SJPDS Spirit Week is Next Week- Go Bears!

January 22nd -26th

During SJPDS's annual Spirit Week, we celebrate our incredible school and the Five Gifts of St. John’s, symbolized in our school logo. Each day next week, students may wear our School Spirit color of the day or School Spirit Wear! Lower School students can wear P.E. bottoms or jeans. We will begin the week with an All School Chapel, which will highlight the importance and meaning of each of the pieces of our logo. Each day, students will participate in activities that celebrate the significance of each character of the logo (see below). In addition, Spirit Bear will be ‘hiding’ in different areas of the school, waiting for students to find him! We can't wait to celebrate SJPDS!

Monday/Green: The Leaf symbolizes “the development of confident, independent thinkers, people of character, and respectful citizens connected to our local and global communities.” It also symbolizes our green school standing.

Tuesday/Red: The Heart symbolizes “a loving, caring, supportive environment where childhood is preserved and celebrated.”

Wednesday/White: The Cross (the center of the logo) symbolizes “spiritual growth through faith formation grounded in the Christian tradition.” 

Thursday/Brown: The Acorn symbolizes “wonder and possibility; where opportunities for discovery abound.”

Friday/Yellow: The Flame symbolizes “innovative curriculum and teachers who know and serve each student as they grow academically, socially, and spiritually.”

*Students can choose to wear Yellow or Blue on Friday for our Walk for Wamunyu*

Walk for Wamunyu

Friday, January 26th

Get excited!! It is once again time for St. John’s Walk for Wamunyu to benefit partner Kenya Connect! This year our walk will be held on Friday, January 26^th. Every step that St. John's students take during their designated walk time will help to benefit the 18,000 students at Kenya Connect's 62 partner public schools.   

Ms. Esposito and Mrs. Valkanas were fortunate to have traveled to Kenya last summer to see the impact our school has made over the many years that we've partnered with Kenya Connect. Last year, our school raised over $18,000.00, which helped to bring water to an entire community! View the opening of the borehole, which brings life-saving water to the community, HERE!

Please join all of the students of St. John’s Parish Day School in raising funds for Kenya Connect. An information and pledge sheet will be coming home with further details or you can access it by clicking on the link provided below:

Pledge Sheet

Information Sheet

To learn more about Kenya Connect and its mission to provide education to as many students as possible, please visit its website HERE.

This year, the money we raise for Kenya Connect will be used to help fund School-Break Computer Boot Camps, School-Break Maker Space & Library Programs and will be used to send 5 students to a robotics competition! 

Thank you for your continued support and generosity towards this incredible fundraised and Global outreach Program! 

Walk for Wamunyu Parent Volunteers and Schedule

We are looking for a few parent volunteers to help out during our Walk for Wamunyu! If you are interested in coming in to cheer on and mark laps for your child’s class, please use the sign-up genius below to do so. 

Parent Volunteer Sign-Up

Walk for Wamunyu Schedule

EC Schedule

9:30-9:50 Baldwin and Hunt 

9:50-10:10 Wool-Lewis and Kell 

10:10-10:30 Pearce, Gill and Cagas 

10:30-10:50 Wedderburn and Kennedy 

10:50-11:10 McD and Riegel 

LS Schedule



12:45-1:15 Kindergarten

1:15-1:45 Third Grade

1:45-2:15 First Grade

2:15-2:45 Second Grade

2:45-3:15 Fourth/Fifth Grades

If you are unable to attend as a volunteer but would like to watch and cheer on your child(ren), we will provide a Zoom link in next Thursday's newsletter! The students love seeing their families cheer them on from the big screen! It helps to encourage them to do their best and get as many laps as possible. Each lap helps to raise money for the incredible Kenya Connect!

SJPDS Summer Camp 2024

Registration Now Open!

We are pleased to announce that for the 2024 session of Summer Camp, St. John's Parish Day School will be offering programs for both Early Childhood and Lower School students!

Our Early Childhood Camp will be open for students 3.5 through 5 years of age (entering Kindergarten) and run for 10 weeks beginning on June 10th through August 16th. Click HERE for more information and to view weekly themes for Early Childhood Summer Camps!

Our Lower School Camp will be open for students who have completed Kindergarten through 5th grade and run for 6 weeks beginning on June 24th through August 2nd. Click HERE for more information and to view the weekly themes for Lower School Camps!

Click HERE to Learn More About and to Register for Summer Camp at SJPDS!

Mark Your Calendars- Spring Into Auction Gala!

Friday, April 26th

Join us for an evening of food, drinks, dancing, silent and live auctions, entertainment, and more! This incredibly important event will benefit our St. John's Fund and help us to raise funds for necessary updates around campus and projects to keep our school technologically updated! More information about this incredible event and ticket sales will be available in the coming weeks.

Check Out Our Incredible 3's!

Our 3's students have been exploring arctic animals in STEM class with Mrs. Wilkins. This week, they learned about adaptations that help keep these animals warm in polar temperatures, and how some animals build dens to protect them from the elements. Then our little engineers had a chance to build an enclosed shelter for an arctic animal of their own. Have a look at some of these creative results! 

School Closed for Conferences

Friday, February 2nd

Join us in the Main Lobby from 8:00 AM - 10:15 AM for First Friday before or after your conference! We will have coffee, a fruit spread, and breakfast treats available and look forward to seeing you!

SJPDS Family STEM Day

Sat. February 10th, 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM

SJPDS is excited to invite families from within our community and outside friends and family members to join us for a morning of exciting STEM activities on Saturday, February 10th, from 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM! We will have STEM activities designed for children from ages 3-10, with multiple stations and opportunities for fun! We encourage you to share this event with friends and families outside of our school to invite them for a morning of educational fun and to tour our beautiful campus!

Registration is required for this event. Please click HERE to register to attend this fun and exciting STEM Day!

SJPDS Open House

Thursday, February 8th

We invite all prospective families to join us for an in-person Open House, Thursday, February 8th, from 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM! Families will learn about our intentionally small class sizes, project-based learning curriculum, specials programs, and how St. John's Parish Day School prepares children to be active and successful stewards of the world. Meet our incredible teachers and staff and take a tour of our beautiful 14+ acre campus, all while discovering what St. John's Parish Day School has to offer! Experience the SJPDS difference and learn what sets us apart from other independent schools. Registration and more information are available HERE!

Please share this event invitation with family and friends so we can continue to grow our incredible SJPDS community!

Join Us for a Dine-Out at Bagel Bin!

Saturday, February 10th

The PA invites you to a Dine-Out Breakfast at Bagel Bin in Ellicott City on Saturday, February 10th! Stop by before or after the SJPDS Family STEM Day for a delicious breakfast that benefits the Parent's Association! Show this flyer at the register to have 15% of your order donated to the SJPDS Parent's Association! Thank you for your continued support! Go Bears!

Follow SJPDS on Social Media to stay connected to our community!