NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents,
Welcome back! I hope you and your family had a peaceful Thanksgiving break together and time to reflect on the many blessings in our lives.
We have now entered the season of Advent — a time for hope, love, joy, and peace. As a Catholic school, we see signs everywhere of the reason for the season. We began our week gathering in the courtyard as our Campus Ambassadors and Student Council led us in our annual Advent prayer service. It was a wonderful way for us all to remember the reason for the season… Jesus.
I want to thank Mrs. Mindy Nguyen for graciously donating the beautiful Advent banners as well as many other liturgical banners that we will use throughout the year. I especially want to thank Mrs. Kari Czerniski, Ms. Karen Rizzo, Mr. Daniel Aguilar, Deacon Ed, and the Knights of Columbus for their tremendous effort in making our courtyard the most beautiful space for all to gather during Advent.
I would also like to kindly remind everyone that the safety of our children is our number one priority. It is important that students are not dropped off in the north parking lot. Parents may use our efficient carpool valet service if needed to quickly drop off a child. Otherwise, parents may park in the north parking lot and safely walk their child to the front gate or classroom.
Lastly, I am thrilled to share some exciting news! We have been awarded a Virginia G. Piper grant for $87,000 enabling the installation of four new HVAC systems with air filtration units in the MPR. We have also been blessed with an Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) grant that will supply new Chromebooks for all students in Kindergarten through 8th grade, enabling us to go 1-to-1 in all classrooms. These two grants will greatly facilitate learning and provide comfort to students, staff, and visitors to our campus.
Joyful blessings,
Jamie Bescak, Principal
Do everything in love.
SCHOOL NEWS
SVdP Food Pantry
St. John Bosco is holding a "Fill the Pantry" food drive for St. Vincent de Paul December 6 - 9. SVdP has not been able to collect food until now due to the logistics of the church building project. SJB is happy to help stock their shelves!
Please see this document for the most needed items: SJB December Food Drive 2021.pdf. Food may be sent with your student between Monday, December 6 and Thursday, December 9. SVdP thanks you for your generosity to feed the hungry of our community.
Christmas Program 12 Days Away
"An Evening of Readings and Carols"
Important Notes:
- Please ensure students have memorized their assigned music.
- The program is on Wednesday, December 15 at 6:00pm. 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.
- Home practice with parents is highly encouraged.
- This link is a YouTube Playlist with Reference Videos of Songs.
- This link contains an updated version of each song.
- 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.
Santa’s Workshop
Tuesday, December 14 is Santa's Workshop in the SJB Library! Santa's Workshop is a pop-up gift shop for students in Pre-K — 4th grade to buy small, inexpensive Christmas gifts for their family. Gifts will be pre-ordered and CASH only. Prices range from $1.00 - $5.00. Students will shop with their class during the school day. More information to come soon on this special tradition!
Pancakes with Santa!
Pancakes with Santa will be held on the morning of Thursday, December 16. Gates open at 7:00am. Come enjoy a pancake breakfast at school in the MPR, wear your favorite Christmas shirt, and take a picture with Santa. Tickets available now (see below) or at the MPR door. Pancake breakfast is $5 per child.
Nurse's Notes
Dearest Parents,
Thank you for your generous donations of masks; please keep them coming!
As you can see from the table below, I haven't had to send anyone home sick. Thank you for being cautious and keeping your children home when they have potential symptoms of the flu or COVID.
Jamma Jingles
One more week to contribute to 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, please) 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!
Pajamas will be collected through next Friday, December 10. Thank you for your generosity by providing a comforting gift to a foster child.
Gift Cards
The final physical card order for the school has been placed in order to distribute prior to Christmas break. You are encouraged to continue to purchase e-cards and “ship to home” eligible cards through the RaiseRight app, but please do NOT order physical cards shipped to the coordinator, as they won’t arrive until January.
Please e-mail sjbscrip@sjbosco.org with any questions!
Window hours are Mondays 7:30 - 8:15am & Fridays 12:00 - 12:45pm.
St. John Bosco Catholic School Scrip Office
(480) 219-4848 x5108
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.
