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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013

Autumn Pursuits

Pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.

1 Timothy 6:11

Invigorating goals herald the autumn season: a successful school year, profitable new careers, an anticipated free time before the annual leaf-raking rituals and enjoyable apple picking in fruit-laden orchards.

This Scripture reading exhorts us to even more important and demanding pursuits. Each day we are to seek a righteousness that stands up for local and global justice and peace, a devotion that keeps faith alive, a faith that treasures God’s personal and unconditional love for us, a love that goes hand in hand with patience as we accept the demands of daily life and a gentleness that serves with a big heart, open hands and a gracious smile.

May we harvest these virtues from our Tree of Life, gather them into our Year of Faith basket and abundantly share them with one another.

Sr. Bridget Haase, O.S.U.Taken from Living Faith, Daily Catholic Devotions

Welcome back and thank you for your continued dedication and commitment to St. John of God Parish School. We have a lot to look forward to in the 2013-2014 school year. Besides our wonderful parents, we are blessed to have teachers and staff members who work together to provide faith formation as well as an excellent academic program for our students. Again, we look forward to a great new school year.

Our Back-To-School Parent Mandatory Meeting on Thursday, August 29, 2013, was record-breaking with an overwhelming attendance. Even Night-Time Care was a full house! Night-Time Care makes it possible for all to attend these very important and mandatory meetings. Those of you who did not attend will be billed $10.00 for the next direct withdrawal of tuition in November.

Below are a few reminders to help make the new school year go as smoothly as possible.

School begins promptly at 8:00 a.m.

Your child should come to school prepared with all supplies and ready to work.

Label your child’s belongings with his/her name.

Check the school calendar regularly for minimum days and scheduled activities.

All children should bring their homemade lunch to school with them in the morning or should have a pre-ordered lunch from S & B foods. Please, NO FAST FOOD allowed.

WELCOME BACK

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Fr. Edward J. Dober: PastorMs. Mary J. Pekarcik: Principal

Mrs. Gutierrez: Preschool & T-K DirectorMs. Guzman: Kindergarten

Ms. Rodriguez: Grade 1Ms. Rosales: Grade 2

Mrs. Avila: Grade 3Mrs. Santillan: Grade 4

Mrs. Gomez: Grade 5Mrs. Ontiveros: Grade 6Ms. McAuliffe: Grade 7Ms. Guzman: Grade 8Mrs. Derleth: MusicMrs. Gosch: Morning DC/Preschool Lead Teacher

Mrs. Sandoval: Preschool & T-K Aide/LibraryMrs. Hall: Preschool & T-K Aide/PE/Afternoon DC

Mrs. Hipolito: Preschool & T-K Aide/Afternoon DCMs. Ortiz: Morning DC/Teacher Aide

Mrs. Telles: Morning DC/Teacher AideMrs. Preciado: Receptionist/Afternoon DC

Mrs. Duran: BookkeeperMrs. Hunley: SecretaryMr. Medina: Custodian

Officers:President: Mrs. Cherisse ReyesVice President: Mrs. Jania Perez

Secretary: Mrs. Patty ObesoTreasurer: Mrs. Rissa Barrios

Chairpersons:Christmas Boutique: Mrs. Lourdes Chavez

Decathlon: Mrs. Shawn MunozDrama: Mr. Gene Almeida

Family Festival Booth: Ms. Laura TrejoFundraising: Mrs. Lily SwansonHospitality: Mrs. Priscilla Diaz

Religious Performances: Mr. Juan Carlos GarciaRoom Parents: Mrs. Angela Barquero

Safety: Mr. Reggie Ramirez Sports: Mr. Mark Luna

Yearbook: Mrs. Cherisse Reyes

Office of President: Bella Gil-SandovalOffice of Vice President: Philip Tafoya

Office of Secretary: Miranda TrejoOffice of Finance: Laura Sarmiento

Commissioner of Religion: Samantha BarriosCommissioner of Safety: Sebastian Jimenez

