Dear Parents,

Next week, I will be sending out a Principal E-Newsletter. This is a new communication avenue for me to get information out to parents on important topics when more needs to be shared than what can be put in the blue note.

As many of you know, we have had a task force working on dress code change options for next year. Next week, I will be sending out with my e-newsletter what those options are. That e-newsletter will be followed up with a zoomerang survey to get your input on these options. If you do not receive a e-newsletter or a Zoomerang, they will also be available in paper form in the school office to fill out. I look forward to your feedback as we plan for next year.

For safety reasons, I need to ask parents not to leave unattended children in a car when coming to school. This is dangerous, especially if the car is running. We are required by law to report incidents where children are in a dangerous situation, so please do not do this. Also, if you have elementary age children at St. John's, please use the south parking lot for picking up and dropping off. I know it often is convenient to use the north parking lot, but it does cause safety concerns and congestion problems for other parents.

1. 7/8 Basketball: Our St. John's girls' team competed this past weekend in the Central Valley Lutheran Schools Tournament hosted by St. Peter, Lodi. The girls won all three of their games, clinching the championship with a win over Gloria Dei of Sacramento. Bailee Carter, Katrina Husted, and Caroline Zaia were named to the All-Tournament team.
   
   St. John's boys are in Redwood City for a tournament this weekend. Both the boys and girls wrap up their seasons next weekend at the 40th annual Dan Clark Tournament at Justin-Siena High School.
2. Summer Basketball Camps: Brochures will be available by the end of this month. Again, we are looking at the last two weeks of June as target dates. One week will be for girls entering grades 5 through 8 in the fall and one week of boys. The camp runs in the morning from 9:00 am to noon.
3. Outdoor Education: 7th & 8th grade Outdoor Education is scheduled for May 15th to 18th at Mt. Gilead in Sebastopol. The cost is $225 per student. If you are paying in installments, $75 is due this week. Final payment is due by May 1st. Checks should be made out to St. John's Lutheran School and given to your child's teacher.
4. Napa Track Club: Napa Track Club begins Monday, March 13th at the track at Harvest Middle School at 4:45 pm. If you are interested in participating in this track program either show up on Monday or contact Julie Giovannoni at 224-4101 for more information.
5. APT Meeting: Please join us for the APT meeting Tuesday, March 14th, at 6:30 pm in the library. Topics up for discussion will be the Crab Feed, the Country Fair, updates on the Gym Makeover and nominations for next year's APT Executive Board. We will also be joined by Teresa Schmid who will be giving an explanation of how Thrivent matching funds works and how it benefits SJLS. All are welcome. Childcare will be provided in the preschool.
6. Give the Gift of Education - Tax Free: Most people don't know that if a generation is skipped and grandparents pay tuition directly to a private school, the educational gift is tax free. Grandparents can give up to $11,000 per year under these rules (Internal Revenue Services Publication 950, Introduction to Estate and Gift Taxes). For more information, feel free to contact Teresa Schmid with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans at 707-738-7554.
7. Junior High Writing Events: Note Date Change!! The students in the seventh and eighth grades have the opportunity to participate in three writing contests in the third trimester. The contests will be held in our library and compositions will be typed on the school's computers. Students can participate in as many of the contests as they wish.

   Monday, April 24th		Essay
   Monday, May 1st		Poetry
   Monday, May 8th		Creative Writing

   For each contest, students will compose their work from 6:00-7:15 pm. Three judges will then score the student's work from 7:15-8:00 pm. From 8:00-8:15 pm, all of the participants will be recognized for their work and a plaque will be awarded to the student receiving the highest score. Students should let Mr. Kusel know of their intent to participate as soon as possible.
8. Experience hands-on technology fun this summer at UC Davis: iD Tech Camps offers week-long, day, and overnight summer technology programs for beginner to advanced learners, ages 7-17. Produce digital movies, create 2D & 3D video games, model 3D characters, design websites, and learn programming & robotics and more. One computer per student and an average of 6 students per instructor. Register online at www.internalDrive.com or call 1-888-709-8324 for details. Flyers available in the school office.
9. Country Fair: All room parents and anyone interested in helping with the County Fair on Saturday April 29th, please mark your calendars for Tues. March 14th at 8:30 am. We will meet in the gym. Any questions please call Wendy Randolph at 255-8669 or Jennifer McCulloch at 226-3224.
10. Congratulations to our 5th-8th grade Honor Roll students for the second trimester:

    "A" Honor Roll
    5th grade:
    + Hayden Corley	+ Andrea Fischer	+ Cara FitzGerald	+ Michael Guzman	+ Monique Hale
    + Brian Haugen	+ Jack Huber	+ Arianna Kampton	+ Margaret Martin	+ William Yates
    6th grade:
    + Seth Anderson	+ Meghan Gallagher	+ Giovanna Grigsby-Rocca	+ Amy Gruenhagen	+ Emily Peterson
    + Danika Schmid	+ Kelsey Vanderschoot
    7th grade:
    + Jacob Bartelt	+ Hailey Breakwell	+ Jennifer Cardey	+ Lauren Cardey	+ Katie Corley
    + Mary Kate Francis	+ Sarah Francke	+ Reed Gordon	+ Domenic Hjerpe	+ Nick Kinda
    + Brogan McCuen	+ Clint Mason	+ Stacey Panis	+ Sam Piper	+ Aaron Rubin
    + Gabriella Salva	+ Kelly Williams	+ Stephanie Wills	+ Caroline Zaia
    8th grade:
    + Katelyn Griffith	+ Joshua Heine	+ Jon Hoff	+ Katrina Husted	+ Caitlin Newton
    + Katie Zachry
    "B" Honor Roll
    5th grade:
    + Griffin Abernethy	+ Philip Bartelt	+ Antonio Ferrini	+ Allyson Reeves	+ Christina Tevlin
    6th grade:
    + Dylan Becker	+ Mariah Braddock	+ Alli Channels	+ Caleb Heine	+ David Hoff
    + Olivia Husted	+ Vladimir Jefferson	+ Lexie Martin	+ Ashley Mehrens	+ Delaney Messner
    + Shannon Wills
    7th grade:
    + John Abruzzini	+ Myles DeBoer	+ Emily Jeffery	+ Breanna Miller
    8th grade:
    + Olivia Barker	+ Courtnee Cootey	+ Mario Giovannoni	+ Tyler Imhoff	+ Ginnie Kerr
    + Erin Kinda	+ Mason O’Brien	+ Olivia Olson	+ Jackie Peskett	+ Alex Power

11. The Scoop From Scrip: Did you know that we accept Visa & Mastercard for Scrip purchases? If you are looking to purchase a large amount of Scrip or even your weekly groceries with Scrip you can do so with one of these two credit cards. What could be easier?
    
    Numbers are in through mid-February. Stop by the school office to see how you are doing.
12. From the Minister to Youth and Children:
    
    4th, 5th and 6th Grade Ministry: We meet this Sunday, March 19th for our monthly T.G.I.S. meeting. However, this time we are going to watch a special movie called, "Friendship's Field." It's a "Feature Films for Families" movie about two friends and how they overcome some differences as their friendship grows. We have changed the meeting room from the gym to Room 10. The gym is going to be painted this week, so we will meet in Room 10 at 1 pm and start the movie at 1:15 pm. We plan on being finished by 3 pm. We'll also have some popcorn and juice, so don't forget to invite your friends!.
    
    7th and 8th Grade Ministry: We had scheduled a "St. Patrick’s Day Celebration" for next Friday, March 17th. However, the painters are scheduled to start that day in the gym and it’s possible that our basketball teams will be playing that night so...we will postpone our celebration until Friday, March 31st! Plan on being with us on the 31st as we will still celebrate "St. Patrick’s Day." We'll meet in the gym from 7-9 pm. Hope you will be with us!
    
    If you are involved in Confirmation, your next Learning Event is not until Tuesday, March 28th. Please plan to be at this event.
    
    8th Graders: If you are planning on going on the High School Houseboat Trip this summer, just a reminder that your $100 deposit is due this Monday. Please make checks out to: St. John's Lutheran Youth. There are a few spots still open if you are interested and have not yet reserved your space. The dates of the trip are July 10-15, 2006. Any questions, please contact Steve.