February 2010 Minutes
January 2010 Minutes
December 2009 Minutes
November 2009 Minutes
October 2009 Minutes
September 2009 Minutes

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

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

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!

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

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

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 and logo, but the deadline is Sept 22. After that we will gladly take their sponsorship, but their name won't make it to the t/shirt. As you know Justin-Siena has opened their doors (or their field gates) to us this year. What you may not know is that they have totally taken us under their wing, and are providing the transportation (to and from) for our students and also the bbq afterwards. Hmmm…….who do we know at Justin-Sienna…..Nancy, Katie? Please remember that this is a bigger track and we are spending less time on it. So keep this in mind when completing the lap portion of the sponsorship sheets – wouldn't want our kids to overextend themselves and not reach their goal. RC's please mention this "housekeeping note" to your class families. Committee also looking to provide water for the students. FC will look into providing some logoed bottles, although many students have them already. Option is also to have cases of water donated, although still considering how to do this with minimum impact on the environment. RW & KB to f/up.

PUBLIC RELATIONS
CALLING ALL HIGH ACHIEVERS! PR is looking for stories about our students (from within the class as class effort, or individually from within the class or even from home) that they can share with our school community via the website. Maybe your student won an art competition in Napa, maybe your student came in 1st at the 4H competition over the summer. These are the kinds of stories we want to brag to the world about – we are so proud of our great kids. If you have something you'd like to share, please submit it in person to the office or just e-mail Jenny Giaquinto; addressed to the PR Committee. RC's please share this with your parents.

LIBRARY
Be on the look out for information pertaining to our annual "Pumpkin Head Competition" sponsored by the FC for the Library. Mrs. Evans has asked that this years head be "actually done by the children themselves". It was evident that some of last year's heads were done by the "bigger and more competitive kids" (the parents). Suggestion made to have a category for parents this year – an outlet for those "bigger kids" to exercise their creativity and competitive side. These could then be donated to the nursing homes. CK to f/up with Mrs. Evans.

BREAKFAST WITH ST.NICK
For those of you who are new to our school, our most profitable (and fun) FC fundraiser of the year is Breakfast with St. Nick. This year it will be held the morning of Sunday December 6th - more details to follow. If you have signed your name to help out pre-event for this fundraiser, we will be having our 1st planning meeting on October 2 at 8.30am in the upstairs room at the school – you will be contacted by Jami Bement – the ECC. At this event as parents we have an opportunity to bid on handcrafted, but highly attractive and glazed, ceramic pieces your class will have contributed to making. Marissa informs us these plans are well under way, but we are looking for volunteers (perhaps one representative from each class) to assist with the making of these. PS to copy Marissa/Jami on the Volunteer Forms. RC's please solicit a parent helper from your class and advise MB.

PAY IT FORWARD
Please remember we have this new reward programme in place. If you are considering recognizing a parent, teacher or child's effort (or birthday or holiday gift) but are stumped as to what to buy them as a gift – consider this new programme. As an example: say you want to thank Mrs. Berube for her efforts in her school veggie garden; instead of buying her a thank you gift – consider completing a "Pay It Forward" form, dedicate it to her and allocate where you would like your donated funds spent in the school (an example here might be allocating the money to garden expenses). Get creative – "Pay it Forward".

GRADE 8 PANCAKE BREAKFAST
To offset costs for additional nights the grade 8's were allotted for this year's great trip to Yosemite, they are hosting a pancake breakfast at our hall on Sept 20th from 8am-1.30pm and cost is only $6.00 per person (which also includes sausages and other yummies). PS to contact the LLC, with regards to cancelling hospitality after the Sunday Masses on the 20th, to encourage parishioners to join them in the hall instead.

"BUNCO"
Looking for an opportunity to socialize with some other school families after school on Fridays? This may be just the thing. The Obertings are opening their home to all "would-be Bunco players" (experience not necessary) as an opportunity to get to know, and spend a little time with, other St. John's families. Kids welcome (babysitting included), donation to play accepted (50% of proceeds will be given to FC). See the school website for more details or contact Melanie Oberting at 287-6449 for more information.

FAITH FORMATION
In a continued effort to support the Gonzales family, FF has decided to host a hot lunch next Wednesday in the hall, where proceeds would go to the family. Suggested that grade 6 class be asked to host, as this is Addie's class. DG to f/up with Mrs. Keirnan. FC has offered to donate the dessert and also solicit donated hot dogs and buns from various grocery stores. PS to format a solicitation and introduction letter. Remember, the office is still collecting either Wal-Mart or gas cards as a continued support to the Gonzalez family.

GOODNEWS – PLAYGROUND RESSURECTION!
Nancy advised that after studying the traffic flow during the summer, and with the addition of the cul-de-sac at the end of Napa Street, we have been given the green light to access our playground across the street again. Our Men's Club have been approached to resurrect it (needs a fence and power washing etc). As soon as the upgrade is completed, look forward to our K's and 1's having access immediately and we continue to work out a schedule for the older grades. Yay!!!!!!

NEXT FC MEETING – Tuesday October 6 at 8.30am - see you there!

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