Message From the Principal  

Dear Families,

On Tuesday evening, Frank and DeAnn Feeman and I met with the School Commission of another Catholic school to share our experiences with Fair Share. As I related the experiences of my first year, I found myself beaming with pride in our community.   When they asked us how and why Fair Share works so well, our answers were all about you! Fair Share works because you all take ownership of this excellent program that is synonymous with St. John School.   You all desire a sound school with rigorous programs and you also want to make it accessible to the parishioners who desire it.   Even though I studied the program before I came to St. John, it is really only now, having spent the year overseeing the budget and programs that I realize the full impact. It is not all about dollars and cents. What we have here at St. John is a culture of trust and kindness, a culture of consideration for the common good, a culture which recognizes the value and the power of families working together on a common goal. We are all in it together and that is what is fair about Fair Share!

That 'togetherness' was seen over the past few weeks through

• the welcome you gave our new families
• the hours you spend volunteering at the tailgate, the socials and coaching
• the Annual Fund; gifts to the fund continue to arrive
• the church Blue Envelopes
• the magazine sale. Thank you, Señor Pablo, Patti Coats and Heather Varvaro, and all of you who supported this very successful sale!
• teachers and volunteers like Mr. Tice, Mrs. Brumback, Mrs. Lambert and Ms. Mari Ortblad, who volunteer their time to help our students compete in math
• and tomorrow we have the Endowment Dinner at which we will put out the call to enable to continue Fair Share for many years to come. We thank Michele Thornquist and her committee for their stewardship as they organized this event. We will be honoring Agnes Jacobson, who is so committed to Fair Share and ensuring that all families can experience academic excellence.

Look at how much we have accomplished in just over one month! It may be a cliché, but it is true - Together Everyone Achieves More.

The month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. October 7th is the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. Later in the month, October 23rd, we will say a school-wide Rosary; in the meantime the students will learn all about the Rosary in class. Take this opportunity to pray the Rosary at home also. It is a great way to begin the Year of Faith!

Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences will take place on October 24 - 26. This year, the signup is online. Watch for a link tomorrow. 

Bernadette O'Leary  

 MAGAZINE SALE WRAP UP 

Thank you St. John families, for contributing to our annual fall fundraiser.  As of Wednesday evening over 3,200 magazines were sold!  And once the postcard booklets are processed this number will rise.  Magazine Sale proceeds, combined with cash donations, have well exceeded our goal of $65,000.  Great work!  Mrs. Skokan's and Miss Schifferman's classes were the top two selling classes in the school.  Both classes earned an additional free dress day.  Miss Schifferman's class earned a movie and popcorn party for leading the entire school in sales.  Magazine Co-Chairs Patti Coats and Heather Varvaro would like to express their gratitude to the families of St. John for their efforts that led us to exceed our school goal, and offer a special thanks to those who gave their time to help:  Cindy Tramountanas, Jill Campos, Mary Kearney, Antonella Vesponi-Bartell, Bryce Coats, Leanne Kerrigan, and Mary Wiseman.  Thanks to those parents who are patiently awaiting the St. John travel mug.  We are expecting their arrival here any day.   

Parents and guardians of 7th and 8th grade students currently enrolled in St. John School are invited to an informal evening

hosted by Antonio DeSapio, President of Bishop Blanchet High School.  Also in attendance will be BBHS Principal, Admissions Associate, Athletics Director, Drama Director, and student leaders.

The evening will be held at the home of Paul and Sue Gleeson, parents of St. John School graduates currently attending Bishop Blanchet High School.   

Where:  2121 NW 99th Street in Seattle. 

When:  Thursday, October 25, 2012, 7-8:30pm

RSVP/questions:    Sue Gleeson - 206-257-0296 or paulsueg@yahoo.com

Hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be provided, along with an opportunity to mingle with BBHS and St. John

parents.