St. John The Evangelist School

From the Principal

Monthly Newsletter

June, 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians,

                            Our school year is quickly approaching its final days.  I wish to thank you all – faculty and staff, parents and students for your support, encouragement, and involvement.  Without YOU, our school would not exude its aura of warmth, friendliness, and togetherness.

             June is a very busy month for our faculty and our students as they prepare for our Field Day and field trips, exams, and Promotion Recognition ceremonies and Graduation.   PLEASE NOTE these important times and dates:

 ·         Field Day for Grades K through 6 is Friday, June 4.  Please return the Permission slip and fee for busses if you haven’t done so to date. Due to the change of venue (ND/BG), parents who signed up for this service commitment need to be at that school at 9:15 AM to await instruction from the four coaches.  Carpooling is advisable.

·         NYS Science Test for 4th graders – Monday, June 7th

·         Our Nursery classes will celebrate their last day on Thursday, June 10 with a

                        reception for parents in the cafeteria at 10:00 a.m.

·         Our Pre-K students graduate Wednesday, June 16 at 10:00 a.m. in the auditorium;                           
                        reception to follow

·         Graduation ceremonies for our two Kindergarten classes will take place in the church at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 18.  Students will be free to leave with their parents following a reception at the school immediately after the ceremony.

·         Our After School Program ends on Friday, June 18.

·         Full day sessions for Grades 1 through 6 will end on Friday, June 18.              
                 (June 21 and 22 will be half-day sessions with dismissal at 11:30 AM)

·         Wednesday, June 23:  Promotion Recognition and the presentation of report cards for Grades 1 through 5 will be held in the church at 8:30 a.m. These students will then return to their classrooms to gather belongings and say “good-byes”. They are free to leave with parents at this time or attend the 10:15 MOVING-UP LITURGY AND CEREMONY honoring our Grade 6 graduates. Luncheon Reception to follow in the school cafeteria.

·         Wednesday, June 23 – final day for the Extended Daycare Program

·         Faculty in-service: June 24 and 25

 Please carefully note the dates for individual class Field Trips listed on the enclosed calendar.

             Please Note:  Image Experts at 1623 Eastern Parkway (across from Price Chopper) is the exclusive handler of all our school uniform needs.  For your convenience, they will be here
Friday, June 11 from 10:00 to 12:00 in the school gymnasium for measurements.

             Children need not be measured if you know the sizes.  Simply fill out the order form and send back to school with your deposit by June 11.  If you are unsure of the sizes and are unable to be here June 11, call Image Experts (377-4523) to make an appointment.

             Also, a uniform exchange, coordinated by Jamie Lichorat, will be held on June 21st and 22nd in the school library.

 

            June is an exciting month here at school as former students, now graduating from area high schools and/or colleges, drop in to visit and reminisce about their years at SJE.  One particular alum gave me a letter of her fond memories of St. John’s School that I am very proud to share with you in this mailing. Please make time to read Kelly’s letter below- see why my job is so rewarding! 

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            Since this is my final newsletter of the year, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very safe and pleasant summer. I ask that you seek out many educational and spiritual experiences for your children this vacation.  We extend our best wishes to the students and their families who will be leaving St. John's and we look forward to this September to welcome our new and returning students and parents.  My next newsletter should arrive in the beginning of August with the calendar for the 2010-2011 school year.

 

                                                                                                                  Sincerely,

                                                                                                                             Marie C. Keenan

                                                                                                                             Principal

BASEBALLMANIA RETURNS DUE TUESDAY, JUNE 1ST

 Our school office will be closed July 4th through July 11th

         

Dear Families,    

A Chinese proverbs states, “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.” This axiom implies that lessons cannot be taught inactively; but in order to make a lasting impression on the pupil, they must be taught through interaction and dynamic atmospheres. With this in mind, a 2002 report done by National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has revealed that students who attend private schools are more likely to qualify for advanced classes in high school and proceed to graduate and attend a rigorous college. Furthermore, the Bureau of Justice Statistics has found that students in a private school feel significantly safer and more comfortable than in a public school.

 I continuously question where the lessons and traits that have allowed me to be successful in high school were derived from. There was never a specific moment when a teacher handed me a list of the qualities that would be needed to get through the seemingly impossible moments of high school; nor was there ever a textbook used regarding the “how to’s of learning.” After a quick glance, it appears as if the need to always turn in my best work on time, check my test over, twice, before turning it in, or helping out another in need, are simply actions that all students take; kind of like how everyone needs to breathe. However, this is not true. Not all students find the same thrill and excitement as I do when learning, nor do they have the same expectations and standards for themselves. So, as the cyclic nature of life, this brings me back to the question, where did I learn my schooling beliefs and habits?

                I attended St. John the Evangelist for nine years, from Nursery school through 6^th grade. As the school website states, the goal for St. John’s is “Living & Learning with Love.” I think that  this educational motto  has taught  me to be an active participant throughout the rest of my schooling. Like the Chinese proverb, teachers at St. John’s open his/her heart out to the class, and actively teach. They put in effort over and above the norm, and because of this, I was taught that school is exciting. Through the fun educational learning strategies we partook in, it was exemplified that what is retained is directly proportional to the amount of effort invested. Furthermore, the small sizes of the classrooms, especially in 6^th grade, taught me to be confident in speaking aloud in class and sharing my thought or idea. Despite being located in an elementary school in 6^th grade, Mr. Cummings treated my class as though we were in a middle school. I think that being treated this way, yet still being in the same school I had been preceding that year allowed me to make an easier adjustment to the expectations of students in higher grades. I believe that this, participating in class, and sharing my ideas better prepared me for the switch into 7^th grade and enhanced my ability to assimilate into the ways of my peers.

                St. John’s did not only teach me how to function properly in school, it also taught me the power and value of community service. Both my brother and I attended this school and my parents worked hard to make it feasible. However, through the rewards program at St. John’s they were able to assist and volunteer their time in order to help offset the cost of tuition. Now, several years later I am an absolute fanatic about volunteering. There is no better feeling than helping someone else have an opportunity he/she may not have had. I think I feel this way because for the first nine years of my schooling I was surrounded by  people constantly helping others.

                Ultimately, St. John the Evangelist  School  presented me with the opportunity to succeed in high school.  It instilled in me ideals that may not be stressed in high volume areas. I think parents that send their children to St. John’s are actually making a long term reliable investment. They are sending their children to a place where happiness, love, and success are extremely prevalent. Although the children are too young to understand it at this time, they too, upon graduation will feel grateful and thankful towards their early childhood education.                                                                                                                                                                            Thank you and God bless –

St. John the Evangelist

Class of 2004