SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT MEMO

Everything You Want to Know
Week of November 15, 2021

 

FROM THE PRINCIPAL:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” -1 Chronicles 16:34-

As we enter this last full week of school before Thanksgiving vacation, it’s a great opportunity for us to join in communion at the table and celebrate our SJF family tomorrow at our Thanksgiving feast.  With turkey and all the fixings, we are looking forward to a fantastic celebration for our students to give thanks for all we are given. Thank you Chef Ken and Chef Kris for helping transform this SJF tradition “COVID style” so we can keep thanksgiving in our minds and in our hearts. 

Next week is the home stretch for our “High 5” campaign for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.  The friendly service competition ends on Wednesday, 11/24 before we leave for Thanksgiving vacation.  All classes that raise an equivalent amount of $5 per student will receive a special treat before Christmas break.  

CALENDAR REMINDERS:

Tuesday 11/16:  3-3:45pm Gr 6-8 Study Hall

Wednesday 11/17:  Happy Birthday Mr. Sweeney! 7:30am Glee Club in church, 1pm School Mass (5th Gr), 2pm Dismissal, 2pm Chess Wizards, 2:30 Faculty meeting

Thursday 11/18:  7:30am Glee Club in gym, 3:15pm MS speaker Marielle McKenna w/ Catholic Charities, 5:30pm PTC Exec. meeting, 7pm Men’s Club monthly meeting

Sunday 11/21: Last day to register for CYO basketball, Last day to purchase Christmas wreaths and greens from Altar Guild (order form attached)

Monday 11/22: Raffle Ticket sales begin (through 12/10)

Tuesday 11/23:  Happy Birthday to Chef Kris! 3-3:45pm Gr 6-8 study hall

Wednesday 11/24:  No Glee Club, Last day for High-5 collections, NOON DISMISSAL for Thanksgiving

Thursday 11/25:  HAPPY THANKSGIVING-NO SCHOOL

Friday 11/26:  NO SCHOOL

 

PLAYGROUND DUTY SCHEDULE

Tuesday 11/16:    NEED COVERAGE

Wednesday 11/17:    Boyer

Thursday 11/18:    Haapala

Friday 11/19:        Benthin

Monday 11/22:    Baughman

Tuesday 11/23:    Partovi

Wednesday 11/24:    NOON DISMISSAL

Thursday 11/25:    THANKSGIVING DAY-NO SCHOOL

Friday 11/26:        NO SCHOOL

Playground duty is from 11:25-1:00. Check in at the school office and then head to the Corrado Family Center!  If you have a conflict with your scheduled duty date, please contact our playground duty coordinator, Holly Hunt, at mailto:[email protected]. Thank you for helping our students in the lunchroom and on the playground.

NOVEMBER FAMILY FAITH EXERCISES

Understanding Religious Orders: Many of the saints we read about lived in various religious orders. Here are some interesting infographics about some of the larger orders https://catholic-link.org/9-infographics-religious-orders/   Which saints do you recognize?  What aspects of the different orders do you find inspiring or attractive? 

8th GRADE HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT TEST - DEC. 4

The next big step in the high school admissions process is the placement testing.  The main testing date is Saturday, Dec. 4, with makeup testing dates available on Dec. 3 and Dec. 8.  Families are strongly encouraged to register their prospective high school students for this test in advance, as opposed to a walk-in registration.  An additional copy of the high school admissions timeline is attached to this email.

GREASE! AUDITIONS

Auditions for GREASE! will be held in the Corrado Family Center on November 30 & December 2, from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm.  Students in grades 5-8 are eligible to try out and must attend both audition dates.

November 30 will be the vocal audition. Students are asked to sing about one minute of a karaoke style song from a musical production. I ask students to make sure their vocal track is on YouTube so that I can play it during the audition. Acapella auditions are not allowed. 

On December 2, those auditioning will be taught a short dance routine to assess how easily they learn choreography and how well they move. They will also participate in cold readings from the script. All students who attend both auditions will either be given speaking roles or will be cast as an ensemble member. 

