Yesterday, the Class of 2021 had their drive-thru Honor Parade! The faculty and staff were so happy to celebrate our wonderful graduates! Videos and pictures of the Honor Parade can be found on St. John’s Facebook page and Instagram account. On Sunday, we will hold our Baccalaureate Prayer Service and Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2021. We are so delighted to be together in the church for this event! I am proud to share that our graduates met the Student Learning Expectations, becoming empowered, Christ-centered, active learners. They have earned high school awards and recognition for service, leadership, spiritual and academic excellence. I look forward to hearing about their future successes! Congratulations class of 2021! You have supported each other by adhering to the mitigation strategies to keep everyone safe; this is community in action! I am especially proud of how all our students looked out for each other during this challenging time. They were truly each other’s keepers.
And congratulations to all our students who made their First Communion this month. Thank you to parents, the Parish, and the teachers for your guidance and support of this sacrament. Confirmation Masses will be held next week for some of our older students and graduates.
The middle school second dose vaccination event at Bishop Blanchet High School is next week on June 9. A few notes:
- Folks returning for their second dose do not need to provide another consent form. The initial consent form is sufficient. Middle School students will dismiss at 1pm.
- If your middle school child has still not received their first dose of the vaccine, attend this event. Anyone who will receive their first dose at the June 9 event will be scheduled for their second dose at the Sodo drive-through.
Plans are in place for the last week-of-school events! The Kindergarten Parade will take place on Wednesday, June 9. Field Day for intermediate students will be held on Thursday, June 10. Preschool students are having their picnic and art portfolio sharing on June 10 as well.
End-of-year report cards will be sent home with the students on Friday, June 11 when we close out this year at 10:30am. Do note the last edition of NewsViews for the 2020-2021 school year will be Thursday, June 10. NewsViews will resume in August with important information regarding the opening of school.
I would like to end this letter by sending prayers as the nation commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre. From Greenwood, Seattle to Greenwood, Tulsa, we pray for all those who have experienced the pain of racism and intolerance. We pray for those who work for racial justice, that they may be sustained in hope, empowered with courage, and filled with the grace to persevere in truth and love. May we at St. John School continue to be committed to following the principles of social justice, to recognize that we are one human family whatever our national, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers wherever they may be, and we are guided by Pope Paul VI’s teaching: “if you want peace, work for justice.” We pray for the strength to follow this lesson and to live our mission of being an inclusive Catholic school, and we can take pride in knowing that our graduates take with them the courage to act for the common good.
As always, I am very grateful for your support,
Bernadette O’Leary
