SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST

Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service

"Gentle Jesus...During these weeks of Advent, let us take nothing for granted, especially the small and simple things-the pure and the lovely; the children in our midst. Help us to truly prepare for the miracle of your coming, Emmanuel."

Principal's Message

Dear Saint John School families,

This will be our last newsletter before the Christmas vacation. We have much to be thankful for at Saint John School. From our dedicated and caring school and parish staff to the continued support from parents and volunteers, we continue to build a great Catholic school for our students. We look forward to continuing this work together in the New Year.

We are winding down to the last few days of our first Annual Fund campaign. Apart from the money collected for this year's fund, which will go towards Project Domino, the part that has stood out the most to me has been the level of leadership, collaboration, and commitment by many of our families. Trying to entice everyone to give more is a difficult endeavor as I'm sure you can imagine. But creating a groundswell of support for the goals, direction, and future of Saint John School is really what this campaign is about. In the last few years, we have had many accomplishments as we continue to develop as a great school. So it is gratifying to see so many parents not only understand and appreciate what we are trying to accomplish for our students, but are also actively engaged in communicating it to the entire community.

A very special thank you to all who have contributed to the Annual Fund. For those who are still waiting, please consider the importance of giving whatever amount you are comfortable with. Developing the future generation of Catholic leaders has never been more important. Through your generosity we are truly "Building Tomorrow Today."

O behalf of our entire school and parish staff, we wish you and your family a very blessed Christmas and a safe holiday season.

Dan Schuh, Principal

December 12, 2014

Table of Contents

Christmas Program

Important Reminders

12/19/14: Christmas Prayer Service 11:30am

12/19/14: Minimum Day, dismissal 12:00pm Spirit Day

12/22/14-01/02/15-Christmas Break

01/05/15: School resumes

01/07/15: Minimum Day, dismissal 12:00pm

01/10/15: Father/Daughter Dance 6:30pm-8:30pm

OUR FAITH

Mass Schedule

Weekend Mass schedule: Saturday 5:00 pm; Sunday 7:30, 9:00, 10:30 am, 12:00 and 5:00 pm

Weekday Mass schedule December 15-19: Parish Mass at 8:00 am: grades K -2 on Tuesday, grades 6 - 8 on Wednesday, grades 3 - 5 on Thursday

Christmas prayer service on Friday, December 19 at 11:30 am

Saint John Church Christmas Mass Schedule

December 24 - Christmas Eve: 8:00 am, Children's Mass 4:00 pm, Children's Mass 6:00 pm, Family Mass 8:00 pm, Midnight Mass 11:00 pm

December 25 - Christmas Day: 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am, 12:00 pm (Spanish)

Faith in Action:

Our community has once again been extremely generous with donations for the Christmas Basket program. Thank you to everyone for helping with this outreach program. Our students will help parish volunteers assemble baskets next week.

OUR FAMILY

Please keep in our thoughts and prayers...

Mrs. Miller's aunt, Barbara Howard, who is suffering from poor health;

Monsignor Harnett;

All who suffer from loneliness during the holidays.

Congratulations to ...

Spelling Bee finalists:

8L: Audrey Azzeh, Gabrielle Bell, Gabe Brown, Abby Meyer, Kevin Michaels, Ryan Park, Kenzy Putnam, Olivia Shane Alternates: Chloe Bieaugel, Caitlin Gordon

8S: Mikaela Adams, Sarah Allard, Lauren Alberton, Aiden Brady, Billy Cowan, Cameron Kaihatu, Emily Ricci, Olivia Rodriguez Alternates: Vaughn Miller, Nina LeVeille

7H: Emma Anzil, Stuart Dempster, Mike Gazzo, Aidan Hallinan, Shea Hinojosa, Brian McCorkle, Aleks Poledica, Brianna Sanchez

Alternate: Sean Alvarez

7M: Moya Caulfield, Carson Duenas, Mick Harle, Trevor King, Ethan Lagasse, Sarah Peterson, Jackson Reed, Vanessa Weston

Alternate: Rishi Patel

Thank you to....

All the volunteers who did a wonderful job of decorating the campus with Advent and Christmas decorations. It was beautifully done.

Natalie and Keith Garcia, Nancy Armstrong, Marissa Ferregur, Cherie Carbine, Jill and Alan Cole, Tracine Lee, Heather House

A special thanks to Jonell Tibbitt's father, John Galik for making the candle flames and stands.

Father Joseph for attending the morning assembly and blessing the Advent wreaths.

....all who participated in the Barnes & Noble Night. We surpassed the 2013 sales amount and through the Reading Rocks program, 99 new books were donated to the school library. Thank you to the Ryder family for the generous Nook donation to the Reading Rocks Raffle. Thank you also to our chairperson, Krisztina Rollins and the volunteers: Christina Becker, Cherie Carbine, Jen Doogan, Brenda Fonzo, Tiffany Heutel, Trish Petraglia, and Ms. Heller.

The 8th grade students and Holly Strimaitis for the burlap Thanksgiving placemats donated to Meals on Wheels.

All our Annual Fund Parent Ambassadors and the Leadership Committee for the phenomenal job they have done on our first campaign.

All the parents who helped with this year's Christmas performances! The Parish Hall looked beautiful and the night ran more smoothly because of your efforts. Merry Christmas!

Kindergarten Christmas Program

1st Grade Christmas Program

3rd Grade Christmas Program

4th Grade Christmas Program

OUR SCHOOL

Annual Fund Update: Tomorrow is Built Today

Thank you to all who have donated to our Annual Fund so far. We are currently at a 54% participation rate with $147,310.00 raised so far. We also have several families that having matching contributions from their employers as well. Please don't forget to see if your company has a matching program and let us know if you need assistance with that process. Donations can be made online through a secure PayPal link on our website or by completing a donation form and submitting it to the front office.

