March 23, 2023

March 23, 2023

Dear SJB Families,

Spring is here and spring is in the air. We are so looking forward to seeing the beauty of spring surround us.

Congratulations to the following band students for their performance at a Solo & Ensemble contest held on Saturday at Saints Peter and Paul in Naperville on Saturday. The contest was sponsored by Music on the Move. St. John the Baptist had four students participate and they all earned “FIRST” place medals. Participating students were:

Isaiah Alanis alto saxophone solo, “l”

Santino Gaddi, snare drum solo, “I”

Alessia Jais, snare drum solo, “l”

These students will be presented with their medals at the spring concert. Congratulations to each for a job well done!

Our partnership with the Winfield Police Department continues. We are happy to once again offer the DARE program in fifth grade. Chief Schar came on Tuesday afternoon to provide an introduction to the program, history, purpose, and guidelines and criteria for the May DARE graduation. Students were able to ask questions about the DARE program as well as about being a police officer and chief of police. He took the time to answer so many questions! He also brought the DARE shirts, which will be worn at graduation. We indeed are fortunate to have the support of our local police department.

As you may recall, our school is also participating in almsgiving during Lent for the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Eucharist. Keep adding to the collection boxes! Money collected should be returned to your child’s teacher by April 14. Our kindergarten – second grade students have been earning money at home ($5.00) to help support the DuPage Humane Society. They will be meeting with representatives from the society sometime after Easter to learn about the impact of their collection. Our Prekindergarten class did service as well. They worked with the eighth grade class to make blankets for a local animal shelter.

Thank you for all who have turned in their registration so far! Numbers are looking good and to date, there are 32 new students from 18 families joining us next school year. I have had several tours in the past weeks, too. If you haven’t turned in your registration forms and registration fee of $150, please submit so that we hold a place for your child.  Additionally, as  we make preparations for the 2023-24 school year, we want to make sure we have an accurate count for our orders.

Tax credit scholarship update

As I shared last week, much is happening in the tax credit scholarship arena. We have been able to award 14 scholarships thus far and are $2,100 away from awarding the next scholarship. We have a unique opportunity to increase the amount of donations and double the impact of new donors’ donations. A generous donor has agreed to match donations of new donors to the program, 1:1 thereby doubling the amount of a donation for a total of $30,000. One way to look at it is to have 15 NEW donors make a donation of $2,000 each. The $2,000 donation becomes $4,000 multiplied by 15 new donors which is $60,000. Potentially, 10 students receive scholarships to our school! If you made a donation of $2,000, you would be paying a premium of $500 and receive a tax credit of $1,500 on your 2023 Illinois state taxes, and help a family send their child to SJB! What’s more, you also receive a credit of $500 on tuition resulting in 100% of your donation coming back to you. Please see the posting for a flyer about SJB’s Tuition Savings Plan for more information about how to get a tuition credit for making a donation to the Illinois tax credit scholarship program. No donation is too small! Let’s capitalize on this fantastic opportunity! Get started by requesting your Letter ID. Here is the link to make your contribution:

https://www.dioceseofjoliet.org/siteimages/cso/StepByStepHowToDonateTCSFeb22.pdf

Other donors have enjoyed scheduling a phone call with Fr. Jeff, who has been helping St. John’s with the donation process for the last several years. He has helped so many successfully make donations to our school. We had 47 donors to SJB last year. Just click here and Fr. Jeff will help you support 900 scholarships in the diocese this year!

With spring here and the beauty of spring unfolding before our eyes, albeit slowly, this is a reminder about our spring flower sale. Orders are due tomorrow, March 24. I can’t wait to receive my order and add a splash of color to my yard. Flowers should be here in time for Mother’s Day.

If you haven’t been to a Knights of Columbus Lenten Fish Fry, consider going tomorrow night from 5:00 to 7:00 PM in Sebahar Hall (below Church). There is also a Drive-by option. The food is terrific, the fellowship is great, and the money raised from the dinner is for the KOC Charities. It was great to see so many school families at the last one. A special thank you goes to the following JH students, Matthew Dawson (7), Mia Grantz (8), Hannah Farin ( 7), Izzy Fernandez (7), Kelci Jaburek (7), Jack Marsden ( 7), Aubrey Silva (7 ), Jacob  Spencer (7), and Robert Woodbury ( 7) for their help at the Lenten Fish Fry dinners. Viviann LeMay (5) has also assisted with the condiment cart. Thank you, thank you for your gift of time and service!

Please see the posting about the Knights of Columbus special Easter Vigil Dinner fundraiser. The proceeds go to the Monsignor Cloos Fund which is a parish-based scholarship  fund for SJB students. There are limited orders available. I can attest that the prime rib dinner is delicious! Orders are due by Friday, March 31.

Please remember that there will be no school next week, March 27 – March 31. School will resume on Monday, April 3. We pray that you have a safe and fun spring break. If you are in town during spring break, don’t forget about the Parish Lenten Mission. It is three nights in the church at 7:00 PM and begins on Sunday, March 26, and concludes on March 28. Please see the posting for further details. I hope to see you there!

Mark your calendar for the Easter Egg Hunt for preschool – third grade students on Saturday, April 8 after the Easter Basket blessing. Please bring a non-perishable item or cleaning supply for the food pantry. Gather at the church pavilion, which is just behind church. RSVP to kathieb@stjohnwinfield.org . Please see the posting for more details.

Here’s another date for your calendar… our next Cook’s Night Out is Wednesday, April 19 at Chipotle on Roosevelt Road from 4:00- 8:00 PM. 33% of the sales will be donated to SJB’s Athletic Department. We are hoping to update our volleyball uniforms.

Last of all, tomorrow is a dress down day…it is college attire day.

Blessings to you for a wonderful spring break,

Joanne