Early Dismissal (12:30 PM) Wednesday, Nov. 23rd
No Bulldog Bite next week — Happy Thanksgiving!
NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL
*Please accept our apologies for incomplete information published in the previous
edition of the Bulldog Bite.
Dear Parents,
We are looking forward to an exciting, short-but-busy week! Wednesday is early release at 12:30 PM. If you are in need of child care beyond 12:30 PM dismissal, please register your child for after-school care with Innovation Learning. Due to the holiday and no homework assignments, our teachers will be unavailable for after-school tutoring.
I would like to invite you to join our entire school community Wednesday morning on the lower courts to kick off our Running with Rosco event. Each grade level will take turns running around the field with classmates, parents, and volunteers to lively music. All students will enjoy a FREE hot dog lunch, courtesy of 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.
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 29 as we begin the season of Advent.
Do everything in love.
SCHOOL NEWS
Running with Rosco & Hot Dog Lunch
Running with Rosco is this Wednesday, November 23rd! All students and staff will receive a free Running with Rosco T-shirt to wear to the event. The morning will kick off with a pep rally and students, faculty and parents will then be invited to run laps by grade with Rosco. Parents are welcome to join the fun either by cheering from the sidelines, jogging with their child, or lending a helping hand.
THANK YOU to our SJB Dads' Club who will be cooking a FREE hot dog lunch for all students!
Our events couldn’t succeed without our volunteers and we are in need of more help. Click this Volunteer Sign-Up link to see all the ways to join the fun! For questions, email Cindy Casaus or call 602-300-4185.
Proceeds from this event will go towards upgrades for the playground and outdoor learning areas. Please help us reach our fundraising goal by sending the Running With Rosco Pledge Form to family and friends. The class that raises the most money wins a Zesty Zzeeks pizza party!
8:00 AM PEP RALLY/KICK-OFF
SMALL TRACK
8:30 Pre-K 3s
8:45 PreK 4s
9:00 Kindergarten
LARGE TRACK
9:15 1st grade
9:30 2nd grade
9:45 3rd grade
10:00 4th grade
10:15 5th & 6th grade
10:30 7th & 8th grade
Spelling Bee Championship
Tuesday's school spelling bee was a nail-biter! Seventh-grader Celine Salloum and eighth-grader Olivia Vaughan battled it out for first place with poised concentration. Celine was in the championship round twice before Olivia ultimately won with the word "preemptive." Celine will be the alternate while Olivia will represent St. John Bosco at the Diocesan bee on Wednesday, January 15.
Kudos to all the classroom winners for their hard work and impressive performances!
4D Julian Brooks, Grayson Bileski
4P Samantha Brown, Isaac Nguyen
5Ta Sally Salloum, Jalen Robertson
5Ty Amelia Tuminello (Charlie Becerra), Seton Underwood
6 Kyle Anderson, Sylvia Brown
7D Celine Salloum, Harmony Rodriguez- Sanchez
7P Sophia Bernardez, Theresa Gove
8 Olivia Vaughan, Camilla Morris
Many thanks to our judges Mrs. Day and Mrs. Heffron, coordinator Ms. Harvey, and pronouncer Dr. Aguiar. It takes a village.
Your Support is Appreciated!
Heartfelt thanks to the SJB community for supporting our school library by purchasing books at the Scholastic Book Fair. Your generosity has made it possible for the library to purchase books for circulation. The kids are the winners!
Special thanks to the following families for helping with setup, daily cashiering, and takedown of the fair:
The Alvarez Family
The Bernardez Family
Ryan Cepeda
Heather Cisek
The Forde Family
Maria Gove
Jacqueline Grandmont
Kylee Hachmeister
Claire McDermott
Carmen Morejon
Leslie Maxwell
Maureen Neal
Ricci O' Neal
Wendy Osmundson
Melissa Rivas
The Salloum Family
Jennifer Santoemma
The Schlapfer Family
Hearty congratulations to students earning honors in Trimester 1 of the 2022-2023 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:
Universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA)
Many families will save thousands of dollars in tuition with Arizona's new ESA program, and we couldn't be happier! In case you haven't heard, everyone is eligible to apply for these funds. Click here for details.
Mrs. Kelly McLean is working feverishly to process contracts in the order received. If you have signed your ESA contract, it is critical that you forward a copy to Kelly so she can determine active dates and help you receive the maximum possible funding.
AFTER you have sent your contract ...
- STO funds will be removed from your account and sent back to the originating STO. Your STO funds will NOT be removed until a signed copy of your contract is received;
- Your FACTS account will be adjusted to reflect quarterly payments;
- You will receive invoices to upload to Classwallet when your funds are available. Choose "Vendor Payment" and "Private School Expenses" when uploading invoices.
- When you send your signed contract to us, please indicate the date you submitted your application so that we can determine which quarters you will be receiving ESA funds. Applications submitted to ESA after 10/15/22 are not eligible for 1st Quarter (Q1) funding.
