job description with the goal of posting the job in early December. They are working closely with a representative from the Office of Catholic Schools. Thank you for the more than 150 surveys that you submitted, providing feedback on what is important to you in our next principal. The target start date for the new principal is July 1, 2024. If you know anyone who would be a good fit for the position, please encourage them to apply. Assistant Principal Paul Kelley will continue in his position for the 2024-2025 school year. The Principal Search Committee will provide progress updates and information as quickly as they can. Teachers and staff are also receiving updates from the Committee.

Auction Update: Our Auction Co-Chair Lauren Exnicios provided us with an informative presentation on all things auction. Mark your calendars and start thinking about your outfits – the 39th Annual St. John School Auction will be held on Friday, March 15, 2024. The theme is A Novel Soiree. Check out Lauren’s presentation for more details and ways to get involved.

The Wellness Committee held their first Try Me Day of the year on Friday, November 17. They served students popcorn with healthy toppings like nutritional yeast. Look for more information on how the day went in a future NewsViews update.

Thank you to Sara Dean for facilitating our first Parent Education Night on Tuesday, October 24. We had over 70 participants attend who learned about executive function from Dr. Erin Gonzalez. If you missed it, check out the recording here as well as a list of resources. We will hold another Parent Education Night in the Spring and are finalizing the topic now. Please send any topic suggestions to Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org.

Catholic Schools Week will be January 28-February 2, 2024. The week will kick off on Sunday, January 28 with Mass and an Open House for new and current families. The Parent Association will host a Spirit Lunch on Friday, February 2 to add to the festivities. We are currently assembling a subcommittee to plan this event. If you are interested in joining, please email Parent_Association@st-johnschool.org.

Hospitality Update: If you are planning to include Scrip gift cards in your holiday giving to teachers and staff, the deadline to place orders is December 8. Scrip is available from a list of vendors in specific denominations. For more information, click here. If you are a Hospitality Chair and looking for more support in your position, check out the resources available on the Parent Association website.

Admin Update: Assistant Principal Paul Kelley shared the following updates with us:

  • The 6th Grade’s Fund Drive to support St. Vincent de Paul is going on now. Instead of a food donation this year, please consider donating the cost of the food to help keep our neighbors sheltered.
  • 7th Graders will be hosting a Thanksgiving meal for Residents of the Martina Apartments on Tuesday, November 21.
  • 4th and 5th Graders are continuing their efforts to provide hygiene kits within our Seattle community.
  • School Open House: Our Open House for new and current families will take place as part of Catholic Schools Week on January 28, 2024. Spread the word to prospective families, especially with younger children.

The Welcome Committee is looking for new co-chairs. If you are interested in leading this important effort to make new families feel a part of the St. John community, please email Julia Tsurusaki at julia@thesakigroup.com or Kirsten Evangelista at farg03@yahoo.com.

PA Meeting – 10/6/23

Thank you to all who joined the October Parent Association Meeting. We are over a month into school and everyone is full steam ahead, check it out below. The next PA meeting will be Friday, November 17th due to no school on 11/3 for Parent/Teacher Conferences and no school on 11/10 in observance of Veterans Day. 

Parent Education Night (on Zoom) on October 24, 7 pm: Don’t miss our first PA-sponsored Parent Education Night on Tuesday, October 24th at 7 pm via Zoom, link here: https://zoom.us/j/2444379941. We are thrilled to welcome Erin Schoenfelder Gonzalez, Ph.D to speak to us about executive functions (EF), activities based in the brain’s frontal lobe, which is the “boss” or “executive” of our brain. Executive functions help us plan, organize, and manage our thoughts, actions, and emotions. For kids, this means things like paying attention, setting goals, and controlling impulses. Developing strong EF is crucial for success in school and everyday life. The elementary school years are the ideal time for children to learn good EF habits and strategies to compensate for EF weaknesses. 

Calendar Hold for Spring Event on April 27th: The PA is seeking ideas for this family fun event! There is so much happening in the Winter and Spring that April 27th is the only date we have available to host another family fun night. Last year this was the Decade Dance. The PA Team is open to feedback on what this event could be. Some current ideas: a family bingo night or another dance. Feel free to brainstorm and bring your ideas to the next PA meeting. 

