Thursday Newsletter 10/04/2018
St. John Nepomuk Catholic School
Mission Statement
News from the Principal
We ran the race-- and what a great race we ran!! THANK YOU to all who made our 5K event such a success! The day would not have been possible without all the amazing runners, volunteers, sponsors and supporters who were a part of the event. We are grateful for your support!
We hope to share an update with all of you soon regarding our fundraising totals and how that will directly impact our classrooms with new flexible seating options. For now, please click the links below to view pictures from the day as well as official race results! The photo link will only be active through October.
WAY TO GO FALCONS-- I am so proud to be your principal!!!
In Christ,
Natalie Johnson
Principal
Czech Parade THIS Weekend!!
Dear SJN Parents,
The Czech Parade is THIS Saturday, October 6th. St. John Nepomuk Catholic School will have a float again this year in the parade. Students are welcome to walk along with the float. Kindergartners will be riding on the float. School Faculty/Staff, Parents, grandparents, family members, St. John sports coaches, and all supporters of our parish family and school are encouraged and welcome to participate. We will be gathering in the school gym at 9:00 am on Saturday, October 6th. Kindergarten students riding on the float should plan to arrive by 8:00 am. We will need as many adults as possible to help the students before, during and at the end of the parade route. All students MUST be picked up at the end of the parade route.. Each child is required to turn in a signed permission form to participate in the parade. Failure to complete this form in its entirety will necessitate that your student not attend the activity. No written notes or phone calls granting permission will substitute for this form. See you this SATURDAY!!
Sincerely,
Natalie Johnson
Principal
Auction Update
Good afternoon, SJN families!
October is here, and auction preparations are officially in high gear! We wanted to send a quick note to share some exciting upcoming auction events!
Our annual auction is an incredibly exciting event and this year’s Night in Old Havana is sure to bring an evening of memorable fun! From October 8th through October 26th, we are holding our first donation drive of the year. During this time frame, families can start bringing in items for our silent and live auction events while drumming up a bit of fun. Our adventure to Havana will start off HOT with a friendly class competition! The donation drive lasts three weeks. Each week, the class who brings in the most donation contracts will win a prize. There is also an overall prize for the class with the most contracts submitted during the entire drive!
The prizes are as outlined below:
- Week 1 Winner (October 8th–12th): Pajama Day!
- Week 2 Winner (October 15th-19th): Donuts for breakfast!
- Week 3 Winner (October 22nd-26th): Movie & Popcorn!
- Overall winner: Pizza Party!
Each family will receive an auction packet through backpack express TODAY. This packet will contain an auction contract, a flyer with donation ideas, and a save the date magnet! But don’t let that one contract stop you! There are contracts aplenty available in the school office so feel free to snag as many as you need!
Lastly, it’s time to save the date for our first auction event! Friday, November 9th is our Friendsgiving Trivia Night! This is an adults-only night of friends, food, and fun! Tickets are $25/person, so grab your favorite trivia guru and join us for an evening that’s sure to bring a lot of laughs! Prizes for the winners isn’t a bad deal either!
Thank you all so much for helping to make our auction a great success! We still have lots of opportunities for Care and Share hours if you find yourself needing a few. And feel free to send us an email at sjnokauction@gmail.com if you have any questions! Have a great week!
-Chrissy McDaniel and Katie Hackett
Dennis Uniform Ties Now Available for Purchase
Dear SJN Families,
I am happy to share that we have bulk ordered the Dunbar plaid ties that are stocked through Dennis uniform to make them available to our SJN families. We will now keep these ties in stock at the school, and families may purchase them similar to other SJN merchandise items. Families should make every effort to avoid ordering these on Friday morning before mass. This is a hectic time, and we cannot guarantee that your student will receive his tie prior to attending mass. Please note, these ties will also not be issued as a replacement to a missing tie. Families interested in purchasing a tie may complete the attached merchandise form and return it to the school with payment. Forms are also available in the school office. It is my hope that keeping these ties in stock will help our families obtain a tie more quickly than going through the process of purchasing online.
Sincerely,
ALERT, ALERT, ALERT Basketball is almost here!!
