2010- 2011 Family Club Calendar.

Notes from the Family Club

August 25, 2010
What a great way to start off the new school year - so many friendly familiar faces, reconnecting with old friends and reaching out to welcome new parents. Kristy Reynoso and her team of parent volunteers were up bright and early, bringing coffee and treats to help us all get going, a tradition that we look forward to on the first day of school! Thank you, Kristy and all the parents who helped.

The first Family Club meeting of the year took place right there around the coffee table! Room Coordinators were there representing every class. We thank you, Room Coordinators. From welcoming new families to joining in at the first Family Club meeting, to preparing sign up sheets and teacher wish lists for Back to School Night, your Room Coordinators have been busy already! If you are unable to attend Family Club monthly meetings, do not worry about missing out on information...your Room Coordinator will communicate with you and keep you informed.

Don't forget to look at the Family Club calendar on the bulletin board in the main entrance hallway. It will be updated monthly and give you an overview of what is coming up during the month. Sign-up sheets will also be posted on the bulletin board. You can look for volunteer opportunities throughout the school year and sign up for activities you would like to participate in.

Please come to the next Family Club meeting Monday, September 27 @ 3:15 pm. Aftercare will be available for parents joining the meeting. All parents are welcome and encouraged to come to the meetings, to visit with new friends and old, get information, and discuss your thoughts and ideas about school activities.

We are all looking forward to a wonderful school year.

Notes from the Family Club
5/26/10

Nine days and counting, but don't expect the activities to start winding down until Day TEN arrives!

The school Volunteer Commitment Form has been revised for 2010/2011 and your copy is coming home in the Wednesday envelope. The school has made changes to incorporate every opportunity to fulfill your 30 hour obligation and asks that you complete your form and return it to school before the last day. For those of you who are "on the ball" and return the form by the last day of school, you will participate in a drawing for... get ready for this... a night at the beautiful Westin Verasa, Napa! How is that for enticement? If you have any questions about the new form, please bring it to the last Family Club meeting of the year, on Friday June 4, and would be happy to assist.

Last week our school reached out to our church parishioners, and they answered! We asked for participation in the school Scrip program by registering Safeway Club cards, Target cards, and using pre-registered (thanks to Mrs. Giaquinto!) Raley's/Nob Hill and Lucky store cards when they shop. School parents, teachers, and students helped pass out cards and collect Safeway card forms after mass, along with Fr. Gordon's encouragement and Mr. Carlin's help during each mass.

The opening of the Napa City Council and Arts Council Napa Valley student art exhibit at City Hall last Tuesday night was uplifting! It was a full house, with almost every seat was filled with students, parents, and teachers. Each St. John the Baptist student created the textured paper used for the project, so in actuality every one of our students had a hand in the artwork chosen for the exhibit. Mayor Jill Techel handed a certificate of recognition to each artist.

The Classics program has been a success this year with 18 children chosen for the annual "Classics Party" next week, with 9 of those children reading 15 or more classics. Speaking of the library, Family Club wishes Mrs. Evans a fond, yet sad, farewell. Thank you for bringing your talented gifts to our school and turning our library into such a special place during your time here. We have taken pretty good notes, so will do our very best to continue some of the traditions you have shared with us!

Thank you to our "Boxtop" program coordinators Lee Tatsuguchi and Rebecca Griffen. They have done a fabulous job all year, along with your continuous help sending in boxtops and Campbell's Soup labels. They have organized the 2nd annual End of Year BBQ/Yearbook Signing Event to be held Monday, June 7. Family Club will be on hand to pass out an "end of year" gift to each student. Look for more details in this eGazette.

The last Family Club meeting of the school year is scheduled for Friday, June 4th. Our teachers and staff will provide the morning refreshments for this meeting, to be held in the school library! Please join us and help us work on volunteer plans for the 2010-2011 school year. If you have been looking for that perfect volunteer opportunity, this is the meeting for you! This is also the time where we offer our sincere appreciation to the amazing group of volunteers who have supported us throughout the year.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Notes from the Family Club

It's that time again-we are almost to the end of the school year!

Family Club is busy with end of year festivities and once again, we invite you to attend the 2nd Annual "End of Year BBQ/Yearbook Signing Event", organized by our "BoxTop" team. Please join us during the lunch hour on Monday, June 7th for a hot dog lunch. More details to follow.

Save the date: Tuesday, May 18th at 6:00 p.m. at the Napa City Hall
The Napa City Council and Arts Council Napa Valley invite you to an opening of a student art exhibition honoring the 40th anniversary of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Please join us for a reception to celebrate the exhibited art work of our very own St. John the Baptist budding artists. We send out a huge thank you to our art teacher, Suzanne Gibbs for the devotion given to this unique project. We are proud to say, St. John the Baptist is the very first school EVER to have their artwork presented at the City Hall!

Our next Family Club meeting is scheduled for Friday, June 4th. Please join us for our final meeting of the school year and help us work on volunteer plans for the 2010-2011 school year. If you have been looking for that perfect volunteer opportunity, this is the meeting for you! This is also the time where we offer our sincere appreciation to the amazing group of volunteers who have supported us throughout the year. Join us for Starbucks coffee and breakfast treats.

If you have any questions on volunteering for the next school year, don't hesitate to contact Renay Williamson or Judy Franzino.

Open_FC_Meeting_-_May_4_2010_minutes.pdf

Family Club Open Meeting Minutes April 16, 2010

Notes from the Family Club

April 28, 2010

We are in the home stretch. Our children have informed us there are only 30 days of school left!