State of the Parish – One Mass Only, October 29th: In the past, the State of the Parish, was available at all 3 masses. This year it will only be available at the 1030 a.m. mass on Sunday, October 29th. School families – in order to be eligible, and to remain eligible, for Parish Fair Share tuition, each family must attend the State of the Parish. There will be a link available for viewing on October 31st, but in-person attendance is strongly encouraged. 

Parish Events: 

  • Family movie night: Join us on 10/28 following the 5 O’Clock mass for pizza and Coco. Preview the movie here. Sign-up here. Please be sure to indicate how many people (adults and children) will be joining. This event is for all families, kids can bring cozy items to lay out during the movie. Parents are required to stay for the event. 
  • Parish Sunday Speaker Session: On Sunday 10/15 at 7 p.m. Seattle University Theology Professor, Donna Teevan, PhD will speak about why younger generations are dissociating from religion. 

Team Lead Updates

  • The Welcome Committee is looking for new co-chairs for 2024! Current co-chairs are excited to mentor. If interested, please contact julia@thesakigroup.com or farg03@yahoo.com.
  • PA Reps: A reminder that the PA Reps have been asked to organize a fall event and sprint event for their classes. Some examples of a few that have been planned: pumpkin patch, Blachette football game, parents’ night out at Ridgewood. 

Partners in the Gospel – PLEASE SUBMIT FEEDBACK ONLINE: All in-person listening sessions took place last week. It is not too late to submit your feedback online. The input form will close this Saturday, October 14th. Principal O’Leary has received a lot of questions concerning the effect of this on our School. Her response – Please speak up, give feedback, and share your voice now and in the 3 years to come. We have an opportunity to help shape this, but only if we show up and share what we think and want to make happen. Even if you have attended the in-person events, feel free to submit more feedback and thoughts online. This is our part and duty to advocacy. Your feedback doesn’t have to be directly related to what you think of our proposed parish partners but can be about Partners in the Gospel at a high level. This is a great opportunity to give feedback to the Archdioceses. 

The Endowment Event is Sunday, October 22nd: How is this different from the auction and other fundraisers? The endowment was started in the 80s and is similar to a savings account or 401k, it is a portfolio and a perpetual gift. Once the fund reaches a certain amount of money, St. John’s can start withdrawing the interest made on the money. This money is what makes our Fair Share Program possible (and scholarships). We have just started withdrawing money in the last few years. This is very important as it creates an ongoing source of money to keep our fair share program going. Please come and support – it will be very fun! Don’t forget to see if your employer matches. More details here.

Preschool and kindergarten Open House November 8th at 7 pm: Please spread the word in your community. This is a great time for people to learn more about St. John’s School and community prior to registration in January. 

CYO Updates:

  • Sportsmanship Reminder: Unfortunately there have already been some incidents of poor sportsmanship. Please remember to put the kids first and continue to make St. John’s a leader in sportsmanship. 
  • CYO Basketball, Grades 4-8, Registration is Open – closing this Friday, October 13th! CYO Grades 4-8 Basketball registration is open! They are working to get teams filled by the end of the week, please register ASAP. 

2024 Thursday Ski Bus to Summit at Snoqualmie: The Ski Bus is a parent-led opportunity and is not affiliated with St. John School. Contact Amanda O’Rourke, amandavorourke@gmail.com if you have questions. It is for grades 3-5 and registration is open on a first come, first serve basis. It appears that lessons might be full but you can still register for transportation. Since there are limited spaces, please be considerate of your commitments in January and February to ensure you can make it. Registration is through the SSCS website and payment is via Zelle: https://www.snowsportsconsultingservice.com/student-lessons—info.html

Simple Fundraiser for St. John – Box Top for Education – We need a Coordinator! For over 25 years, Box Tops for Education has given families an easy way to earn cash for their school. Now you can simply scan your store receipt with the Box Tops mobile app to identify participating products and instantly add cash to your school’s earnings online. St. John School has earned over $13,000.00 through this program, which helps fund playground equipment.

It’s never been easier to sign up! Download the app and start earning for St. John! 

We are looking for a coordinator to lead this effort. If you are interested, please contact julia@thesakigroup.com

The Middle School Musical: The 2024 Middle School Musical will be announced next week! This is a rare opportunity for kids to learn so much while having fun and being creative. This is also a great opportunity for parents to volunteer their creative skills – all types of help are needed and your student doesn’t need to be in the musical to volunteer. Please contact Kari Aguila at kaguila@st-johnschool.org. Kari has been leading and directing the Middle School Musical for almost 5 years. She plans to pass the torch over the next 2 years. If you have any interest in exploring this role, please contact Kari. 

