December 2024 - January 2025

 Parent Pride Newsletter

Dear Parents / Guardians,

I’d like to start by wishing all of our families in the JCA community a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. It is our hope that you will have time to relax and spend time with family and friends. It’s hard at times to put aside the commercialism of this holiday and reflect on the actual “reason for the season." With the presence of Advent and the birth of Jesus, we are called to prepare and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. 

Our first semester of school is just about over, and semester exams are almost upon us. All in all, the first semester went very well. As a reminder, the second quarter ends on December 16^th with midterm exams to follow on the 17^th, 18^th, and 19^th. Our Christmas Break lasts from December 20^th to January 5^th. Please remember that on Monday, January 6^th we will be on a 12:00 dismissal schedule. 

We’ve had a very exciting first semester capped with a VERY promising incoming freshmen placement exam. The future at JCA looks very bright! It seems that the school is constantly a-buzz as we feel that all of our students have taken ownership of their school. I am so proud of our students’ school spirit, unity, service, and quest for excellence in and out of the classroom. We’ve just completed a successful fall athletic season with multiple State runs and have had many successes with our academic clubs, activities, and service groups as well. Our students continue to amaze whether it’s in the theatre, in the gym, on the field, at our community organizations, or within their own communities and parishes. 

We look once again for continued success as we enter the new year. We hope that you will join us as we continue to create and foster the best opportunities for our students and our community. We hope that the second semester brings just as much energy, optimism, excitement, and hard work as our first semester!

May the Lord bring you Peace this Christmas Season! 

Semester Exam Schedule

Tuesday, December 17

Period A (1) Classes: 7:50 a.m. – 8:50 a.m.

Period B (2) Classes: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Period C (3) Classes: 10:10 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.

Announcements: 11:10 a.m.

Wednesday, December 18

Period D/E (4/5) Classes: 7:50 a.m. – 8:50 a.m.

Period F (6) Classes: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Announcements: 10:00 a.m.

Makeup Exams: 10:10 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.

Thursday, December 19

Period G (7) Classes: 7:50 a.m. – 8:50 a.m.

Announcements: 8:50 a.m.

Period H (8) Classes: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Makeup Exams: 10:05 a.m. – 11:05 a.m.

Semester Exam Bus Schedule

Tuesday, December 17

Buses scheduled to depart JCA at 11:25 a.m.

Wednesday, December 18

Buses scheduled to depart JCA at 10:15 a.m.

Thursday, December 19

Buses scheduled to depart JCA at 10:15 a.m.

JCA will be offering an official ACT during the school day for our Juniors this spring. Our In-District ACT will yield official scores that can be used for college applications and college scholarship purposes. Registration for this exam will take place through JCA. In January, you will receive an email with more details and the registration process. Listed below is the date JCA will offer the In-District exam. 

ACT – March 19, 2025 

If you choose to register your student for an additional ACT, you

can do so by using the link below and signing up for a national test date.

Please note, that you will not see JCA listed as a test site because JCA will

not be hosting a national test date, however, your student can pick another

test site to take a national ACT. 

https://www.act.org 

ACT Preparation Course

JCA will be offering an eight-week ACT Preparation Course for students that would like to formally prepare for the test in March 2025. The cost of the course is $200 which includes materials and instruction. The course starts on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Registration deadline for the course is Thursday, December 19, 2024. If you have any questions, please email Tina Osburn at tosburn@jca-online.org. 

Click here to access the registration form.

Please note, this is registration for the prep course only. We do not register the students for the actual test. 

Nearly half of all charitable donations take place in the final months of the calendar year. Year-end charitable giving can have a positive impact on your tax situation, your overall estate plan, and ultimately our community by supporting students at Joliet Catholic Academy. If you are considering a gift to support our current Angels and Hilltoppers, here are some tips from the JCA Institutional Advancement Office:



1.     Support JCA’s Annual Appeal

The Annual Appeal is the foundation of fundraising to maintain academic achievement within JCA. The school community of parents, alumni, faculty/staff, and friends contribute financially to help bridge the gap between the cost to educate a student and the cost of tuition. JCA’s tuition covers only 86% of the actual cost of educating a student. As a faith-based school our mission is to limit tuition increases for all families. Donors can designate to specific funds such as tuition assistance, the school’s greatest need, or their specific interest. Make sure checks are dated and postmarked no later than December 31, 2024. JCA also offers the Annual Appeal via an easy to navigate and secure online giving website: https://www.jca-online.org/annual-appeal/.