Commissioner of Spirit: Careena RomoCommissioner of School Affairs: Jennae DeGuzman

Commissioner of Sports: Adrian FrancoCommissioner of Publicity: Glenn Reyes

8th Grade Class Representative: Julia Hernandez7th Grade Class Representative: Brandon Gutierrez6th Grade Class Representative: Caterina Almeida5th Grade Class Representative: Max Elijah Fernandez

WELCOME FACULTY AND STAFF

WELCOME STUDENT COUNCIL 2013-2014

WELCOME PARENT COUNCIL

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The following students earned the Christian Award for the month of August. We are proud of you!

Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3Faith Jimenez Daniella Ramos Michael Belo Monique Cardona

Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8Jayson Pascual Ariani Briseno Juanpablo Camacho Thomas Toeldo Brianna Hernandez

Congratulations to all the students who earned the A.C.E. Award for the month of August. Way to go!

Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2Yaretzi Briseño Patrick Almeida Max Joshua FernandezLiliana Castillo Omar Barquero Janis LopezPriscilla Diaz Christian Gonzalez Samantha PadillaAllison Garcia Nathann Gutierrez Natalie RuizAshley Hernandez Joshua Perry Kimberly SalazarSidney Ibarra Daniella RamosGianna Linares Sofia RangelBrooklyn Medrano Jacquelyn ReyesMakai Ortiz Nathan SandovalNicholas Padilla Emma VillagranaJayme Pascual Savanna RamirezLeandro Preciado Grade 4Joseph Quintanar Janneel AlvaradoDanielle Ramirez Raquel BarqueroNayeli Sanchez Juanandres CamachoRicardo Santacruz Grade 3 Juandiego CamachoBianca Valdez Joshua Alabanza Sophia RodriguezAlia Vazquez Monique Cardona Anthony De La Torre

Anaisa Castillo Juliana DiazMitzi Duarte Reianna FrancoKeana Espina Sarah GutierrezMiquel Guerrero Ashley ObesoAdrian Linares Jayson PascualAidan Montemayor Ashton QuinonesAlyssa Reyes Vivianne RetaJasmine Reyes Mia JimenezRicardo Rodriguez Danielle TrujilloAnthony Sanchez Emily Valenzuela

A.C.E AWARD

CHRISTIAN AWARD

…become model citizens by learning to take responsibility for their actions.

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Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7Ariani Briseno Caterina Almeida Frida ArreolaAmanda Derleth Andrea Bailey Adrian FrancoMax Elijah Fernandez Juanpablo Camacho Patrick O’BrienCeleste Gomez Charlie Du Glenn ReyesEthan Hernandez Kylie Guzman Careena RomoJacqueline Lopez Alexandra Muñoz Laura SarmientoIzabela Mancera Kimberly Obeso Thomas ToledoAmaya Mendoza William Park Miranda TrejoAlyssa Santos Jillian Pascual

Ariel RamirezMadison Sanchez Grade 8Simone Sandoval Isabelle Bernardino

Jennae De GuzmanAlexis FabricioBella Gil-SandovalBrianna HernandezSkye JimenezTrigg ManceraAndrew MartinezAlex ReyesMatthew RodriguezDaniel SerranoPhilip Tafoya

The following students earned the Handwriting Award for the month of August. Excellent work!

Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3Nicolas Swanson Christian Gonzalez Laura Balagot Jasmine Reyes

Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7Sophia Rodriguez Mia Jimenez Maite Rodriguez Frida Arreola

Grade 8Amanda Almeida

The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills officially began on, September 16, 2013, and ended on Thursday, September 26, 2013. Thank you for making an effort to see that your students werein school and on time, ready to focus and perform well on the tests. This should always be a common practice.

ITBS

HANDWRITING AWARD

A.C.E AWARD continues

…become model citizens by learning to take responsibility for their actions.