Next PA Meeting: Friday, November 17, 2023, 8:30 a.m., Egan Hall.  

PA Meeting – 9/8/23

Thank you to everyone who volunteered at the Back to School BBQ! What a great way to kick off the year, complete with so many delicious desserts.

Welcome back, St. John PA! We are excited to begin the 2023-2024 school year and welcome our new PA Co-Chairs, Rachael Groark and Maile Sullivan. They have hit the ground running, organizing the Back to School BBQ and filling PA grade-level roles. It’s going to be a great year! See a summary of what was discussed at our first meeting below.

PA Participation: Interested in being a part of the PA? The Parent Association facilitates, encourages and ensures ongoing community-building by providing activities, events, and service to the parish and school community. All parents/guardians of students attending St. John School are members of the PA and are welcome to join meetings. Check out this summary of the Parent Association for more information and a calendar of upcoming events. If you want to get more involved, we are still looking to fill some grade-level PA roles.

Overview of Grade-Level PA Roles: To support PA activities throughout the school year, each grade aims to be represented by two individuals in each of the following roles. If you are interested, sign up here! If you are new to St. John or haven’t held a role with the PA before, don’t hesitate! There are so many people available to support you if you take a role. We are all in this together!

  • Room Parent: Acts as teacher liaison, handles parent communications, and coordinates any teacher/classroom needs and opportunities for involvement.
  • PA Rep: Supports as many school-wide and grade-level events as possible, encourages others to volunteer in support of school and parish events, attends monthly PA meetings, and organizes grade-level socials.
  • Hospitality Chair: Oversees gift-giving for teachers/assistants and school staff throughout the year, coordinates grade-level voluntary contributions, and manages gifting budget.
  • Auction Liaison: Serves as main point of contact for class auction information, coordinates class Auction Package, and manages the class Auction Art Project or appoints an Art Lead to design/create a class Art Project.

Leadership Roles: To support School and PA activities, we have a great group of leads this year.

  • Stephanie Glassburn, Communications Lead, manages communications for the PA at the school level and partners with Room Parents to support parent/guardian communications.
  • Chris Sourov, Hospitality Lead, oversees the grade-level Hospitality Chairs and the All-Staff appreciation events as well as Coffee & Donuts for the parish.
  • Madeline Pennington, Events Lead, manages PA-sponsored events and brings all the fun to our community with the Back to School BBQ, Bingo Night, Spring Dance and more.
  • Amy Vithayathil, Volunteer Lead, holds a new position for this year aimed at creating greater visibility for all the volunteer opportunities across our School and Parish. She will certainly help us all achieve our volunteer hours for the year.
  • Julia Tsurusaki and Kirsten Evangelista, Welcome Committee Co-Chairs, ensure all new families feel welcome in the St. John community and get them information they need for a smooth transition.
  • Lauren Exnicios, Auction Chair, leads our Annual Auction and the team who helps make our Auction so fabulous.

Our first PA-sponsored Parent Education Night will take place the evening of Tuesday, October 24 and will feature a conversation with Erin Schoenfelder Gonzalez, Ph.D., from Seattle Children’s Hospital. She will focus on Executive Function (EF), activities in the brain that help us plan, organize, and manage our thoughts, actions, and emotions. For kids, this means things like paying attention, setting goals, and controlling impulses. Developing strong executive functions is crucial for success in school and in everyday life. More information to come.

Welcome Committee: As the school year begins, look out for new families and welcome them to our community. If you are new to the St. John community, Welcome! Small group sessions to answer all your questions are coming soon. More information to come from the Welcome Committee. 

The 2024 St. John Auction will take place on Friday, March 15. The Auction theme will be revealed at Curriculum Night this month. There will be many opportunities to volunteer to support the Auction.

Jog-a-thon fundraising is currently underway. We are working toward attaining our ambitious goal of $130,000 by September 22. This year, if we meet our goal, all students will participate in the ever-popular Cash Grabbin’ Gekko game! *Room Parents* Please encourage parents to continue fundraising efforts to help us achieve our goal! All students are encouraged to participate in fundraising and will run/walk in the Jog-a-thon on Friday, September 15. Check out the Jog-a-thon information packet for scheduled jog times, prizes, and more!

