Welcome New Primary School Families!

• 2022-23 Key Dates Calendar

If your Primary or Lower School child has a diagnosed learning difference, please contact our  Primary and Lower School Learning Specialist, by June 30, 2022, to schedule a meeting with members of the Student Formation Team.

Marthe Turlington
Primary and Lower School Learning Specialist
mturlington@stjohnsschool.org

Click here to learn more about academics in Primary School (Preschool, Prekindergarten, Transitional Kindergarten, and Kindergarten). 

Dr. Jayme Johnson
Associate Head for Academic and Student Affairs
jjohnson@stjohnsschool.org 

Please know that your child’s safety, well-being, and security are our number one priority.

• The campus is secured by a state-of-the-art surveillance, access control, and alarm system.
• A roof-mounted weather station and lightning alert siren is used to proactively monitor inclement weather and govern outdoor activities.
• Student dismissal is run through a license plate recognition software called SchoolPass. Details on creating and accessing your account will follow towards the end of the summer.
• Monthly fire drills and tornado and lockdown drills are practiced throughout the year. The School will communicate with families in advance of all schoolwide drills.
• Faculty train annually on building security and student safety during in-service days.

Kimberly Fretwell
Director of Safety and Security
kfretwell@stjohnsschool.org 

With two full-time chaplains on staff, we tailor chapel experiences to the developmental needs of students at each grade-level. Students fully participate in these regularly scheduled chapel services by serving in a variety of roles, such as crucifer, torch bearer, acolyte, reader, Bible or banner carrier, song leader, lay reader, and oblationer, depending on grade-level. By teaching these responsibilities from an early age, we guide children to make the chapel experience their own.

St. John’s students receive religious studies instruction in addition to their experiences in chapel. In Primary School, students participate in Godly Play, which is a way of teaching religious studies through Biblical stories, wonder, and play. In Lower School, students learn from Godly Play extension stories. 

• Primary School students (Preschool, Prekindergarten, Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten) attend chapel twice a week and Godly Play class once a week. Primary School students also receive Student Formation lessons multiple times each quarter.
• Lower School (Grades 1–4) students attend chapel three times a week and Eucharist once a week. Lower School students also receive Student Formation lessons, including Godly Play, multiple times each quarter.

Shannon Newsom
Primary and Lower School Chaplain
snewsom@stjohnsschool.org

• 2022-23 School Calendar
• Preschool, PK, and TK Home Visits (optional) will take place August 17-19 and 22, 2022. Instructions for appointments will be provided to families by email.
• “Meet the Teacher” will take place August 22-23 with students and parents visiting campus in small groups, by appointment. In late August, homeroom teachers will be announced and instructions for appointments on August 22-23, 2022, will be provided to families by email.
• Primary School (Preschool, PK, TK, Kindergarten) Orientation is Monday, August 22, 2022, from 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Dr. Jayme Johnson
Associate Head for Academic and Student Affairs
jjohnson@stjohnsschool.org 

New families will receive an email in early July with directions to access Magnus Health, the provider of our secure web-based electronic medical record system and your child’s health records. This information is HIPAA and FERPA protected and is unique to each student. Once you have established your parent login with Magnus, you may start uploading forms directly to your student’s Magnus account. All forms for NEW students are due by August 1, 2022. Please do not send any health forms to the School; all documents must be uploaded directly to your student’s Magnus account.

Immunization Records: 

The School requires that all students be compliant with the Texas Minimum State Vaccine Requirements. All newly admitted students must be up to date on vaccines and submit immunization records prior to the first day of school. Students requesting a medical exemption from the immunization requirements must annually submit a signed, dated letter from the student’s Texas-licensed, treating physician (M.D.) specifically stating the basis for the exemption and that the required vaccines would be medically contraindicated or pose a significant risk to the health and well-being of the child or a member of the child’s household. Requests for medical exemptions will be considered and granted on a case-by-case basis. Students who have not received any vaccines will not be considered for medical exemption. The School does not accept exemptions for conscientious objections. Note: Students who have not received the required immunizations for medical reasons may be excluded from school in times of emergency or epidemic declared by the Texas Commissioner of Health.

Physical Form: You can access the St. John's student physical form here for your child's upcoming well visit. The physical form is required for all new students and must be completed by a medical professional and uploaded to your student’s Magnus account by August 1, 2022. If your child has already had a check-up with their pediatrician, and it was done after August 1, 2022, then you will only need to take the form to your child’s doctor’s office, and they can complete the form.

Amy Johns, BSN, RN
School Nurse
ajohns@stjohnsschool.org
Phone: 214-328-9131 x109

Click Here for the 2021-22 Parent and Student Handbook.

The 2022-23 Parent and Student Handbook will be published prior to the start of the school year.

