NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents,
Thank you all for contending with the rainstorm Wednesday to attend Curriculum Night. It was wonderful to gather as a community to hear what our teachers have in store for your children this year. Our teachers are incredibly excited to be able to teach all their students in person utilizing small group instruction, science labs, outdoor learning experiences and more. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to educate the “whole child” and look forward to working in partnership with you throughout the school year.
For those of you who take advantage of our convenient carpool service, you’ve surely noticed the carpool running smoothly this year. It is a well-orchestrated procedure if everyone follows the rules. As a reminder, please clearly communicate to your child and their teacher if they are to picked up in carpool. We kindly request that all families use the front main gate to exit, including those who park in the north lot and pick up their child from the classroom. The side gates are to be utilized only in an emergency to ensure the safety of all on campus.
I also want to thank all of you for your continued trust and support as we navigate our way through the ever-changing pandemic. Father and I have had several meetings with board members, parents, and medical experts to ensure we gather as much information as possible to make the best decision for our school. I pray we can unite as a school community and identify the best strategy to keep our children safe and on campus for in-person instruction all school year. We continue to pay close attention to infection trends in our local area and school community, and I will share our SJB safety metrics with you early next week.
Please join Father James and me in praying for an end to this pandemic, peace and unity for our world and our St. John Bosco community.
Joyful Blessings,
Jamie Bescak, Principal
Do everything in love.
SCHOOL NEWS
Bulldog Ambassadors
Our 2021-22 Bulldog Ambassadors were privileged to receive a special blessing from Fr. Manasseh during today’s school Mass. We hold our ambassadors to the highest standards at all times as they are representatives of our St. John Bosco student body. They will assist with campus tours and events throughout the school year and promote SJB at local parishes.
Ella Loew, Hogan O'Malley, Luke Hess, Maddy Morrissey, Madison Ingrassia, Victoria Rodriguez, Jasmine Schlapfer, Dean Snow, Rylan Kean, Olivia Vaughan, Dominic Izziarry, Viana Vazquez, Scarlett Flanders, Alfred Kattan, Elle Bescak, Agnes Pezzuto, Ashton Reis, Oliver Grandmont, Carter Acosta, Isabella Mangiapane, and Sydney Root
Nurse’s Notes
I hope everyone had a great first full week of school on campus!
We are following guidance of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, and I’d like to review some of our mitigation strategies with you. Everyone will continue to wear masks while indoors or in close proximity to others. We will also continue to implement mitigation measures (e.g., frequent handwashing, sanitizing) which lessen the risk of transmission of illness in our school. Additionally, quarantine guidance was recently updated for those identified as close contacts of someone who is positive for COVID. Now, when doing contact tracing, students in the classroom who have been wearing masks appropriately may not have to quarantine.
Please keep your child at home if they are sick. Symptoms of COVID include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nasal congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. If your child develops symptoms, please call your medical provider or have your child tested. There are several options available, including:
For more testing locations, call the COVID Hotline at 211 or visit Maricopa County COVID Testing.
Between staff and students, our school has had a total of five positive COVID cases; three are active at this time. Though there are many unknowns, we do know our mitigation strategies contributed to our success last year; we approached the challenges as a team. With a spirit of cooperation and a willingness to work together, we can be successful again this year!
Please contact me in the nurse's office or via email with any questions.
Jean Pelrine, RN
School Nurse
(480) 219.4848 x5102
Save the Dates
Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
Thursday, August 26 - Summer Birthdays Free Dress: June, July, and August
Sunday, August 29, 2 - 4pm - TopGolf Family Event
Friday, September 10, 7:45am - Patriotic Flag Ceremony
Summer Birthdays
Thursday, August 26 is free dress day for students with a birthday in June, July or August. Refer to the Parent and Student Handbook for guidelines.
Student Council Homeroom Representative
Students in grades 4 - 8 are invited to run for Student Council Homeroom Representative. These responsible students attend meetings once a month after school, report what they learn to their homerooms, and participate in various fundraisers and activities throughout the school year.
Elections will be held in each homeroom on Thursday, September 2. Students who are running will give a short (1 - 2 minute) speech before the election.
Anyone interested in running must turn in a permission slip and must also ask their homeroom teacher to fill out a recommendation form. These forms are also available in the school office and are due to Mrs. Rafford or Miss McLean no later than Friday, August 27 at 12:30pm.
Student Council is a great way to develop budding leadership skills!
