November 2023 Parent Pride Newsletter |
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Dear JCA Families,
As the leaves change colors and the airs turns crisp, we find ourselves surrounded by the beauty of Fall at Joliet Catholic Academy. November is a time for all of us to be filled with gratitude and celebrate all the gifts God has given us. As a school community, it is easy to come up with a list of things to be grateful for at JCA. The gift of each other is at the top of my list. Our school community is filled with wonderful, generous, and kind students, families, teachers, and staff. Each of you truly make JCA what it is today. We would not have this positive school community without each of you. We are abundantly blessed! Here is a glimpse of what has been happening and what is to come at JCA:
1. Academic Excellence
Our students have been shining in the classroom. Each day the students demonstrate their knowledge, their desire to work hard, and their dedication to their educational goals.
2. Fall Extracurricular Highlights
Our extracurricular activities and sports have had an outstanding Fall! Congratulations to all the members of our clubs and sports teams! We are so proud of each of you! Being involved in activities and sports makes the high school experience more enriching! We all applaud your dedication and diligence!
3. Upcoming Events
You know I will remind you of these events in my weekly “Sunday Scoop”, but we have much to look forward to as we turn the corner on the end of the semester.
Our Fall Play, The Mousetrap, takes place November 16-18, 2023. Be sure to come on out and see what promises to be an outstanding performance by our JCA students!
Grandparents Mass is Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at 9:00a.m. in the Student Activity Center. Freshmen and Sophomores, please invite your grandparents to celebrate this very special mass with us!
Know someone with an 8th grader looking to come join our JCA Family? Help us spread the word about our HSPT Pre-Exam Workshop on November 29, 2023, at 6:00p.m. and our HSPT date on December 2, 2023, at 8:00a.m. As you know, being an Angel or Hilltopper is truly special. We look forward to many Angels and Hilltoppers to come!
Thank you for your continued partnership to make JCA a place where students thrive academically, spiritually, and emotionally. I’d like to wish each of you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving full of blessings! Appreciate the time with your loved ones, count your blessings, and enjoy your turkey!
Blessings,
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Associate Principal's Office |
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Placement Exam for Incoming Freshmen
Joliet Catholic Academy’s Placement Exam will take place on Saturday, December 2nd from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Please encourage all eighth graders you know to take this very important exam and to become part of the JCA family.
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Seniors: Paying for College/Scholarship Search and Updating College Decisions/Career Focus Lessons
Juniors: Test Prep Plan and Strategies/What do you know about College?
Sophomores: Career Exploration/Student Paths and Review of Pre-ACT Data
Freshmen: Good Decision Making/Social Emotional Topic
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The new FAFSA form will be available in December. |
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College Visitation Days are allowed so that students may be better prepared to select a college or university to attend. Please make sure to complete the required Request Form in Naviance, or you may stop in the Counseling Center to pick up a paper form. This form needs to be completed and turned in prior to your visitation day or the absence will not be excused. |
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Throughout the rest of this school year, I will receive scholarship applications from local organizations for seniors to apply for. I will be posting these scholarship opportunities in the Class of ‘24 Advisory Team page in Microsoft Teams. All seniors are members of this Team and will get a notification when I post a scholarship. All senior students and senior parents also have access to a list of local scholarships in Naviance. In addition to these two forms of communication, I will also send an email to all senior parents once a month with a list of scholarship opportunities. If you have questions about local scholarships or your senior needs help with scholarship applications, please reach out me.
Jackie Pullara ’08
College/Career Counselor, Juniors & Seniors L-Z
Student Council Junior Moderator
Joliet Catholic Academy
815-741-0500, ext. 266
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Follow us on social media! |
Twitter: @jcacounseling
Instagram: jca.counseling
Facebook: jcacounseling
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The Spirit Shop will be getting some new items in the shop soon. Keep an eye out on the JCA Spirit Shop Facebook page. Pictures will be posted as they arrive. Spirit Shop hours are as follows for the 2023/2024 school year.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 7:30am - 3:00pm
*when school/classes are in session*
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The Official JCA Athletics Android/iPhone App! This is great for everyone; Alumni, Families, Students, and JCA Fans!
Download today and sign up for notifications!
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Ready or not, sick season is here! The Health Office has seen so many students going home sick and wants to remind everyone of the illness protocols for JCA. If a student has a fever, diarrhea or vomiting, he/she cannot return to school until he/she is symptom free for a full 24 hours without the use of any medications.
Influenza – stay home until you are symptom free for 24 hours without the use of medications. Now, having said this, sometimes you have a lingering cough or respiratory issues that hang around for a while, but you may come to school as long as your major/acute symptoms have subsided. Treatment for the mild flu is rest, fluids and Motrin/ Tylenol for body aches and fever. Your physician may prescribe an antiviral (Tamiflu) if caught early enough or a steroid if respiratory issues are severe. If symptoms are severe or worsen, please see your physician asap.
Rotavirus/Norovirus (also known as the stomach bug)- If you are vomiting or diarrhea, please stay home until you are a full 24 hours free from both symptoms. This one can be a fast spreader so please don’t come back until 24 hours symptom free. Treatment for this is usually rest and electrolyte fluids and the BRAT (bananas, rice applesauce, toast) diet until better.
Strep Throat – Strep is a bacterial infection and needs to be treated with an antibiotic. If you are positive for strep throat, you may return to school 24 hours after starting your antibiotic. Please do not let Strep go untreated. It can lead to more serious health issues.
Hand, Foot, and Mouth (HFM)- It is a virus that becomes a skin rash that is usually seen on the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands and inside the mouth. it resembles small red dots (almost chicken pox like). HFM is extremely contagious for the first week, so please get clearance from your physician before returning to work/school.
Covid- IDPH has not changed their guidelines, so a positive test means stay home for 5 days from either the start of your symptoms or your positive test (whichever comes first). Once the 5 days are up, if you are still positive, then you must wear a mask to school until you are either negative or 5 days (whichever comes first). Treatment for mild covid is Motrin/Tylenol for fever or body aches. If symptoms are severe or worsen, please see your physician asap.
If you are exposed to anyone with the above illnesses, just keep an eye on yourself and symptoms. You do not need to immediately stay home because someone you know has the flu or covid or stomach bug.
In cases of illness or necessary absence, the following procedure is to be followed:
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Phone call: Parents/Guardians must call the Dean’s Office at (815) 741-0585 between 7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. to report a necessary absence on each day of the period of absence.
- JCA Health Office will contact parent/ guardian when appropriate.
- The Dean’s Office will call a parent if no call is received. If no contact is made after one attempt by the Dean’s Office, the absence may be considered a truancy at the discretion of the Dean. A parental phone call only verifies an absence; it does not excuse it.
- If a student is absent for 3 consecutive days without parent contact, proper officials/ law enforcement will be contacted for a family wellness check.
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1200 N. Larkin Avenue
Joliet, IL 60435
P - (815) 741-0500
F - (815) 741-8825
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