Thank you for your patience while we wade through the stacks to process your contract and send you your invoices. If your ESA contract exceeds what you have paid directly to SJB (non-scholarship), we will issue a refund to you after we have received payment from Classwallet.
SJB is an authorized vendor through Classwallet. Our vendor name is St John Bosco Catholic School (NOTE: No period after the St). Please look at the Classwallet information page at https://www.azed.gov/esa
Make sure to review the ESA Parent Handbook and familiarize yourself with program rules and regulations. Compliance with the program is the responsibility of the parent. Noncompliance, especially if attempting to use ESA and STO in the same quarter, will result in the parent being banned from the ESA program and responsible for paying funds back to the state. Don't let that happen!
Nurse's Notes
- I know some of you will be traveling out of town for Thanksgiving. Please remember to report any absences to the Nurse's Office 480.219.4848 or attendance@sjbosco.org.
- Please remember your child must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends! Stay healthy!
Jean Pelrine, RN
SJB School Nurse
480.219.4848 x5102
Christmas Program
Save the Date!
SJB's Annual Christmas Program is fast approaching! Please ensure students are practicing at home and have memorized their assigned music. See important notes below:
- The program is on Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 6:00pm.
- Students have been working on memorizing the lyrics to their 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.”
Questions may be directed to Dr. Luis Rodriguez. Thank you!
Jama Jingles
It’s back! Our annual Jama Jingles Drive for children in the Arizona Foster Care system begins on November 21st and runs through December 9th.
If you’d like to participate in this opportunity of generosity, please bring in a new pair of boys' or girls' pajamas, size 8T–18 (XL). Our goal is to provide 200 pairs to be distributed to the children at their Christmas party. For your convenience, large bins will be at the front of the school for your pajama donation. The class that has the highest number of donations wins a treat with the principal!
El Taco Santo Fundraiser
Mark your calendar for the next restaurant event benefiting SJB!
- ALL DAY Wednesday, November 30th, Dine-in or Take-out
- El Taco Santo 4025 E Chandler Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85048
- Mention SJB when ordering
Girls On The Run
Girls in Grades 3 – 5 are invited to an amazing after-school program. Twice per week for 10 weeks, girls will build confidence, increase physical activity, and learn important life skills—all while having fun with their friends! It begins February 1st and ends with a celebratory 5K on April 29th. Registration is open now through November 30th.
See this Girls On The Run Flyer or GOTR Program/Registration for more details. Please contact SJB parent/coach Jennifer Villalba with questions: 480.235.5927.
SCRIP SHOP
Please plan ahead for your gifting needs; processing & shipping times are longer this time of year. Will you be needing a large amount of cards as gifts? Please let the Scrip office know as soon as possible so we can get those ordered for you in time.
The Scrip office will be placing a bulk order on Monday, November 21st at 8:00AM. This is a great opportunity to order physical cards through the app. Any physical cards ordered before 8:00AM on Monday, November 21st, should arrive by Tuesday, November 29th for distribution to families. After that, there will only be one more opportunity to order before Christmas. The final order of the year will be Friday, December 2nd at 12:00PM, to ensure that they arrive in time to distribute before Christmas break.
St. John Bosco Catholic School Scrip Office
(480) 219-4848 x5108
Window Hours: Mondays 7:30–8:15 AM & Fridays 12:00–12:45 PM.
Uniforms, Winterwear, etc.
As the weather gets chillier, please remember that students are only allowed to wear an SJB sweatshirt or sweat jacket in the classroom. Refer to pages 21 and 22 in the Parent/Student Handbook for a handy chart that details outerwear.
- Wed. Nov.23: Running with Rosco
- Wed. Nov. 23: Early Dismissal (12:30 PM)
- Thurs. Nov. 24–Mon. Nov. 28: Thanksgiving Break
- Tues. Nov. 29: School Resumes
- Wed. Nov. 30: El Taco Santo Fundraiser
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.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Christmas Basketball Camp
SJB school counselor Mr. Michael Cortez and his father will hold a 2-day basketball camp for boys and girls ages 7–17. The camp will be held at Kyrene Akimel A-al Middle School in Phoenix on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 17-18, 7:30 AM–1:30 PM. Participants should bring a basketball, lunch, and a refillable water bottle. See flyer below for more details, and register, visit www.levelupsports.org. Contact Michael Cortez at (480) 479-8736 with any questions.
Three of Our Own!
Three SJB students are performing in The Arizona Nutcracker. SJB 7th graders Lauren Wiscombe and Jenna Hansen, and 3rd grader Jillian Vanderzyl, have starring roles in this magical Christmas production. See details below:
Until Tuesday ...
Below are helpful links to information over the long Thanksgiving weekend:
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
Past Bulldog Bites: https://sjbosco.org/ (below Principal Bescak's picture)
Upcoming events are always available on our website events page.
For a more detailed list of yearly events, check the SJB website online calendar.
