NewsViews
November 13, 2014
    Blessed are those who fear the Lord.  
from Psalm 128

November  Saints:  PK-2, St. Elizabeth of Hungary; Grs. 3-5, Bl. Fra Angelico; Grs. 6-8, St. Joseph Moscati  
November Virtue:  Stewardship - Returning to God the first fruits of your time, talent, and treasure     
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Principal's Letter

Miss Barry's Kindergarten students present their Rosary projects.

Dear Families,

It was a pleasure to see you turn out in large numbers for Mass and the State of the Parish presentation! Our parish team, led by Mary Wiseman prepared a comprehensive report about the budget and all the activities we help support.  It was presented very well by current parent, Matt Deines and alumna parent, Gretchen Swanson. In essence, it is the story of a dynamic community capitalizing on the gifts of time, talent and treasure of those who share them to enrich all of us. We are living our faith! If you were unable to attend this weekend, you have another opportunity tonight at 7:00pm in the church.  Parish school families are obliged to attend; all others are encouraged to join us. 

 

Stewardship is alive and well here in school! The food drive organized by the 6th grade is generating a wall of cans and dried food on the second floor hallway. Lily, a fourth grader, wrote to me with an idea to help the homeless get coats and blankets, so next week we will begin to collect gently used coats and blankets.  Go through your closets and donate jackets and coats that no longer fit and are in good condition. We will collect them in the classrooms and deliver them to shelters. Thank you for your generosity.

 

Small groups of eighth grade students are taking turn leading prayer and announcements each Monday. Their community-wide prayer sets a lovely tone to the opening of our week.   On the first and third Mondays of Advent they will lead us in prayer and the lighting of the Advent wreath in the church. Plan to be here on time on December 1 and December 15, as all classes will be in church and prayer will begin promptly at 8:30 and end at 8:40.   On December 8, we will have Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. You are invited to attend the prayer services and Mass.  

 

I am looking forward to meeting many of the students' grandparents on Thursday, November 20. Thank you, in advance to the volunteers who come to help with this joyous celebration.

 

What a blessing it is to be part of the St. John Community!

 

Beannacht,

 
Bernadette O'Leary  
Principal

Dates To Note/Action Items
Tonight!  State of the Parish
7pm, Church

Attendance at one of the presentations required of all in-parish school families;  

all others are most welcome to attend. 

Green Banner

Tuesday, November 18 - Picture Retake Day - Students must bring their order envelopes (if they missed the original date), or their photo packets (if they wish to have a retake).  Dress is portrait attire.

Thursday, November 20 - Grandparents' & Friends' Day, Grades 2-5 (Sack lunch service available)   


Be sure to check the online calendar - updated regularly - for changes to the draft calendar distributed in July.  
From the Parish

St. John the Evangelist will again host a wonderful holiday play for the entire family.  FREE ADMISSION!
Tuesday, December 2nd, 7-8pm, In Egan Hall
Reservations required - reserve your seat here!

"Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Bar Jonah Inn! Close to all the Bethlehem action, serving all your Bethlehem needs!" Except, of course, for that one very unusual night. As innkeepers Jacob and Miriam whiz about accommodating strange requests and stranger guests with their trademark humor and wit, a desperate plea to use their stable makes them pause; if this is the advent of God's Child, what kind of family is He creating? The Innkeeper's Christmas re-frames the first Christmas, drawing laughter and insight from the unexpected ways God alters expectations.

 Questions? Contact Anne Merklin at amerklin@stjohnsea.org.

 

The Environment Committee needs 35 volunteers for Advent decorating on Friday, November 28 (the day after Thanksgiving).  Decorating will take place in the church from 10am - 1pm.  We have jobs to meet any schedule (there are jobs that will take from 20 minutes to one hour).  Come help for as long as you want.  Adults and older students working on Service Hours make wonderful volunteers (bring a friend).   If you would like to help please email stjohndecorating@gmail.com. 
Auction


Eat Pizza. Raise Money!

 

Next Monday, November 17, is St. John School Day at Paxti's Pizza in Ballard!  10% of the entire day's sales will be donated to St. John School as part of Paxti's 52 Weeks of Giving Program. Dine in, Carry Out, Delivery and Catering orders from all customers (St. John School related or not) count - so tell all your friends!  

                 

Paxti's is located at 5323 Ballard Ave NW. (206)946-1512.  Menu available online at www.paxtispizza.com.

 

 

Procurement Drop Off Days Have Arrived!

Did you know the first auction procurement drop off day is next Thursday, November 20? Auction volunteers will be on hand at morning drop off and afternoon pick up, to collect your procurement forms and items.

 

Students with families turning in a procurement form that day (11/20) can wear Crazy Socks and Hats on Thursday!

 

 

WeOur Volunteers!

We would like to thank the following volunteers for joining our auction team - we can't do it without you!

