The Cardinal Fall 2015

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VOL. 9 • FALL 2015

CArdinAl Hanna’s Restaurant Hosts Eighth Graders for Life Skills Lunch

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anna’s Restaurant opened its doors to welcome St. John’s eighth grade class for a life skills seminar. Owner Dave Hanna invited the students for lunch at his restaurant where he spoke to them about his business and shared his successes and struggles. He offered

the students a lesson on dining etiquette and the importance of emotional intelligence, nonverbal communication, and presentation.

work with St. John’s and several local high schools. Mr. Hanna explains “Hanna’s is more than a restaurant. We want to make a difference in our community by talking to kids and giving them career, leadership, and life skills to succeed.”

Mr. Hanna opened his first coffeehouse in 1993 and subsequently moved into the restaurant business with his fine dining establishment, Hanna’s in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Hanna’s unique staff training emphasizes a commitment to excellence in everything they do; from its superb cuisine to its top notch service. They started the student program last year and currently

ElEmEnTArY division PlAY – ThE EmPEror’s nEw CloThEs

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The Emperor’s New Clothes” was artfully presented by the Elementary Division students in Grades 1-5. Ever reminding us of how important it is to appreciate life through the eyes of a child coupled with the trappings of vanity, our students, working in conjunction with Creative Kids Playhouse, masterfully performed Hans Christian Andersen’s tale to the delight of all. The students worked diligently memorizing their lines and practicing their songs and the performance captured the priceless innocence and enthusiasm of our children. When the Emperor, played by Gavin Price, was asked what he most enjoyed about being in the play he replied, “One of the best things about the play is I love to act and this gave me the chance to do it. It is fun to be an actor!” n

Thank you to Mr. Dave Hanna and all of Hanna’s staff for your continued work with our students. Hanna’s next partnership with St. John’s will be catering the Cardinella Gala this spring. n

ACAdEmiCs/sTEAm

St. John’s Robotics Club Hosts Quali�ication Matches

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t. John’s hosted the third round of qualification matches for the South Orange County Robotics League on Friday, November 13th. The South Orange County Robotics league was formed this past summer in order to give local teams a place to hone their robotics skills. St. John’s Robotics Club will have three teams competing in this year’s VEXIQ challenge: Bankshot.

The purpose of this year’s competition is to have robotics knock balls off a ramp, collect the balls, then shoot the balls into a basket, and finally, park their robots on the ramp. There are four parts to the competition: the automation challenge, the teamwork challenge, the skills challenge, and the STEM project. St. John’s robotics students meet once per week and have redesigned their robots based on the results of the last round of qualifications.

They are beginning to learn how to program their robots and have begun working on their STEM projects as required by the competition. n

St. John’s Students are Amazing Below is a summary of the percentage of students that read 1 or more years above their grade level!

Grade

% of students reading one or more years above grade level

K

25%

1

48%

2

71%

3

58%

4

69%

5

82%

fourTh GrAdErs “wAlk ThrouGh CAliforniA”

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he fourth grade students participated in an exciting “inschool” field trip called “Walk Through California” where they time traveled through 200 years of California history in 2½ hours!

California Weekly Explorer® provided an engaging, fast-paced and interactive presentation of California’s history using games, music, and dramatic activities that fully engaged all the students in the learning process. Students dressed in costumes reminiscent of California history, including Native Americans, cowboys, cowgirls, farm animals, and miners, while reporting expert facts and portraying important historical figures central to the curriculum. The day culminated with the preparation of a topographical map of our state complete with important landmarks. Students, parents, and faculty all enjoyed this hands-on opportunity to learn and be reminded of our rich and diverse California history. n

ACAdEmiCs/sTEAm

lEArninG ouTsidE of ThE ClAssroom Field Studies Programs (Pali Institute, Catalina Island, and Wiliamsburg/Washington D.C.)

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he field studies program at St. John’s Episcopal School is an important part of the Middle Division curriculum. We believe that travel enhances the process of self-discovery, leading students to learn as much about themselves as the places they visit.

Three major field study trips are planned at the beginning of each school year to help bond friendships and build a stronger sense of community that will carry the students throughout the entire school year.

We believe that lifelong learners are created when we focus on building itineraries that include opportunities for social, personal, and intellectual growth. Our goal is to engage students and build critical thinking skills that will make them successful throughout middle school, high school, and college.

Our sixth grade students spent four fun-filled days at the top of the mountain above Running Springs at Pali Institute for Outdoor Science School.

