NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents,
Welcome back! I hope you and your family had a peaceful Thanksgiving break together and plenty of time to reflect on the many blessings in your lives.
As you’ve no doubt noticed, ‘tis the season for sniffles and coughs. If you find your child not feeling well, please err on the side of caution and keep them home; please do not give them medicine to relieve the symptoms and send them to school. We have learned that keeping them home is the most effective strategy to lessen the spread of illness on our school campus.
We are also now in the Season of Advent and, as a Catholic school, we see signs everywhere on campus of hope, love, joy, and peace. We have begun our regular Monday morning gatherings in the courtyard where our Campus Ambassadors and Student Council lead us in Advent prayers and song — an unambiguous reminder that Jesus is the reason for the season.
Speaking of prayer, next week we will celebrate Mass on Thursday, Dec. 8 @ 9 AM in honor of The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary AND on Friday, Dec. 9 @ 11 AM for our regular all-school Mass.
Lastly, I am pleased to announce that we received a grant for $3,200 from the Matthew 19:14 Project to provide professional development for our faculty. These funds will help provide high-quality workshops on topics of differentiated instruction to help us continue to meet the needs of all learners.
Do everything in love.
SCHOOL NEWS
Progress Reports Friday
Trimester 2 progress reports will be emailed Friday, Dec. 9. Check your inbox.
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 6:00 PM in the courtyard. Consider dressing your child warmly as they will be performing outside in the winter wonderland!
- 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!
Universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA)
Everyone is now eligible to apply for these funds from the State of Arizona! Click here for details.
If you have signed your ESA contract, it is critical that you forward a copy to Kelly McLean so she can determine active dates and help you receive the maximum possible funding. She will process contracts in the order received.
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 Related 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 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. 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 repaying funds to the state. Don't let that happen!
Nurse's Notes
- Thank you for keeping your child home when they are presenting with symptoms during our current cold and flu season. Your child must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
- Most sore throats are the beginning of a cold; however, if your child's sore throat lasts for three days, I'd recommend an appointment for a strep culture.
- Coughs can linger for two to three weeks, and I don't want your child to have to stay home the entire time. If you give your child cough and/or cold medicine before school, it is helpful for me to be aware. If, however, the cough is frequent and/or disruptive, please keep him/her home. And please remember that all cough drops need to be kept in the nurse's office.
If you have any questions, always feel free to contact me. Stay healthy!
Jama Jingles
Our annual Jama Jingles Drive for children in the Arizona Foster Care system is in full swing and runs through next Friday, 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 presented to the children at their Christmas party. For your convenience, large candy-striped bins are at the front of the school for your pajama donation. The class with the highest number of donations wins a special treat with the principal!
Questions may be emailed to SJB parent Amy Vaughan.
SCRIP SHOP
The final Scrip order for the year was placed Friday, December 2nd at 12:30 PM. This was the last opportunity to order physical cards to receive them in time before the Christmas break. Any physical cards ordered after 12:30 PM on December 2nd will be delivered to the school in January, so please plan accordingly.
You are always encouraged to order e-cards anytime through the app; this deadline only applies to physical card orders.
*Please note: If you place a "ship-to-home" order anytime this month, RaiseRight has advised that ship-to-home orders can take up to 2 weeks to arrive. They are sent USPS and there is no tracking available.
If you still need to enroll in the RaiseRight app, Click Here for detailed instructions.
Please email me if you have any questions.
If you still need to enroll in the RaiseRight app, Click Here for detailed instructions.
Please email me if you have any questions.
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.
Please remember that students may only wear SJB sweatshirts or sweat jackets in the classroom. Refer to the Parent/Student Handbook pp.21–22 for a handy chart that details outerwear.
- Fri. Dec. 9: 2nd Trimester Progress Reports
- Thurs. Dec. 8: Mass of The Immaculate Conception of BVM 9 AM
- Fri. Dec. 9: All-School Mass 11 AM (note time change)
- Wed. Dec. 14: Christmas Program SJB Courtyard 6 PM
- Thurs. Dec. 15: Early Dismissal 12:30 PM
- Dec. 16–Jan. 2: Christmas Break
- Tues. Jan. 3: School Resumes
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.
PARISH NEWS
Poster Contest
The Knights of Columbus of St. Benedict Church invite children ages 4–18 to show their creativity this Advent Season with original artwork depicting the keeping of Christ in Christmas. There are four age groups — including one for seniors age 65+!
Click the following link for guidelines and submit by Dec. 18th: "Keeping Christ in Christmas" Poster Contest
COMMUNITY NEWS
Congratulations to former
SJB Bulldog Audrey Wood
Several Seton Catholic Prep students were recently honored with regional Emmy awards.
Former Bosco Bulldog Audrey Wood was announced as the winner in the Writer category in the National Student Production Awards. Click here to view the press release/announcement from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The NATAS recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy® Awards for News & Documentary, Sports, and Daytime television programming, as well as achievements in television Technology & Engineering.
Alumni Stephanie Burkhardt
U.S. Coast Guard Lieutenant
SJB Class of 2013 alumna Stephanie Burkhardt (along with her husband) recently received her Lieutenant Junior Grade epaulets in a pinning ceremony for the U.S. Coast Guard. We salute you, Stephanie!
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 Monday ...
Below are helpful links to information over the 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.
