NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents,
We are so blessed to have such a supportive community! I want to start by thanking some of our current students and alumni for their labor helping Mr. Daniel move and clean furniture this summer. Thank you to SJB students Zaiden Wagner, Avery Zils and Boy Scout Troop 77; Mr. Simon Schlapfer from the Dads' Club; and Seton High School students Christian Toth ‘21, Josue Perezchica ‘21, Giovanni Barone '20, Dominic Henderson '20, TJ Connelly '20, Danny Alexander ‘19, and Braden Zils.
I also want to express gratitude to so many parents who attended the first PTO meeting this Tuesday. The room was filled with excitement and energy for our upcoming school year! We also had a wonderful turnout for New Family Night. Our Campus Ambassadors, School Board, PTO, and Dads' Club greeted our new families and shared why they love SJB. The continuous support of our parents and community members has been a pillar of strength for our teachers and administration as we navigate the uncertainty of the ongoing pandemic.
Yes, just when we thought we were emerging from COVID-19 and could say goodbye to all those pesky protocols, along comes the delta variant. However, due in part to our community vaccination rate, we are very thankful to be able to resume some semblance of normalcy, such as welcoming parents and volunteers on campus, conducting centers/small group instruction, allowing grade-level classes to interact, and best of all, not requiring masks while outdoors or during lunch. Nonetheless, our highest priority continues to be the safety of our students, teachers, and staff; therefore, we will retain selected mitigation procedures.
At this time we are requiring that all adults wear a mask while in classrooms and offices. Further, it is highly recommended that all students wear a mask when in a classroom or office. While we know that some may not want to wear masks, we hope the safety of all in our community will be considered.
Please keep in mind that COVID is ever-changing; as we move forward with our school year we may need to make adjustments. If the rate of COVID cases rise in our school demographics, we will strengthen our plans; if they decrease, we will lessen our mitigation protocols. It is critical to remain flexible and adjust to the situation accordingly.
We always strive to provide a quality Catholic Education and have learned that in-person instruction is the best way to do this. We do not want to return to virtual instruction! As such, I kindly request that we rally together as a unified school to keep our community safe.
A thorough COVID Addendum will be included in our updated 2021-22 Parent/Student Handbook and linked in next week’s Bulldog Bite. For now, please read the Nurse’s Notes below for a summary of key COVID protocols that will be in place at this time.
Thank you,
Jamie Bescak, Principal
Do everything in love.
SCHOOL NEWS
Nurse’s Notes
We have been committed to monitoring the COVID situation over the summer months, remaining up to date on current public health guidelines, and developing a plan of action that allows for the formation and education of our students in a safe environment.
Since December 2020 when COVID vaccines were first administered, more than 98% of ALL COVID infections are in those who are unvaccinated (https://phdata.maricopa.gov/Dashboard). According to public health officials, vaccination is recognized as the leading public health strategy to prevent transmission of COVID-19. Because individuals under 12 years of age are not currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccines (approximately 80% of SJB students), other prevention strategies are necessary to protect all unvaccinated individuals in schools. Upon considering updated recommendations from the CDC, MCDPH, and the Diocese, we will implement the following mitigation strategies:
- Masks are not necessary for anyone when outdoors, engaged in physical movement activities, eating, drinking or more than 3 feet away from another person.
- Masks are strongly recommended when indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
- The emphasis on hand hygiene established last school year, with time built into the day for hand washing, will continue.
- Parameters for physical distancing have been updated in accordance with CDC guidelines.
- Implementation of recommended cleaning protocols will continue.
- Masks are required for all adults, including teachers, staff, volunteers, and visitors.
- Parents/guardians are asked to continue to perform a daily screening of their student for illness before coming to school each day.
- Random temperature checks will be performed.
Ideally, we would like to begin the upcoming school year without any restrictions. However, we need to be prudent in our response to the current situation and recognize that our children who are unvaccinated are those who need protection. As a reminder, after the mitigation strategies were implemented last school year, our absentee rate was the lowest I have ever seen! We will continue to monitor the COVID situation, and keep you posted with any further updates.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on campus!!
