From the Principal

Welcome to the first NewsViews of the 2018-2019 School year. This is our weekly newsletter. You will receive it every Thursday. It contains the Principal’s Letter and attached articles which outline all the events and news. Reading it will bring you up to date on all that is happening at St. John. It has been a busy summer here. Construction is progressing in the main building and Quigley. Parish and some school administration personnel have moved into the beautifully remodeled rectory—now the Parish Administration building. Join us for an Open House in the new space this Sunday after Mass. Please read the construction update below which includes the contingency plans for the re-opening of school.

The teachers are gearing up for the new school year, preparing rooms and planning. Next week, we will meet together for in-service. I encourage you to visit the school webpage often and stay apprised of school events. Subscribe to the school calendar now. Enjoy your last days of summer vacation. Don’t forget to encourage your child/Superhero to complete their summer reading and math challenges!

Faculty News    

  • Congratulations to Mrs. Jessup, née Miss Feeney on her recent marriage.  Miss Barry is now also using her married name, Mrs. Edwards and has moved to third grade.
  • Grade 4 Teaching Position     We are very excited to announce our own Mrs. Adrey Ocampo will be filling the open fourth-grade position. After an extensive search and much prayer, we were ultimately unsuccessful in filling the opening with an outside candidate. The candidates the school interviewed were not as qualified as Mrs. Ocampo and others accepted jobs within the public school system. The Archdiocese is currently experiencing a teacher shortage and St. John School is not immune to this newly emerging trend. Currently there are over 25 teacher openings within our local Catholic schools. We are blessed and grateful for Mrs. Ocampo’s willingness to return to a homeroom position. The school values Mrs. Ocampo’s contributions as Enrichment Specialist to the Student Support Team and ultimately, she will return to this position once a qualified candidate is hired. Though Mrs. Ocampo’s primary role will be that of fourth grade teacher, she will meet with students she served previously (Primary Book Club, Enrichment, and Academic Support) on Fridays. Our in-house substitute, Mrs. Maria Arruela, will be the lead teacher during Mrs. Ocampo’s Friday absences.
  • Welcome, Mrs. Arruela     Mrs. Maria Arruela will join the staff this year as the in-house substitute. Mrs. Arruela taught Spanish here from 1999-2001 and we are excited to have her back on staff. Mrs. Arruela received her MA in Education from Seattle University. Along with serving as the full-time in-house substitute, Mrs. Arruela will assist Mrs. Ocampo in the fourth grade. Mrs. Arruela’s daughter Isabel will be in Kindergarten along with son, Beni, in sixth grade. Zac will be attending Bishop Blanchet this fall.
  • Welcome, Josh Stutzman    Josh Stutzman is our new Facilities Manager. Josh comes to us from Century Link Field where he was a Purchasing Administrator for First and Goal Hospitality. Josh is a graduate of Washington State University. He lives in Bothell with his wife Patricia, their dog Bruce, and cat Tonks. Josh and his wife like to spend free time going on family outings, spoiling their only nephew, and taking their dog on adventures. They also enjoy trying to out cook one another. Josh says, “We are excited to be a part of the St. John community and look forward to getting to know the students, parishioners, and staff in the years to come. Go Cougs!”
  • Welcome, Andrea Marquez     Andrea Marquez has been hired as the school’s Fundraising Administrator. Andrea graduated from WSU with a degree in accounting and earned her CPA while working for Moss Adams. Andrea last worked in wealth management for Pioneer Square Advisors. For the last several years, Andrea has assisted Michele Thornquist in welcoming new families through the “Buddy Family” program and supervising the summer play dates for Preschool and Kindergarten families. Andrea and her husband, Matt are parents to Ella and Rachel in grades Kindergarten and Grade Three.
  • Class Placements     Homeroom assignments will be live in PowerSchool beginning Friday, August 24, after 4pm. Please access your family account to confirm your child’s homeroom teacher.  Link here to log in.
  • Hot Lunch Portal     The Hot Lunch Portal will open Friday, August 24, after 4pm. Hot lunch service will begin on Tuesday, September 11. All September orders must be received by Thursday, September 6.
    • Existing Users:   Go to https://benchlio.com/#/login     Login with existing user email and password, reset password if necessary, update your existing students with 2018-19 teacher assignments, add any new students and begin your order.
    • New Users: Sign up here https://benchlio.com/#/signup     Add the students you wish to order for and follow instructions to order and enter payment information
    • For more information about the hot lunch program please visit Hot Lunch at St. John School.
  • Welcome Events (Preschool, Kindergarten, Back to School Barbeque)  This is not a supply drop off day for returning students
    • Tuesday, September 4, 3-4pm
      • Kindergarten Open House
      • New Student Drop In for Grades 1-8
      • 6:30-8pm, Preschool Parent Social
    • Wednesday, September 5, First Day of School. Tardy bell rings at 8:20am
      • Coffee in the Courtyard for all parents
    • Friday, September 7, 5:30pm, Back to School Barbeque (includes carnival games for the children, bouncy house, etc.)
  • Construction Update – Planned Schedules for Spaces and Opening of School
    • Projected Move-in Dates
      • Administration Building—former Rectory—Completed. Move in started on August 6, 2018
      • Quigley—Pending inspection and licensing, Preschool classes will move in October 2018, XDC in November 2018
      • Main school building—Kindergarten classrooms, September 5. First and Second grade classrooms along with school office, winter 2019.
    • Contingency Plans for School and Extended Daycare     With the start of school less than two weeks away the school would like to make you aware of the plans made to accommodate classes and XDC prior to construction completion. The plans are as follows:
      • 5 Day Preschool classes will be held in the Mezzanine of Egan Hall through October
      • Music and Art classes will be taught in student homerooms through October
      • 3 Day Preschool classes will be held in library of the main school building through October
      • Students will have access to the library on Thursdays and Fridays
      • XDC will be housed in Rooms 44 and 45 of the portables
      • Kindergarten classes will begin the school year in their new spaces, Room 6 and the former school office—main school building. First and Second grade classes will continue in portables through completion of project
      • Mrs. Q, school Administrative Assistant, will be located on the second floor of the main school building through project completion. A temporary school check-in will be located in the east hallway of the main building.
      • Mrs. Crockett, school Business Manager, will be in a temporary office in the new administrative building, through project completion
      • Hot lunch for all students will continue operation in Egan Hall—service to begin on Tuesday, September 11
      • Public access to the main school building will continue to be through the NE doors. A portion of the hallway on the west side of the building will be closed for the duration of construction. Students and staff will have access to the NW doors of the building. Chinn Construction will issue a letter next week with an updated Safety Plan for the main school building and parish grounds.

The Executive Committee believes the approach described above is prudent, that safety issues will be thoroughly addressed by Chinn Construction, and the school year will start and proceed without interruption.

We are very thankful to all of you for your support. It is truly a community project blessed by your goodness and generosity. It is going to be a very exciting year as we move into the rest of our new spaces!

God Bless,

Bernadette O’Leary