Image

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER   

  FEBRUARY 5, 2018

Image

Mrs. Burkhead's kindergarten class celebrated the 100th day by dressing like their 100-year-old selves.

THIS WEEK'S NEWS AND EVENTS

FIRST GRADE 100%

Congratulations to the first grade for reaching 100% participation in the 2017-18 St. John's Fund! In celebration, the students and teachers will enjoy a free dress day soon. Thank you, parents for helping us provide the best resources for your children's education! 

SUMMER AT ST. JOHN'S

We have eight weeks of fun planned from June 4 through July 27 with more than 100 camps--sports, fine arts, science, LEGOs, enrichment, academics, robotics, computer programming and much more! The 2018 camp brochure is now available. Registration opened this morning for St. John's families and will open to the public tomorrow morning. Sign up now!

 
Image

THANK YOU, PARENTS ASSOCIATION!

The faculty sends a heartfelt thanks to the Parents Association for last week's Warm Your Heart luncheon. This annual February tradition is such a treat on a cold winter's day. Special thanks to the parents who shared their delicious soups and desserts!


ASH WEDNESDAY

Dress uniforms are required for all students Wednesday, February 14 in celebration of Eucharist. First through eighth graders will receive the imposition of ashes. Your preference for whether your child will receive ashes or a blessing during the service was part of our annual online enrollment process. Your child's homeroom teacher/advisor will have that information.

AUCTION TICKETS INCREASE THIS WEEK

Don't miss the biggest St. John's fundraiser and party of the year on Saturday, March 3! Tickets increase from $125 to $150 this Wednesday, February 14, so purchase now. Guests will walk the red carpet before enjoying a memorable night of cocktails, delicious cuisine, silent and live auctions and fantastic DJ. If you buy a raffle ticket, you could be the winner of free tuition next year.

Image

RE-ENROLLMENT FOR 2018-19 DUE FEBRUARY 15

St. John's 2018-19 re-enrollment for current students may be found in ParentsWeb. All contracts are due Thursday, February 15. Thank you for sharing your children with us. It is a privilege. 

 

STUCO CUPCAKE SALE

On Thursday, February 15, Student Council will sponsor a cupcake sale during Middle School lunches. Each cupcake will cost $1.

 

WINTER BREAK

Winter break will be Friday, February 16 through Monday, February 19, and there will be no classes.

 

KEY DATES

View the key dates for the 2018-19 school year. 

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

We are in full swing with Jump Rope for Heart! The students have been so excited to join the "Scare Squad." The kids are enjoying this event while learning heart healthy habits, new jump rope skills and raising money for the American Heart Association. We will have an assembly in March to recognize all the students who contributed. We appreciate your support of this annual effort.

Image

COMMON SENSE TIP OF THE WEEK

Chances are, your kid watches YouTube videos sometimes -- maybe more than you'd like. Why do we feel a little unsure about letting our kids search YouTube on their own? Because it's a real mixed bag of content without foolproof parent controls. On the one hand, very mature videos can pop up in a search, and recently we've been hearing about creepy videos made to look like they're for little kids. On the other hand, there's lots of great learning content and some solid role models for older kids.

 

Of course, with little kids, it's best to watch with them to make sure nothing really scary or mature gets through, but it gets trickier as kids get older. Though none of the controls within YouTube itself are perfect, there are some Common Sense ways to make it safer and give you some peace of mind when your kid is flying solo. And whenever you can sit together and enjoy some cat videos or a Try Not to Laugh Challenge together, all the better.

 
Image
 

COMING UP

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE LAST PA MEETING OF THE YEAR

Make plans to join the PA Tuesday, February 27 at noon for the final general Parents Association meeting of the school year, during which the 2018-2019 PA Council will be announced. Attendees will also have an opportunity to preview the art projects that will be featured at the auction. All parents are invited to Parish Hall to enjoy an art show and light lunch provided by Society Bakery.

 

TRIMESTER II

The second trimester of the school year ends February 23.


