SJA News - September 3, 2025

HEADMASTER'S MESSAGE


We’ve begun! A week ago today we officially began our 2025-2026 school year at St. Johnsbury Academy—with a record-breaking 9th grade class, an energetic cohort of new faculty, and a surge of positive energy that has us all feeling the emotion we’re aiming to explore this year as our theme: Optimism Fuels…Opportunity, Innovation, and Connection.

 

When I first encountered St. Johnsbury Academy six years ago, I was moved by the school’s commitment to “deep optimism regarding young people.” Since then, I have seen how this optimism and sense of hope moves our community and is one of its foundational, indispensable values.


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CAMPUS NEWS

Dear St. Johnsbury Academy Families,

 

As part of SJA’s commitment to providing a high-quality, comprehensive education, our school is beginning the process of our decennial reaccreditation with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). A key component of this process is a robust "Self-Study," which includes gathering feedback from our entire school community through confidential surveys.

 

This Family Survey is an opportunity for you to offer feedback on SJA’s strengths and to identify areas where we may improve. Your input helps to shape our self-study and ultimately our continued growth as a school community.


About the Survey

  • Participation: We ask that every family complete one survey, regardless of the number of students currently enrolled at SJA. Our goal is to receive survey feedback from no fewer than 25% of our current families, and ideally, every current SJA family would complete a survey.
  • How to Take the Survey: This is an online survey - please look out for an email with a link to the family survey. Current students will have the opportunity and be encouraged to take a student-specific survey. The surveys are generated and managed by NEASC.  
  • Confidentiality: Your responses are anonymous, so please answer all questions as accurately and honestly as possible. St. Johnsbury Academy does not receive individual responses. Instead, NEASC will compile the data for us.


Timeline and Next Steps

A follow-up email will be sent with a link to the survey and other pertinent details.


Following the survey, our accreditation standard committees will use survey feedback from families, faculty and staff, alumni, and students as we continue our self-reflection. We will share a summary of the findings as part of our accreditation report in the coming months.

 

Thank you in advance for your time and thoughtful participation in this important process. We appreciate your partnership!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, September 10

NEASC/PD Late Start Schedule

10:00 – 10:40 – A Block 

10:45 – 11:25 – B Block 

11:30 – 1:05 – C Block 

1:10 – 1:50 – D Block 

1:55 – 2:35 – E Block 

2:40 – 3:00 – Conference Period


Thursday, September 11

Semester One Meet the Teachers, 6:30 PM


September 15, 16, 18, 19

School Photos, Fuller Hall, 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM

Order envelopes will be sent home the week of September 8.

There is no charge for the yearbook photo.

Email Mr. Legge with questions.

AROUND CAMPUS

Students returned to campus last week to begin the 2025-2026 school year. Photos from the opening week can be viewed here.

Members of the Class of 2026 gathered in the field house parking lot for Senior Sunset last week. The event has become a new tradition, celebrating the beginning of the school year. More photos from the event can be found here.

Mrs. Dedam's 9th-grade students work on their pattern recognition skills as they sketch the "missing window" in the park. Last week, students were answering the question "how can we know about, or learn about things that we can't see?" Recognizing patterns and making informed predictions is an important skill in 9th-grade science.  

Mrs. Fox and her students created a camera obscura in the lobby of Fuller Hall on Tuesday. The light, which comes through a small aperture in the covered window, shows the view from the front porch, including Mr. Bickford, who was outside to make sure students didn't open the door. The projected image is rendered upside down on the wall.

ATHLETICS

Photos from Tuesday's Varsity Soccer home opener can be viewed here.

 
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