NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents,
Thank you to everyone who joined us for spring Parent-Teacher Conferences. It was a fantastic opportunity to collaborate closely with parents and teachers, ensuring that we're effectively addressing the needs of every learner. With only three months remaining in the school year, we're looking forward to packing in much learning and fun.
I'm pleased to announce the BEST news! The votes are in, and for the first time, St. John Bosco took TOP HONORS for "Best Place to Work" and placed as "Reader Recommended" for "Best Preschool & Best Private School" in the Best of Ahwatukee survey. You will find detailed results in the upcoming March 13 edition of the Ahwatukee Foothills News.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to cast their votes and rally behind our beloved school. Your support means the world to us!
Joyful Blessings,
Jamie Bescak, M.Ed., Principal
Do everything in love.
SCHOOL NEWS
Art Masterpiece
For those who couldn't make it to the open house and are interested in purchasing your child's Art Masterpiece work, they're still available for sale. Simply reach out to your homeroom teacher for more information. Please note that your invoice will be emailed on March 1 and your FACTS account will be charged shortly thereafter.
SJB Academics All Week Long!
It was an exciting weekend (and beyond!) for SJB academic competitions! Under the direction of Mrs. Harvey and Mrs. Heffron, 8th-grader Harmony Rodriguez-Sanchez represented St. John Bosco in the Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday at one of the most difficult regional bees in the history of bees! Harmony was poised and confident throughout and captured the 4th-place trophy after a nail-biter runoff!
Mrs. Melanie Del Grosso's Math League Team ranked 7th place and performed impressively while competing against challenging teams from across the East Valley. The team is made up of eighth graders Lucas Pagazani, Celine Salloum, Sophia Bernardez, and Logan Hlavin, and 7th graders Avery Fisher, Daniel Gomez, Brooke Boggess, and Blaize Sobczyk.
Under the direction of Ms. Pratt, SJB 8th-graders admirably represented our school at the 2024 Diocesan Science Fair on Wed. 2/21. Sophia Bernardez took TOP HONORS and advanced to the State competition, while Lucas Pagazani received Honorable Mention. Kudos to all these students for their impressive achievements!
Parent Survey
Please take a few minutes to fill out this 2023-2024 Parent Survey by March 8. Faculty, staff, and K–8 students were sent a separate survey. Thank you for helping us help your children.
Log Volunteer Hours
for 2023-24 School Year
Remember to log your volunteer hours into Renweb. Click HERE for step-by-step instructions. Reports will be shared with all families next week.
SJB will be joining schools across the nation in celebration of Read Across America Week! Note the following daily privileges our students will enjoy during the week of March 4th-7th:
Monday 3/4: Save the Earth Day. Students may wear an appropriate green shirt with their uniform bottoms. (Please follow our dress code in the handbook.)
Tuesday 3/5: Read My Shirt Day. Students may wear an appropriate shirt that others can read with their uniform bottoms. (Please follow our dress code in the handbook and choose a shirt with an appropriate message )
Wednesday 3/6: Wacky Wednesday. Students may wear wacky socks and any Spirit Day shirt backward with their school uniform.
Thursday 3/7: Hats off to Reading/Read Across Campus Day. Students may wear a Cat in the Hat hat or any hat with their school uniform. The whole school will step outside at noon and read for twenty minutes with their buddies. Students may bring sunglasses and blankets for reading outside under the sun.
Tuition $$$ Available for
2024-2025 School Year
APPLY NOW
Most applications for Tax Credit financial assistance are now open! If you plan to use Tax Credit Funds next year, please note that most applications are due April 15. See a list of STO scholarship organizations HERE.
Codes for CEA: School Code 700 Password cea700
If you plan to use the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA), please check your email regularly to renew your contract or check the ESA website regularly to find out when new applications for the 2024-2025 school year will be available. If you used ESA this year, you do not need to create a new application.
If you have an incoming kindergartener, please contact Kelly McLean to discuss the best options for financial assistance.
**VERY IMPORTANT**
If you have used ESA this year, but have "Recommended Funds" at an STO, you MUST have an application in for the 2023-2024 school year in order to retain your funds for future years!!!
Save the Dates! Details coming SOON
June 3–6: Baseball/Softball Camp 8–11:00 AM
June 10–14: St. Benedict/St. John Bosco Vacation Bible School 9:00 AM–12:00 PM
June 17–28: STEM Camp 8:00 AM–3:00 PM
June 3–28: Innovation Learning 6:30 AM–6:00 PM
Mother-Son Kickball Fun!
Friday, March 22 @ 5 PM
Join us for our annual Mother-Son Kickball event on March 22. Gates open at 4:30PM; games start at 5:00PM. This is a FREE event and pizza and water will be provided.
Scrip Shop
REMEMBER: March 17 is the last day to earn for this SCRIP year. If you still need to enroll in the RaiseRight app, click here for detailed instructions.
Wed. 03/06: Mix It Up Day
Thurs. 03/07: Early Dismissal (12:30 PM)
Fri. 03/08–Sun. 03/15: Spring Break (NO SCHOOL)
Fri. 03/22: Mother-Son Kickball
Thurs. 03/28: Passion Play 9AM
Thurs. 03/28: Holy Thursday Early Dismissal (12:30PM)
Fri. 03/29: Good Friday (NO SCHOOL)
Mon. 04/01: Easter Monday (NO SCHOOL)
Tues. 04/02: School Resumes
PARISH NEWS
Join us every Friday of Lent @ 6 PM at the St. John Bosco School courtyard for Stations of the Cross, followed by a Fish Fry in the MPR. Dinner includes two portions of delicious fish, coleslaw, cornbread, chips, dessert, and water for $10 per person.
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.
To learn more about the Poor Clare Nuns and to register, CLICK HERE.
FREE 1-DAY Football Clinic
Saturday, March 23, 8–11:30AM
All 5th–8th Graders Invited
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