We are going to be having BASKETBALL sign ups for GRADES 2-8 on October 15th from 7:00 - 8:30 PM here at St. John. Kindergarten and first grade signups will be shared at a later date. The sign ups will be located in the school gym. We will have tables set up for each grade to sign-up, meet coaches and exchange information. I am still getting to know all of you-- if you are interested in coaching or have been a coach in the past please verify your plans for coaching this season with me on or before Oct. 12.
This sign up period will be the only sign up period we have for basketball this season for grades 2-8. We are trying to eliminate late sign ups and get a jump start on the new season. You all are more than welcome to sign up at the school before October 15th. WE WILL NOT HONOR BASKETBALL REGISTRATIONS AFTER OCT. 15 FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 2-8. After our sign up date of October 15th no player will be allowed to sign up FOR GRADES 2-8. So please make sure you sign up on or before October 15. Kindergarten and first grade families will receive more information on basketball soon!
GO FALCONS!!!!
--Coach White
Soccer & Volleyball Updates!
- The 5/6 soccer game scheduled against SEAS on 10/7 will not be played as SEAS has forfeited the remainder of the season.
- KND games for SJN scheduled for 10/6 will be forfeited due to our participation in the Czech Fest.
- Rosary White vs SJN scheduled for 10/6 has been moved to 10/27 @ 5 pm
Let's TREAT our TEACHERS!
Dear SJN Families,
Each year, parents from each class at St. John Nepomuk Catholic School host luncheons and breakfasts to honor our dedicated and hard-working teachers. Homeroom parents are charged with organizing these efforts, and this year, we hope to streamline the process for them. Rather than each homeroom parent collect funds by class, the school office will organize this effort. Teacher appreciation events are planned for Oct. 17, Feb. 13, and May 7-8-9 during National Teacher Appreciation Week. After planning and budgeting for the (4) lunches and (1) breakfast that will be hosted, we are asking each St. John Nepomuk Catholic School family to contribute $5 per student who is enrolled at SJN. These funds will be used to cover food and hospitality costs associated with these teacher appreciation events. If you can give more than $5, that is GREAT! Additional funds will be utilized to organize and offer morale boosting treats throughout the year to make sure our teachers know how much we love and appreciate them. An online contribution link has been established through WeShare and is available HERE. If you prefer to contribute by cash or check, envelopes were sent home with each family TODAY. If you have any questions, please contact Holly McPherson at holly.mcpherson@gmail.com or Natalie Johnson at principal@sjnok.org. Thanks for your contributions and your support of our teachers here at SJN!
Sincerely,
Natalie Johnson
Principal
MSM Rocket Volleyball Feeder School Night!
Mount St Mary Volleyball Feeder School night this Thursday vs top ranked Bishop Kelly. Free Admission and a Beef and Chips for $1. Varsity match will begin earlier around 5. PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR PLAYERS/STUDENTS. The girls have won 31 matches thus far this season!!
THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is an eight-part series that explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through the prism of America’s 100 best-loved novels (as chosen in a national survey)*. It investigates how and why writers create their fictional worlds, how we as readers are affected by these stories, and what these 100 different books have to say about our diverse nation and our shared human experience.
The television series features entertaining and informative documentary segments, with compelling testimonials from celebrities, authors, notable Americans and book lovers across the country. It is comprised of a two-hour launch episode in which the list of 100 books is revealed, five one-hour theme episodes that examine concepts common to groups of books on the list, and a finale, in which the results are announced of a nationwide vote to choose America’s best-loved book.
The series is the centerpiece of an ambitious multi-platform digital, educational and community outreach campaign, designed to get the country reading and passionately talking about books.
Required Middle School Parent Meeting
In accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, St. John will be hosting a meeting on Tuesday evening October 9th at 6:30 p.m. All middle school families should plan to have a parent or family representative attend. The purpose of this meeting is to present the Lifelines Suicide Prevention curriculum and the Heartline Program to be taught here at St. John in our middle school classrooms in the coming weeks. These programs are designed to give students the information they will need about the warning signs of suicide that they may see in friends or in themselves. These lessons provide students with information about school and community resources that are available to young people and the best ways for students to obtain the help they may need for a friend or themselves.
This meeting will also focus on raising resilient kids in these challenging times, and I want to personally extend an invitation to parents at SJN, especially those in grades 3-5 as these topics and issues are not exclusive to students in middle school. We would love to have our upper elementary parents join us. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.