Our Art teacher, Mrs. Gibbs, has been helping bring art to our St. John students all year long, and now she needs your help to help set up a display of our children's artwork for the Fine Arts recital being held this Friday April 30. Thank you, Classroom coordinators, for sending requests asking parents to volunteer to help Mrs. Gibbs. Please contact your Classroom Coordinator or Mrs. Gibbs to let her know you can help this Friday. The reception and art display will be held in the school hallways beginning at 6pm, followed by live performances in the St. John Family Hall from 7pm to 9pm.

The Scholastic Book Fair was a success! With a goal of 600 books, we came together to sell a whopping 881 in all! That is approximately four books child; great job St. John's! We are still working on the financials, but hope to come very close to our goal for the 5th and 6th grade state books. We'll keep you posted! Thank you to a great team of volunteers and to the families that supported our efforts.

Bring a picnic and enjoy family fun and friendship at St. John's 1st annual Petanque Tournament on Saturday, May 8 at the Justin-Siena. Turn in your entry forms

Many parents have been out at the track volunteering and running at the track practices that students in all grades may participate in. Many thanks to Paul Vlaming for organizing the track program, teaching our kids the proper way to minimize injuries by stretching and strengthening to prepare for the sport, and thanks to all the parents get out there on Friday afternoons.

At our last FC meeting, our principal Mrs. Jordan shared updates on the new Smart Boards that can help bring so many subjects to life for our students, and our school has been fortunate enough to receive one for each classroom. The important annual fund was also discussed. Find out about these fascinating points of interest, as well as sharing ideas and opinions with many St. John parents, and enjoying friendship, coffee and treats at the Family Club meetings. At our next Family Club meeting there will be information about Teacher Appreciation week and we will be discussing opportunities for parent participation for the next school year!

Please join us for the next Family Club meeting on Tuesday, May 4.

Family Club

April 14, 2010

We hope you and your family felt God's love and blessing this Easter and throughout vacation week.

April showers bring...the Spring Scholastic Book Fair! Next week, beginning Tuesday, April 20, our library will be transformed. We have daily purchase incentives this time around, encouraging us to meet our goal of selling 600 books! Your participation will help keep our kids enthusiastic readers of great literature, but will also help our library purchase a wonderful new set of up-to-date state books geared for 5th -8th grade students. Look for a flyer in your Wednesday envelope where you will find more fun details on just what will happen in the library each day!

An interested group of parents attended the workshop for responsible use of digital technology on Monday night at Justin Siena High School. It was an eye-opener! Our 5th-8th grade students then had this important information presented to them Tuesday. This is just one of the many ways that your Family Club dollars extend support to the school community. Thank you to Mrs. Jordan and Cindy O'Brien for organizing this event.

Please join us THIS FRIDAY, April 16, for a Family Club meeting, same time, same place!

Notes from the Family Club

March 24, 2010

With only a few days left in the month, don't forget to use your Dine & Donate vouchers at PicaPica! Meet other families there, or take out for a quiet dinner at home. Either way, our school receives 10% of every order during the month of March. More vouchers are available at the front office.

It was "standing room only" at the March Family Club meeting! Moms, Dads, grandparents, teachers, and staff all participated, along with our Principal Nancy Jordan. There were great ideas and suggestions, lively discussion, and lots of information. Many thanks to all who were there...

Doesn't our library inspire our kids to leap into the stories they find in the fantastic selection of literature (and fun) to be found there? Read Across America, daily activities, story time, and the upcoming Spring Book Fair are just a few examples of the many ways our librarian, Mrs. Evans, brings literature to life in our school. Volunteer opportunities are available, so please contact Mrs. Evans if you would like to help! How about helping for 30 minutes during your child's library time, or for an hour during lunch recess? Speaking of the library, the upcoming Spring Book Fair begins April 20. This year, we have a BIG goal! We need to raise at least $2,200 in profits to help us purchase a beautiful (and much needed) set of current state books for our 5th-8th students to use for state reports.

Plan to attend the important workshop for parents discussing the responsible use of digital technology, hosted by St. John the Baptist Catholic School and the Family Club. The parent workshop will be held at Justin-Siena High School on April 12 @ 6:30pm.

Last Friday, March 19, St. John the Baptist Catholic School celebrated the Feast of St. Joseph. As the 6th graders told us, "Joseph always said "YES" to God." Thank you to all the students, teachers, staff, parents, and Fr. Francisco who said "YES" and created a special morning assembly followed by a delicious lunch in honor of St. Joseph.

Save the date for the next Family Club meeting, April 16 @ 8:30am.

Family Club open meeting minutes, March 5, 2010 (PDF format)

Tuesday February 9, 2010 8.30 – 9.45am

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

FC Board Present (FCB):  Renay Williamson (RW), Judy Franzino (JF), Claudia Kalten (CK), Marisa Bartalotti (MB) Peta Shindle (PS), Deanne Valine (DV)

Room Coordinators (RC) Present: Nubia Kunst (5), Jen Warner (1), Angie Troppy (3), DeeAnn Valine (K&6)

Event & Committee Chairs (ECC) Present: Suzanne Gibbs (Art)

Other Parents: Theresa Parmigiani, Jodi Andino  _______________________________________________________________________________________________

BOLD indicates an action required.

Valentines Candy Grams – at the beginning of the meeting orders were at about 580 (we planned for 800) consistent with last year.  Update after stuffing:- We are OUT of candy, many more orders came in, and we expect some more to trickle in over the course of the week.  A very successful year for St. Valentine!