Jean Pelrine, RN
School Nurse
August Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:30AM - 3:30 PM;
Fridays, 7:30 AM - 1 PM.
Save the Dates!
Mark your calendars for important back-to-school events:
Monday, August 9, 3:00 - 6:00 PM - Meet the Teacher Day (Used uniforms for sale)
Wednesday, August 11, 7:45 AM - 3:00 PM - First Day of School for all students
Saturday, August 14, 5 - 7 PM - Welcome Back BBQ and Open House
Wednesday, August 18, 6:00 - 7:30 PM - Curriculum Night
2021-2022 Faculty
Say hello to all of our amazing educators!
Preschool 3-year-olds: Krissy Bileski & Nicole Hoffman
Preschool PreK: Karen Rizzo & Sharon Faccenda
Kindergarten: Brenna McLean & Rachel Barone
1st Grade: Kari Czerniski & Kerry Pezzuto
2nd Grade: Jena Gump & Jennifer Opdahl
3rd Grade: Rebecca Daniel & Laura Jean Curley
4th Grade: Naneth Perezchica
5th Grade/Preschool Director: Jennifer Vanderzyl
6th Grade: Josilyn Tan, Lang. Arts/Social Studies & Nicole Camou, Math/Science
7th Grade: Melanie Del Grosso, Jr. High Math
8th Grade: Kelly Rafford, Jr. High Social Studies & Amy Pratt, Jr. High Science
Jr. High Language Arts: Sandra Heffron
Library: Theresa Harvey
P.E.: Brett Caradonna
Resource: Anne Iniguez
Spanish: Johana Bautista
STEM/ IT Director: Hogan Macdonald
Welcome New Staff
Please help us welcome Mrs. Madeline Snyder as our Preschool Instructional Assistant and Mrs. Diane Mullally as our new Accounting Clerk.
Our new teachers can’t wait to meet all of you at Meet the Teacher Day! Until then, please view this SHORT INTRODUCTORY VIDEO.
E x t e n d e d School-day Program (ESP)
All students are automatically enrolled in our Extended School Program (ESP) to allow the convenience for parents to have after-school care for their children at any time. ESP will be provided after school M - TH, 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm and Friday 12:30 pm - 6:00 pm. Please send a snack with your child as snacks are not provided.
Important: Please make note of the following dates when ESP will not be offered:
October 7
November 24
December 15 & 16
March 3, 2022
April 14, 2022
May 26, 2022
Saturday, August 14, 5 - 7pm in the St. John Bosco MPR and Courtyard.
Hamburgers, hot dogs, and chips will be provided! Please RSVP with your food preferences no later than August 12 here: Welcome BBQ Evite
Enjoy a FREE photo booth and other fun activities available for purchase:
“Dunk your Principal and Teachers” and Kona Ice Truck!
Safe Environment Training (SET)
We are positively thrilled to welcome parents and volunteers back on campus! Please remember that all staff, priests, deacons, and volunteers must be current (renewed on or after July 1, 2021) in their Safe Environment Training (SET) before visiting the campus.
To start the certification process, simply go to www.cmgconnect.org. For all returning users, your "username" should be your first name, followed by a period, then your last name, followed by a period, then DOP. Then enter your password.
Username Example: first.last.dop
Once you've logged in (or created a new account for brand new users), your certification requirement will be waiting for you on the main dashboard. You may start the curriculum and will be guided through each section.
The Diocese also requires a background check, so please complete that section, if requested.
If you can't remember your username and/or password, PLEASE DO NOT CREATE A NEW USERNAME. Rather, text Debbie Smith at 480-529-4828 to retrieve your login information.
