Blue Jay Flyer
October 21, 2020
From the Principal's Desk...
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I wanted to take the opportunity to remind all of our school families of the upcoming second annual St. John’s School Spectacular. This important event was amazingly successful last year raising $75,000 in net proceeds. Our committee has been meeting since early spring to plan for this year’s Spectacular. The event will be held on Saturday, November 14, 2020 in our parish center (gym).
We certainly want to welcome any school family who might want to attend to do so. We also want to let you know that you can support our Spectacular and help us reach our goal of $100,000 without attending or purchasing a ticket. All of our baskets and silent auction items will be available to bid on online at http://stjohnschool.givesmart.com. In addition, you will be able to join the live stream of our live auction beginning at 8:00 on the night of our event. We will be sending you additional details soon.
As you well know, providing a Catholic education for your daughters and sons requires a genuine commitment, and it asks all of us to make sacrifices. I know, as the father of five who all went to Catholic grade schools and high schools, just how much it costs. The generosity of our sponsors and benefactors, the commitment of our committee and volunteers and the wonderful support of our entire school community enables us to continue to provide quality Catholic education at an affordable cost at St. John the Baptist School.
This Sunday’s Gospel (MT 22:34-40) gives us insight into why we continue to make the sacrifices that we all choose to make. When asked what is the greatest commandment, Jesus responds. "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
It is in and through your ongoing and faith-filled commitment to St. John the Baptist School that you demonstrate and live by these two commandments. It is in and through your commitment that we live out our Mission. Catholic schools exist and are supported because we Love God. They continue so that we can say yes to Jesus’ command. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Peace,
Dan Minelli
Calendar of Events
School Spectacular News
Basket Raffle Donations
Together we can make the Basket Raffle SPECTACULAR!
Donation Deadline is Friday, Oct. 23
We need your help in filling the baskets and are asking for monetary and/or Amazon gift card donations. We are accepting Venmo (@SJB-School), checks (please put your child’s name and grade in the comment for Venmo or check), cash, and Amazon gift cards.
All donations are voluntary, and any student or family who contributes will be given an out of uniform pass no matter the amount of the donation. A small donation of $3-5 per student will allow us to create ten great baskets. We recognize that much is asked of everyone during these challenging times. This year our goal for the Spectacular is to raise $100,000. Thank you for being a part of this critical event.
Please mark envelopes with donations “Spectacular Raffle Baskets”.
The Class with the highest participation percentage will win a special prize TBD by Mr. Minelli.
Thank you, and please let us know if you have any questions!
Athena Widner (athena.widner@gmail.com)
Shannon Memory (Shannon.m.memory@gmail.com)
Please Read: Important Policy Reminders
Forgotten Lunches, Computers, Homework, Etc.
If a student forgets their packed lunch, the cafeteria will prepare a meal for them and the cost of the lunch will be added to their Kaldi's lunch account.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
Cell Phone Policy
Please see cell phone policy below as stated in the student handbook. Cell phones must be turned off and kept in backpacks during school hours.
"Cell phones are the only electronic devices permitted in school. Students will be allowed to keep a cell phone in their book bag upon written notification from the parent to school officials explaining the need. Cell phones will be confiscated if used on school premises during school hours and when on school sponsored field trips and activities off school premises. Parents may claim confiscated cell phones from the principal. Employees assume no responsibility for cell phones or any electronic devices. No electronic devices are to be brought to school. This includes, but is not limited to: Kindles, iPods, iPads, Apple Watch, or personal computers."
Thank You Mrs. Hayes and Mrs. Gehring
We couldn't have done it without these two amazing ladies!!
A big thank you to Mrs. Donna Hayes and Mrs. Karen Gehring for filling in as our substitute teachers during our search for third and seventh grade teachers.
We are very grateful to them for all their help and support.
You Shop. Amazon Gives.
Our school earns .5% of all Amazon orders provided that you shop through the Amazon Smile link, http://smile.amazon.com and select St. John the Baptist Catholic School Cincinnati as your charity.
It really is that simple. If you have Amazon Prime, all of your benefits remain the same when using Amazon Smile.
Shopping through the Amazon app on your phone???
Go to Settings. Click on AmazonSmile and assign your St. John's as your charity. All purchases made through the app will earn money for St. John's unless you go back in and change it.
Do You Use Shutterfly?
St. John's earns an 8% commission on all orders placed with Shutterfly provided you shop through our storefront link @ http://Stjohnthebaptistschool.ShutterflyStorefront.com.
