WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 20, 2018
THIS WEEK'S NEWS AND EVENTS
CARPOOL PROTOCOL
It is for the safety of our students that we ask all families to adhere to the carpool guidelines in the handbook. Children should depart and enter the car only from the curbside and only at designated carpool entrances, monitored by faculty. In the interest of safety and efficiency, we ask parents not to drop students off on Harter Road or to park and walk them in during morning carpool. We appreciate your cooperation in following these procedures.
VALENTINE'S DAY
Thank you to all parents who facilitated, contributed to or volunteered for the Lower School Valentine's parties. It was a special day for our students. View photos from the events.
AUCTION TICKETS PRICE INCREASE
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 Friday, February 23, so purchase now. If you buy a raffle ticket, you could be the winner of free tuition next year. As you purchase your tickets, please consider sponsoring a teacher and his or her guest.
JUMP ROPE FOR HEART
Students continue to enjoy earning the monster prizes of the Scare Squad and learning new jump rope skills. To date, 155 St. John's participants have raised almost $18,000 online! Watch our leaderboard. Students who have raised $150 by 8:00 a.m. Friday, February 23 will receive a plush Jax pillow doll. This amount may be raised by cash, check or online. Packets and all donations are due Friday, March 2. Questions may be directed to Devin Darnell.
CHANGE FOR AFRICA
Once again, St. John's Episcopal Church and School are teaming up during Lent to provide "Change for Africa." In July, a team of 16 youth and adults from the church and school communities will travel to Uganda for a mission trip. One of their projects is building a banda, a multi-purpose pavilion used for worship services and community events. Our team is trying to raise $10,000 for the materials to build the banda. Your spare change can add up in affecting lasting, positive change in the lives of our African brothers and sisters. Look for the "Change for Africa" collection boxes around the church and school and please give as you are able.
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LENTEN FRIDAYS AT ST. JOHN'S CHURCH
School families are invited to participate in Lenten Fridays with St. John's Church, beginning this week. The evenings will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a Lenten meal, cooked and served by one of the church's ministry teams. The menu will offer something for all ages, with a cost of $5 per person or $10 for a family.
After dinner, adults and youth (sixth grade and above) will gather in the church for Stations of the Cross, followed by a meditation led by a guest speaker and sung Compline. Kindergarten through fifth grade children will meet in the Undercroft (church basement) for their own Were you There? series, which will combine Bible stories and crafts.
This year's theme is the provocative question we sing in the great African American spiritual, Were you there when they crucified my Lord? The implied answer is, Yes; the people and personalities who surround Jesus at the time of his passion are not so different from us. This year's schedule of speakers will help us get to know Pontius Pilate, the Virgin Mary, Simon of Cyrene, John the Disciple and Joseph of Arimathea - on the way to getting to know ourselves and the Lord who loves us from the cross.
February 23: Fr. Casey Shobe, Rector of Transfiguration, Dallas
March 2: Fr. Thomas Kincaid, Vicar of Incarnation, Dallas
March 9: Fr. Ryan Pollock, Curate at St. Matthew's Cathedral
March 16: Fr. Perry Mullins, Rector of St. Peter's, McKinney
March 23: Fr. Bob Corley, Rector of St. Mark's, Irving
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COMMON SENSE TIP OF THE WEEK
No matter how old your children, disturbing news, such as last week's school shooting, can affect them emotionally. Because these tragedies are often hard even for adults to understand, they can be difficult to explain. But if your kids know what has happened, it's important to talk with them about their concerns in an age-appropriate way. Having a listening ear and reassurances that they're safe is important, and monitoring how much exposure your child has to the news may prevent potential information overload. If there is a way to focus on action and "looking for helpers," as Mr. Rogers advised us to do, those things can give kids some sense of control. View the National Association of School Psychologists' age-based tips about talking to kids about the news. (Paraphrased from Common Sense Media.)
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COMING UP
TRIMESTER III
The final trimester of the school year begins Monday, February 26.
READING WEEK
Monday, February 26 through Friday, March 2, will be Celebrate Reading Week for Lower School. We'll have daily dress-up activities and celebration cupcakes next Wednesday in the library. Plus, on Thursday, during Chapel Applied time, we'll have 15 minutes of DEAR — Drop Everything and Read. See the dress-up activities.
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 2018-19 PA Council will be announced. Attendees will also have an opportunity to preview the art projects that will be featured at auction. All parents are invited to Parish Hall to enjoy an art show and light lunch provided by Society Bakery.
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. At right, Ms. Andrews' kindergarten class project: acrylic pour method on canvas.
HAVANA NIGHTS SPIRIT DAY
Auction spirit day is Friday, March 2. Students may wear this year's official auction T-shirt (or any St. John's or blue or gold shirt) with jeans, athletic pants or shorts. Free dress guidelines apply, located on page 42 in the school handbook. If your child chooses not to participate, he or she must wear a regular school uniform. If you ordered an auction T-shirt, it will be delivered to backpacks early next week
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! See the brochure. Registration is now open. Sign up now!
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STUDENT NEWS
CAN DRIVE
The St. John's "Souper Bowl" can drive was a great success. A huge thank you to National Junior Honor Society members for spearheading the effort. Together, the St. John's community collected more than 1,300 cans to be donated to the North Texas Food Bank through White Rock Center of Hope. The two grades collecting the most cans (and only by a combined margin of 10 cans) were second and eighth, both of which will enjoy a free dress day, date to be determined.
MIDDLE SCHOOL WINTER DANCE
Sixth through eighth grade students are invited to the dance Friday, February 23, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. in Owen Gym. Tickets will be $5 and may be purchased at break and lunch this Thursday and Friday - or students may purchase a ticket at the door if a parent is present. Please remember that students need to follow free dress guidelines, which may be found in the Student Handbook.
As a "dance alternative," fifth graders will attend an afternoon movie party this Friday. Snacks, drinks and a fun, age appropriate movie will delight students and teachers from 3:45-5:45 p.m. in Clements Hall.
EIGHTH GRADE FIELD TRIP
The eighth graders took a field trip to the Dallas Children's Theater last week to watch Screen Play. It portrayed the online life of a group of high school friends and addressed topics relevant to many adolescents, such as cyber-bullying and screen addiction. Learn more about the movie.
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SPORTS
We are looking forward to spring sports! Please see email from Athletic Director John Walker, sent to Middle School parents earlier this week.
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CHAPLAIN'S CORNER
As we mature, we learn life can be complicated. Our world generates problems that are deep, far-reaching and tragic. Societies and governments (yes, churches too!) try to answer those problems, but solutions are hard. The world was the same in Jesus' day. All around him were the problems of pride, ignorance and people desperately searching for the solution to life's problems. Rather than complicating matters further, Jesus' teaching is simple. In chapel this week, we will hear him tell his followers to have faith like a child. He makes them "salt" and "light" in a world tasteless and dim. He claims, himself, to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life that leads to Heaven. It's not complicated, he says – it all comes down to simple concepts like faith, hope and love. Maturity isn't about getting lost in life's complications; it means rediscovering the simple faith of a child.
Parents, how do you imagine the child felt when Jesus placed her in the middle of the room and said, "Have faith like this"? Imagine your own children there: what aspect of their personality is something Jesus would point to, which adults desperately need but have lost? What personality traits do they model which our community should imitate? Tell them what they're modeling well. Let your child be his or her own model of success so they can see more clearly those gifts which need to endure as they mature.
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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