We are just a few days away from the December 15 deadline. There has been a lot of information sent to you about the Annual Fund. The most important part to take from all of the messages is that 100% participation at a level you are comfortable with, is truly our number one goal. Ultimately, the development of a culture of giving at Saint John School will provide us the resources necessary to continue offering a dynamic Catholic education to all our students now and in the future.

Donations can be made online through a secure PayPal or by completing a donation form and submitting it to the front office.

Strategic Plan:

We have recently added our Saint John School Strategic Plan to School Speak. It will also be on the school website. Please skim or read it when you have an opportunity. It provides a self-assessment and evaluation of the school's strategic areas. It also provides an outline of goals and action plans to meet the three to five year benchmarks. The Annual Fund and Project Domino are part of the Strategic Plan. We invite your comments and suggestions and will survey your ideas more in-depth in the New Year.

GREEN MY LIFE

by Mikaela Adams, Student Council Vice President

Welcome back to "Green My Life." In our articles, you will learn about ways you can spice up your life while helping and preserving the earth at the same time!

DO-IT-YOURSELF VACATION MEMORY JARS

Nobody likes to say goodbye to the holidays or fun vacations, but there's an easy way to extend the joy of the moments shared or adventures taken. Whether you create these jars on a rainy day or at a good friend's house, memory jars help you remember all the great fun you had on your trip.

Materials:

any kind of large glass jar with a cork
trinkets, souvenirs, pictures from your trip
hot glue or Elmer's glue bottle

All you have to do is arrange the souvenirs and pictures the way that you would like, creating a "message in a bottle"-type feeling!

You can also fill it with the nature around you! For example, fill the jar with sand if you took a trip to a Hawaiian island, or fill the jar with pinecones or pressed flowers if you camped out overnight in the Redwood Forest. This fun craft will serve as a visual reminder of these pleasant memories for years to come!

EAGLE PARENT GROUP

Park-n-Pray meets on Wednesdays from 1:30-2:30. Evening meetings are held on early dismissal Wednesdays. Look out for prayer cards and bookmarks that have been given to your children from this wonderful ministry. For questions please contact Mary Goulet at mary@marygoulet.net.

Spirit Store

Looking for easy gift ideas for kids, parents, or grandparents? Why not check out the Spirit Store? There are many items to choose from. Look for the Spirit Store link on School Speak to order.

Used Uniforms

If you are needing gently used uniforms, you may go to Platypus Kids in Encinitas to purchase. You may also drop off your used uniforms at Platypus Kids. We are no longer accepting old logo PE shirts, sweatshirts, and Spirit Shirts. All items need to be free of stains and holes.

ESCRIP/Target Card

Don't forget to sign your credit cards up on Escrip.com AND your Target Red Card on target.com/tcoe. This is easy money for our school!

Barnes n Noble Night

Thank you to all the families who attended Barnes n Noble Night and for all the very generous book donations. Thank you also to Krisztina Rollins for organizing such a fun event!

DVD Sales from the Christmas Program will be for sale. The order form can be found on School Speak. Orders are due by December 18.

Giddy Up Round Up

Be on the look out...Father/Daughter Dance invitations were sent home last week for preschool-8th grade. The dance is on January 10 from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm. Tickets are $25 per couple/$5 per additional child.

Mother Son bowling will be on February 7.

Roaring Twenties Auction - Save the date! March 21, 2015

The Auction Committee still has a few volunteer opportunities available. Please contact Jill Cole at jillacole@yahoo.com or Melissa Harrington at melissaharrington@cox.net.

Eagle Group Meeting

The next meeting is on Tuesday, January 20 in the Encinitas and Leucadia Rooms of the Parish Hall at 8:00 AM.

ATHLETICS CORNER

The fall season has ended with all our players having a great season. Our sixth grade boy's football and sixth grade girl's volleyball teams both made it to the playoffs and plan to go further next year. Congratulations to our 8th grade girls who placed third in the girl's football tournament. The winter season begins after our break with pee-wee soccer, 5-8 girl's soccer, and 5-8 boy's basketball. I encourage all parents and athletes to practice with family members over the break in backyards or parks. Our fall volunteer coaches represented Saint John School in a very professional manner and I deeply thank them for such a good job. Thank you to all the parents for getting their sons and daughters to and from games and practices. The 2015 athletic year already looks to be promising and I look forward to seeing all our athletes enjoy playing with friends and staying active.

Have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

As always, athletic game schedules can be found here.

Please consider supporting our teams at home games whether or not your child is playing. Our teams love to have your support!

Good luck Eagles!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

National Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. Catholic Schools Week is on January 25 - 31. The theme is "Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service. We will begin the week with an Open House on Sunday, January 25 after the 10:30 am Mass until 1:00 pm. If you know someone who is interested in a great Catholic education for their children, please encourage them to come and see what we are all about.

REMINDERS

Important Reminders:

Christmas prayer service at 11:30 am on Friday, December 19

Friday, December 19 is a minimum day with 12:00 noon dismissal. After school care is available until 6:00 pm.

School is closed for the Christmas holiday from Monday, December 22 - Friday, January 2. School resumes on Monday, January 5.

Wednesday, January 7 is a minimum day with 12:00 noon dismissal. The first Wednesday of each month is also Spirit & Stewardship Day. Students may wear their spirit shirts with blue/black jeans or uniform attire. Uniform shoes, socks, and accessories are also required. Donations to the Parish Food Pantry are encouraged as well.

Father/Daughter Dance is Saturday, January 10 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm

MISSION STATEMENT

Saint John School, a Christ-centered environment, empowers our children to gain a thorough understanding of the Catholic faith, achieve their highest academic potential, and share Christ's love through Christian action.