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Thank you to all who participated in the school’s first fundraiser of the year! The WFC sale was a great success, we sold over 400 boxes and made a profit of a little over $10,000. Congratulations to the winners!

Top Seller: Ricardo Rodriguez, winner of four tickets to Knott’s Berry Farm for selling 18 boxes of candy and turning his money in on time!

Here are the Top Selling Classes who will be receiving a Pizza Party on October 22, 2013.

Primary Level: TK selling 54 boxesElementary Level: Grade 3 selling 76 boxes

Departmental Level: Grade 8 selling 31 boxes

Remember: Fundraising is provided as a service to our school families in an effort to maintain our low tuition cost.

Catalog/Gift Wrap, Fundraising Quota #2, will be kicked off October 1st. Orders and money will be due October 15, 2013. The Quota due date is October 25, 2013.

Due to the generous donations made by every class this year, all classes and teachers are winners of this competition! All students will be receiving FREE DRESS on Wednesday, October 9th, 2013. Teachers will be receiving a $10 gift card of their choice. Also, a huge shout out to thank Mr. Santos of Memo’s Nursery in Chino, whose daughter graduated 2011, for all the plants, flowers, statuary and pots that were donated to our booth. Thank you to the Juan Carlos Garcia family for the Cult BMX bike as well as the Richard Reyes/Mendoza and Mr. Peter Diaz families for the awesome bikes. Thank you to all who made our Family Festival booth, “Sorry-Try Again”, an great success. From donations, to organization, set-up and decorating, working in the booth and tearing it down, every corner of our school community participated. Students, Parents, Alumni, Faculty and Staff, thank you for being part of the St. John of God School team! An enormous “THANK YOU” to those who answered the call for clean up! You know who you are…you are much appreciated!

WORLDS FINEST CHOCOLATE FUNDRAISER WINNERS

SORRY – TRY AGAIN CLASS DONATION COMPETITION WINNERS

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The Book Fair will be held in the Library between Sunday, September 29th through Friday, October 4th at 1:00 p.m. All students will be walking through on Monday so they can get an idea of what they might like to purchase. You are encouraged to send money with your child to school, including tax, in a zip lock bag.

Monday, September 30, 2013Walk-Through only for students during school hours

Tuesday, October 1, 20138:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon & 3:00 p.m.

Wednesday, October 2, 20138:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon & 3:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 3, 20138:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon & 3:00 p.m.

Friday, October 4, 20138:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Students who are not registered in Day Care should NOT ARRIVE before 7:45 a.m., and must leave school grounds by 3:00 p.m. (Anyone taking a student home should be listed on the emergency card.) Students who arrive before 7:45 a.m. will be placed in Morning Day Care and will be charged accordingly. Students who are not picked up by 3:05 p.m., and not enrolled in After School Day Care, will be sent to Day Care and you will be billed $1.00 per child for every five minutes. Our students must be supervised at all times!

If your child forgets his/her lunch, the school office will attempt to notify you and ask that you bring them a lunch by 12:00 noon. NO FAST FOOD IS PERMITTED! All forgotten lunches must be deposited in the school office and clearly marked with the student’s name and grade. S & B Lunch must be prepaid. Students enrolled in Day Care must bring a lunch on days when school is dismissed at 12:30 p.m.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR

DAY CARE

LUNCH PROGRAM

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Tuesday, October 1, 2013Grades: 6, 7 & 8

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon (Large Hall)

Tuesday, October 8, 2013Grades: 3, 4, & 5

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon (Large Hall)

Tuesday, October 15, 2013Grades: K, 1 & 2

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon (Large Hall)

Please cut and return to the school office by: Friday, September 27, 2013----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

St. John of God School Health Screenings

Please schedule me to work the following day(s) from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon:

*Tuesday, October 1, 2013: Thank you to the volunteers who helped!*Tuesday, October 8, 2013: Tuesday, October 15, 2013:

*Nurses needed for Scoliosis screening

Name: ___________________________________________________(Please Print)

Name of Oldest/Only child: _______________________Grade: _______

Phone Number: _____________________________________________

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Friday, October 4, 2013, at 11:00 a.m., we will be having our First Friday Liturgy. Students in Grade 4 will lead the Mass and perform for the Senior Citizen’s Lunch. The students in Grade 4 will bring their new Bibles to Mass for a special blessing. The students in Grade 3 will bring their new Rosaries for a special blessing as well. Also, all new students will bring their new Bibles and Rosaries with them to the Mass. All are welcome to attend and bring any sacramentals for a special blessing during Mass.

Friday, October 11, 2013, St. John of God School will be celebrating the Feast of Margaret Aylward, the foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Faith. St. John of God School was founded by the Sisters of the Holy Faith. The prayer service will be at 11:00 a.m. in the church and all are welcome!

Which Catholic High Schoolis the best fit for me?

St. John of God School along with Deanery 18 Schools will be hosting the annual deanery “High School Night” at St. Marianne’s School on Monday, October 14, 2013. This is an informative evening for all sixth through eighth grade students and their parents. The goal for the evening is to provide an opportunity for you and your child to listen to presentations given by representatives from Catholic high schools in the area. The program will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m and end at 9:00 p.m. You will have the opportunity to attend three presentations within that time frame. We encourage you to arrive by 6:45 p.m. St. Marianne School is located at 7922 Passons Blvd. near the corner of Slauson Blvd. and Passons, in the city of Pico Rivera. Parking is behind the Church.

St. John of God School will once again take part in the Great California Shake Out. This drill is organized to inspire Californians to get ready for big earthquakes, and to prevent disasters from becoming catastrophes. The Shake Out drill will occur in houses, businesses, and public spaces throughout southern California at 10:17 a.m. on October 17, 2013. Students, faculty and staff will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.” When the directive is given by the teacher/supervisor, everyone will evacuate to designated safe areas on the school yard. Regular earthquake drill procedures will follow, including the use of the earthquake bags. To learn more visit www.ShakeOut.org.

FIRST FRIDAY LITURGY

FEAST OF MARGARET AYLWARD

GREAT CALIFORNIA SHAKE OUT!

HIGH SCHOOL NIGHT

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Our second Family Night Friday gathering is scheduled for Friday, October 18th, between 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Come show your support and enjoy dinner without having to cook and clean the dishes! We will be selling BBQ hamburger and hot dog combos throughout the evening. Tables and chairs will be set up for your convenience. The big screen will be set up on the playground area for those who would like to watch the outdoor movie featured, so bring your lounge chairs and blankets and come early enough to get a good spot. Courts will be coned off for those interested in playing a game of volleyball or basketball. Those looking to challenge someone to a game of Chess, Checkers or Dominos, several tables will be set up for you! Bring your family, friends and neighbors, all are welcome! Let all your Facebook and Twitter friends know about the event. All proceeds from the BBQ will go to our school.

As the new school year begins, we have some reminders from the Parish Office in regard to your contributions:

1. You must donate $5.00 per week to the Church to qualify for Plan “A.” The updated Schedule Plan runs from the first Sunday in June to the last Sunday in November for tuition starting in January 2014. Then from the first Sunday in December to the last Sunday in May for tuition starting in August 2014. We can make NO EXCEPTIONS for families who turn their contributions in late. If you are planning to be on vacation during these times, be sure to turn in your contributions early.

2. Always clearly mark on your Sunday envelope that you are a ”School Family.” These envelopes are handled by one person, and have top priority in posting. They are kept on file in case there are any questions regarding your contributions.

3. Always put your child’s name and the amount on the envelope.

St. John of God Parish Office thanks you for your cooperation in this matter.