Catholic Schools Week – Last week was a great start to this important week.  FC helped out with Student Appreciation Day and Hospitality after Mass.  RC’s please remember we have open house this Thursday night from 5.30-7.30pm.  Pease touch base with your teacher to see if they need any assistance, and also send a reminder your class parents to “talk it up”, with their friends and neighbors.

Cyber-bullying Workshop – FC has the funds to support a cyber-bullying workshop that will be coming to our school on the evening of April 12 (tentative date) for the parents and April 13^th (tentative date) during the school day for the students.  More info will be sent out by Admin. at a later date.

Closet Clean-out – FC have spent numerous hours on the FC and the Costume closets and have set one final date to finish the job off.  We could really use some additional hands to get the job completed (we’ll bring treats!!!) and invite you to join us after assembly on February 18.  RC’s please spread the word to your class parents.  After we have finished making the Costume closet more “teacher friendly” we will be officially handing that beast over to the school and will just be responsible for just our own FC closet.  Suggestion made to keep a sign in/out sheet on a clip board in the costume room to help them keep track of what stuff is moving in and out and by whom.  NJ to f/up.

Dine and Donate – We are introducing a new venue to our Dine and Donate line-up.  “Pica Pica” is at Oxbow Market (a very fun place to eat) and they will be supplying us with vouchers that we may use at our leisure over a month period (will be coming home in the Wednesday envelope) and they will donate 10% back to the school. 

Read Across America – kick-off is March 2 with “Pajama Day” for the week long celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday.  Fun prizes will be given out to students and the mascot will be passed around the classes again.  RW advised Mrs. Evans is looking for someone to create a Dr. Seuss poster; suggestion was made to ask 2 students from grade 7 do it.  PS to f/up. RC’s please touch base with your teacher to see how they might need assistance during the week.  There is a really cool website offering great ideas about how to celebrate it in the classroom, please take a look.  http://www.nea.org/readacross

Box Tops – FC received a check in the amount of $300 from Box Tops for Education.  It’s working, so keep those tops coming in!

Crabfeed – another successful fun and fundraising event, thank you for you support.  RC’s you did a great job at getting desserts from your classes, as there were plenty; some went for as high as $100 and the total for desserts came in at $1850! The ceramic art pieces were very successful as well going for anywhere between $170 and $550.  A pat on our own FC backs for stepping-up for this event.

FC Budget – With the introduction of a small FC Due for the 2010/2011 school year, we have adjusted our budget accordingly.  Next year FC will not be asked to cover any curriculum based costs, so it alleviates our need raise funds to cover cash donations (e.g. Graduation and Grade 8 Art).  As FC will no longer need to raise funds for those types of costs, it frees up our time and talent to provide support to the school in other creative ways.

Art – SG shared that the room in dire need of sharpies, glue sticks, scissors (that grew legs) and pencils.  PS will draft a letter for Marisa to take to Costco to see if they will donate these items.  As well it is suggested that the little ones need aprons due to their messiness with sharpies, therefore Marisa will solicit donated aprons from Home Depot.  With thanks to a family for organizing, the grade 6 class will be heading to deRosa winery to visit their art galley (RW, PS, DV, JF, SG - DV to communicate this with Mrs. Kiernan).  NJ will be joining the group as well).  SG hand selected one piece from each grade, from the Eric Carle art event held we held in the fall, to be framed and put on display at her galleries open house.  SG will put out more info closer in.

Hot Lunch – JW advised that a parent in her class knows someone who owns a “hot dog truck” and asked if we would be interested in switching up our hot lunches a little, or adding an additional hot lunch day.  Nancy was keen to hear all ideas so JW will have the parent contact her directly.  As well, there might be an opportunity to have the treat purchased and supplied at wholesale prices.

Principals Address - Nancy popped in to say hi and share the good news about the Smart Boards the school has (or is) purchasing for each of the classrooms for both the teachers and students to use.  A very generous person donated $50,000 to our school and shopped from our wish list.  $25,000 of the funds were dedicated to scholarship and the remainder went to the Smart Boards.  The teachers will be given formal training to use the tools, by people already using in the field plus our technology support company.  By fall of 2010 it is anticipated that all our teachers will be ready to hit the ground running (some maybe even sooner depending on their tech savvy!)  Suggestion made to cover the boards after school as our school is used during the evenings. NJ to follow-up. If you are interested in seeing the boards in action – check out “YouTube” and type in smart board elementary school! As well, remember our school is on Facebook and lots of interesting news is posted there. 

NEXT FC MEETING – Scheduled for Friday March 5, 2010

Cupid shot his arrows and they were landing everywhere in St. John the Baptist Catholic School! Over 900 Valentine Candy-Grams were delivered to students, teachers, staff, the rectory, and even a few parents. We know for a fact (Cupid told us!) that every single student in our school received one or more Candy-grams, thanks to those sweethearts who joined FC Board to help create them: Nubia Kunst, Angie Troppy, Theresa Parmigiani, Sabine Hirsohn, Jen Warner, and Katie Batt. We "luv u"!

If you've ever visited the FC Room for used uniforms, or the costume room to prepare for a school program, you won't recognize it now! We need everyone to help keep this area organized, so to ensure that everything is accounted for, please use the provided sign-out sheet located on the door. Too tired to put everything away at the end of an eventful day?? (YES!) Here is a new idea: Appoint a couple of well-rested volunteers (who were not assigned to the event-day work) to be responsible for that job after the event day is over.

