November 2024 Parent Pride Newsletter

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 God has given us. Fall is a season of transformation, and much like the vibrant colors of the trees, our school is buzzing with new opportunities for growth, learning, and community engagement. Our school community is filled with wonderful, kind students, families, teachers, and staff. Each of you truly make JCA what it is today. 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 thriving in the classroom. Each day the students demonstrate their knowledge, their desire to work hard, and their dedication to their educational ambitions.

2.    Fall Extracurricular Highlights

Our extracurricular activities and sports have had an outstanding Fall so far! 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 that much more enriching! Keep up the great work, Angels and Hilltoppers!

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 Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), takes place November 21-23, 2024. Be sure to come on out and see what promises to be an outstanding performance by our JCA students!

Grandparents Mass is Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at 11:00 a.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 8^th grader looking to come join our JCA Family? Help us spread the word about our Pre-Entrance Exam Workshop on December 4, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. and our Entrance Exam date on December 7, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. As you know, being an Angel or Hilltopper is truly special. We look forward to the 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,

Placement Exam for Incoming Freshmen

Joliet Catholic Academy’s Placement Exam will take place on 

Saturday, December 7th 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.

For more information, contact the Admissions Office at 815.741.0500 or admissions@jca-online.org.

Naviance Night – November 6th

On Wednesday, November 6^th the Counseling Department will host a Naviance Parent Workshop at 6:00 p.m.in the IRC. The workshop is informal in nature and designed for parents who are interested in learning how to navigate the Naviance site. We will discuss and share the best ways to use Naviance as a tool for college and career readiness. 

Because we will use our tech lab/IRC desktops for the workshop, we ask you to please RSVP, so that we can plan accordingly.

The link for registration for this workshop is included below. The RSVP date is Monday, November 4.

https://forms.office.com/r/jWRbimGK0L

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your child’s school counselor.



Kris Horn (khorn@jca-online.org) 

Mickey Palmasani (mpalmasani@jca-online.org)

Jackie Pullara (jpullara@kca-online.org)

Kerri Voltz (kvoltz@jca-online.org)

Senior Parents 

Throughout the rest of this school year, the Counseling Department will receive scholarship applications from local organizations for seniors to apply for. Jackie Pullara will be posting these scholarship opportunities in the Class of ‘25 Advisory Team page in Microsoft Teams. All seniors are members of this Team and will get a notification when a scholarship is posted. 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, Jackie 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 to the Counseling Department.  

FAFSA

For parents of seniors, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will open December 1^st. Prior to December 1^st, it is recommended that parents and students create studentaid.gov accounts. Please visit this site to create an account: Create Account | Federal Student Aid. Reminder-Both parents and student need to create separate accounts. 

Advisory Topics

Seniors: Paying for College/Scholarship Search and Updating College Decisions/Career Focus Lessons

Juniors: Factors in College Admissions

Sophomores: Career Exploration/Student Paths and Review of Pre-ACT Data

Freshmen: Good Decision Making/Social Emotional Topic/Student Paths Survey

College Visit Requests

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.

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.

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:  

·       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. 

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 Swinton, 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! Please contact Mrs. Christine Voss with questions and for reservations: cvoss@jca-online.org.