The Weekly Update #4

What an exciting time it has been around campus! It has been such a joy to watch our school community come together and celebrate during our recent Fiesta. The energy and enthusiasm from students, parents, and staff have been contagious. I’m especially proud of how much our students are growing—not only academically, but also socially as they build strong friendships and strengthen their sense of community.

As we look ahead, we want to continue improving and making St. John of God an even better place for our students to thrive. To help us with this, we are beginning our accreditation process with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This process allows us to reflect on what we’re doing well and, more importantly, identify areas where we can grow.

To guide us in this effort, we are asking for your help by completing the WASC Parent Survey. Your feedback is incredibly valuable in helping us understand our strengths and determine where we can enhance our school environment. The survey is available in both English and Spanish, and all responses are completely anonymous. Your input will have a direct impact on shaping the future of our school.

I encourage you to take a few moments to complete the survey and share your honest thoughts. Your participation is crucial to ensuring we provide the best possible education and experience for our children. Thank you, as always, for your continued support and involvement in our community. Together, we are making St. John of God a place where every child can grow and succeed.

Blessings,

Dr. Gonzalez

This is a friendly reminder that progress reports have been distributed to all students in grades 1-8. Please ensure that the manila envelopes are signed in the "Trimester 1 Progress Report" row and returned to your child's teacher. As an incentive, all students who return their signed envelope by Wednesday, October 2, will receive a free dress pass. Thank you for your continued support!

We are excited to remind you that Wednesday, October 2, is Free Dress Day! Students have the option to participate by either bringing $2 or using a free dress pass. Please ensure that all students who choose to participate follow our free dress guidelines, which include wearing appropriate attire suitable for a school environment.

We encourage everyone to come out and show your support for our flag football team in their upcoming games! Their next game is TODAY, Sunday, November 29th at 4 PM. All games will be held at the St. Paul High School football field. Let’s cheer on our athletes and show them our Charger pride! Your presence and encouragement mean a lot to the team, so we hope to see many of you there!

We are excited to announce that we have two home volleyball games this week! The games will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday at 3:45 PM. We encourage as many students and families as possible to come out and support our team. Let's cheer them on and show our Charger pride! We look forward to seeing you there!

In honor of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, we will have a special Blessing of the Animals on Wednesday, October 4th, at 11:30 AM. The gates will open at 11:15 AM for parents to bring their pets to receive a blessing. Please ensure that all pets are on a leash, in a cage, or in an aquarium/terrarium for their safety. We look forward to celebrating this beautiful tradition with you and your furry, feathery, (or scaly!) friends.

We are thrilled to announce the kickoff of our annual Jog-A-Thon this Friday, October 4th! The event will begin with an exciting student rally, where we will introduce this year's theme: Superheroes! The Jog-A-Thon will run through to our main event on Friday, November 22nd. Throughout the next several weeks, students will be engaging in fun activities and fundraising efforts to support our school. We encourage all families to get involved and help make this year’s Jog-A-Thon a super success! More details will be provided soon, but mark your calendars and get ready to cheer on our little superheroes!

This Friday after school, the 3rd/4th grade class will be hosting a nacho sale! We encourage all families to stop by and show their support. Proceeds from the sale will help fund upcoming class activities and projects. It’s a delicious way to contribute to our school community, and we appreciate your generosity!

Get ready for some fun with our Boo Grams! Starting October 1st through October 18th, students can purchase Boo Grams to send to friends, teachers, or anyone they'd like to surprise! Here's what we have to offer:

• $1 Boo Grams: Lollipop
• $2 Boo Grams: Mummy Gram Lollipop and Slap Bracelet
• $3 Boo Grams: Lollipop and Halloween Pop-it

All proceeds from the Boo Grams will go towards fundraising for the student Snow Day! Don't miss out on this chance to spread some Halloween cheer while supporting a great cause!

We are excited to remind you of our upcoming Pumpkin Patch Field Trip for Preschool through 2nd Grade students on October 9, 2024! The field trip will take place at the Irvine Park Railroad, located at 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869.

The cost for the trip is $25 per person (students and chaperones). Payments can be made in cash or by check in the school office. If you would prefer to have the payment added to your FACTS account, please contact the office to make arrangements. We look forward to a fun-filled day at the pumpkin patch!

We are looking for parents to volunteer for yard supervision during recess and lunch. Your help in ensuring our students have a safe and fun environment during these times is greatly appreciated. To volunteer, you must be VIRTUS trained and fingerprinted, as required by our safety protocols. If you haven’t completed these steps yet, we can guide you through the process. If you are available to assist, please reach out to the school office, and we will provide more details on how you can get involved. Thank you for considering this opportunity to support our students and staff!

We are still looking for parent volunteers, especially for supervision during recess and lunch. Your involvement is crucial in ensuring a safe and supportive environment for our students.

Important Reminder: All volunteers must be fingerprinted and VIRTUS trained before they can begin. This is a requirement to ensure the safety and well-being of our school community.

How to Get Started:

- Fingerprinting: https://lacatholics.org/fingerprinting/

- VIRTUS Training: https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/reg_list2.cfm?theme=0&theOrgID=19591

Please check the links for available sessions and sign up as soon as possible. Your time and effort make a big difference in our school community, and we greatly appreciate your commitment!

Thank you for your continued support!

We invite you to join us for our next PTO meeting on Tuesday, October 1 at 6:30 PM. Your participation and input are vital to our school community, and we encourage you to come and share your ideas as we work together to support our students. We look forward to seeing you there!

This is a friendly reminder that there are plenty of opportunities to earn your required service hours! One of the best ways to get involved is by volunteering at PTO events throughout the year. Your time and support are invaluable in helping us create memorable experiences for our students.

To sign up for available volunteer opportunities, please click the link below. We appreciate your commitment to our school community and look forward to working together at these upcoming events!