A Message from the Principal
On Sunday, the congregation of St. John’s will present all second grade students with their first Bible. What an exciting stepping stone this is in the lives of these children and their families. Their parents have been asked to choose a Bible verse that is special to them, and they will share that verse with their child on Sunday. With the help of Sherrie Smith and Katie Pece, the families will look through these new Bibles and locate some important verses and learn how to navigate through God’s Word. 
Please pray for these families, that these new Bibles will be a blessing to them, and that they might enhance their spiritual journey together as a family. 

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”


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
Congratulations to the boys and girls varsity volleyball teams!!! The girls took 3rd place, and the boys took 2nd place at this weekend's tournament! Way to go, Eagles!!!
Sunday, Sep 24 Primary Choir Sings!

All students, 1st-4th grades, are in Primary Choir. They will sing at the 10:45 AM service. All primary choir students should meet in the music room at 10:30 AM. Parents may wait in the hall, and after a brief rehearsal students will be dismissed to sit with families.
Sunday, Sept 24 is also 2nd Grade Bible Presentation Sunday

2nd graders and their families should gather in the narthex at 9:30 AM for "Time Together in the Word." The presentation of the Bibles will be during the 10:45 service.
MAP testing will take place at St. John’s during the weeks of
September 18 and September 25

What is MAP testing?
MAP = M easures of A cademic P rogress.
·  This is a series of tests that our students take on the computer that measure each child's academic growth within the year, and from year to year, in the areas of mathematics, reading, and language usage. At St. John’s these tests are administered to all children in Kindergarten through 8 th grade three times a year: fall (Sept.), winter (Jan.), and spring (April).
·  When taking the MAP test, the difficulty of each question is based on how well a student answers all the previous questions. As the student answers correctly, questions become more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions become easier. Although the tests are not timed, it usually takes students about one hour to complete each test. Students will repeat the tests two more times during the year in order to continually assess their progress and adapt learning as needed.
·  MAP test results are important to our school because they let teachers know where a student's strengths are and if help is needed in any specific areas. Teachers use this information to help them guide instruction in the classroom.
 
How can you help your child prepare for MAP testing?
·  Make sure that your child is well-rested on school days, especially the day of the test. Children who are tired are less able to pay attention in class or to handle the demands of a test.
·  Give your child a well-rounded diet. A healthy body leads to a healthy, active mind.
·  Provide books and magazines for your child to read at home. By reading new material, a child learns new words that might appear on a test. Ask your child's teacher for a suggested outside reading list.
 
If you would like more information about MAP testing, talk with your child's teacher or go directly to the NWEA website at
 
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.
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
Tired of packing lunches every day?
We are in our 3 rd week of Smart Lunches service here at St. John’s! Feedback from parents and kids has been very positive. Most kids have liked the food and parents have enjoyed the convenience. As a reminder for those of you who haven’t yet given it a try: you can order delicious, nourishing lunches to be delivered directly to your child at St John’s Monday through Thursday. You can order lunches every day, twice a week, once a week, sporadically or just one time, to give it a try. The more lunches you sign up for, the lower the price per lunch. 
What they deliver:
  • Rotating menu with a variety of hot and cold meals;
  • Nutrition kids need with healthy sides, no high-fructose corn syrup, and organic pasta daily;
  • Worry-free service: they get it right, and your kids love their lunches, or it’s on Smart Lunches!
It’s easy to order lunches:
  1. You create an account and customize lunches at www.smartlunches.com.
  2. Smart Lunches prepares the lunches & delivers them to St John’s in temperature-controlled packaging.
  3. Your child gets a tasty lunch!
WIN A FREE MONTH OF LUNCHES!
Each week that you have a lunch delivery scheduled, you will be automatically entered to win a free month of lunches! There’s a new drawing every week! Promotion ends Oct. 1st, 2017. View contest rules at http://try.smartlunches.com/sweep .
Order lunches now at www.smartlunches.com , or view the upcoming calendar menu at http://try.smartlunches.com/calendar !
Questions? Contact Debbie Cloutier: bankerref@comcast.net, (630)321-0427 (hm), or (630-888-4188 (text). Or contact Smart Lunches Customer Service: (888)257-6278 or info@smartlunches.com.

Mark your calendars!
The Scholastic Book Fair will be open October 16 th and 17 th !
Also, back for a 3 rd year will be our popular Family Reading Night on Monday, October 16 th . Come visit the Book Fair with your family and enjoy fun activities for ALL AGES planned by our teachers! A light dinner will be available for purchase in the gym that evening. Watch for more information to come soon…!
Are you a book lover? Read on…
Share your love of reading with our kids! St. John’s needs a new Book Fair coordinator to take over next year. The easiest way to learn what’s involved would be to work with this year’s Book Fair coordinator on our Wild West Book Fair in October! While our Scholastic Book Fairs are technically PTO fundraisers, they are mostly about getting books into our kids’ hands and getting them excited about reading! To find out more, please contact Debbie: bankerref@comcast.net, 630-888-4188(text) or 630-321-0427(home).
Hot lunch orders for
Bill’s Place (September 25 th )
are due TODAY by 3:15 pm
Order forms can be found on the SJL website at stjohnslagrange.org →Parents→Forms, or in the school office. Please contact Debbie with any questions about this lunch: bankerref@comcast.net, 630-888-4188(text) or 630-321-0427(home).
Box Tops Competition is Back!

We are off to a late start, but the quarterly competition between all the classes is beginning again. Each classroom has their own special Box Tops container for collections. At the end of each quarter, the class with the highest percentage wins a special treat. This is a simple way to help out our school and let the kids have a bit of fun in the process. The first completion ends on October 27 th .

For more information on Box Tops, including a list of participating products, go to  BTFE.com . Be sure to sign up as a member (it’s free!) so you can check out our school’s earnings details and get access to coupons and bonus offers.
Introductions to Your PTO Board

St. John’s has a number of new families this year. Because of that, we would like to introduce ourselves. My name is Desiree Trapp, and I am your PTO President. I have a daughter in the 8 th grade and a son in the preschool-3 classroom. (I also have a step-daughter, who is a freshman at ISU.) LaDonna Tolefree is your PTO Vice-President. She has a son in 8 th grade. Dani Badgley is your PTO Treasurer. She has a son in 6 th grade. All three of us served on the PTO Board last school year. New to St. John’s and to PTO is Jen Spalla. She has joined our board and is your PTO Secretary. She has two sons, one in 2 nd grade and one in 4 th grade. We are looking forward to serving this year, and we hope every family feels welcomed and takes advantage of all the PTO has to offer. 
Reminder

Tonight at 11:59pm is the deadline for pre-registration for the Flying High Pizza FUNdraiser. After tonight, the rate increases from $15 per child to $20. Walk-ins still welcome. Hope to see you all there this Friday, 9/22 from 7-10pm. 
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
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
Calendar
Week of September 18, 2017
Fall MAP Testing

Monday. Sep 1 8 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


Week of September 25, 2017
Fall MAP Testing

Monday. Sep 25 Trip Orders Due
  • 3:30 PM So Kids, Sew!
  • 4:00 PM Girls Varsity Volleyball Game HOME - Trinity, Burr Ridge
  • 5:00 PM Boys Varsity Volleyball Game HOME - Trinity, Burr Ridge

Tuesday, Sep 26

Wednesday, Sep 27

Thursday. Sep 28

Friday, Sep 29 PICTURE DAY
  • 4:00 PM Girls Varsity Volleyball Practice

Saturday, Sep 30
  • Walther Girls Volleyball Tournament

Sunday, Oct 1
708-354-1690
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