WEEKLY NEWSLETTER                                                               JANUARY 8, 2018  

 4th grade boys enjoy recess with a game of soccer.

THIS WEEK'S NEWS AND EVENTS

GEOGRAPHY BEE

St. John's will hold its National Geographic Bee competition Tuesday, January 9, 8:05 a.m. The winner of the school competition may qualify to compete at the state level in the spring.

BOX TOPS

The January Box Tops collection will take place Wednesday, January 10. Students in the homeroom or advisory collecting the most Box Tops each month will win a free-dress day. Keep on clipping!

CHILDREN AND TECHNOLOGY: WHAT MAKES SENSE   
Head of Lower School Dr. Jayme Johnson and Director of Technology Aaron Wallace invite Lower School parents for a discussion about providing guidance and appropriate parameters for your child's use of technology. Join them in the Lower School science lab Thursday, January 11, 8:00 a.m. While this is targeted toward second and third grade parents, we encourage any Lower School parents to attend. 

UNIFORM RESALE

Save the date for Thursday, January 11, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. in Parish Hall. Stock up on gently used school items during Uniform Resale. Additionally, the PA needs help with this all-volunteer effort and asks for parents to volunteer for a shift. Uniform donations in good condition may be dropped off in the baskets by the front reception desk.

PARKER SCHOOL UNIFORMS

Effective last week, Parker has closed all of its stores nationwide. If you need to replenish uniforms, please consider Thursday's Uniform Resale. Beyond that, Lands End is a good resource for basic items. We are exploring alternate solutions and will provide an update as soon as possible.

COMING UP

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY

The school will be closed Monday, January 15, in honor of MLK Day. Additionally, winter break will be Friday, February 16 through Monday, February 19, and there will be no classes.

PARENT EDUCATION SERIES

Join us to hear education consultant Debra Moore January 25 and January 26. She will be offering two sessions for parents with students in the third through eighth grades. We encourage parents to attend one or both sessions. Get all the details and register. 

• Session 1: Clutter and Clocks: Strategies for Success - will focus on organization and time management strategies for children. Thursday, January 25, 6:00 p.m.
• Session 2: Get Smart! Study Skills to Improve Performance - will focus on study skills and learning styles. Friday, January 26, noon.

STUDENT NEWS

STUCO BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Student Council invites Middle School students to participate in a three-on-three basketball tournament Friday, January 19, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. See StuCo reps at lunch this week to register teams. Cost to participate is $3 per player; deadline to register is Friday, January 12.

AFTER SCHOOL CHOIR

Lower School music teacher Megan Nasser is forming a small after-school choir beginning next Tuesday from 3:45 - 4:30 p.m. If your second through fourth grade child is interested in joining, please sign up through the ASP program and Lani Jones.

PARENT ORGANIZATIONS

CARPOOL HELP

The Parents Association coordinates afternoon carpool helpers and is in need of additional volunteers over the next couple of months. 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 Jenny Cooper for more information or visit the SignUpGenius.

AUCTION

The PA offers huge thanks to our early HAVANA NIGHTS underwriting sponsors Corona Capital with El Mojito Bar Check-In and Bud's Salads with the Cuban Photo Booth. Take advantage of the remaining sponsorships, including the Cigarro Roller Station and Red Carpet Step and Repeat. Get your tickets today for the PA's biggest fundraiser that benefits our school and kids on Saturday, March 3. Raffle tickets for FREE TUITION are on sale now! 

SPORTS

See this week's full basketball schedule. Please contact your child's coach with any questions. 

CHAPLAIN'S CORNER

Sometimes the most earth-shattering events start out imperceptibly small. One babe in a humble manger, for instance, would go on to change the world. This week in chapel we will start to see that a change has taken place, though it may be barely perceptible at first. All year long in chapel sermons we have emphasized that "God always keeps His promises." Parents, you may have heard your students repeating this at home. But as we begin hearing the stories of Jesus, we'll see that all God's promises are brought together and fulfilled in him. As we hear about Jesus growing up, being baptized, starting to preach, and calling the first disciples, students should begin to see that God's faithfulness in the past was just a preparation for the one Great Big Promise of salvation. Soon the slogan will change to, "Through Jesus, God HAS kept His promises."

Parents, this is a good week to talk with your children about tenacity, our Chapel Applied theme for the week. Tenacity means sticking with a problem until you solve it, exercising a stubborn determination to see success become reality. A perfect entry to this topic might be New Year's resolutions – it's not too late to help your child make a resolution - or even better, share "co-resolution" with him or her so you may encourage each other. The process of reflecting on our lives and understanding what needs to change helps build maturity. And if we have made a resolution, the second week of January is probably already calling for our tenacity to stick with it! 

St. John's Episcopal School is dedicated to a program of academic excellence designed to train

the mind, strengthen the character and enrich the spirit of each student in a Christian environment.

St. John's Episcopal School | 214-328-9131

stjohnsschool.org