Save the Date

The St. John Bosco Administration and parent community would like to thank Bridget Jehle for serving as President of this year's Advisory Board.  Under her leadership, the Board adopted internal goals, monitored the policy administration of the school, staffed the Informal Q & A each month, continued to provide communication about the Board's activities to the school community and streamlined committee reports for the Board meetings.  Thank you, Bridget, for a great job.  In this year of changing Administration, Bridget has agreed to remain as a non-voting member of the Board for Mrs. Silver and Fr. Binta.

Also, we say thank you to Randy Marchello and Patrick Ramirez for their service on the Board and whose terms are ending this year. Thank you to Melissa Cesarano as well.  New members from the nominating drive include Jessica Satiroff, Nancy Kopplin, Adriana Brown and Peter Grossgold.  We appreciate all the parents that were willing to submit their application; the candidates were well qualified.  Stacey Lykins will lead the Board as President for the 2013-14 school year.   

The Last Q & A

The last Q & A of the school year took place on May 16th. Mrs. Silver was asked to identify her top three goals as the school's new principal.  Mrs. Silver stated that her goals are:  

1. Catholic Identity   
2. Developing the whole child, as our children are the future leaders of the Church and the world
3. Continued Academic Excellence 

Parents asked for more information regarding how MAP is used with respect to teaching and learning.  MAP for grades 3-8 was referred to as one assessment tool in the toolbox that teachers are using to evaluate the skills the students have and what they are ready to learn in reading, math, and language arts.  The RIT score resulting from a MAP assessment is a continuum.  Students are involved in the process and each student is able to track their own success at their own grade level.  Other tools such as DIBELS (grades K-2), classroom assessment (informal and formal), and ITBS are used to inform instruction and learning.

Parents also brought questions and provided input on Common Core Standards. Common Core is a framework and is not curriculum.  St. John Bosco follows diocesan standards.  Many of the elements of Common Core are simply best practices of education - depth not breadth, cross curricular learning, authentic and contextual learning, etc.  

We also talked about "why" St. John Bosco.  Faith first and foremost, development of the whole child and academic excellence.  There was very positive feedback with respect to our "arts" programs to include PE, library, music, art and Spanish as a core curriculum as well.  These programs are disappearing or diminishing substantially in many of the public and charter schools.

Lastly, the school provided an update as to the status of facility modifications in light of the Connecticut shootings.  During the summer, the school will be making some facility and other modifications in preparation for the next school year.

Mrs. Silver will continue with the Q & A meetings next year.     

Student Council Officer Elections for the School Year 2013-2014

The election will take place in classrooms on Wednesday, June 5th for the following positions:

• President (Incoming 8th grader)

• Vice-President (Incoming 6th, 7th or 8th grader)

• Secretary (Incoming 6th, 7th or 8th grader)

• Treasurer (Incoming 6th, 7th or 8th grader)

• Spirit Commissioner (Incoming 6th, 7th or 8th grader)

• Sports Commissioner (Incoming 6th, 7th or 8th grader)

The students picked up permission slips last week and they are due today along with the campaign speeches (Tuesday, May 28th) at 3:30 p.m. in the front office. Candidates are required to ask three teachers to complete a student DWP Skill Assessment. Teachers will return completed forms directly to Mrs. McCormick's mailbox. Candidates will prepare a campaign speech of no more than 90 seconds to be recorded by Mr. Regalado.

Campaigning will take place in the courtyard area on June 3rd and 4th.  Students may create two campaign posters (one to be displayed in the MPR) and the other for campaigning in the courtyard.  Candidates may distribute simple campaign stickers or business cards only. Candidates are responsible for cleaning up all of their election materials around the campus. All campaigning will be positive in nature! Candidates must have a minimum, cumulative GPA of 85% for the first three quarters of the 2012-2013 school year.  Students will watch campaign videos prior to classroom voting. Elections will be conducted by written ballot in each homeroom (3rd- 7th grade) on Wednesday, June 5, 2013.  

Summer Enrichment Series at St. John Bosco

Please take a moment to review our Summer Enrichment Series which includes:

June 17-21        Kingdom Rock Vacation Bible School:  

                         9 am-noon; Grades:  K-5

June 17-21        Leadership Experience for Jr. High Students:  
                         9 am-noon; Grades: 6-8
July 15-19         Lego Camp:  Explore the World: from Sea to Space:  

                         8:30 am to 1:30 am; Grades 1-3.
July 22-26         Lego Camp: Wonders of the World: Ancient & Modern:
                         8:30 am to 11:30 am; Grades 1-6.               
July 22-26         K-Kamp! 9 am-noon. (Session One)    

                         All K-Kamp sessions different.  Register HERE.  

July 29-Aug 2   Science Camps: Our World: Grades K-2; 9 am to 1 pm.   

                         Camp-4-a-Cause; Grades 3-5;  9 am to 1 pm

New! August 5-9 Math Camp

9-10:30 am 1st-2nd grade

10:35 am -12:05 pm 3rd-5th grade

12:10-1:40 pm 6th-8th grade

Did you know that... a pizza with the radius z and thickness a has the volume pi*z*z*a? Come work with Mrs. Cesarano as we sharpen mathematical problem solving, work through common core math concepts, enhance individual strengths and strengthen individual weaknesses. Grades 1-3 will concentrate on common core. Grades 4-8 will work within their MAP score RIT band.  Just in time to reclaim our brains before school begins. Cost $75 (plus $10 registration fee)  To register follow this  link. 

