St. John’s
CHRISTmas GIFT SHOP
Here’s what you need to know!
When: December 8th and 9th
Where: The Hallway of the New Gym
Who: All St. John’s students will have a chance to shop for gifts for their family! This is a great opportunity for the kids to be involved in the season of giving.
How: Here’s how it works:
1. Talk with your children about who to buy for and how much money they will have to send. Gift items range from $.25-$6.00
2. Fill out the envelope by putting a checkmark next to the people for whom your children will be shopping for as well as the total dollar amount you are sending in. Also fill out a name next to each one checked so we know who to address the gift too! If there is money left over it will be sent back home with the child in the envelope or you can write donation on the envelope and we’ll put what’s left in the PTO fund.
3. We will have Shopper Helpers to assist the children (especially the younger ones). The children will only be allowed to shop for those people on the list that have been selected. The Shopper Helpers will make sure that everyone who is on the list gets a gift.
4. Every gift will be wrapped and tagged to say who it is for.
5. Remember to send your money with your child on Dec. 8th or 9thth. Teachers can collect envelopes early if you prefer. They will be shopping during class – see attached schedule. Cash is preferable, however, if a check is sent please make it out to St. John’s PTO. Again, if the child does not spend the full amount change will be sent home or donated to PTO if specified.
6. If we have items left the shop will be open after school on the 9th and students may shop for whomever they like. Preschoolers are welcome to come then as well. The shop will also be open during RE time on the 9th.
7. We need VOLUNTEERS! We need gift wrappers and shopper helpers. You can sign up on the St. John’s website http://school.saintjohns.net or on the bulletin board in the front office. This is a really fun time to interact with the St. John’s children, earn volunteer hours, and get to know some other parents.
If you have any questions please email or call: Bethany Anderson 217-6724 bethanyjadeanderson@msn.com or Denise Deschene 391-1770 BigCMikey@aol.com Blessings and Merry Christmas!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Dr. Amodio's trip to Haiti final entry
Day 3, Part II
As we waited for the prison guards to let us in, our bus parked next to a heavy artillery UN tank with Nepalese soldiers. Wasn’t really sure what to make of that! We were able to see the “visitors” of the prisoners pressing up against the gate hoping to catch a glimpse of their loved ones. Eventually, we were led in. We then waited for some time in the hallways, and while we waited there, we were able to see prisoner-workers serving up the “flour soup” to the prisoners. We were led through the cell blocks by armed guards. The conditions in the prison were appalling: 16 men in a 12x12 cell and the smell was indescribable. As we passed by, the men were reaching out their hands through the serving hole shouting out, “Help me” or “What can you do for me?” We came to find out through our interpreter, Lesly that many of the men have been in prison on petty charges (theft, minor assault, etc.) for several months and have yet to appear before a judge. They had no legal recourse and no immediate plans for any – unless they had money for bribes. Fr Martin noted that the whole scene reminded him of a slave ship, and how these men must have felt the same utter despair. Fr. Martin tried to offer a blessing to as many as he could, but there were simply too many.
I had the incredible opportunity to speak with the women prisoners. I asked them how many children they had, and if they have ever had a chance to see them since being there. All of the women said that they haven’t seen their “bebes”, and it was heartbreaking to see the pain on their faces as they spoke lovingly about their children.
We spent the next hour or so sorting out care packages of hygiene products and donated Crocs (doing Colorado proud!) for the prisoners, and then working to feed over 500 prisoners a lunch donated by Food for the Poor.
Our visit concluded with the freeing of 4 prisoners. We cheered for them as they came into the entry area. Several us washed their feet and gave them a new pair of sturdy shoes – symbolically washing the “dirt” from the prison as they started a new life. It found it so moving to hear the prisoners talk about their freedom in such a passionate way – even though I felt as if they were merely moving from one prison to another one in the form of destitution in the outside world. Admittedly, I have always had a hard time coming to terms with the New Testament teachings on freeing the prisoners and caring for the incarcerated. Sometimes God gives you the 2x4 you need to change your perspective – and this truly a blow to my hard–fast belief system!
Day 4
It was a very hot day. It was about to get much warmer. Our first stop of the day was to the “Bridge People Neighborhood”. This is an area just under the main bridge in town. All of the sewage and trash that flows out of the canals washes up on either side of the river, and collects directly under the bridge. This is where the people build their homes. When we came, we had to step on the simmering garbage and try our best not to step on anything “ripe”. Pigs wandered in search of food – we saw one pig being charred to be sold for money. Imagine eating a pig that had eaten trash and sewage. This was a hard image for a die-hard fan of BBQ! We had a chance to visit with a family – they had a little boy with them. There was no place for him to play – only in the garbage in front of his home. Toward the end of our visit, several young men came to see what the “blancs” were doing in their neighborhood. One particular young man broke my heart as an educator – he wanted to show us his notebook full of notes from his mechanics class. He wanted to be a mechanical engineer. He was so proud of his work and you could tell he truly had that fire in his belly. To think that here this young man was living in these conditions – and how he was willing to work so hard to improve himself. His desire to better himself made me think back to our American students and how all too often they take their education for granted.
Sweating, we all got back on the bus to travel to Prolonge- Nativity Village. This is the village where our Sister School is located. The village is located in a swamp. While most of the village has been moved to an area of higher ground, a few families still remain in the swamp building homes close to sewage and one of the biggest mosquito breeding grounds I have ever seen. We saw a woman fishing for inch-sized crabs in the swamp – fishing for a meal for her family and perhaps extra income. A couple other women and I had a chance to visit with a mother of a newborn and hold him. The mother was so proud of her baby! Half of all the deaths in Haiti are of children under the age of five. To think of how much love a mother has for her children – only to know the odds that one or two of them will die is unbearable.
I walked into the village and was greeted by the school children – all dressed in blue. I was asked by the principal to speak to the children in French about the importance of listening to their teachers and keeping up with their studying. Afterwards, I had a chance to meet the young women in the vocational training program I helped design as part of my doctoral studies – it made me so proud to see the pride the young women took in showing off their new uniforms and how they held their head up high – something you don’t see that often in women in Haiti. Finally, I had a chance to tour the classrooms – I saw a preschool classroom with 56 students eating their only meal for the day – a huge plate of rice and beans. This is one of the ways that FFP has identified to keep kids in school – if they get a free meal; they are more likely to stay in school. There was only one teacher with three toys in the classroom – amazing classroom management!
After the others in our group managed to get the bus unstuck from a mud pit – we all left to prepare for our trip to a remote village to view Food for the Poor’s newest village – and share in a community-wide ribbon-cutting celebration.
As we approached the village, we were greeted by the entire village – the first thing we saw was all the children lined up to greet us. We saw several cases of malnutrition – little children with orange hair and distended bellies. Word soon got out to the surrounding villages that FFP was going to be serving a meal – and all too quickly a huge mass of close to 1,000 people seemed to converge at once. It was pretty overwhelming. There was one little guy called FeFe that really touched my heart – one of the men with us gave him energy bars, but he could not get enough. He was so frail and he held on so tight to anyone who held him. I keep praying that he doesn’t become part of the statistics on childhood mortality.
As we drove home, we had our scariest experience in Haiti – a gang street fight. Two gangs were throwing rocks across the street at each other. Pretty big ones at that! Our driver made the decision to drive quickly through the fray. Our bus got hit by a rock. To me, the scene reminded me of the importance of stability in the efforts to promote development – what promotes stability? What promotes instability? These are questions that still linger with me – but I keep coming back to the starfish story: as long as we can make a difference for the one, that is all that can be asked of us!
+Blessings,
Dr. Sara Baird Amodio
Principal, St. John the Evangelist Catholic School
1730 W. 12th Street
Loveland, Colorado 80537
970-635-5830
“Providing Roots and Wings for over 50 years”
St. John's Mission Statement
In communion with our families, St. John the Evangelist Catholic School provides a respectful Catholic environment dedicated to developing the whole child through academic achievement, personal responsibility and the formation of faith-filled citizens in a place where Christ is ever present.
As we waited for the prison guards to let us in, our bus parked next to a heavy artillery UN tank with Nepalese soldiers. Wasn’t really sure what to make of that! We were able to see the “visitors” of the prisoners pressing up against the gate hoping to catch a glimpse of their loved ones. Eventually, we were led in. We then waited for some time in the hallways, and while we waited there, we were able to see prisoner-workers serving up the “flour soup” to the prisoners. We were led through the cell blocks by armed guards. The conditions in the prison were appalling: 16 men in a 12x12 cell and the smell was indescribable. As we passed by, the men were reaching out their hands through the serving hole shouting out, “Help me” or “What can you do for me?” We came to find out through our interpreter, Lesly that many of the men have been in prison on petty charges (theft, minor assault, etc.) for several months and have yet to appear before a judge. They had no legal recourse and no immediate plans for any – unless they had money for bribes. Fr Martin noted that the whole scene reminded him of a slave ship, and how these men must have felt the same utter despair. Fr. Martin tried to offer a blessing to as many as he could, but there were simply too many.
I had the incredible opportunity to speak with the women prisoners. I asked them how many children they had, and if they have ever had a chance to see them since being there. All of the women said that they haven’t seen their “bebes”, and it was heartbreaking to see the pain on their faces as they spoke lovingly about their children.
We spent the next hour or so sorting out care packages of hygiene products and donated Crocs (doing Colorado proud!) for the prisoners, and then working to feed over 500 prisoners a lunch donated by Food for the Poor.
Our visit concluded with the freeing of 4 prisoners. We cheered for them as they came into the entry area. Several us washed their feet and gave them a new pair of sturdy shoes – symbolically washing the “dirt” from the prison as they started a new life. It found it so moving to hear the prisoners talk about their freedom in such a passionate way – even though I felt as if they were merely moving from one prison to another one in the form of destitution in the outside world. Admittedly, I have always had a hard time coming to terms with the New Testament teachings on freeing the prisoners and caring for the incarcerated. Sometimes God gives you the 2x4 you need to change your perspective – and this truly a blow to my hard–fast belief system!
Day 4
It was a very hot day. It was about to get much warmer. Our first stop of the day was to the “Bridge People Neighborhood”. This is an area just under the main bridge in town. All of the sewage and trash that flows out of the canals washes up on either side of the river, and collects directly under the bridge. This is where the people build their homes. When we came, we had to step on the simmering garbage and try our best not to step on anything “ripe”. Pigs wandered in search of food – we saw one pig being charred to be sold for money. Imagine eating a pig that had eaten trash and sewage. This was a hard image for a die-hard fan of BBQ! We had a chance to visit with a family – they had a little boy with them. There was no place for him to play – only in the garbage in front of his home. Toward the end of our visit, several young men came to see what the “blancs” were doing in their neighborhood. One particular young man broke my heart as an educator – he wanted to show us his notebook full of notes from his mechanics class. He wanted to be a mechanical engineer. He was so proud of his work and you could tell he truly had that fire in his belly. To think that here this young man was living in these conditions – and how he was willing to work so hard to improve himself. His desire to better himself made me think back to our American students and how all too often they take their education for granted.
Sweating, we all got back on the bus to travel to Prolonge- Nativity Village. This is the village where our Sister School is located. The village is located in a swamp. While most of the village has been moved to an area of higher ground, a few families still remain in the swamp building homes close to sewage and one of the biggest mosquito breeding grounds I have ever seen. We saw a woman fishing for inch-sized crabs in the swamp – fishing for a meal for her family and perhaps extra income. A couple other women and I had a chance to visit with a mother of a newborn and hold him. The mother was so proud of her baby! Half of all the deaths in Haiti are of children under the age of five. To think of how much love a mother has for her children – only to know the odds that one or two of them will die is unbearable.
I walked into the village and was greeted by the school children – all dressed in blue. I was asked by the principal to speak to the children in French about the importance of listening to their teachers and keeping up with their studying. Afterwards, I had a chance to meet the young women in the vocational training program I helped design as part of my doctoral studies – it made me so proud to see the pride the young women took in showing off their new uniforms and how they held their head up high – something you don’t see that often in women in Haiti. Finally, I had a chance to tour the classrooms – I saw a preschool classroom with 56 students eating their only meal for the day – a huge plate of rice and beans. This is one of the ways that FFP has identified to keep kids in school – if they get a free meal; they are more likely to stay in school. There was only one teacher with three toys in the classroom – amazing classroom management!
