Academic Schedule Update 2021-2022 School Year Saint Joseph Academy families, As we prepare for the new school year, there have been some significant changes to our academic schedule that we want to share to keep you informed of how your student(s) academic day will look. SJA has listened attentively to the needs of the teachers, students, and families in our school community. As we successfully navigated through what learning looks like during COVID-19, there were a number of valuable take-aways. We have been able to take what we have learned and adapt it to fit our school’s needs. Please review the key information below regarding your student(s) academic schedule for the upcoming school year. •
Weekly Faculty Meetings/Professional Development: Each Monday morning there will be a faculty meeting allowing teachers to collaborate, plan, and receive professional development opportunities. This time strengthens our academic program and gives the teachers time and space to provide exceptional learning opportunities to your student(s). Classes begin at 9:30am on Mondays. Please arrive no later than 9:15am.
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The Academic Schedule o Classes begin at 8:10am on Tuesday-Friday. Please arrive no later than 8:00a. o Students take 7 classes per semester. Students’ classes can be found on their FACTS portal account. Each class is assigned a letter: A through G. o Students have 5 classes each day (4 courses on Monday because of faculty meeting). Each class is 75 minutes long. o Courses rotate each day. Students will not have the same courses at the same time each day. At the end of the term all courses will have met for the same total amount of time. SAMPLE SCHEDULE: Start Finish
Block
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thur
Fri
8:10
9:25
1
FACULTY MEETING
G
B
G
E
9:30
10:45
2
A
F
E
D
C
10:50 12:05
3
C
A
F
E
D
LUNCH
12:10 12:45 LUNCH 12:50
2:05
4
E
C
A
F
B
2:10
3:25
5
D
B
C
A
G
o Rotation Schedules will be emailed/texted to students and families on a routine basis. Teachers will post the rotating schedule in their classes. The schedule will be posted in a variety of places across campus. o IMPORTANT: It is imperative that students associate each of their classes with the letter (A-G) it was assigned. This will assist them with knowing where to go each day. •
DEEP PROGRAM STUDENTS ONLY: 11th & 12th grade students in SJA’s Dual Enrollment Educational Partnership (DEEP) Program will have their DEEP classes during periods B & G. When UTRGV is in session, periods B & G will always be during the 2nd block. When UTRGV is not in session, periods B & G will either occur at the beginning or end of the day. DEEP students may arrive late when the periods are at the beginning of the day or depart early when the periods are at the end of the day.
SJA is excited to transition to this new rotating, block schedule. This schedule enhances the feel for the college experience where students don’t take the same classes each day and they meet for longer periods of time. This will also allow for teachers to be creative in their planning and delivery of instruction. With any major change like this, it will take time to get used to. We ask that students be responsible in knowing their class periods and meeting days. The school will ensure that the rotating schedules are widely shared and made available to students to avoid complications. If you have any questions or would like to speak with us further about the academic schedule for the 2021-2022 school year, please feel free to reach out to us. Blessings, SJA Administration