Rehearsals will begin on January 4 and will be on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3:15 pm to 4:30 pm. These will also be held in the Corrado Family Center. Members of the stage crew are not selected until after spring break.

Still have questions? Contact Mr. V at [email protected]

AUCTION NEWS-CHOMPING AT THE BID

Auction Update!

The travel raffle is almost here! Ticket sales will begin next week, November 22 through December 10th (final sales due by noon!). The drawing will be on December 10th at 3:05. This year's trip, to tie in with our Derby themed auction, is a one-of-a-kind, tailor made experience to Churchill Downs! You choose when you go, and you have two years to redeem.  Families that sell at least 10 tickets are automatically entered into the Golden Ticket raffle for a $5,000 tuition voucher to the Portland area Catholic school of their choice. Sell those tickets over the Thanksgiving break, or buy them yourself. You don't want to miss out! Check out sjfauction.org for more information on all things auction!

Volunteers still needed!

Are you looking for a way to get those volunteer hours in? Well, the auction needs you! Currently we need the following positions:

 Class Package Representatives: We are looking for two parents from each class to be the class package representatives. Together, you will create a themed package with items donated from the classroom families for the auction. Vacation homes, hotel stays, restaurant gift cards, river rafting trips, sports events tickets, backyard inflatable rental parties, and more with accompanying items have been big hits in the past! 

Easel Party Lead: The name Easel Party comes from our classic auctions when we would prop sign-up boards up against an easel. An Easel Party is just that, a party. Unfortunately in the past few years due to Covid we have had quite a few parties canceled for safety reasons. For that reason, we are hoping to go outside the box again this year and offer parties that might come to your door or be held online. Outdoor activities are always a great possibility, as long as they are held in a safe way. If you have a great opportunity you would like to sponsor, please reach out to the auction committee.

Family Bag Lead: We need an organized person who will create themed lists of items to accompany family bags for a family or group of families to fill and return to create baskets for the silent auction. You will also ensure bags are returned and filled in a timely manner, We would like to start in time for holiday sales. 

Please contact Alison Ortiz, Auction Chair at auction@sjfschool,org to sign up or more information on any open position! 

HALLOWEEN ASSEMBLY VIDEO

We have it at last!  Thank you for your patience. Enjoy the video of this year’s Halloween assembly - SJF Halloween Assembly

M.U.S.E. BAND PIANO LESSONS

M.U.S.E. Band is now offering online piano instruction.  These are private, online lessons for students in grades 3-8.  Additional information is on the attached flyer.

MATHFEST 2021

The MathFest competition for 7th and 8th grade students is returning to Central Catholic High School on Saturday, Dec. 11.  New this year, students will register individually and then be teamed with students from both their school and other schools.  There is additional information, along with links for registration of the attached flyer.

CYO BASKETBALL(Last Day to Register: 11/21)

It's time to register for the Winter 2021 SJF Basketball Season!

Register your 1st & 2nd graders for CYO Basketball Hotshots here: https://www.cyocamphoward.org/content/18524/SJF-Basketball-Hot-Shots

Register your 3rd-8th graders for CYO Basketball here: https://www.cyocamphoward.org/content/16518/SJF-Basketball

Practices will begin in late November and games will begin with one game in December then a break for Christmas and starting up again in January.

Regular season games will be on Saturdays and a championship tournament will be played in March.

1st & 2nd: The registration fee is $250 per participant We need 2nd graders and we need girls!

3rd-8th: The registration fee is $250 per participant

If necessary, depending on current inventory: Uniform order link will be sent to registrants at a later date. 

If you have questions, email: JB Gibbs, Club AD at [email protected].

SJF ALTAR GUILD GREENS SALE

The Altar Guild is now taking orders for Christmas wreaths and greens. Orders are due no later than Sunday, Nov. 21.  You can pick up your order after Masses on Saturday, Dec. 4 or Sunday, Dec. 5.  The order form for this year’s sale is attached to this SAM, and on your Family Portal under the Resource Documents tab.