Upcoming events:

- Dine and Donate: Oxbow Market's "Pica Pica" restaurant is hosting a special "Dine-and-Donate" for our school during the entire month of March. Plan a fun dinner out with other St. John families, or order dinner-to-go at the end of a busy day. Use the "Dine and Donate" voucher any time during the month of March, and Pica Pica will donate 10% of the total orders for the month back to St. John the Baptist Catholic School! You get to take off your chef's hat for the night and our school benefits too! Flyers will be sent home on Monday. Please look for them in your child's backpack.

- March 2, Read Across America! That is this coming TUESDAY! Commemorating the birthday of Dr. Seuss, the week will include the anticipated Pajama Day Read-a-thon, trivia questions, classroom activities, and lots of Seuss prizes. Don't forget to wear your pajamas or sweats and free dress day appropriate shoes...bring a pillow and your favorite book! Look for further information with your child on Monday.

- Family Club Meeting: Friday, March 5, 8:30 a.m. in the Student Council Room. Don't forget: these meetings are for everyone, so bring your ideas, suggestions, and thoughts!

February 2010

Family Club News

Such a busy year already...and its only February!

A spirited group of parents made yesterday's FC Club meeting, the 1st meeting of the year, energetic, productive, and informative. Thank you to all the parents who joined the FC Board, several Classroom Coordinators, and Mrs. Jordan - your ideas and friendly faces make St. John the Baptist Catholic School a better place!

Valentine Candygrams are on the way! "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways"... 682 to be exact! Yesterday, a small, but hard-working (and fun!) group of very special parents joined FC Board following the FC meeting and created 682 Valentine Candygrams! Our hearts go out to Nubia Kunst, Angie Troppy, Theresa Parmigiani, Sabine Hirsohn, Jen Warner, and Katie Batt. Thank you SO much! Because of you, there will be a lot of St. John student, staff, and parents who will know they are loved! Deliveries will be made this Friday. We also want to thank all those school families who participated by placing all those Candygram orders!

Catholic Schools Week began with two special celebrations. The St. John school and parish community honored Sister Joyce on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee and honored Mrs. Boyce for 30 years of service at St. John the Baptist Catholic School. The week was jam-packed with activities and commemorations. Family Club especially enjoyed instigating cheers and excitement during Student Bingo when we tossed dozens of prizes to our students as part of Student Appreciation Day. By Friday, those yummy donuts were just what we needed - thank you St. John teachers and staff for that sweet thank you to all the parent volunteers.

Our teachers and staff will receive an early Valentine's treat today... a delicious lunch lovingly prepared by Gina Laird and Angie Troppy. Thank you for being so sweet!

Upcoming Events:

- This Thursday, February 11: Open House for prospective students

- February 18: Do you like "a place for everything and everything in its place"? FC will reorganize the upstairs costume room and FC room. All hands on deck - let's get this job done! Sign up at the FC Bulletin Board, or contact Peta Shindle to volunteer to help. Qualifies for Parent participation hours.

- March 2: Read Across America! Commemorating the birthday of Dr. Seuss, the week will include the anticipated Pajama Day read-a-thon and special classroom activities and prizes. Details to follow in your upcoming eGazettes.

- Dine and Donate - Oxbow Market's "Pica Pica" will host a Dine and Donate month for St. Johns School. Present your "Dine and Donate" voucher when you place your order any time during the month, and the school will receive a check for 10% of the total orders at the end of the month. Details to follow in upcoming Wednesday envelopes.

- Friday, March 5, 8:30 am: Bring your ideas, concerns, and enthusiasm to the next FC meeting. Hear updates by FC and Mrs. Jordan. Coffee, conversation, and friendly faces included, so bring yourself and invite another parent. Hope to see you then!

The Family Club Board

January 2010

Family Club News

January has already been a busy month, past the holiday season, and now we are headed into Catholic Schools Week, and then towards Valentine's Day.

This past Saturday night was amazing, thanks to the planning of Laurie Daw, Aaron Keefer, Marvin Paul, Damien Lee and their extraordinary Crab Feed team... I think we would all agree, that incredible Caesar Salad recipe needs to be shared! Family Club assisted with the decorations for the big event, with hardworking assistance from Bonny and Dennis Johnson, Jody Andino and MaryAnn Eggan. We also need to send out a special thank you to the Room Coordinators and the many families that provided us all with an array of fantastic desserts, to Marisa Bartalotti for her devotion to ever-so-special classroom projects, and to all of the families who generously contributed to this event!

Gosh, more thank you's... We started off the month by treating our teachers and staff to a luncheon from Small World Restaurant; a thank you to Gina Laird for organizing the feast and to Angie Troppy for the delicious desserts, also enjoyed during the School Council meeting. By the way, Angie, we are anxiously awaiting those recipes!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and Family Club will assist Cupid again this year by sending Candy-Grams... You will have the opportunity to send your child, another student, or staff member a special treat on Friday, February 12th. You will find special flyers with a new look in today's Wednesday Envelope - you will get to personally fill out your Candy-Grams. Please return them with your Wednesday Envelope or to the school office by Monday, Feb. 8, so that your Family Club parents can start preparing them on February 9! We are hoping this new system will ease some of the work involved in preparing for the delivery. If you need additional forms, they can be found in the school office.

Speaking of preparing Candy-Grams, please join us for our first Family Club meeting of 2010 on Tuesday, February 9th, where we will also begin preparing Candy-Grams... Last year, we had over 600 to prepare, so it's a big job! Be a "sweetheart" and join other Family Club parents to help make Candy-Gram-making "short and sweet". Please join us, and remember, everyone is invited to attend a Family Club meeting, and we especially encourage those of you who are new to our community to join us for coffee and chit-chat! It"s a great time to share your thoughts and ideas with us!

