Dear Parents,

Congratulations to our Knowledge Bowl teams. At our own recent St. John's Lutheran Invitational Knowledge Bowl last Thursday, our 7th & 8th grade team came in first place and our 5th & 6th grade team came in second place. We also had a second 5th & 6th grade team who did a great job as well! I want to also thank all of our parent volunteers who helped make this event a great success.

As I shared with you a couple of weeks ago, our Spanish teacher, Maria McCuen, will not return next year. So, we are looking for a new Spanish teacher. If you know of anyone who might be interested in teaching Spanish here, please let me know.

Tomorrow is our Country Fair. Please come and enjoy the fun! Also, please invite your neighbors to this great time for fun and fellowship.

1. How to Talk Confidently with Your Child about God's Gift of Sex Workshop: Wow – that is a long title. That is because it is a very huge topic. Do you feel comfortable talking to your child about human sexuality? Do you know what is appropriate to share with them based on their age level? Did your parents talk to you about sex? Are you having ongoing conversations with your child about their sexuality? If you don’t, they will get most of their information from the movies they watch, the music they listen to, the magazines and books they read, and from conversations with their friends. These sources may not contain the information you want your child to have. On May 9th from 7:00 to 8:30 PM, Pastor Mark will lead the above titled workshop in the Gym. The goal of the workshop is to make parents aware of the resources which are available to assist them in talking confidently with their child about God’s gift of sex through each age level of development. Ongoing conversations from age three to young adult help a child understand that their sexuality is a gift from God to be used responsibly. All parents with children under the age of 18 are invited to attend. You are welcome to invite friends who are not members of St. John's Church or School to attend with you. Childcare will be available. Please register by sending an email to pastormark@stjohnslutheran.net in order to assist with preparation of materials and set-up. Please indicate when you register the number of children needing childcare and their ages.
2. Comprehensive Fees: The comprehensive fees for this coming school year will be $350.00 per student in grades K-8 and $175.00 per student in preschool. Fees are due by June 1st.
3. County Fair: We are looking forward to seeing everyone Saturday for this year's Country Fair. We will open at 12:00 noon and close at 4:00 pm. Lots of games, food and fellowship. Let’s hope for good weather. Please do not forget your shifts schedule. If you are unable to make your time, it is your responsibility to find a replacement. You may pick up your pre-ordered wrist bands and/or tickets when you come to the fair. Have a great time!
4. Cookbooks: Thank you to everyone who contributed recipes for St. John's Lutheran Church 100th Anniversary Cookbook. The books are bound and ready for sale. Please purchase yours for $15.00 in either the school or church office. Proceeds will go to benefit the youth attending the National Youth Gathering this summer in Orlando, Florida.
5. St. John's Summer Camp: St. John's summer camp registration forms are now available in the school office. Summer camp will begin the week of June 18th and the final week will be July 23rd. Camp in open to campers 4 years of age by Sept 1st (with some group experience) through completion of 4th grade. All day sessions (7:30 AM - 5:30 PM) will be $200.00 per week and ½ day (7:30-12:30) will be $110.00 per week. A $50.00 registration fee per camper is required at the time of registration. Summer Camp tuition will be due no later than May 25th. For more information please contact Debbie Williams in the preschool.
6. Crafts for Kids: Mrs. Kusel will be teaching a plant stake craft class for kids grades K-8 on May 21st from 3:10-5:00pm in the 8th grade classroom. The cost is $20.00. Checks need to made payable to Jill Kusel. Sign up by using the attached flyer and dropping it off in the school office. To see a sample of the project stop by the school office. It is next to the bench.
7. Join Hands Day: Join Hands Day is a national volunteer effort that brings youth and adults together to improve communities and have fun while helping others. Please join with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members of all ages as we make a difference on Saturday, May 19th at Mision De Jesus (2790 Kilburn Avenue). For more info please contact Nancy Draeger 258-5599 or Teri Mitchell 224-3100.
8. Pizza Lunch: Thank you to Lori Haugen for her years of service organizing this very important school fundraiser. She will be stepping down for the next school year and Natalie Bouchet has graciously accepted the position. As the eighth grade parents move on we need new volunteers to replace them. Thursday pizza lunch volunteers are needed for next year. The commitment is only one Thursday a month for a couple of hours. The more volunteers the better for emergency back up. Please contact Natalie Bouchet if you can help with Pizza Service on Thursdays from 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM at 224-1021.
9. Vacation Bible School: Quest for Truth - June 18-22 from 5:30-8:15 pm. Vacation Bible School is open to all children entering Kindergarten through 6th grade. Application forms were attached to last week’s Blue note for grades K-5. If you did not receive an application or know of someone who may be interested, please stop by the school office and pick one up. If you have questions, please contact Ken or Michele Arnold at 226-8354 or email at sjlvbs@aol.com.
10. Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types: 2nd Annual Golf Tournament Monday, July 9, 2007 at Napa Valley Country Club. The entry fee is $150 per person and includes green fee, a shared cart, range balls, and lunch and dinner. Entry forms are available in the School Office and Preschool.
    
