eGazette - May 26, 2010

June 2010 Calendar

See attached.
June_2010_Calendar.pdf

Dear St. John the Baptist Catholic School Families,

Each year, we make a conscious effort to keep our tuition accessible to all who desire a Catholic school education. Through organized development efforts and generous parent volunteer support, we are able to charge rates below the actual cost to educate, placing our tuition scale amongst the lowest in the Napa Valley.

That said, it takes many hours of time and talent given by you, our dedicated parents, to make our school exceptional. All St. John families are required to serve a minimum of 30 volunteer hours per school year, spread among the areas listed on the attached Volunteer Commitment Form. This letter is in regards to the 2010/2011 School Year.

The 30 volunteer hours are to be donated as outlined:

- 10 hours to our St. John the Baptist thrift Store, "The Church Mouse" which we anticipate opening in the coming months.

- 10 hours to one or more of our major fundraisers as outlined on the Volunteer Commitment Form.

- 10 hours to any of the other opportunities as outlined on the Volunteer Commitment Form.

Please complete the attached form and return it to the school office by Wednesday June 9, the last day of school. Those forms that are returned by this date will be eligible to participate in a drawing, on the last day of school, for a night at the beautiful Westin Verasa, Napa.

To ensure effective and accurate tracking of your volunteer hours, you are required that you complete a Volunteer Timesheet each time you volunteer. Copies of this form are available from the school office or from Event or Committee Coordinators. It is your responsibility to complete one of these forms each time you volunteer and submit it to the school office for tracking. Hours are tracked from September to June.

Those who serve as an Event or Committee Coordinator will satisfy their volunteer hour requirement.

Please know that if your family does not meet the minimum requirement of 30 volunteer hours, your tuition rate will be re-structured to reflect the actual cost of educating your child of $6,631.00.

If your family is new to our school or have questions with regards to any of the events, please visit our website, click "School Life" and click on "Family Club". You'll find activity and contact information for folks who can answer your questions.

I am so grateful for all you bring to our community. Our school is vibrant due in part to your shared gifts and talents. Let us welcome the 10/11 school year with equal enthusiasm.


In Peace,

Nancy Jordan
School Principal

Volunteer_Commitment_Form.pdf
Volunteer_Committment_Form_-_Explanation_of_Opportunities.pdf

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.

Thursday, 5/27:
-- Free Dress Day

Friday, 5/28:
-- Downtown Treasure Hunt (students wear school uniforms)
-- 8th Grade Graduation Dance & Retreat

Monday, 5/31:
-- No School (Memorial Day)

Friday, 6/4:
-- Field Day - 12:30pm-2:30pm

Monday, 6/7:
-- Hot Dog Lunch (Free for all students)
-- Yearbook Signing
-- Talent Show - 1:30pm

Tuesday, 6/8:
-- 12:30 Dismissal - No Extended Care
-- 1:00 8th Grade Graduation Luncheon
-- 6:00 8th Grade Graduation

Wednesday, 6/9:
-- 8:30 Mass
-- 10:00 Dismissal - No Extended Care

Tuesday, 7/27:
-- Dennis Uniform Sales & Used Uniform Sales - 4pm - 6pm in the Hall

Reminder -

Students will be dismissed at 10:00am on the last day of school (Wednesday, June 9th). Family members are invited to join us at Mass that morning at 8:30am.

Don't miss out - there are still yearbooks for sale. Cost - $20.00.

Field Day Change-Up!!
Friday June 4 from 12:30-2:30

Ok everyone...we have to switch up our plans for field day due to the New Tech High construction but, fear not!! We are all reaaaaaaal good at having fun on blacktop!

We will be rotating between the school areas and we will even have a station that will get you WET! So wear your bathing suit underneath your PE, Track or T-shirt and bring your towel to help dry you off.

Ms Di Marco is working with the 8th graders to help make this day a lot of fun for you all. And, we are going to have an Ice Cream Sundae station too!! (Thanks for the help Family Club!)

BOX TOP BBQ - MONDAY, JUNE 7TH!!!

Attention all St. John families! No need to pack lunch on Monday, June 7, 2010. Free hotdog lunch will be provided that day courtesy of your Box Top Committee and the Family Club.

Thank you all for your tremendous support of the Box Top Program at St. John the Baptist Catholic School. With your help we turned in a total of 4529 box tops and 2552 points in Campbell's soup labels this school year. We couldn't have done it without all of you!!!

Keep on saving those box tops over the summer. We'll have a special treat in store for the class that turns in the most Box Tops in September,
2010!!!

Lee Tatsuguchi and Rebecca Griffin
Box Top Co-Coordinators

Our school, as a large part of the parish (along with every other ministry in our parish) have been asked to take on some responsibility at our upcoming Parish Festival on Sunday June 6. We have been asked to run three stations and we have agreed that 2 of these stations will be games (frisbi toss and the fishing game) and the other will be the running of our school popcorn machine.

