Dear Parents and Community Members,
We were blessed with a very nice first week of school! The weather even cooperated the last two days, and the students and teachers were able to learn in a comfortable building. I hope you are able to enjoy the long Labor Day Weekend with your family and friends. There are several updates listed below about administrative, spiritual and academic programs.
If you have already set up your OneView Parent Portal and completed your child’s back to school forms online, thank you! If you still need to, please click on the attached directions and do so as soon as possible. We have had a couple hiccups here and there, but for the most part, it has been pretty smooth for the many of you who’ve completed this task! Please, let us know if you have questions about the process or the forms.
During this first week of school, we introduced our theme for the year: to become a Dragon Slayer! Dragon Slayer is a saint, and a saint is a follower of Christ. I taught the students a new saying to help us all remember this each day: I say, “Become a Saint” and the students reply, “Today”. I hope this simple saying reminds us of our true mission at St. John’s, to encourage all to learn and live a Christ-centered life. So, if your children come home talking about dragons and slaying dragons and wearing spiritual armor, they’re probably not kidding! Many of our students were very kind this week, especially welcoming our 13 new students in grades 1-6, as well as all of our Kindergarten students. I will continue to share with you some of the times I catch students in the act of becoming a Dragon Slayer!
This coming week our Elementary Students will begin their fall MAP testing. The MAP stands for Measures of Academic Progress, and these tests determine your child’s instructional level and measure academic growth throughout the school year and from year to year in the areas of Math and Reading for all students in grades K-6, as well as Language Arts and Science for students in grades 3-6. Fall results will be shared with you in November at Parent Teacher Conferences, while the scores will help drive the teachers’ instruction of each individual child. MAP tests are unique in that they are adaptive tests your child takes on a computer. That means that the test becomes more difficult the more questions your child answers correctly. When your child incorrectly answers a question, the test becomes easier. Therefore, your child takes a test specifically created for his or her learning level. Please encourage them to do their very best in order to give them, you and the teachers the most accurate picture possible of their individual ability.
Another academic program we are excited to roll out this year, is the Renaissance Learning, Accelerated Reader and STAR Assessment program. This will be a supplemental Reading program that each student will have access to. Our teachers are learning more about Accelerated Reader and STAR and will begin to slowly roll this out during the first semester as they complete the training. We will be working on this as a staff during the September 19 in-service two-hour delay. Another supplemental program each child has access to, is Dreambox Math, and this is a program each student has their own login for, and can access at home and in school. In the past, we have had about a 20% participation rate in this program, while it is a proven research based Math program that drives individual improvement. If you want your child to excel to their fullest potential in Math, practice their Math facts often, and give them regular time on Dreambox to advance in their skills. It will challenge them at times, so they will need to be motivated to work hard!
Mother Theresa is being canonized a Saint in the Catholic Church by Pope Francis this Sunday. This is something we are able to discuss and learn from in a Catholic School, following in the footsteps of a Saint! I hope you take time to participate in Mass this weekend with your family, no matter where you may be spending the Labor Day weekend! Peace Be With You, and Go Blue Jays….beat T-birds! -Nate S.
JCDA needs a Leader
St. John’s uniquely offers a Junior Catholic Daughters of America after school program to students in grades 2-6. This is an opportunity for girls to practice their Faith after school hours by meeting together monthly in order to serve others and learn more about following Christ. It is a very fun time for the girls! The boys have the JCSA as well.
JCDA is in need of a new leader. If you are interested in leading this after school organization for our girls, please contact Allisha Ostendorf at 419-303-6583.
St. John’s Children’s Choir Signups
Mrs. Lynn Bockey would like to invite boys and girls in grades 4th-6th to join The Children’s Choir which sings at Sunday Masses. There is a sign-up sheet attached for those who are interested.
Vancrest 5K
Vancrest would like to invite you to help kick off their Grandparents Day festivities with a 5K on Sunday, September 11, 2016. This is a great way to bring some smiles to the resident’s faces. Please see attachment for registration and details.
Instructions for Creating an Account in OneView
DSJ Elementary Principal 