April 6, 2023
April 6, 2023
Dear SJB Families,
It was delightful to welcome our students back to school this week. I hope that everyone had a fantastic spring break. It has been a week of faith and academic learning in this most holy and sacred week.
Fishing season is upon us. As you may know, one of SJB’s annual PE units for grades 4-8, is the fishing unit. Knot tying began this week. It culminates with fishing field trips to Oakwood Pond, south of the hospital. Chaperones are needed for the grade level half day field trips. Permission slips should have come home today – please check backpacks of your fourth – eighth grade child. Please see the attached fishing letter in the posting for further details.
Permission slips for kindergarten – second grade’s trip to Brookfield Zoo also went home this week. You can also find a copy attached in the posting. Junior High students will also be going on a field trip in May to release the trout and go to the Shedd Aquarium. Details will be sent home next week.
News from the Athletic Department:
We are pleased to share that we will be offering volleyball open gyms. The first series is for our third and fourth grade students. There will be two sessions for both boys and girls from the 3rd and 4th grade classes: Thursday, April 13, and Thursday, April 20 from 6-7:30PM. Our Athletic Director, Jason Woodbury, and at least 3-4 of our volleyball coaches will be in attendance to introduce the sport and go through some fun drills and exercises with the kids. There will be no cost to participate for these first two sessions. Please be on the watch for other Open Gyms for our older students.
Please mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 19, for a Cook’s Night Out at Chipotle on Roosevelt Road. Please see the flyer in the attached posting for more information.
You may recall that several weeks ago, Liz Repking, from Cyber Consultants, spoke to our fifth – eighth grade students about cyber safety and their social media presence. We are so fortunate that the Catholic Schools Office is sponsoring more visits for our Junior High students. The sessions will be one hour in length on three successive days for sixth, seventh, and eighth grades next week, on April 12-14.
Parents, please save the date for an online parent meeting entitled, “Protecting Children in a Hyper Digital Age,” presented by Liz Repking. The online meeting will be about ninety minutes on Thursday, April 26 at 6:30 PM. The flyer with additional information will be in a subsequent email. All are welcome to take part, and if you are unable to attend on April 26, the link will be available for 30 days afterwards.
As you know, our Gala is around the corner. Don’t forget to purchase your tickets for this most important fundraiser. It is sure to be a fantastic time with delicious food, terrific music, and best of all, time with amazing members of the SJB community as we support our beloved school. Purchase tickets for the event here. Please remember to purchase your tickets for the Gala by 2pmCST on Friday, April 7, to be entered to win a fabulous prize.
Click this link to volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0944ACAF28A3FECF8-gala…as the saying goes, “many hands make light work!” Please know any and all assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Due to the success, and by request of many students, a second Skating Party at Funway has been scheduled. Mark your calendar for Wednesday, May 24 from 5:00-7:00 PM. What a funtastic way to celebrate the end of the school year! Please note Funway recently increased their fees. The cost is $8.00 per skater when purchased online, and $11.00 at the door. Please see the attached flyer in the posting for more information about this super fun activity.
Looking forward to the 2023-24 school year, school supply kits can be ordered online at www.shopttkis.com. Our account number is 71757 and orders need to be placed by June 16. Please note that some items on the supply list are not included in the kits. Kindly refer to the supply lists which are attached in the posting. Items such as backpacks, lunch boxes, and water bottles can be purchased separately through Staples, or any other retail store of your choosing. Supply lists are posted on School Speak and will be on our website soon. Once our calendar for the 2023-24 academic year has been approved, I will send you the Calendar Highlights, which will have the start and end dates, as well as breaks, and other important information for the 2023-24 school year. I was really hoping that I could send it today!
Speaking of the 2023-24 academic school year, I take this opportunity to share that Mrs. Linda Beardsley, our prekindergarten teacher, has accepted a position at another Catholic school in the diocese. While she is sad to leave our school, her drive to school will only be fifteen minutes versus her current 40 minute drive. We are grateful and thankful to Mrs. Beardsley for her many contributions to the St. John the Baptist children and family during her three years at SJB. I also wanted to let you know that Mr. Tom Hollatz, our technology teacher, has decided not to return to St. John the Baptist next school year in order to assist more with the needs of his family. We are also grateful and thankful for all Mr. Hollatz has done for our students and school these past two years. As you may know, Mrs. Norton, our PE teacher came out of retirement again this year to provide our children with an excellent physical education, and we are extremely grateful and thankful that she did! She, however, plans to truly retire at the end of this school year. May God bless you abundantly in your retirement, Mrs. Norton! We wish Mrs. Beardsley, Mr. Hollatz, and Mrs. Norton all our best in their future endeavors. Please know that the positions are posted and the best candidates will be sought and hired.
Please remember that school will not be in session tomorrow, Friday, April 7, in observance of Good Friday; and on Monday, April 10, in observance of Easter Monday. School will resume on Tuesday, April 11. This is a reminder that there will also be an Early Dismissal on Wednesday, April 19. Dismissal will be at 1:30 PM, and After Care is not available. Our Principal for the Day, a Gala live auction item, has declared that Wednesday, April 19, will be a black and white dress down day. Please mark the date.
Next Friday is our Panoramic Picture day, a SJB fan favorite. Your child should have brought home an order form today for our school panoramic photo, which will be taken on Friday, April 14. Please return envelopes as soon as possible. Please check the letter attached to the order form or the posting for the color your child’s class will be wearing.
Something that makes the parish so special is the wonderful opportunities to worship and fellowship with one another. Please consult the bulletin for the Mass times during the Triduum, the holy time which commemorates the last three days of Christ’s life and begins today, Holy Thursday. The second annual neighborhood walking Stations of the Cross will be set-up and available from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM tomorrow, Good Friday. The route will begin with the 1st Station in the Mary Garden on the east side of Church and proceed to nearby parishioners’ homes and local businesses, ending with the 14th Station in front of our school at the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue. The total walking distance is approximately one mile. Paper copies of the route will be available at the 1st Station. Miss Policht and I did it last year, and we found it to be a very meaningful way to take part in the Stations of the Cross. The traditional Station of the Cross will take place tomorrow at 7:00 PM in the chapel. Two more activities to note are the St. John’s annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8 for children in preschool-third grades and the Blessing of the Easter baskets. The hunt follows the Blessing of Easter baskets which takes place at noon. Gather at the church pavilion. Please RSVP to Kathie Brewer, 630-682.4400, extension 613 or email her at kathieb@stjohnwinfield.org if you haven’t already done so.
Wishing you a meaningful Triduum and a blessed and lovely Easter,
Joanne