Dear Saint John Bosco Families,
Here we are - The end of the 2007-2008 school year! The end of the school year brings with it the closing activities and ceremonies that are traditional at Saint John Bosco. Each class has an end of the year picnic and students in grades one through seven participate in field day. Kindergarten and eighth grade have graduation ceremonies. Eighth grade has a baccalaureate Mass on the Sunday before graduation. Students in grades six and seven will celebrate Mass and an awards ceremony on Thursday, June 5, 2008 at 7:00 PM.
Through the excitement of it all, there is an incongruity to the end of this year. On Sunday, June 1, 2008, the parish will say and pray its goodbyes to the school that has been on this campus for 42 years. After the Mass, all families are invited to share picnics from home on the grounds of the parish and reconnect with alumni, former teachers, and good friends made over the years. On Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 9:30 AM, the final school Mass will be celebrated. All are encouraged and invited to attend. Following a special dismissal from Mass, the students will return to their classrooms for an all-school “clap-out” - a tradition that is usually reserved for the eighth grade graduating students. It is as if all our students are graduating from SJB and moving on to the next part of their lives. We celebrate and encourage each other with laughter and clapping!
For planning purposes, please know that school dismisses at 11:00 AM on June 10th. There will not be extended care on that day and Berea is the only school district that will take children home at 11:00 AM on that day. If your child usually rides the Berea buses from school and you will be picking up your child on that day, please notify the Berea City Schools transportation department so that they can plan efficiently. We graciously thank the Parma, Berea, Strongsville, and Brunswick School Districts for safely transporting our SJB kids to and from school each day.
As I write this last letter to the families of Saint John Bosco, I find myself feeling so grateful. Surely, there is sadness; I prefer to dwell on the wonderful experiences I have had in my very short two years as principal. I could write thank you after thank you to so many people. In the spirit of brevity, I can simply say that I thank you most for sharing your children with me. In one of my graduate school classes, a colleague mentioned that the greatest gift that the students can share with teachers (or principals) is their time. I will remember each child from Saint John Bosco.
Of course, I thank every SJB parent also. As I was looking for a “good prayer” for an occasion with the children, I came across a wonderful passage that embraces the fantastic relationship between the home and school and I pray you take these thoughts with you to your new school:
I dreamed I stood in a studio and watched two sculptors there.
The clay they used was a young child’s mind and they fashioned it with care.
One was a teacher – the tools she used were books, music, and art.
The other a parent, worked with a guiding hand and a gentle loving heart.
Day after day, the teacher toiled with touch that was careful, deft, and sure.
While the parent labored by her side and polished and smoother it o’er.
And when at last, their task was done, they were proud of what they wrought.
For the things they had molded into the child could be neither sold or bought.
And each agreed they would have failed if each had worked alone,
For behind the parent stood the school, and behind the teacher, the home.
God bless all of you,
Mrs. Updegrove
