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Our teachers and staff work hard everyday to educate, inspire, and uplift our scholars, which is why I'm so excited to help select a Teacher of the Year and a Support Staff of the Year.

This year, the process is a bit different than it has been in the past. We've asked faculty and staff to nominate a teacher in grammar school, a teacher in upper school, and a member of our support staff.

Nominations are in, and I'm overjoyed to share our finalists with you:

Teacher of the Year Nominees - Upper School:

• Mrs. Cosme
• Mrs. Crosby
• Mrs. Kiep
• Mr. Shoaf

Teacher of the Year Nominees - Grammar School:

• Mrs. Kujawa
• Mrs. Melquist
• Mrs. Rabino
• Mrs. Stuart

Support Staff of the Year Nominees:

• Mrs. Dasher
• Mrs. Phillips

Finalists will now move into an interview phase. A small panel of our leadership team will interview each candidate, weigh his or her accomplishments and contributions to SJCA, and select one winner for each category.

A similar process is taking place on the Orange Park campus.

The winners from both the FI and OP campus will be announced at a special dinner on February 28; something we're doing for the first time. The dinner gives us a chance to ensure that we celebrate everyone's hard work and dedication to our wonderful school.

We know the selection process will be tough as we have so many amazing teachers and support staff. We are so fortunate to have such dedicated faculty and staff on our campus, and I look forward to showing them how much they're appreciated.

Stay tuned to hear the winners!

Carole McCullough

Head of School

Reminder: School is closed on Monday.

Our Lions Winter Gala was our biggest success yet! The event and auctions raised $15,000, which will go towards Lions Council Teacher Appreciation Week, Fine Arts Booster Club, the senior class Grad Bash, and junior/senior prom.

If you came to the event, thank you for supporting the school and its mission.

As you can imagine, putting on an event of this size and caliber takes many people. The Lions Council extends its sincerest thanks to everyone who helped make this night possible. Scholars played music, performed, and served dinner. Teachers devoted time to set up, train our student servers, and speak at the event. Lions Council committee members and volunteers managed an enormous amount of logistics and executed the event with grace and precision. Again, thank you to all of those involved in this successful event.

Below are several pictures from the Lions Winter Gala, including pictures of our guest speaker, Congressman Aaron Bean and our Head of School Carole McCullough.

Please do not park and wait for carline on Admirals Inlet off of Old Hard Road. The school has received complaints from neighbors about an excessive number of cars waiting on this side street.

Please note, several picture days are coming up in February.

On 2/19, all SJCA athletes will have their picture taken for the yearbook. Please wear your jersey for pictures and return them after.

If you'd like to order a copy of the class photo, you may do so at Leonards.com/order.

Tickets for the annual Father Daughter Dance are on sale now. The dance will take place on March 29 at the Orange Park Campus.

If you have any stuffed animals that you'd like to donate, the National Junior Honor Society is collecting them through the month of February.

Donations can be placed in the pink hamper outside of Mrs. McCullough's office or given to teachers.

Questions: Carmen.burgess@stjca.org

Mark your calendars for the inaugural Post High School Retreat & Fair.

During the school day on March 4, juniors will meet with their academic advisors for a post high school retreat (periods 1-3) to learn about future options.

At night, scholars are encouraged to return to campus with their parents to visit various post high school tables that represent colleges, trade schools, community colleges, and the military.

Light refreshments will be provided by the Lions Council.

Please RSVP using the form below.

Abigail A

Hillsdale College

Liberty University

Southeastern University

Jacob B

University of Alabama

University of North Florida

Cassandra C

Franciscan University

Benedictine College

St. Thomas University

San Ambrose University

Santa Fe College

Ave Maria University

Flagler College

Matthew D

Liberty University

Kiah D

Hillsdale College

Madison G

University of North Florida

Gage J

University of North Florida

Grace M

Ave Maria University

University of Dallas

Florida State University

Isabella R

University of Central Florida

Florida International University

Florida State University

University of Florida

Landon S

University of North Florida

Cole W

South Eastern University

Our upper school Drama Club is hard at work rehearsing for the upcoming spring musical, Fiddler on the Roof, Jr! Mrs. Kiep and Mrs. Crosby are so impressed with our thespian scholars. This will be a production you don't want to miss!

Mark your calendar now for February 21-23 at the Orange Park campus stage.

