A Message from the Principal
As part of our 9/11 remembrance on Monday, we prayed a prayer together, part of which really stuck with me. I want to share these words with you, that you might be inspired to pray them yourselves, as they are so appropriate for much that is going on in our world. 

“Enable us, Dear God, to put an end to fear:
By resolving to live lives that are based on respect for one another;
By resolving to abide in a peaceful manner and never settle disagreements in our lives in a violent way;
By resolving not to fall into the trap of blaming entire ethnic groups, races, or religions in response to acts of hostility;
By resolving that justice, not revenge, prevail in our world.
Let us resolve that in the face of hatred, we will show love;
That in times of despair, we will be voices of hope
And creators of new dreams;
That in times of darkness, we will be sources of light.
Let us resolve that we never regard forgiveness as weakness,
But rather as a source of strength in our lives and in our world.”


In His Name,
Teri Lyn Mannes, Principal

Eagles in Action
3 rd Grade Eagles in Action 2017
3rd Grade will be serving at Feed My Starving Children in Aurora at the end of September. We are going to pack meals to help hungry children in the world who are desperate for healthy food supplemented with vitamins and prayers to help them grow. In addition, we want to serve people in need here in our area. So, we will be using our chapel offerings for the LaGrange Area Food Pantry which helps families with food items, and non-food items like toothpaste, shampoo, soap, deodorant, toilet paper. Throughout the school year, 3 rd grade will purchase items from our chapel offerings collected in September to donate to the food pantry. There will be a collection bin located in the church narthex throughout the year if you would like to donate outside of the month of September. We hope to build a relationship with the food pantry and serve God and people’s needs throughout the school year. Thank you for helping us serve God with your offerings!

Announcements
Well done, Alexia and Max! We're so proud of you!


"Alexia and Max Stradal were honored last week for doing the right thing by Police Chief Joe Ford (left) and Mayor Sean McDermott."
VOICE MESSAGING SYSTEM
 
When calling the office, here are some helpful reminders for how to use the menu:
 
When you call, the School Office menu is choice 4.
 
Once in that menu, you have the following options available:
 
To Report School Absence Press 1
Extended Care   Press 2
School Office Press 3
Admissions Press 4
Staff Directory Press 5
Directions to the school Press 6
To repeat these options Press 7
To return to the main menu Press 0
 
THINGS TO KNOW…

Morning Drop-off:
Preschool and kindergarten students should enter through Door A. Siblings of preschool-kindergarten may enter with them.
1st-8th grade students should be dropped off at Door D, on Park Rd.

For the safety of all our students, when using door A, please park first.
Do not drop off in front of door A.

Late Arrivals and During the Day :
After the 8:15a starting time, use the intercom at Door B to gain admittance to the school building.  Parents must accompany the student to the school office and sign them in or out (name and time) on the appropriate list. 
 
Absences :
Please call the school office by 8:15a if your child is ill or has a doctor’s appointment early in the morning. If a student has a communicable disease (strep throat, measles, chicken pox, etc.) please call the school office. Do not send a child who has a fever. The child needs to be fever free, without medication , for a full 24 hours to return to school after an illness.
 
Original Works Art Studio
We are participating in the Original Works Fundraiser again this year. All students will make a piece of art in class with their teachers that can later be made into a wide range of products.  Many samples will be on display at the PTO Open House.
We are excited to offer students in Grades 4-8 the opportunity to meet after school and make artwork of their choosing with the guidance of Mrs. Stapleton, Mrs. Kunz and Mrs. Hull. This will be in addition to the art made in class. Our art studio will meet Wednesdays, September 20 and September 27 from 3:15 to 4:15. You may attend one session or both sessions. The cost for participating is $6 and it will be applied to your Original Works order. Please contact Mrs. Hackelberg if you have any questions. Permission slips for the Art Studio are available from your teacher or in the rack by the school office.
Help Wanted
St. John's is looking for a preschool aide for Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays from 8a-3p. If you are interested or know someone who might be, please contact the school office.
There’s still time to enroll for

Band, Piano and Strings
 
It’s not too late to enroll your child in one of our instrumental programs, but you need to act soon. 
 
¨  Strings (violin, viola, cello) and piano lessons are offered to students in Kindergarten– 8th grade.
 
¨  Band instruments are offered to students in 4th—8th grade. 
 
If you would like more information or wish to enroll your child, please click on this link: BandPianoStrings.pdf for additional information or you can contact the school office.  
Save the Date!
Saturday, October 28, 12:00-1:30pm in the St. John’s Parking lot

