Dear SJB Families,

It has been a busy couple of weeks. Our students have done such a great job of working on their virtues. One of our 5th-grade table cleaners asked for a broom to sweep up chips that younger students had left on the floor. Keep in mind, the table cleaners are just asked to wipe off tables and sweeping is something that is done after all lunches are complete. This young person wanted to ensure it wasn't messy for the next group and that Mr. Pasino didn't have more work. I got the broom and started sweeping up the mess. Another table cleaner said, "Mrs. Javins, I can do that for you." It was so kind and courteous. This is just a small example, but I am seeing it repeated all over the school. I do hope you are seeing the same at home.

The All School Mass this week was especially beautiful. The choir sounded amazing and listening to all the students sing the Kyrie brought me joy. You could hear the hard work they put into the chant challenge (see below) in the beautiful sound created at Mass. The students were so courteous and listened so diligently to Father Mark's homily. I love every Mass, but there are some in which I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit so strongly. This was one of those occasions. Your children are a gift and we are so blessed you share them with us!

Maggie Javins



1st Grade - Cecilia Phillips and PreK - Violet Phillips

Cece and Violet Phillips both received the sacrament of baptism! Congratulations to both young ladies and their family!

8th Grade - Claire Gerardot

Claire Gerardot was baptized and received her first Holy Communion on Sunday, September 29. Claire will be confirmed with her class on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Congrats to Claire and her family!

As a Family of SJB, you have full access to our virtue program

Disciple of Christ, Education in Virtue is more than a curriculum; it’s a way of life – the means to a happy life and a healthy mind. Our school has purchased an institutional membership, and we invite you to sign up – for free.

There are videos and resources for the entire family – parents, educators, teen and young adult and children as young as 4 years old.

Simply use the following link and then type in the zip code of our school. When you see our school name, click on it and that’s it! You now have access to 100 % of the Openlight Media website.

Virtue Program Family Link

Courtesy is related to the cardinal virtue of Justice.

Definition: Treating others with the respect due to them as sons and daughters of God; recognizing that all are made in God’s image and likeness.

Courtesy in Practice:

• I think about others and their needs, rather than just focusing on my own.
• I clean up after myself.
• I practice good manners.
• I am attentive when talking to others.
• I speak considerately of others.
• I do not use vulgar language.

Saintly Example- Saint Rose of Lima

Rose was still very young when Jesus asked her to consecrate herself to Him. Her family did not understand why she began acting differently. She spent long hours in prayer and practiced many sacrifices. People from all over the city would come talk to her and ask her to pray for them. She took care of the garden, growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers for her family and the poor.

Scripture: Revelation 3:20

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me”

Prayer

Dear Jesus,

Please help me act with courtesy toward every person I encounter today. In all the little acts of holding doors, being polite, and offering help, help me to love them and to love You in them.



Amen.

Looking Ahead - Next Week's Virtue: Generosity

These students were sent to the office by their teachers because they were caught being virtuous! They received a small certificate and a treat! Keep exercising those virtues!

5th Grade to StarBase over next 5 weeks.

StarBase has innovative hands-on activities in science, technology and mathematics based on the physics of flight. Students are invited to participate and witness the application of scientific concepts in a “real world” setting. National Guard personnel demonstrated the use of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology in their fields of expertise and served as role models to the attending students.

Click the picture to see a pretty cool video of a rocket launch. Clearly the students were excited!!!

Our Kindergarten classes took a field trip to Steele Farms and learned so much about how farms work. They even got to bring home a pumpkin!

Mrs. Weaver's 5th Grade Class were the first Chant Challenge Winners!

Father Paolo has choose Mrs. Weaver's class as the winners of the first ever Change Challenge. It was a very tight race between! Please listen to the different classes below and Father's announcement of the winner!

Fr. Paolo Announcement

Chant Champions Mrs. Weaver’s 2024 5th Grade Class

Mr Podzielinski's Class

Mrs. Pleus' Class

It's time to start planting our Storybook Pumpkin Patch! This is a voluntary activity, that is completed at home. If your child would like to participate, more information is attached. Email Mrs. Klinger with any questions at jklinger@stjohnsfw.org

*A Tide Pod container could be a cute pumpkin too!