Cooperative-learning groups designed, built, and analyzed wooden structures, which were subjected to the stress of shaking. After learning about the aerodynamic forces of thrust, lift, gravity, and drag, the students built bottle rockets, measured altitudes they were able to reach, refined their rockets, and then tested them again.

Building leadership skills was another focus, as students took on different roles in the “balloon rescue.” Archery was a favorite activity for many of the students; it truly hit the bull’s-eye!

Lying on their backs under the stars and hearing stories about constellations “illuminated” the Astronomy Night Hike for many. These are just a few of the many experiences that made the sixth grade students’ time at Pali so memorable.

Our seventh grade students set sail for Catalina Island on September 21st and spent three exciting days at Camp Fox. Catalina Island is a wonderful place to explore. The underwater gardens are among the most beautiful in the world. After a quick one hour boat ride to the island, the students received a complete orientation on safety, expectations, and responsibilities.

Their first snorkel is defined as their “orientation snorkel” and gave the students an overview of the equipment and safety procedures. Once they got in the tide pools and shallow water near the island and the protected cove, they were able to explore for ocean critters. They floated among a school of fish

and even hovered above leopard sharks, something that could never be replicated in a classroom setting. Students also loved kayaking along the coastline and hiking a narrow trail to the top of the mountain. A highlight of the field study trip was the squid dissection where the students were able to explore the biology of the squid and paint their faces with squid ink!

The pinnacle of eighth grade and middle division, is the class trip to Williamsburg and Washington D.C. Our eighth grade students recently spent a full week on the east coast where they gained firsthand experience of life in the 1600’s and learned the historical background of how the United States began in Jamestown. The students were able to walk the streets of Williamsburg, interview colonial crafts people, and participate in a reenactment of life as a soldier at the encampment at Yorktown. The vastness of both Mount Vernon and Monticello captivated the students, and left lasting impressions of two of our greatest leaders, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Our historical journey continued to Washington D.C., where students viewed the reverence of Arlington National Cemetery and War Memorials. Our students’ hearts were moved as they viewed the rows of names at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, an experience they will never forget. By visiting the Capitol building and the White House, students were given a greater appreciation of the three branches of government and how the democratic system works. We were honored to be able to visit Congresswoman Mimi Walter’s office and spend time listening to a live debate in the Senate Chamber. n

ACAdEmiCs/sTEAm Student Council Elections

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t. John’s recently elected this year’s Upper Elementary Student Council. Congratulations to Luke Johnson, Derek Smith, Victoria Champine, Daisy Olson, Kendall Wallin, Hudson Aase, Penny Williams, Jillian Lehman, Gavin Price, Zack Kim, Paige Krantz, Elle Jarrells, and Will Terry. The Student Council allows students to experience the election process, leadership opportunities, grade-level and school-wide communication, and collaborative school and service projects. These experiences help to prepare students as they move into middle division and future leadership opportunities.

Representatives and Officers serve as role models within the St. John’s School community. The students showed great courage, bravery, and self-assurance through the entire election process.

Public speaking is the number one fear for most adults, and the candidates conquered that fear through the election and speech process! All our candidates accepted victory or defeat with grace and dignity, truly in “the St. John’s way.” n

ChArACTEr CounTs

T Pocket Full of Feelings™

he Elementary Division continues to incorporate the Character Counts program into its curriculum. Additional lesson plans were adopted this year to further enhance the program. Embracing the six pillars: Caring, Respect, Fairness, Responsibility, Citizenship, and Trustworthiness, students consider ways to promote these pillars in their daily lives. Through activities, role playing, and classroom discussions, student awareness of how to treat one another is continually being developed. During a fall assembly, students in grades 1-5 were recognized for displaying the Caring pillar. Individual comments written by the teachers were read as Dr. Pratt and Mrs. Barnum presented students with certificates thanking them for their efforts to be caring individuals. The Character Counts program is one of the many ways that reinforces how we are Proud to be a Cardinal! n

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t. John’s Early Childhood and Elementary Divisions adopted a new emotional literacy program, Pocket Full of Feelings™ (PFF) this year. Emotional Literacy is the ability to identify, define, and express feelings in a manner that is productive. Emotional Literacy is as important to a child’s development as math or language. Negative feelings like anger and frustration are only a problem if children do not have the skills to deal with them productively. The more literate a child is emotionally the better equipped he or she is for life. It is the nurturing of social and emotional skills that ultimately ensures overall health, academic success and well-being.

Behaviors are expressions of feelings.

Teachers are using PFF with their students to help them take charge of the way they deal with their feelings in a better way. This approach led them to their slogan: “Feelings are real and something we feel. What matters the most is the way that we deal.”