                                                                                                    
Walcamp Outdoor Ministries is hosting a Fall Festival
on Saturday, September 23.
Please see flyer for more details:
PTO News
PIZZA FRIDAY RETURNS!
Pizza Friday is a fundraising event to raise money for the annual 7 th and 8 th grade class trip in May. Students and parent chaperones travel to Springfield and Washington, D.C. in alternating years. This May, students will be traveling to Washington, D.C.
Please look for the Pizza Friday information and order forms this week in your student’s Take Home folders. Order forms can also be found on the SJL website at stjohnslagrange.org→Parents→Forms, or outside the school office. The first Pizza Friday for this school year will be Friday, September 22. Orders for that date will be due by 9:00 am on Wednesday, September 20. Pisa Pizza will again be providing the pizza served on Fridays this year. Cookies, brownies and dessert bars will be sold for $0.25 each (limit 2 per child per lunch).
***Even though this is a fundraiser for 7 th & 8 th grades, ANY parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles of any age student are welcome to help serve pizza on Fridays! It’s a fun, no-stress way to get to see your kids in the middle of the day and to see them interact with their friends. If you would like to help out, please follow the sign up instructions below – and THANK YOU !
ATTENTION: 7 th & 8 th grade parents – Please sign-up as soon as possible to help serve pizza and to donate cookies/brownies. All cookies/brownies/dessert bars must be without nuts. Since all proceeds help offset the cost of the Springfield trip in May, all 7 th and 8 th grade parents are expected to fully participate in this fundraiser. Please go to Sign-up Genius to sign up (both serving pizza and donating dessert items):
1)   
2)   Click on the magnifying glass in the upper right corner.
3)   “Search for a Sign-up” with email: bankerref@comcast.net
4)   Click on “ Pizza Fridays 2017-18 ” to sign up to serve pizza on the dates that work best with your schedule.

Click on the buttons below to download and print order forms:
Flying High UPDATE

Our first Flying High event date, and first PTO fundraiser, is for Friday, September 22 nd from 7-10pm. Last week, we announced that Flying High has extended the invitation to include our preschool-aged students. (Please disregard any flier that states the ages are 5+.) This is a drop off event, but parents are welcome to stay in the viewing area if they wish. Feel free to share with non-SJL friends, family, and neighbors as well. Additional information and how to register can be found of the school website, under the PTO tab – PTO Events. Preregistration ends 9/20 at 11:59pm at a rate of $15 per child. After that and walk-ins have a $20 per child fee. For questions or concerns, please contact Desiree Trapp at desiree.trapp19@gmail.com or 708-699-3406.
By request…
Mixed Bag Designs fundraising “pre-sale”

Next March, the PTO will be hosting a catalog fundraiser through Mixed Bag Designs. The PTO will earn 50% of all orders during that fundraiser. Our Mixed Bags representative was at Parent Information Night, along with a wide assortment of samples of available products. Products include reusable storage, shopping bags, lunch bags, iPhone cases, and travel bags along with dozens of other options to help you “live green.” A number of people asked if it was possible to purchase items before March, while still supporting our school. The answer is “YES!” and here’s how…
It’s easy to support us – just shop online!
  • Go to www.mixedbagdesigns.com/?fundraiserid=57322
  • Make sure our ID 57322 is entered at the top of the website before shopping.
  • We receive 40% of every online purchase!
  • Orders ship directly to anyone in the USA. Orders may be subject to tax/shipping.
  • Shipping is FREE on orders $75 and up!
Questions? Contact: Debbie Cloutier (630) 321-0247; bankerref@comcast.net

Hot lunch orders for Bill’s Place (September 25 th )
due on Wednesday, September 20 th
Family order forms were sent home last week. Order forms can be found on the SJL website at stjohnslagrange.org→Parents→Forms, or in the school office. Lunch orders are due next week : no later than 3:15 pm on Wednesday, 9/20.  If we have extras, there may be individual bags of chips available for 50¢ and cookies for 25¢ each.
Please contact Debbie with any questions about this lunch: bankerref@comcast.net, 630-888-4188(text) or 630-321-0427(home). 
Hot Shots Sports

The first session of Hot Shots starts on October 5 th and will run for the next 4 Thursdays. This session is for preschool through 1 st grades. There was a discrepancy on the Hot Shots website with the correct grades, but hopefully it will be corrected soon, if it hasn’t already. Registration forms have gone home for the appropriate grades; they will also be available on the school website as well. For more information, visit www.chicago.hotshots4kids.com

PTO Meeting/Parent Information Night

PTO would like to thank all the families that came to the PTO Meeting/Parent Information Night. We are looking forward to another year and hope you are too. A huge thank you goes out to all the families that have volunteered for PTO Events. We wouldn’t be able to have a successful year without the dedication from our families. There was a lot of information given; for any questions about PTO, please contact Desiree Trapp at desiree.trapp19@gmail.com or 708-699-3406.

For families who could not attend, copies of the packet for the evening can be found on the school website and in the school office. Event sign-up sheets are located in the PTO binder in the school office as well. The PTO Bulletin Board (located by Door A – preschool doors) will be updated often so don’t forget to check it out whenever possible. 
Calendar
Week of September 11, 2017
Monday. Sep 11 Trip Orders Due
  • 3:30 PM So Kids, Sew!
  • 3:30 PM Boys Varsity Volleyball Practice
  • Walther Cross Country Meet

Tuesday, Sep 12

Wednesday, Sep 13

Thursday. Sep 14

Friday, Sep 15

Saturday, Sep 16
  • Trinity Burr Ridge Volleyball Tournament
  • 9:20 AM, 11:00 AM, & 12:40 PM Girls
  • 2:30 PM or 3:20 PM Boys

Sunday, Sep 17

Week of September 18, 2017
Fall MAP Testing

Monday. Sep 18 Trip Orders Due
  • 3:30 PM So Kids, Sew!
  • 3:30 PM Girls Varsity Volleyball Practice

Tuesday, Sep 19

Wednesday, Sep 20

Thursday. Sep 21

Friday, Sep 22
  • 7:00 PM PTO Flying High Fundraiser

Saturday, Sep 23 No Activities Scheduled

Sunday, Sep 24
708-354-1690
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