Thursday, August 30, 2018

Thursday, August 30th - Parent Orientation and Home & School Meeting, 6:30 PM in Church Hall (Child care available in the gym) Monday, September 3rd - No School, Labor Day Wednesday, September 5th - Candle Mass, 8:00 AM

Family Prayer  Gospel Reading for Sunday, September 2nd, 2018   Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23   Questions for Family Discussion:  What kinds of thoughts, actions, or words are polluted or unclean?  How do we know when our thoughts and actions are good and unclean?    Why do we, and other people, sometimes make the choice to be mean, unkind, or unfair?    Can you think of anyone or anything that can help us remember to remain clean in our actions, thoughts, and words? Who or what can help us keep a clean, good heart?    Please consider reading the upcoming Sunday gospel together as a family. The questions above are good conversation starters as you prepare your children for weekly mass.

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Welcome Back to School!  All Parents are reminded that we will hold our annual parent orientation tonight, beginning at 6:30 PM. We will begin with a meeting for all families in the cafeteria, followed by the opportunity to meet with your child’s teachers.   Childcare will be provided. Simply drop off your children (ages one and older) in the gym beginning at 6:20 PM.

A Note from the Principal:     Dear SJE Families,      Our school year is off to a great start. Our teachers and students are beginning to settle into their classrooms, adjusting to new schedules, and working hard to take on new responsibilities.     Our theme for the year is “Growing in God’s Love”. We will be learning about a different fruit of the Holy Spirit each month throughout the year. Our fruit for September is kindness. Our students will be exploring the difference between being nice and being kind. They will study bible passages which guide us to kindness in thoughts, prayers, and actions, and are even practicing habits such as greeting each other and adults throughout the day and shaking hands with adults and classmates.     Another important part of understanding kindness is raising awareness among students about their interactions with peers throughout the day. We are addressing this with classroom morning meetings. Our teachers will be telling you about morning meetings at our open house this evening. In addition, please ask your student, whether they are in K4, or eighth grade, about the morning meeting in their classroom each day. Since this is a new part of our daily routine for most of our students, we are excited to watch the process unfold throughout the year.     Thank you so much for sharing your students with us.  All of our staff members look forward to getting to know your children.     Growing in God’s Love,      Mary Laidlaw Otto

Eddy the Eagle was on hand for our first full day of school, Tuesday, August 28th. Our students are so excited to begin a new year!!

Cousins Sub Day - Tomorrow, Friday, August 31st ALL DAY Head on over to the Cousins Subs at 7495 W. Layton Ave. for a delicious sandwich. A portion of sales for the day will be donated to our Home & School Association. We thank Paul at Cousins for his ongoing generosity toward our school. Scrip cards can be purchased at the parish office during regular business hours.

Reminder:  Our handbook is now electronic! This handbook contains a wide variety of information including teacher contacts, our dress/uniform code, homework policies and much, much more. Today’s paper envelope includes the traditional sign-off sheet for our parent and student handbook. Please take time to review the handbook by logging onto  www.sje.k12.wi.us . A link to the handbook is available on the front page of the school website. Click on the school link, and then on the “forms and resources” drop down to access this important information. Once you have familiarized yourself with this document, please sign and return the cover sheet to school.

Soles for Catholic Schools Walk -  Once again this year, St. John the Evangelist is participating in the Soles for Catholic Education Walk. Please plan on joining us on Saturday,   Oct. 20. Register now to receive a free t-shirt. We are collecting gently used shoes to "stuff the bus." Join the St. John the Evangelist team!  http://catholicschoolswalk.org/

Mark your calendars for our annual Fun Run and Tailgate Party   to be held on   Friday, September 21st.  Our students and parents alike look forward to this event. Beginning at 5 PM, students and parents will have the opportunity to walk or run around our 1/2 mile track up to 6 times! Parent and teacher cheerleaders will be on hand to provide encouragement.  Following the run, families will be treated to a tailgate party. Food will be provided. Our playground will be open for children. Parents are encouraged to bring lawn chairs if the weather is nice, so that they can spend time socializing. This is the perfect opportunity for our new families to spend some time getting to know our community. Please watch next week’s family folder for further information about the fun run and tailgate party.

Fuel Up to Play 60 – What is it? SJE has benefitted from FUTP60 for the past 4 years. Supported by the Wisconsin Dairy Farmers and the NFL, it’s purpose is to promote healthy eating and activities in schools across Wisconsin. At SJE, students in grades 5-8 can be a part of our leadership team that meets twice a month on Thursdays from 2:45-3:30. This group plans all-school events and promotes contests run by the FUTP60 program. Our 1st meeting was today! Interested students may join at any time and see Ms. Starks for more information.  ALL students may enter contests and attend our special after-school events including the Turkey Trot, Run the Halls and Fuel Up to Play in May. Watch for more information in the weekly newsletter. FYI, the Smile and Say Cheese Contest starts Sept. 1 and winners receive 2 tickets to a Packer’s game! Two SJE students have won in this contest by entering early! See the flyer for details!

Fitness Eagles Ms. Starks is introducing a program called “Fitness Eagles” to encourage students to be active outside of school hours. Each month a fitness calendar will be sent home with suggested exercises/activities. Record completed activities, have a parent sign the bottom to verify the work and return to the school office. Students completing the calendar will be listed in the Gym hallway as a Fitness Eagle and will receive a foot token that can be hung on backpacks or worn on lace-up shoes. Additional prizes will be awarded to students who complete multiple calendars. Families are encouraged to workout together!  Watch for more information on our Fuel Up to Play 60 Challenge of Moving through Wisconsin.

A note from our parish office to all coaches and volunteers: Keys for evening or weekend meetings must be picked up during regular business hours. Adults must sign out keys. Please do not send children in to the parish office to sign out keys. If there is a difficulty, call the parish office to make special arrangements. Thank You!

St. John the Evangelist School 414-321-8540 Fax: 414-321-4450 www.sje.k12.wi.us