The Family Club Board

Welcome back! We hope all our families enjoyed cherished time together over the Christmas holiday.

Join your friends and school community for an evening of fun, January 23rd, at the annual Super Bowl-CRAB FEED & BEYOND!! Laurie Daw has been busy planning, and Family Club is helping fill the dessert tables for the Dessert Auction. The Room Coordinators will be asking for donations for this task, so please help if you can. This evening is sure to be a blast with the great food, music, dancing, and football pool that we all look forward to, as well as the addition of a Live and Silent Auction including beautiful Classroom Projects and a stay in Cabo San Lucas! It will be a sellout, so order your tickets now!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and Family Club will assist Cupid again this year by sending Candy-Grams... You will have the opportunity to send your child, another student, or staff member a special treat on Friday, February 12th. Last year Family Club sent more than 600 Valentine wishes and treats!! That's a lot of Candy-Grams to put together, but it is fun and fast with enough parents to help. So please join us Tuesday, February 9 @ 8:30am for a short Family Club meeting followed by Candy-Gram making. There will be coffee and treats for the Candy-Gram helpers that day too...and who knows where Cupid's arrow will land? (Note:This is a date change from the originally scheduled FC meeting.)

Happy New Year wishes from Family Club.

Notes from the Family Club

Breakfast with St. Nick was a fun-filled morning, and we hope everyone who attended had a fantastic time helping us kick off the season. We send out a heartfelt thank you to the many volunteers who worked so hard to pull off a special day for our community, especially Jami Mendez for chairing the event. We would like to offer special thanks to the following volunteers, many who help us each and every year: Gary and Rita Madison, Brian and Mena Lew, Dennis Johnson, Joyce and Rob McGinnis, and the Scherer family - all who arrived early Sunday morning, and stuck with us throughout the event! If you didn't happen to notice, that kitchen was hopping!

The hall was bustling with seventh and eighth grade students serving breakfast and working the game booths, while busy little children (and some adults!) spent the morning creating at the craft tables. We would like to thank the craft queen, Kitty Helfrich, for planning and donating so many of the crafts, along with additional help from Marisa Bartolottti, Claudia Kalten, and Kristy Reynoso.

Donna White, Jen Huffman, and Laurie Daw, we can't thank you enough for donating your crafty creations and to Marion Hanson-Jerrard for filling the bake sale table with delicious delights!

Melanie Oberting and her amazing portable petting zoo brought joy to the faces of all the children who visited with the animals. What a special treat!

Our resident photography team, Andrew Davis and Mark Eggan, presented about 150 beautiful photographs to all who visited St. Nick at his sleigh and revealed their Christmas wish list. No one would have known that Andrew and Mark stepped in at the last minute!

And all this was set to the background music of Ken Kunst.

So Ho-ho-ho and a jolly thank you to each and every one of you!

Plan to join us for the first meeting of 2010, but it isn't until Feb. 10, so mark your calendar now!

We wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

Family Club Board

Please join us this Sunday, in the Parish Hall- as we kick off the season with a morning of fun at Breakfast with St. Nick! This event is an annual St. John the Baptist Catholic School tradition that has been celebrated for many, many years.

Get ready for a morning of fun for the whole family; games, craft tables, raffle prizes, silent auction, petting zoo, face painting, bake sale, and of course, Santa! The list goes on and on...Our talented parent, Ken Kuntz, will filling the hall with live music. Grandparent, Gary Madison and parent, Sean Warner (along with many volunteers) will be arriving bright and early to put the kettle on and heat up the kitchen to prepare a pancake breakfast!

Tickets available at the door-$6 adults/$4 children and seniors. Raffle and game tickets-$1 each. Please join us from 8:00 a.m. to Noon.

A heartfelt thank you to Jami Mendez, Kitty Helfrich, and an amazing group of dedicated event volunteers for donating their time to this beloved event. A very special thank you to 8th grade grandparents, Rita and Gary Madison, who have continued to help us each and every year! We will miss you next year!

Thank you to the parishioners, school parents, and grandparents that have already donated handmade scarves and quilts, gift baskets, wine, and more. It isn’t too late to join the fun! We still need baked goods as well as silent auction and craft table donations.

We held the last FC meeting of the year yesterday, attended by a small but enthusiastic group of parents who brought some great new ideas to discuss. If you have ideas or suggestions for our school, want to know more about school activities, or just want to share some conversation over coffee (and often some morning treats), join us at the FC meetings.

Mark your new calendar for February 2, 2010!
The Eric Carle school wide art project was a great success! Thanks to many hours of preparation and organization by our art teacher Suzanne Gibbs, and with the assistance of classroom teachers and many parent volunteers, this was a great art experience for our children. Artwork is currently on display on hallway bulletin boards!

Traditionally, FC had presented a holiday gift to each teacher every year. Last year a new tradition was started in lieu of an actual "gift", with the blessing from our teachers. Family Club will continue the tradition this Christmas by donating a $50 gift card to each classroom to put towards their "Children in Need" shopping day.

Ho, ho, ho! See you Sunday morning!

Hello St. John Families!

At Family Club meetings, a number of you have asked how to find the School ID # to designate our school and register your Target Card for Target's "Take Charge of Education" program. It's easy! Go to Target.com/tcoe, then go to the bottom right side if the page and enter your Target charge card number, click "submit". Under "Three Ways to Search for a school"-enter Target School ID # 3293. (If you enter our school name, you will NOT get a result. Enter only the number.)