After the others in our group managed to get the bus unstuck from a mud pit – we all left to prepare for our trip to a remote village to view Food for the Poor’s newest village – and share in a community-wide ribbon-cutting celebration.
As we approached the village, we were greeted by the entire village – the first thing we saw was all the children lined up to greet us. We saw several cases of malnutrition – little children with orange hair and distended bellies. Word soon got out to the surrounding villages that FFP was going to be serving a meal – and all too quickly a huge mass of close to 1,000 people seemed to converge at once. It was pretty overwhelming. There was one little guy called FeFe that really touched my heart – one of the men with us gave him energy bars, but he could not get enough. He was so frail and he held on so tight to anyone who held him. I keep praying that he doesn’t become part of the statistics on childhood mortality.
As we drove home, we had our scariest experience in Haiti – a gang street fight. Two gangs were throwing rocks across the street at each other. Pretty big ones at that! Our driver made the decision to drive quickly through the fray. Our bus got hit by a rock. To me, the scene reminded me of the importance of stability in the efforts to promote development – what promotes stability? What promotes instability? These are questions that still linger with me – but I keep coming back to the starfish story: as long as we can make a difference for the one, that is all that can be asked of us!
+Blessings,
Dr. Sara Baird Amodio
Principal, St. John the Evangelist Catholic School
1730 W. 12th Street
Loveland, Colorado 80537
970-635-5830
“Providing Roots and Wings for over 50 years”
St. John's Mission Statement
In communion with our families, St. John the Evangelist Catholic School provides a respectful Catholic environment dedicated to developing the whole child through academic achievement, personal responsibility and the formation of faith-filled citizens in a place where Christ is ever present.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Saint Johns Chroicle November 20, 2009
St John the Evangelist Catholic School Chronicle
November 20, 2009
Love the Learning. Build our Friendships. Live the Faith
Dear St. John’s Families-
Thank you for all of your prayers as I made my trip to Haiti. It was an amazing experience – full of God’s grace and the face of Christ in everyone I met.
I have been completing my blog on the trip (available on Facebook, our school’s blog, and our website). Below is the first installment in the blog on this incredible journey.
As a reminder, we will have our “100 Person Feast” on Monday November 23rd at 1:30pm. I will be sharing the pictures from my trip – particularly the pictures of our sister school in Cap Hatien, Haiti. All are invited to come!
Day 1
I met the other members of the trip at the Food For The Poor headquarters in Coconut Beach, FL. It was so nice to connect with old friends, especially Angel Aloma, the Executive Director of FFP whom I have known for many years. There was a beautiful new statue in the foyer of a poor beggar on the floor – once you got down on your knees to get a better view, you realized the beggar had Jesus’ face. Very moving! I distributed the Rosaries from Fr. Frank to the other members of the trip, so that they could then distribute them to people who touched their hearts on the trip. After a lunch there and a tour, we returned to the hotel for an early rise the next morning.
Day 2 – Part 1
We depart for Port au Prince and arrive at the Louverture Airport. Your first view of Haiti is of all of the men aggressively looking to help newly arrived passengers with their bags. There is 80% official unemployment in Haiti – most people do odd jobs or sell whatever they can on the streets. We were greeted by Mme. Guerre (our Haiti FFP liaison) and Daniel (our bus driver). We came to find out later in the day that Daniel’s wife just had a baby and there were complications – but yet he spent all day with us until the evening without seeing them.
We first visited Little Children of Jesus Orphanage which serves mentally and physically handicapped children. We arrived in time for Mass and all of the children participated the best they could – it really moved my heart. We all had a chance to then hold some of the children and be with them. There were few workers, so many of the children had limited one-on-one contact. All of the beds were lined up in the main gathering place, side-by-side. Flies were everywhere. The child that moved me the most was a small boy with encephalitis and twisted limbs who just laid there on the bed with flies on his face. These children had been abandoned because of their conditions – Delane Bailey (the FFP Haiti Projects Director) explained that normally these children would have been left to die, so this is truly the best situation currently available to them in Haiti.
Our next stop was to Merge, the first Operation Starfish village. On the way, we have a flat tire and all then cram into the back of a pickup truck! We were greeted by 300 school children for another Mass. The space we were in was a cafeteria/church made of cinderblocks with no air conditioning. To think that only after a few minutes I was sweating buckets – and the kids had been there all morning in uniform practicing for the Mass… Parents take great pride in their children attending school. Every child has their uniform neatly ironed, even if they have only a rusted tin roof over their heads. Delane explained that families rise at 4:00 or 5:00 to just get their children ready for school. After school, children gather around the street lamps to do their homework as it is often the only light in the village after dark. Time and time again, I was struck by how much effort parents put into providing their children with an education, how much education was valued, and how very lucky children were to receive an education. Many times, if a family has multiple children, only a couple of children are able to attend school because the family simply couldn’t afford to send them.
Back on the road again, we encountered the ever present “Tap-Taps”, or old small-sized pick up trucks with the bed brightly covered and rigged to handle about 10 passengers. This is the mode of transportation in Haiti – when you want to get off, you “tap tap” on the roof! The Tap-Taps all have religious sayings or Bible quotes – God Provides, Jesus is my Savior, God is Patience, etc. – and this is one of the first examples a visitor sees of the Haitian’s unwavering faith and how pervasive faith is in everything they do.
Day 2 - Part 2
We had a chance to visit the feeding center at the Food For The Poor Headquarters in Port au Prince. Each day, Monday through Saturday, the center feeds approximately 15,000 people. People walk for miles to the center to receive their only meal for the day, a meal that consists of rice, beans, and a bit of stew. Typically, it is the job of the young girls in the family who are not going to school to fetch the food in large buckets that you see at Home Depot. Imagine having your meal - your only meal - delivered in a plastic utility bucket. The lines start early in the morning and go on until the late afternoon. Since the center only operates 6 out of 7 days, this means that these 15,000 go without food on Sunday.
It was determined that it was safe enough for us to visit Cite Soleil after visiting the feeding center. Cite Soleil is considered by many to be the poorest slum in the Western Hemisphere, and in recent years was the epicenter of most of the gang in-fighting and violence in Haiti. What we saw was shocking - garbage piled in massive heaps, open sewage, children everywhere with sores and no clothes. But the sign of poverty that moved me the most was when we saw the women making "Mud Cookies" to sell and to feed their families: Bouillon, water, salt, seasoning, and dirt left to dry out in the sun. As a mother, I cannot fathom getting to the point where the only option I had in feeding my children was to feed them seasoned dirt.
We left Cite Soleil completely drained.
Day 3 - Part 1
Early the next morning, we left on a puddle jumper for the city of Cap Haitien in the northern part of Haiti. On the way to the airport, I saw public service announcement billboards telling the public about the new anti-kidnapping law that was just put into effect. Somehow, that was mildly encouraging. As you near the airport, you also see the UN bases. Compared to my last visit to Haiti, I did notice fewer UN armored vehicles (tanks?!) on the roads, and more light armored vehicles in the form of pickup trucks. I took that as a sign of lessening tensions. Flying out of Port au Prince, one notices that many of the houses in Haiti have no roofs. This is because that many of the more "middle class" families when building a cinderblock home will only build a lower level and then partially construct the upper level. If you put a roof on your house and paint it, that means you have to pay more taxes. The overall effect is one of a seemingly bleak warzone.
As we arrived in Cap, we saw the morning workers getting ready to vend their goods: the sugar cane carts, the man pushing a heavy cart full of raw meat in 90* temperatures, women carrying impossibly heavy buckets or bowls in their heads. Without all the heavy traffic, it was easy to see the canals between the homes running with open sewage and garbage.
As we settled into Cap, Delane and Jim McDaniel (the Operation Starfish Director) announced our upcoming surprise visit to the prison where we were to free 4 prisoners and provide them with a care package as they started their new life.
+Blessings,
Dr. Sara Baird Amodio
STUDENT COUNCIL IS ASKING FOR BRAND NEW TEDDY BEARS (OR OTHER STUFFED ANIMALS) Deadline - November 23, 2009We will be donating the bears to the Children’s Hospital in Denver. Thank you for your donation;
it is immensely appreciated. Questions? Please contact Mrs. Siedenburg – siedeca@saintjohns.net
ST JOHN EAGLES TAKE HOME LEGO ROBOTICS AWARDCongratulations to the Lego Robotics team at Saint John the Evangelist Catholic school in Loveland. The team competed at the Poudre Qualifier tournament at Poudre High school in Fort Collins and won the "Outstanding Teamwork" award. in addition, they took 10th place overall. This award now qualifies them to participate in the State Championship to be held in Denver, December 12th.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR 100 PERSON FEAST!
The 100 Person Feast is a school event with the simple goal of raising awareness of two important social justice issues: Poverty and Hunger. The event is presented in such a way so that students at the elementary- and middle- school age levels (grades 4-8) can begin to appreciate impact of poverty and hunger on a global scale, and to consider how they may act to address these social injustices. Lessons on Catholic social teachings will infuse the program, thereby showing how these injustices and inequities can be addressed in light of our faith.
This year’s event will be November 23 at 1:30 pm.
“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40
We are looking for parent volunteers to assist with serving and running the 100 Person Feast. This is a very moving event, which will inspire you and your family during the Thanksgiving week.
If you can volunteer to help, please contact Mrs. Champlin, 635-5830 or christine@saintjohns.net
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS WERE HONORED BY THE SCHOOL LAST WEEK
There was plenty of excitement at Saint John’s School when the Knights of Columbus arrived at a special assembly to honor Veterans Day. The Knights arrived at the school in full regalia including their swords. The students sang God Bless America and presented the Knights with a plaque commemorating the Knights service to the school. Following the ceremony, the students were able to come thank the Knights with a handshake and smile.
ATTENTION ALL 8TH GRADE STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS HOLY FAMILY HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT TEST
Saturday December 5, 2009 Fee: $20 8:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Bring two #2 pencils and the $20 fee
Holy family high school 5195 west 144th avenue Broomfield, Colorado 80023
The placement test is required for fall 2010 freshman enrollment for further information and registration call
Holy family high school at (303) 410-1411
EXTENDED DAY UPDATE
Payments are due by the 15th each month to avoid a 15.00 late fee. Arrangements can only be made through Dr Amodio or Father Frank to waive such fees. For the month of November, since the 15th fell on a weekend, I am honoring all payments made by the 17th. Please check out the Extended Day Page on the School Website for important information and reminders in the future.
GIRLS’ MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Attention all middle school girls interested in practicing basketball. Open gym sessions are scheduled on Saturdays.
When: Saturday 9 – 11 a.m. Dates: Nov. 21, 28 Dec. 12, 19 Jan. 2, 9 You will need to bring your own basketball and a water bottle. Still have Questions? Contact Mary Schneider (970.669.0005)
SCRIP: SPECIAL ORDER SCRIP REMINDER FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Are you traveling over the holidays? Plan ahead, and buy scrip to cover your traveling expenses! You can special order scrip for American Airlines, Avis Rental Car, Budget Rental Car, Carnival Cruise Line, Marriot Hotels and Travelocity Hotels with rebates of 8% to 12%!
Need ideas for the teenager on your holiday shopping list? GLSCRIP has gift cards for Ticketmaster, iTunes, Aeropostle, LL Bean, and Lands End in various denominations.
Do you like to give specialty food gifts? Hickory Farms, Harry & David (scrip can be used at Loveland’s outlet store), Omaha Steaks, and Williams Sonoma are available. Rebates are from 8% to 15%!
How about stocking stuffers? Baskin Robbins scrip is available in just $2 increments, and Blockbuster in $6 denominations with 15% rebate – perfect for stocking stuffers or gift exchanges!
CHECK GLSCRIP.COM ONLINE FOR MORE GIFT CARDS TO ORDER. ALL SPECIAL ORDERS ARE DUE BY DECEMBER 6TH FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY. SUBMIT YOUR ORDER FORM WITH PREPAYMENT ATTN: DOROTHEA, SPECIAL ORDER, AT THE SCHOOL OR PARISH OFFICE.
