Blue Jay Flyer
February 21, 2024
From the Principal's Desk...
Parents and Guardians,
I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend! Our faculty had a great inservice day last Friday– diving into our MAP data and learning about flexible groups and differentiation. The teachers were able to sit down and look at areas of concern for their students as well as areas of focus to achieve growth. I was inspired by the conversations around our data and the plans that were created for the rest of the school year.
Tomorrow, our Penny War winners will receive their prizes from the PTO. The Third grade will receive pizza for lunch, the First grade will receive ice cream at the end of the day, and the Kindergarten will start their day with donuts. All 3rd, 1st, and Kindergarten students will also be out of uniform tomorrow as part of their prize.
Lastly, mark your calendars for our next PTO membership meeting. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 28th at 7pm in the cafeteria. Anne Flick and Erin Reder will be discussing MAP scores with the parents in attendance.
Hope you all have a great week!
Sincerely,
Courtney Weinheimer
School Calendar đź“…
Cafeteria 🍽️
School News
Please Vote: Tiny Saints Giveaway
Please help us win a free Tiny Saint for every student and a t-shirt of our patron saint for every staff member - a prize valued up to $10,000! Make sure to click on St. John - Cincinnati, NOT Harrison!
Cast your vote here and please share with family and friends who can vote too! You may vote multiple times before the deadline.
Deadline to vote is Thursday, February 22nd!
Shopping Cent$ Orders Filled Thursday
Shopping Cent$ orders will be filled Thursday, 2/22!
Order forms were sent home today in the Blue Jay Folders. We still have a supply of limited time cards from the holidays - $5 Starbuck, Panera and Skyline and $10 Target, Walmart and Amazon. Skyline and Amazon are very limited quantities (less than 5 of each). Get your cards now for Easter basket fillers before we run out!!
Also, don't forget to buy your cards to donate to Create the Good. They are looking for Amazon, Target, Starbucks, Walmart, Dunkin and any other "teen" locations.
Thanks for your support!
PTO Penny War Winners
On Thursday we will celebrate the three winners of the PTO Penny Wars!
- All students in grades kindergarten, 1st and 3rd may be out of uniform on Thursday, Feb. 22.
- 3rd grade will have pizza at lunch time.
- 1st grade will receive ice cream at the end of the day.
- Kindergarten will be treated to donuts in the morning.
Student Council Toy Drive
Spots Still Available for 3 Yr. Old Preschool Classes
We still have some openings for the 2024-25 school year in our 3 year old preschool classes. Our 3's classes are held on Mondays and Tuesdays from either 9:00-11:30 am or 12:15-2:45 pm.
If you or anyone you know is interested, please contact our Preschool Director, Mrs. Jenny Kahny, for more information at jkahny@stjohnsdrschool.org.
Re-Registration Fee Increases to $300 After March 8th
Reminder that after March 8th, the $225 re-registration fee will increase to $300. If you have not paid your $225 registration fee for the 2024--25 school year, please do so as soon as possible to avoid the increase. Payments can be made by sending cash or check (payable to St. John the Baptist School) to the school office or by logging into your FACTS account to make the payment.
***If you are enrolled in FACTS auto-pay and you have not paid your re-registration fee by March 8th, $225 will automatically be deducted from your bank account/credit card.
Fine Arts Night March 12: Grades 1-3
Fine Arts Night features our first, second, and third grade students.
We hope you can join us on Tuesday, March 12! The evening begins at 7:00 pm in the church with a concert. Students may wear dressy clothes no athletic pants please. Art work will be displayed in the cafeteria for family and friends to view. Be sure to also visit the Book Fair located in the library. Reminders will be sent as the date gets closer.
Quarters for Kindness Raises $79.66 for NBCF
Last October our "Quarters for Kindness" project raised $79.66 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Thank you to our students for donating their extra Tasty Treats change to help inspire hope and provide help to women affected by breast cancer.
Ed Choice Scholarships
The enrollment period for 2024-25 Ed Choice Scholarships, both Traditional and Expansion, is now open. More information will be sent home via e-mail and in the Blue Jay Folders in the next week. You may also visit our website stjohnsdrschool.org under the Admissions/Financial Aid tab for scholarship information and application forms.
Win a $500 Referral Credit
We had a record number of prospective families come to Open House and the feedback thus far has been very positive! Please keep spreading the word....refer a new family to St. John's School and upon their official registration, you will be entered into a drawing to win a $500 credit that can be applied toward tuition, lunches or spirit wear.
