Thank you, SJB parents, for your supportive showing on Back to School Night. Because of the heat in the church, we skipped speeches by our parent leaders. I pledged to send those messages to you in another way.
Please take a few minutes to read the welcome messages by School Board leaders Mary Lombardo (Jonathan 4th, Theodore 1st), Merianne Spencer (Alicia 2nd, Saria K), and H.S.A. leader Rachelle Amador (Sebi 4th).
The messages appear on our school board page, where you also will find a list of the board's goals for 2018-19, names of members, meeting schedule, and by-laws. The first board meeting will be on Monday, Sept. 17, at 7:30 pm in the Library.
Grades Assigned to Host Events
This year, grades have been assigned to serve as the hospitality committee for different events. Thank you, Jeanine Regan, for coordinating. Here are the assignments:
Back to School Coffee – Grades 6 & 4
Back To School Night – Grades 5 & 7
Open House Catholic Schools Week – K & 3
Christmas Program Reception – Grades 1 & 2
Thank you, Jessica Fitzgerald (Conor 5th, Ronan 2nd, Maeve PK), for planning and coordinating the community and volunteer fair and reception in the church courtyard.
Thank you, 5th grade and 7th grade parents, for being the hospitality committee for Back to School Night, which drew a great crowd of friends.
Thank you, 4th grade and 6th grade parents, for being the hospitality committee for the well-attended Back to School Coffee.
Thank you, Nancie Tassara (Sofia 8th), for making the school directory.
Thank you, Trebel Family and Mrs. Leishear, for the school calendar.
Beautiful Banners and Altar Cloth -- Thank you to Emmy Cameron (Micha 8th) for making the beautiful altar cloth and banners reflecting this year's theme, We Are Blessed. They will be used for all the school liturgies this year.
Family Survey -- Parents, please check to see if you received an email from onlineforms@sjbsilverspring.org. The email has a household survey, which you can complete online. SJB applies for state and federal grants. To qualify for grants, we must conduct the annual survey and receive a strong response. We are aiming for 100 percent participation by Friday.
Check Emails for Portal App Login -- Parents may download the ParentPlus app on most smart phones. The Rediker app is available on iOS and Android systems. Find the app by searching in your app store. It's free. Login credentials were emailed to new users last week.
Drop-Off -- Please remember to drop off children at the Gold Line in the morning. For safety, we ask parents not to walk children across the lot in the morning.
Pick-Up -- The parking lot has been re-striped. For afternoon pickup, please park between the lines so that we can squeeze in as many cars as possible.
BoxTops – The battle of the BoxTops for September is underway.
Gold Folders – Please remember to return Gold Folders to school tomorrow.
PE Jackets – Please label your child’s PE jacket and PE pants using permanent marker. When the kids take them off, they are hard to tell apart.
8th Grade Coffee on Friday – Parents of 8th grade students are invited to the Lyon Center at 8:05 am on Friday, Sept. 7.
Prayers -- We are praying for the grandfather of Josh Zuniga (6th) and Jayden Zuniga (4th), who passed away on Aug. 31. We are praying for Mr. Fitzroy Anthony Gobern, father of Carmita Gobern-Zuniga, and for the Zuniga family.
Ms. K-- We are praying for Ms. K, who suffered a broken leg Saturday when she was hit by a car while riding her bike. She has a broken tibia, bruised femur and ribs. We pray for her recovery but anticipate an absence of several weeks. We have arranged for "Coach Gibbs" to substitute until Ms. K returns. Deborah Campaigne Gibbs taught PE in schools Texas and California before recently moving to Washington, DC.
Here is the Chess Club Flyer
Interested in becoming an altar server? -- If your child is interested in becoming an altar server and is a 4th grader (or older), please send his or her name along with contact information (parents’/guardians’ names, phone number & e-mail) to the altar server schedule coordinator, Anne Thomas, at anne.thomas@grace.com. Training will take place in early October. Training details will be provided in an e-mail and in future issues of the parish bulletin.
Please Volunteer at SJB -- Parent volunteers are the key to the community feeling at SJB. Please keep the tradition going by stepping up and signing up for one of the activities on the volunteer sign-up sheet.
Scouts -- The Scouts have been active at SJB for many years. Please see the flyer for information about Scouting Night at SJB.
Big Learning Enrichment -- Here are some enrichment opportunities in Big Learning foreign languages and STEM programs brought to us by Colette Akande (Hannah 5th, Kayla 3rd). Big Learning is a nonprofit organization that offers French, Spanish and Chinese language instruction, as well as STEM programs, in 40 local schools. Please check out the tuition flyer, program flyer, and English-Spanish flyer, and call Colette Akande (240-441-9195) if you have questions.