May has traditionally been a month where the Blessed Virgin Mary is honored by the Church. Recently I placed an image of Mary under the title, Immaculate Conception, near the main school entrance. This picture is a photograph of the Mary statue from our Church – this serves as a symbol of the interconnectedness of the parish and the school. Below is paragraph 971 from the Catechism of the Catholic Church on devotion to Mary:
“‘All generations will call me blessed’: ‘The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.’ The Church rightly honors ‘the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times, the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs. . . . This very special devotion . . . differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.’ The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.”
Please ask for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary for our school and parish community.
This single event in history changed the course of civilization forever. Power, imperialism, culture, and the hearts of men have never been the same. By conquering death, Our Lord gave us hope and the promise of eternal life. If we truly believe in Christ’s resurrection, our lives ought to be different – inspired by Him.
This Easter season, take time to ask: “How is my life different because of my faith in Christ?” Reflect on the answer and consider how you might continue to walk your faith. Consider how much you pray, attend Mass, read the Bible, serve others in need, and lovingly care for those in your home. This year, let us focus on making Easter the first day in our renewed spiritual journey rather than a single day. May we use Christ’s resurrection to enliven our hearts and to enkindle in us a deeper faith which leads to action.
Our faith in Jesus Christ transforms all we do at St. John the Baptist School. It causes us to create a school environment with faith at the center. Naturally, this means we pray and teach our religion in school, but more to the point, we teach faith in action. This means that we seek to create an environment where children learn to incorporate faith and morals into their daily lives.
Academics are an important part of our school, and we continue to boast test scores that exceed national averages. We are justifiably proud that so many of our alumni graduate at the top of their classes at both Bayport and Notre Dame Academy. But, more importantly, we are proud that the Risen Lord inspires our staff and our families to create an environment where people are loved and feel at home.
We are pleased to announce that Dana Vance has been selected as Principal of St. John the Baptist School. She was selected from an extremely talented candidate pool in a competitive process that included input and participation from St. John the Baptist School staff, faculty, families, and GRACE Leadership. Dana will work with the current principal, Mr. Drew Mulloy, to ensure a smooth transition in leadership and will officially start as principal on July 1.
Dana has served as Principal at St. Helen School in Chicago, Illinois for the past two years, and prior to that was Assistant Principal at Sacred Heart School in Winnetka, IL for five years. Before serving in school leadership positions, Ms. Vance was a classroom teacher for 18 years in Catholic schools. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from DePaul University, a Master’s in Administration and Institutional Policy from the University of Chicago, and will complete her Master’s in Educational Leadership from DePaul in June 2022. Dana brings an excellent reputation as a faith-filled leader and skilled instructor to the principalship role.
When asked what she was most looking forward to when coming to St. John the Baptist School, Ms. Vance said, “I am most excited about continuing the good work that Drew (Mulloy) has started. He has put so many great systems in place and has such high expectations for St. John the Baptist students, I want to keep amplifying this and take it to the next level.” Speaking about her educational vision, Ms. Vance shared, “my philosophy is to impart in our students the confidence to build the behaviors, habits and skills to interact with each other, to act in the community, and to know when to ask for help; I look forward to bringing my experience and building on the practices and faith traditions that have been implemented at St. John the Baptist School.”
“We are delighted to have Dana Vance join our GRACE St. John the Baptist community in this leadership role,” GRACE President Kim Desotell stated. “As a Catholic school educator her entire career, her faith leadership and skills will carry on the rich traditions of faith formation and academic rigor in all we do!”
When she’s not at school, Ms. Vance loves to spend time with her two sons, Cameron and Patrick, her Mastiff-Rottweiler Sam, and her house rabbit Miller. She loves to bake and you can always catch her reading a fantasy/science fiction novel or participating in a book club. A Chicago native, she is thrilled to embrace the friendly Green Bay community and the Wisconsin way of living.
Please join GRACE in congratulating Ms. Vance upon her selection as the next Principal at St. John the Baptist School.
We are so proud of these students who were selected to participate in CatholicLink’s second annual Middle School Leadership Conference, hosted at Titletown Tech. This dynamic program is developed for students by students and is aimed at growing the next generation of young leaders. Notre Dame Academy juniors and GRACE eighth-graders will lead participants through faith-forward activities involving teamwork, collaboration, reflection, and discovery. Keep our students in your prayers as they embark on their leadership development journey! #WeAreGRACEgb
Are you looking to spruce up your dining table for your Easter meal? Or perhaps give the gift of an Easter Lily, Easter Cactus, or Begonia to a family member or friend? Please join us in our Easter Bloom fundraiser! All the ordering is completely online. Simply place your order by March 31st and pick up your gorgeous, fragrant flowers in the gym on April 14th from 3-5 PM. (or by appointment)
Please click here to view the recent “Special Edition” newsletter- An Old Fashioned Auction, for information on tickets, registering to bid (in-person OR from home!), raffle tickets and MORE!
So far this school year, I’ve given about 25 tours to prospective families; that is slightly higher than a typical year. In each of these tours, I ask why they are interested in SJB. Interestingly, very few families are talking about test scores or teaching methods this year. Instead, families share that the most important thing they are looking for in a school is traditional Catholic values, where their kids can grow up to be kind.
Our school aims to do just this. We are in year two of implementing Friendzy, our bible-based friendship curriculum. We are blessed to have Mrs. Kelly working as a counselor on staff. And this year, we have a teacher committee reviewing our behavior expectations and the way we handle discipline in our school. I’m very proud of how our teachers handle student issues and work together to share Jesus as the reason for kindness and love.
This endeavor is something that we can only succeed in with your help. Raising kind, well-disciplined children is a lifelong effort and done most successfully through a home-school partnership.
I’ve often referred to the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s reference to parents being the child’s primary educator. That quote reads: Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for education in the virtues. (Paragraph 2223)
The Second Vatican Council document, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes n. 48) elaborates on this: With parents leading the way by example and family prayer, their children… will find it easier to make progress in natural virtues, in salvation, and in holiness. Husband and wife, raised to the dignity and the responsibility of parenthood, will be zealous in fulfilling their task as educators, especially in the sphere of religious education, a task that is primarily their own.
As we celebrate our Catholic school next week, I thank you for choosing SJB as a place to raise your children, and I humbly ask for your continued partnership as we raise kind children together.