For every purchase you make at Target, our school can receive a percentage as a cash donation through Target's "Take Charge of Education" program. Perhaps you could ask grandparents, friends, or St. John alumni to register their cards, too? If you shop at Target, this is a great way to help our school by doing something you already do anyway! Please register your card and designate St. John the Baptist as your school.

Can you almost hear the Christmas bells ringing as Breakfast with St. Nick approaches? On Sunday, Dec. 6, St. Nick will join us in St. John's Hall for breakfast and a day of fun for the whole family. Preparations are well under way. Yesterday, St. John parents worked liked busy little elves stuffing hundreds of goody bags!

Do you have crafty creations, items handmade with love to donate to the CRAFT SALE? And for the BAKE SALE, how about that Christmas candy or those Christmas cookies that everyone waits for, perhaps from your secret holiday recipe file? We would love to hear from you,(dreaming of.....Marion Hanson-Jerrard's toffee). How about a bottle of wine, toy, gift basket, gift certificate for the SILENT AUCTION? Donations are being accepted for craft/bake sale, silent auction, and raffle. All items can be dropped off at the school office. Questions? - please contact Jami Bement Mendez at 927-5770.

Congratulations Kindergarten and 1st Grade! These classes had the highest level of participation in the Holiday Catalog fundraiser, and both classes will be celebrating with In & Out lunch delivery! Remember that Huge $100 bill?? For every 10 items ordered by a school family, a raffle ticket was entered to win a $100 prize! We will be drawing the lucky ticket at morning assembly Tuesday, Nov. 24. Good luck to all who entered!

Thank you to Gina Laird, for preparing another one of her special teacher luncheons for the month of November on behalf of Family Club and our school families.

Parents, as the holidays swiftly approach, don't forget to touch base with your Classroom Coordinator, especially if you signed up to help out with holiday parties, or any upcoming events...Crab Feed preparations are just around the corner!

The Family Club would like to welcome our newest board member, DeeAnn Valine! We look forward to working alongside DeeAnn and appreciate the extra support she has offered!

As we reflect on all that we are thankful for, we know it is truly a blessing to our school to have so many of you volunteer to participate in so many school activities, including all the parents who join us and fill the room for the Family Club meetings. So, after filling up on Thanksgiving feasts, and giving thanks for our many blessings, join us back as school for a Family Club meeting on Tuesday, December 1 @ 8:30 am.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Notes from the Family Club

The next Family club meeting is this Friday, November 6 @ 8:30 am. Come one, come all!

Wow! Filippi's was jam packed with St. John's families on October 27th! Thank you to the many families that helped raise $470 for our school!

Library News... The Scholastic Book Fair ends this Friday. Book Fair hours are 8am-4pm today and Thursday, 8am-3:30pm Friday. All proceeds benefit the school library directly. Thank you to DeeAnn Valine, Josefina Adriance, Lisa Scherer, and Rita Madison for working the fair, and answering Mrs. Evans' call for help! The Third Annual PUMPKIN HEAD Contest was a success! With each and every pumpkin unique and amazing, this was a very difficult vote! Congratulations to 7th grade, whose pumpkin, Dopey, won FIRST place... 8th grade and 2nd grade were close behind!

Congratulations to Grades 3 and 4! Your darling pair of St. John uniformed scarecrows "We Grow Our Own", featuring items from our school gardens, was voted #1 in VanWinden"s Scarecrow contest! Many thanks go out to all of you who visited VanWinden's and voted, and to the amazing creative efforts of Mrs. Bartalotti, Mrs. Kalten, and Mrs. Troppy.

St. Nick has marked his calendar and so should you - scheduled for Sunday, December 6 in the St. John's Hall. This event is fun-filled for the entire family; a school tradition, not to be missed! Please join us for a committee meeting on Friday, November 6th, directly following the FC meeting. While your calendar is out, save room for Tuesday, November 17th from 1pm-3pm, and meet us upstairs to stuff hundreds of St. Nick goody-bags! If you signed up to volunteer for this event, please join us! A big thank you to the many new parents who have already stepped forward to help us!

Speaking of St. Nick... Do you have something to donate to this event? How about a bottle of wine, toy, gift basket, gift certificate, handmade scarf, or secret holiday candy recipe? Donations are being accepted for silent auction, raffle, and craft/bake sale. All items can be dropped off at the school office. Questions? - please contact Jami Bement Mendez at 927-5770.

We are excited that our art teacher, Suzanne Gibbs, has been given the go ahead to lead our students through the Eric Carle Art Fair (a school-wide art project). In order to accomplish this, we will need 2 parent volunteers from each class on each day, November 18 & 20. Our Room Coordinators have already begun soliciting parent volunteers from their classrooms, but there may still be time and room, so please check in with them and see if assistance is needed in your child's class for this exciting art project.

Once each month the parents on our "Hospitality" team create a special luncheon to show our teachers how special they are to us. Many thanks to Gina Laird, Jody Bolen, and Martha Ramos for creating that special luncheon for the month of October... we think YOU are pretty special too!

The long awaited logo tee's are finally in, for those of you who ordered them in September; we are sorry for the delay. Look for them in your child's backpack this week.

Just a reminder... If you have filled out a volunteer commitment form, (each family should have) please respond to those "calls of duty" when a committee chair contacts you. If you have forgotten what you signed up for, or are still looking for an area to volunteer, please feel free to contact a FC Board member for assistance.

