Saint Joseph Academy
OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL
July 2023
Dear SJA Families,
We thank you for entr usting us with your student and pray that your family’s transition to a new g rade level will be simple, enjoyable and memorable. As an alum, parent, and pr incipal, I fir mly believe in all that Saint Joseph Academy represents, and I look forward to par tner ing with you in your students’ educational jour neys, not only as Bloodhounds, but as Mar ists.You will find our door s are always open, and I encourage you to communicate with eac h of your student’s teac her s or member s of the staff or administration regarding any questions or concer ns you may have.
We are already busy prepar ing for the 2023-2024 sc hool year and eager to see ever yone August 11, 2023, the fir st day of sc hool. Some of you may be familiar with our bac k to sc hool procedures but attac hed I have included some infor mation you may find ver y helpful.
IMPORTANT DATES AND INFORMATION
OFFICE HOURS: 8:00 AM-4:00 PM. We ask that you please sc hedule an appointment in advance if you need to visit the office to ensure the per son you wish to see is available and g ive us ample time to notify secur ity of your ar r ival.
SCHOOL CALENDAR: The 2023-2024 sc hool calendar can be found on the sc hool website Clic k on the PARENTS tab at the top of the page and scroll to 2023-2024 SCHOOL CALENDAR
NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION: Or ientation for all new students to SJA will be held on Thursday, August 10th. Students will receive infor mation on cour se/daily sc hedules, instr uctional platfor ms suc h as Google Classroom and the FACTS Family Por tal Chec k-in for new students will beg in at 2:00pm, and parents are encouraged to ar r ive by 5:45pm for closing prayer to be followed by a family bar-b-que
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: : Our first day of school will be Fr iday, August 11, 2023. Students will receive a br ief or ientation dur ing their sc heduled classes, and teac her s will review their cour se prospectus whic h will include sc hool supply list The day will end with a bac k-to-sc hool pep rally, and students will be dismissed at noon
WHAT STUDENTS NEED FOR SCHOOL:
• All new students must have their immunization records tur ned in to our Reg istrar Mr s. Leatr ice Bradford before the fir st day of class.
• Students need to be neatly g roomed and wear the proper sc hool unifor m
• Laptop- Chromebooks and iPads may not be compatible with some of our testing software that teac her s will be using for exams
• Consumable workbooks and/or textbooks as required by cour ses
UTRGV DEEP PROGRAM:
Students enrolled in DEEP must attend a student and parent or ientation on Thur sday, August 24th at 6:00 PM. DEEP classes will beg in meeting on campus on Monday, August 28th.
THE SCHOOL DAY / ATTENDANCE
Students will repor t to their first mor ning class by 8:20 AM. A copy of the daily and weekly bell sc hedules will be shared with all families soon
SJA is on a modified 60-minute, 6 per iod day bloc k throughout the sc hool year. Copies of the bell sc hedules will also be made available on the sc hool’s website and social media accounts pr ior to student or ientation.
SCHOOL UNIFORM / PE UNIFORM / DRESS DOWN DAYS
Saint Joseph Academy maintains a code of dress and g rooming consistent with its c haracter as a pr ivate, Catholic , college preparator y sc hool. This code contr ibutes to a ser iousness of pur pose, a constr uctive lear ning atmosphere, and the development of sound per sonal habits and a positive self-image. Students’ f ailure to comply with regulations will result in disciplinar y action- a student may not attend class, may be sent home, or a parent/guardian may be called to br ing proper attire. See Dress Code and Grooming Regulations in the SJA Student & Parent Handbook located on our website for more infor mation.
LANDS’ END: Pre-approved Lands’ End unifor ms must be wor n by all students. There are different styles available and different ways to shop.
