Catholic Schools Week Begins Sunday
Here's what's planned at SJB:
- Monday— Student Appreciation Day. Students may wear SJB Spirit Wear with regular or PE uniforms, and there's no homework.
- Tuesday— Students in older grades and lower grades will get together for a Buddy Activity.
- Wednesday— Living Rosary 2:15 pm in the Church
- Thursday— Parents are invited to the Family Open House from 8:30 to 10:30 am, Family Mass at 10:45 am, and Family Lunch in the Gym following the Mass. We hope that you enjoy some of the extras provided by teachers.
- Friday— It's Roll Out of Bed and Read Day, followed by the Basketball Free-Throw Contest in the Gym at 11 am. Kids may come to school in their pajamas for Roll Out of Bed and read day, or they may wear sweatpants and sweatshirts. On Friday night, there's Kids Bingo Night in the Gym.
Family Day is Thursday, Jan. 31
The day begins with an open house for our school families from 8:30 am to 10:30 am. During the open house, parents are invited into the classrooms with their children. At 10:45 am, we will have a family Mass together in the Church, followed by a family lunch together in the gym. It is a great tradition for school parents to come to school for Family Day.
Parents are asked to take their children from the classroom and go to the church together at 10:30 am.
Families were asked to turn in order forms for Family Day Lunch and 3rd quarter Hot Lunch by Jan. 18.
Directory is Now On Parent Portal
The school directory is available online through the Parent Portal. Just log in and you should see a Directory tab across the top of the page. Select Directory and it will open. You may view the Staff Directory, Parent Directory, or Student Directory on the password-protected portal. Remember that the “sign in” prompt at the top of the school website will take you to the portal.
We ask for Your Prayers...
We are praying for Clark Fitzgerald, who passed away on Jan. 14. Mr. Fitzgerald was grandfather of the Oladotun children: Yemi (8th), Adeola (6th), Babatunde (4th), Wale (1st). He was the father of Mrs. Dessire Oladotun, grandfather of 14 grandchildren, and husband to his wife for 45 years of marriage. Mr. Fitzgerald was humble and caring. His funeral is Jan. 25.
We are praying for Neville Green, who passed away on Jan. 5. He was grandfather to Claire Ellong (5th) and father to Mrs. Heather Ellong.
Arrangements have been announced for Bruce Crock, who helped St. John the Baptist for many years with the 6th grade overnight Outdoor Ed field trip. Mr. Crock passed away last week. His memorial service will be at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church at 15663 Norbeck Road in Silver Spring on Wednesday, January 30, at 11 am. Visitation will begin at 10 am. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Holy Cross Hospice or the American Brain Tumor Association. Following the service, there will be a reception at the Clubhouse Grille at Clubhouse I in Leisure World (3700 Rossmoor Blvd.).
Order Valentines from the 8th Grade
Complete this order form and send it to school by Feb. 8.
Spring Show is May 1-3
Last year's show was Mulan Jr. This year, SJB is producing The Lion King Jr. Auditions were completed last week.
Career Day is April 5
Career Day is now on Friday, April 5, and the spring play is now May 1-3. The online calendar has been updated to reflect the changes.
Apply for Kindergarten and Pre-K
Space is getting tight in Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten.
We want to make sure that every willing parish family and school family is able to send a school-age child to Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten. We encourage SJB families to apply for Kindergarten and Pre-K soon.
We are encouraging our families with children in PreKindergarten and Kindergarten to register their children for the next school year soon. We want them to register now to ensure that their children keep their seats in the class for the 2019-20 school year.
The number of available seats in Kindergarten will depend on the number of Pre-Kindergarten students who return to SJB.
SJB Registration Has Begun
Registration can be a cloudy process. At SJB, families must go through the enrollment process every year. Below are the steps that each family must take from now through April to re-enroll children in the school.
|
Steps |
The Dark Cloud - Registration |
The Silver Lining |
|
1. |
Make $500 payment on TADS |
The fee counts toward tuition |
|
2. |
Remember to register each child on TADS |
Pay just once! One fee per family |
|
3. |
Complete parish verification form and send to school in March |
Get a break in tuition |
|
4. |
Choose a payment plan |
This is the final step |
|
5. |
Submit tuition agreement |
more months=lower payments |
After Care Rates May Change Next Year
We are analyzing our After Care rates with an eye toward creating a new After Care payment system in 2019-20. As soon as we have determined what the new rates will be, we will send the information to our school families. We hope to do this before the end of the school year.
Registration May Look Different Next January
SJB is considering different tuition models for next year. Some models include rolling student and family fees into a higher tuition rate, lowering registration and making it a real fee instead of a down payment for returning families, and increasing assistance credits for multiple children among other measures. SJB's goal is to provide affordable, high-quality education to as many families as possible. The challenge is paying excellent teachers and providing quality resources while keeping tuition as low as possible. SJB will continue to look at tuition models used at Catholic schools in the Archdiocese and in other areas in an effort to strike the right balance while meeting the needs of our families and children. We hope to give our families an idea of where we are headed in advance of the next registration season, which begins in January 2020 for school year 2020-21.
Register for After School Science Club
See the flyer for information on after-school science clubs.
Kids Night Bingo is Coming
See the flyer for Jan. 28 Bingo.
Yearbook Recognition Ads - Due Feb. 16
If you'd like to purchase a yearbook ad to congratulate your future graduate, acknowledge your child's achievements, or advertise your business, please see flyer with instructions. Ads can be purchased and designed online through Jostens. Full page($50), half page ($30), quarter page ($20). Orders due 2/16/19. Questions? Contact Mrs. Leishear at Chrissy.Leishear@sjbsilverspring.org
Sign Up for Chess Club
Next SJB Open House is Friday, Jan. 24
Free Throw Contest is Jan. 27
The SJB Knights are holding our annual Basketball Free Throw Contest on Sunday, January 27th. Here is the flyer for the contest.
French Club Begins At SJB
See the flyer for information.
