Dear St. John the Baptist families,
With planning for the 2023-24 school year and registration now underway, I wanted to take this opportunity to announce the following changes to staff for the coming school year. Three teachers will not be returning to St. John the Baptist for the 2023-24 school year.
Mrs. Teresa Lewandowski
Mrs. Teresa Lewandowski and Mr. Grayson McGregor will be leaving St. John the Baptist at the end of the school year. Teresa is a graduate of St. John’s and has been teaching at the school for 21 years — seven years as the music teacher and the last 14 years as our 5th grade teacher. While Mrs. Lewandowski is not retiring, she has decided to take this opportunity to spend more time with family.
Mr. Grayson McGregor
Mr. Grayson McGregor, our music teacher, has been with the school for two years. Grayson was recently accepted into graduate school at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and will begin working on his master’s degree this fall.
Mrs. Pam Reinsch
In addition, Mrs. Pam Reinsch will be leaving us at the end of the school year. Last year Pam graciously stepped away from her retirement to help us fill the teaching vacancy in 6th grade. We are incredibly grateful for her selflessness and all she has done for our school community.
Please join me in thanking these teachers for their tireless contributions and dedication to our school. They have touched the hearts of many school families over the years. While we will dearly miss them, we are excited for them to start a new chapter in life and wish them much happiness.
As a result of these departures, I have begun the search to fill the vacant positions and have already conducted a few interviews for the open Music position. We are currently planning to combine 6th and 7th grades next year, as well as Kindergarten and 1st grade. Mrs. Rhoades will be teaching 6/7th grades, and I will be hiring a new 8th grade teacher.
I am pleased to inform you that I recently hired a new 5th grade teacher. Mrs. Jordan Tjepkes (chepkeys) will be joining our St. John’s family as the new 5th grade teacher next year.
Mrs. Jordan Tjepkes with her husband Derek and daughter Leighton
Jordan has spent the last six years as an elementary teacher for Lincoln Public Schools. Jordan is looking forward to joining our school family:
“There is nothing I value more than my Catholic faith. I have prayed for and dreamed of the opportunity to teach students and share my Catholic faith throughout each school day. It is my honor to join your committed and excellent team. My husband, Derek, and I both grew up in small towns. I am from Sidney, Nebraska, and he is from Atlantic, Iowa. As we began our home search over a year ago, we knew we wanted to return to a small town. We wanted to offer our daughter, Leighton (1), the same experiences we had and valued growing up in a small-town community. We are thrilled to have found Plattsmouth, Nebraska, and are excited to call it home.”
Please join me in welcoming Jordan and her family to St. John the Baptist. And please pray that God will send us the teachers that our students need to learn and grow in their faith.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Fr. Sean Timmerman, Chief Administrative Officer