PTO Updates:
v We are in need of volunteers to help sale ornaments at all the Masses on Nov 28th and 29th and Dec 5th and 6th and also the Christmas Festival on Dec 12th and 13th. If you can help please email Kathleen Klenk at colklenk1@frii.com or call 278-1202 with the times you are available.
v The PTO is trying to gather information to get your thoughts and opinions as they begin to rewrite our bylaws and goals for the upcoming year. Please take a moment, to cut and past this link into your browser, and give us your feedback. The survey is located at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=S7tAO9_2fxtoqY4g15X8SXIA_3d_3d
v WE WANT YOU....
....to volunteer at the Barnes and Noble Book Event. Saturday, Novemebr 28th and Sunday November 29th. There are times available all day from 9 am - 10 pm.
This is a great opportunity for the 5th-8th grade kids to help out. We want them too! The sign-up is located in the front office or email lexydonnelly@gmail.com with your available time. Thanks so much.
CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT
The school 2009 Christmas ornament is here, and we will be selling them in the loop on Tuesday November 10th. They will be available in the morning and afternoon loop, or you may drop by the school office.
This year’s ornament, crafted by Peyton Stroh, is a beautiful design of the Christ child under a star encircled in a twisted wreath.
Ornaments are $12.00 each, 2 or more- $10.00 each. PTO will also be taking limited orders for an ornament/cookbook combination. In addition, we have a few ornaments left from last year for $10.00 each. The 2008 ornament is a design of the Holy Family. Please consider these ornaments as a gift for friends and family when you are shopping for Holiday gifts. Thank you for supporting our school!
LAST CALL FOR ALCOHOL! Boots N Bordeaux is wrapping up!
Your may still place your wine order through the end of the month. Be sure to stock up for the Christmas season and get some great deals, while helping our school. For more information go online or contact the school office at 635-5830.
God, our Father and Creator, be with us in our school.Help us to treasure your gift of life and treat one another with care.Let us always remember that we are all created in your image.Come, Lord Jesus, and be with us in our school.Guide our teachers, guide our parents, and lead our students to recognize you in all people.Come, Holy Spirit, and be with us in our school.Give us a vision for the future, and the determination for shaping a faith-filled future.
v Pray for the Kellogg family as they celebrate the birth of their son Joseph Gunner Kellogg
v Pray for the elderly including the grandparents of the Cajero and Ellis family
v Pray for those who have passed away this week, including the Najera’s Grandmother, help them cope with their loss
v Please keep Matt Walsh in your prayers as he get ready to go to Arizona to compete in the Ironman competition
v Pray for the Tollefson/Gerken Family as they celebrate the early birth of their niece/granddaughter
v Pray for those who are struggling to find employment
v Please pray for the Foley, Fox Franks, Garcia, Genger families
v Let us give thanks to God for all the gifts he has provided us
v Especially give thanks to God for the gift of a parish school and ask his help as we continue to grow and prosper
v May Our Lord grant us all the graces we need and desire
Saint John the Evangelist Catholic School
1730 W. 12th Street Loveland, Co 80537 970.635.5830
Saint John the Evangelist School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color or national or ethnic origin
November 20, 2009
Love the Learning. Build our Friendships. Live the Faith
Dear St. John’s Families-
Thank you for all of your prayers as I made my trip to Haiti. It was an amazing experience – full of God’s grace and the face of Christ in everyone I met.
I have been completing my blog on the trip (available on Facebook, our school’s blog, and our website). Below is the first installment in the blog on this incredible journey.
As a reminder, we will have our “100 Person Feast” on Monday November 23rd at 1:30pm. I will be sharing the pictures from my trip – particularly the pictures of our sister school in Cap Hatien, Haiti. All are invited to come!
Day 1
I met the other members of the trip at the Food For The Poor headquarters in Coconut Beach, FL. It was so nice to connect with old friends, especially Angel Aloma, the Executive Director of FFP whom I have known for many years. There was a beautiful new statue in the foyer of a poor beggar on the floor – once you got down on your knees to get a better view, you realized the beggar had Jesus’ face. Very moving! I distributed the Rosaries from Fr. Frank to the other members of the trip, so that they could then distribute them to people who touched their hearts on the trip. After a lunch there and a tour, we returned to the hotel for an early rise the next morning.
Day 2 – Part 1
We depart for Port au Prince and arrive at the Louverture Airport. Your first view of Haiti is of all of the men aggressively looking to help newly arrived passengers with their bags. There is 80% official unemployment in Haiti – most people do odd jobs or sell whatever they can on the streets. We were greeted by Mme. Guerre (our Haiti FFP liaison) and Daniel (our bus driver). We came to find out later in the day that Daniel’s wife just had a baby and there were complications – but yet he spent all day with us until the evening without seeing them.
We first visited Little Children of Jesus Orphanage which serves mentally and physically handicapped children. We arrived in time for Mass and all of the children participated the best they could – it really moved my heart. We all had a chance to then hold some of the children and be with them. There were few workers, so many of the children had limited one-on-one contact. All of the beds were lined up in the main gathering place, side-by-side. Flies were everywhere. The child that moved me the most was a small boy with encephalitis and twisted limbs who just laid there on the bed with flies on his face. These children had been abandoned because of their conditions – Delane Bailey (the FFP Haiti Projects Director) explained that normally these children would have been left to die, so this is truly the best situation currently available to them in Haiti.
Our next stop was to Merge, the first Operation Starfish village. On the way, we have a flat tire and all then cram into the back of a pickup truck! We were greeted by 300 school children for another Mass. The space we were in was a cafeteria/church made of cinderblocks with no air conditioning. To think that only after a few minutes I was sweating buckets – and the kids had been there all morning in uniform practicing for the Mass… Parents take great pride in their children attending school. Every child has their uniform neatly ironed, even if they have only a rusted tin roof over their heads. Delane explained that families rise at 4:00 or 5:00 to just get their children ready for school. After school, children gather around the street lamps to do their homework as it is often the only light in the village after dark. Time and time again, I was struck by how much effort parents put into providing their children with an education, how much education was valued, and how very lucky children were to receive an education. Many times, if a family has multiple children, only a couple of children are able to attend school because the family simply couldn’t afford to send them.
Back on the road again, we encountered the ever present “Tap-Taps”, or old small-sized pick up trucks with the bed brightly covered and rigged to handle about 10 passengers. This is the mode of transportation in Haiti – when you want to get off, you “tap tap” on the roof! The Tap-Taps all have religious sayings or Bible quotes – God Provides, Jesus is my Savior, God is Patience, etc. – and this is one of the first examples a visitor sees of the Haitian’s unwavering faith and how pervasive faith is in everything they do.
Day 2 - Part 2
We had a chance to visit the feeding center at the Food For The Poor Headquarters in Port au Prince. Each day, Monday through Saturday, the center feeds approximately 15,000 people. People walk for miles to the center to receive their only meal for the day, a meal that consists of rice, beans, and a bit of stew. Typically, it is the job of the young girls in the family who are not going to school to fetch the food in large buckets that you see at Home Depot. Imagine having your meal - your only meal - delivered in a plastic utility bucket. The lines start early in the morning and go on until the late afternoon. Since the center only operates 6 out of 7 days, this means that these 15,000 go without food on Sunday.
It was determined that it was safe enough for us to visit Cite Soleil after visiting the feeding center. Cite Soleil is considered by many to be the poorest slum in the Western Hemisphere, and in recent years was the epicenter of most of the gang in-fighting and violence in Haiti. What we saw was shocking - garbage piled in massive heaps, open sewage, children everywhere with sores and no clothes. But the sign of poverty that moved me the most was when we saw the women making "Mud Cookies" to sell and to feed their families: Bouillon, water, salt, seasoning, and dirt left to dry out in the sun. As a mother, I cannot fathom getting to the point where the only option I had in feeding my children was to feed them seasoned dirt.
We left Cite Soleil completely drained.
Day 3 - Part 1
Early the next morning, we left on a puddle jumper for the city of Cap Haitien in the northern part of Haiti. On the way to the airport, I saw public service announcement billboards telling the public about the new anti-kidnapping law that was just put into effect. Somehow, that was mildly encouraging. As you near the airport, you also see the UN bases. Compared to my last visit to Haiti, I did notice fewer UN armored vehicles (tanks?!) on the roads, and more light armored vehicles in the form of pickup trucks. I took that as a sign of lessening tensions. Flying out of Port au Prince, one notices that many of the houses in Haiti have no roofs. This is because that many of the more "middle class" families when building a cinderblock home will only build a lower level and then partially construct the upper level. If you put a roof on your house and paint it, that means you have to pay more taxes. The overall effect is one of a seemingly bleak warzone.
As we arrived in Cap, we saw the morning workers getting ready to vend their goods: the sugar cane carts, the man pushing a heavy cart full of raw meat in 90* temperatures, women carrying impossibly heavy buckets or bowls in their heads. Without all the heavy traffic, it was easy to see the canals between the homes running with open sewage and garbage.
As we settled into Cap, Delane and Jim McDaniel (the Operation Starfish Director) announced our upcoming surprise visit to the prison where we were to free 4 prisoners and provide them with a care package as they started their new life.
+Blessings,
Dr. Sara Baird Amodio
STUDENT COUNCIL IS ASKING FOR BRAND NEW TEDDY BEARS (OR OTHER STUFFED ANIMALS) Deadline - November 23, 2009We will be donating the bears to the Children’s Hospital in Denver. Thank you for your donation;
it is immensely appreciated. Questions? Please contact Mrs. Siedenburg – siedeca@saintjohns.net
ST JOHN EAGLES TAKE HOME LEGO ROBOTICS AWARDCongratulations to the Lego Robotics team at Saint John the Evangelist Catholic school in Loveland. The team competed at the Poudre Qualifier tournament at Poudre High school in Fort Collins and won the "Outstanding Teamwork" award. in addition, they took 10th place overall. This award now qualifies them to participate in the State Championship to be held in Denver, December 12th.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR 100 PERSON FEAST!
The 100 Person Feast is a school event with the simple goal of raising awareness of two important social justice issues: Poverty and Hunger. The event is presented in such a way so that students at the elementary- and middle- school age levels (grades 4-8) can begin to appreciate impact of poverty and hunger on a global scale, and to consider how they may act to address these social injustices. Lessons on Catholic social teachings will infuse the program, thereby showing how these injustices and inequities can be addressed in light of our faith.
This year’s event will be November 23 at 1:30 pm.
“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40
We are looking for parent volunteers to assist with serving and running the 100 Person Feast. This is a very moving event, which will inspire you and your family during the Thanksgiving week.
If you can volunteer to help, please contact Mrs. Champlin, 635-5830 or christine@saintjohns.net
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS WERE HONORED BY THE SCHOOL LAST WEEK
There was plenty of excitement at Saint John’s School when the Knights of Columbus arrived at a special assembly to honor Veterans Day. The Knights arrived at the school in full regalia including their swords. The students sang God Bless America and presented the Knights with a plaque commemorating the Knights service to the school. Following the ceremony, the students were able to come thank the Knights with a handshake and smile.
ATTENTION ALL 8TH GRADE STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS HOLY FAMILY HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT TEST
Saturday December 5, 2009 Fee: $20 8:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Bring two #2 pencils and the $20 fee
Holy family high school 5195 west 144th avenue Broomfield, Colorado 80023
The placement test is required for fall 2010 freshman enrollment for further information and registration call
Holy family high school at (303) 410-1411
EXTENDED DAY UPDATE
Payments are due by the 15th each month to avoid a 15.00 late fee. Arrangements can only be made through Dr Amodio or Father Frank to waive such fees. For the month of November, since the 15th fell on a weekend, I am honoring all payments made by the 17th. Please check out the Extended Day Page on the School Website for important information and reminders in the future.
GIRLS’ MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Attention all middle school girls interested in practicing basketball. Open gym sessions are scheduled on Saturdays.
When: Saturday 9 – 11 a.m. Dates: Nov. 21, 28 Dec. 12, 19 Jan. 2, 9 You will need to bring your own basketball and a water bottle. Still have Questions? Contact Mary Schneider (970.669.0005)
SCRIP: SPECIAL ORDER SCRIP REMINDER FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Are you traveling over the holidays? Plan ahead, and buy scrip to cover your traveling expenses! You can special order scrip for American Airlines, Avis Rental Car, Budget Rental Car, Carnival Cruise Line, Marriot Hotels and Travelocity Hotels with rebates of 8% to 12%!
