eGazette - December 16, 2009

Principal's Piece

Dear St. John the Baptist Catholic School Families,

On behalf of the staff and students, we wish you a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year. Enjoy the upcoming vacation and savor each precious moment with your beautiful children. I leave you with reminders of two important upcoming celebrations:

St. John the Baptist Catholic School Advent Program

Families, friends and parishioners are invited to join in this special evening of Advent and Christmas carols and lessons.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
6:30pm
(Please have your children to their classrooms at 6:00pm.)

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church invites all parish and school children to participate in
Christmas Eve Family Mass
Thursday, December 24, 2009
5:00pm

Children are welcome to come dressed as a shepherd or as an angel.
They will be invited to join in a reenactment of the manger scene.

We are thankful for the gift of your presence in our school family and look forward to a productive, joyful 2010.

Enjoy a faith-filled Christmas.

In Peace,
Nancy Jordan
Principal
St. John the Baptist Catholic School

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

JOIN THE FUN!

St. John the Baptist Catholic School Crab Feed & Beyond

Saturday, January 23, 2010
6:00pm
St. Johns Parish Family Hall

To benefit our academic and athletic programs

Dessert and Silent Auction Tables - Super Bowl Football Pool - Music - Dancing - Live Auction includes One Week Cabo San Lucas Vacation and Gourmet Thai Dinner for 10

Dinner tickets: $45 per person
Reserved table for ten: $450 paid with one check or one Visa/MC

Super Bowl Pool: $50 per square with payouts of $1,000 final score, $500 half-time score, and $250 1st & 3rd quarter scores.

See flyer attached.
Crabfeed_2010.pdf

See flyer attached.
Open_House_Ad__12_09.pdf

Justin-Siena Coffee and Conversation

Save the Date: Thursday, January 14, 2010
4-6pm
1842 Oak Street, Napa

Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Grade parents are invited to Coffee and Conversation - an opportunity for interested parents to gather in home of John and Kellie Prittie to talk with Justin-Siena President, Admissions Director, and faculty members. This is a casual evening, so drop by for the entire time, or for just a few minutes. There will be wine, light fare, and great conversation. This is a good chance to have lingering questions answered or confirm your decision for the next step in your child's educational journey.

Please email or call David Holquin (holquind@justin-siena.org; 707.255.0950) to RSVP by Tuesday, January 12.

Contact John and Kellie Prittie (707-256-9872) or Mike and Paula Vlaming (707-363-1046) for further information.

The Box-Top Committee wishes you and your families a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Remember we are having a special collection of Box-Tops during the Christmas Break... The class that brings in the most will get a special prize!!

Here are some cookie recipes to enjoy:

Classic Gingerbread Man Cookies

Five-ingredient gingerbread cookies! What could be easier?
Ingredients
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker gingerbread cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon water
1 egg
1/2 container (1-lb size) Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla or creamy white frosting
1 bottle (2 oz) Betty Crocker red cinnamon decors

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, water and egg until soft dough forms.
2. On lightly floured surface, roll dough until 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 2 1/2-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter. On ungreased cookie sheets, place cutouts 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
4. Spoon frosting into decorating bag fitted with round tip. Pipe frosting on cookies. Decorate with cinnamon decors.

Merry Muffin Tin Dippers
Start with Pillsbury Ready-to-Bake! sugar cookies, and these will be a holiday hit that are as easy for you as they are fun for the kids!
Ingredients
1 package (16 oz) Pillsbury Ready To Bake! sugar cookies
Candy sprinkles
Colored sugars

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350F. Using a variety of candy sprinkles and colored sugars, pour one type each into muffin pan cups. Dip cookie dough rounds in sprinkles or sugar before baking. On ungreased cookie sheet, place cookie dough rounds about 2 inches apart.
2. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely

Your Box-Top Coordinators,
Lee Tatsuguchi
Rebecca Griffin