See you this Friday at the Family Club meeting!Breakfast_with_St__Nick.pdf

It really was like Christmas in September with the culmination of the "Holiday Wishes" Catalog fundraiser. 68 St. John families participated by placing orders, and thanks to you, our school earned $4,289! We hope you found some fun items to enjoy yourself or to give as gifts. The best gift is that our purchases benefit our children and school.

October thanks, news, and reminders:

We offer much thanks to Gina Laird and Jody Bolen for preparing a scrumptious luncheon for our wonderful teachers and staff on October 7.

To our wonderful and hard-working Room Coordinators: you are doing a great job communicating with, reminding, and recruiting volunteers for your classrooms. It is a big job, and your efforts are very much appreciated. Special thanks for coordinating snacks for ITBS testing, pizza lunches, pumpkin head building, and so much more.

Family Club held a meeting on October 13th. Room coordinators for grades K, 3, 6 & 8 were there, as well as our principal, Nancy Jordan. We were delighted to have some parents join us who are new to our school, as well as some familiar faces. If you weren't able to join us for the principal's report, information about upcoming school events, as well as camaraderie, coffee, and treats, then see the school website for the FC meeting minutes brought to you by our secretary, Peta Shindle. (From the Home Page, Click on School Life, then go to FC Meeting minutes on the left.)

Get those pumpkins in costume for the school library's annual Pumpkin Head Contest. Deliver your pumpkin to the library by October 26. The contest will be judged and announced on October 29.

Extended Care is hosting a Halloween Costume Exchange - after school from October 19 - 23. (However, beware of frightful haunts who might materialize in place of Mrs. Kunst and Mrs. Dehzad to greet and assist you!)

Scholastic Book Fair is coming! Stop by the school library Tuesday, Nov. 3 through Friday, Nov.6. The Book Fair will be open 8am-4pm Tuesday-Thursday, and 8:00am-3:30pm Friday. All proceeds directly benefit the school library.

Dine and Donate, Tuesday, October 27 - Hang up your apron and take the family to Fillipi's Pizza Grotto for lunch, dinner, or take-out... you'll find the tables filled with familiar St. John families. So take the night off, socialize and have some fun, and benefit our school at the same time! 20% of all proceeds are donated to the school. Be sure to present your flyer. (See attachment in this Gazette.)

Our innovative Art teacher Mrs. Gibbs is organizing a special school wide Art Project to take place November 18-20. She is looking for extra volunteers to help. Contact Suzanne Gibbs @ suzgibbs@aol.com.

Ho, Ho, Ho - Breakfast with St. Nick is scheduled for Sunday, December 6. Please join us for a committee meeting on Friday, November 6th, directly following the FC meeting. Also: Get out your calendar and save room for Monday, November 17th from 1-3, and meet us upstairs to stuff hundreds of St. Nick goody-bags!

The School Council would like to remind us that School Council meetings are open to all parents. This is the place to express a concern, comment, or put forth suggestions. Evening meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month

We hope to see you at the next Family Club meeting, Friday, November 6, 8:30 am.
DINE_&_DONATE_VOUCHER_-_OCTOBER_27,_2009.pdf

Oct 2009  
Notes from the Family Club

Hey there, St. John Family Club Members!

Fall is in there air and with the grade 6, 7 & 8 field trips already behind us, our school year is definitely well under way. Just a few quick reminders:

- If you signed up to volunteer "pre-event" for Breakfast with St. Nick, expect a note home soon letting you know when we will be stuffing the goody prize bags, so you can get a jump start on your volunteer hours.

- Remember our fall "Dine and Donate" at Fillipi's is coming up on October 27, so save the date and treat yourself to a night out of the kitchen!

- Our next Family Club Meeting is 8.30am Tuesday October 13; we would love to see some new faces - come and see what we are about! Of course we welcome our old (yet still beautiful) faces too.

Peta Shindle
Family Club Secretary

Sept. 2009
Notes from the Family Club

Family Club hosted its first meeting of the school year on September 11. We extend an enthusiastic "Thank you" to each and every Classroom Coordinator, Committee and Event Chairperson, Mrs. Jordan, and Family Club Member (aka Parent) who attended! With a last-minute change of venue, we were filled to capacity and beyond! All shared coffee, treats, and LOTS of information. If you were not able to make it to the meeting, take a peek at the FC meeting minutes, diligently brought to you after every meeting by Family Club Secretary, Peta Shindle. Minutes are posted on the bulletin board and available to read online in the FC section of the school website. (From the Home page, click on School Life, then go to FC Meeting Minutes.)

IMPORTANT SCHEDULE CHANGE: The date for the next Family Club meeting has been moved to TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13th. On the originally- scheduled October 6 date, our Co-presidents will now be accompanying the 6th Grade class in the great outdoors at Walker Creek Ranch, and many of the rest of you will be busy preparing for the Jog-A-Thon. We hope to see you all on Tuesday, October 13 @ 8:30 am, location TBA.

While you have your calendars out, those of you who signed up to help with Breakfast with St. Nick, we will have the first meeting Friday, October 2 @ 8:30a.m. - in the school library. Didn't sign up for this event, or still looking for a place to volunteer? Join the committee, and help us prepare for this fun-filled event!

Although, it still feels like summer, the "Holiday Wishes" Catalog fundraiser orders were due yesterday! We will pick up the final order forms on Friday, so you still have time to get those last minute orders turned in!

FC hosted the first Teacher/Staff Luncheon last Wednesday, and we offer much thanks to Gina Laird, Peta Shindle, and Claudia Kalten for helping us to nurture and sustain our teachers and staff prior to their staff meeting.

