eGazette - November 19, 2008

December 2008 Calendar

See attached.
December_2008_Calendar.pdf

Dear St. John the Baptist Catholic School Families,

Several weeks ago, I described the launch of our Art program. As you've seen from their thorough communication, our Art committee is actively and enthusiastically preparing the studio, materials, curriculum and instruction schedule. We appreciate their energetic effort and look forward to this exciting addition to our program.

Today, I describe the details of our Kindergarten through 6th Grade Spanish program. As a community, we value the richness that diversity provides. Foreign language instruction offers an important vehicle to promote cultural understanding, a critical life skill. As many of you know, we've offered Spanish instruction through a variety of ways: during school, after school, as a co-curricular subject, as a core subject, etc. Each variation offered limited success. We adhere to fairly rigid core-curriculum time allotments, as required by the Diocese of Santa Rosa, making it challenging to fit in valued extras such as foreign language instruction and fine arts.

During our WASC/WCEA accreditation visit, we posed our foreign language challenge to our visiting team (yes, all roads lead to WASC!) To sum, the following advice was given: Given our commitment to the core-curriculum (Reading, Language Arts, Religion, Science, Arithmetic, etc), it would be impossible for our students to become proficient in a foreign language. It is truly only feasible to offer an "exposure" program where the love of a language and appreciation for culture can be introduced and nurtured. For 7th and 8th grade students, who are in near transition to high school, a more focused approach is needed.

How will Spanish be structured?
Grades K-6 will receive Spanish instruction one time per month in their classrooms on the long Wednesday's beginning in December.

The Spanish program for Students in K-6 will include practical vocabulary, exploration of culture and examination of religious connections. Jr. High students complete a High School Spanish I course spread over two years. Our graduates will be able to test out of Spanish I in high school or enter into/complete High School Spanish I with confidence.

Who will teach K-6 Spanish?
Claudia Kalten, a fabulous new St. John parent, has agreed to be our Spanish teacher. Mrs. Kalten holds a degree in teaching from Mexico, along with a subject-specific credential. She is thrilled to develop this important program and will soon describe to you directly all she has planned. Welcome Mrs. Kalten!

How will Spanish be funded?
Spanish for K-6 will be funded with support from our Family Club and a recently received grant from the Gasser Foundation.

Like our Art program, our Spanish program is an example of committed community of parents and teachers coming together to enrich the lives of students. Such efforts continue to demonstrate our commitment to educating the "whole child".

Have a Faith-Filled November,

In Peace,

Nancy Jordan
Principal

Hello St. John Families!

The Holiday Catalog fundraiser was successful and we thank the 55 families who generously participated. A big congratulations to 5th grade for selling the most items, and to 7th grade for the most families participating. We are happy to announce: Both classes will be celebrating with In & Out lunch delivery! As we've mentioned before, a large portion of our total ($6,500 gross) will go directly to our new ART and SPANISH programs. The remainder will go into the F.C.'s operating budget, which will cover staff luncheons, general hospitality, library support and appreciation gifts.

Planning for Breakfast with St. Nick is well under way, so mark your calendars for Sunday, December 7th - don't miss out on the fun and get your bids ready for some great class auction items! Marisa Bartalotti, Shelly Saucedo, Debbie Garcia and Claudia Kalten have assisted each class with beautiful creations.

For those of you who have crafty creations or tempting treats to donate to the CRAFT/BAKE SALE, we would love to hear from you, (dreaming of.....Marion Hanson-Jerrard's toffee), please contact Jami Bement or Renay Williamson for further information.

The next St. Nick committee meeting will be held this Friday at 8:30 a.m. in the school library. We we will be working like busy elves stuffing prize bags!

(Speaking of games and prizes....If anyone knows where the carnival "Wheel of Fortune" game is hiding, please contact Renay Williamson.)

A big thank you to the volunteers helping the Family Club Board with this event.

