November 13, 2019
A Message From The President
Mr. Freund
Dear SJCA Families,
 
Today over 900 people filled the Madrigrano Gym at SJCA’s Upper Campus for our annual Veterans Day Mass. It is always a special time when we come together in Christ to celebrate Mass as a school community. It is even more special when we honor those who answered the call to serve and protect our nation and our freedom. Thank you to all the veterans and active military members of the St. Joseph Catholic Academy family. A special thank you to SJCA parent Chief Petty Officer Erik M. Peterson who so eloquently spoke about his military experience at Mass today.

After today’s special Mass, our senior class spent a few hours with their Lower Campus Buddies. New this year, this Buddy program truly exemplifies the unique spirit of our school community. Just last week, our Lower Campus students sent prayers and letters of encouragement to our seniors as they attended their class retreat. Today, the Buddies connected over lunch, recess and a special presentation with the 4th and 5th graders. These moments of connection are deep, heartfelt and truly beneficial to both the younger and older students.
Finally, thank you to everyone who supported our Annual Auction on Saturday night. The Auction not only raises funds that are instrumental for our school’s success, but it also provides yet another opportunity for our school family to come together as one. 

Best regards, 
Bob Freund
Middle School News
Mr. Rizzo
SJCA Middle School Families,
 
What a great night had by all at our Auction this past weekend! A special thank you to Pauline McTernan, the Auction Committee and our outstanding Development office staff. Without their tireless efforts, our biggest fundraising event would not be possible. And, thank you to all of our parent/staff/student volunteers, as well. It’s a beautiful sight to see when so many people come together for our School. SJCA is a very special place for sure!  
 
Pray, Thank, Remember
To all of our Veterans, thank you for your service. For many of us, Veteran’s Day is a much deserved day to thank and celebrate our Veterans. And, today, at our all-school, Veteran’s Day Mass, we gave the time and respect to our Veterans to do just that. Reverend Michael Callea said Mass, and offered a wonderful homily about peace and justice, and giving thanks to our Veterans. 
 
Today’s Mass was definitely a sight to see. It is always a special day each and every time our Upper and Lower Campuses come together to celebrate our faith. Having Veteran’s join us today made this special occasion much more special. And, with all of us being together, I could not help but to reflect on our Veteran’s undying commitment to serve our country and the sacrifices they have made and continue to make so that I/we can share in a day, a moment or a prayer of our faith. Thank you!
 
Middle School – Fun Night!
Calling all future Middle School (current 4th - 7th grades) students who are interested in coming to SJCA for Middle School!  Our Middle School Fun Night is planned for this Thursday night, November 14 th  from 6-7:30 pm at our Upper Campus.  There will be interactive stations set up where our future students will have an opportunity to participate in some fun activities while their parents hear about the Middle School. We also plan to have a volleyball net set up and basketball games going on in the Gym during this time. Snacks will be provided, and each of our future students will receive a small gift bag for attending. For more information, you can call Jen Santelli and/or Molly Ryan, SJCA Admissions Directors, at 654-8651 x 104.   Help spread the word!   
  
2nd Annual First Responders Breakfast
St. Joseph Catholic Academy’s Middle School would like to show our appreciation for all that our First Responders do for our community! Please help us spread the word for our local First Responders to join us for pastries, coffee, games and conversation on Friday, November 22nd from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at SJCA’s Upper Campus Cafeteria. #ThankYouFirstResponders
 
God Bless,
Mr. Rizzo
Every Kid, Every Day
Lower Campus News
Mrs. Santarelli

Dear Parents,

The Lancer Value for the month of November is GENEROSITY. At SJCA we teach our students the importance of sharing our God given gifts and talents with others. We continue to remind our students the value in helping others through our service, kindness, and caring for all of God's creation.  
 
Thank you to all of those who supported our Annual Auction last Saturday night. Whether you sold raffle tickets, volunteered, donated to a class project or bid on items, your generosity really does make a difference in the lives of our students and our teachers. We are extremely grateful for your continued support of SJCA.
 
I hope your family has decided to participate in the November Family Engagement activity. "No-Tech-November." A flyer was sent home in the Wednesday folder last week explaining the details and opportunities for individual and classroom prizes. When I asked the student body on Monday who was participating I was surprised to see so few upper-class students participating.  Turn off the tech and talk to your kids. I am sure you'll be surprised by what you learn from them by listening to them.   
 
Every day at St. Joseph Catholic Academy we have the privilege to help shape the future for all the students in our care. Every day isn't always perfect and may not always go exactly as planned, but I can say with confidence that we are building scholars, leaders, and stewards who will transform the world.  Thank you for being our partners on this educational journey.
 
