SJCA Lion Line OP - September 2025

As we enter our third week of the year, allow me to say I am excited to see the work our teachers are putting in with our scholars. Routines and schedules are important and help our scholars get comfortable knowing what to expect and how to perform in class and around campus. Our teachers have been sharing their classroom routines, daily schedule, and expectations. These result in a well-ordered classroom and a peaceful learning environment.

Our scholars will be conducting their Performance Monitoring 1 (PM1) testing during September. Take time to look at the testing schedule in this edition.

We have six new portables onsite. Once our permit is received, it will be 4-6 weeks before occupancy. We are excited to be growing, not just with the new grade level and portables, but also starting the process of growing a culture of sports. Follow the opportunities that will be highlighted monthly in the Lion Line.

If you have a K-2 scholar, please help them tuck in their shirts daily. They have not mastered this important skill yet but will with time. In the meantime, be there for them.

Thanks again for your continued support and as always, Go Lions!

We are preparing for the first round of state testing for our scholars. Florida’s assessments are progress monitoring (PM) assessments. This first PM will let teachers see where their scholars currently are in ELA and Math and track their growth over the school year in PM2 and PM3.

We will also utilize the 5th grade Science and Algebra 1 assessments provided by the Clay County School District, due to the state not offering a PM1 assessment for these state tested subjects.

All we ask of our scholars is to put forth their best effort. We encourage scholars to be in class the day of their PM testing to preserve class instruction time. Any scholar that is absent the day of their PM assessment will be pulled for makeups on a non-testing day.

We encourage all scholars to get a good night's rest the night before and a hearty breakfast the morning of.

At the Board of Directors meeting on August 28, the board approved a uniform addition. Boys in grades 7-12 are now allowed to wear the Lands' End navy blue shorts or pants, in addition to the previously-approved Lands' End khaki pants or shorts.

Please note, the navy blue pants are not allowed on formal days.

In addition, we'd like to make a clarification. The yellow PE shirt pictured below is the shirt all scholars will wear throughout grades 7-12. Scholars will not earn different shirts.

At SJCA, scholars wear uniforms to eliminate distractions, to level the playing field, and to remind ourselves that we are doing important work.

The spirit of the uniform policy is that scholars will dress and groom themselves in a manner that is traditional, not obstructive, and not distracting. Scholars must be in uniform in order to attend class.

In order to preserve classroom instruction, scholars will no longer be sent to the office to call their parents when there is a uniform violation. Starting September 2, 2025, teachers will place uniform violations into a Uniform Tracker.

The Dean of Students will send out a daily notification to parents to inform them of the violation and the proper expectation according to the Family and Scholar Handbook. The following process will be in place for violations:

• 1st Violation: Blackboard text, email, and app notification
• 2nd Violation: Blackboard text, email, and app notification
• 3rd Violation: Blackboard text, email, and app notification
• 4th Violation: Parent phone call
• 5th Violation: Referral
• Any Additional Violations: Referral

The goal of this new process is to preserve classroom instruction and to ensure the uniform policy is upheld.

Due to the intensity and richness of our curriculum, scholars are expected to arrive to school on time and have very few absences.

SJCA discourages vacations and trips taken during the school year. SJCA also discourages doctors’ and other appointments when avoidable.

Please review our policies on attendance, late arrivals, and early pick-ups.

Absences

If a scholar receives more than nine unexcused absences in one school year, they may be immediately dismissed to their zoned school at the discretion of the Headmaster.

Tardies

Three unexcused tardies will be considered one unexcused absence. In order to avoid being marked as tardy, K-7 scholars must be in their classroom by 8:00am.

Early dismissals

Three unexcused early dismissals will be considered one unexcused absence. To avoid carline interruptions, pick-ups must be done before 2:00pm (12:00pm on Wednesday).

Excused absences

The following will be considered excused absences:

• Religious holidays
• Medical reasons
• Mental or emotional disabilities
• Pre-arranged absences of an educational nature that are approved by the Headmaster
• Attendance at any school-sponsored activity
• Bereavement (Notify the school if absence will extend beyond three days)

Proof of excused absences

SJCA requires suitable proof of excused absences which may include, among other forms of documentation, written statements from medical professionals.

