Letter from the President

In Case You Missed It...

After careful consideration we have decided to return to in-person learning for our entire school community starting in the 4th quarter (Monday, March 15th). We will have a four-day (all student-in person) school week with one remote ½ day of learning. These four days will be full school days- 7:50 a.m. -2:40 p.m.  As stated, we will still have one ½ day of remote learning for all, which will be scheduled for Wednesdays (even though that scheduled day could change depending on other calendar factors).

We are still allowing a fully remote option for families that wish to keep their children at home. If your child is currently remote, we need to know by March 5th if you are planning on returning to in-person. We will be sending a survey to those families tomorrow morning. We will still relocate larger classes and we will follow social distancing rules to the best of our ability- especially in the lunchroom areas. We will still follow IDPH and ISBE mitigations and restrictions and quarantine students when deemed appropriate.  

The Dean's office will be sending a follow-up email with more detailed school rules for our students and our return to school plan will be updated on our website. 

I truly appreciate your cooperation and concern as we have addressed the COVID-19 pandemic this year and I thank you in advance for your continued support and diligence in regards to helping provide a safe environment for our students, faculty and staff. My continued prayers are for you and our students and for a successful end of the year.  

Senior parents, please know that we will be moving forward with end of the year events (Graduation, Prom, Senior Celebration) although they will all look a little different. Details on these events will be shared as we get closer to the event date. 

Please know, as always, what we have learned through this pandemic, is that plans can change at a moment’s notice and we will adjust when necessary. I truly appreciate your patience and your dedication to our school and our community. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Health Office, Dean’s Office, or Administration.

I’d also like to thank Ms. LaKisha Cameron and the ACDC Club for all of their hard work with our celebration of Black History month. We certainly learned a lot and there were many “take-aways”. 

This type of celebration should not be limited to just one month; we are committed to celebrating our diversity every day! Another BIG thank you goes to our faculty and staff volunteers who took extra time to research and film significant, historical figures that were shown throughout the month. We look forward to celebrating Women’s History month in March. Please be on the lookout for more information to come.  



Blessings,
Dr. Jeffrey Budz
JCA President/Principal
Course Selection for the 2021-2022 School Year
 
Course selection information for the following school year was distributed to current students in February. Students were instructed to bring the course selection form home for a parent/guardian signature before returning the form to their homeroom teacher on or before Friday, February 26th. If you have not signed this form, please ask your child to bring it home and have him/her return it to their homeroom teacher after you have reviewed and signed it. 

Fully remote students who haven’t received their information can pick up their course selection packet from the main office.

The non-refundable registration fee of $300 is included on the March tuition statement. Therefore, if your student will not be attending JCA next year, please notify the Business Office immediately.
Important Information from the Health Office

FRESHMAN: State law requires ALL freshman to have dental exams. If proof is not provided to the health office by MAY 15th, 2020, students will have their final semester grade HELD! Any questions regarding your student’s compliancy, please contact the health office asap @ 815-147-0500 ext. 275.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month and its goal is to educate us that the most common form of head injury is called mild traumatic brain injury, or “concussion.”  Usually caused by a blow to the head.
  • 19.5% of high school athletes have had a concussion.
  • 5.5% of high school athletes have had more than one concussion.
  • 70% of all sports and recreation-related brain injuries were reported in people ages 19 and younger.

A concussion is a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biochemical forces. ALL CONCUSSIONS ARE SERIOUS!

Headache is the most common symptom. Along, with nausea and/or vomiting, confusion or feeling “foggy,” dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, ringing in the ears, fatigue, sensitivity to light and/or sound, difficulty concentrating and/or remembering, balance issues, more emotional, irritable, or sad, visual or sleep disturbances.

Any student who has symptoms of a concussion after a hit or jolt to the brain should be taken out of play or practice. Most people with concussions (>90%) do no pass out. Any student suspected of having a concussion should not return to play until cleared by a physician.


Please access the following link to view JCA’s concussion protocol. https://www.jca-online.org/concussion-protocol/
All Students
 
Covid-19: Please remember to stay home if you are feeling ill and report all signs and symptoms you are experiencing to the health office. At JCA we follow the IDPH guideline decision tree for returning to school and activities. Please remember to wash hands frequently, maintain social distancing, and wear masks appropriately.

Reminder: Students are not allowed to have medications (over the counter, homeopathic or prescriptive) on their being, in their locker or lunches or in their backpacks, except for emergency medications that have a Medication Administration Authorization (MAA) on file in the Health Office. Students are allowed medications to be kept in the Health Office with a MAA. Please see the Medication in School Policy which can be found on the JCA web site.

  • Medication Administration Authorization (MAA) forms are required at the start of every new school year. Forms are available on the web site.
  • Health Office information is on the school web site under the Parents tab, click on Health Office
  • Emergency Action Plans (EAP’s) are requested for those students with asthma, diabetes, epilepsy (seizures) and severe allergies. EAP’s are available on the web site. Medication Authorization forms to self-carry emergency medications and supplies must be submitted at the start of every new school year. Forms are available on the web site.
 
