Parent Bulletin

Join us for chapel on Wednesday in the church sanctuary at 8:25 a.m. Everyone is welcome! Chapel will be lead by Camp Luther next week. Our mission goal for the 2025-2026 school year is $5000 toward our St. John Capital Campaign. Offering total to date: $1403.51

Our students in Kindergarten through 8th grade will be taking their Spring MAP tests over the next two weeks. MAP stands for Measures of Academic Progress, and it's an assessment tool we use to track growth in reading, language arts, math, and science (middle school). Think of these tests as a "snapshot" of each student's learning journey—they help teachers understand what concepts students have mastered and where to focus instruction next. These are not high-stakes tests and are not meant to cause stress. Instead, they simply show us what students know right now and what they're ready to learn next. You can support your child by making sure they get good sleep and a healthy breakfast on testing days—a well-rested brain is a ready-to-learn brain!

All students in grades Kindergarten - 8th grade will be attending the Great Plains Literacy Festival at Seward Elementary and Seward High School on Thursday, April 23. The literacy festival in Seward is a great opportunity to inspire the love of reading and writing by connecting children with authors and illustrators. Students in K - 4th grade will use Seward public buses to be transported to the elementary school and 5th - 8th grade will be walking to Seward High School. Alternative rain plan will be for all students to be bused to the schools.

If you have a hanging basket, patio or MAX planter you may park and pick those out in the Fellowship Hall. PTL will also have extra plants for sale in the Fellowship Hall, if you are interested in looking at or purchasing more plants. Please send a reminder to everyone who ordered from your child.

The PTL has additional opportunities to volunteer for the plant sale on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25. If you already signed up to volunteer at the beginning of the year, we are counting on you, the positions on this signup are what we still need to fill to have a full team. Sign up here Plant Sale Volunteer Signup

Save the date! May 1 St. John PTL will host the FUN RUN! More details and parent info will be sent home on Monday, April 20. To help track laps during the event please scan here or visit Jog-a-thon Volunteer Signup

The GFWC Nebraska Federation of Women’s Clubs Arts contests at the State Level was held April 10-11.

Art: Aspen Samuels 1st Place in Pencil-Self Portrait and was named “Best of Show” in the Elementary Division.

Poetry K-2: 2nd Place-Owen Samuels & 3rd Place-Gabe Gubanyi

Poetry 3-5: 3rd Place-Philip Jank & Honorable Mention-Aspen Samuels

Poetry 6-8: 1st Place-Naomi Jurchen & Honorable Mention-Evie Rusnak

Short Story K-2: 3rd Place-Jensyn Foor & Honorable Mention-Knox Pierce

Short Story 3-5: Honorable Mention-Ava Huebner

Short Story 6-8: 3rd Place-Sawyer Wollenburg & Honorable Mention-David Hibbard

New student enrollment is open to the public. If you have not completed this process, it would be wise to do so before the classes fill up. Due to the maximum size of the classes almost being full, re enrollment needs to be completed.

Psalm 150:5 says we should praise the LORD with “loud cymbals.”

I’m here to help your child praise the LORD!

My name is Micah Dehne, I am a student at Concordia. I have taught drum lessons for four years at a music store in my hometown and am looking to enrich the students of St. John in the same way! In the past, I have taught students to play the drum set for contemporary worship music and current popular music. If your child is interested in percussion lessons to prepare for band, I could also do that. I would be available most weekdays between 3:30 and as late as 6:00 and could possibly work out other times as needed. I currently plan to use Concordia’s facilities and instruments for lessons and, with your permission, can pick your child up from St. John and walk them over to Concordia. Lessons will last 30 minutes and cost $20 per week. Contact me with questions or for more information!

Phone: 573-979-8442

Email: micah.dehne@student.cune.edu

Summer Horizons is June 15-19th. Registration is open and closes on May 8 at 8:00 pm.

Students currently in 7th grade and above are eligible to sign up as assistants, and that form is also available on the website. For additional details, please visit the website or email summerhorizons@stjohnseward.org with any questions. Summer Horizons Website

All student writers in 2nd-8th grade are now invited to join. We will have one meeting each month, and at least one “Come and Write” session where students may bring writing they’re working on to get feedback, help revising, get unstuck, etc.! Meet in Miss Krause's 2nd Gr. classroom 3:20-4:00pm. New to Writing Den, sign up here:https://forms.gle/onvwHd3QhY16qook8

Talk to Miss Krause with any questions! katie.krause@stjohnseward.org

Foxes Writing Den Dates on selected Thursdays:

April 23 & April 30- Come & Write

May 7 - Meeting * May 14 - Come & Write

We still need grillers for our 100% Beef in Schools hamburger lunches for 2nd semester! If you can help please add your name to the google doc or email, text or call Brittany Blum at brittany.blum1987@gmail.com or 402-992-1313.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IP6p_YTGJPym3J3SVcctCjylHlZdd8PTQuyNrhgyDy0/edit?usp=sharing

St. John VBS will be June 1-5!

Registration is open!

https://vbspro.events/p/register

If you plan to transport students in your vehicle or a school van at any point in the school year, you must complete this two-hour transportation training. https://forms.gle/4iTjVkMeuR9dWFZcA

Check here for all sport camps this summer: https://cune.edu/athletics/camps

• Girls Basketball Flyer
• Football Camp Flyer

Check here for all sport camps hosted by the Bluejays: https://www.gobound.com/ne/schools/seward/camps

The annual Seward Rotary Club’s “Miss Independence” and “Mr Firecracker”Essay Contest is seeking entries to honor students at the 2026 Seward Fourth of July Celebration! Essays are on the prompt “Why I Like to Live in Seward!”
The essay should be approximately 500 words or less. Entries are due May 18th and can be mailed to or delivered to Rick Gray - Seward Rotary Essay Contest- Jones Bank, Box 469, Seward, NE 68434. This contest is for Grades K-4.
The winners will be announced at the July 4 “Kick-off” Event in Seward at 7:00 pm at the Seward Civic Center-616 Bradford Street.
Winners will be honored on July 4, ride in the parade, receive a crown, trophy and bag of fireworks! They will read their essays in the community on July 4 and at various events!
Please include Student name, grade, school, address, parents, phone number and boy or girl ( so committee knows which division to place entry!).
Sample/previous winning essays can be found on the Seward Fourth website www.julyfourthseward.com.
This year’s theme is a “USA-250” celebration- honoring the Semiquincentennial Anniversary - 250 years- of the United States! The slogan is “One Nation- Many Stories!”
This is Seward’s 157th annual July 4 celebration- Seward is “Nebraska’s Official Fourth of July City!”
Visit the Seward July 4 website at julyfourthseward.com

NEW! Moving forward parents will need to get the information for all city sports on the City of Seward website. Scroll to the bottom and pick the sport you're interested in.

Use this link: Public Properties & Recreation | Seward