In Christ,
Natalie Johnson
Principal
Textbook Access Information
Dear SJN Parents:
St John Nepomuk Catholic School is excited to provide your student his/her user name and password to access online material available at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s ThinkCentral and Rearson's Realize websites. ThinkCentral and PearsonRealize are all-in-one learning sites that provide access to digital books, activities, readers, and more. SJN students in grades K-5 may access a plethora of online resources in addition to MATH, READING, SCIENCE and SOCIAL STUDIES textbooks through these two websites. This access will be especially helpful in the event one of these textbooks is left at school by accident. Log-in access information for each student was sent home last week with other newsletter items. Please keep this information in a safe place at home, and I encourage you to use these sites as an added resource when working with your students on homework or extra enrichment. If you lose this information, please let me know, and I will provide another copy.
The Religion textbook used in grades K-8 doesn't come with access to a digital student edition, but the publisher website has a robust offering of family resources and test prep materials. You may access those items by visiting https://religion.sadlierconnect.com/wbcid.
I hope that you will find these resources helpful as you work with your children at home. Thanks for being parent partners in your child's education!
Sincerely,
Natalie Johnson
Principal
Fall Parent Teacher Conferences
Dear SJN Families,
It's hard to believe, but it's time to schedule the Fall Parent Teacher Conferences for your child(ren). Please remember, these conferences are required. Our school-wide conference days will be Tuesday, Oct 16 and Thursday, Oct 18 with school being out on Friday, Oct 19.
We will be using Google Forms to schedule our conferences. Please say a prayer that the Google magic that I have built into the forms will work seamlessly! You should receive an email confirmation and the selected time slot you chose should be removed from the list for future submissions. Please schedule a time to meet with your child/children’s teacher(s). You may schedule only ONE conference time slot per student. The conference scheduler links are organized by teacher. Please be mindful of this as you begin scheduling conferences. The scheduler will close on October 5. Any appointments that need to be made after that date should be accomplished by calling or emailing Mrs. Hope at hwheeler@sjnok.org or 354.2509.
For those students in 6th through 8th grade, one conference time will be scheduled per child at which all four middle school teachers will be present. One other afternoon/evening of conference times on Wednesday, October 18 will be made available to middle school parents to accommodate the number of conference times needed.
Again-- please remember, all parents in grades Pre-K (3) through 8th grade are REQUIRED to schedule and attend a fall conference. WE WILL HAVE EARLY DISMISSAL ON TUES, OCT 16 & THURS, OCT 18 AT 2:30 P.M. Please remember NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, OCT 19.
Fall 2018 Conference Scheduler Links by Teacher:
We are looking forward to seeing families at conferences! Please contact the office if you have questions or concerns.
In Christ,
Natalie Johnson
Principal
Dear Parents,
El Dia de los Muertos, commonly known as Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and in areas of Hispanic population. The celebration takes place on November 1st and 2nd, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day. It has no connection to Halloween.
This multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. One area of my Spanish curriculum is to focus on traditions and why we celebrate them. We will be discussing the traditions of this beautiful holiday and why it is important to the people of Mexico and the United States.
Due to our auction and a busy spring schedule, I have decided to move our Cinco de Mayo festivities to October 31st, in hopes of having more volunteers. We will basically have the same schedule as last year minus the breaking of the piñata. (We will still do this as close to May 5th as possible.) Ms. Jenny will be providing all of our students with a “Taste of Mexico,” during their lunch time meal. I have Zumba planned, along with games and crafts. In order for this to be successful, I will need many volunteers.
I would like to decorate for Dia de los Muertos on October 19th or 22nd and will need volunteers to help with this project. The other volunteers will be needed on October 31st starting around 11:00 a.m. These hours that you spend helping us to celebrate the Spanish culture are approved Care and Share hours.
I will begin teaching my students, kindergarten through fifth grade, about this holiday around the 1st of October. Each grade level will create a craft to celebrate.
If you are able to volunteer to help with decorating prior to the event, or on the day of the event, please contact me via email, rphillips@sjnok.org, within the next two weeks. Your help with this activity would be much appreciated and I know that your children would enjoy your presence at this event.
Fondly,
Robin Phillips
K-5th Technology/Spanish Teacher
Hearing and Vision Screening
Yukon Public Schools, Helping Hands office, comes to our school each year to screen students in grades KND, 1st & 3rd for hearing and vision. This year we have scheduled this on October 10. If your child wears glasses or contacts they need to wear them or bring them this day. A permission slip to NOT have your child’s hearing or vision screened, is available in the office or for download HERE.