Need ideas for the teenager on your holiday shopping list? GLSCRIP has gift cards for Ticketmaster, iTunes, Aeropostle, LL Bean, and Lands End in various denominations.
Do you like to give specialty food gifts? Hickory Farms, Harry & David (scrip can be used at Loveland’s outlet store), Omaha Steaks, and Williams Sonoma are available. Rebates are from 8% to 15%!
How about stocking stuffers? Baskin Robbins scrip is available in just $2 increments, and Blockbuster in $6 denominations with 15% rebate – perfect for stocking stuffers or gift exchanges!
CHECK GLSCRIP.COM ONLINE FOR MORE GIFT CARDS TO ORDER. ALL SPECIAL ORDERS ARE DUE BY DECEMBER 6TH FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY. SUBMIT YOUR ORDER FORM WITH PREPAYMENT ATTN: DOROTHEA, SPECIAL ORDER, AT THE SCHOOL OR PARISH OFFICE.
PTO Updates:
v We are in need of volunteers to help sale ornaments at all the Masses on Nov 28th and 29th and Dec 5th and 6th and also the Christmas Festival on Dec 12th and 13th. If you can help please email Kathleen Klenk at colklenk1@frii.com or call 278-1202 with the times you are available.
v The PTO is trying to gather information to get your thoughts and opinions as they begin to rewrite our bylaws and goals for the upcoming year. Please take a moment, to cut and past this link into your browser, and give us your feedback. The survey is located at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=S7tAO9_2fxtoqY4g15X8SXIA_3d_3d
v WE WANT YOU....
....to volunteer at the Barnes and Noble Book Event. Saturday, Novemebr 28th and Sunday November 29th. There are times available all day from 9 am - 10 pm.
This is a great opportunity for the 5th-8th grade kids to help out. We want them too! The sign-up is located in the front office or email lexydonnelly@gmail.com with your available time. Thanks so much.
CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT
The school 2009 Christmas ornament is here, and we will be selling them in the loop on Tuesday November 10th. They will be available in the morning and afternoon loop, or you may drop by the school office.
This year’s ornament, crafted by Peyton Stroh, is a beautiful design of the Christ child under a star encircled in a twisted wreath.
Ornaments are $12.00 each, 2 or more- $10.00 each. PTO will also be taking limited orders for an ornament/cookbook combination. In addition, we have a few ornaments left from last year for $10.00 each. The 2008 ornament is a design of the Holy Family. Please consider these ornaments as a gift for friends and family when you are shopping for Holiday gifts. Thank you for supporting our school!
LAST CALL FOR ALCOHOL! Boots N Bordeaux is wrapping up!
Your may still place your wine order through the end of the month. Be sure to stock up for the Christmas season and get some great deals, while helping our school. For more information go online or contact the school office at 635-5830.
God, our Father and Creator, be with us in our school.Help us to treasure your gift of life and treat one another with care.Let us always remember that we are all created in your image.Come, Lord Jesus, and be with us in our school.Guide our teachers, guide our parents, and lead our students to recognize you in all people.Come, Holy Spirit, and be with us in our school.Give us a vision for the future, and the determination for shaping a faith-filled future.
v Pray for the Kellogg family as they celebrate the birth of their son Joseph Gunner Kellogg
v Pray for the elderly including the grandparents of the Cajero and Ellis family
v Pray for those who have passed away this week, including the Najera’s Grandmother, help them cope with their loss
v Please keep Matt Walsh in your prayers as he get ready to go to Arizona to compete in the Ironman competition
v Pray for the Tollefson/Gerken Family as they celebrate the early birth of their niece/granddaughter
v Pray for those who are struggling to find employment
v Please pray for the Foley, Fox Franks, Garcia, Genger families
v Let us give thanks to God for all the gifts he has provided us
v Especially give thanks to God for the gift of a parish school and ask his help as we continue to grow and prosper
v May Our Lord grant us all the graces we need and desire
Saint John the Evangelist Catholic School
1730 W. 12th Street Loveland, Co 80537 970.635.5830
Saint John the Evangelist School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color or national or ethnic origin
Thursday, November 19, 2009
100 Person Feast
Monday, November 23, Saint John the Evangelist School will be hosting the 100 Person Feast at 1:30 pm. One hundred students will be randomly selected to participate in the “feast”, with 15 students (representing 15% of the world’s population) receiving a Thanksgiving meal, 35 receiving beans and rice, and the remaining a scoop of rice. The 100 Person Feast is a school event with the simple goal of raising awareness of two important social justice issues: Poverty and Hunger. The event is presented in such a way so that students at the elementary- and middle- school age levels can begin to appreciate impact of poverty and hunger on a global scale, and to consider how they may act to address these social injustices. It will hopefully serve to show the students in a very hands-on way how blessed we are, and the importance of our Church’s call for the preferential treatment of the poor. Father Felicien Mbala will be the guest speaker at the event. Our principal, Dr. Amodio having recently returned from a mission trip to Haiti will be the host of the event and will be sharing her recent experience and pictures. All are welcome to attend!
Dr. Amodio's trip to Haiti pt 2
Day 2 - Part 2
We had a chance to visit the feeding center at the Food For The Poor Headquarters in Port au Prince. Each day, Monday through Saturday, the center feeds approximately 15,000 people. People walk for miles to the center to receive their only meal for the day, a meal that consists of rice, beans, and a bit of stew. Typcially, it is the job of the young girls in the family who are not going to school to fetch the food in large buckets that you see at Home Depot. Imagine having your meal - your only meal - delivered in a plastic utility bucket. The lines start early in the morning and go on until the late afternoon. Since the center only operates 6 out os 7 days, this means that these 15,000 go without food on Sunday.
It was determined that it was safe enough for us to visit Cite Soleil after visiting the feeding center. Cite Soleil is considered by many to be the poorest slum in the Western Hemisphere, and in recent years was the epicenter of most of the gang in-fighting and violence in Haiti. What we saw was shocking - garbage piled in massive heaps, open sewage, children everywhere with sores and no clothes. But the sign of poverty that moved me the most was when we saw the women making "Mud Cookies" to sell and to feed their families: Bouillon, water, salt, seasoning, and dirt left to dry out in the sun. As a mother, I cannot fathom getting to the point where the only option I had in feeding my children was to feed them seasoned dirt.
We left Cite Soleil completely drained.
Day 3 - Part 1
Early the next morning, we left on a puddle jumper for the city of Cap Haitien in the northern part of Haiti. On the way to the airport, I saw public service announcement billboards telling the public about the new anti-kidnapping law that was just put into effect. Somehow, that was mildly encouraging. As you near the airport, you also see the UN bases. Compared to my last visit to Haiti, I did notice fewer UN armored vehicles (tanks?!) on the roads, and more light armored vehicles in the form of pickup trucks. I took that as a sign of lessening tensions. Flying out of Port au Prince, one notices that many of the houses in Haiti have no roofs. This is because that many of the more "middle class" families when building a cinderblock home will only build a lower level and then partially construct the upper level. If you put a roof on your house and paint it, that means you have to pay more taxes. The overall effect is one of a seemingly bleak warzone.
As we arrived in Cap, we saw the morning workers getting ready to vend their goods: the sugar cane carts, the man pushing a heavy cart full of raw meat in 90* temperatures, women carrying impossibly heavy buckets or bowls in their heads. Without all the heavy traffic, it was easy to see the canals between the homes running with open sewage and garbage.
As we settled into Cap, Delane and Jim McDaniel (the Operation Startfish Director) announced our upcoming suprise visit to the prison where we were to free 4 prisoners and provide them with a care package as they started their new life.
We had a chance to visit the feeding center at the Food For The Poor Headquarters in Port au Prince. Each day, Monday through Saturday, the center feeds approximately 15,000 people. People walk for miles to the center to receive their only meal for the day, a meal that consists of rice, beans, and a bit of stew. Typcially, it is the job of the young girls in the family who are not going to school to fetch the food in large buckets that you see at Home Depot. Imagine having your meal - your only meal - delivered in a plastic utility bucket. The lines start early in the morning and go on until the late afternoon. Since the center only operates 6 out os 7 days, this means that these 15,000 go without food on Sunday.
It was determined that it was safe enough for us to visit Cite Soleil after visiting the feeding center. Cite Soleil is considered by many to be the poorest slum in the Western Hemisphere, and in recent years was the epicenter of most of the gang in-fighting and violence in Haiti. What we saw was shocking - garbage piled in massive heaps, open sewage, children everywhere with sores and no clothes. But the sign of poverty that moved me the most was when we saw the women making "Mud Cookies" to sell and to feed their families: Bouillon, water, salt, seasoning, and dirt left to dry out in the sun. As a mother, I cannot fathom getting to the point where the only option I had in feeding my children was to feed them seasoned dirt.
We left Cite Soleil completely drained.
Day 3 - Part 1
Early the next morning, we left on a puddle jumper for the city of Cap Haitien in the northern part of Haiti. On the way to the airport, I saw public service announcement billboards telling the public about the new anti-kidnapping law that was just put into effect. Somehow, that was mildly encouraging. As you near the airport, you also see the UN bases. Compared to my last visit to Haiti, I did notice fewer UN armored vehicles (tanks?!) on the roads, and more light armored vehicles in the form of pickup trucks. I took that as a sign of lessening tensions. Flying out of Port au Prince, one notices that many of the houses in Haiti have no roofs. This is because that many of the more "middle class" families when building a cinderblock home will only build a lower level and then partially construct the upper level. If you put a roof on your house and paint it, that means you have to pay more taxes. The overall effect is one of a seemingly bleak warzone.
As we arrived in Cap, we saw the morning workers getting ready to vend their goods: the sugar cane carts, the man pushing a heavy cart full of raw meat in 90* temperatures, women carrying impossibly heavy buckets or bowls in their heads. Without all the heavy traffic, it was easy to see the canals between the homes running with open sewage and garbage.
As we settled into Cap, Delane and Jim McDaniel (the Operation Startfish Director) announced our upcoming suprise visit to the prison where we were to free 4 prisoners and provide them with a care package as they started their new life.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Notes from Dr. Amodio's trip to Haiti
Day 1
I met the other members of the trip at the Food For The Poor headquarters in Coconut Beach, FL. It was so nice to connect with old friends, especially Angel Aloma, the Executive Director of FFP whom I have known for many years. There was a beautiful new statue in the foyer of a poor beggar on the floor – once you got down on your knees to get a better view, you realized the beggar had Jesus’ face. Very moving! I distributed the Rosaries from Fr. Frank to the other members of the trip, so that they could then distribute them to people who touched their hearts on the trip. After a lunch there and a tour, we returned to the hotel for an early rise the next morning.
Day 2 – Part 1
We depart for Port au Prince and arrive at the Louverture Airport. Your first view of Haiti is of all of the men aggressively looking to help newly arrived passengers with their bags. There is 80% official unemployment in Haiti – most people do odd jobs or sell whatever they can on the streets. We were greeted by Mme. Guerre (our Haiti FFP liaison) and Daniel (our bus driver). We came to find out later in the day that Daniel’s wife just had a baby and there were complications – but yet he spent all day with us until the evening without seeing them.
We first visited Little Children of Jesus Orphanage which serves mentally and physically handicapped children. We arrived in time for Mass and all of the children participated the best they could – it really moved my heart. We all had a chance to then hold some of the children and be with them. There were few workers, so many of the children had limited one-on-one contact. All of the beds were lined up in the main gathering place, side-by-side. Flies were everywhere. The child that moved me the most was a small boy with encephalitis and twisted limbs who just laid there on the bed with lies on his face. These children had been abandoned because of their conditions – Delane Bailey (the FFP Haiti Projects Director) explained that normally these children would have been left to die, so this is truly the best situation currently available to them in Haiti.
Our next stop was to Merge, the first Operation Starfish village. On the way, we have a flat tire and all then cram into the back of a pickup truck! We were greeted by 300 school children for another Mass. The space we were in was a cafeteria/church made of cinderblocks with no air conditioning. To think that only after a few minutes I was sweating buckets – and the kids had been there all morning in uniform practicing for the Mass… Parents take great pride in their children attending school. Every child has their uniform neatly ironed, even if they have only a rusted tin roof over their heads. Delane explained that families rise at 4:00 or 5:00 to just get their children ready for school. After school, children gather around the street lamps to do their homework as it is often the only light in the village after dark. Time and time again, I was struck by how much effort parents put into providing their children with an education, how much education was valued, and how very lucky children were to receive an education. Many times, if a family has multiple children, only a couple of children are able to attend school because the family simply couldn’t afford to send them.