UPDATED PLAN A AND B SCHEDULE

FAMILY NIGHT FRIDAY

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St. John of God School has a Facebook page. Log onto our website, and click on the Facebook link. Like us and share our page. We are so excited and proud of our site and can’t wait for you to browse the pages. Our website address is: sjogschool.com. Remember to tell your family, friends and neighbors about our school. For every family you refer to us, there is a $100 credit applied to your tuition! Spread the word!

On Saturday, October 19, 2013, at 11:00 a.m., several students from St. John of God School will be in the Halloween Parade for the City of Norwalk. Besides having fun, St. John of God School will be in this parade to bring awareness to our community of our school and day care program. Please come out for the fun.

Parent-teacher conferences present an excellent opportunity to find out how your child is progressing and adjusting to the challenges of the new year. Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Friday, November 8, 2013, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Large Hall. The conference sign-up sheets will be in the Small Hall beginning, Sunday, October 20. If you have not signed up by Sunday, October 27, you will be assigned a ten-minute time slot by the teacher. Parents of students in grades 6, 7 & 8 should sign up with their homeroom teacher only. All other appointments with non-homeroom teachers are optional and will be scheduled through the office since space is limited. We will do our best to accommodate you. We look forward to seeing you on Friday, November 8th.

WEBSITE

30TH ANNUAL ARTURO SANCHEZ, SR., HALLOWEEN PARADE

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE SIGN UPS

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Service Hour Opportunities!

If you have never been short serving hours at the end of the semester or year then you must know all the great opportunities we have available and we thank you for your service! If you happen to find yourself short when hours are due, please, take the time to look over the examples below and let the school secretary know where your talents will serve our school. The Book Fair, Health Screening, SCRIP sales on Sunday, and the Halloween Carnival are all good opportunities to rack up service hours. It sure beats paying for the hours you didn’t serve, and the satisfaction of making a difference will be worth every minute. Details of service hour requirements can be found inside your booklet you received in your registration packet.

The following list is designed to provide a set of examples. The list is not to be restrictive in any way. Only half of each semester’s hours can be done in the parish. (10 hours for parish volunteer hours.) Material donations must equal $10.00 for each hour. (Receipts are required.)

Parish

1. Fiesta2. Sorry-Try Again Booth3. Parish Ministry

School

1. Donations/Prizes(receipts required) 13. Parent Council2. Good Xerox Paper/Office Supplies 14. Fundraising Committee3. Office Help/Supervision 15. Safety Committee4. Stuffing Monthly Envelopes 16. Room Parents Committee5. Teacher’s work (at home/school) 17. Hospitality Committee6. Library Aides/Book Fairs 18. Publicity Committee7. Health Screening 19. Drama Committee8. Coffee & Donuts 20. Sports Committee9. Halloween Carnival 21. Decathlon Committee10. Family Night 22. Religion Committee11. Jog-A-Thon/Trike-A-Thon 23. SCRIP Committee12. Coach/Helper/Driver

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As a reminder, an annual quota is required of each school family in the amount of $300.00. One-half of this quota, or $150.00, is due on or before December 10th and the second half, also $150.00, is due on or before April 10th.

Scrip quota can be fulfilled in one of three ways:

1) School families can purchase scrip on a regular basis over the entire school year, excluding themonth of July. Depending on what scrip they purchase, a certain percentage of every dollar spent will be applied toward their family quota. (For instance: If a family purchases $600.00 per month at a typical scrip discount of 5%, they will earn $30.00 per month toward their family quota. That’s $300.00 in ten months.)

2) School families who choose not to purchase scrip can fulfill their annual scrip quota by paying $150.00 at each of the two quota due dates, December 10th and April 10th.

3) School families who choose not to purchase scrip can fulfill their annual scrip quota by paying $28 per month for eleven months, in addition to their tuition payment. This monthly payment will be deducted along with tuition through the FACTS payment plan.

Important Note:

Any quota not met by the due date will automatically be added to the family’s next monthly tuition payment through the FACTS direct withdrawal of tuition and fees program.

