September 11, 2019
A Message From The President
Mr. Freund
Dear SJCA Families,
 
Thanks very much to all of you who attended Lancerfest this past Sunday. I enjoyed seeing so many of our Lower Campus families on the Upper Campus school grounds and enjoyed even more seeing so many of our new families at this event. Every time we come together as an entire school community we build bonds that last a lifetime. St. Joseph Catholic Academy truly is a family and it is these family celebrations that keep us all connected. 
 
Please continue to support our community building events. Next week is Lancer Homecoming Week, which includes our all school Grotto Mass with Bishop Haines on Wednesday, the SJCA parade on Friday and culminates with the varsity soccer match and the football game on Saturday.

More details about Homecoming Week can be found later in this newsletter and watch the fast facts as well for daily reminders. Thanks for your patience and good cheer during Homecoming Week. I realize at times it can be busy for families, but the memories our students make during this week really are priceless. I hope to see you all at some of our Homecoming week events and on Saturday, September 21st we cheer on our Lancers.
 
Today, as we honor and remember all of the lives lost, families devastated and hearts broken, 18 years ago on September 11, the importance of shared bonds and community connections truly resonates. Please take a moment to pray for all of those who died, were injured or lost loved ones on that fateful day. While most of our students were not yet born in 2001, at SJCA we will never forget not just the devastation of that day, but also the heroism, the valor and the courage of countless Americans in a time of national tragedy.
 
Again, on behalf of our entire faculty and staff, thank you for entrusting us with your students and thanks for being a part of our SJCA family.
 
Best regards,  
Bob Freund

Middle School News
Mr. Rizzo
Dear Middle School Families,
 
Today is Patriot Day.
Patriot Day is recognized as the official day of remembrance for the tragic events that occurred on September 11, 2001. Many brave men and women risked their lives to help the victims.  With gratitude, we honor the brave first responders, resolute members of our military, and ordinary Americans who showed extraordinary courage to save others on that fateful day. 
 
Today, I ask that we pray for the survivors who still bear physical and emotional wounds and for the families who lost loved ones. Additionally, I ask that we pray for the members of our Armed Forces who risk their lives in service to our country and for the first responders who work tirelessly to ensure the safety of others. To expand on the importance of Patriot Day, if you have not done so already, I am asking that we all take a moment to honor those we lost on 9/11 and to reflect on the blessings we should cherish each day. 
 
Homecoming
Next week, September 16th-21st, is Homecoming Week at SJCA. This is a memorable time that enables our students, staff, families, and community members to celebrate our amazing school. During this week, we will have a variety of exciting activities for our Middle School students to enjoy. From a pep rally, spirit dress-up days and parade to extracurricular events at our Lincoln Park Day and, of course, our Grotto celebration, our Middle School Students will experience a week of fun-filled spirit. 
 
There are a lot of activities during Homecoming Week. Please click here for details.
 
LancerFest
Lastly, I would like to thank all of the students, parents and family members that attended LancerFest last weekend. It was nice seeing so many of you at this great event!  
 
God Bless,
Mr. Rizzo
Every Kid, Every Day!

Lower Campus News
Mrs. Santarelli
Dear SJCA Elementary Families, 
 
Thanks to everyone who attended the Curriculum Night last night. We are so blessed to have such dedicated faculty and families working closely together to support student education. I will announce the classroom Popcorn Party winners later this week.  
 
The most rewarding part of my job is really getting to know our students and seeing them grow, mature and develop. Every year, I have the privilege of meeting our littlest learners and then watching them blossom over the next several years into the fifth graders who lead our school as student councilors, safety patrol members, athletes, altar servers, lectors, mentors and big buddies. 

This week I started my monthly  Principal Read Aloud  where I join the classrooms, share one of my favorite stories, and get to meet our students in a different setting. It's truly one of my favorite times with students. The book I chose this month is  "When PENCIL met ERASER"  by Karen Kilpatrick and Luis O. Ramos Jr. It's the true story of how Pencil and Eraser became the best of friends through learning to try new things, seeing the sky through the trees, and building lasting friends by having someone to help you erase mistakes.  All year long, I plan to carve out time to go into each classroom specifically to read to the students, to meet with them in small groups, spend time with them at recess and in the lunchroom. This intentional time with students is very important to me as it allows me to continue building strong relationships with all the students in our building.

As we look ahead to future events please mark the following dates on your calendar:
  • Homecoming Parade on Friday, September 20th, 3:00 p.m. Lincoln Blvd.
  • Homecoming Soccer Game on Saturday, September 21st @ 10:00 a.m., Ameche Field
  • Homecoming Football Game on Saturday, September 21st @ 1:00 p.m., Ameche Field
  • Grandparents Day - Friday, October 18th 
  • No School - Friday, October 11th or Friday, October 25th
 
As always, thank you for supporting our efforts here at SJCA.   
 
Blessings,
Mrs. Santarelli
National Merit Scholarship News
Congratulations to senior Michael Pienkos who was recognized this week as a National Merit semifinalis t, one of the most prestigious academic honors for high school seniors. In the fall of 2018, over 1.5 million high school juniors across the nation took Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test to enter the academic competition process. The highest-scoring students in each state are named National Merit semifinalists and represent the top 1% of United States high school seniors. Please wish Michael luck as he continues in this academic competition with the hope of being named a National Merit finalist and earning scholarship awards in the spring. Michael is one of only two seniors in the Kenosha area to be distinguished with this award.

Also, please congratulate senior Valentin Iaquinta who received a Letter of Commendation from the National Merit scholarship corporation in recognition of his outstanding academic promise. Commended students are in the top 2-3% of seniors in the nation. While Commended students do not continue in the PSAT/NMSQT competition, some of these students do become candidates for Special Scholarships. 

Highway to Homecoming
SJCA homecoming week is Monday 9/16 - Saturday, 9/21.

The Homecoming Parade will be on Friday, September 20th at 3 p.m.

Homecoming Soccer Game is on Saturday, September 21st at 10 a.m. and the Football Game is at 1 p.m. Both will be at Ameche field located across from Tremper High School at 8701 26th Ave, Kenosha, WI 53143.

Click here for Homecoming permission slips, activities and other important information.
J-Term Space Camp News
Due to limited interest, we have decided to not offer a J-Term Space Camp trip this year. We do, however, have every intention of planning a trip to Space Camp during J-Term in January 2021.

Thank you to all who took the time to fill out the interest survey.
Lower Campus News
Lower Campus Coding Club
Registration Now Open
There are only a few spots remaining in Coding Club, so if your student is interested, please register him or her today. Coding Club Session 1 runs 10 weeks. The cost is $100 for the session. The club meets on Tuesdays in Mrs. Rondeau's Classroom from 2:45 - 4:15 p.m.

Session 1 Dates:
  • September 17, 24
  • October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
  • November 5, 12, 19

For more information, or to register for the club, please click here .
LOWER CAMPUS Picture day for our preschool through 5th graders is on Monday, September 23rd.

Please note that students must be in uniform .

To pre-order pictures, and choose the background and style of pictures, please click here .