Notes From the Office: September 27, 2021

St. John School Newsletter

September 27, 2021

St. John families:

 

As we approach the end of the first quarter, I have a few updates to share with you all.

1.  The Noffsingers would like to thank you all for the prayers for Jennifer and her family as they mourn the passing of her father.  You may find the funeral details here at this link: George Frederick Kubach Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information (barnettstrother.com)

 

2.  While the first few weeks were very challenging in dealing with Covid, the past few weeks we have fared much better.  And while allergy season will hopefully be ending shortly with the cooler weather, the increased indoor time and seasonal flu will be upon us.  Please continue to monitor your children's health and be proactive with holding them out of school if they show any Covid symptoms.  It is so much easier to control the spread if we can minimize the risks at school. Consult with your doctor about when you should consider getting flu shots, keep washing your hands, and stay healthy out there!

 

3.  With fall break coming up next week, please be mindful of your travel and interactions outside of school.  We are in such a better place this year than last year, but the Delta variant of Covid seems to be much more transmissible among adults and children.

 

4.  The next decision point for our masking policy arrives at the Fall Break timeframe.  I will update you when we receive direction from the Bishop as to our next steps.

 

5.  The Blessing of the Pets will be Monday morning (October 4th) at 8:15 (weather permitting) in the Grotto.  Please feel free to bring your pet, a picture of your pet, or even a stuffed animal representing your pet to be blessed that morning.  Go through drop off as normal and then park in the Main Cardome lot if you are choosing to stay for the blessing.  If you want to come back for the blessing, please drive in the South Entrance and also park in the Main Cardome lot. For those not familiar with this practice, in the Catholic faith, we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi and all his wonderful works with all God's creatures by having a special blessing for our families' pets.

 

6.  Lastly, I have received word from the coordinator for the Parochial Basketball League that the plans are ON for having basketball again this year.  Last year it was tough not to have a season, and we are all hopeful that our plans will result in a full and fun league this year.  Please see the basketball details below and realize that these plans are subject to change and there are many other details to be worked out before the games would being (towards the middle/end of November).

 

Peace and health to you all,

Mr. Mayer

 

 

 

"Your St John cross country team has launched into the 2021 running season with great passion and energy.  The runners have been training hard since the last week of July and they have been able to showcase the fruits of their labors in 5 races so far this season!  This year has been rather unique in the fact that 13 out of our 21 runners are FIRST YEAR harriers.  Jeremy Marks, George Ammari, Karam Hannouneh, Tamryn Wright, Grant Shear, Jack Bates, Julia Foster, Olive Porter, Owen Ammari, Evan Balbaugh, Hunter Chmela, Victoria Wright, and Oliver Adams are all doing outstanding in their first year on the team and getting stronger and faster each week.  The veterans, including Ben Mayer, Coen Noble, Kieran Graham, Mark Reinhart, Owen Graham, Griffin Hughes, and Samuel Mayer, are doing a tremendous job leading the team!   The boys team secured a FIRST place finish in our first race of the season at the Archives, a 4th place finish at Grant Co., a 10th place (out of 19) at the Bluegrass Invitational, a 7th place at Woodford, and a 9th place finish at our own invitational this past Saturday, the Double S Stampede.  These "middle of the pack" finishes are fantastic considering the much larger schools we consistently go up against!  Great job, boys!  

 

Our season ends at the state meet in Paris, KY on Saturday, October 16th!!   Come out and cheer on your classmates and see what a great sport cross country is!"

Calling all players (and those that want to play)!  The Parochial Basketball League is currently being planned to happen this winter.  The league games would run from mid/late November until early March.  St. John School would like to host some teams to play in this league.  So, first we need to gauge the overall interest in fielding team(s).  The league has traditionally been split as follows: 7th/8th grade boys; 7th/8th grade girls; 5th/6th grade boys; 5th/6th grade girls.  As you might imagine for a smaller school like St. John School, it is often difficult for us to field teams for all 4 leagues.

 

I would like to ask the following before you leave for Fall Break.  For all boys and girls in grades 5-8, please respond back to the office about your interest in playing basketball this season.  I would also like to gauge the interest in a skills camp for all boys and girls in grades 3-4.  This skills camp has been run a few times in years past to help drive interest and skills development in our younger students to hopefully keep them involved as they get older.  Once we have a good measure of the likely participation rate, we will get our coaches lined up, send out a practice schedule (starting the week of October 18th), and collect participation fees.  As in years past, we will have to rent a gym to practice (I have confirmed that Faith Baptist would like to host our practices again this year) and pay team league fees that cover the referees and other costs.  So, please be sure to email the office with the student name and interest level (for all those in grades 3-8).

