NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents,
We are all looking forward to an exciting, short-but-busy week. Wednesday is early release (12:30 pm) and ESP will not be offered as our staff prepares for the Thanksgiving holiday.
On Wednesday morning our entire school community will gather on the lower courts to kick off our Running with Rosco event with a Pep Rally led by the Phoenix Sun's Gorilla, Xavier's Gator, and our beloved SJB Rosco Bulldog. Then each grade level will take turns running around the field with classmates, parents, and volunteers to the beat of lively music. The event will end with a hot dog lunch sponsored by our Dads’ Club. I especially want to thank Cindy Casaus and the PTO crew for all of their hard work and dedication to making this event so much fun for the kids.
Our kindergarten classes have been learning all about the first Thanksgiving. They are looking forward to dressing as pilgrims and Native Americans singing songs and reenacting the first Thanksgiving feast for their parents on Tuesday morning. First grade has also been busy practicing the ABCs of Thanksgiving and preparing for their Friendsgiving celebration on Monday morning.
This is the time of year when we gather with loved ones and reflect on the many blessings in our lives. For me this includes being part of our St. John Bosco family. I’m grateful to you for entrusting your children to us and for all that you do to make this a loving community. I wish you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving and look forward to seeing you back at school Tuesday, November 30 as we begin the season of Advent.
Joyful blessings,
Jamie Bescak, Principal
Do everything in love.
SCHOOL NEWS
Editor’s Note
The Bulldog Bite will not be distributed over Thanksgiving break. The next edition will be published Friday, December 3rd. Happy Thanksgiving!
Running with Rosco Wednesday!
Running with Rosco is this Wednesday, November 24th. The morning kicks off with a pep rally featuring the Phoenix Suns Gorilla, our own Rosco the Bulldog, and other mascot friends! Then students, faculty, and parents are invited to run laps by grade level with Rosco. The event ends with a freshly grilled hot dog lunch for ALL students, courtesy of our awesome SJB Dads’ Club.
Every student and faculty member will receive a FREE Running with Rosco T-shirt to wear Wednesday (and on any other Wednesday Spirit Day throughout the year).
The purpose of Running with Rosco is to increase fitness in a fun way and to raise funds for school-wide security initiatives. Donation forms and flyers were sent home with students last week. Check their backpacks!
As always, volunteers make Running with Rosco fun and successful. Please sign up to help set up, monitor snack and stretching stations, or cheer on the students.
Affordable Catholic Education
In an effort to provide affordable Catholic Education, SJB is pleased to make our families aware of programs that reduce the cost of tuition. As such, some Student Tuition Organizations (STOs) are offering bonuses on Giving Tuesday, November 30. See below to save tuition $$:
- Arizona Tuition Connection’s Giving Tuesday Matching Program will DOUBLE donations received on Tuesday, November 30. Click here for program details or call 480-409-4106.
- Tuition Organization for Private Schools (TOPS) is offering a scholarship drawing for those donating on Giving Tuesday. Click here for program details or call 480.414.TOPS (8677)
Trimester 1 Honor Roll
Hearty congratulations to all students earning honors in Trimester 1 of the 2021-2022 school year! Such an achievement reflects sound study habits, listening in class, and effective organizational skills.
1st Honors = All As and a satisfactory conduct grade;
2nd Honors = All As and Bs and a satisfactory conduct grade
Students named below will be recognized and presented a certificate Monday during courtyard announcements.
2nd Honors = All As and Bs and a satisfactory conduct grade
Students named below will be recognized and presented a certificate Monday during courtyard announcements.
Spelling Bee
The Saint John Bosco School Spelling Bee took place on Tuesday. After 12 grueling rounds, Olivia Vaughan was declared the spelling bee champion. She will advance to the Diocese of Phoenix bee to be held January 26. Reinaldo Velasquez Robles was the runner up and will be the alternate for the Diocesan bee. Special thanks to judges Mrs. Heffron and Mrs. Vanderzyl, and pronouncer Dr. Aguiar for their work in preparing for the bee.
