It’s graduation weekend! We are looking forward to presenting to you the Class of 2020! Please join us this Sunday for the Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement Ceremony, which will be live-streamed at 10:30am on the Parish Facebook page. Help us celebrate and honor our amazing graduates!
The Class of 2020 is a class of high achievers. Many students earned scholarships and awards from multiple high schools. Their St. John teachers and the high school admission teams recognize our students for their faith, academic excellence, service to others, and citizenship. They have demonstrated they are living the St. John Mission.
Graduates are now called to carry that mission of inclusion, service, and courage to act for the common good onto a bigger stage. They are graduating at a challenging time, but we at St. John have faith our graduates will act on the lessons they have learned about diversity, equity, and compassion. These students have helped stem the rise of Covid-19 by being responsible and staying apart. We know they will bring to their high schools the strength and conviction to live out the fundamental principles of justice, equality, and solidarity. Congratulations, Class of 2020!
As our graduates move on, we want to introduce our new second-grade teacher. We welcome Mrs. Maggie Kuyper. Mrs. Kuyper has taught kindergarten, first and third grades for over 10 years in California. In her letter of application, she wrote, “Teaching brings me so much joy, which in turn makes me strive to develop lessons and activities that my students enjoy and relate to in their own lives.” Mrs. Kuyper will also be a St. John mom! Her daughter will be in kindergarten.
In other staffing news, we are sad to say goodbye to our middle school technology teacher, Mr. Pat James. We are really going to miss him and his expertise; the students, especially, will miss Mr. James and “all the cool stuff” they did in his class, like designing 3d models, coding quest-style games, Minecraft events, and programming autonomous robots. Mr. James also led our Robotics teams, which have won awards at middle school competitions over the years. We thank you Mr. James for promoting STEM in our school, supporting St. John’s many media and hardware, all the while encouraging us to strive to improve our processes with available technology.
Also moving on from her position as Parent Association co-chair is Liz Overland. During her three-year term, the PA played a vibrant role in community building. She and her co-chairs presented engaging and informative educational parent nights. They added the much-beloved Sweetheart Dance, Mother/Special Friend & Son Event, and St. John Families Help the Homeless Night. Thank you, Liz, for your leadership and commitment to the St. John community! Allan Quiaoit, father of James in first grade and Ren in Preschool, will be the new co-chair, leading the PA along with Tricia Kane-Yi.
Next week you will return technology and schoolbooks, and pick up student items that were left at school. Please adhere to the schedule and come at your allotted time. We want to keep everyone safe! While we are closing out this year, we are also planning for the 2020-2021 school year. With help from the Office for Catholic Schools, we are developing plans based on several scenarios, as we await specific guidance from the state and local health departments. We would also appreciate your input and to that end, please complete the survey you will be emailed in the coming weeks. As plans progress we will keep you informed.
I close with a call to action. Together, we must learn how to make our world a more equitable home for all. We must undo the damage caused by institutional racism, bigotry, and prejudice. I am sharing with you more resources that I received this morning from the OCS so that you can continue to keep the anti-racism conversation alive and effective.
God of justice, In your wisdom you create all people in your image, without exception. Through your goodness, open our eyes to see the dignity, beauty, and worth of every human being.
Peace,
Bernadette O’Leary
