School Year End

Dear St. John’s School Community,

The warm weather is upon us – and everyone in the school is picking up on the Spring fever! It is hard to believe that we only have a couple more weeks of school left this year. It has certainly been a busy one for the school – but at the same time, one filled with much grace.

As we draw near to the end of the year, I’d like to take the opportunity to reflect upon what we have done this year and set the stage for things to come next year.

First of all, what we have done this year:

* This year brought some new facilities changes to the school. We have our beautiful new Eagle’s Nest with our shiny new cafeteria. We are so blessed to have this new space in our school.
* Each of our classes have participated in a service project that either gives back to the Northern Colorado community or to the Parish community. In addition, each of our classes have gone on or will go on in the next couple of weeks two field trips to help expand students' learning and help them become better citizens in our community.
* The Principal's Coffee, the Brown Bag Lunches, and the Coffee-Lemonade Socials have provided opportunities for parents to become connected to the school community. The school community also found much fun in coming together at he Halloween Carnival, the Dinner Dance Auction, and the Walk-a-Thon...we truly are an active community!
* One of my goals as a principal this year was to increase students' participation in the daily life of the school. This was achieved through increased student participation in the morning and afternoon prayer, encouraging the Student Council to take on more leadership roles (e.g. The Parents' Night Out Movie Night was lead completely by them!), forming a Safety Patrol, and honoring student groups through recognition at the morning prayer and through our Fall Pinning Ceremony, etc.. When students feel involved in the school, they feel a sense of connection and security - and are happier kids!
* I am constantly amazed at how active our school is and how many activities we offer our students: Sports, clubs, art shows, musicals, concerts, Science Expos, and much, much more...It is truly a blessing to have such a wide array of activities available to our children. The teachers at the school have been instrumental in helping to provide these activities - and they give so freely of their time. They cannot be thanked enough for the continual sacrifice they give of their time and talent to the school beyond the classroom! And a special thanks to the parent volunteers who give of their time to help in leading these activities for our children - we couldn't do it without you!

Now, looking forward to next year:

* In order to be better stewards of our budget, it has been decided - in collaboration with the Parish Finance Council and Fr. Joe - that our music and PE positions at the school will go to part-time. Mrs. Kula will continue on as our music teacher in this part-time role, but will also assume the role of aide for the other portion of her time. Unfortunately, Mr. Reese is requiring a full-time position, so he is unable to assume our part-time position for PE. We are currently considering candidates for this position.
* We will have two new Kindergarten teachers for next year as Mrs. Mertens will be moving up to 1st Grade and Mrs. Erker will be starting up our brand-new Junior Kindergarten Program in the Preschool. Our new teachers will be Mrs. Amy Wood and Ms. Rachel Campbell-Maher. Both bring amazing primary grades experiences to the Kindergarten, and I look forward to the creative ideas they will bring to the Kinder-Center.
* We will also have a new 5th grade teacher: Mr. Steven Sgourdos. Mr. Sgourdos received his Masters from the Colorado School of Mines and has volunteered extensively at Holy Family Catholic High School in their drama department. He also coaches baseball, basketball, and football. Mr. Sgourdos decided that his heart truly was in teaching (for which we are grateful) and he looks forward to his contributions to our St. John's Community. Next year, the 5th grade will be moved to the Middle School building - but will not have lockers and will not change classes as much as the other middle school students. One of the challenges we have noted in the Middle School is that of the huge transition students make between 5th and 6th grades. We are hoping to ease that transition by making this change to our classroom configuration and by implementing a "hybrid" Elementary-Middle School schedule for the 5th grade.


As things wind down here this school year, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of your for your support, your wisdom, your suggestions, and most of all your commitment to Catholic education. I am truly, truly blessed to be a part of this school community and to be in the presence of your children who are living testaments of God's love for us. I look forward to next year with you all - and all of the fun and faith-filled times it will bring.

To all mothers, I wish you a very Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy your day!

Blessings,
Dr. Sara Amodio