Principal Message Archive

Dear Parents,

During this season of gratitude, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Luis Rodriguez for his unwavering dedication to St. John Bosco Catholic School. His tremendous work in preparing our annual Christmas program, Christmas on 48th Street, truly brought the spirit of the season to life. We are equally grateful to our wonderful teachers for their flexibility, patience, and support throughout rehearsals, which made this special evening possible. A sincere thank you as well to our AV Club for recording the Christmas Program so families may share and enjoy it together. (Please see the buttons below.)

Dear Parents,

We have an exciting week ahead at SJB! We’ll kick off Monday, December 15th, with PJ and Peppermint Day, a special celebration to mark not only meeting but exceeding our Running with Rosco goal. I am incredibly proud of our students for their hard work and dedication in raising funds for our school!

On Wednesday, December 17, at 6:00pm, we’ll gather for our 24th Annual Christmas Program. Under the direction of Dr. Luis Rodriguez, this memorable event will take place in the beautiful St. Benedict Church, featuring our kindergarten through 5th-grade students singing and playing instruments. Our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will contribute by reciting Scripture and assisting behind the scenes.

Dear Parents,

As I’m sure you’ve seen, Running with Rosco is officially off to the races—and we need EVERYONE’S help to make it a huge success! Running with Rosco is one of our three major school fundraisers of the year, and the money we raise directly supports important campus improvements, including renovating our student restrooms, updating the upper and lower basketball courts, enhancing technology across our school, and much more. These upgrades benefit every student, and we simply could not do this work without your generosity and support.

Dear Parents,

In our ongoing commitment to student and staff safety, we have repurposed our former maintenance office into a dedicated Police Hospitality Room/Security Office. This space will serve as a central hub for safety coordination, visitor oversight, and collaboration with law enforcement and parish partners. While we will not publish sensitive operational details (per expert guidance), I want to share several high-level updates and why they matter.

Dear Parents,

Fall has finally arrived, bringing cooler weather and festive décor across campus. It was wonderful to see our students’ excitement at last Wednesday’s first pep rally of the year. A special thank-you to our amazing Student Council for their leadership and enthusiasm in planning and leading such a fun, energizing event—what a joyful start to the season!

I also extend heartfelt thanks and congratulations to our student-athletes and the generous volunteer coaches who give their time and talent. You represent SJB with faith, respect, and pride:

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your incredible generosity and support of our 24th Annual Gala—Forging the Future: A Western Evening of Faith & Fellowship. The energy was undeniable—from spirited auctions to a full dance floor and a memorable casino experience—making it a night our community won’t soon forget.

We’re thrilled to share that we not only met our goal of $150,000, but exceeded it—raising approximately $156,000! This achievement was made possible by the dedication of Katie Elsberry and our Gala Committee, who planned, solicited, organized, and decorated with care. Their hard work truly brought the evening to life, and we are deeply grateful.

Dear Parents,

After celebrating with our students this morning, we are thrilled to share the news with you: St. John Bosco Catholic School has been recognized as a 2025 National Blue Ribbon School—the first time in our history and the only private-school honoree from Arizona this year. This distinction reflects the daily dedication of our students, faculty, and staff, and the steadfast partnership of our parents.

Why is this recognition is such a big deal? The National Blue Ribbon Schools (NBRS) Program honors schools for exceptional achievement. For non-public schools, eligibility requires that student performance in the most recent tested year places the school in the top 15% nationally in reading/English language arts, and mathematics on a nationally normed assessment.

Dear Parents,

As the weather cools and our routines settle in, we’re delighted to resume our Monday Morning Courtyard Prayer and Rosary beginning this Mon, Sep 15. We warmly invite all parents to join us each Monday—what better way to model Christ for our children than to pray with them as one community?

For safety, we are relocating this gathering to the Junior High wing:

• Students will stand under the awnings alongside the classrooms.
• Parents may stand behind or near the St. Francis statue.

We hope everyone will join us every Monday morning throughout this school year.

Dear Parents,

Today we had the joy of honoring our beloved pastor, Father James, for his seven years of faithful service to our school and parish. He has strengthened our community by guiding us with wisdom, supporting our teachers and staff, nurturing the faith of our students, and keeping our mission rooted in Christ. Truly, he has lived St. John Bosco’s words: “It is not enough to love the young; they must know that they are loved.”

To celebrate him, our students sang a special song and presented a very meaningful gift—a large framed photo of all our students arranged in the shape of a cross inside our church. Father James can hang this in his new office at Corpus Christi Catholic Church as a daily reminder of how much he is loved by his St. John Bosco family.

Dear Parents,

Thank you so much for attending Curriculum Night! We are grateful for your partnership as we continue the Mission of St. John Bosco Catholic School—Where Faith is Formed and Leaders are Born.

Your support helps us maintain a safe, nurturing, and values-centered environment where our students can grow spiritually, academically, and emotionally. Together, we guide our children to flourish in a Christ-centered community while protecting the positive culture and climate that makes SJB so special.

Dear SJB Families,

The first day of school is almost here, and we are so excited to welcome your children back to campus! As we prepare for a joyful and smooth start to the new school year, here are a few helpful reminders to make sure everyone is ready for a successful Day 1:

1. All students should wear their regular school uniform on the first day of school—even if they have PE scheduled. Either white or navy polo shirts are acceptable. PE uniforms will not be worn on the first day.

Dear Parents,

I hope you're enjoying the last few days of summer vacation with your children! Our faculty and staff are excited to welcome all students to the Preschool–8 "Meet the Teacher" event this Monday, August 4, from 3:30–5:30 PM. To help minimize wait times and ease the flow of families on campus, we kindly ask that you arrive during your assigned time based on your last name:

3:30–4:30pm – Last names A–L
4:30–5:30pm – Last names M–Z