Dear Saint John's Families,As we approach Catholic Schools Week I find myself reflecting on just how much a Catholic education means to me. Growing up, my parents made it clear that to get anywhere in life, you need to set goals, have a strong work ethic, and be honest with God and yourself. Being raised in a Catholic family, my parents placed a lot of emphasis on the value of education and faith. My 2 brothers and 3 sisters all attended Presentation and Hill-Murray high school. My parents made sacrifices over the years to send us to Catholic grade school and high school. And to them, I am extremely grateful. My wife and I are proud to sacrifice to have our daughters attend Catholic education. There is no doubt that I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Catholic education, and in particular, to all those great teachers who mentored me and taught me along the way. It’s not just my personal connection with Catholic schools that motivates me. As I look over the statistics it is immediately apparent that Saint John's is committed to academic excellence. When it comes to grades and academic achievement, our school is at the head of the class. Saint John's students score above the National and State level on their NWEA- Measure of Academic Progress assessments. Equally important, our kids enter High School well prepared emotionally and socially. Thank you Saint John families for your continued sacrifices and support! I know you are doing the very best for your children.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK: We are excited for Catholic Schools week! Please click HERE for the list of activities, free dress days, and of course, skating with the Principal! I encourage all families to join us in-person, at mass on January 24 at 10:30 a.m. presided by Bishop Andrew Cozzens. The mass will also be live streaming on Facebook. How Will You Join Us This Sunday? click HERE Finally, I hope to see as many students as possible for skating and a hockey game at the Fire Barns rink on Tuesday, January 26, 2020 from 6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. It will be a great time!
ATHLETICS: Congratulations to the Saint John's Hockey Team, which won its first game over Saint Rose with an impressive 10-2 victory! . UPDATES TO OUR COVID PLAN Our Pandemic Preparedness and Readiness Committee regularly meets to stay on top of needed updates to our policies, and sanitizing and social distancing standards, and here are a couple of important updates:
TRAVEL UPDATE:In November, we asked that anyone traveling more than 50 miles away for 48+ hours self-quarantine for 5 days. Going forward, anyone traveling only to or from a COVID hotspot will be required to contact us to discuss a possible quarantine. Hotspots include ALL air travel (from the last time you were on an airplane), as well as those updated daily at this website: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view. Important note: This quarantine is for travel only. At some point, you might find that you "live" in a hotspot (we're all in the metro area); this update to our protocols is specific to travel only, as our travel habits are different from our lifestyle habits.
CLOSE CONTACT UPDATE: Going forward, if anyone has close contact with a positive COVID case outside of the house, and they remain symptom-free, they will be able to return 10 days after contact. (This is a change from the previous 14 days symptom-free.) Close contact inside your home remains 14 days, even with a negative test result.
COVID TESTING: In an effort to help ensure we can continue to prioritize in-person learning at Saint John's, the staff will be taking on-site COVID tests. Our 1st test was last Friday, and we will continue bi-weekly tests to protect the health and safety of students and families INFO GRAPHIC UPDATE: For your convenience, we've updated our Infographic At-a-Glance, and highlighted the updates mentioned above. We appreciate everyone continuing to be diligent with the social distancing and sanitation measures put forth by the Governor and the Archdiocese. REMINDERS It is essential we hear your feedback! I will provide students a free dress pass for parents who complete this Survey by 1-22-21. The survey is confidential, so you will be provided a completion certificate. Your child(ren) will turn in the completion certificate, with your signature, to the main office for their free uniform pass(es)! Click HERE.
*SPECIAL* PEACE OF MIND: Our school community has benefited from mental health and wellness sessions provided by a licensed psychologist through the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence (CSCOE). We're excited to share with you that as part of its Peace of Mind initiative, CSCOE is hosting a special virtual session for ALL parents, not just those in Catholic schools.
Join licensed psychologist Dr. Jules Nolan with host Super Bowl Champion Matt Birk for "Parenting During Times of Uncertainty" via Zoom. 6:30 p.m. February 9 Register at this link and share it with your family and friends!
TADS: Tax season is here. Tuition and Eagle Club payment reports can be pulled directly from TADS. Here are the instructions: 1. Log into your account at https://secure.tads.com 2. Click on the Billing tab 3. On the left side of the screen, click on the "Household Paid Tuition Tax Report" link 4. Enter the proper tax year and click "submit"
SUMMER EAGLE CLUB: Our summer care program is available to all children ages 3 to 12. Eagle Club is offered from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily. We keep children engaged and entertained all summer long through activities like arts and crafts, games, science/STEM, reading and math, nature and, of course, field trips once a week. We also maintain and grow a vegetable garden, as well as spend lots of time outside playing and enjoying the nice weather. Summer registration CLICK HERE. Please contact Tayler Smith with questions.
IMPORTANT REMINDER-REGISTRATION-(We are nearing wait list in elementary grades): The enrollment fee is $100/family until January 29, 2021. As of January 30, 2021, the enrollment fee increases to $200/family. (If you have more than one student, you should only be assessed the enrollment fee on one child. If you get charged again for this, please reach out to Karla Schultz at [email protected].
AIM HIGHER: This year's application deadline is February 20, 2021. Aim Higher awarded 1,955 scholarships this year which means they are supporting more than 10% of the K-8 students in the Archdiocese! Even more exciting is they expect to exceed that number this year. If you need help navigating the application process, please reach out to AIM Higher, Laura Hester at [email protected] or 612-819-6711. Please click HERE for application.
SAINT JOHN’S FINANCIAL AID: Now is the time to apply for financial aid for next school year. Please click, Here for information on financial aid. When you are ready to apply for financial aid for grades K-8, you will find the application in your TADS account. Please note, you are required to apply for AIM Higher to qualify for Financial Aid.
SCHULZE EARLY LEARNING SCHOLARSHIP: Preschool families, the Schulze Early Learning portal is now open for scholarship applications. We encourage you to apply for this very generous scholarship opportunity. If families have any questions about the program, please contact Marla Friederichs at 612-801-1431 or [email protected]. Please click HERE to learn more.
JANUARY CALENDAR: January 25: NO SCHOOL, Teacher In-Service; Eagle Club sign-up HERE. January 24 - Catholic Schools Week Mass and Open House January 24-January 29: Catholic Schools Week. View and share the Saint John's online virtual school tour here. Check out the great that is happening daily on our school website and follow us on Facebook. Tell a friend about Saint John’s School!