May the joy of the upcoming Christmas season bring you peace and good cheer!

As we close out 2018 school year, we’d like to take the opportunity to share with you a note (below) from Dr. Hecker, Chief Administrative Officer of the Diocese of Lincoln, on the state of St. John the Baptist School.

I’m pleased to inform the St. John’s Parish/School community of Plattsmouth, his Excellency has accepted the recommendation received from Fr. Houlihan, for school operations to continue at St. John’s School.

The bishop was pleased with the tremendous progress made by St. John’s School over the past 4 years; moving from a precarious financial position to one of sustainability. He offered his prayers, congratulations and sincere thanks to all who have been involved with the work necessary to effect the change.

I join his Excellency in also offering congratulations to you. I realize a change of this nature is difficult because it requires a change in the culture of the school/parish. You have been successful in doing so and in the process, on the road to making the school financially viable. It took a lot of hard work but you made it happen. Well done!

This is excellent news! We mirror Dr. Hecker’s sentiments in thanking everyone in helping us work toward financial sustainability. There have been a lot of changes and we know that it has been a big adjustment for all of us. With that being said, we still have a lot of work to do -- as our strategic planning is not over. A strategic plan is a living, breathing document that is everchanging as the needs and culture of our school continue to evolve.

We’d also like to take the opportunity to thank all StJB parents who took the time to participate in the K-8 Parent Satisfaction Survey conducted in October. We are pleased to share the following highlights from the survey:
• 51% of StJB parents completed the survey.
• Overall, parents are highly satisfied with St. John the Baptist School.
• 88% of parents are likely to refer their family and friends to St. John the Baptist School.

In addition, the following questions received the highest satisfaction scores among parents:
• Culture – StJB provides a safe and nurturing environment for my child. (98%)
• Communication – parent/teacher communication (98%)
• Faith Formation – child’s growth in faith and love for Jesus (98%)
• Culture – StJB educates the whole child: intellectually, spiritually, physically, emotionally and socially. (96%)
• Culture – StJB helps my child transition through daily school routines. (96%)
• Culture – The teacher understands my child’s strengths and weaknesses. (96%)
• Communication – I am comfortable sharing concerns and ideas with school administration and teachers. (96%)

Five areas of improvement were identified from the survey and will be addressed by the strategic planning committee in the coming year:
• Curriculum – StJB has the resources to meet the needs of those students who struggle academically or need extra help learning. (53%)
• Faith Formation – Daily Mass is essential to my child’s faith formation. (59%)
• Curriculum – The amount of homework is appropriate for my child’s grade. (69%)
• Faith Formation – My child has opportunities to participate in service projects. (73%)
• Curriculum – My child has access to the best technology to aid in his/her learning. (79%)

In the coming weeks, results of the entire survey will be posted to the Strategic Planning page of stjbcatholic.com. We hope you will prayerfully consider being a part of our newly refreshed Strategic Planning Committee. Once again, thank you for your participation in the survey.

In closing, thank you for choosing St. John the Baptist School for your child’s education and thanks for all you do to contribute to the success and sustainability of our school. May God bless you and your love ones this Christmas season.


Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Fr. Michael Houlihan, Pastor & CAO

Mrs. Linda Monahan, Principal