Scholars may turn in an illness letter from a parent three times prior to requiring a doctor’s note, at the Headmaster's discretion. If a scholar does not provide legitimate, written documentation, within three days of return to school, the absence will be considered unexcused.

For more information, please see page 31-32 in our Family and Scholar Handbook.

If you ask your scholar what this term means, they will tell you that it means "being close to but not touching an item.” This phrase is applied to sitting at their desk, walking in the hallways, standing in line, and writing their letters.

At the parent level, "comfortably close, but not touching" applies also to closing the gap between cars in carline, without touching. The close alignment of cars during carline helps us get more cars off Kingsley Avenue.

There has been a reduction in the number of cars in the bike lane on Kingsley. Thank you and let’s continue that trend.

We appreciate your help in contributing to the improvement of our carline procedures.

Join us for Open House. The event gives parents a chance to visit their scholar's classroom and hear from their teacher(s).

Please note, we have made a schedule change for grade 7. Parents and scholars should arrive at 6:30pm and meet their teachers in the cafeteria.

We are working to organize a Parent Faculty Association on campus and would like to encourage those who are interested in volunteering to join us for an upcoming meeting.

Is your scholar interested in joining the Chorus or Orchestra Club? If so, please fill out the interest forms below and Mr. Garand will be in touch with more details.

Questions: james.garand@stjca.org

In an effort to begin our own athletics program, we're offering after-school sports camps. Each month, or "session," scholars will participate in a different sport. Each session is $40, which is paid through MySchoolBucks.

Start date: September 2

We're hosting a Chick-fil-A Spirit Night on September 25. Make plans to stop by for dinner and support SJCA-OP while you're there.

We may only be a few weeks into the school year, but our Lost and Found is already growing.

Please take a moment to label your scholar's belongings, especially jackets, sweaters, and water bottles.

If you have older scholars, remind them to check the Lost and Found if they're missing an item. If you have younger scholars, parents may check the Lost and Found during regular office hours.

Do you know anyone interested in enrolling their scholars at St. Johns Classical Academy Orange Park? If so, encourage them to come out for a Community Information Night, where we'll talk about our school, the benefits of a classical education, and what sets us apart from other educational options.

We'd like to invite families to complete a Level II Background Check, which is required if you plan to volunteer on campus or attend a field trip this year.

While you can visit campus for events, award ceremonies, or to eat lunch with your scholar without this clearance, if you plan to volunteer or attend a field trip, you must complete the Level II Background Check. The background check requires fingerprinting and lasts for five years.

The process can take several weeks to complete, so we encourage family members to begin this process as soon as possible.

Please note, if you have already been fingerprinted through the school's vendor in the last year or two, you do not need to repeat this process.

If you are interested in completing a background check, here's how it works:

• Visit the website and fill out the form provided.

• You'll receive an email with next steps.

• Pay for your five-year prints and attend your appointment.

• You'll receive an email when you're cleared.

• Once cleared, you can attend field trips and will receive emails about volunteer opportunities on campus.

You'll see a list of FAQs on the website too, which covers the reason behind the policy, cost, and the use of volunteer t-shirts on campus. If you have questions, please reach out to HR@stjca.org.

If you haven't done so already, please complete the purchase of several required items on MySchoolBucks.

Spirit Days

The last Friday of every month is a spirit day. To participate in spirit days, we ask each scholar, K-7, to donate $2, which enables them to wear approved spirit t-shirts. We'll provide the spirit wear guide as we get closer to our first spirit day, but you can pay for all 10 spirit days through MySchoolBucks for a one-time fee of $20. Funds raised are used to support teacher appreciation events.

Planners

All scholars, K-7, are required to purchase a planner. Planners are purchased through MySchoolBucks for $10 and are delivered to your scholar's classroom.

Co-curricular supply fee

All K-6 scholars are required to pay a $10 co-curricular supply fee to help offset the cost of supplies used in class.

Please make sure all water bottles have a snap lid or screw top so water cannot spill when tipped upside down. Water bottles with straws are not allowed, even if they have "straw toppers." Please see the examples below.

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

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

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

Take a look at a few pictures from our Kindergarten Gathering on the first day of school. We welcomed 75 young Lions to our campus, who represent the future class of 2037.

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 anytime. A downloadable training presentation about this tool is available on our website, under FortifyFL.