Back on the road again, we encountered the ever present “Tap-Taps”, or old small-sized pick up trucks with the bed brightly covered and rigged to handle about 10 passengers. This is the mode of transportation in Haiti – when you want to get off, you “tap tap” on the roof! The Tap-Taps all have religious sayings or Bible quotes – God Provides, Jesus is my Savior, God is Patience, etc. – and this is one of the first examples a visitor sees of the Haitian’s unwavering faith and how pervasive faith is in everything they do.
I met the other members of the trip at the Food For The Poor headquarters in Coconut Beach, FL. It was so nice to connect with old friends, especially Angel Aloma, the Executive Director of FFP whom I have known for many years. There was a beautiful new statue in the foyer of a poor beggar on the floor – once you got down on your knees to get a better view, you realized the beggar had Jesus’ face. Very moving! I distributed the Rosaries from Fr. Frank to the other members of the trip, so that they could then distribute them to people who touched their hearts on the trip. After a lunch there and a tour, we returned to the hotel for an early rise the next morning.
Day 2 – Part 1
We depart for Port au Prince and arrive at the Louverture Airport. Your first view of Haiti is of all of the men aggressively looking to help newly arrived passengers with their bags. There is 80% official unemployment in Haiti – most people do odd jobs or sell whatever they can on the streets. We were greeted by Mme. Guerre (our Haiti FFP liaison) and Daniel (our bus driver). We came to find out later in the day that Daniel’s wife just had a baby and there were complications – but yet he spent all day with us until the evening without seeing them.
We first visited Little Children of Jesus Orphanage which serves mentally and physically handicapped children. We arrived in time for Mass and all of the children participated the best they could – it really moved my heart. We all had a chance to then hold some of the children and be with them. There were few workers, so many of the children had limited one-on-one contact. All of the beds were lined up in the main gathering place, side-by-side. Flies were everywhere. The child that moved me the most was a small boy with encephalitis and twisted limbs who just laid there on the bed with lies on his face. These children had been abandoned because of their conditions – Delane Bailey (the FFP Haiti Projects Director) explained that normally these children would have been left to die, so this is truly the best situation currently available to them in Haiti.
Our next stop was to Merge, the first Operation Starfish village. On the way, we have a flat tire and all then cram into the back of a pickup truck! We were greeted by 300 school children for another Mass. The space we were in was a cafeteria/church made of cinderblocks with no air conditioning. To think that only after a few minutes I was sweating buckets – and the kids had been there all morning in uniform practicing for the Mass… Parents take great pride in their children attending school. Every child has their uniform neatly ironed, even if they have only a rusted tin roof over their heads. Delane explained that families rise at 4:00 or 5:00 to just get their children ready for school. After school, children gather around the street lamps to do their homework as it is often the only light in the village after dark. Time and time again, I was struck by how much effort parents put into providing their children with an education, how much education was valued, and how very lucky children were to receive an education. Many times, if a family has multiple children, only a couple of children are able to attend school because the family simply couldn’t afford to send them.
Back on the road again, we encountered the ever present “Tap-Taps”, or old small-sized pick up trucks with the bed brightly covered and rigged to handle about 10 passengers. This is the mode of transportation in Haiti – when you want to get off, you “tap tap” on the roof! The Tap-Taps all have religious sayings or Bible quotes – God Provides, Jesus is my Savior, God is Patience, etc. – and this is one of the first examples a visitor sees of the Haitian’s unwavering faith and how pervasive faith is in everything they do.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
St John the Chronicle November 13, 2009
St John the Evangelist Catholic School Chronicle
November 13, 2009
Love the Learning. Build our Friendships. Live the Faith
Dr. Amodio is visiting the “Food for the Poor” organization in Haiti. She will return on Tuesday November 17, 2009. Be sure to go on line to our Facebook to see the pictures she is sending to us.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR 100 PERSON FEAST!
The 100 Person Feast is a school event with the simple goal of raising awareness of two important social justice issues: Poverty and Hunger. The event is presented in such a way so that students at the elementary- and middle- school age levels (grades 4-8) can begin to appreciate impact of poverty and hunger on a global scale, and to consider how they may act to address these social injustices. Lessons on Catholic social teachings will infuse the program, thereby showing how these injustices and inequities can be addressed in light of our faith.
This year’s event will be November 23 at 1:30 pm.
“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40
We are looking for parent volunteers to assist with serving and running the 100 Person Feast. This is a very moving event, which will inspire you and your family during the Thanksgiving week.
Here are the volunteers we are looking for…if you are interested, please reply back to me as soon as possible!
VOLUNTEERS:
□ Invitations – one person will be in charge of handing out the invitations with random assignment of low-, middle-, and high-income groups
□ Seat Assignments – two people will be in charge of helping to show invitees to their assigned seats
□ Servers – two people to serve the high-income tables
□ Servers – two people to serve the middle-income tables from a banquet table
□ Servers – two people to serve the low-income group from bowls and water buckets
□ Clean-up – three people to help clean up
If you can volunteer to help, please contact Mrs. Champlin, 635-5830 or christine@saintjohns.net
There was plenty of excitement at Saint John’s School when the Knights of Columbus arrived at a special assembly to honor Veterans Day. The Knights arrived at the school in full regalia including their swords. The students sang God Bless America and presented the Knights with a plaque commemorating the Knights service to the school. Following the ceremony the students were able to come thank the Knights with a handshake and smile.
PATRIOTIC CONCERT
Thank you Mrs. Kula, Mr. Vogt and all of the students that participated in the Patriotic concert this year.
Wow! It was so awesome. Great job everyone.
GIRLS’ MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Attention all middle school girls interested in practicing basketball. Open gym sessions are scheduled on Saturdays.
When: Saturday 9 – 11 a.m.
Dates: Nov. 14, 21, 28 Dec. 12, 19 Jan. 2, 9
You will need to bring your own basketball and a water bottle. Still have Questions? Contact Mary Schneider (970.669.0005)
ST JOHN’S LYAA BASKETBALL TEAM 5TH GRADE BOYS SIGN-UP
The fee for basketball is $50 per player, LYAA provides jerseys. You will register your child with Mrs. Thomas. Please give your check for $50 made out to LYAA and your registration NO Later than Wednesday November 18th. Practices will be held at St. John’s on Tuesday’s and Thursday 5:30-6:30pm beginning in January 6th.
There is a 6 game season and games will be on Saturdays at Truscott Elementary. Please Contact Monica Thomas monica.thomas@saintjohns.net Coach will be Tom McKenna MCKENNATE@msn.com
SCRIP: SPECIAL ORDER SCRIP FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Are you traveling over the holidays? Plan ahead, and buy scrip to cover your traveling expenses! You can special order scrip for American Airlines, Avis Rental Car, Budget Rental Car, Carnival Cruise Line, Marriot Hotels and Travelocity Hotels with rebates of 8% to 12%!
Need ideas for the teenager on your holiday shopping list? GLSCRIP has gift cards for Ticketmaster, iTunes, Aeropostle, LL Bean, and Lands End in various denominations.
Do you like to give specialty food gifts? Hickory Farms, Harry & David (scrip can be used at Loveland’s outlet store), Omaha Steaks, and Williams Sonoma are available. Rebates are from 8% to 15%!
How about stocking stuffers? Baskin Robbins scrip is available in just $2 increments, and Blockbuster in $6 denominations with 15% rebate – perfect for stocking stuffers or gift exchanges!
CHECK GLSCRIP.COM ONLINE FOR MORE GIFT CARDS TO ORDER. ALL SPECIAL ORDERS ARE DUE BY DECEMBER 6TH FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY. SUBMIT YOUR ORDER FORM WITH PREPAYMENT ATTN: DOROTHEA, SPECIAL ORDER, AT THE SCHOOL OR PARISH OFFICE.
TEXT BOOK OFFER
Saint John the Evangelist School parents have an exclusive online book store –Now you can conveniently buy textbooks online from Pearson at direct-from-publisher prices! As a bonus, you will receive free shipping and handling too. Save money, help your school. 10% of every dollar you spend on this site will be credited to your school. http://www.pearsonprivateschools.com
PTO Updates:
Dear St. John’s Parents:
We have changed our November meeting to Thursday, November 19th at 7:00 p.m. in the Eagles Nest. Our focus of this months meeting will be:
• What should the PTO look like
• PTO By-laws
The survey is located at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=S7tAO9_2fxtoqY4g15X8SXIA_3d_3d
Participation is encouraged as this will help the PTO be the best we can be. Please complete the survey by Wednesday, November 18th. All surveys are anonyms. Results will be discussed at the November PTO meeting.
Thank you in advance for your time. We look forward to your feedback and seeing you on the 19th.
Blessings,
St. John’s PTO Executive Committee
2010 Walk-A-Thon
Would you like to help out with this year's Walk-A-Thon? We're looking for new committee members to help with food, prizes and other miscellaneous duties -- if you're interested in volunteering, we invite you to attend our upcoming meeting on Tuesday, November 17 at 7 p.m. at Starbucks next to King Soopers on Eagle Drive (at the intersection of Taft and 14th). We'll also be discussing ideas for this year's theme, so if you have any suggestions, we invite you to come and share them with us!
This year's Walk-A-Thon will be held Thursday, May 6. Please consider becoming a part of this exciting committee -- it's a great way to get volunteer hours while getting to know other St. John's parents. If you're interested in helping this year but are unable to attend our meeting, please contact Helen Franks (hmfranks@msn.com) or Lexy Donnelly (lexydonnelly@gmail.com), and we'll keep you informed of what's happening and when our next meetings will be.
CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT
The school 2009 Christmas ornament is here, and we will be selling them in the loop on Tuesday November 10th. They will be available in the morning and afternoon loop, or you may drop by the school office.
This year’s ornament, crafted by Peyton Stroh, is a beautiful design of the Christ child under a star encircled in a twisted wreath.
Ornaments are $12.00 each, 2 or more- $10.00 each. PTO will also be taking limited orders for an ornament/cookbook combination. In addition, we have a few ornaments left from last year for $10.00 each. The 2008 ornament is a design of the Holy Family. Please consider these ornaments as a gift for friends and family when you are shopping for Holiday gifts. Thank you for supporting our school!
God, our Father and Creator, be with us in our school.
Help us to treasure your gift of life
and treat one another with care.
Let us always remember that we are all created in your image.
Come, Lord Jesus, and be with us in our school.
Guide our teachers,
guide our parents,
and lead our students
to recognize you in all people.
Come, Holy Spirit, and be with us in our school.
Give us a vision for the future,
and the determination for shaping a faith-filled future.
Pray for the Kellogg family as they celebrate the birth of their son Joseph Gunner Kellogg
Pray for the elderly including the grandparents of the Cajero family
Pray for those who have passed away this week, including the Najera’s Grandmother, help them cope with their loss
Please keep Matt Walsh in your prayers as he get ready to go to Arizona to compete in the Ironman competition
Pray for the Tollefson/Gerken Family as they celebrate the early birth of their niece/granddaughter
Pray for those who are struggling to find employment
Please pray for the Ellis, Estergard Estrada, Flock, Flores families
Let us give thanks to God for all the gifts he has provided us
Especially give thanks to God for the gift of a parish school and ask his help as we continue to grow and prosper
May Our Lord grant us all the graces we need and desire
Saint John the Evangelist Catholic School
1730 W. 12th Street Loveland, Co 80537 970.635.5830
Saint John the Evangelist School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color or national or ethnic origin
November 13, 2009
Love the Learning. Build our Friendships. Live the Faith
Dr. Amodio is visiting the “Food for the Poor” organization in Haiti. She will return on Tuesday November 17, 2009. Be sure to go on line to our Facebook to see the pictures she is sending to us.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR 100 PERSON FEAST!