Please help earn FREE money for our school when using Shutterfly!
High School Release of Records Due by Oct. 30
A release form is attached below for your convenience.
Notes from the School Psychologist & Counselor
As we continue to navigate the changes Covid-19 has created in our world, the following is a list of resources that may help. They cover a variety of topics including dealing with your child being more anxious, irritable, filled with questions, or having trouble adjusting to their new routine. Check them out but please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Kasey Reder
School Counselor
Days Available: Monday and Friday
513-385-7970 ex 255
Dr. Ann Wengler
School Psychologist
513-385-7970 x246
Days Available: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/3265-answering-your-young-child-s-questions-about-coronavirus
https://childmind.org/article/how-mindfulness-can-help-during-covid-19/
https://childmind.org/coping-during-covid-19-resources-for-parents/
COVID-19 Tracker
Click here to view this week's report. You can locate the COVID-19 Tracker information on our school website under the Parent Info/COVID-19 Resources. We will update the information weekly on Mondays.
Why Pink Shirts on Fridays?
Also in honor of Mrs. Argus, the Andrea Argus Scholarship is awarded to two eighth grade students, one boy and one girl, who will be attending catholic high schools. The scholarship is funded by St. John's faculty & staff members who pay $2 every Friday (or spirit wear day) to wear jeans and something pink. Winners of the scholarship are chosen based upon essay submissions expressing what a catholic education means to them.
In honor of October being National Breast Cancer Awareness month, we are introducing a new pink t-shirt style and a mask to the school spirit wear line. The new pink t-shirt will be a moisture wicking mesh fabric. Stay tuned for more details and pricing coming soon. As with our other pink shirts, $1 from every purchase will be donated to The American Cancer Society.
Blue Jay Gallery
Paper Computers
When the computer lab is closed due to Covid protocol, Mrs. Robbins brings the educational fun to the classrooms. Third grade students have been designing their very own paper computers, complete with apps, emojis and all!
Human Compass Rose
Pumpkin Investigation
Choice Time
October Lunch Menu
PTO News
Join the PTO
High School Admissions News
Open House Calendar
Listed below are the dates and times for many of the high school open houses. Please check their websites or call the schools to find out if registration is required. Dates and times are subject to change.
Sunday, Oct. 25, 1:00-7:00pm, Registration Required
ELDER HIGH SCHOOL
Thursday, Nov. 12, 4:00-9:00 pm, Registration Required
LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL
Sunday, Nov. 8, 1:00-4:00 pm
MERCY MCAULEY HIGH SCHOOL
Sunday, Nov. 8, 1:00-5:00 pm
MOELLER HIGH SCHOOL
Sunday, Nov 1, 1:00-6:00 pm
MOUNT NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL
Sunday, Nov. 1, 11:00 am-4:00 pm
ROGER BACON HIGH SCHOOL
Sunday, Oct. 25, 1:00-5:00 pm
SETON HIGH SCHOOL
Thursday, Nov. 5, 4:30-7:30 pm, Registration Required
SAINT URSULA ACADEMY
Sunday,, Oct. 25, 1:00-4:30 pm
ST. XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL
Sunday, Nov. 17, 1:00-4:00 pm
URSULINE ACADEMY
Saturday, Oct. 31, 10:00-2:00 pm, Registration Required
Sunday, Nov. 1, Noon-4:00 pm
St. John's Athletic Boosters
Girl's Basketball Sign Ups Open
Registration for girl's basketball for grades 2-8 is now open and will run through October 30th.
Also, Instructional Basketball registration for boys and girls in 4 year old pre-school thru 1st grade is open until November 23rd.
Sign-ups will only be offered online at www.stjab.com. In the upper right corner you will see the login or register tab if you do not already have an account. If you do not sign-up during these time frames, we cannot guarantee your son or daughter a spot on a team. If you sign-up late and are given a spot on a team a late fee will be charged.
Important info:
- Tryouts for 5th – 8th grade – Depending on number of teams in each age group, tryouts will be in mid-November.
- 3rd-8th grade will be playing in the Girls Western Athletic Conference (GWAC). Information about the league can be found at www.gwacsports.com. The season runs from last weekend in January to the first weekend in April (depending on the grade level).
- 2nd grade will be playing in the St. Jude League, the season starts mid-February. All games will be played at St. Jude.
Email any questions for girls basketball to Andre Porter stjohnsgirlsbasketball@gmail.com