NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents,
As we approach the joyous season of Christmas, I wanted to take a moment on behalf of the entire faculty and staff to extend our warmest wishes to each and every one of you. This time of year holds special significance in our hearts, and we are filled with gratitude for the incredible community that surrounds St. John Bosco Catholic School.
Our school is a vibrant and caring community because of each of you. Your support, dedication, and commitment to the values of St. John Bosco enrich the lives of our students and make our school a truly special place.
As we come together to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, may the love and warmth of the season fill your hearts and homes. May you find moments of peace and serenity amid the festivities, and may the new year ahead bring prosperity and continued blessings to you and your loved ones.
Thank you for being an integral part of our St. John Bosco Catholic School family. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a blessed holiday season!
Our school is a vibrant and caring community because of each of you. Your support, dedication, and commitment to the values of St. John Bosco enrich the lives of our students and make our school a truly special place.
As we come together to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, may the love and warmth of the season fill your hearts and homes. May you find moments of peace and serenity amid the festivities, and may the new year ahead bring prosperity and continued blessings to you and your loved ones.
Thank you for being an integral part of our St. John Bosco Catholic School family. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a blessed holiday season!
Joyful Blessings,
Jamie Bescak, M.Ed., Principal
Do everything in love.
In this season of gratitude, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Luis Rodriguez for his tireless dedication to St. John Bosco Catholic School and the immense effort he put into preparing our annual Christmas program. We are equally appreciative of our dedicated teachers, whose flexibility and support during rehearsals were instrumental to the event's success. Special applause to our talented K-5 students for their beautiful singing, the 6th graders for handing out programs, the 7th and 8th graders for their eloquent scripture readings, and all the students who participated in the nativity, bringing the story to life. A warm thank you to our parents, grandparents, and community members for joining us, making the evening a poignant reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.
We extend a heartfelt thank you to our PTO and Dads' Club for orchestrating a delightful Pancakes with Santa event yesterday morning! The PTO's meticulous organization and festive decorations created a magical atmosphere, while the Dads' Club skillfully flipped pancakes that left everyone smiling. We hope cherished memories were captured in photos with Santa and the joy of his classroom visits made the morning truly special for our kids.
SCHOOL NEWS
SET Deadline Dec. 31
Parents, please know that your online Safe Environment Training (SET) must be up to date by Dec. 31 or your account will be archived. If you would like to coach sports, work in the classroom, or volunteer in any capacity and you have not renewed your SET after July 1, 2023, simply log into this link to take the course. Click here for instructions and contact info for assistance.
On behalf of the Diocese of Phoenix, thank you for helping us keep our children safe on campus.
2024-2025 ENROLLMENT NEWS
DON'T LOSE YOUR SPOT!
Due to the high demand for enrollment spots for the 2024-2025 school year, we will accept applications
and open re-enrollment earlier than usual this year.
EXISTING STUDENTS
For students currently enrolled at SJB, re-enrollment began on December 4, 2023. Please follow the instructions carefully. Re-enrollment may be accessed through your RenWeb account. DO NOT SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR AN EXISTING STUDENT; USE THE RE-ENROLLMENT LINK ONLY.
NEW STUDENTS (Siblings)
If you are an existing family with a sibling who will be NEW to SJB in the 2024-2025 school year, please apply now. As always, siblings of existing students will have priority as long as we receive an application before open enrollment for all students. Applications for siblings must be submitted before February 5, 2024, to guarantee a spot for next year.
MONEY-SAVING OPPORTUNITIES
Early Re-Enrollment: Families who re-enroll by January 26, 2024, will receive a discounted enrollment fee of $150 per K–8 student and/or $200 for Preschool, with a family maximum of $250. On January 27, enrollment fees will increase to $200 for K–8 students and/or $225 for Preschool, with a family maximum of $300.
Bonus Incentive: Families who re-enroll their student(s) by Friday, January 26 will receive a free dress day for their child(ren)!
Referral Program: Each referring family will receive $300 credit towards their child’s tuition/fees for each family they refer and who enrolls for the 2024-25 school year. Spread the news about what our school has to offer!
