eGazette - April 14, 2010

Principal's Piece

Facebook, My Space, Chat Roulette, Cyber-bulling, Pocket-calling... St. Isidore of Seville?

Technology! Where does a parent begin?! There is so much to know but the minute we've mastered the latest buzz words, new lingo appears. Responsible technology use is a topic I discuss several times each year and this week we had the opportunity to host a nationally-renowned speaker on responsible technology use. Mr. Richard Guerry, founder of "The Institute for Responsible Online and Cell-Phone Communication" (http://www.iroc2.org/), spoke with our parents on Monday night and our 5th through 8th grade students on Tuesday morning. Through web site links and several, astounding true stories, Mr. Guerry provided a critical message: Every action you take with any electronic device is public and permanent. Further, it's wiser to be proactive than reactive. By learning how to be "digitally conscious", our students can make educated decisions which will protect them. Responsible technology use is important for all of us to consider - no matter the age of our children. In fact, Mr. Guerry's presentation inspired several of us adult attendees to consider how safely we navigate the technology scene!

As a Catholic School, we have the obligation to weave our faith into this on-going conversation with our children. Do our digital activities represent who we are in Christ? Can we explain to our children that our church is "in touch" with such modern experiences as technology? It may come as a surprise that there is a Patron Saint of Students, Computers and the Internet. St. Isidore of Seville (560-636 AD) was canonized in 1598 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1722. He achieved tremendous academic success, authoring numerous works including an encyclopedia, dictionary, religious books and history resources. He furthered the study of law, medicine and languages and played a prominent role in the beginnings of representative government. In other words, St Isidore continually advanced his knowledge of the world and furthered movements in education, just as we are called to do in raising our children.

Thank you to Mrs. O'Brien, Mrs. Stiver and our Family Club, for bringing this timely presentation to us this week.

With One Voice...We'll Pass the Word Along. Be cyber-safe!

In Peace,
Nancy Jordan
Principal

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!

See attached.
2010_CSL_Track_Info_Reg.pdf
Twilight_Track_Meet.pdf

Family fun for everyone!

St. John The Baptist Catholic School's Petanque Tournament

Saturday May 8th at 10:00am.

Location: Justin-Siena High School. Any age can play!

All proceeds go to "The Let Your Light Shine" foundation

For details Contact: John Reynoso at 707-226-9180 or email at john.reynoso@sbcglobal.net

Our 4th grade class, led by Mrs. Berube, held a book sale to raise funds for Haiti. The class raised $214.85, which they generously donated to Catholic Relief Services. Following is a note to the class from Catholic Relief Services.

- - -

Thank you very much for your recent, generous donation to CRS. We greatly appreciate your compassion and support of our humanitarian efforts in more than 100 countries. Your gift and prayers are powerful vessels that provide an abundance of hope and help to our most vulnerable brothers and sisters overseas. Your support is a blessing we cherish.

May God bless you and yours, now and always.
Sincerely,
Catholic Relief Services

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the garden work party. Mrs. Ford, the Keefers, Kaltens, Kunsts and Jordans shoveled lots of rich topsoil, turned over the existing soil, and generally cleaned up the area. The beds are ready to plant. The 2nd grade planted potatoes in 4 donated half barrels and 2nd and 4th started seedlings for the plant sale in early May and for the garden. Thanks for loaning us the lights, Mr. Keefer. Also a merci beaucoup for the two bags (Yes two!) of worm castings from the Harris-Jacoby family. Soon, I'm hoping to plant onions , and a variety of seeds for different veggies.

Finally, there will be a produce in the late summer for students to sample and enjoy. Again, thank you to all. Now, it's on to the irrigation system! Please contact me if you'd like to assist.

Suzanne Berube, 4th Grade Teacher
sberube@stjohnscatholic.org

On Sunday June 6 we will have our parish festival to honor our Patron Saint John the Baptist, the Year of the Priest, and unity in our faith family with a good old fashion day of great food, games, entertainment and much more. It is an all day family event for all ages from 9:00AM until 6PM. If you would like to help out and/or donate please contact any of our wonderful co-chairs:

Octavio Chavez - Jesed Alumni
Food and Games-Setup-Cleanup
greenturtle@sbcglobal.net

David Martin - RCIA Knights of Columbus
Raffle and sales
koc982fs@yahoo.com

Joel Soto - Lectors/Spanish Baptism Prep
Food and Games-Setup-Cleanup
sojoas@hotmail.com;

