eGazette - April 8, 2009

Principal's Piece

A Butterflies, a Door Wreath and a Surprise in the Bushes...

What do these things have in common? This past week, several dads were distracted before morning assembly by the sweet sound of weak "meowing". The source: a newly-born kitten that had fallen victim to an aggressive Blue Jay. Paternal and maternal instincts of our parents swiftly kicked in and the kitten was fed, cuddled and asleep within an hour. (Another kitten was found during recess and both were taken to a nearby Veterinary hospital.) Meanwhile, much to the delight of the 1st graders, their caterpillars had finally transformed into butterflies! Finally, after my own confusion at the constant presence of a mysterious flapping bird on my porch, I discovered a nest complete with 5 eggs built right into my decorative door wreath! (We now use only the garage door to enter and exit our house!) Spring is upon us and with that we enter into this most Holy week in our church year. What is this week that leads us to celebrate the Resurrection? What does Easter mean if we don't fully understands the journey towards it? I invite you to join our parish in this blessed opportunity to walk with Jesus during the Triduum (additional services and details are provided in the attached flyer):

Holy Thursday, 4/9
7:30 am - Tenebrae;(translation – "darkness" or "shadows") a service of prayers and psalms, with candles being gradually extinguished, symbolizing the desertion of Jesus by the Apostles after his arrest.

7:00 pm - Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Hall until Midnight: The Mass of the Lord's Supper is traditionally celebrated as the only Mass of Holy Thursday and the last Mass before the Easter Vigil. To the usual Mass structure is added the Reception of Holy Oils, Foot Washing of twelve people and a procession of the Blessed Sacrament to an altar of repose.

Good Friday, 4/10
Noon - Passion of the Lord, Veneration of the Cross (English)

5:30 pm - Reflection on the Seven Last Words of Jesus, Communion Service and Veneration of the Cross (English)

Holy Saturday, 4/11
7:30pm - Easter Vigil: The first Mass of Easter is celebrated with Baptisms, Confirmations and Reception into the Church for our RCIA candidates (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults). After the church has been darkened for Good Friday, when all candles are extinguished and the Blessed Sacrament is removed, the new light Easter is passed around the church with hand-held candles and the word Alleluia is uttered for the first time since Ash Wednesday and the Blessed Sacrament is consecrated anew.

EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 12
8:00 am - Easter Mass (Spanish)
10:00 am - Easter Mass (English)
Noon - Easter Mass (Spanish)

As I write, our 8th grade students are traveling from classroom to classroom presenting a living Stations of the Cross. Another group of students just counted the donations to our Lenten boxes. We celebrate the gathering of $248.71 in our Lenten Boxes which will go to support our local Puertos Abiertos and our brothers and sisters in Nigeria. We acknowledge the success of keeping our Lenten promises (but know that we're not perfect!). Our Lenten experience has alive for our students.

So, I ask you, take a look around with your child, what are the signs that Easter is approaching? What's growing? What's new? What do we recognize as God's creation? Consider Holy Week an opportunity to spend time with God this week. Look for new kittens, butterflies and baby birds! Celebrate in all the "newness" the Easter season brings us!

Have a blessed Holy Week and a very joyous Easter!

In Peace,
Nancy Jordan
Principal

Holy_Week_-_Spanish-English.pdf

It's not too late to fill your baskets with See's chocolates! After school this week, Family Club will be selling $5 bunnies, chic boxes and eggs, as well as a small chocolate bunny for $2 each. We appreciate the support of the many families that have helped to raise $1,200 so far!

Get ready for the Spring Scholastic Book Fair - April 21-24th. Take a look at the flyer enclosed in this Wednesday Envelope, which will highlight just a few of the items we will have for sale.

The next Family Club Meeting will be Friday, May 1, 8:30 a.m., upstairs in the art room. Thank you to Mrs. Jordan for joining our meeting this past week.

Painting Art Camp

Please join us on Wednesday, April 22 from 12:30 - 2:30pm as we paint on a stretched canvas with acrylic paints.

Class price $20. Grades 1 - 8 welcome.

Please contact Sandra Moore at sandrapaints@comcast.net / 258-9258 or Susie Lee at susie@europebyexperts.com / 265-8951.

Dear St. John Families and Friends:

We are only two weeks away from our BIG DAY. So, please remember to fill out and mail your RSVPs, so that we may reserve your space. Join us for an evening of fun and bidding on your favorite items.

Also, don't forget to buy your Wine Closet Tickets - chance to win a 97 bottle wine lot. If you are interested, please contact Katie Batt through the school office at 224-8388 ext 0 or via ktbatt@yahoo.com.

Gala_Sponsor_as_of_4_8_09.pdf

Thanks for the fantastic response! We've got a great team of volunteers, some working between now and the event on projects and others committed to set up or helping out at the event itself.

It's not too late to join the fun though, so contact me at 310-1196 or tortolani@sbcglobal.net if you're interested in helping at the Gala.

Again, thank you all for your support of our school!

Trish Tortolani

Summer Academic Programs and Sports Camps are being offered by Justin-Siena High School.

For more information, please see their website at www.justin-siena.org or email David Holquin, Summer Programs Director, at holquind@justin-siena.org or Michael Fisher, Summer Camps Coordinator, at fisherm@justin-siena.org.

We only have one more Spanish class scheduled for this school year. Students in grades 2, 3, 5, & 6 were given instructions on how to make a small pinata. The kindergarten and 1st grade classes are making their pinata as a group. Please help your child make their paper mache pinata at home. They will be decorated in class.

Thank you,
Senora Kalten

Is anyone interested in organizing our school to enter in the 4th of July Parade through downtown Napa?

Please contact Nancy Jordan at njordan@stjohnscatholic.org if you are interested in organizing this fun activity over the summer.
Parade_Application.pdf
Rotary_Rules_Booklet_4th_Parade.pdf
Rotary_Rules_Booklet_4th_Parade_Inside.pdf