SCHOOL NEWSLETTER AUGUST 23, 2019 m a new Text block ready for your content. 7th graders working with Mr. Wallace and Mrs. Potter in math class. IMPORTANT NEWS & REMINDERS Newsletter Publishing Schedule Providing timely communication is a priority of St. John's, so we have made the decision to push forward our newsletter publishing schedule from Mondays to Fridays. We were concerned that by sending out the newsletter on Mondays after school, we were missing out on the first 20% of your week. By sending you the information that you need for the upcoming week on the Friday before, we can be sure that we are with you 100%. We hope that this will give St. John's families more time to plan their schedules over the weekend.
Homework Club Middle School Homework Club is free and open to fifth through eighth graders. It meets for 45 minutes immediately after school most school days, with dismissal at 4:30 p.m. M, T, Th, F and 4:00 p.m. Wednesdays. Homework Club will begin Monday, August 26. If you are more than 15 minutes late picking up your child from Homework Club, he or she will be checked into the After School Program, and you will be charged the ASP drop-in fee.
School Picture Day All students must have a complete dress uniform (including sweaters/blazers with embroidered patch) for Picture Day, which will be Friday, August 30 beginning at 8:00 a.m. To purchase packages, visit MyLifetouch.com and use the St. John's code, TX039016Q0. Photo package purchases will come with a free 8x8 photo book from Shutterfly.
Handbook and Directory Please look for the St. John's Student Handbook on our website after Wednesday, September 3, and a printed school directory will be distributed to each student household in mid-September. Until that time, we invite you to use the Faculty Directory on our website or the Ren Web app for contact information of our community members.
After School Program (ASP): Enrichment Classes The After School Program (ASP) began on the first day of school and we look forward to the start of our optional after-school enrichment classes for our St. John's students. Most classes will begin the week of September 3. If you are interested in registering your child for one of the many fun fee-based classes, go to the After School Program page of our website.
Please note that the Book Cooks enrichment class is full and many of our classes have limited spaces. Please contact ASP director Lani Jones with questions or to be added to the wait list (214-328-9131 x108).
From the Clinic If your child needs an inhaler for asthma or epinephrine for a severe allergy, please get these important medications to the clinic ASAP. Medications need to be accompanied by an Administration of Medication Request form and a corresponding action plan (asthma/allergy) from your doctor's office. These medications and forms may be sent to school with your child, but please email Amy Johns so she may verify with the student that all forms and medications have been submitted to her office.
St. John's Childcare Center Openings The St. John's childcare center currently has limited spots for children ages 19 months to four years old and would like to invite interested families whose children attend St. John's to apply. The center is open on school days from 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. On Wednesdays it is open until 4:30 p.m. The center is located on the west side underneath the church facing the green space and the pond. Please contact the director, Olga Cervantes, if interested.
UPCOMING EVENTS Blessing of the Backpacks The annual Blessing of the Backpacks is tomorrow, August 24 at 5:30 p.m. in the St. John's chapel. Start your school year off with a prayer of thanksgiving, focus and patience. Then head over to the Parish Hall for ice cream after the service.
PA Meeting Tuesday Join the Parents Association Tuesday, August 27, at noon for its first meeting of the year, and come hear from our new Head of School, Meshea Matthews. Gather in Parish Hall, enjoy reconnecting with fellow parents, and learn about all the happenings coming up this new year. A light lunch will be provided.
Lower School Open House
Alumni Art Exhibition You are invited to the reception for the St. John's Alumni Visual Arts Series XIV for Ollantay Avila, Sunny Courtwright, Greer Leonard, and Olivia Martin, all from the Class of 2016. The reception is Wednesday, August 28, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Clements Performance Hall.
Sixth Through Eighth Open House
Labor Day School Closed
Crusader Club Kick-Off Breakfast Next Week Join us on Friday, September 6 at 7:30 a.m. in Parish Hall. Come meet other dads, learn more about St. John's and the impact that the school has on your child, and hear about the fun activities coming up. Breakfast from Barbec's will be provided.
Pre-K and Kinder Social Next Week Pre-k and kindergarten parents are invited to a come-and-go social (adults only). Mix and mingle at Times Ten Too on Friday, September 6, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Cash bar; appetizers will be provided.
RESOURCES For a summary of where to go for information, as well as a list of the regular emails you'll receive from St. John's, please view the Find It page of our website. WEEK IN SPORTS Important information regarding fall sports:
PARENT ORGANIZATIONS Uniform Resale Thank You The first Parents Association event of the year, Uniform Resale, raised money for the Dorothy Patterson Scholarship Fund. A big thanks to dedicated co-chairs Donna Haglin and Marisol Gonzalez, as well as all of the volunteers and shoppers who helped make the sale a success in support of our school.
Box Top Collection Next Week New for this year: the Box Tops for Education app! Traditional Box Tops are being phased out of production and this program is becoming exclusively digital. Download it from the App Store today. With this app, you'll be able to scan your grocery receipt, instantly identify Box Tops products and automatically add cash to your school's earnings online. Traditional Box Tops clips will still be accepted during this time of transition, so please keep collecting them and bringing them in! Keep an eye out for a Classroom Coordinator email soon explaining the changes to this program, as well as updates on our AmazonSmile and grocery card programs.
Carpool Helpers Needed The Parents Association coordinates afternoon carpool helpers and is in need of additional volunteers, especially during these first few weeks of school. This is an easy volunteer opportunity that does not take up too much time. It's always fun to see the kiddos and a great way to meet other parents. You may sign up to help every week or only once a month. Every little bit helps! On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays you will arrive at 2:50 p.m. and stay until about 3:45 p.m. (Wednesdays start at 2:20 p.m.) Please contact Katie Kelsey for more information or visit the SignUpGenius.
ST. JOHN'S CHURCH NEWS St. John's Church Parents' Day Out St. John's Church Parents' Day Out program begins on Wednesday, September 4 and runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. This fun and creative Christian program is open to any family in the Dallas area with children infant-age up to 4 years old. If you have children or grandchildren and are looking for an enriching children's curriculum or know someone who does, please email Jenee Echard to receive an information sheet, enrollment form and the Parent's Handbook. CHAPLAIN'S CORNER This is my first entry in this column for you as your new chaplain. I look forward to getting to know all of you soon. As we start a new year, I'd like to stop and think about what it means to 'get off on the right foot.' That can mean so many things as we start a school year: having the right backpack, the right schedule, a locker in the right place or having enough friends spread out through our day that we get energized as we take on another lesson.
In our spiritual lives, we can think about a new school year in terms of the devotions we start to practice. A particular help to me is a daily reading from the Rule of St. Benedict. I'll write more in this space about St. B and the lessons he has for us in education, but today I'd like to encourage you to pick up a copy of the Rule, and read it with me as the year goes on. This particular edition has sections divided by days so it can be read through three times in a year. We can all start together on Sunday, September 1. I'll call attention the advice given by St. Benedict on that day: 'And first of all, whatever good work you begin to do, beg of Him with most earnest prayer to perfect it.' Have a great year, everybody!
Fr. Chris+ |