 
 
Health Office Hours while students are in attendance
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00am-2:30pm Thursday 8:00am -1:40pm
During school breaks voicemails and emails are checked weekly.
815-741-0500 Ext 275, 815-741-3015 fax,  [email protected]
In celebration that was February Black History month, below are some Southern-inspired recipe links:

Fried chicken


Mac & Cheese


Cornbread


Collard Greens


Caramel Cake



Locally Owned Black Businesses

Carter Realty Group
Joliet
815-582-3953
Real Estate

Cochran Financial Group
Joliet
815-260-6802
Life Insurance and more
Get Naild by Kimmy
Joliet
815-714-2031
Beauty Services
Groves Boxing & Fitness
Joliet
815-540-8696
Fitness
Heavenly Braids
Joliet
815-603-3435
Beauty Services
Jaytees Custom Creations
Joliet
815-260-4825
Home décor
POPUS Gourmet Popcorn
Joliet
815-280-5133
Food

Taps, Tips, BBQ
Joliet
Food
uNIQUElashes
Crest Hill
Beauty Services
Urban Repair, LLC
Joliet
815-212-3354
Mobile Phone shop

Here are a few of the Black History facts shared during the JCA Daily Announcements this month.
Did you know??
 
  • Black History month is celebrated here in the United States, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
  • Xavier University, a historically black college in Louisiana, has one of the highest success rates in the country for getting their graduates into medical school.
  • Halle Berry was the first African American to win an Academy award for Best Actress for her role in Monster's Ball.
  • In 2018, Kobe Bryant became the first athlete and the first black person to win an Oscar for Best Animated Short for his film, Dear Basketball. He was a credited writer for the project.
  • Aretha Franklin was not only the first African American woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but the first woman, period.
  • Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Oscar, was not allowed to attend the national premiere of Gone With The Wind, the film featuring her award-winning performance, because she was black.
  • Quincy Jones is the most Grammy-nominated artist in the history of the awards show with 79 nominations and 27 wins.
  • Nat King Cole was the first African American to reach #1 on the Billboard charts and the first African American to host his own television show.
  • John Mercer Langston became the first African American lawyer in the United States when he passed the bar in 1854. He’s also the great-uncle of famed Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes.
  • Did you enjoy water gun fights as a kid? Well, it’s time to learn about Lonnie Johnson, the man that gave the most famous water gun-“the Super Soaker”. Lonnie was not a toymaker, he was actually an Aerospace engineer for NASA and served with U.S. Airforce, helping to develop the stealth bomber program. In 1991, the Super Soaker hit the shelves and quickly became the No. 1 selling toy in the country, and one of the hottest toys of summer for years. In 1996, he also came up the idea for a toy Nerf launcher. He is quoted as saying “It is about perseverance,” Johnson said. “And the disheartening thing is that, when you come up with a really, really different idea that’s really unique, most people won’t get it. They won’t see the vision that you see. And the only way to make the reality is to persevere; you understand better than anybody what the potential could be.”
  • Jesse Ernest Wilkins Jr., is one of American’s most important contemporary mathematicians. At the young age of only 13, he became the youngest student at the University of Chicago. He remained there working on his studies and earned a bachelor’s, master’s and eventually a doctorate degree at age 19. He has published papers in mathematics, optics, and nuclear engineering. His greatest contribution was the development of mathematical models to explain gamma radiation and his work on developing a protective shielding against gamma radiation.
  • Garrett Morgan is credited with creating a “safety hood” to help firefights navigate smokey buildings that he then modified to carry its own air supply-making it the world’s first effective gas mask. He also developed the third position to stop lights. Stop lights originally only had “stop” and “go” indicators until “caution” was also added to reduce car accidents.
  •  Stevie Wonder is the first Black artist to win a Grammy for Album of the year for his album “Innervisions” in 1973. He is also the first and ONLY musician to win Album of the Year with three consecutive studio albums.
  • In 1981, broadcast journalist Bryant Gumbel became the first Black person to host a network morning show when joined NBC’s Today Show.
  • In 1920, Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall became the first Black athletes to play in the NFL. Pollard also became the NFL’s first Black coach.
 
 The faculty/staff video presentations featured those below and several more:
 
Thurgood Marshall
Nelson Mandela
Hattie McDaniel
Monsignor Ray East
Louis Armstrong
Mae Jemison
Dr. Charles Drew
Neil DeGrasse Tyson
 
 A HUGE thanks to all the staff/faculty that were willing to take the time to make the videos for students to watch and THANK YOU to all the students that participated by reading Black History facts and/or did poetry readings during the announcements; it is much appreciated!!
March is Women's History Month
Look out for daily announcements and events throughout the month of March for Women's History Month, highlighting the impact of women in our community and across our country. Be on the lookout for more information to come.