Classroom Supply Lists
Click on your child's grade level below to see their respective supply lists:
School Uniforms
We will be celebrating our 20th Anniversary this year! Anton Uniforms has designed a NEW T-shirt for our school P.E. uniform. Students may opt to continue wearing our current P.E. shirt for the 2021-22 school year if they choose. Gold Crown Promotions and Marianne’s Creations will sell apparel and spirit wear on our soon-to-be-updated Spirit Shop tab located under the Parent section.
New privilege this year! Students will be allowed to wear any SJB T-shirt every Wednesday with uniform bottoms for Spirit Day!
Here’s another opportunity that just became available, but only for 5 days. Due to high demand, STO4Kidz will reopen their application period from August 1 - 5. Click here for all the details: STO4Kidz
We will do everything we can to make Catholic education affordable for everyone. Tuition dollars are just a click away on your part!
Start the school year off by stocking up on Scrip cards! Scrip will be sold in the MPR in the morning on the first day of school, August 11th! This will be one of only two days of the year that credit card payments will be accepted. (The other day is in November, prior to the holidays.)
Stop by the Scrip table and stock up on your favorite local establishments.
Scrip Shop window hours have changed for the new school year. Stop by the window on Monday mornings 7:30 - 8:15 am or Friday afternoons 12:00 - 12:45 pm. Of course, you may email anytime with orders or questions! sjbscrip@sjbosco.org
As mentioned in the previous Bulldog Bite, only cash or check will be accepted at the window going forward. Thank you for helping us be good stewards of your money.
Katie Savoy
St. John Bosco Catholic School Scrip Office
(480) 219-4848 x5108
Art Masterpiece
Please contact Amy Molina if you are interested in volunteering with Art Masterpiece this school year. This is a great opportunity for parents and grandparents to volunteer in their child’s classroom. Absolutely no experience necessary!
Volunteer Opportunity
Please contact Amy Molina if you are interested in volunteering with Art Masterpiece this school year. This is a great opportunity for parents and grandparents to volunteer in their child’s classroom. Absolutely no experience necessary!
Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO)
We had an enthusiastic turnout at the first PTO meeting! Thank you all for your willingness to get involved! If you would like to join the fun, please email PTO President Erica Seidel at ptosjb@sjbosco.org.
Our teachers are heading back to campus next week to prepare their classrooms and attend day-long in-services, trainings, and meetings. We are asking families to help welcome them with treats, snacks, or beverages. All donations may be dropped off at the front office or you may reach out to PTO Hospitality Coordinator Tricia Estrada to make arrangements. Here's the Sign-Up Genius.
Declutter and Help St. Benedict Parish
If your spring cleaning is way overdue, St. Benedict Parish will gladly take your no-longer-needed items for their donation drive. Bring your items to the Goodwill Store on 32nd St. & Chandler Blvd. Saturday, August 21, 10am - 2pm. Bring this flyer (or mention St. Benedict) to effortlessly contribute to St. Benedict Parish and declutter your home and yard at the same time. See two flyers linked below for more details.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
Stay up to date on classroom happenings by following us on Instagram @sjbbulldogs or Facebook@stjohnboscocatholicschool. We also encourage families to tag SJB on any photos or videos they post of their child(ren) from their personal social media accounts.
Not Receiving The Bite?
The weekly Bulldog Bite is our primary method of disseminating important school-related information. If you know someone who is not receiving this newsletter, please refer them to the editor to be added to the list.
To make sure you receive every issue of the Bulldog Bite and it doesn’t land in your spam folder, our helpful Flocknote Team suggests the following:
- Add mail@flocknote.com to your contact list to show their provider that Flocknote is a safe sender
- Move any emails from your network into your main inbox if you notice them in another folder. This teaches the system where you want similar messages going forward.
Until August …
Below are helpful links to information:
School Website: https://sjbosco.org/
School Calendar: https://sjbosco.org/calendar
Faculty & Staff Contacts: https://sjbosco.org/faculty-staff
School Lunch Program: https://sjbosco.org/school-lunch
Parish Website: https://stbenedict.org/
The Bulldog Bite: Teri Pistacchio Aguiar, editor