Family Education Day
In collaboration with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, join 1N5 and MindPeace for the second annual education day for adolescents and young adults living with depression/anxiety and their caregivers. During this event, experts will present on a range of topics relevant to adolescents and young adults. This program will also include Q & A expert panels, a session just for teens and a session for young adults. See attached flier below for more details.
Last Call To Register for Tony's Fight Fundraiser
Please see below for a unique fundraiser that was started by one of our previous school families. It is a great time, so please consider registering to help a family in our community.
Register for the event here.
Please see attachment below for more details and to learn about the local family that the foundation will be supporting this year.
Book Buddies
Miranda Weisenberger, a 2020 alum of St. John's and a current Senior at Badin High School, is partnering with the Hamilton Lane Library for her Senior Service Project. Her project consists of having children practice their reading skills with a senior from Badin. If you are interested, they are looking for more children to join the program. Registration is required. Please see flier below for more details.
Spectacular Gala Volunteers Needed
Save the Date: November 16, 2024
We are looking for volunteers to join the planning committee for our School Spectacular Gala in November.
- Chairperson/Co-Chairs for the 2025 event: Our current Chairperson, Erika Tonne, is seeking someone to "shadow" her this year and then takeover the event in 2025.
- Committee Members There are many different ways to help with this event including obtaining sponsorships & donations, silent auction, decorations, set-up, tear-down, and more.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Laura Heidorn in the school office at lheidorn@stjohnsdrschool.org.
Blue Jay Gallery 📸
Traits & Inheritance
Sixth grade has been learning about traits and inheritance in the Science Lab. They used K'Nex Building Sets to follow the instructions of genes and make proteins. Did you know that proteins control our traits?
Painting with a Twist
Check out the new classroom signs that Ms. Dodd and Mrs. Caldwell painted over the weekend at Painting with a Twist in Mason!
President's Day
Using the Nearpod platform, first grade students engaged in an interactive lesson about why we celebrate President's Day.
PTO Corner
Day Trip To Keeneland or Belterra Casino
Due to lack of volunteers and feedback received, we regret to inform you that the decision has been made to cancel the PTO Spring Fling 2024 fundraising trip to Nashville. We are sharing more interest in a fundraising social event one-day trip. We are excited to plan a weekend event open for all parents and community friends!
- Please complete a brief survey to help us finalize a one-day trip location and date.
- Click here to complete the survey no later than March 4, 2024.
- If you are interested in volunteering to help lead or assist in planning this event, please email us at pto@stjohnsdrschool.org.
- Thank you so much for your time! We look forward to a day of socialization, fun, and FUNdraising with all of you!
Thank you,
St. John the Baptist PTO Board
Dine to Donate
PTO Membership Meeting #3
Understanding Your Child's MAP Scores
Our new MAP testing offers rich insights into each child. We get information on strengths, weaknesses, and what the student is ready to learn next. We also use MAP data to monitor how much a child grows in math and reading over the course of the year. Erin Reder, our reading specialist, and Anne Flick, our gifted specialist, will walk you through the MAP score report so you can understand what the MAP scores reveal about your child. To get the most out of this session, bring your child(ren)'s score report to refer to--no one else will see it! We will share ideas that parents can do with their children to complement the efforts that teachers are making to meet each child's needs.
Dine to Donate Fundraising Events
Athletic Boosters
Last Call for Co-ed Tee Ball
Last call for signups for 2024 Co-ed Tee Ball! We are merging the tee-ball and instructional softball teams this year. Tee-ball is for children born between 5/1/2017 and 5/31/2020. Teams will be co-ed and all games will be played at St. Johns on Friday nights (with some exceptions as schedules require). As always, we will be looking for parent volunteers to coach these teams. It is a great time and very rewarding.
Please register here: Tee Ball Registration
*A one-time family fee of $50 will be assessed per account at the beginning of each calendar year. The family fee helps to cover capital improvements and operating expenses of our athletic facilities.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Tony Beck
Tee Ball Coordinator
513-288-3701
tony.beck@ymail.com
Boy's Baseball
We are currently offering the following:
- Instructional - 4/5 year olds, kindergarten
- 7U - 6/7 year olds, 1st graders
- 9U - 2nd/3rd graders, teams splits by age based on numbers (8/9 yr olds)
- 11U - 4th/5th graders (10/11 yr olds)
- 13U - 6th/7th graders (12/13 yr olds)
- 15U - 8th graders (14/15 yr olds)
Please follow the link below to sign up online.
Spring Soccer
Signups for Spring Soccer will be open for about 2 more weeks!
