Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. 
             
May Saints:  PK-Gr. 2, St. Paul; Grs. 3-5, St. Dominic; Grs. 6-8,St. Francis Xavier 
May Virtue:  Zeal - Being driven by an intense love for God  
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Principal's Letter

  Crowning of Mary, Friday, May 1, 2015 

 

Dear Families, 

 

It was a joy to watch the children receive First Communion! Congratulations, Parents. To all the mothers, the St. John community wishes you a Happy Mothers Day! Enjoy a great weekend with your families.  

 

Today your child (grades 3-8) received their progress reports for Third Trimester. Be sure to ask your children about their academic progress. Encourage them to persist and stay the course - we are so close to the end of the school year!

 

One hundred eighty-five students from sixteen Catholic schools participated in the Robotics Extravaganza at Seattle Prep on Saturday! Congratulations to the St. John Robotics team. They were recognized for the most technical programming!  Thank you Pat James and Sven Tice for sharing your time, enthusiasm, and love for science and engineering with our students!

 

St. John School is preparing for accreditation through the Western Catholic Educational Association once again. For many of you it may seem like yesterday when we had the last visit by an accreditation team, but it was five years ago. The mission of WCEA is to promote quality Catholic education for students through an accrediting process that assures we are committed to faith formation and educational excellence. This self-evaluative process requires us to look at how well we are meeting established criteria-based protocols such as Catholic identity, curriculum and instruction and how the school is governed. The time has come for us to prepare a new Self-Study document. You are our partners in this process and your input is vital to our self-evaluation. Below you will find a link to a survey that we need you to complete. Please take the time to share your evaluation of St. John. We are asking surveys to be completed by Friday, May 22.

 

Survey: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2128528/Parent-Survey

 

God Bless,

Bernadette O'Leary, Principal  

 
Year End Tuition and Fees

All tuition and all miscellaneous fees
(XDC, AFS, books, band, graduation, etc.)
must be paid in full by Friday, May 29, 2015. 

Please contact Diane Crockett (206-783-0337, dcrockett@stjohnsea.org) in the school office if you have questions about outstanding fees
or need assistance.
Dates To Note/Action Items
Today, Thursday, May 7 - Progress Reports home, Grades 3-8
         
Friday, May 8 - Auction Dinner & Dodge Ball, 6pm, Egan Hall
Tuesday, May 12 - Grade 8 Retreat at Camp Don Bosco
Tuesday, May 12 - Grs. 1 & 2, Spring Concert, 7pm,Egan Hall
Thursday, May 14 - Grs. 3-5 Spring Concert, 7pm, Egan Hall

Be sure to check the online calendar - updated regularly - for changes to the draft calendar distributed in July.  
Jog-A-Thon 2015/2016 - Call For Artists
 
Get ready for the 2015 Jog-A-Thon!
The date is set for
Friday, September 18, 2015
and will once again be followed by the
Back To School Celebration and Carnival!
Save the date.

We need new artwork for the 2015 Jog-A-Thon!
All students grades K-7 are encouraged to submit artwork to Seņor Pablo by May 29. Two designs will be chosen to represent the 2015 Jog-A-Thon (t-shirt and poster). Winners will receive a Scrip card of their choice for $25! Artwork should be hand drawn by the student in one-color ink. Ask Seņor Pablo if you have any questions.
Bike To School Challenge
  You and your child are invited to participate in the

Bike to School Month Challenge.
The Cascade Bicycle Club is encouraging students to ride during the month of May. They have provided a calendar where children can track the number of minutes they bike to school or elsewhere during Bike to School Month. We recognize that not every family can bike to school, so minutes spent biking to sports practice, the library or just around the neighborhood can also be counted.
 
When your child tracks their minutes of riding on their Bike to School Challenge calendar, they can earn the following prizes:
●      Children biking up to 360 minutes in May will receive reflective spoke sliders.
●      Children biking over 360 minutes will receive a bike strap to hold their pant leg in place.
●      Children who ride to school on Wednesday, May 6-Bike to School Day-will receive a  flashing red bike light.
 
The elementary school with the most collective bike commuting minutes in May will receive the prestigious Golden Pedal Award and be recognized in the Cascade Courier!
Let's win this recognition.
 
If you would like to volunteer for one of our morning welcome stations throughout the month, please contact Pablo Kelley at pkelley@stjohnsea.org or Heather Bellerud. Tracking calendars should be turned in to the school office by Friday, June 5 so we can tally our school's collective minutes of riding.
Thanks and happy riding!
Scrip

The end of the school year is quickly approaching! 
If you would like to thank your teacher and staff with Scrip cards, please do so!  Did you know that you could deposit Scrip credit into teachers' Scrip accounts?  That way, your teacher has the ability to decide which cards he or she wants.  You can send a check into the Scrip office with directions of which teachers to credit.  Then, just send a note to your teacher saying they have Scrip credit.  Please send all checks for teachers and staff to the Scrip office by
Friday, May 29.
 