PFF encourages adults to help children identify and understand

their feelings by putting meaning to them and examining the behavior that comes from that feeling. Sometimes the behavior is an appropriate response to a feeling and sometimes it is not.

PFF gives children tools and ways to deal with their feelings in a positive manner through games and activities. PFF teaches that all feelings are a part of who we are and we should not ignore, dismiss, or view some feelings as bad. All feelings serve an important purpose in our lives.

Dr. Ann Corwin and Karin Lombardo created Pocket Full of Feelings™ because, as parents themselves, they experienced the challenges that came with living with young children and all of their feelings. In their work with parents, they saw they were in need of a solution to help change and stop a child’s undesirable behavior. How many times do you find yourself asking, “Why are my kids behaving this way?”

Dr. Ann Corwin has become a dedicated partner with St. John’s.

She provided training to all Early Childhood and Elementary teachers to use PFF in their classrooms. She spoke at a recent Parent Education event at St. John’s and parents quickly saw the value of PFF. The beauty of the program is that it can be used at home, creating consistency and a seamless extension between home and school. Dr. Ann Corwin will return in early 2016 to n do a follow-up parent education event.

Annual fund

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nnual Fund provides St. John’s with its margin of excellence. This additional support enables us to do things that would otherwise not be possible. Last year, 64% of you graciously contributed to the Annual Fund, an increase over the last few years. This participation in parentdriven giving last year allowed the school to purchase, integrate, and install a variety of new technologies to bolster our STEAM-based curricu-

lum. It is critical that we continue the momentum of the past few years, providing a supportive and enriching environment to your children, while preparing them to be the leaders of tomorrow. Already, 100% of the faculty and staff and 100% of the School Committee have contributed to the Annual Fund. A match of this commitment from the parent body will demonstrate your investment and dedication to this school not only to

one another, but also to the community at large. You can contribute to the Annual Fund by visiting our website at www.stjohns-es.org and clicking on the SUPPORT US tab or by mailing in a check or credit card payment.

For more information, please contact Jennifer Miramontes, Director of Advancement at jmiramontes@stjohnes.org. n

Thanks for Giving

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hank you to the following families for your early and generous commitment to St. John’s through the Annual Fund.

The list below reflects all gifts received as of November 4, 2015.

The Aase Family Ruth and Rafael Acosta Susan and Tony Adame The Altergott Family Maureen Alva Anonymous (17) Toby Ellen Armstrong Larry and Shelby Barbin Monica Read Barnum The Biddiscombe Family Melissa Blye Mr. and Mrs. Bochenek Lawrence and Melissa Bonhall The Boyd Family Ann Buccola Karyn Buky Amy Cabiles Cindy Campbell Pamela Cardinal John and Mary-Scott Carpenter Diversified Avocado Products Todd and Nicole Cawthron The Cervantes Family Shelley Chretin Melissa Christian Anthony and Sharon Christopher Georgia Clark Debby Cole Sue Corbett Celia D. Coulter Austen Courter Gwen Croce William and Sandy Davidson Greg and Janice Dennis The Dickerson Family

Ninette Dimock The Doyle Family Cynthia A. Drennan Mrs. Endow Mark and Ingrid Engle The Ferrara Family Sandra Flick Nancy Freese The Fries Family Tim and Courtney Garofalo Robby and Tiffany Garrett Connie Girolamo Corey Gonsalves The Greenhalgh Family The Grogan Family Drs. Robert and Jennifer Grumet William and Jill Hageman Chad Hagle Elizabeth Sue Hardy Kathleen Hawkins Bret Helvig Crystal Huang Mike Hunter Terry and Julie Johnson Joy and Matt Kemmerle Lisa Ketchum Jim and Gerda Kilgore Paul and Angela Kim Erin and Jim Kolk Gina L’amour The Lansing Family Mark and Tammy Leara Tracy LeSage Mike and Karen Long Alejandro Lopez

Tim and Tiffany LuMaye Mr. Zach Lundin and Dr. Stacey Lundin Brittany D. Lynn Kelly McGovern Allen and Sybille McNamee Paul and Martha McShane The Mendoza Family The Miller Family Jennifer and Joe Miramontes Lynne Murphy Vedha Muthu Don and Vickie Nickles Brett and Hillary Olson John and Carrie O’Malley Raj Patel The Patterson Family Fernando Pedraza Scott and Patti Peebles William and Stephanie Peters Ann Petersen The Pickard Family Katie Pierce Brian and Marianne Pitterle Chris and Susan Plamondon Joe and Doris Pospichal Sun Powley Drs. Michael Pratt and Susan Key Yvonne Priore Cindy Putman Max and Betty Rodriguez Max and Seaby Rodriguez Jodi Sabako Brian and Jill Sampson Beth Sarachman

