As we approach the end of the 1st quarter, here are some notes and reminders:

• Friday (10/26) is a half-day with a 10:45 am service liturgy hosted by the 6th grade and a $5 grill lunch offered by 8th grade parents right after noon dismissal.
• There's no school on Monday (10/29) as Catholic school teachers attend professional development training. 
• The Halloween Parade takes place on Wednesday, Oct. 31, at 12:30 pm.
• Parent-teacher conferences will take place Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 7-8. On Wednesday, conferences will begin at 3:30 and end at 6:00 pm. On Thursday, conferences will begin at 3:30 pm and end at 8:00 pm (with a 5-6 pm conference break).
• Please use this survey to request a parent-teacher conference time. The school office staff will try to accommodate requests while scheduling conference times. Conference times will be sent home in Gold Folders as soon as they are set.
• If you bring your child's lunch in during the day, please make sure you have labeled your child's name on his or her lunch bag, and leave it on the table outside the office.
• Please make sure all gym clothing is labeled with the child's name in marker.
• Students who are "Scouts" -- members of the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Brownies, or Cub Scouts -- may wear their Scout uniform and come to school out of uniform on Thursday, Oct. 25.

Our Service Liturgy this Friday is an important part of our mission at St. John the Baptist. Students in each class have been collecting and storing food to help feed the hungry through the St. Camillus Food Pantry. 

Apply Now for Tuition Assistance

Tuition assistance applications are now being received by the Archdiocese of Washington (ADW).

To apply for tuition assistance for the 2019-20 school year, go to the Catholic Schools tuition assistance information page.

The deadline is Saturday, Dec. 1.

All families are encouraged to apply for tuition assistance through the Archdiocese.

Completion of an Archdiocesan (ADW) application is a requirement for families seeking parish or school assistance.

Last year, 41 students received ADW tuition assistance awards for a total of $37,380 for the current school year. That's $911 per ADW award.

An additional $21,100 was awarded through school and parish tuition assistance accounts, which are funded by contributions.

Tell Your Friends About SJB Open House

SJB's success depends on strong enrollment.

In the next few weeks, each SJB family will receive two copies of our  advertising the dates and times of our SJB Open Houses for New Families. Parent Ambassadors ask each SJB family to distribute these two flyers to possible future SJB families.  Do you have a neighbor, coworker, or friend with school-aged children?  Do you attend a community activity  where there may be a bulletin board appropriate for hanging a flyer?   Perhaps you could use this as an opportunity to meet the neighbor down the street with preschoolers?  

Start thinking now, and if you believe you could use more than two, please contact Mrs. Dugroo at jbdugroo@verizon.net and she will see that you get as many as you need.  Jackie is also looking for volunteers willing to place an Open House announcement or blurb for SJB on their neighborhood list serve or on another visible social media site.

Do You Need to Update Your Virtus Certification?

If you became Virtus certified in 2013 or earlier, you will need to update your volunteer certification by getting a new background check. The process doesn't take long. Call Martha Kerley in the Parish Office at 301-622-1122 and schedule a background check. Bring two government ID's for your appointment, and you should be finished in under 10 minutes. The new background check became necessary when the Archdiocese Child Protection Office started using a more advanced digital background check system in December of 2013. Thank you for your cooperation in the name of child safety.

Please Help with Gift Items for Breakfast with Santa

Volunteers Needed, Too

Eighth Grade Lunch Grill Is Friday

On Friday, Oct. 26, there will be a $5 lunch grill after school. The lunch will include burger or hot dog, bag of chips, dessert and water. The grill lunch will start right after dismissal at 12 noon. Proceeds will go toward 8th grade graduation activities.

Eighth Grade Wreath Sale Begins

Please check the Gold Folder for order forms.

Steps in Process of Re-Enrolling Children

1. Make registration payment of $500, which counts toward next year's tuition, when you re-register on TADS in January.

2. Complete re-registration for each child (but just one $500 payment).

3. Complete the parish verification form in March and send it to the school office. It is parish policy that this form must be completed each year for a parish discount.

4. Complete Tuition Agreement in April.

• Email from TADS will contain link to tuition payment proposals
• Respond to email by following link to TADS to review tuition payment proposals
• Contact Karen Kuzemka in Parish Office if you have a question about the tuition you've been charged. Please note that credit for tuition assistance may be applied after the agreement has been submitted.
• Select the tuition payment proposal you prefer and accept the agreement.

 School Choir Forming 

Mr. Shillingford is looking for enthusiastic singers in grades 5-8 for the school choir. The SJB music teacher has placed sign-up forms in the middle-school classrooms and has made an online sign-up form  for parents who want their children to participate. The choir will soon begin rehearsing songs for the Christmas Program. Choir members will be required to attend rehearsals on Tuesday afternoons from 3:10 to 4:15 pm. Choir membership depends on student attendance, effort, and behavior.  

2nd Quarter Hot Lunch Due Friday

Here's the order form for Hot Lunch Thursday for the 2nd quarter. Orders are due by Friday, Oct. 26.

First Communion Meeting is Sunday, Oct. 28

Parents wishing to celebrate a child’s first communion, please come to an information session on Sunday, October 28 from 2 to 2:30 pm in classroom 8 in the school.

Halloween Parade Set for Wednesday, Oct. 31

Our annual Halloween Parade will begin at 12:30 pm on Wednesday, Oct. 31. The parking lot will be cleared, parents will gather, and  students will parade around the lot in their costumes. Student Council members will judge the best costumes and award prizes, and the 8th grade will have fun activities planned for the afternoon. It's an event you don't want to miss. As you plan ahead for costumes, please keep these guidelines in mind.

Children should be able to walk unassisted with their costumes in place.

Multiple costume plans (3 or more) should include all the girls or boys to avoid hurt feelings. No toy weapons. No hair dye.

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