We will be selling Scrip this Friday from 2:45 - 3:15pm
outside the school office.

 

Thank you for your continued support!  

Karen Gunther Bombino, Scrip Team Coordinator

 

Using Scrip is part of your Fair Share Commitment to St. John School!   
Questions? Contact Karen Gunther Bombino and the Scrip Team at stjohnscrip@stjohnsea.org  
Mother's Day Flower Sale
Support the Garden Classroom,The Eagle's Nest and Honor Your Mother!
Beautiful flowers will be on sale Friday after school.
Single stems - $1.00
3 stem bunch with greens - $5.00
10 stem bouquet - $10.00
Student/Alumni News
 

Jaden M., Grade 6 will exhibit artwork at the 20th Annual Phinney Art Walk this weekend!  Jaden will show her art at Umpqua Bank, located at 71st and Greenwood, and will be hosting the event and personally sharing her art on Friday, May 8, 6-9pm.  Come see!



 

The No. 1 top High School (Athletic) Performer in The Seattle Times last week was St. John alum Laura Marty, Class of '12, who set the state pole vault record at 13'5" and then subsequently broke her own record by clearing 13'6"! 
Way to go, Laura! 

 
Summer Solutions
Summer Solutions workbooks are now available.  Return the attached order form to the school office no later than Friday, May 8.  Books will be delivered to students in the classroom, prior to summer dismissal. Summer Solutions gives  your student daily practice in math skills.  Questions?  Contact Ms. Gudaitis.
Order Form

Note:  Students registered for Summer Math Camp - Summer Solutions workbooks
ARE NOT included in your registration fee. 
Spring Concerts

Grades 1 & 2
Tuesday, May 12, 7pm, Egan Hall
Under the direction of Mrs. Pat Tsagalakis, students will present a delightful Spring Concert full of charm.  Students have prepared well to perform for you!  Do join us.


Grades 3, 4 & 5
Thursday, May 14, 7pm, Egan Hall
Don't miss our Intermediate students usher in Spring with song and movement performance under the direction of Mrs. Becky Kelly.  Cantionis Choir and Band will perform.  Everyone welcome!
Celebrate Mrs. Kelly
 
Hail to the Queen!

Mark your calendars for Sunday, June 7! 

Mrs. Kelly is retiring after 45 years of teaching, 22 of those years at St. John School! 

Reception in Egan Hall following 10:30 Mass.
 Visit the Event Page Here and "join" 
From the Parish 
  
St. John Youth Group 

Saturday, May 9 - Super Soaker Adventure & Pizza
 
NEW DATE - Ultra Bike Ride on
Lopez Island!
Saturday, May 30
Open to ALL St. John School & Parish middle school students!
Contact Myke Folger or Mary Wiseman for more details.
 
Fundraising Opportunities

St. John School received more than $8,000 in donations in Tuesday's giveBig! Seattle Foundation will be adding to this amount (proportionate to our direct donations); employer matches will also increase this amount. We thank all those participating and the Seattle Foundation's!


Thanks to your diligence in cutting and turning in those tiny little box top coupons, St. John School just added $311 to the Playground Fund!  Send your box tops to the school office - funding fun one dime at a time!
NoJunk
   Natural, Organic, and Packed FOR You!
Community Opportunities


Celebrating 20 Years!  The Big One - May 8 & 9!
Originally a stand-alone annual event, the BIG One is now the centerpiece of the monthly Art Up Chow Down art walks. The BIG One traditionally features work from over 150 area artists in 70+ businesses in Phinney-Greenwood.

Over the years, this hugely popular event has turned into a neighborhood party with musical performances in participating businesses and churches, street performers, chalk art and activities for children. Map and additional information here.

 

 

Lakeside School Girls Lacrosse Summer Camp, girls entering grades 4-9: www.lakesideschool.org/summerschool 
 

 
Thank You Corner

A special thank you to everyone who made First Communion so special this year! Thank you to the First Communion team, especially our coordinator Julia Rudden; thank you to Fr. Crispin for his support and prayers; to the second grade teachers and lead Catechists Mrs. Hendrickson and Mrs. Oines and their assistants Teresa Willson, Anna McCarthy, Maria Arruela, Katie Clair, Sarah Dorscht, Abby Mansfield, and Shawna Calhoun for preparing children and helping with the rehearsal and Mass; to Joanne Jepson and her assistants Christine Westby and Milana Richardson for coordinating the bread making session. Thank you to all the parents of the First Communicants for their support; to all those helping with the receptions, Katie Clair, Tony Clair, Marilyn Porter, Arwen R-F, Rebecca Wagner, Bridget Sevigny, Tara Stone and Al Souza. Last but not least, thank you to Anne Merklin, PA for Faith Formation for her leadership and coordination of this beautiful Sacrament.

 

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

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."
Washington Irving