Greenwood Scouts will hold their first pack meeting this Wednesday, September 13 at 6:30pm in Egan Hall. All are welcome to join. Reach out to cubmaster.chiefseattle121@gmail.com with any questions.

The Back to School BBQ will surely prove to be an amazing time as we expect record attendance! Can’t wait to see you there.

School Updates from our Admin Team

  • Building Improvements: We are enjoying the new ventilation system and the new doors and trim on our Portables.
  • Our new Library is located in Portable Room 40 and has begun to welcome students! We are so excited to have a library back at St. John.
  • Safety Updates: We are partnering with safety consultancy group, Highlander Six Consulting, on safety training and improved safety protocols.
    • Our 2023-2024 School Year Goals include 1) living the St. John mission and leading the students to meet the student learning expectations, 2) actively participating in Partners in the Gospel and encouraging all families to do so, and 3) completing the year one activities outlined for accreditation goals.
  • Bump It Up, our adult volleyball league fundraiser, is returning soon! Look for more information to come in NewsViews.
  • We need help with our Crossing Guards and Recess Monitoring. If you are interested in helping, reach out to Jonna Skokan (jskokan@st-johnschool.org) and Melissa Heron (myanik1@msn.com), respectively.

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

Next PA Meeting: Our October PA meeting will be held on Friday, October 6 at 8:30am in Egan Hall. Hope to see you there!

Thank you to our Admin team for sharing important information at our first PA meeting.

PA Meeting – 5/5/23

PA Co-Chairs – Thank you to Allan and Sara! Welcome Maile and Rachael

As we held our final Parent Association meeting of the year, we had so many people to thank. Thank you to our amazing PA Co-Chairs, Sara Dean and Allan Quiaoit, whose active and inclusive leadership shined bright along with their commitment to fun. Thank you to Rachael Groark and Maile Sullivan who will take on the PA Co-Chair roles for the 2023-2024 school year. We know the PA will continue to do great things in your capable hands. Thank you to the PA leadership team who contributed above and beyond in their roles – Stephanie Glassburn (Communications Lead), Madeline Pennington (Events Lead), Chris Sourov (Hospitality Lead), and Julia Tsurusaki (Welcome Committee Chair). Thank you to all who took class-levels PA roles this year. Your dedication to our school, teachers and staff, and students helps make St. John such a vibrant community. And, thank you to our Administration Team, Bernadette O’Leary, Paul Kelley, and Jonna Skokan for their support of the PA. Their additional time and effort contributed toward PA-sponsored events throughout the year make success possible.  

Welcome Committee Update: Activities are ramping up in support of our new families. This year, new students received welcome notes, summer play date planning is underway, and buddy family assignments are coming soon. Two Parents/Guardians-Only Happy Hours are coming up May 11 (Preschool) and May 18 (K-8). As current families, we encourage you to join and welcome new parents/guardians to our community. If you are interested in becoming a buddy family and have not yet signed up, please email Annik at annikjohnson@gmail.com or Ellen at ecmurr@gmail.com.

Recap of Bingo Night and the Family Decade Dance: These two PA-sponsored events provided fun opportunities for our community to come together in different ways. We discussed some elements that worked well and some changes that could be made for next time.

We will send out the Spring PA Survey again this year as a quick way of gathering feedback about your experience. Thank you in advance for your time to help us make next year even better.

Volunteer Hours: For those who have not yet met their volunteer commitments, there are several upcoming opportunities including Grand Day and the End of Year BBQ.

Grand Day – May 19: Grandparents and special friends of grades K, 1, and 2 will be welcomed for Grand Day on May 19. Click here for event details. We need your help supporting this event. Please consider volunteering here.  

End of Year BBQ Celebration: We will celebrate the end of the school year with a BBQ on Friday, June 2. More details to come. We will need many volunteers to make this event a success. Please look out for a Signup Genius coming soon.

Last Day of School – June 14: We will distribute popsicles on the blacktop for the last day of school. Additionally, we aim to provide a fun place for kids after the school day concludes. We are not coordinating an official PA-sponsored event. Instead, PA Reps, please pick a meeting spot and make sure it is publicized to everyone within your grade.

Next PA Meeting: Details to come for our first meeting of the 2023-2024 school year. Enjoy the rest of this year!