We Are St. John

We had two opportunities for safety preparedness today.  This morning, at approximately 7:30am we arrived to a large police presence in the neighborhood.  After consulting with police, a determination was made to initiate a stay puta precautionary, low-level lock-down used when there is police activity in the neighborhood.  We ushered children directly to their classrooms and instruction began. The all-clear was announced at 8:25am.

At 10:19am, we joined millions of people around the country for the Great Shake-Out during which we practiced our full natural disaster drill. The children practiced stop, drop and cover in their classrooms and then we went outside with staff who performed their primary disaster preparedness duties.  Our first-graders took their preparedness to a new level.  Here is a light-hearted look at their latest performance.

Over the weekend, I learned so much about the history of St. John the Evangelist parish and school from both the talks at Mass and the stories from the many alumni who came to Oktoberfest! What most impresses me is the love for parish and school and the commitment to preserving a 100 year old legacy of dedicated, caring parishioners. The fact that we have reached $3M in campaign pledges is further witness to that commitment to securing our future. The power of community working together reminded me of what I learned at the recent retreat about the mystery of the Trinity. Fr. Nuzzi, the presenter from Notre Dame acknowledged the challenge of understanding the Trinity, even as life-long Catholics. How do we explain three persons in one God? His response explains so much about St. John and the Trinity! He said, “The Trinity is the theological foundation of community.” The Trinity explains God as a relationship – three persons in one God that have the perfect relationship. Fr. Nuzzi invited us to think about the idea that if God needs a relationship, why do we, as humans, ever think we can do things on our own. We are called to community because that is how God made us. Everyone is made in the image of God, which means everyone is made to be called to relationships. Now when somebody tells me that ‘community ‘ is the number one reason why they love St. John, I have a richer appreciation of that term and it is laden with joy and hope! Let us value each other and embrace the future together.

We have more fun and important school and parish events coming up! More Community! Tomorrow the eighth grade, with the help of some seventh grade students, and the Youth Group present the Halloween Carnival complete with a haunted house! The students have been busy preparing for this ‘hauntingly, thrilling’ experience! The spooktacular games will begin at 6pm. Dress up, join in the fun! Bring the family – it ends at 8pm.

Next week the teachers will meet with all of you at the Parent/ Student/Teacher Conferences. The conferences are very important opportunities for you and the teachers to discuss your children’s progress. Talk with your children in advance, discuss what is going well and what may be challenging them. The teacher will also be looking at strengths and goals. These are long days for the teachers so please make an effort to be on time and to respect everyone’s time with the teacher.

Also mark November 4th and 5th on your calendars. The State of the Parish will be presented at all Masses. Parish families are obliged to attend one of these Masses as part of their Fair Share agreement. Following the 10:30am Mass, gather in Egan Hall for the State of the Tailgate! Watch the Seahawks, enjoy food and beverages and revel in another opportunity to be with this great community. This is an all-ages event.

Congratulations, CYO Cross-Country team. You brought the championship home!

Thank you, parents, for all you do for St John School!
God Bless,

Bernadette