Lydia and Dan Schimmelpfenig Katie Scott Ramez Shohdy Malina Shuy Catherine Sjostedt Geoffrey and Nicole Small Fr. John for the People of St. John’s Episcopal Church Bettino-Stein Patty and Steve Stoecker Daniele C. Struppa Kathy Taylor Mark and Tricia Teitelman Robert and Liz Terry The Thiessen Family Deborah Tilmont Michele Townsend Megan Trexler Marjorie Trujillo Darlene and Greg Tucker The Turner Family Kathy Urell Todd and Joan Vernon Ronald and Sheri Wade Kathy Weber Kathy Wegner-Kwok The Williams Family Bryan Winn Elizabeth Yellen Michael and Stephanie Yurkovich Curtis and Melissa Zakhar

Thanks

sT. John’s CommuniTY

sT. John’s CommuniTY fAmilY fEsTivAl

Early Childhood Fall Festival

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n Sunday, September 27, hundreds of students, parents, faculty, staff, and community members gathered on a scorching fall afternoon for St. John’s Episcopal School’s annual Family Festival to celebrate the start of another great school year. The playground and athletic field were transformed into a coastal carnival with exciting rides, games, prizes, Jerry’s Dogs, and more! From a mechanical shark and the human wrecking ball to archery and a goldfish toss, kids of all ages joined in on the fun. Performances from the Cal Elite dancers, gymnasts, and aerial artists provided lively entertainment for parents and kids alike.

The afternoon was a great success and raised more than $10,000 for St. John’s. A huge thank you to our event chair, Lauren Sanders, and all our spirited volunteers and generous sponsors who helped make this event so successful.

Family Festival was the perfect way to kick-off the school year with Cardinal Pride. To learn more about community events and activities at St. John’s, visit n www.stjohns-es.org.

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he Early Childhood Division proudly hosted its annual Fall Festival. The day felt especially like fall this year with the first wind storm of the season. St. John’s room parent coordinators, Sarah Griggs and Lydia Schimmelpfenig, collaborated with room parents to organize this seasonal event for the children.

A variety of exciting activities awaited St. John’s youngest students. A Touch and Feel Pumpkin station allowed children to reach inside pumpkins to touch a variety of slimy and sticky objects. It was a sensory extravaganza! Leaf rubbing provided the opportunity to complete a crayon resist project with fall leaves!

The Pumpkin Face Puppet station let imaginations run wild as students decorated their own pumpkin puppet on a stick. STEAM Bowling gave children a chance to roll “pumpkin” balls up ramps into “ghost” bowling pins.

Across the playground, Pumpkin Bean Bag Toss took place, a great way for the children to practice their gross motor skills as they took aim to toss the bean bags through the pumpkin’s mouth. Fine motor skills were needed to thread the fall colored pasta onto string to make decorative necklaces at the Autumn Necklace table.

Thanks to the creativity of Mrs. Bonhall, a beautiful fall-themed backdrop was located in the MPR for prime picture taking opportunities. Mrs. Sjostedt welcomed parents and children into the ECC STEAM Room for a little peek. The SMART Table and Lego Robotic Kits were available along with other STEAM related activities. Wagons were decorated so children could enjoy a ride around the playground. A face painting table was a very popular stop for the children as they toured through all of the fun activities provided that day.

St. John’s Middle Division PAL students came to help make the day so successful. They were busy taking pictures, painting faces, pulling wagons, and interacting with the children. Parents commented how important it was having the PAL students there and felt they added to the overall experience in a very special way. They had just as much fun as the children. For many of them it was a journey through memory lane, remembering their own Fall Festivals! Someday your children will grow up and be able to come back and serve at ECC events too! n

uPCominG EvEnTs

JANUARY 23, 2016 · 10 AM - 12 PM

Lic# 300610635, #304370676

◗ State of the School January 21, 2016

Visit us to learn how STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education can prepare your child for success in high school, college, and the workplace.

STJOHNS-ES.ORG

949.858.5144

INFANTS - 8TH GRADE · 30382 VIA CON DIOS, RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA

◗ Admissions Open House January 23, 2016 ◗ St. John’s Cardinella April 23, 2016 ◗ Spirit Days

January 13, February 3, March 16, April 13

alumni news JEFF PRESTON, ’12 Jeff Preston, current Santa Margarita Catholic High School senior and St. John’s Episcopal School alumnus, has been an inspiration to many through his academic, athletic, and philanthropic accomplishments. He truly embodies the ideals of a St. John’s student and parents and faculty alike were awed by his eloquent remarks during Back-to-School night. His speech is printed below, in its entirety, for those that missed his moving remarks.

