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This week, the Deans are taking over the Head of School's message to wish our fabulous Mrs. McCullough a very Happy Birthday today!

In true Mrs. McCullough fashion, we surprised her by showing up dressed just like her! Pearls, pink, heels, and Diet Cokes in hand, we did our best to channel the one and only Mrs. McCullough!

While we had so much fun celebrating her, we also want to take a moment to share just how much she means to our SJCA family. Mrs. McCullough is a constant source of encouragement, support, and positivity for our faculty, staff, and scholars. She is truly a light on our campus, and her love for our school family shines through in everything she does.

She leads with her heart, and we feel that love every single day. We are so grateful for her leadership, her kindness, and the joy she brings to SJCA.

Happy Birthday, Mrs. McCullough! We love you and hope your day is as fabulous as you are!

Warmly,

Mrs. Melquist & Mrs. Patterson

Scholars took turns being the chef/server while their classmates were the customers. Each customer placed an “order” using a recipe card, and the chef had to carefully count the correct number of bears, cubes, shapes, and counting chips to serve on their plate.

Mrs. Thornbury’s first graders traveled back in time to Ancient Egypt as they explored the fascinating world of hieroglyphics! Scholars learned how the Ancient Egyptians used symbols to represent sounds and words, then put their knowledge into practice by carving their own hieroglyphics. What a wonderful way to bring history to life through hands-on learning!

Mrs. Morrison’s 5th grade science class had a sweet time exploring the rock cycle!

Using Airheads, students modeled how sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks form. They began by tearing the Airheads into small pieces to represent sediment, then molded the pieces together to simulate sedimentary rock.

Next, they applied heat and pressure with their hands to create metamorphic rock. Finally, they used the microwave to simulate melting into magma and forming igneous rock as it cooled.

Students had a blast getting hands-on with science while learning how rocks change from one type to another. It was a fun, memorable lab that brought the rock cycle to life!

Classical education differs in many ways from more recent forms of public education, but one that most confuses people is our requirement that all scholars take Latin.

Our reasons for Latin are both practical and mission driven.

Latin provides real world benefits. Because about 60% of English words come from Latin roots, studying Latin drastically improves English vocabulary and through those improvements Latin increases standardized test scores more than other foreign languages by a significant margin. Since the American legal and medical fields use terminology closely based on Latin it yields massive benefits for any scholar who intends to study either one. Due to these factors, the top private schools in America all have in common thriving Latin programs.

In addition to the practical advantages, Latin plays a central role in the classical education mission. Latin has been a required course in the USA for hundreds of years, including for scholars aiming at Harvard in the 1800s and those using the Roman-rooted curriculum Thomas Jefferson designed for the University of Virginia. The very term “classical” implies roots in ancient Rome and Greece, and with Latin our scholars read primary sources in their original language.

Through Latin we offer an elite level education to all citizens; we link our nation’s past to its future.

Written by: Mr. Seth Boutin / Latin Department Chair

Last week, we celebrated National School Lunch Week with our "Circus Time" theme, and what

a week it was!

Our lunch vendor, SLA, put on a whole circus for our scholars this week! Our scholars were greeted by our amazing serving staff sporting silly hats, colorful clown wigs, and even a staff member riding Dumbo. Every time a scholar purchased lunch, their class earned an entry into a drawing for a pizza party.

And the winner is… Mrs. Caskey’s 5th grade class!

A huge thank-you to our incredible food service team for bringing the circus fun to lunchtime and making National School Lunch Week such a memorable celebration!

October 15, 2026

We are proud to celebrate our newest National Honor Society (NHS) inductees! The recent induction ceremony recognized 16 outstanding students who have demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence, leadership, service, and character. Membership in the National Honor Society is a meaningful achievement that reflects not only dedication to scholarship but also a desire to make a positive difference in the school and greater community.

Congratulations to our newest inductees: Faith A., Annabelle B., Samuel B., Elizabeth C., Lauren P.F., Alexis F., Amelia L., Emily L., Cole M., Keira P., Evan R., Andres S., Lija S., Jack S., Clara W., and Luke W.

We are excited to welcome these students into the National Honor Society and look forward to seeing them continue to lead by example, serve others, and uphold the values of this distinguished organization. Congratulations to all!

~ Mrs. Cosme

National Honor Society Chapter Advisor

Attention 9th–12th Grade Families!

We are excited to offer SJCA Varsity Letterman Jackets—a timeless symbol of your scholar’s hard work, dedication, achievements, and school pride!

Whether your scholar excels in athletics, the arts, or academics, a varsity jacket is a special way to celebrate their accomplishments and milestones. Crafted from premium materials, each jacket can be personalized with your scholar’s name, graduation year, and earned letters or patches, making it a meaningful keepsake they can cherish for years to come.

A quick reminder: Scholars may wear their varsity jackets on regular daily uniform days. However, jackets may not be worn with the formal uniform on Wednesdays.

Celebrate your scholar’s achievements and let them wear their school pride with confidence!

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Cosme anamaria.cosme@stjca.org.

Our Roaring Lions Cheerleaders wore pink and supported breast cancer

awareness at their "pink out" practice!

Upper PE making posters to support the MS volleyball championship game!

It’s time! You can sign up your student for our Lions FitGames! Our goal is to raise funds for Recess and PE equipment. Signing up is easy and comes with a fun prize for your student!

Sign Up On MyBooster.com

Thank you for being a part of our St. Johns Classical Academy community and helping us make a difference for our students. We are grateful for your support! Follow our social pages for fun progress updates in the coming weeks.

Our school is working toward a BIG goal and Great Wolf Lodge wants to celebrate with us! Registered families will have the chance to earn some awesome rewards. Log in to mybooster.com today and share your student’s donation page with your whole pack. Just for receiving their first donation, students can earn their very own Wolf Ears!

Key Dates to Remember:

Fundraiser Kickoff in school – 10/19/2026

Event Day – 10/30/2026 K-6

*Need help signing up? View video instructions.

Our annual Pumpkin Party was a wonderful success! Hosted by our Lions Council and Fine Arts Department, this festive event brought our school family together for an afternoon of fall fun while raising funds to support our Fine Arts program. Scholars enjoyed a delicious seasonal snack, created beautiful pumpkin vase arrangements, and made special handprint artwork. It was an afternoon filled with creativity, laughter, and sweet memories! Thank you to everyone who helped make this beloved tradition such a success!

The 1776 Promise is a fundraiser created by Lions Council that supports the continued quality of SJCA education and its mission. Your donation goes directly to teachers at the Fleming Island campus. The money is distributed annually to all teachers.

If you have haven’t made your donation ($2) so that you scholar is eligible to participate in the 1776 Spirit Day, please do so at the link below. Reminder to follow Patriot Day dress code guidelines. Thank you for your support!

If you choose not to participate in this fundraiser, please follow regular dress code guidelines.

1776 Spirit Day Donation: $2

You won't want to miss the lowest price of the year! 2026-2027 yearbooks are available for pre-order now for only $50 (+ a service fee). Go to yearbookordercenter.com to order!

You can also now share pictures of school events such as sports and field trips with us for the yearbook using the link below!

https://yearbookshare.com/eShare/?code=sjcalions

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.