FREE SELF-DEFENSE CLASS

One of the St. John's ASP class providers, Chamberlain Studios of Self Defense, is offering a free women's self-defense workshop at their Bachman Lake location Saturday, March 3, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. Participants will leave with greater awareness, assertiveness, verbal confrontation skills, safety strategies and physical techniques to help prevent, escape, resist and survive assaults. Get the details and register.

STUDENT NEWS

SEVENTH GRADERS PRESENT ANNIE

Students, parents and families at four sold-out shows were treated to the seventh grade performance of Annie the Musical last weekend. See pictures. Under the expert direction of Tom Parr, music direction of Jean Haynes, set design of Donna Knox and costume design of Kristin Parr, Clements Hall was transformed into 1930s New York City featuring 27 students. Read the playbill with the list of cast members. Many thanks to the special parents and volunteers who brought snacks, decorated the lobby, designed and donated the playbill, coordinated, supported and attended!  

Image

FIFTH GRADE SPECIAL VISITORS

Fifth grade social studies students enjoyed a captivating presentation about life in colonial times from Fran and Don Jackson, grandparents of Will Moore. The Jacksons have an extensive collection of primitive antiques – tools, housewares and furnishings – dating back to the earliest days of the settlement of America that they displayed and demonstrated to the delight of eager students. It was quite a treat to be able to touch these handcrafted pieces and imagine them in daily use. The Jacksons' willingness to share these treasures added a special dimension to this important exploration, giving students a richer opportunity to imagine the day-to-day lives of Pilgrims.

Image

THIRD GRADE BIOGRAPHY PROJECT

Third grade students completed their biography project incorporating research, an essay, digital and oral presentation. The culminating part of the project was transforming into their famous American and sharing with students, teachers and parents why their person was essential to our country. In the end, students gained valuable research methods, showed impressive writing endurance, developed presentation skills and attained a wonderful understanding of the non-fiction genre. It was also really fun for all those who attended.

Image

PARENT ORGANIZATIONS

 

ART SHOW

You are invited to preview the Havana Nights grade-level art projects on Tuesday, February 27, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. in Parish Hall. These beautiful, student-created pieces will be on display during the PA meeting, which starts at noon, or bring your child for a punch and cookies reception during afternoon carpool. 

Image

SPORTS


See this week's full basketball schedule. The calendar below does not show the entire schedule for Tuesday, February 13. Link to the full calendar to view all the games. Please contact your child's coach with any questions. 

CHAPLAIN'S CORNER


When is Valentine's Day not Valentine's Day? If this sounds like the beginning of a corny joke on the inside of a chocolate wrapper, or something that might be stamped on a candy heart this time of year, it's not. This year Valentine's Day coincides with Ash Wednesday, one of the most significant days in the traditional Christian calendar. Valentine's Day brings us chocolate and parties, expressions of love and tenderness. Ash Wednesday, by contrast, begins the season of Christian fasting in preparation for Easter. Many Christians take on special spiritual disciplines during this season such as giving up chocolate or spending extra time in prayer. Ash Wednesday itself brings the ritual of receiving ashes on the forehead as a sign of our mortality and repentance from our sins. These two holidays might seem to be complete opposites, but they share a common foundation: love. Valentine's Day reminds us that love is more than a feeling, as the song goes. It reaches beyond just "Be My Valentine" and can be shared with everyone in the circle of our lives. Ash Wednesday reminds us that love can be hard, and that in our mortal and fallen state, love demands a corresponding discipline of forgiveness and willingness to admit when we are wrong. Love's ultimate fulfillment is to give up our own desires and sacrifice ourselves, as Jesus did for the good of the beloved. We will hear in chapel that no one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.

 

Parents, what do your children have to say about love? If our conversations in chapel have been any indication, they have some surprisingly complex ideas about what love is. At their age, romantic love isn't always the dominant image in their minds. Something more platonic, familial and, really, more biblical may well be there. Take a moment this week and explore that with them. Let love take on its fuller, broader meaning, where either chocolate or ashes may be its appropriate sign.

 
Image
 
 
Image
 
 
Image
 
 
Image
 
 
Facebook
 
Twitter
 
Blogger
 

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


Unsubscribe from this eNotice.