February 2024 Parent Pride Newsletter |
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Dear Parents and Guardians,
We welcome the month of February with the celebrating of Catholic Schools Week. We truly appreciate your choice of sending your child (ren) to JCA and your support for Catholic education in general. We cannot stress enough that the reason we sit here as an institution is because of the works of Jesus, the Traditions of the Carmelites and Franciscans, and the celebration of our Faith. We do consider ourselves a Family under Christ’s guidance and the works of the Catholic Church. So…Happy Catholic School’s Week!
Moving forward with the theme of Catholic Schools and Family, I am happy to announce our all-community Family Mass, which will take place on Sunday, February 11th @ 10:00 AM in the Mary, Our Sister Chapel, with a breakfast in the cafeteria to follow. All families are invited and encouraged to attend. I’d like to thank our Parent Association for hosting this special mass and breakfast; and it is because of the Parent Association and your generous support that we are able to host our breakfast free of charge.
The month of February features Honors Ceremonies for the English Society and the Foreign Language Society and our Art Show begins at the end of the Month. We also begin one of the most-holiest times in the Church with the start of Lent and our Ash Wednesday Mass on Wednesday, February 14th. Looking ahead, our Easter Break begins on Holy Thursday, which is on March 28th, with Easter on Sunday, March 31st. Students return from Easter Break on Monday, April 8th.
I hope that your child is finding a great educational rhythm in this second semester and that you are enjoying these (hopefully) last days of cold and snow. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please know that we are here for you.
Blessings,
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Course Selection thru Plus Portals! |
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It is the time of year where your child needs to begin thinking about their classes for next year! Below is a link to our information page that contains detailed information regarding the course selection process for the 2024-25 school year. The link contains information about the student course selection process, and the parent approval process. Please watch the tutorial video included in the Parent Pride Newsletter or on the website. Please reach out to your child's School Counselor with any questions or concerns.
The non-refundable registration fee of $300 will be included on the March tuition statement. The $300 registration fee is non-refundable. Therefore, if your student will not be attending JCA next year, please indicate that on the Course Selection Card your student brings home.
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What is a Spirit Day and what do I wear?
Spirit Days are Fridays that students can dress in JCA spirit wear. Students may wear a JCA shirt, JCA sweatshirt with jeans, shorts, or sweatpants. They also can wear gym shoes. Special Spirit Days will be announced in advance.
What CAN'T I wear on a Spirit Day?
JCA apparel must be represented in the student’s top (shirt, jersey, warm-up top, and sweatshirt). Pajama-style shorts and pants are not allowed, whether they contain a JCA logo or not. You cannot wear flip flops, sandals, or backless shoes. Crocs MUST have the back strap.
My child just got their driver's license, where do I buy the pass?
Parking passes are for sale in the Dean’s Office which is located adjected from the Main Office. You can also purchase the pass online at jca-online.org under the Student Tab. Your student should bring a copy of the receipt to the Dean's Office and pick his/her spot. Passes are $100 at this time.
What do I do if I need to pick my student up early from school?
Please call in the morning to let the dean’s office know you must pick up your student. Your student will receive a pass indicating the time they will be leaving. If it is an emergency, please be patient, it will take a while to contact your student’s classroom and for him/her to gather their belongings. The student will sign out in the dean’s office, parents do not need to come into the school to sign them out.
My student has a detention, what should he/she do?
If your student gets a detention, they will receive a hard copy detention slip and an email. You will also receive an email indicating your student has an infraction. You can check on Plus Portal for the details of the infraction, your student will also know the reason for the detention and the serve by date. Students may serve the 30-minute detention before the serve by date. Detentions are scheduled in the Dean’s Office every morning at 7:15 am or immediately after school. Students need to bring a pen and paper to the detention. If there is an issue the student needs to talk to Mrs. Borio about rescheduling.
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February Advisory: Course Selection Process |
Please see the updated information below for this year's course selection. We have extended the due date to allow for additional time to select courses and meet with your counselor if needed.