Incentives:

St. John of God School is proud to offer a “Tuition Incentive”, for every family who exceeds their annual quota! The way it works is this: Whenever a family goes above their $300.00 quota, the additional profit will be split “50/50” with the school. That means that you get 50% of the extra profit earned to be applied toward your Books/Supplies Fee, Annual General Fees, or following year tuition..

How to Purchase Scrip:

Scrip order forms can be picked up in the office or can be found on the school’s website. You may fill out the form and return it with your child no later than 9 AM Monday (or by 9 AM Tuesday after a holiday).

You may also purchase any on-hand scrip directly from our school office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Fridays during school hours.

You may also purchase scrip after the Sunday morning masses.

Scrip Delivery/Pick-Up:

All scrip orders turned in by 9 AM Monday morning (or Tuesday after a holiday) will be sent home with your child on Thursday of the same week (or Friday after a holiday). If you’d rather pick up your SCRIP in the office, please make arrangements with the bookkeeper.

SCRIP NEWS

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SCRIP VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP SHEET

Please indicate the days and time you are available.

Friday Afternoon Sales

____ Friday, September 27th, from 12:15pm to 1:00pm

____ Friday, October 4th, from 12:00pm to 1:00pm

____ Friday, October 11th, from 12:00pm to 1:00pm

____ Friday, October 25th, from 12:00pm to 1:00pm

____ Friday, November 1st, from 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Sunday After All Morning Masses

____ Sunday, September 22nd, from 7:15am to 12:30pm

____ Sunday, October 6th, from 7:15am to 12:30pm

____ Sunday, October 13th, from 7:15am to 12:30pm

____ Sunday, October 27th, from 7:15am to 12:30pm

____ Sunday, November 3rd, from 7:15am to 12:30pm

If you can not work from 7:15am to 12:30pm but can work a few hours please indicate

the date and time here and fill out the information below.

Name ____________________________________________ Phone _____________________

Email _________________________________________________________________________

Your child’s name and grade___________________________________________________

Please fill out this form and return it to the school office.

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SStt.. JJoohhnn ooff GGoodd PPaarriisshh SScchhooooll

Sunday, November 3, 20138:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.

Large Hall

We are looking for parents who would like to earn service hours by volunteering to help with the Christmas Boutique next month. We will have a committee meeting on Wednesday, October 9th, 2013, at 6:30 p.m. in the Library. If you would like to join the committee, please fill out the information below and return the bottom portion to the school office. Save the top portion to remind yourself of the meeting.

If you would like to be a vendor or know someone who might be interested in registering as a vendor at the boutique, please contact the school office for a Registration/Application or download the forms from our website. School families are being given priority for vendor space.

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I would like to volunteer and participate as a Christmas Boutique Committee Member:

Child’s Name: _____________________________________________ Grade: ______

Parent’s Name: ____________________________________ Date: _______________

Phone Number: ____________________________________

DUE BY: Friday, October 4, 2013

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Mrs. Ontiveros and Ms. McAuliffe will be tutoring in the computer lab to assist students in grades 6, 7 & 8 with their homework on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:05 p.m. – 3:35 p.m. Students may research, create, and print their homework during this time. The program will begin Monday, October 7, 2013.

If you are interested in this opportunity for your child, please fill out the information below and return it to the school office by Friday, September 27th, 2013.

If you have any questions please email Mrs. Ontiveros at: christinemcro@gmail.com.

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I would like to have my son/daughter participate in the Computer Lab Opportunity afterschool.

Child’s Name: _____________________________________________ Grade: ______

Parent’s Name: ____________________________________ Date: _______________

Phone Number: ____________________________________

Parent’s e-mail address: _____________________________

DUE BY: Friday, October 4, 2013

Computer Lab Access forGrades 6, 7 & 8

MISSION STATEMENT

At St. John of God Catholic School, we foster a faith-filled Christian communityin which we develop the whole person: body, mind and spirit.