Room Coordinators...
During this busy this time of year, don't forget to touch base with your class coordinator, especially if you signed up to help out with holiday parties. The coordinators are helping the St. Nick committee with the Cupcake Walk, so if you would like to donate cupcakes, call your coordinator.

Thank you to the group of parents who joined us on November 11th for the Family Club meeting, and an extra special thank you to Claudia Kalten for treating us all to the delicous cupcakes!

The next meeting will be held on Friday, December 12th at 8:30 a.m., upstairs across from the computer lab. Please remember, these meetings are open to everyone; come on, join us!

Renay Williamson

Save the Date!

BREAKFAST WITH ST. NICK IS COMING!

Join the Family Club on Sunday, December 7, 2008, in the Parish Hall. 8:00am t0 Noon.

A morning of fun for the whole family! Pancake breakfast, craft tables, raffle prizes, silent auction, music, games, pictures with Santa and more!

Do you have something to donate to our silent auction or raffle? A bottle of wine, a toy, gift basket, gift certificate, etc... Are you crafty and creative? Would you like to donate a goody to our craft/bake sale?

Donations are graciously accepted and can be left in the school office.

For further information, please contact Renay Williamson 253-8662 or Jami Bement 252-4371.

Breakfast_with_St._Nick_Flyer.pdf

Scrip Profit Earnings Statements for May 1, 2008 through November 15, 2008 are included in your Wednesday Envelope. Please note that eScrip activity, which includes your Safeway purchases, and Raley's/Nob Hill activity are only posted through September 30, 2008 and Schoolpop.com activity is only posted through June 30, 2008 because this is all that is available to us at this time. Also, please remember that Lucky no longer reports back to us by family name so you may continue to use your Lucky S.H.A.R.E.S. card, but we are not able to post your earnings to your scrip account.

Reminder: Safeway and Lucky scrip is available in the school office! We have $25 and $100 denominations

Attached please find a Special Order Form for all scrip that is available to us as Christmas is a great time to buy scrip as gifts for family and friends.


SCRIP_SPECIAL_ORDER_FORM.pdf

Our school is participating in the Catholic Charities "Holiday Assistance Program" which will run from December 3 through Dececember 12. All contributions of non-perishable food items would be greaty appreciated. There are receptacles by the school office.

Thank you

FREE DRESS!

Friday, November 21, 2008

See our Handbook on our website for free dress guidelines.

Yes!, we will be entering Downtown Napa's 46th Annual Holiday Parade!

Please join us as we walk together as a school community and celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season.

We are entering in the "Most Enthusiastic" category!

Students are asked to wear their school uniforms and will need to be accompanied by a parent/guardian at all times. Red hats, scarves and/or red jackets are encouraged for all others walking with our students. Bring your christmas bells to ring as you walk along in the parade. All pets are welcome to join us!

Assembly time - Between 3pm-4pm
Assembly place - TBA
Parade begins at 5pm (RAIN or SHINE)

Please contact Katie Batt, 224-2281 kbatt@stjohnscatholic.org for more information.

Thank you to all the parents who have contributed to the art room box, your donations are appreciated very much! We still need a few more items to get started:

- White paper plates
- Masking tape
- Plastic cups
- Tin cans
- Small adult t-shirts (to be used for painting smocks)
- Extra drawing paper (any size, white or colored)

The art room donation box is located in the main hallway of the school.

Thank you again for your support!

Marisa Bartalotti

We are very excited about our commemorative pot-luck next Sunday, November 23 from 2pm to 5pm

We will be honoring the 150th anniversary of our Parish, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

This will be so much fun. there will be special surprises thatwe know you will enjoy forever, at least 150 more years!

We hope that you will join us. If you have not had a chance to let us know what you will be bringing, or if you can help, please call Maria Lopez at 258-9669, Hortensia Guerreo at 224-2776, or Juan Pablo @ 294-3997.

We look forward to seeing you there.
God Bless us all!

The Parish 150th Anniversary Committee

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(707) 224-8388 - www.stjohnscatholic.org
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