The 100 Person Feast is a school event with the simple goal of raising awareness of two important social justice issues: Poverty and Hunger. The event is presented in such a way so that students at the elementary- and middle- school age levels (grades 4-8) can begin to appreciate impact of poverty and hunger on a global scale, and to consider how they may act to address these social injustices. Lessons on Catholic social teachings will infuse the program, thereby showing how these injustices and inequities can be addressed in light of our faith.
This year’s event will be November 23 at 1:30 pm.
“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40
We are looking for parent volunteers to assist with serving and running the 100 Person Feast. This is a very moving event, which will inspire you and your family during the Thanksgiving week.
Here are the volunteers we are looking for…if you are interested, please reply back to me as soon as possible!
VOLUNTEERS:
□ Invitations – one person will be in charge of handing out the invitations with random assignment of low-, middle-, and high-income groups
□ Seat Assignments – two people will be in charge of helping to show invitees to their assigned seats
□ Servers – two people to serve the high-income tables
□ Servers – two people to serve the middle-income tables from a banquet table
□ Servers – two people to serve the low-income group from bowls and water buckets
□ Clean-up – three people to help clean up
If you can volunteer to help, please contact Mrs. Champlin, 635-5830 or christine@saintjohns.net
There was plenty of excitement at Saint John’s School when the Knights of Columbus arrived at a special assembly to honor Veterans Day. The Knights arrived at the school in full regalia including their swords. The students sang God Bless America and presented the Knights with a plaque commemorating the Knights service to the school. Following the ceremony the students were able to come thank the Knights with a handshake and smile.
PATRIOTIC CONCERT
Thank you Mrs. Kula, Mr. Vogt and all of the students that participated in the Patriotic concert this year.
Wow! It was so awesome. Great job everyone.
GIRLS’ MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Attention all middle school girls interested in practicing basketball. Open gym sessions are scheduled on Saturdays.
When: Saturday 9 – 11 a.m.
Dates: Nov. 14, 21, 28 Dec. 12, 19 Jan. 2, 9
You will need to bring your own basketball and a water bottle. Still have Questions? Contact Mary Schneider (970.669.0005)
ST JOHN’S LYAA BASKETBALL TEAM 5TH GRADE BOYS SIGN-UP
The fee for basketball is $50 per player, LYAA provides jerseys. You will register your child with Mrs. Thomas. Please give your check for $50 made out to LYAA and your registration NO Later than Wednesday November 18th. Practices will be held at St. John’s on Tuesday’s and Thursday 5:30-6:30pm beginning in January 6th.
There is a 6 game season and games will be on Saturdays at Truscott Elementary. Please Contact Monica Thomas monica.thomas@saintjohns.net Coach will be Tom McKenna MCKENNATE@msn.com
SCRIP: SPECIAL ORDER SCRIP FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Are you traveling over the holidays? Plan ahead, and buy scrip to cover your traveling expenses! You can special order scrip for American Airlines, Avis Rental Car, Budget Rental Car, Carnival Cruise Line, Marriot Hotels and Travelocity Hotels with rebates of 8% to 12%!
Need ideas for the teenager on your holiday shopping list? GLSCRIP has gift cards for Ticketmaster, iTunes, Aeropostle, LL Bean, and Lands End in various denominations.
Do you like to give specialty food gifts? Hickory Farms, Harry & David (scrip can be used at Loveland’s outlet store), Omaha Steaks, and Williams Sonoma are available. Rebates are from 8% to 15%!
How about stocking stuffers? Baskin Robbins scrip is available in just $2 increments, and Blockbuster in $6 denominations with 15% rebate – perfect for stocking stuffers or gift exchanges!
CHECK GLSCRIP.COM ONLINE FOR MORE GIFT CARDS TO ORDER. ALL SPECIAL ORDERS ARE DUE BY DECEMBER 6TH FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY. SUBMIT YOUR ORDER FORM WITH PREPAYMENT ATTN: DOROTHEA, SPECIAL ORDER, AT THE SCHOOL OR PARISH OFFICE.
TEXT BOOK OFFER
Saint John the Evangelist School parents have an exclusive online book store –Now you can conveniently buy textbooks online from Pearson at direct-from-publisher prices! As a bonus, you will receive free shipping and handling too. Save money, help your school. 10% of every dollar you spend on this site will be credited to your school. http://www.pearsonprivateschools.com
PTO Updates:
Dear St. John’s Parents:
We have changed our November meeting to Thursday, November 19th at 7:00 p.m. in the Eagles Nest. Our focus of this months meeting will be:
• What should the PTO look like
• PTO By-laws
The survey is located at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=S7tAO9_2fxtoqY4g15X8SXIA_3d_3d
Participation is encouraged as this will help the PTO be the best we can be. Please complete the survey by Wednesday, November 18th. All surveys are anonyms. Results will be discussed at the November PTO meeting.
Thank you in advance for your time. We look forward to your feedback and seeing you on the 19th.
Blessings,
St. John’s PTO Executive Committee
2010 Walk-A-Thon
Would you like to help out with this year's Walk-A-Thon? We're looking for new committee members to help with food, prizes and other miscellaneous duties -- if you're interested in volunteering, we invite you to attend our upcoming meeting on Tuesday, November 17 at 7 p.m. at Starbucks next to King Soopers on Eagle Drive (at the intersection of Taft and 14th). We'll also be discussing ideas for this year's theme, so if you have any suggestions, we invite you to come and share them with us!
This year's Walk-A-Thon will be held Thursday, May 6. Please consider becoming a part of this exciting committee -- it's a great way to get volunteer hours while getting to know other St. John's parents. If you're interested in helping this year but are unable to attend our meeting, please contact Helen Franks (hmfranks@msn.com) or Lexy Donnelly (lexydonnelly@gmail.com), and we'll keep you informed of what's happening and when our next meetings will be.
CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT
The school 2009 Christmas ornament is here, and we will be selling them in the loop on Tuesday November 10th. They will be available in the morning and afternoon loop, or you may drop by the school office.
This year’s ornament, crafted by Peyton Stroh, is a beautiful design of the Christ child under a star encircled in a twisted wreath.
Ornaments are $12.00 each, 2 or more- $10.00 each. PTO will also be taking limited orders for an ornament/cookbook combination. In addition, we have a few ornaments left from last year for $10.00 each. The 2008 ornament is a design of the Holy Family. Please consider these ornaments as a gift for friends and family when you are shopping for Holiday gifts. Thank you for supporting our school!
God, our Father and Creator, be with us in our school.
Help us to treasure your gift of life
and treat one another with care.
Let us always remember that we are all created in your image.
Come, Lord Jesus, and be with us in our school.
Guide our teachers,
guide our parents,
and lead our students
to recognize you in all people.
Come, Holy Spirit, and be with us in our school.
Give us a vision for the future,
and the determination for shaping a faith-filled future.
Pray for the Kellogg family as they celebrate the birth of their son Joseph Gunner Kellogg
Pray for the elderly including the grandparents of the Cajero family
Pray for those who have passed away this week, including the Najera’s Grandmother, help them cope with their loss
Please keep Matt Walsh in your prayers as he get ready to go to Arizona to compete in the Ironman competition
Pray for the Tollefson/Gerken Family as they celebrate the early birth of their niece/granddaughter
Pray for those who are struggling to find employment
Please pray for the Ellis, Estergard Estrada, Flock, Flores families
Let us give thanks to God for all the gifts he has provided us
Especially give thanks to God for the gift of a parish school and ask his help as we continue to grow and prosper
May Our Lord grant us all the graces we need and desire
Saint John the Evangelist Catholic School
1730 W. 12th Street Loveland, Co 80537 970.635.5830
Saint John the Evangelist School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color or national or ethnic origin
Friday, November 6, 2009
St John the Evangelist Catholic School Chronicle
November 6, 2009
Love the Learning. Build our Friendships. Live the Faith
Education and Strategic Planning
Dear St. John’s Community:
May the blessings of our Lord be upon you and your families!
Last week, I provided a different format as compared to my previous letters. I’d like to follow suit this week and take a moment to describe a very important task that I have asked the SAC (School Advisory Council) to undertake this year.
This year, as you may know, is our year to perform a strategic planning initiative. I hope that you have received the emails with the dates and times of the upcoming focus group sessions for the strategic planning. I strongly urge you to come to one of those sessions. Your input is extremely valuable to us as we move St. John’s forward.
But you may be asking yourself: What is strategic planning and why is it so important to St. John’s?
First, some background…While St. John’s sees itself first and foremost as a school, it is considered a nonprofit educational organization. We are not reliant upon government dollars to the extent that a public educational organization is and are not bound to the restrictions mandated by such a relationship. This frees us up, as a nonprofit educational organization, to allocate our resources in a way that best serves our particular mission statement. As you recall from last year, we rewrote our mission statement, and this was a critical first step in our effort to determine our future steps when it comes to deciding how to allocate our resources.
In essence, strategic planning flows from our efforts to define who we are through our mission statement. It defines specific steps to take to reach our goals described in our mission statement, and identifies how to most efficiently and effectively allocate our resources to reach those goals in the years to come.
Strategic planning forces us to take a hard look at the current realities, the environmental forces acting upon our school, and the collective wishes of our school community. It lays bare all of the issues facing our school, and sheds light on how to best overcome them with the ultimate goal of making us the very best Catholic school we can be.
Strategic planning cannot happen with only the voices of a select few individuals – it must have the collective voices of our entire school community. If only a few voices are heard, then the goals identified are only for the select few. We really do need to have as much input as we can in order for our strategic planning to be effective!
I thank you in advance for your participation in our focus groups as part of our strategic planning. This is your school, and we want to hear from you!
I hope that you have a safe and relaxing weekend. The school families remain in my constant prayers – may God bless you and keep you safe!
Blessings,
Dr. Sara Amodio
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR 100 PERSON FEAST!
The 100 Person Feast is a school event with the simple goal of raising awareness of two important social justice issues: Poverty and Hunger. The event is presented in such a way so that students at the elementary- and middle- school age levels (grades 4-8) can begin to appreciate impact of poverty and hunger on a global scale, and to consider how they may act to address these social injustices. Lessons on Catholic social teachings will infuse the program, thereby showing how these injustices and inequities can be addressed in light of our faith.
This year’s event will be November 23 at 1:30 pm.
“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40
We are looking for parent volunteers to assist with serving and running the 100 Person Feast. This is a very moving event, which will inspire you and your family during the Thanksgiving week.
Here are the volunteers we are looking for…if you are interested, please reply back to me as soon as possible!
VOLUNTEERS:
□ Invitations – one person will be in charge of handing out the invitations with random assignment of low-, middle-, and high-income groups
□ Seat Assignments – two people will be in charge of helping to show invitees to their assigned seats
□ Servers – two people to serve the high-income tables
□ Servers – two people to serve the middle-income tables from a banquet table
□ Servers – two people to serve the low-income group from bowls and water buckets
□ Clean-up – three people to help clean up
If you can volunteer to help, please contact Mrs. Champlin, 635-5830 or christine@saintjohns.net
“America the Beautiful” FALL CONCERT
Our annual Patriotic concert will be held on November 11th at 6:30 PM in the church.
Please join us for this special patriotic salute to our Veterans. Grades 3-5 and Choir will each present
a medley of familiar tunes to honor America. The Band will be joining us as well.. Students need to wear red polo shirts, plaid skirts, and navy pants. We look forward to singing and playing for you! Mrs. Kula
SCRIP: SPECIAL ORDER SCRIP FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Are you traveling over the holidays? Plan ahead, and buy scrip to cover your traveling expenses! You can special order scrip for American Airlines, Avis Rental Car, Budget Rental Car, Carnival Cruise Line, Marriot Hotels and Travelocity Hotels with rebates of 8% to 12%!
Need ideas for the teenager on your holiday shopping list? GLSCRIP has gift cards for Ticketmaster, iTunes, Aeropostle, LL Bean, and Lands End in various denominations.
Do you like to give specialty food gifts? Hickory Farms, Harry & David (scrip can be used at Loveland’s outlet store), Omaha Steaks, and Williams Sonoma are available. Rebates are from 8% to 15%!
How about stocking stuffers? Baskin Robbins scrip is available in just $2 increments, and Blockbuster in $6 denominations with 15% rebate – perfect for stocking stuffers or gift exchanges!