 

Class Liaisons: Veronica Wellnitz (Pre K PM), Jody Reich, Betsy Schoenholz & Kelly Kasper (K), Katie Burckhardt (2nd), Lisa Crabtree (8th)  

Class Art Project Leaders: Liz Stanfield (Mrs. Kelly's class) and Rachel Oximana (Mrs. Skokan's class)

Procurement Team: Anne Mathieu
Christmas Wreath Sale

Students in Grade 8 are taking orders now through December 3, for beautiful Christmas wreaths from Pacific Mountain Products out of Bremerton.  Three wreaths to choose from starting at $25.  Proceeds of $7.00 from each order will benefit the financial aid fund for students traveling to Washington, D.C. in the spring.  Wreaths will be available for pick up the weekend of December 6 and 7 in the parking lot.  Look for students at Mass, contact the school office, or ask an eighth grader to place your order.
Holiday Food Drive

Students in Grade 6 are heading up the annual Holiday Food Drive for our neighbors in need.Please send in non-perishable items now through Tuesday, November 25.

   

Please - NO glass containers for safety reasons. Great choices:  Peanut butter & jelly or jam; cereal; canned fruits and vegetables; canned meats, tuna, chili, soups, stew; pasta and pasta sauces; Macaroni and Cheese; other boxed meals; all paper products; dried pudding, Jell-O; nuts, dried fruit; powdered milk; Baby Wipes
Parent Association



Save the Date!
Parent Association Christmas Parties!
Wednesday, December 10
8:30am AND 7pm, Egan Mezzanine

Crafts for sale - do some Christmas shopping!
Refreshments
Children welcome at the morning event; adults only in the evening.

Contact Christine Craig if you would like to set up a sale table.



Scrip

   My Mom is the Christmas Giving Tree coordinator for her church near Boston.  She called on Monday and asked if she could have four gift cards for the Giving Tree and I said, "of course."  I love the fact that she buys her gift cards from me so that St. John benefits.  If you have family or friends who want to buy Scrip gift cards for the holidays or during the year, please send them our way.  Spending money on things you want or need with money going back to St. John - it's truly a win-win.

  

 

Using Scrip is part of your Fair Share Commitment to St. John School!   

Questions? Contact Karen Bombino and the Scrip Team at stjohnscrip@stjohnsea.org  
AmazonSmile
Do you do some of your holiday shopping on Amazon?  Shop through AmazonSmile and earn dollars for St. John School! 

Visit http://smile.amazon.com/about and choose St. John School as the beneficiary of your shopping fun!  AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchase to St. John School.  Prices are the same as on the regular Amazon site, so have fun shopping for holiday gifts!  Make your impact even bigger - purchase Amazon Scrip for your purchases and earn another 3% for St. John!
Student/Alumni News
Congratulations to Emma Flood, St. John School Class of 2014!  Emma made it to State Cross Country Championships as an individual!  Emma is a Bishop Blanchet High School freshman.
Middle School Youth Group - Grades 6, 7, 8

 
Movie and Popcorn Event HUGE Success
A great time was had by the students last evening, at our screening of
The Princess Bride!  If your student was unable to attend, we hope he/she can make it to our next event:



Bowling and Pizza Event
Wednesday, November 19, 6:30pm at Spin Alley, 1430 Richmond Beach Road, Shoreline, WA.  Turn in the permission slip to the school or parish office not later than Tuesday, November 18.
 
Chaperones are needed!  Please lend a hand and have fun!
Contact Myke Folger
Youth Group Advisor
206-612-0036 -- cell and text
NoJunk





Grades 2-5 Grandparents' & Special Friends' Day
Order your student and their guest a Bag Lunch for the special day!

Get your child excited about packing her or his lunch online
Neighborhood Bites

Ingraham High School will hold open house on November 18, 7pm in the Ingraham Library for parents and students wanting more information about Seattle Public Schools, and the programs offered specifically at Ingraham.  Questions?  Mary Smith, 206-252-3888   

  

Kennedy Catholic High School presents The Matchmaker, by Thornton Wilder
It is a great comedy about unlikely couples finding love and money in New York City in the 19th century. Saturday, Nov 15, 7:30 pm, Sunday, Nov 16, 2 pm, Friday, Nov 21, 7:30 pm, Saturday, Nov 22, 7:30 pm, Sunday, Nov 23, 2 pm, in the Little Theatre at Kennedy Catholic High School. Tickets are available on BrownPaperTickets.com or at the door.  

 

Peter Fewing Holiday Soccer Camp at Seattle University!  See attached registration form for more information. 
Thank You Corner
Thank you to 7th Grade families for the wonderful luncheon provided to faculty and staff today.  Perfect weather for hot baked potatoes with all the trimmings!




Thank you to Ms. Whiting, Gr. 4 teacher for sharing the bounty from her Lopez family orchard recently!



 

Want to thank someone publicly?  Send your "thanks" to Diane Crockett at  dcrockett@stjohnsea.org for publication in NewsViews.
 

"Only when the last tree has died
and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught
will we realize we cannot eat money."
Cree Proverb