The SJCA Fine Arts Department has a full line up of events coming your way. Please mark your calendars and come out to support our wonderful scholars.

The American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge forms went home on January 28. You can sign up and raise $150 before Feb 10 to receive a key chain. If you raise $300, you'll receive a car line sign.

Congratulations to our Roaring Lions cheer team for another championship season.

Head to Jeremiah's for a sweet treat and support our boys basketball team at the same time.

The girls and boy basketball team and coaches are invited to a Winter Sports Banquet at the end of the month. We'll acknowledge the players and coaches while celebrating their commitment to the team.

After gauging interest in soccer through our camp in January, SJCA plans to field a 7v7 boys middle school soccer team.

SJCA will host soccer try outs over the course of three days at the end of February. If your scholar plans to try out, plan for them to attend all three days.

You can wish your scholar a happy birthday on SJCA's outdoor sign. If you're interested, go to MySchoolBucks and register at least TWO WEEKS BEFORE your scholar's birthday. The cost is $20. The birthday announcement will run from 6:00am to 6:00pm on your scholar's birthday.

All funds raised benefit SJCA Athletics and PE.

The Athletics Department and The National Honor Society will host SJCA's Inaugural Color Run. Don't miss out on the fun! Parents are welcome to run too.

Early Bird Registration is $25/participant, which includes a t-shirt and a medal.

Late Registration is $35/participant, which begins February 26th.

Grades K-1 ~ One lap run

Grades 2-12 ~ Two mile run

Food and concessions will be on site for purchase.

If you'd like to make an additional donation to the event or would like to ask family members to contribute, please do so using this site.

To register, pay on MySchoolBucks first (use the QR code), then register your number using the link below.

Points of Contact: Coach Sage: matthew.sage@stjca.org or Mrs. Cosme: anamaria.cosme@stjca.org.

In Mrs. Mequist's third grade classroom, scholars experimented with ice water and vegetable shortening to examine how having a thick layer of blubber is an advantage to animals in arctic habitats. This prompted discussion about different animals and their specific adaptations that fit their environment and habitats.

The SJCA Yearbook Staff is looking for pictures of sporting events, field trips, and on-campus activities. If you have pictures to share, please email them, along with a description, to: editor@stjca.org.

Last year, our Safety Patrols led an inspiring philanthropy project that collected and delivered supplies to a remote Indigenous tribe on the Pacific coast of Panama. SJCA teachers traveled to the village to personally hand these supplies over, making a meaningful impact. We are excited to announce that we are scheduled to return this spring break for another trip.

This year, let’s continue “Doing the Good” by helping the Safety Patrol bless this community with the supplies they need. We’ve been in touch with the tribe's chief and teacher, and they’ve provided a list of items they are currently in need of. If you can, please donate:

• School supplies: modeling clay, notebooks, binders, filler paper
• Coloring books
• Outdoor play equipment: soccer balls, basketballs, footballs, baseballs, volleyballs, kickballs, etc.
• Children’s bikes or scooters (gently used are welcome)
• Learning materials in Spanish: books, posters, etc.

For more details about our trip and to learn more about the Embera Tribe, please join our Google Classroom using the code: jpa52pl

If you have any questions about the donations, feel free to reach out to Mrs. Hancock at liberty.hancock@stjca.org

Let’s continue to make a positive impact by “Doing the Good” together!

Pictured below are three of our teachers who visited the tribe last year.

If you're interested in serving on the Lions Council Executive Committee, the application process is open to all. If you're interested, please fill out the form below and return it to school, c/o Ms. Perez.

✅ If you need or want to set limits on spending, please contact Lunch@stjca.org.

✅ To view your lunch account(s) and add funds, please visit: http://www.myschoolbucks.com/.

✅ If you would like to check your eligibility for Free/Reduced Lunch, please click HERE.

Please note, we've made changes to Wednesday's co-curricular schedule. These changes are effective for the rest of the school year.

The Lost and Found is full of items. If your scholar is missing any items, please encourage them to check the Lost and Found, located in the cafeteria. Parents may come on campus to check for items before and after school.

Volunteers will work to return items with names on them.

Any items not claimed by February 21 will be donated.

FortifyFL is a suspicious activity reporting tool that allows you to instantly relay information to appropriate law enforcement agencies and school officials. You can submit a tip at any time.