Storybook Pumpkin Patch

10/14 to 10/21 Lunch Form

• Lunch Form must be returned by Monday October 7th.
• A paper copy was sent home with students today.
• Students receiving Free Lunches must also complete this form.
• Lunch Form

Just a few reminders regarding our hot lunch program:

Since we have so many new families to our school we wanted to give information about our lunch program. Unfortunately, we do not cook our own student lunches at our school. We contract student lunches with Classic Café. We must order our lunches two weeks in advance. Because of this we must follow a few guidelines to help our lunch program run smoothly.

1)     Lunch menus are sent home every other week. We ask that these menus are filled out, money attached, and sent into school by the following Monday if your child/children would like to order hot lunch. We then have to compile the numbers and give them to Classic Café Tuesday morning.

2)    Because of the high cost of the lunches, we typically only order 2 extra (in case a tray accidently get dropped). On occasion we might have extra due to students being absent and having lunch already ordered for them. If your child has not ordered hot lunch, please be prepared to send a packed lunch with them in the morning.

3)    We are not able to refund for paid lunches due to the fact that we must pay for all lunches ordered; whether or not the student takes that lunch.

Cost of hot lunch - $4.00               

Cost of ala carte milk - .75

Football Players Welcome SJB Students

The BLHS football players welcomed our students to school today. SJB Alumnus Anthony Antonuccio led prayer and announcements over the loud speaker. We then all sang the Fight Song together (video below)! It was so fun and we appreciate them sharing their time with us. Go Knights!!!

Snacks and Coffee for Teachers

Each year HASA organizes parents to bring snacks and coffee for the teachers. It is so very appreciated! If you would be willing to volunteer for a week, please see the signup link below.

You may bring the snacks any day during the week you have signed up. If you are wanting to bring in coffee for the teachers, the coffee maker uses both ground coffee and nespresso pods. We have currently been purchasing ground coffee solely from a Catholic-owned coffee company named Guadalupe Roastery. If you are able, we would love to continue to support them by buying ground coffee directly from them. To help make purchasing easier, link to Guadalupe Roastery's website (Use code StJohn for 12% of Nicaraguan coffee) and a link for where to buy the nespresso pods are linked below. This is just an example of the nespresso pods - any brand of these type will work with the machine.

Thank you! 

Signup Genius

Guadalupe Roastery Website

Nespresso Pods Example

Save the Date!

Salvatori’s Fundraiser 10/22

Trunk or Treat 10/30

Grandparents Day 11/20

Popcorn Day/Dress Down Day 12/6

Popcorn Day/Dress Down Day 1/10

Trivia Night 1/25

Popcorn Day/Dress Down Day 2/7

Father Daughter Dance 2/8

Mother Son Bowling (tentative) 3/2

Popcorn Day/Dress Down Day 3/7

Popcorn Day/Dress Down Day 4/11

Sign up to help serve Popcorn

HASA is bringing back popcorn day the 1st Friday of each month. Popcorn is $1/bag. Popcorn will be delivered to the homeroom by the end of the day. We need volunteers to help pop popcorn to make this possible. The popcorn machine is easy to use and ingredients are pre-measured. 

Popcorn Signup

Pay HASA Fees

If you have not done so already, please pay your HASA family fees.

• $10 for one child
• $20 for two children.
• $30 for three or more children.
• You may pay by credit card on Eventlink.
• You may send cash or check payments to the school office. Please note your last name and your children's names on all monies sent to the school office.

7th/8th Grade CYO Knights to Play in Championship Game

On Saturday 10/5 our 7th & 8th Grade football team will play Central Catholic for the CYO championship! These gentlemen have worked so hard this season and we are rooting for them to pull off another championship! Central Catholic is a very good team - so please show up and cheer for our kids!

The game will be played at Bishop Dwenger High School at 2:30 PM.

All Details on Athletic Event can be found on Eventlink. Please check there for location details.

Winter Sports Registration

• October 21st
• 7th/8th Grade 6PM - 7PM
• 5th/6th Grade 7PM - 8PM
• If you are just returning volleyball uniforms please drop between 6-7pm otherwise bring your volleyball uniform when you register for basketball. 

Thinking about playing basketball, but maybe a little nervous? We've got just the thing!

Coaches will host an open gym on Wednesday 10/9 for interested 5th grade girls basketball players. Even if they are on the fence they can come check it out and see if they want to play. Open gym will be after school from 3-4:30pm.