2.     Planned Giving – JCA’s Legacy Circle; Giving from Assets, not Income

The vast majority of wealth for most people is in their asset base – homes, retirement accounts, non-retirement securities portfolios, life insurance, etc. – as opposed to their income stream. Giving from one’s non-cash asset base generally has much greater tax advantages than donating cash. The simplest way to donate from your asset base is through a bequest in your will or trust. Gifting long-term appreciated stock is a great, tax-efficient way to give today. There are even ways to create an income stream for life, receive a tax break today, and make a major gift to Joliet Catholic Academy.

Bequests, charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, life insurance, retirement assets, and the like – can play an enormous role in establishing or growing scholarship funds and/or JCA’s endowment. For many benefactors it is easier to leave $10,000 or $25,000 or $100,000 in a bequest gift than to make an outright gift, for example. Planned gifts can significantly boost the principal amount of scholarship funds over time.

Documented planned gift intentions to JCA are recognized by the benefactor’s inclusion in JCA’s Legacy Circle, which includes over 50 alumni and friends who have left a piece of their legacy to JCA.

3.     Other Gifts

Benefactors to JCA have a variety of options to choose from when making a contribution to the school: matching gifts, in-kind giving, memorials, gifts of securities, donations of real property, gifts of life insurance, and establishing endowed scholarships. Contact the JCA Institutional Advancement Office for specific questions at (815) 741-0563 or visit

www.jca-online.org/ways-to-give/.

Help ensure the legacy of excellence in Catholic education provided by the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate in our community since 1869, the Carmelites since 1933, and together as Joliet Catholic Academy since 1990, continues on.

Please contact the JCA Office of Institutional Advancement at rquigley@jca-online.org or (815) 741-0563 for more information about the benefits of supporting JCA.

A flurry of fun and skill development for grade schoolers! We hope you can join us for action-packed days of winter sports excitement!

Upcoming Grade School Nights

Save the Date - More information to follow!

Thursday, January 9 - Wrestling vs. Lincoln Way West

Friday, January 17 - Boys Basketball vs. St. Viator

Wednesday, February 12 - Girls Basketball vs. Bishop Mac

Joliet Catholic Academy’s Christmas Concert will be held on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. in the Student Activity Center. The concert will feature Handbells, Band and Vocal Ensemble. Admission is free. Parents are encouraged to attend. We hope that you can join us! 

All JCA Juniors and Seniors are invited to attend the Christmas Dance

The Christmas Dance will be Thursday, December 19th from 6:00-9:00pm. All students must be at the dance by 6:30pm and the earliest students can leave is 8:30pm. The dance is at the Jacob Henry Mansion in the Victorian Ballroom: 15 Richards St. Joliet, IL 60433. Please park in the lot off of Richards Street.

JCA students are allowed to bring one outside guest. The JCA student bringing the guest must submit a guest form to Mrs. Pullara by December 12, 2024. The form is attached here, and printed copies are available from Mrs. Pullara. All guests must present photo identification for entrance to the dance.

The dress attire for this dance is formal. Dress styles considered inappropriate that may not be worn include:

• Excessively low backs (below the natural waistline)
• Excessively low-cut dresses
• Slits higher than mid-thigh
• Excessively short dresses (above mid-thigh)

Raffle tickets available for purchase. $1 per ticket or 6 tickets for $5. Cash only for raffle tickets. Tickets are $35 per person, which includes a buffet dinner. Ticket sales will close December 12, 2024. 

JCAsino Royale – Jubilate will be celebrating its 40^th Year on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at Bolingbrook Golf Club. Please mark your calendars, gather your friends, and get ready for an Elegant Evening of Chance! Having a Vegas State of Mind will open the door for you to enjoy live & silent auctions, raffles, dinner, dancing and gaming. Get ready to try your luck at roulette, roll the dice when playing craps, and get a winning hand dealt to you in poker and blackjack. Jubilate’s Co-Chair couples, Tracy & Brian Zabel and Kristen & Darrel Swienton, will be your pit bosses at our Casino Night at the Club. The Jubilate committee will open the door for you to experience a Lucky Night Under Vegas Lights as they transform the surroundings of Bolingbrook Golf Club with their creativity and style. So Let the Good Times Roll and get ready for JCAsino Royale at Jubilate on March 22, 2025! For additional information and questions, please contact Mrs. Christine Voss at cvoss@jca-online.org.