St. John's will be offering SAY Rec Soccer for boys and girls playing Swarmers (2018), Passers (2016 & 2017), and Wings (2014 & 2015). These teams will play an 8 game season in Northwest SAY. There is no post season tournament in the Spring.
**We could use more players in the following divisions;
Swarmers (Coed 2018) - need at least 4 more to field a team
Girls Passers (2016 & 2017) - need at least 3 more to field a team
Girls Wings (2014 & 2015) - need at least 4 more to field a team
Boys Wings (2014 & 2015) - need at least 2 more to field a team
Boys Passers and Boys Strikers have enough players to form teams.
Please consider signing up your son/daughter.
Please register at https://sports.bluesombrero.com/stjab/ by February 19th.
*A one-time family fee of $50 will be assessed per account at the beginning of each calendar year. The family fee helps to cover capital improvements and operating expenses of our athletic facilities.
If you have any questions, please contact our soccer coordinator;
Lauren Kresyman
847-687-4640
laurenicole821@yahoo.com
Summer Camps
La Salle Summer Camps
Registration for our summer camps is now open! With a variety of camps for athletics, academics and arts, there is a camp for everyone! Register today: Summer Camp Registration
We are also excited to announce our Future Lancer Lifting Program registration is now live! The Future Lancer Lifting Program is available to all registered students of the Class of 2028, and new this year, rising 8th graders - the Class of 2029! Register here for the Future Lancers Lifting Program.
St. Xavier Summer Camps
We are excited to offer a variety of summer camps where prospective students, boys and girls in grade school, will meet new friends, explore the St. Xavier campus and experience the core tenets of a Jesuit education. Through hands-on, community-based activities, St. Xavier’s teachers and coaches promote fun summer experiences filled with learning opportunities. Minecraft, filmmaking, guitar, acting, makers space, and a variety of sports camps are offered.
Class of 2029 only: St. Xavier is offering the Summer Enrichment Program. Through a mix of academic, cultural, social, and athletic activities, the SEP provides an excellent opportunity for students to become acquainted with life at St. X. Students will make a film, break out of an escape room, and build and race a soap box derby car. Register your son today for a fun-filled summer of meeting future classmates and having fun. This program is offered to rising 8th-grade boys only.
Camps will sell out early so register quickly. Follow the link below to register.
Docentitos Academy
The Cincinnati Arts Association's Weston Art Gallery announces the twenty-sixth season of its award winning art ambassadorial program, Docentitos. This two-week summer camp is for children between the ages of 9 and 12 and takes place in the Weston Art Gallery in the Aronoff Center for the Arts. Daily activities include classes, artist talks, theater tours, workshops, installation and studio visits, script rehearsals, field trips and art projects. For more information and a registration form, please see attachment below.
Western Hills Country Club Caddying Opportunity
Alumni News
News to Share?
We love to share exciting news about our St. John's alumni with our school community! If you have an older child or know anyone who graduated from St. John's who has an achievement to share, please send information and any photos to Laura Heidorn at lheidorn@stjohnsdrschool.org.
Parish News
Lenten Fish Fry
Both St. John the Baptist and St. John Neumann will host a weekly Fish Fry on Fridays during lent starting February 17th. More details will be published in the coming weeks at www.theblessedtrinityfamily.org.
Volunteer for St. John the Baptist Fish Fry
Ladies' Game Night
The St. John Neumann Women’s Organization will host Ladies' Game Night on Saturday, March 2 from 7-11 pm in Daniel Hall. Women 21 and up from any parish are welcome and encouraged to bring friends! There will be Split the Pot and amazing basket raffles! Drinks will be provided. Bring an appetizer, $10, and fun board games of your choice.
Please RSVP to Angela at (513) 520-9516.
Blessed Trinity Youth Group
Calling All 6th, 7th, & 8th Graders from the Blessed Trinity Family!
Join us for games, snacks, and to get to know other people your age, all centered in the love that Jesus has for you.
We will meet on these dates:
- Wednesday, February 14th from 7-8:30pm St. John Neumann Daniel Hall Friday
- March 1st from 7-8:30pm Corpus Christi Francis Hall
- Wednesday, March 13th from 7-8:30pm St. John Neumann Daniel Hall
- Friday, April 5th from 7-8:30pm Corpus Christi Francis Hall
For more information, please contact Cathy Hale at cathyknueven@hotmail.com.
Vacation Bible School
Save the Date for SCUBA VBS!
Location: St.John the Baptist
July 8th -12th
More details and registration to come.
If you are interested in volunteering, contact Cathy Hale at cathyknueven@hotmail.com