SJB Spirit Day at TopGolf
Calling All Bosco Families!
Please join us for our 20th Anniversary Bosco Family Spirit Day at TopGolf in Gilbert on Sunday August 29th from 2 - 4pm.
Families will enjoy 2 hours of exciting Top Golf hitting and fun with prizes, competition events, and giveaways. Come mingle with Bosco families new and old and help support our awesome school!
Only $20 per person or no more than $60 max per family. Half of all entry fees go directly back to St. John Bosco to help with technology and facility upgrades for our students.
If you are a business owner or just want to support as a family, we have Sponsorship opportunities to sponsor a hitting bay and bring whatever swag you would like for participating families.
The last day to sign up is Thursday Aug. 26th!
Snazzy New T-Shirt!
Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of SJB in style and support your school PTO. Sizes available for the whole family! All proceeds go directly to SJB PTO. Order by scanning the QR code or click Gold Crown Promotions on our SJB Spirit Shop.
Safe Environment Training (SET)
Thank you to all who have so diligently completed your SET and are now volunteering on campus. We love having you back!
If you haven’t done this yet, 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 may require 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.
Financial Aid News
The Round 2 FAIR application deadline is August 24th. If you have not yet applied, there is still time! It is very important to have a completed application in the system for possible awards throughout the year. FAMILIES SHOULD NOT APPLY IN ROUND 2 IF THEY APPLIED IN ROUND 1.
Families eligible/applying for Disabled Displaced Scholarship funds must have a completed FAIR application on file for compliance purposes. Visit the FAIR Website for all necessary information. Catholic Education IS affordable.
Fall Sports
CYAA fall sports will start soon! All 5th - 8th grade students may participate. Sports include flag football (boys), volleyball (girls) and cross country (co-ed). Click here for registration forms. All students must complete registration and turn in by August 23. Please email Mr. Caradonna with any questions.
We are also looking for a few good men to coach flag football for grades 5 - 8. If you can volunteer your time and talent, we would be very grateful. Email Mr. Brett Caradonna.
Scrip Shop
New Scrip window hours are Monday 7:30 - 8:15am and Friday 12:00 - 12:45pm. To enable us to be good stewards of your money and maximize fundraising profits, cash or checks are the only forms of payment accepted at the Scrip window. Please bring exact change if paying with cash. To place an order at any time, please email sjbscrip@sjbosco.org. download the form here for convenience.
The RaiseRight app is still the best way to earn your Scrip credit! If you haven't enrolled already, you'll find instructions on how to set up your account here Please be sure to only purchase electronic cards and/or "Ship to Home" eligible cards through the app. Happy Shopping!
St. John Bosco Catholic School Scrip Office
(480) 219-4848 x5108
Lego Robotics
The SJB Robotics Team is looking for new members in Grades 5 - 8. This fall we will work as a team of up to 10 students to compete in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Robotics Challenge. Teams build and program a robot to complete tasks as well as research and present a solution to a real world problem. No programming knowledge is required; FLL is about learning in a fun and cooperative team environment. Please contact Dave Forseth, if interested. For more details, see our flyer.
LEGO bRiCKS4Kidz
SJB Lego lovers in K - 5th Grade will have their own club! Text Don Kretsch @ 480.717.7573 for more details or visit www.bricks4kidz.com/arizona-phoenix-eastvalley
Chess Club
Want to learn how to play chess? Want to get better? See this flyer for more information or email kids@chessemporium.com.
Grandparents Circle
Hello grandparents of St. John Bosco! As grandparents we have a vital role in our grandchildren’s well-being. As such, we invite grandparents of St. John Bosco to support our grandchildren and promote our Catholic School. We do this by praying a monthly rosary together, supporting our teachers and school events, and volunteering at school functions when needed.
We invite all grandparents of St. John Bosco to email Peggy Keane or call (949) 433-0648 or Cindy Barone (716) 440-1852 so we can add you to our list for upcoming events.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
ALL school families should receive an emailed Bulldog Bite in their mailbox each Friday. To make sure it doesn’t land in your spam folder, PLEASE ADD mail@flocknote.com to your contact list to show your provider that Flocknote is a safe sender.
If you prefer a personal contact, feel free to stop by the school office and leave your name & email address with Mrs. Molina.
The weekly Bulldog Bite is our primary method of disseminating important school-related information that you need to know.
Last Call for Unneeded Treasures
Tomorrow is St. Benedict Day at Goodwill! 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.
Until Monday ...
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