Dine and Donate... Mark your calendars for an evening (or lunch-date) at Filippi’s on Tuesday, October 27th. A flyer will be coming home soon, which must be presented in order for us to receive the percentage.

Be on the lookout for messages from your Classroom Coordinators. They are looking for creative parents who want to help their students prepare for the literary "Pumpkin Head" competition! This event is one example of how our wonderful librarian, Mrs. Evans, helps to bring literature alive for our students. Feeling creative yourself? This year, we will be accepting entries from teachers and family members; one lucky winner will receive a logo tote bag!

Last Wednesday, St. John the Baptist School families, teachers, and staff displayed a true sense of community with an outpouring of generosity, concern, and prayers for Adi Gonzalez and her family. In addition to so many who supported the lunch and made extra donations, Sean Warner made a special appearance as grill chef for the day. Mrs. Kiernan and her 6th graders did a great job serving, with indispensable assistance from our St. John's teachers, and parents Claudia Kalten, Marisa Bartalotti, Jennifer Warner, and Rebecca Griffin. We are so grateful to Brown's Valley Market for generously donating all of the hot dogs, buns, and apples for Adi's fundraiser lunch. Many of us already love Brown's Valley Market, but if you haven't shopped there before, this is now one more reason to support a local business.

Hope to see you at the meeting on October 13th!

FC Board Present (FCB): Renay Williamson (RW), Judy Franzino (JF), Peta Shindle (PS), Claudia Kalten (CK), Marissa Bartalotti (MB)
Room Coordinators (RC) Present: Jennifer Warner, Jody Bolen, Angie Troppy, Denise Wessell, Elise McClure
Event & Committee Chairs (ECC) Present: Jody Bolen (Hospitality), Katie Batt (Jog-a-thon), Jami Bement-Mendez (Bfast with St. Nick), Rebecca Griffin (Box Tops), Debbie Garcia (Faith Formation), Elisa McClure (PR)
Other Parents: Josefina Adriance, Melanie Oberting, Nubia Kunst, Patty Lowenstein, Cynthia Rebullida, Hansi Yakoby, Suzanne Gibbs, Teresa Garcia, and last but not least, Nancy Jordan.

COMMUNICATION
To make sure we are doing everything we can to communicate with our school community, the FC Meeting Minutes will be posted on the bulletin board, attached to the e-gazette, posted to the website under FC and also e-mailed to all RC,s ECC's and parents who attend the meetings. Our goal is to have the FC bulletin board become the hub for all things FC, so please check it out. As well, we are working on the FC portion of the new and highly improved school website (a huge thank you to PR and the Huffman's), so bare with us as we work through that. PS to f/up with Don Huffman.

ROOM COORDINATORS
Following are our RC's for the 09/10 year. HUGE thank you's to them for their dedication (and bravery) for "stepping up". We are still looking for a RC for Kinder and 4th Grades; if this is something you would like to do and you are a good communicator (or you know someone who would be perfect), please contact either Nancy or the FC Board:-

K - to be filled
1 - Jennifer Warner
2 - Jody Bolen
3 - Angie Troppy
4 – to be filled
5 – Holly Clark
6 – DeeAnn Valine
7 – Denise Wessell
8 – Elisa McClure

"HOLIDAY WISHES" CATALOGUE
This is the 2nd largest fundraiser of the school year for the FC and last year was hugely successful bringing in over $2800 in net profit. This year we know times a little tougher, so our goal is to reach $2000 still a good challenge for us all. Did you know that with this program, between 40-50% of the price of each item ordered comes back to the school? Yes, compared to other programs out there for fundraising – this one is a "heavy hitter!" Please remember to look at the website as there are many more gift items available through that, and the delivery comes straight to your door! RC's – please continue to plug this with your class parents via e-mail reminders and remember it's a friendly competition with prizes to the class who brings in the most orders.

Note: parents with more than one student need only one order form and will get credit for the whole order to each student/class!

BUDGET
We are starting off the school on a healthy note with about $3900 in our bank account and between our "Holiday Wishes" Catalogue, Breakfast with St. Nick and the other little fundraisers we do throughout the school year, hopefully we will raise our goal of $11,000 which is what is needed to cover the costs of the many ways that FC supports our school community (too many to list here – this info will be on the website soon).

HOSPITALITY
A big thank you to Jody Bolen who is heading up our Hospitality Committee (with the support of FC's Judy Franzino). Hospitality is a very big part of how the FC enriches our community, so if you feel the need to bake something, cook something and donate it, these ladies would gladly welcome your help throughout the school year. There are many opportunities to lend a hand in this department.

BOX-TOPS
Last year was really successful, bringing in about $800 of proceeds, simply from collecting Box-tops and Campbell's Soup labels. Off to a good start this year; it was a big summer of collecting which will add to December's submission. If you haven't already seen the fabulous ball-cart we purchased with the funds from this programme, seek it out – it's very cool. Michelle DiMarco is considering how we can spend our next stash from Campbell's Soup labels. i.e. what piece of sports equipment should be our next goal?....…...If we reach our goal of over $1000 this year – our wonderful and supportive Men's Club will help us out with volunteers and supplies at our end of year booking signing / box-top party! RC's please promote this to your families.

JOG-A-THON October 8 at Justin-Sienna 10.30am-1.30am (Kick-off Rally 2pm Friday Sep 18)
Do you remember that great 80's movie "Desperately Seeking Susan"? Well we are "Desperately Seeking Sponsors". If you have a business, or know of a business (or family) that would like to get their name on the back of our t/shirts, please put us in touch with them. Its $100 for their name and $250 for their name