Poster Contest

Have you heard about The Pilgrims Trail? Beginning during Catholic Schools’ Week, on Sunday, January 30th, 2022, you will have the opportunity to fellowship at every church, mission, and oratory in the Diocese of Lexington’s 50 counties. You will meet people from all over our diocese, see where they celebrate, and learn about their traditions.

 

Passports, which can be stamped at each location you visit, will be available at your parish office. In November 2022, bring this passport to our first annual The Pilgrims Trail meal where you will enjoy dining with other pilgrims and Bishop John.

 

Poster Competition

 

To inaugurate this journey, we are holding a poster design contest for The Pilgrims Trail. Get out your colored pencils, paper, ink, paints, canvases, or laptops to help spread the word about The Pilgrims Trail! People of all ages are welcome to submit their designs. You could win a cash prize and have the honor of your work displayed in Crossroads and in locations around the diocese.

 

Feel free to use YOUR artistic ideas about the concept of spiritual pilgrimage in Kentucky, but if you need help getting started, symbols for The Pilgrims Trail include: mountains; trees/forests; rivers; open fields; rail fences; a church with a cross on the steeple; the cross or stained-glass windows; people with walking sticks and/or in a vehicle; images of fellowship such as people shaking hands or being welcomed; Catholic Church symbols, such as a monk greeting visitors, a chalice, communion host, or a dove, to name a few. 

 

Prizes include $100 for 1st place, $50 for 2nd place, $25 for 3rd place, and $25 for the Youth Encouragement Award.

 

Rules for Submission:

 

Physical copies must be delivered on paper, poster, or canvas in the following sizes: 8.5” x 11”, 11” x 17”, or 18” x 24”.

Photos of your artwork may also be submitted to the Dropbox link below. Please take the highest quality photo you can in bright light/daylight.

Digital artwork should be at least 350 dpi, CMYK color mode, and have a 1/8” bleed on all four sides.

Artwork must be signed. If submitted by a minor, please include printed name, school, and grade.

Entrants agree that their artwork and name can be reproduced and distributed for the promotion of The Pilgrims Trail.

 

We cannot guarantee your artwork will be returned to you, so please take photos if you would like to include it in your portfolio.

 

Final entries must be RECEIVED IN THE DIOCESAN OFFICE by November 10, 2021. Considering current mail conditions, allow extra time for postal delivery.

 

Mail submissions to:

The Catholic Diocese of Lexington c/o Skip Olson

1310 W. Main St.

Lexington, KY 40508

 

Upload photos and digital submissions to:  

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/p132hxzk9254kf4/AAAGkRjlrsuLFvilQcMfDvKha?dl=0

 

Don't Forget to Sell Your Tickets!

You can drop off the tickets at the office or place them in a sealed envelope to return with your child (Just mark the envelope "Raffle Tickets" or mark it with "OFFICE").  Thanks to those who have already turned in some ticket sales

Important Lunch Information for the 2021-2022 School year

School breakfast and lunch will be free for all students for the 2021-22 school year. This takes the burden off of families while they continue to recover from the pandemic.  We still need our families to apply for free/reduced lunches if applicable, click here.  These applications affect receipt of the P-EBT cards the government has been sending out as well as grant money the school receives from the state.

 

To view the breakfast and lunch nutritional information, go to https://www.myschoolmenus.com/instance/1092/district/1106

 

Breakfast Menu - Subject to change

Cold Lunch Menu - Subject to change - This menu begins 8/25/21

 

2021-2022 School Calendar ** updated 8/3/21

Click here to view the 2021-22 school year calendar.  This calendar is subject to change.

Registration for the 2021-2022 School Year

IS STILL OPEN!

We still have openings for the 2021-22 school year.  Please spread the word about our school to all your friends and family.  Or share the image above on your Facebook page!

 

Shop with Scrip’s Raise Right App is now offering  SHIP TO HOME! No wait, no hassle, way to raise money for our school. Download the app here! St. John School Enrollment Code: BDBBLD8822467  

 

Old school? Not a problem! SELECT GIFT CARDS IN STOCK AT THE SCHOOL OFFICE. (ask to see the scrip binder)

Your gift card purchases help buy much needed items for  SJS  classrooms. Thank you! Questions? Contact Ginny Squires 502-316-4182

Important Dates:

Oct 4: Blessing of the animals 8:15AM

Oct 5: End of 1st quarter

Oct 6-8: No School

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St. John School Website