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t. Johns was always a place I looked forward to coming to in the morning, and coming back brings so many wonderful memories. Since I was here from the age of 5, this great school had a massive effect on me and my character. My friends, teachers, sports teams, and lessons all played a part in this imprinting process.

Academically, I always found myself challenged, engaged and excited to move on. In the classroom, I vividly remember all the fun time working together, especially on big projects like the 5th grade Missions, or one of the many “all about me” posters and poems from the lower grades. My love of Math and Physics are a direct result of the suggestion and encouragement St. John’s gave me to be in the “Octothropes’ and to test for the John’s Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Organization. (CTY)

However, it was the focus St. John’s gave to character traits that influenced me even outside the classroom, where I feel I gained arguably my most valuable trait...responsibility. I remember doing my homework, not because my parents told me to, and not because I was terrified of the ever-daunting blue slips, but because in my mind, it wasn’t an option to not do it. Responsibility was a character trait driven into my head at St. John’s. It wasn’t until high school that I realized doing homework is an ‘option.’

If I don’t do it on time, life won’t end. (Not that I don’t do homework now but you see my point). This responsibility goes along with time management, in managing friends, family, homework, and school.

Even through playing sports on several different St. John’s teams from flag football to soccer to lacrosse, St John’s encouraged fellowship and team building. Volleyball was a sport some of my best friends and I decided to do just for fun in our final year here.

We had played so many sports all together, and gone through a lot of great years growing closer at St. John’s. Just on that fun volleyball team, we had a team filled with futures. We had Matt Mark, current captain of the Varsity Football Team at SMCHS, Logan Dochterman, expected captain of the Varsity Lacrosse Team, Nico Bradshaw, named a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist, Beck Svensson, who recently received an AP Scholar Award, and my best friend, Mason Mitchell who was at one point #1 in the state for running the 400 meters and is currently 3rd in Orange County. These are all friendships I still strongly hold and share at SMCHS, and hope to have for life.

I am very lucky to be the Santa Margarita Catholic High School Senior Class President this year, and also credit the amazing people here at St. John’s for throwing me into the president world in the first place! I still remember walking cautiously into

the office when Mrs. Campbell asked me to see her. She asked little 7th grade me if I was planning on running for president in the 8th grade elections. I wasn’t at the time, but I thought about it a little, and decided I was up for the job, especially if she thought so. I ran, won, and developed leadership skills I never let go of. One huge thing I got out of even being called to run for president that day in her office, was the realization that I could be myself. I was always just being me, socially, and academically, I never really had to try to be accepted. They had nurtured my self-confidence enough to believe in myself, and to know I was equipped to make a difference.

That is the lesson I am especially grateful to get here at St. John’s.

All the kids around you, and teachers and mentors like Mrs. Campbell, are all so accepting and encouraging. The St. John’s bubble is the ideal shaping ground for young bodies, and I am so happy I was lucky enough to go here. My social skills and self-confidence carried over right into high school, and eventually led to my presidency there. Fun fact, the past three SMCHS Senior Class Presidents were also Presidents of St. John’s - Garret Williams, Tom Blye, and then me. This further proves that St. John’s better provides and prepares you for high school than other middle schools.

Finally, I would like to discuss my community service. St John’s has wonderful age-appropriate service opportunities that introduced me to the love of volunteering for my community. I served as President of GuysGivinBack in the 7th grade, and Vice President in the 8th grade. My first Corazón Organization house build in Tijuana was an extension of the CPR Spanish project we did in 8th grade, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested.

As a group, we went down to Mexico on a day trip with our parents and others, leaving at 5:00 am, and built a house in Mexico for a family in need. On this trip, I encountered a world I didn’t even know existed, and it forever impacted me to help out as much as I could. Since then, my friends, our dads, and I volunteer for builds when we find time. We go on about four builds a year, and deeply rooted in my drive to serve others is my faith.

My faith began here at St. John’s from the religion classes with Mrs. Patti and Fr. John and church services twice a week. Here is where I truly got to know God. I put this faith to use at many of SMCHS’s retreats. There are one or two per year for each grade.

I have lead four retreats and attended all for my grades. I am also preparing to lead the senior Kairos retreat next week, and am excited to lead some kids in my grade for the first time. These leadership skills, and other traits of responsibility and hard work, were all given to me at this school. I am so happy with my path so far in life and I owe a lot of it to St. John’s. Thank you all n for listening.