CHECK GLSCRIP.COM ONLINE FOR MORE GIFT CARDS TO ORDER. ALL SPECIAL ORDERS ARE DUE BY DECEMBER 6TH FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY. SUBMIT YOUR ORDER FORM WITH PREPAYMENT ATTN: DOROTHEA, SPECIAL ORDER, AT THE SCHOOL OR PARISH OFFICE.
TEXT BOOK OFFER
Saint John the Evangelist School parents have an exclusive online book store –Now you can conveniently buy textbooks online from Pearson at direct-from-publisher prices! As a bonus, you will receive free shipping and handling too. Save money, help your school. 10% of every dollar you spend on this site will be credited to your school. http://www.pearsonprivateschools.com
SCHOOL PICTURE MAKE UP DAY
School portrait make-up day will be: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2009
TIME - 11:00 am to 11:30 am
1. If you were absent or are new to the school you may purchase a new
package
2. If you had a picture taken but didn’t purchase a package you may have a
new picture taken and purchase a package.
3. If you purchased a package and want a retake you must return the
original package in full with reason for retake clearly stated on package.
4. 4 year old preschool will be getting their picture taken this day
FACEBOOK
Are you a fan yet? Saint John the Evangelist has a fan page. If you are on facebook, be sure to add your name to our Facebook page. It’s a great way to keep up on what’s going on. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Loveland-CO/Saint-John-the-Evangelist/59126020963?ref=nf#/pages/Loveland-CO/Saint-John-the-Evangelist/59126020963?ref=mf
BLOGGER
Are you following us on our blogger? If then not sign up now, it is free, and you never miss a thing. http://saintjohntheevangelistschool.blogspot.com
PTO Updates:
PTO MEETING DATE CHANGE!
The PTO meeting for November has been changed, to November 19th at 7:00 p.m. since Dr. Amodio will be out of town next week.
2010 Walk-A-Thon
Would you like to help out with this year's Walk-A-Thon? We're looking for new committee members to help with food, prizes and other miscellaneous duties -- if you're interested in volunteering, we invite you to attend our upcoming meeting on Tuesday, November 17 at 7 p.m. at Starbucks next to King Soopers on Eagle Drive (at the intersection of Taft and 14th). We'll also be discussing ideas for this year's theme, so if you have any suggestions, we invite you to come and share them with us!
This year's Walk-A-Thon will be held Thursday, May 6. Please consider becoming a part of this exciting committee -- it's a great way to get volunteer hours while getting to know other St. John's parents. If you're interested in helping this year but are unable to attend our meeting, please contact Helen Franks (hmfranks@msn.com) or Lexy Donnelly (lexydonnelly@gmail.com), and we'll keep you informed of what's happening and when our next meetings will be.
The Scholastic Book Fair is here!
Mark your calendars for the week of November 9-13! The Book Fair will be open every day during the week!! Shop anytime before, during, or after school each day, after the Patriotic Concert on 11/11, and during Parent Teacher Conferences on 11/13!
Next Monday, your child will bring home a flyer with a preview of some of the great books you can find at the fair.
Every purchase you make at the fair benefits our school! Help us to add new books and supplies to our school library and classrooms by supporting the Book Fair!
Volunteers are needed!! Please consider signing up for a 2-hour time slot sometime during the week. We have openings during the school day and also in the evenings. Please contact Machalla Holas (jmandkk@comcast.net or 292-8830) if you are interested in helping out! It is easy and fun!!
CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT
The school 2009 Christmas ornament is here, and we will be selling them in the loop on Tuesday November 10th. They will be available in the morning and afternoon loop, or you may drop by the school office.
This year’s ornament, crafted by Peyton Stroh, is a beautiful design of the Christ child under a star encircled in a twisted wreath.
Ornaments are $12.00 each, 2 or more- $10.00 each. PTO will also be taking limited orders for an ornament/cookbook combination. In addition, we have a few ornaments left from last year for $10.00 each. The 2008 ornament is a design of the Holy Family. Please consider these ornaments as a gift for friends and family when you are shopping for Holiday gifts. Thank you for supporting our school!
God, our Father and Creator, be with us in our school.
Help us to treasure your gift of life
and treat one another with care.
Let us always remember that we are all created in your image.
Come, Lord Jesus, and be with us in our school.
Guide our teachers,
guide our parents,
and lead our students
to recognize you in all people.
Come, Holy Spirit, and be with us in our school.
Give us a vision for the future,
and the determination for shaping a faith-filled future.
Pray for Father Mbala, who is recovering from throat surgery
Pray for Joshua Carlson the son of a former teacher Mrs. Carlson, Pray for his complete health recovery
Pray for the elderly including the grandmother of the Najera and Sweeney family
Pray for those who are struggling to find employment
Please pray for the Drago, Duran, Edwards, Edwards famlies
Let us give thanks to God for all the gifts he has provided us
Especially give thanks to God for the gift of a parish school and ask his help as we continue to grow and prosper
May Our Lord grant us all the graces we need and desire
Saint John the Evangelist Catholic School
1730 W. 12th Street Loveland, Co 80537 970.635.5830
Saint John the Evangelist School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color or national or ethnic origin
Love the Learning. Build our Friendships. Live the Faith
Education and Strategic Planning
Dear St. John’s Community:
May the blessings of our Lord be upon you and your families!
Last week, I provided a different format as compared to my previous letters. I’d like to follow suit this week and take a moment to describe a very important task that I have asked the SAC (School Advisory Council) to undertake this year.
This year, as you may know, is our year to perform a strategic planning initiative. I hope that you have received the emails with the dates and times of the upcoming focus group sessions for the strategic planning. I strongly urge you to come to one of those sessions. Your input is extremely valuable to us as we move St. John’s forward.
But you may be asking yourself: What is strategic planning and why is it so important to St. John’s?
First, some background…While St. John’s sees itself first and foremost as a school, it is considered a nonprofit educational organization. We are not reliant upon government dollars to the extent that a public educational organization is and are not bound to the restrictions mandated by such a relationship. This frees us up, as a nonprofit educational organization, to allocate our resources in a way that best serves our particular mission statement. As you recall from last year, we rewrote our mission statement, and this was a critical first step in our effort to determine our future steps when it comes to deciding how to allocate our resources.
In essence, strategic planning flows from our efforts to define who we are through our mission statement. It defines specific steps to take to reach our goals described in our mission statement, and identifies how to most efficiently and effectively allocate our resources to reach those goals in the years to come.
Strategic planning forces us to take a hard look at the current realities, the environmental forces acting upon our school, and the collective wishes of our school community. It lays bare all of the issues facing our school, and sheds light on how to best overcome them with the ultimate goal of making us the very best Catholic school we can be.
Strategic planning cannot happen with only the voices of a select few individuals – it must have the collective voices of our entire school community. If only a few voices are heard, then the goals identified are only for the select few. We really do need to have as much input as we can in order for our strategic planning to be effective!
I thank you in advance for your participation in our focus groups as part of our strategic planning. This is your school, and we want to hear from you!
I hope that you have a safe and relaxing weekend. The school families remain in my constant prayers – may God bless you and keep you safe!
Blessings,
Dr. Sara Amodio
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR 100 PERSON FEAST!
The 100 Person Feast is a school event with the simple goal of raising awareness of two important social justice issues: Poverty and Hunger. The event is presented in such a way so that students at the elementary- and middle- school age levels (grades 4-8) can begin to appreciate impact of poverty and hunger on a global scale, and to consider how they may act to address these social injustices. Lessons on Catholic social teachings will infuse the program, thereby showing how these injustices and inequities can be addressed in light of our faith.
This year’s event will be November 23 at 1:30 pm.
“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40
We are looking for parent volunteers to assist with serving and running the 100 Person Feast. This is a very moving event, which will inspire you and your family during the Thanksgiving week.
Here are the volunteers we are looking for…if you are interested, please reply back to me as soon as possible!
VOLUNTEERS:
□ Invitations – one person will be in charge of handing out the invitations with random assignment of low-, middle-, and high-income groups
□ Seat Assignments – two people will be in charge of helping to show invitees to their assigned seats
□ Servers – two people to serve the high-income tables
□ Servers – two people to serve the middle-income tables from a banquet table
□ Servers – two people to serve the low-income group from bowls and water buckets
□ Clean-up – three people to help clean up
If you can volunteer to help, please contact Mrs. Champlin, 635-5830 or christine@saintjohns.net
“America the Beautiful” FALL CONCERT
Our annual Patriotic concert will be held on November 11th at 6:30 PM in the church.
Please join us for this special patriotic salute to our Veterans. Grades 3-5 and Choir will each present
a medley of familiar tunes to honor America. The Band will be joining us as well.. Students need to wear red polo shirts, plaid skirts, and navy pants. We look forward to singing and playing for you! Mrs. Kula
SCRIP: SPECIAL ORDER SCRIP FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Are you traveling over the holidays? Plan ahead, and buy scrip to cover your traveling expenses! You can special order scrip for American Airlines, Avis Rental Car, Budget Rental Car, Carnival Cruise Line, Marriot Hotels and Travelocity Hotels with rebates of 8% to 12%!
Need ideas for the teenager on your holiday shopping list? GLSCRIP has gift cards for Ticketmaster, iTunes, Aeropostle, LL Bean, and Lands End in various denominations.
Do you like to give specialty food gifts? Hickory Farms, Harry & David (scrip can be used at Loveland’s outlet store), Omaha Steaks, and Williams Sonoma are available. Rebates are from 8% to 15%!
How about stocking stuffers? Baskin Robbins scrip is available in just $2 increments, and Blockbuster in $6 denominations with 15% rebate – perfect for stocking stuffers or gift exchanges!
CHECK GLSCRIP.COM ONLINE FOR MORE GIFT CARDS TO ORDER. ALL SPECIAL ORDERS ARE DUE BY DECEMBER 6TH FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY. SUBMIT YOUR ORDER FORM WITH PREPAYMENT ATTN: DOROTHEA, SPECIAL ORDER, AT THE SCHOOL OR PARISH OFFICE.
TEXT BOOK OFFER
Saint John the Evangelist School parents have an exclusive online book store –Now you can conveniently buy textbooks online from Pearson at direct-from-publisher prices! As a bonus, you will receive free shipping and handling too. Save money, help your school. 10% of every dollar you spend on this site will be credited to your school. http://www.pearsonprivateschools.com
SCHOOL PICTURE MAKE UP DAY
School portrait make-up day will be: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2009
TIME - 11:00 am to 11:30 am
1. If you were absent or are new to the school you may purchase a new
package
2. If you had a picture taken but didn’t purchase a package you may have a
new picture taken and purchase a package.
3. If you purchased a package and want a retake you must return the
original package in full with reason for retake clearly stated on package.
4. 4 year old preschool will be getting their picture taken this day
Are you a fan yet? Saint John the Evangelist has a fan page. If you are on facebook, be sure to add your name to our Facebook page. It’s a great way to keep up on what’s going on. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Loveland-CO/Saint-John-the-Evangelist/59126020963?ref=nf#/pages/Loveland-CO/Saint-John-the-Evangelist/59126020963?ref=mf
BLOGGER
Are you following us on our blogger? If then not sign up now, it is free, and you never miss a thing. http://saintjohntheevangelistschool.blogspot.com
PTO Updates:
PTO MEETING DATE CHANGE!
The PTO meeting for November has been changed, to November 19th at 7:00 p.m. since Dr. Amodio will be out of town next week.
2010 Walk-A-Thon
Would you like to help out with this year's Walk-A-Thon? We're looking for new committee members to help with food, prizes and other miscellaneous duties -- if you're interested in volunteering, we invite you to attend our upcoming meeting on Tuesday, November 17 at 7 p.m. at Starbucks next to King Soopers on Eagle Drive (at the intersection of Taft and 14th). We'll also be discussing ideas for this year's theme, so if you have any suggestions, we invite you to come and share them with us!
This year's Walk-A-Thon will be held Thursday, May 6. Please consider becoming a part of this exciting committee -- it's a great way to get volunteer hours while getting to know other St. John's parents. If you're interested in helping this year but are unable to attend our meeting, please contact Helen Franks (hmfranks@msn.com) or Lexy Donnelly (lexydonnelly@gmail.com), and we'll keep you informed of what's happening and when our next meetings will be.
The Scholastic Book Fair is here!