Volunteers are needed for Hearing and Vision Screening on October 10 from 8:15 am. until approximately 11:30 am. Care and Share Hours will be offered. Remember, a family member can come and volunteer for you and those hours will count for your family total, but ALL volunteers must be Safe Environment approved. Please contact Mrs. Hope in the office if you are interested or have questions about this opportunity!
ACT Aspire Testing
Please mark your calendars for ACT Aspire Testing. Saint John Nepomuk will be conducting our standardized testing for students in 3rd, 5th & 7th grade from October 22-26. Please do your very best to avoid any doctor’s appointments or any event that could have your child(ren) out of school. It is very important that students be on time and well rested each day.
2018-2019 Faculty & Staff Directory
Mrs. Natalie Boussontie, nboussontie@sjnok.org, 6-8 ELA, 6 HR Long-Term Substitute
Mrs. Samantha Brasses, sbrasses@sjnok.org, 6-8 ELA, 6 HR
Mr. Jared White, jwhite@sjnok.org, PE Teacher and Athletic Director
Mr. Ricardo Doroteo, rdoroteo@sjnok.org, Art, MS Spanish, 4th Religion
Mr. Ryan Delgado, rdelgado@sjnok.org, MS Sci/SS, 8th HR
Mrs. Amanda Guilbeaux, aguilbeaux@sjnok.org, 4th Grade
Mrs. Amy Croom, acroom@sjnok.org, Pre-K3
Mrs. Amy Johnson, ajohnson@sjnok.org, Pre-K 4
Mrs. Brigitte Achorn, bachorn@sjnok.org 5th Grade
Mrs. Sue Parizek, csparizek@sjnok.org, Librarian
Mrs. Carolyn Deberry, cdeberry@sjnok.org Reading Specialist
Mrs. Cathy Brown, cbrown@sjnok.org, Pre-K 4 Assistant
Mrs. Denise Heard, dheard@sjnok.org, 7th HR/Math/Religion
Mrs. Erin Burris, eburris@sjnok.org, Music
Mrs. Hope Wheeler, hwheeler@sjnok.org, Administrative Assistant to the Principal
Mrs. Jilynn Parkhurst, jparkhurst@sjnok.org, Kindergarten
Mrs. Maria Casciola, mcasciola@sjnok.org, 3rd Grade
Mrs. Mary Ellen Hargis, mhargis@sjnok.org, MS ELA/Religion
Mrs. Natalie Johnson, njohnson@sjnok.org, School Principal, 6-8 Technology
Mrs. Nicole Crumley, ncrumley@sjnok.org, 1st Grade
Mrs. Robin Phillips, rphillips@sjnok.org, KND Asst/Elem Computer & Spanish
Mrs. Sarah Parizek, sparizek@sjnok.org, Early Childhood Religion & KND Assistant
Mrs. Shaa Hixson, shixson@sjnok.org, 2nd Grade
Mr. Tommy Bailey, tbailey@sjnok.org, Aftercare Director
Ms. Elyse Angelo, eangelo@sjnok.org, Band
Upcoming School Events
Comment Box
In an effort to keep the lines of communication open at St. John Nepomuk Catholic School, we have created the Comment Box. Our hope is that parents will utilize this convenient approach to express thoughts, ideas, and issues involving our school. Please leave a comment or concern for St. John Nepomuk Catholic School principal, Natalie Johnson. Be sure to indicate if you would like to be contacted regarding your submission.
Important Links
- RenWeb Parents Web
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- Online Lunch Account Payment & Order History
- Current SJN Parish Bulletin
- SJN Enrollment Information for Prospective Families
- Planned Absence Request
- SCRIP Order Form
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- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City Catholic Schools Curriculum
- Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School
- Mount Saint Mary Catholic High School
- Cristo Rey Catholic High School
St. John Nepomuk Catholic School
Natalie Johnson
Principal
Cell: (405) 578-4656
Office: (405) 354-2509
Fax: (405) 354-8192
The school office is open from 7:40 am - 4:00 pm on school days.
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Email: principal@sjnok.org
Website: sjnok.org/school
Location: 600 Garth Brooks Boulevard, Yukon, OK, United States