NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents,
What a spectacular week it has been! The enthusiasm and active participation of our entire community during Catholic Schools Week were truly incredible.
So many people played vital roles in ensuring the seamless execution of the week's festivities. I want to express my sincere appreciation to our dedicated SJB families and faculty/staff for their generous contributions of time and energy, making this week a memorable experience for our students. The collaborative efforts of staff, teachers, parents, and students throughout the week exemplify that St. John Bosco is not just a school but a close-knit community.
It was truly fulfilling to witness the turnout of our current families at the Open House where they had the opportunity to marvel at the brilliant art and science projects on display and enjoy the performance by our talented student choir. Special gratitude goes to our School Advisory Board Members and Campus Ambassadors for guiding tours for prospective families considering enrollment for the upcoming year. It fills me with great pride to see our 7th and 8th graders — who were in preschool not long ago — now taking the lead in showing families around campus and eloquently sharing their experiences at St. John Bosco.
Thanks to all of you who make our school so special, we have a record number of new students vying for a spot for next year. We are so very blessed for all the wonderful families that make up our school community.
Joyful Blessings,
Jamie Bescak, M.Ed., Principal
Do everything in love.
SCHOOL NEWS
Did You Catch It??
As mentioned in last Friday's Bulldog Bite, SJB was included in the Monday and Wednesday Rosary broadcast on "Radio Family Rosary."
Our very own 8th-grader Carter Acosta eloquently described the life of our patron saint, St. John Bosco while Mrs. Bescak discussed Catholic Schools Week.
Spread the News!
We invite you to share the joy of our school by posting positive reviews on Google, Greatschools.com, and Facebook. Your experiences and feedback will help spread the good news about the uniqueness of our community. Let's showcase the warmth and excellence of our school to prospective families.
Thank you for your support!
Log Volunteer Hours
for 2023-24 School Year
Please remember to log your volunteer hours into Renweb. Click HERE for step-by-step instructions. The volunteer reports will be shared with all families at the end of the 2nd Trimester.
Please Note: All families are required to complete at least 25 hours each school year. Your service and involvement in your children’s education are priceless!
Below are just a few opportunities for involvement at SJB this school year:
- PTO — Mother-Son Kickball
- PTO — Organize the Uniform Closet
- Dads' Club — Father-Daughter Dance
- Dads' Club — Bosco Golf Tournament
- Classroom volunteers (contact your child's teacher)
- Athletics — coach, score games, and more (contact Mr. Caradonna)
To find out more, we encourage you to attend the next PTO or Dads' Club meeting.
Facilities Update
The installation of the wrought-iron fencing project around the Kindergarten, Preschool, and Administration building is set to take place shortly after students are released for Summer Break. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our generous Gala supporters, as $75,000 from their contributions will be utilized for the new fencing around the Kindergarten, Preschool, and Administration buildings.
Additionally, there is a plan to repaint the current fencing, trim, and all doors to match the newly installed fencing, with an estimated cost of $70,000. Mrs. Bescak has submitted a grant application to the Catholic Community Foundation to secure additional funds for assistance in this renovation project.
Looking ahead, there are other facility updates in the pipeline, including refreshing the playground tire chips for enhanced safety, acquiring an additional playground structure, and more. The funds generated from the Dads' Club Bosco Golf Tournament and Car Raffle will play a crucial role in financing these upcoming projects. Your continued support is invaluable, and we are excited about these improvements for the benefit of our school community.
Looking ahead, there are other facility updates in the pipeline, including refreshing the playground tire chips for enhanced safety, acquiring an additional playground structure, and more. The funds generated from the Dads' Club Bosco Golf Tournament and Car Raffle will play a crucial role in financing these upcoming projects. Your continued support is invaluable, and we are excited about these improvements for the benefit of our school community.
2024-2025 ENROLLMENT
Current Families:
ALL current SJB families should have completed their 2024-25 re-enrollment by now. If not, your child's enrollment is in jeopardy as we are now accepting new students for the 2024-25 school year.
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. For further explanation of this policy from the Diocese of Phoenix, please click here.
Incoming Families:
We have begun reviewing 2024-25 applications and will be sending acceptance and non-acceptance letters over the next few weeks. Please be patient as we have over 75 applications waiting for review at this point.
*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.
Just Released!
We're already looking forward to the next school year! For your planning convenience, please see this 2024-2025 School Year Calendar.
Attention ALL SJB Parents: PTO wants YOU!
The amazing events that help build this beloved community would not be possible without the help of MANY. We are looking forward to setting the committees for next year and need YOU to be involved! Because it takes a village many positions are available: PTO Co-chairs, Secretary, Communications, Event Chairs, and more.
Please visit the PTO website to get a better view of positions and events. Reach out to ptosjb@sjbosco.org to let us know how you would like to be involved! We are excited to hear from you!
Our next PTO meeting is this Tuesday, February 6th @ 6:00PM in the SJB Library.
Father-Daughter Dance
Saturday, February 10
Scrip Shop
The Scrip office will be placing the next bulk order for physical gift cards on Monday, February 5th @ 8:30AM. This is a great opportunity to order any physical cards through the RaiseRight app. Cards ordered before 8:30AM on February 5th will be ready for distribution to families on or before Tuesday, February 13th.
Of course, you are always encouraged to order e-cards anytime through the app; the deadline above only applies to physical card orders that are shipped to the coordinator upon checkout.
Tues. 02/06: PTO Meeting 6PM Library
Wed. 02/07: Pep Rally
Thurs. 02/08: CSW Free Dress Day
Fri. 02/09: Trimester 2 Ends
Fri. 02/09: Dads' Club Meeting 7PM MPR
Sat. 02/10: Father-Daughter Dance 6–8PM
Tues. 02/13: Report Cards Emailed
Tues. 02/13: Resting the Alleluia Banner
Wed. 02/14: Ash Wednesday Mass 8:15AM
Mon. 02/19: Presidents' Day — No School
Wed.–Fri. 02/21–02/23: Spring P-T Conferences; 12:30PM Dismissal
ST. BENEDICT
PARISH NEWS
Employment Opportunity
St. Benedict Catholic Church has an opening for a full-time staff member for the Coordinator of Children’s Faith Formation. This position provides vision and coordination for the parish’s efforts in ministry to preschool — 5th-grade children and their families.
For more information and a full job description, please visit the parish website at stbenedict.org/employment.
COMMUNITY NEWS
The NUN RUN! Sat. March 2
The Poor Clare Nuns invite you to participate in the 15th Annual Nun Run in Tempe. Choose from a 10K, 5K Run/Walk, or 1-mile Walk. Registration is $40 for adults (early-bird by Feb. 18) and $15 for children 18 and under before race day.
To learn more about the Poor Clare Nuns and to register, CLICK HERE.
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
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 Monday ...
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's online calendar