Mark your calendars for the week of November 9-13! The Book Fair will be open every day during the week!! Shop anytime before, during, or after school each day, after the Patriotic Concert on 11/11, and during Parent Teacher Conferences on 11/13!
Next Monday, your child will bring home a flyer with a preview of some of the great books you can find at the fair.
Every purchase you make at the fair benefits our school! Help us to add new books and supplies to our school library and classrooms by supporting the Book Fair!
Volunteers are needed!! Please consider signing up for a 2-hour time slot sometime during the week. We have openings during the school day and also in the evenings. Please contact Machalla Holas (jmandkk@comcast.net or 292-8830) if you are interested in helping out! It is easy and fun!!
CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT
The school 2009 Christmas ornament is here, and we will be selling them in the loop on Tuesday November 10th. They will be available in the morning and afternoon loop, or you may drop by the school office.
This year’s ornament, crafted by Peyton Stroh, is a beautiful design of the Christ child under a star encircled in a twisted wreath.
Ornaments are $12.00 each, 2 or more- $10.00 each. PTO will also be taking limited orders for an ornament/cookbook combination. In addition, we have a few ornaments left from last year for $10.00 each. The 2008 ornament is a design of the Holy Family. Please consider these ornaments as a gift for friends and family when you are shopping for Holiday gifts. Thank you for supporting our school!
God, our Father and Creator, be with us in our school.
Help us to treasure your gift of life
and treat one another with care.
Let us always remember that we are all created in your image.
Come, Lord Jesus, and be with us in our school.
Guide our teachers,
guide our parents,
and lead our students
to recognize you in all people.
Come, Holy Spirit, and be with us in our school.
Give us a vision for the future,
and the determination for shaping a faith-filled future.
Pray for Father Mbala, who is recovering from throat surgery
Pray for Joshua Carlson the son of a former teacher Mrs. Carlson, Pray for his complete health recovery
Pray for the elderly including the grandmother of the Najera and Sweeney family
Pray for those who are struggling to find employment
Please pray for the Drago, Duran, Edwards, Edwards famlies
Let us give thanks to God for all the gifts he has provided us
Especially give thanks to God for the gift of a parish school and ask his help as we continue to grow and prosper
May Our Lord grant us all the graces we need and desire
Saint John the Evangelist Catholic School
1730 W. 12th Street Loveland, Co 80537 970.635.5830
Saint John the Evangelist School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color or national or ethnic origin
Education and Strategic Planning
May the blessings of our Lord be upon you and your families!
Last week, I provided a different format as compared to my previous letters. I’d like to follow suit this week and take a moment to describe a very important task that I have asked the SAC (School Advisory Council) to undertake this year.
This year, as you may know, is our year to perform a strategic planning initiative. I hope that you have received the emails with the dates and times of the upcoming focus group sessions for the strategic planning. I strongly urge you to come to one of those sessions. Your input is extremely valuable to us as we move St. John’s forward.
But you may be asking yourself: What is strategic planning and why is it so important to St. John’s?
First, some background…While St. John’s sees itself first and foremost as a school, it is considered a nonprofit educational organization. We are not reliant upon government dollars to the extent that a public educational organization is and are not bound to the restrictions mandated by such a relationship. This frees us up, as a nonprofit educational organization, to allocate our resources in a way that best serves our particular mission statement. As you recall from last year, we rewrote our mission statement, and this was a critical first step in our effort to determine our future steps when it comes to deciding how to allocate our resources.
In essence, strategic planning flows from our efforts to define who we are through our mission statement. It defines specific steps to take to reach our goals described in our mission statement, and identifies how to most efficiently and effectively allocate our resources to reach those goals in the years to come.
Strategic planning forces us to take a hard look at the current realities, the environmental forces acting upon our school, and the collective wishes of our school community. It lays bare all of the issues facing our school, and sheds light on how to best overcome them with the ultimate goal of making us the very best Catholic school we can be.
Strategic planning cannot happen with only the voices of a select few individuals – it must have the collective voices of our entire school community. If only a few voices are heard, then the goals identified are only for the select few. We really do need to have as much input as we can in order for our strategic planning to be effective!
I thank you in advance for your participation in our focus groups as part of our strategic planning. This is your school, and we want to hear from you!
I hope that you have a safe and relaxing weekend. The school families remain in my constant prayers – may God bless you and keep you safe!
Blessings,
Dr. Sara Amodio
Last week, I provided a different format as compared to my previous letters. I’d like to follow suit this week and take a moment to describe a very important task that I have asked the SAC (School Advisory Council) to undertake this year.
This year, as you may know, is our year to perform a strategic planning initiative. I hope that you have received the emails with the dates and times of the upcoming focus group sessions for the strategic planning. I strongly urge you to come to one of those sessions. Your input is extremely valuable to us as we move St. John’s forward.
But you may be asking yourself: What is strategic planning and why is it so important to St. John’s?
First, some background…While St. John’s sees itself first and foremost as a school, it is considered a nonprofit educational organization. We are not reliant upon government dollars to the extent that a public educational organization is and are not bound to the restrictions mandated by such a relationship. This frees us up, as a nonprofit educational organization, to allocate our resources in a way that best serves our particular mission statement. As you recall from last year, we rewrote our mission statement, and this was a critical first step in our effort to determine our future steps when it comes to deciding how to allocate our resources.
In essence, strategic planning flows from our efforts to define who we are through our mission statement. It defines specific steps to take to reach our goals described in our mission statement, and identifies how to most efficiently and effectively allocate our resources to reach those goals in the years to come.
Strategic planning forces us to take a hard look at the current realities, the environmental forces acting upon our school, and the collective wishes of our school community. It lays bare all of the issues facing our school, and sheds light on how to best overcome them with the ultimate goal of making us the very best Catholic school we can be.
Strategic planning cannot happen with only the voices of a select few individuals – it must have the collective voices of our entire school community. If only a few voices are heard, then the goals identified are only for the select few. We really do need to have as much input as we can in order for our strategic planning to be effective!
I thank you in advance for your participation in our focus groups as part of our strategic planning. This is your school, and we want to hear from you!
I hope that you have a safe and relaxing weekend. The school families remain in my constant prayers – may God bless you and keep you safe!
Blessings,
Dr. Sara Amodio
Education and Social Justice
Dear St. John’s Community:
May the blessings of our Lord be upon you and your families!
I thought I would deviate from my standard format this week a bit and offer some reflections on who St. John’s is and why we do what we do at our school. Too often we get stuck in the rut of day-to-day happenings (making lunches, helping with homework, filling out paperwork – you know the drill!), and rarely do we reflect on the fundamental raisons d’etre of Catholic education and why we chose Catholic education for our children.
This week’s reflection is on a topic that is near and dear to my heart: Education and Social Justice. More specifically, how schools have an inherent role in teaching children social justice and a compassionate awareness of others in their world. This topic is central to my educational philosophy. You may see evidence of it in many aspects of our school: Our school’s emphasis on service to others, our “Hall of Flags”, our Sister School in Cap Haitien, Haiti, morning and afternoon prayer, and the list goes on.
There are probably many reasons why you send your child to St. John’s, but I would hope that one reason is that you believe that Catholic education instills a sense of compassion and respect for others in our children. At St. John’s, we are constantly asking our children, “What did Jesus do?” and “What would Jesus do?” as questions to guide our students in being Christ-filled in their interactions with others. By instilling this compassionate awareness of others, we are, though our actions, teaching our children social justice.
This week, we have been publicly acknowledged for our school’s emphasis on Catholic social justice teachings. We are the 2009 recipient of Group Publishing’s award for “Services by Youth” and the recipient of $1,000 to go toward our classroom service projects. We were acknowledged for our emphasis on the education of the whole child. This is a testament to our commitment to educate our children in the importance of compassionate awareness of others. A very special thanks goes out to all of our teachers for their efforts to make this possible for our school!
During the week of November 9th, I will be going to visit one of our school’s special projects to raise awareness of social justice issues: Our sister school in Haiti. I will be traveling with the Director of Operation Starfish and representatives of Food for the Poor to visit our sister school in Cap Haitien, Haiti. I will be bringing with me pencils donated by our teachers and Rosaries donated by Fr. Frank. I will go with the intent of gathering information on the sister school’s specific needs and taking pictures of students there so that our St. John’s students can “connect” better with their peers. The pictures will be used in our upcoming “100 Person Feast” to be held in late November. Please stay tuned for more information on this important awareness-raising event!
I close with a final reflection for you: Catholic schools are uniquely situated within the Church to be a grace-filled conduit of social justice teachings. Each and every day without interruption, we teach – though our actions and through the various symbols in our environment – the importance of social justice to our students. How amazing!
I hope that you have a safe and relaxing weekend. The school families remain in my constant prayers – may God bless you and keep you safe!
Blessings,
Dr. Sara Amodio
May the blessings of our Lord be upon you and your families!
I thought I would deviate from my standard format this week a bit and offer some reflections on who St. John’s is and why we do what we do at our school. Too often we get stuck in the rut of day-to-day happenings (making lunches, helping with homework, filling out paperwork – you know the drill!), and rarely do we reflect on the fundamental raisons d’etre of Catholic education and why we chose Catholic education for our children.
This week’s reflection is on a topic that is near and dear to my heart: Education and Social Justice. More specifically, how schools have an inherent role in teaching children social justice and a compassionate awareness of others in their world. This topic is central to my educational philosophy. You may see evidence of it in many aspects of our school: Our school’s emphasis on service to others, our “Hall of Flags”, our Sister School in Cap Haitien, Haiti, morning and afternoon prayer, and the list goes on.
There are probably many reasons why you send your child to St. John’s, but I would hope that one reason is that you believe that Catholic education instills a sense of compassion and respect for others in our children. At St. John’s, we are constantly asking our children, “What did Jesus do?” and “What would Jesus do?” as questions to guide our students in being Christ-filled in their interactions with others. By instilling this compassionate awareness of others, we are, though our actions, teaching our children social justice.
This week, we have been publicly acknowledged for our school’s emphasis on Catholic social justice teachings. We are the 2009 recipient of Group Publishing’s award for “Services by Youth” and the recipient of $1,000 to go toward our classroom service projects. We were acknowledged for our emphasis on the education of the whole child. This is a testament to our commitment to educate our children in the importance of compassionate awareness of others. A very special thanks goes out to all of our teachers for their efforts to make this possible for our school!
During the week of November 9th, I will be going to visit one of our school’s special projects to raise awareness of social justice issues: Our sister school in Haiti. I will be traveling with the Director of Operation Starfish and representatives of Food for the Poor to visit our sister school in Cap Haitien, Haiti. I will be bringing with me pencils donated by our teachers and Rosaries donated by Fr. Frank. I will go with the intent of gathering information on the sister school’s specific needs and taking pictures of students there so that our St. John’s students can “connect” better with their peers. The pictures will be used in our upcoming “100 Person Feast” to be held in late November. Please stay tuned for more information on this important awareness-raising event!
I close with a final reflection for you: Catholic schools are uniquely situated within the Church to be a grace-filled conduit of social justice teachings. Each and every day without interruption, we teach – though our actions and through the various symbols in our environment – the importance of social justice to our students. How amazing!
I hope that you have a safe and relaxing weekend. The school families remain in my constant prayers – may God bless you and keep you safe!
Blessings,
Dr. Sara Amodio
Monday, November 2, 2009
Parents in the lives of their youth
Mark Evevard, a nationally known speaker, will be presenting:
Foundations: Parents in the Lives of their Youth
This is a FREE presentation and ALL parents are invited to attend! Snacks and drinks will be provided in the foyer and the presentation will be in the church.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Mark Evevard is a 28 year youth ministry veteran, director of Catholic Youth Missions, retreat Director, husband, father and an extraordinary person of prayer, living his baptismal call to mission. Mark will discuss your role as a parent in your child’s spiritual life, and how you and your family can become more like the Holy family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
Foundations: Parents in the Lives of their Youth
This is a FREE presentation and ALL parents are invited to attend! Snacks and drinks will be provided in the foyer and the presentation will be in the church.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Mark Evevard is a 28 year youth ministry veteran, director of Catholic Youth Missions, retreat Director, husband, father and an extraordinary person of prayer, living his baptismal call to mission. Mark will discuss your role as a parent in your child’s spiritual life, and how you and your family can become more like the Holy family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
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