Classroom Winners
Kudos to all classroom winners for working so diligently to advance to the school spelling bee!
4Perezchica - Sally Salloum, Seton Underwood
5Vanderzyl - Shelby Savoy, Jamison Floyd
6Camou - Lucas Pagazani, Sophia Clare Bernardez
6Tan - Ashton Ries, Celine Salloum
7Del Grosso -Sadie Strmiska, Olivia Vaughan
8Pratt - Ryan Mullally, Abigail Eborlas
8Rafford - Reinaldo Velazquez Robles, Hannah Thiele
(Alternate Brennan Wiscombe)
Nurse's Notes
During this month of Thanksgiving, please know we are sincerely grateful for all donations to the Health Office. Masks especially are a perpetual need and always appreciated.
Our regular COVID-19 data summary will resume following Thanksgiving break. In the meantime, please keep Nurse Jean and her family in your prayers.
SAVE THE DATE!
St. John Bosco is holding a "Fill the Pantry" food drive for St. Vincent de Paul December 6 - 9. St. Vincent de Paul has not been able to collect food until now due to the logistics of the building project. SJB is happy to help stock their shelves!
Please see this document for the most needed items, and send them in with your student between Monday, December 6 and Thursday, December 9.
Gift Card Order Deadline Approaching
Plan ahead for the holidays! The next school order will be placed on Tuesday, November 23rd at 10:00am, which means you can order any physical cards you would like from the RaiseRight app and have them shipped to the school! Physical cards ordered through the app between now and November 23rd at 10:00am, will arrive at the school by Friday, December 3rd. Please email sjbscrip@sjbosco.org with any questions. Shipping is expected to take longer this holiday season, so order now for all of your holiday shopping and gifting needs!
St. John Bosco Catholic School Scrip Office
(480) 219-4848 x5108
Christmas Program December 15th
The Christmas Program is less than 4 weeks away! Please ensure students are practicing and have memorized their assigned music. See important notes below:
- The program is on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at 6:00pm. We would dearly love every child to participate; however, we understand that holiday schedules may conflict. If your child is not able to attend, please let me know at your earliest convenience so I can assign an alternate project.
- Students must memorize the lyrics to their song before Thanksgiving Break. We will be working on the songs in music class but additional home practice with parents is highly encouraged. Suggestion: Ask your child to perform the songs for you at least once or twice each week.
- This link is a YouTube Playlist with Reference Videos of Songs. NOTE: Some song videos have slightly different words or more verses than what we are singing; students need only sing the words in their handouts.
- This link contains an updated version of each song in their handout. Please use THIS LINK to print additional copies, if necessary.
- Students should dress in their “Christmas/Sunday Best.”
- Masks will not be required for anyone as the event will be held outside. If, however, you or your child prefer to wear a mask, that is totally fine.
Questions may be directed to Dr. Luis Rodriguez. Thank you!
Dads’ Club Success for SJB
The Dads’ Club would like to thank all Dads and participants who came out to play in our annual 100-Hole Golf Challenge last week. We raised nearly $10,000 for St. John Bosco in one long afternoon of golf!
Clear your calendar for our next Dads’ Club meeting Friday Dec. 3 at the Main Event in Tempe. Looking forward to seeing all the SJB Dads there! Contact Brian Wiscombe with questions.
Jamma Jingles
'Tis the season for giving, so we will offer many opportunities to join in the fun! The first is our annual Jamma Jingles collection on behalf of the Pajama Program of Arizona. SJB collects new pajamas to distribute to foster care children at their annual Christmas party. New pajamas provide a comforting gift that a child may bring from home to home.
If you'd like to participate, please buy NEW pajamas (size 10 or larger) and drop them into the striped bin near the front gate. Write your child’s homeroom teacher’s name on the tag, as the class that brings in the most pajamas will earn a class party with the principal!
We will collect pajamas until December 10th, so take advantage of all of the Black Friday sales!
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: Dr. Teri Pistacchio Aguiar, editor
Upcoming events are always available on our website events page.
For a more detailed list of yearly events, check the SJB website online calendar.