    The Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types, Inc. is a national non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals and families affected by ichthyosis. Ichthyosis is a group of rare genetic skin diseases that affect more than 16,000 babies each year. The disease is characterized by very dry, cracked, scaling, and thickened skin. In addition to the medical implications, Ichthyosis is a very visible disease. Affected individuals must also handle the psychological factors attributed to their appearance. Jaydn DeGarmo was born with one type of ichthyosis and is currently enrolled in the preschool at St. John's. Please help support this very worthy cause if you are able. Thank you very much.
11. Autistic Spectrum Disorder: On Thursday, May 10th, Karen Kaplan, Director at Oak Hill School in Marin City, will share her many years of experience and expertise in the field of educating children with autistic spectrum disorder. The seminar will be from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the ParentsCAN Drop-In Center located at 3299 Claremont Way, Suite 3 in Napa. Please call 253-7444 to reserve your space.
12. Lost and Found: Short and sweet: Anything still in lost and found on May 11th will be donated to charity!
13. An Evening of Dance: Napa Valley College will be hosting An Evening of Dance at the NVC Little Theater on May 11 & 12 at 8:00 pm. Admission will be $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children.
14. The Scoop From Scrip: Compadres restaurant in Yountville was reported to be closing. Actually they are planning to move in November to a location in the Napa area. If you are planning on going there for lunch or dinner stop by and pick up some Scrip in denominations of $20. They give us a wonderful return of 20%. The new Scrip year has begun. This is a great time of getting in the habit of purchasing your gift cards for groceries, gas and all of the birthday, end of year and graduations gifts. Mother’s day is only one week away. Before you shop stop by the school office and see how we can help with all of your shopping needs.
    
    For those who did not meet their Scrip commitment for the 2006-2007 school year, invoices will be mailed soon. Thank you to everyone who helps to support this program. We increased our sales from the box scrip alone by 36% and were able to provide APT with $20,000.00. We cannot stress enough how easy this fundraiser is. Our goal at the very lease is to enroll every family’s Safeway and Albertsons card. Please see Cindy in the school office with this information. We will do the rest of the work. Again, thank you for an outstanding year!
15. From the Minister to Youth and Children:
    
    For All Families: On Saturday, May 19th there will a FREE Christian Music Festival at the Travis Credit Union Park in Vacaville. It is called, "Stand and Be Counted" and features Todd Agnew, along with Dizmas, Red, Ayiesha Woods, Lincoln Brewster, Rentless Pursuit and My Second Chance. In support of our troops they will also celebrate Armed Forces Day. And there will also be a professional skate team, pony rides, jump houses and more. Gates open at 9:30 AM for this all day event. Go to www.byfaithproductions.net for more details or call 707-447-7107 and we'll see you there.
    
    6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Ministry: Don't forget to talk to your parents about the California-Nevada-Hawaii District's Jr. High Youth Gathering. It all happens from June 26-29, 2007 at Mt. Cross Lutheran Camp. This event is for all youth who are currently in 6th, 7th or 8th Grade. The theme is "Red-E 4 Battle" (Ready for Battle) and we’ll be taking a look at the "armor of God" that is given to us in Ephesians 6:11. Our speaker will once again be Tiffany Thompson from Life Promotions. We will be splitting up into small groups and participating in the low ropes course, camp wide games, worship, campfires, and "hang time." The cost is $155 per person if you get your money in by Tuesday, May 29th. After that, the cost goes up to $165. Financial aid is available, so if you need it, just ask Steve. Hope you will be able to join us!