Current Freshmen (Class of 2027)
- Presentations will take place the week of February 12th
- Selections available for viewing in Plus Portals and ParentPlus on February 12th
- Deadline for parents to review and submit course requests: February 23rd
- Deadline for students to submit course selection card: February 23rd
Current Sophomores (Class of 2026)
- Presentations will take place the week of February 5th
- Selections available for viewing in Plus Portals and ParentPlus on February 5th
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Deadline for parents to review and submit course requests: February 16th
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Deadline for students to submit course selection card: February 16th
Current Juniors (class of 2025)
- Presentations will take place the week of February 12th
- Selections available for viewing in Plus Portals and ParentPlus on February 12th
- Deadline for parents to review and submit course requests: February 23rd
- Deadline for students to submit course selection card: February 23rd
Questions?
If you have any questions or concerns about your student’s course selections, please email your student’s counselor:
Mrs. Kris Horn: Director of Counseling and School Counselor for Freshmen & Sophomores with last names L-Z
Mrs. Kerri Voltz: College & Career Counselor for Juniors & Seniors with last names A-K
Mrs. Jackie Pullara: College & Career Counselor for Juniors & Seniors with last names L-Z
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SAT Testing for the Class of '25 |
Registration is due on or before February 26, 2024.
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ACT Testing for the Class of '25 |
Registration is due on or before March 22, 2024.
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Upcoming Events:
- Senior Boys Kairos begins on the 13th
- Ash Wednesday Mass on the 14th celebrated by Fr. Tom Schrader, O. Carm.
- Sophomore Class Mass and Ring Ceremony on the 21st
- Junior Class Retreat Day on the 27th
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During the month of February, we recognize and celebrate Black History Month and the theme this year is “African Americans and the Arts”. This offers the opportunity to explore the key influences African Americans have had in the fields of literature, language, visual and performing arts, film, music, culinary, architecture, and many other other forms of cultural expression. The concept of Black History month began in 1915 and was pioneered by Carter G. Woodson and it was officially established in 1976 by President Gerald Ford to annually bring acknowledgement and understanding of the many contributions of Black People. Every president since then has recognized Black History month. February was selected since it coincides with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas. Other countries, including Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom also devote a month to celebrating Black History month. Throughout the month we will be featuring different historical figures/events during announcements at JCA and promoting several community events.
In this feature, we celebrate Amanda Gorman. Amanda Gorman was born and raised in Los Angeles California, and she graduated cum laude from Harvard University, in 2020, where she studied Sociology. In 2017, Gorman was named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. She previously served as the youth poet laureate of Los Angeles, and she is the founder and executive director of One Pen One Page, an organization providing free creative writing programs for underserved youth.
Gorman was selected by President Biden to read her original poem “The Hill We Climb” for his Inauguration on January 20, 2021, making her the youngest poet to have served in this role. She is also the first poet commissioned to write a poem to read at the Super Bowl. Her poem honors three individuals for their essential work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Black History Month resources:
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SPRING SPORTS 2024 REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
The following 3 steps must be completed before the first day of spring sport tryouts:
January 15, 2024: Boys and Girls Track
February 26, 2024: Baseball, Girls Soccer, Softball and Boys Tennis
March 4, 2024: Boys Volleyball
If this process is not completed the athlete will not be able to tryout, participate in practices or competition.
Step 1: Get your annual physical exam. Athletes must use the IHSA Physical form that can be found under the Athletic tab on the JCA website, in the drop down, “Sports Physicals.” Physicals are good for 395 days (13 months) per the IHSA. If your athlete participated in a fall and/or winter sport and their physical is current, there is no need to turn in another copy. Physical forms must have the athlete and parent signature.
Step 2: Turn in current sport physical to the main office, or by emailing ddispenza@jca-online.org. Pictures, screen shots, jpeg, jpg, or any other picture format, ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. Only PDF forms will be accepted. You can also fax a copy of the physical to 815-741-3830.
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1200 N. Larkin Avenue
Joliet, IL 60435
P - (815) 741-0500
F - (815) 741-8825
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