Blessings, 
Mrs. Santarelli
Middle School Fun Night

Bring your student and some friends to join us for a  Middle School Fun Night on Thursday, November 14th from 6-7:30 p.m.  in the Upper Campus gym. While your children and their friends are enjoying sports, science, art and engineering activities in the gym, we are hosting an informational session about SJCA Middle School. This is a great way for our current 4th and 5th grade families to learn more about our middle school!

Lower Campus Mitten Drive
As we enter the Season of Advent, the Lower Campus Student Council leaders are getting ready to lead a collection for those less fortunate in our community by asking for donations for the MITTEN TREE.

Students are looking for brand new items to decorate the tree; hats, mittens, scarves, caps, earmuffs, gloves and socks. The tree will be up by Wednesday November 20th in the Main Office and we will be ready for gifts that day. We will be collecting items until Friday, December 6th. Shown here is last year's Mitten Tree.

All items will be boxed up and taken to St. Mark's altar for a blessing the weekend of December 7/8th and will be distributed through the Circle of Friends, sponsored by St. Mark, St. Mary, and St. Elizabeth parishes on Sunday December 15th.

Thank you for sharing so generously during this Season of Giving! 
Spring Musical Auditions
We are pleased to announce the audition dates for the spring musical BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. This musical is open to all SJCA students in grades 6 - 12.
 
Auditions for cast and stage crew are on Saturday, November 30th at 1 p.m. at the SJCA Upper Campus Auditorium. Please enter Door #13.

* For students who are out of town, please contact Ms. Seidl at the email listed below.
* If you're student will be auditioning, please register him or her by clicking here .
* For details on auditions, show times, and more, please click here.  
 
For questions, please contact Julie Seidl, SJCA Theater Director, at  julieseidl@sjcawi.org.  
Toy Drive
On December 7th, the annual SJCA Community Outreach program will be held at the Upper Campus. Last year, SJCA hosted over 600 people at this event and gifts were given to over 400 children. We ask that our families consider blessing a local child with a gift. For many of our guests, this may be the only gift they receive this Christmas.
 
New gifts can be brought to the Upper Campus Main Office beginning on Monday, November 18th. Items should not be wrapped because we need to sort them accordingly. We will, however, gladly accept wrapping supplies. Please, no clothing, boots, or stuffed animals
  • Middle School - ages 0-8
  • High School - ages 9-18
  • Staff - any age

We are excited to announce a gift registry at Target. You can purchase the item online and simply send it to SJCA. Please use the link below.

Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity in making this annual event a success for those in need. For questions, please contact Mrs. Hantke by  clicking here .
Junior Class Civics Test
The Wisconsin Civics Test will be given on Wednesday, December 11th to ALL juniors. This is in compliance with a state law that mandates all high school students pass a Civics test in order to graduate from a Wisconsin high school. Students who do not initially pass will be offered additional opportunities to retake the test. 

For students who need practice, please click the links below.
  • Quizlet - Click here
  • The Naturalization test - Click here
  • Test Questions and Answers - Click here
For questions, please contact Mrs. Peterson by  clicking here .
 
Junior Class ACT Preparation
Beginning on Monday, November 18th, SJCA will be offering ACT prep twice a week for our Junior class during Study Hall. Every Monday and Thursday, members of the SJCA faculty will coach our students on both content and strategies to master the various sections of the ACT. Our hope is that the juniors will use these sessions to improve on their PreACT scores when they sit for the state-wide ACT exam in March.

These sessions are highly encouraged for all juniors who have available study hall time. For those juniors who do not have free study hall time, please seriously consider taking one or two sections of ACT Prep during J-Term, particularly in areas where you feel your student needs support. Currently this program is only for juniors.

Please read the Fast Facts to see which subject students will be working on during ACT prep on Mondays and Thursdays.

If you have any questions regarding ACT prep, please contact Mrs. McKeon at lmckeon@sjcawi.org
Safeguarding Class for Volunteers
SAFEGUARDING GOD'S FAMILY/Safe Environment classes are mandatory for any adult who wants to volunteer/work in any capacity with children at SJCA. Upcoming sessions are listed below. 

Local Safeguarding Classes will be held the next two weeks at the following locations:  
  • ST. MARY PARISH, 7300 39th Ave, Kenosha, on Thursday, November 14th at 6 p.m. 
  • ST. RICHARD PARISH, 1509 Grand Ave, Racine, on Thursday, November 21 at 6 p.m. 
  • Click here to register for either of these sessions.

For questions, please contact Deanna Foley, SJCA HR Director, by  clicking here.   
Lower Campus "Breakfast with Your Bunch!"