Dr. Jayme Johnson
Associate Head for Academic and Student Affairs
jjohnson@stjohnsschool.org 

In Primary and Lower School, Physical Education teachers strive to empower students to be comfortable conquering fears and chasing goals by teaching skills, knowledge, and confidence to be physically active for life. Skills taught range from motor skills, sport skills, and nutrition to outdoor education, rhythm activities, and mindfulness exercises. Emphasis is placed on the enjoyment of being physically active, the challenge of developing new skills, the students having positive self-concept, and laying a foundation that will lead to a lifetime of physical activity.

Devin Darnell
Assistant Athletic Director
ddarnell@stjohnsschool.org

The St. John’s Signature Programs comprise five key areas:

Athletics
In three athletic seasons, we offer 12 sports for fifth through eighth graders. Our approach to athletics is inclusive and emphasizes growth in individual skills, character development, and responsibility to team and self. Tryouts for some sports help coaches place students on teams with peers of similar skills, and parents and students receive information about tryout and practice schedules prior to the start of each season. Currently, more than 60% of Middle School students are participating on an athletic team.
John Walker, Director of Athletics, jwalker@stjohnsschool.org

Expressive Arts
The Expressive Arts include music, art, and theatre. In Primary School, Lower School, and fifth and sixth grades, students participate in regular music and art classes, and in seventh and eighth grades, students choose one elective per quarter from a variety of options. We integrate the arts with core curriculum and provide opportunities for students to build self-confidence through grade-level performances. Our Expressive Arts teaching team also produces and guides students in the performance of a theater showcase in seventh grade and a junior musical in eighth grade.
Learn more here.

Outdoor Education
We integrate Outdoor Education experiences with the core curriculum throughout the year at all grade-levels. In addition, we welcome guest speakers to campus, and students participate in the maintenance of our donation garden, the produce from which supports Aunt Bette’s Community Pantry at St. Philip’s School and Community Center. Seventh and eighth grade students have the option of taking the Garden Enterprise elective, which provides students with more in-depth responsibility for the donation garden.
Tony Adler, Director of Outdoor Education, tadler@stjohnsschool.org

Service Learning
Through service learning projects, we guide students to develop an age-appropriate appreciation for the needs present in their local community, while also discovering ways they can use their talents to help meet those community needs. Each grade-level has a project students work on together, and we focus our efforts on local organizations, such as Jubilee Park Community Center, St. Philip’s School and Community Center, Feed My Starving Children, and For the Love of the Lake. Eighth graders participate in service learning days during which they work on-site at organizations (pandemic protocols allowing), and we also provide opportunities for families to serve together throughout the year.
Christi Morrow, Director of Service Learning, cmorrow@stjohnsschool.org

Student Formation
At St. John’s, we meet students where they are and take them on the St. John’s formation journey. To help us on the journey, we have a Student Formation Team focused on students’ learning, social and emotional, and spiritual needs. Click here for more details.
Mary Odom, Director of Student Formation and Dean of Students, modom@stjohnsschool.org

Summer reading were emailed home to new families in early June. If you have questions about summer skills work, please contact:

Dr. Jayme Johnson
Associate Head for Academic and Student Affairs
jjohnson@stjohnsschool.org

Reading

Over the summer, all Primary, Lower, and Middle School students will enjoy several options for summer reading! Please find details about summer reading by clicking on the links below for your child's grade in 2022-23. Please contact Librarian Jennifer Powers with any questions about summer reading lists.

The School provides all initial school supplies for Primary and Lower School students.

Classroom-based, School-managed iPads are provided for students in PK-second grade.

School-supplied, School-managed iPads are provided to students in third and fourth grades. After an initial introductory period, these devices are allowed to be taken home for homework completion.

Responsible Use Policy

At orientation, we will review in detail our Responsible Use Policy (RUP). After discussing the RUP, your child will sign an online copy and review that at home with you before you, too, submit your signature. We hope you and your child will talk about the points outlined in the RUP because this document governs students’ use of all technology (not only applicable to iPad use) both on and off campus. 

We look forward to welcoming your child to St. John’s soon.

Aaron Wallace
Chief Technology Officer
awallace@stjohnsschool.org

The first tuition payment is due by June 1 for all families. To manage, view or download your tuition billing, please log in to your enrollment and billing portal using this link. 

If you have any questions regarding your tuition or student billing, please reach out directly to our Associate Director of Admissions & Financial Assistance, Lani Jones at: ljones@stjohnsschool.org.

Click Here to View the 2022–23 Tuition Schedule

• Uniform guidelines and the Millswear Catalog will be announced in June.
• Gear Up, Lions! Visit the St. John's Campus Store to purchase spirit wear in time for the start of the school year! Spirit Days are held each Friday, and on Spirit Days, students may wear a St. John’s shirt with their uniform bottoms.
• Only St. John’s sweatshirts and outerwear may be worn in the School building and chapel. Winter jackets are allowed outside, but must be removed in building and in chapel.

Dr. Jayme Johnson
Associate Head for Academic and Student Affairs
jjohnson@stjohnsschool.org