PARISH VERIFICATION
Beginning in 2024-2025, each family enrolling or re-enrolling will be required to provide a valid Parish Verification Form to receive the Active Catholic* Rate. The form must be completed by your home parish and include the parish seal. We will require this verification every two years. Please have this form filled out by your parish and submit it to the SJB front office as soon as possible.
*Active Catholic means a practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church. One or more parents in the household are Catholic and raising their child(ren) in the Catholic faith. Their child(ren) is baptized and will receive sacraments at the appropriate age designated by the Church.
Spring Sports Registration
Baseball, Basketball, Soccer
Spring sports will begin shortly after the new year. Get an early start and register here. SJB offers boys' baseball and girls' basketball for grades 5–8 and the CYAA soccer tourney for grades 7–8 boys & girls.
The double-elimination soccer tourney is for 7–8th boys and girls; there will be a separate tournament for each. The registration deadline for the soccer tournament is January 5. Practices will start the first week of January. This event will run from January 27–February 9. We are seeking coaches!
Boys' baseball and girls' basketball will begin practicing the first week in February. The registration deadline for both sports is January 27. No exceptions! Please email bcaradonna@sjbosco.org if you are interested in coaching any of these three sports. Register Here Click HERE for Printable Medical Forms
COMING SOON!
Grab your 7 smartest friends and start brushing up on useless knowledge for the Annual Bosco Trivia Night!
SCRIP SHOP
Don't forget to use the RaiseRight app during your holiday break! The app has hundreds of retailers that offer electronic scrip that can be used immediately while out shopping or dining! Please be sure to choose eGift Card, as the final physical card order of the year has already taken place.
If you would like to send someone an eGift Card this holiday season, check out this video showing how easy it is! Please click here for instructions to enroll and tips for navigating the app. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
*Please note: If you place a "ship to home" order anytime this month, RaiseRight has advised that ship-to-home orders can take up to 2 weeks to arrive. They are sent USPS and there is no tracking available.
If you still need to enroll in the RaiseRight app, click here for detailed instructions.
Mon. 12/18/23–Mon. 01/01/24: No School — Christmas Vacation
Tues. 01/02/24: School Resumes
Sat. 01/20/24: Trivia Night
ST. BENEDICT
PARISH NEWS
COMMUNITY NEWS
Sponsorship Opportunity
Do you want to grow your business and help support St. John Bosco at the same time? Do you enjoy reading Faith & Family in Ahwatukee and Chandler every month and want to continue to receive it?
We are looking for business sponsors for the Faith & Family in Ahwatukee and Chandler magazine. There are options at pretty much any level, so please consider jumping in. The magazine is mailed directly to 3,300 Catholic households in the local community.
St. John Bosco School and St. Benedict Parish benefit directly and financially from any additional business sponsors in our community. If you would like to learn more, please contact Kevin Muir at 602-722-6123 or kmuir@decidedexcellence.com
Festivities This Weekend!
If you're looking for something to do over Christmas vacation, take the kids to see a local production of
The Nutcracker. Several talented SJB students are performing to make the experience extra special!
Allison Becerra - Kindergarten; Victoria Coker - 3rd; Jenna Hansen - 8th;
Aurelia Taveras - 2nd; Salome Taveras - Pre-K; Jillian Vanderzyl - 4th;
Lauren Wiscombe - 8th; Madelyn Wiscombe - 3rd
Aurelia Taveras - 2nd; Salome Taveras - Pre-K; Jillian Vanderzyl - 4th;
Lauren Wiscombe - 8th; Madelyn Wiscombe - 3rd
Stay up to date on classroom happenings by following us on Instagram@sjbbulldogs or Facebook@stjohnboscocatholicschool. We also encourage families to tag SJB on any photos or videos they post of their child(ren) from their personal social media accounts.
Until Next Year ...
Below are helpful links to information:
School Website: https://sjbosco.org/
School Calendar: https://sjbosco.org/calendar
Faculty & Staff Contacts: https://sjbosco.org/faculty-staff
School Lunch Program: https://sjbosco.org/school-lunch
Parish Website: https://stbenedict.org/
The Bulldog Bite: Dr. Teri Pistacchio Aguiar, editor
Past Bulldog Bites: https://sjbosco.org/ (below Principal Bescak's picture)
Upcoming events are always available on our website events page.
For a more detailed list of yearly events, check the SJB website online calendar.