Update from our School Safety Team

Throughout the first quarter, the school safety team trained staff and students in the language, drills, and procedures we use to keep our school safe. The training included fire safety, lockdown, hold, secure, evacuate, shelter, and bully prevention. Many staff members renewed their CPR certifications, and during a Friday delayed start we reviewed the appropriate response to mental health concerns. The students and staff did a fantastic job learning and practicing these safety procedures. 

Here are some things you should know about evacuation and reunification. Should we need to evacuate our building, our reunification location is Peace Lutheran on Fairfield Avenue. Parents would enter through the cafe doors. Students can only be released to adults listed on their emergency contact forms and adults must show an ID. 

Our team continues to make safety a top priority. We are working on several safety initiatives including new entry doors and more cameras. The church purchased the house in the cul-de-sac. The purchase of this property increases the safety and security of our school. 

As we move through this school year, please pray for the safety and protection of our school, staff, and students. 

On Mondays, our middle school students participate in Electives. Do you have a skill that you’d like to share with our students? Knitting? Chess? We meet on Mondays from 12:50-1:35. The commitment is 9 weeks at a time. The next quarter begins October 14th. If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact Jennie Klinger at jklinger@stjohnsfw.org. All volunteers must complete the Safe Environment training. 

There are some changes to aftercare this year

• Aftercare will take place in the PreSchool Room and Pick up will be in the cul-de-sac at Door #9. There will be a doorbell for you to ring.
• Miss Sydney Strack will be our Aftercare Teacher.
• All families must complete a registration form on Eventlink. This form provides information to the Aftercare teacher and only needs to be completed once.
• Parents will be sent a statement each week. They can pay by check, cash, or credit card. If paying by credit card, please use Eventlink. They payment is due by the following Friday.
• You can change the payment amount on Eventlink to match what your statement says.
• Aftercare costs $11 per student per day.
• Aftercare hours are until 5:30 PM each day.
• There are semester and quarterly options available for a reduced daily fee.
• Aftercare Payments

Throughout the week teachers in middle school collect names of students going above and beyond, whether it is helping a classmate, participating in class, answering hard questions, volunteering at Mass, etc. Then once a week each middle school teacher draws out a name from their collection to get a small prize. All names eligible for the drawing are placed on a bulletin board in the middle school hallway for all to see.

September 30:

Mrs. Henry - Ari Vorderman

Mrs. Lehner - Elijah Skeeters

Mrs. Newberg - Lucas Vazquez

Mrs. Sturm - Claire Gerardot

Mrs. Welling - Phina Bunn

Mrs. Zimmerman - Alejandro Vazquez

September 23

Mrs. Henry - Thurston Smits

Mrs. Lehner - Benjamin Lehner

Mrs. Newberg - Santi Hernandez

Mrs. Sturm - Ruby Capps

Mrs. Welling - Carter Vasquez

Mrs. Zimmerman - Claire Steffen

September 17:

Mrs. Henry - Bella Damian

Mrs. Lehner - Charles Keirns

Mrs. Newberg - Phina Bunn

Mrs. Sturm - Carmella Farias

Mrs. Welling - Lucas Zimmerman

Mrs. Zimmerman - Gael Perez

Middle School Drawing Volunteers

Thank you for the generosity! Parents are signed up through Christmas Break for prizes! I will post again in December for second semester. You are all much appreciated.

Pearl Arts Scholarships (started by the founders of Sweetwater) offers music lessons and training to all young people, regardless of financial circumstances at the new Pearl Arts Center. Check out their website for more info at https://pearlarts.org/.

Spirit and Uniform Store Available

Our new uniform store is available.

• The site is broken into different categories: Uniform, Fridays Spirit Wear, etc.
• When order there is an option to add a comment. It is very helpful to add your children's name to the comment so we can deliver uniforms in a timely manner.
• Uniform Store

Do you know someone who would like to receive our weekly newsletter?

Our weekly newsletter is a great way for grandparents, alumni, and friends to stay connected to our school. Have them complete the following information to receive our newsletter updates.

Sign Up Here

Do you know someone that wants to be a Substitute Teacher at SJB?

We are in need of substitute teachers. In order to be a substitute, you must apply with the diocese and hold a valid substitute license from the state.

• Diocesan information located here.
• Valid Substitute Permit application from State found here.
•  Licensed or Retired Teachers - $125 per Day/ $75 Half Day
• High School Diploma and Valid Substitute Permit - $100 per day/ $60 Half Day
• Please email jhohenstein@stjohnsfw.org once you are on the sub list so that she can be sure to call!