Jean Cederquist - Lighthouse Ministry
Promotion and advertising
jean@compdez.biz

Tony Carlin - Director Music/Liturgical Ministries
Entertainment
226-9379 tcmusic_2000@yahoo.com

Isidro Silva - Jesed
Raffle and sales
isipudron@yahoo.com

Katie Batt - School Council
Raffle and sales
224-2281 ktbatt@yahoo.com

Kimberly McFadden - Faith Formation Coordinator
Entertainment and parking
226-9379 ext. 22 kmcfadden@stjohnscatholic.org

Jorge Ortiz - Jesed
Promotion and advertising
Jorgeortiz2389@sbcglobal.net

Rocio Ayvar - Lectors Spanish
rocioayvar@sbcglobal.net

Lourdes Torres de Hernandez - Movimiento Familiar Cristiano
Setup-Clean-up
Mhernandez7921@sbcglobal.net

Special committee for event celebration of the Year of the Priests: Kristy Reynoso, Eustolia Velazquez and Laura Schafle Contact the Parish office: 226-9379 x 10 - or any staff member.

There will be a raffle drawing for a 2010 Nissan Ultima Hybrid 4 door sedan (sticker price $29,000.00) fully equipped. Raffle ticket will go on sale for $20.00 each 6 (six) for $100.00. Limited number of raffle tickets will be sold. There is a second prize of $500 and third place prize of 2 night stays at famous Napa resorts and spas.

Plan to come and celebrate!

Justin-Siena High School will be sponsoring the pre-release premiere of Race to Nowhere, a documentary film by director Vicki Abeles, presented at the Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St., Napa, on Monday, April 19th at 6:30 pm. There will be a discussion with the director after the film.

President Robert T. Jordan is encouraging community members to attend the screening of this important documentary, "We are pleased to sponsor this premiere to help raise awareness in the community about the new pressures faced by students in America today. It is important to begin dialogue about the health, safety and well-being of today's youth, and to understand how life has changed for young people preparing for a successful adulthood. As a college preparatory school, we are proud to ignite this dialogue by sponsoring this event"

Director Vicki Abeles turns the personal political, igniting a national conversation in her new documentary about the pressures faced by American schoolchildren and the teachers in our achievement obsessed public and private education system and culture. Featuring the heartbreaking stories of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried that students aren't developing the skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what's best for their kids, Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace, students have become disengaged, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.

Race to Nowhere is a call to mobilize families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens.

The film includes interviews with experts such as Dr. Madeline Levine, author of The Price of Privilege; Dr. Deborah Stipek, Dean of the Stanford School of Education; Dr. Wendy Mogel, author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee; and Dr. Ken Ginsburg, Adolescent Medicine Specialist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The documentary was an Official Selection of the 2009 Mill Valley Film Festival, the 2010 California Independent Film Festival, and the 2010 Sonoma International Film Festival. Race to Nowhere has been deemed, "Another Inconvenient Truth" by the George Lucas Education Foundation and Edutopia, as well as, "A must-see documentary," by Patrick Bassett, President of the National Association of Independent Schools. The film's website, www.racetonowhere.com, offers more background about the making of the documentary and additional reviews.

This premiere will be open to all members of the public. Tickets are $15 in advance, and $20 at the door. Tickets can be ordered online at: http://rtnnapavalley.eventbrite.com/
Justin-Siena is the only Catholic college preparatory high school in Napa County serving students from Napa, Sonoma, and Solano counties. It is part of the worldwide network of schools sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers.

From the Napa Catholic Mom's Group: We will be having a very special presentation from St. John the Baptist Catholic School Principal Mrs. Nancy Jordan on "Keeping your kids Catholic". Please come join us at the school library on April 24, 2010 from 10am-12noon. Please RSVP to Jennifer Heun at 287-4582. We look forward to seeing you. God Bless!

Welcome back from Easter Break!!!

WOW did we collect some box tops in March. We collected 820 box tops and the class that collected the most in March with a whopping 253 box tops was Kindergarten...YEAH Kindergarten.

The Box Top committee would like to THANK all the classrooms for such a great collection month!!
Let's see if we can beat March with our April Collections...don't let the short month slow you down. Ask your friends, family, and neighbors...COLLECT, COLLECT, COLLECT.

Websites that help our school with box tops are:
www.thebigclip.com
www.boxtops4education.com
Both of these sites either have contests for extra box tops, recipes, and links to shopping online which will benefit our school.

Your Box-Top Coordinators,
Lee Tatsuguchi
Rebecca Griffin