To lesson the commitment and spread the efforts among our students, parents and staff, we have broken the day into 1/2 hour shifts; from 9.00am-6.30pm (if you are able to take on a couple more it would be really appreciated). Please consider what time you and your family will be attending our fun, community building festival and chose a time slot that suits you best. It would be appreciated that every school family that attends the festival, take on at least one shift, so that we can avoid few people doing much work. You know the old saying, "many hands make light work", and honestly none of us really want to be tied down for too long at the Festival; the more people that take on a shift or two, the faster we will be able to get back to joining in the festivities.

Please e-mail Jenny Giaquinto, phone her, or stop by her office and advise what time slots you would like to reserve.

Thank you in advance for your support,
Nancy Jordan
________________________________________

The date is drawing near for your chance to win a fabulous car or one of our other wonderful prizes. Don't let this opportunity pass you by. Send back your 6 tickets for the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Festival 152 Raffle. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit our Youth Ministry and School Scholarship Programs. Additional tickets are available in the school office and after each weekend Mass.

Ticket cost:
$20 per ticket or $100 for 6 tickets

Prizes:
Grand Prize - 2010 Nissan Altima Hybrid Sedan
2nd Prize - 2 night stay in 2 bedroom suite at the Westin Verasa in Napa
3rd Price - $500 cash

Please send ticket money and/or unsold tickets to the school office as soon as possible and no later than June 1st.

Thank you

Over 55 Kindergarten through 8th Grade students participated in Track & Field this year. Students from every grade represented St. John the Baptist Catholic School in the Twilight and CSL Track meets. This year's team ran more and longer distances than in previous years. The Fourth Grade team fielded a 4x400 relay at the Twilight Track Meet and many Fourth through Eighth Graders ran the 800m during the CSL Meet. Congratulations to each Track & Field athlete:

Erik K. Max P., Gino B., Diego K., Jessica V., Alex D., Julia V., Jean-Pierre N., Ryan P., George B., George L. , Jan Ashley E., Jacque P., Juliana K., Mia V., Max B., Zachary K., Christian R., Justin A., Carlo B., Emilio K., Deven B., Pria B., Erin M., Alex P., Zachary K., Robert B., Lori K., Ky K., Charlie R., Caroline S., Rachel B., Juliana F., Claudine B., Lily S., Sara F., Jaycie V., Drake M., Ryan V., Juan L., Clark W., Elise D., Grace O., Samantha W., Ellen S., Joseph O., Robert B., Charlotte O., Liliana R., Marisa B., Justin M., Manet Y., Chris H., Tyne H., Jack W., Sam O., Henry C.

Track & Field 2010-2011 - Please see the attached information regarding dates and team participation for the 2010-2011 school year.

Thank you to all Track Families for supporting the 2010 Team! A special thank you to our 8th Grade Coaches: Sydney Bergin and Anette Yazidi. We will miss your expertise. Thank you for sharing your Track & Fields talents with the team!

Track__Field_Program_2010_2011.pdf

For those of you who were not at assembly on Monday, May 17, we called up all of our track participants and I also told the crowd how awesome it was that we (St Johns) got to be at the finish line congratulating all of the runners. I thought it was a great exhibition of sportsmanship for the other school parents to witness. It was the heart of St Johns supporting all of the kids who crossed the finish line and it was great to be a part of. It was sort of like "going to church on the track".

Paul Griffin, (the guy with the megaphone) complimented all of you two or three times and below I pasted the note from KC, the league president.

"Absolutely GREAT job by your SJN volunteers Michele - your team really came through and did a fabulous job. Please let them all know that their enthusiasm and presence was noticed and appreciated!"

Again, AWESOME Paula (that is her new name)... none of this could have happened without you. Some of the best moments yesterday was when Paula would run over to a child and hug him or her and say, "See! I KNEW you could do it!"

Thank you EVERYONE for all of your dedication and support and volunteering and extra money you spend and extra time you offer and extra effort you do and extra help you give...

"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1

Michele Di Marco
PE Teacher/Co-Athletic Director SJBAA

One way to acknowledge your child(ren)'s teacher or staff members for a great school year is to use our "Pay it Forward" donation form. Please see form attached.
PAY_IT_FORWARD.pdf

Students:

As part of your Summer Homework we would like you to participate in your local library Summer Reading Program (See Napa City-County Library's Summer Reading Program 2010 flyer in your Wednesday Envelope).

Justin-Siena High School is looking for families to host foreign student for the 2010-2011 school year. Families are expected to provide room and board and a warm family environment for the students during their stay. If you are interested in hosting or would like more information, please contact Annick Bouldt at 707-255-0950 extension 551, or email at bouldta@justin-siena.org. Host families receive a $600.00 per month stipend.