New! August 5-9 Language Arts Camp   

Fine tune your language arts skills, just in time for school to begin.

9-10:30 am 3rd-5th grade

10:35-12:05 pm 1st-2nd grade

10:35-12:05 pm 6th-8th grade

Cost $75 (plus $10 registration fee). To register, follow the link . 

Family Fro-Yo Week!!

Sunday May 26-Sunday June 2 is SJB week at YOASIS Ahwatukee. Gluten Free, non-dairy & no sugar added options are always available.

1304 E Chandler Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85048. 11:00 AM-10:00 PM  7 days a week.

Just let them know you are supporting SJB & a portion of your purchase will go to the school.   

Supporting Karley

Summer Office Hours

June 10 through June 28, the school office will be open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 -12:00 and by appointment on Fridays and during the month of July by calling 480-219-4848-0.   

Do you Know an All-Star Teacher?  

The D-backs and Century Link have partnered to develop the All-Star Teachers Recognition Program to recognize outstanding Arizona educators. Fans are invited to submit an essay (500 words or less) about an educator who has made a difference in their life. Five (5) winning educators will be recognized before D-backs games this season and each will receive $2,000 courtesy of Century Link. Entries will be accepted until September 6, 2013, with one Educator selected each month. Here is the link.  

New "Old Logo" Polo Shirts for Sale

We have a limited supply of new old logo polo shirts for sale for $5 each in the front office.  Although these polos have the old logo they are grandfathered in and can be worn as long as they are in good condition.  Please stop by the front office if you are interested.   

Providing for Today ... Preparing for Tomorrow  

What is it? The Annual Campaign for St. John Bosco is our annual giving campaign.  It supports the day to day operations and activities of the school, enables us to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves and helps to keep tuition manageable for our families.  Each contribution is a gift of confidence in our children and in the strength of our mission.

The Annual Campaign enables current parents, faculty and staff, past parents, alumni, grandparents and friends to partner in making a difference in the lives of our students.

Join those who have expressed their devotion to preserving a St. John Bosco education by making a commitment to its future in the form of Annual Giving.

To date, $58,753.40 has been gifted to our Annual Campaign.   All contributions received prior to June 30, 2013 will help us meet our goal of $60,000.00.  We are so close!

  Donate Online Here.   

More Information on Family Promise

Michael Ryan, SJB Class of 2011 and the Brophy Class of 2015 is inviting you to join him in the Family Promise Program, here at SJB, any evening or night from Sunday, June 23rd to Sunday, July 7. He chose this project because he knows that it makes a difference in the lives of families and children!  We will host families here on campus by bringing, serving and sharing dinner in the MPR, organizing fun time before lights out with activities for everyone to enjoy. The families spend the night in our classrooms as makeshift, but comfortable and safe homes, and leave early the next morning to go to their jobs, day care and camps. We would like an RSVP for a specific evening, so we can fill each with several families. Give the gift of your time to people who appreciate it the most! You can contact me at mryan15@brophybroncos.org.  We have sign-ups for the  Week of June 23 and for the   Week of June 30th.   

Science Detectives Coming Next Year!

We are pleased to announce the ASU program of Science Detectives will be offered after school on Mondays for the school year 2013-2014.

Science Detectives is an after school program created by ASU undergraduates. Its goal is to spark interest in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields at a younger age with the hope that more children will seek out higher degrees. Elementary school students participate in weekly hands-on lessons planned and lead by ASU students that explore real-world applications of physics, biology, chemistry, and mathematical analysis. The program lasts from six to ten weeks, giving the elementary school students sufficient time to master the advanced curriculum and build familiarity with the scientific method. We currently have 9 teams visiting 6 elementary schools in the Tempe and Kyrene school districts. Our emphasis throughout the program is on inquiry. We encourage our students to question the world around them, create explanations for observable phenomena, and then build experiments to test their hypotheses.

More information can be found on our website: sciencedetectives.org.   

Calling All Dads!

The last Dads' Club meeting is this Friday, May 31st @ 7pm in the MPR.

• Become a part of the FUN in Fundraising for SJB (All SJB Dads are automatically a MEMBER)
• Meet new Dads, Network, and Socialize.
• We will wrap up the year and begin to plan for next year.
• Pizza Dinner will be provided
• Poker Night will begin immediately after the meeting (BYOB).  

Scrip News

This is the last week of the End of Year Scrip Promotion - come by for your chance to earn 100% of your earnings!

Do you have a special order you need by the last day of school?  Please place all special orders by May 31.  

Plan ahead for your summer plans. We have hotels, restaurants and gas cards. Happy travels!   

Harvest Festival Kick Off!

Please join us for the 2013 Harvest Festival Kick-Off meeting in the SJB library Thursday, May 30th at 6:30PM. Refreshments will be served & babysitting will be provided. Please RSVP if you'd like to use the child care to  Laurie Pretzman, Harvest Festival Chairperson.   

Heath Office

• Please pick up all unused medication in the health office. Any medication left during the summer will be thrown away. 
• Remember to bring a water bottle to school each day and apply sunscreen before coming to school.
• With end of the year parties approaching, please check with your teachers before bringing in treats.  Several grades have restrictions on foods due to allergies.  
• Please return any borrowed clothing to our office.  We are missing belts, socks, shorts and shirts.