Online: Go to www landsend com/sc hool and create or sign-in to your account Include your student and sc hool infor mation in My Account (or find your School using the Prefer red School Number Search: 900139510). Star t shopping with your per sonalized product c hec klist Shop now via the direct link
Phone: Call 1-800-469-2222 and reference your student’s Prefer red Sc hool Number 900139510, g rade level and gender Their team of consultants are available 24/7 for assistance
Lands’ End Unifor m Fitting: Lands’ End sample unifor ms will be available in the main office in late June
mid July Please stop by between 9:00AM-12:00PM if you would like to view the different sizes available before order ing
Only SJA outerwear may be wor n on campus dur ing the school day or in classrooms. These items may be purc hased from Lands’ End or the SJA Bookstore. Athletic and/or club t-shir ts, sweatshir ts or hoodies are NOT considered approved unifor m attire and may only be wor n on dress down days. Students not in compliance will be sent to the office and items may be confiscated.
PE UNIFORMS: Students enrolled in a PE class at SJA must wear the designated PE unifor m sold at our campus bookstore.
PARKING PERMITS / DROP-OFF & PICK-UP
PARKING PERMITS: All students dr iving on campus must have a valid SJA Parking Per mit to park on campus
Per mits are available for purc hase for $50 from the Finance Office in the Administration Building You will need to provide the make, model, year, tag number, car color and proof of auto insurance at the time of purchase. Student parking on campus is considered a pr ivilege and may be revoked by Administration for infractions of sc hool polic y
1 Speeding, rec kless dr iving or making excessive noise on sc hool proper ty may result in the loss of dr iving pr ivileges on campus The speed limit on campus is 10 mph
2. The use of cell phones by all dr iver s is prohibited when dr iving on sc hool g rounds.
3. Students may not go to their car s dur ing the sc hool day (8:10 AM-3:25 PM) without per mission from an Administrator.
4 Students may not loiter in the parking lot before or after sc hool
5 Vehicles parked in an unauthor ized manner may be cited and/or towed away at owner ’ s expense
6 The sc hool reser ves the r ight to searc h any vehicle if reasonable cause exists Searc hes may be conducted at any time there is reason to do so, with or without the student present
DROP-OFF / PICK-UP / PARKING: Parents will enter through the Saint Joseph Dr gate off Ringgold Street, proceed toward the Fine Ar ts Building and dr ive through the road in front of Canales Field before dropping off their student(s) at the designated drop off and pic k up areas. All traffic will exit through Calle Retama.
Students with valid parking per mits will enter through the Saint Joseph Dr. gate off Ringgold Street, proceed toward the Fine Ar ts Building, and then park in designated student parking areas only.
*There is no reserved parking for students on campus
BOOKS / I.D. CARDS / LOCKERS
PURCHASING PROCESS FOR CONSUMABLE BOOKS: We have par tnered with local bookstore Follett Higher Education Group again this year. Consumables will become available pr ior to the star t of the sc hool year at the Follett Bookstore located at 83 For t Brown, Brownsville, TX 78520. Follett employees will need to view the student’s cour se selection list/sc hedule (visible in July on the FACTS Family Por tal) to select the cor rect books for eac h cour se. If you have questions, you may contact their store manager at (956) 882-8249. If using an inter net vendor, please place your order now to ensure deliver y by August 15th.
ON-CAMPUS BOOKSTORE: Please note that PE unifor ms, loc ks, and SJA athletic wear will be sold only at our at our on-campus cafe
Cafe Hours: July 31-August 4, 2023 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Beg inning August 7, 2023 7:30 AM-1:00 PM and 3:30-4:15 PM
STUDENT PHOTOS AND I.D. CARDS: SJA will work with VP Dig ital Photog raphy to sc hedule a Picture Day for all students in the month of August A sc hool I D will be issued to eac h student and pac kages will be available for purc hase Please c hec k the sc hool calendar for these dates
LOCKERS/LOCKS: Students may request a book loc ker from Mr s Celia Tor res in the Administration Building Loc ks for sc hool issued loc ker s are available for purc hase at the SJA Bookstore Loc ks on all loc ker s must be an SJA
issued loc k or the loc k will be removed; students must always keep a loc k on their loc ker to endure safety of their per sonal belong ings
FACTS FAMILY PORTAL
FACTS Family Por tal is our electronic communication system linking students, parents, and sc hool Because the g reat major ity of our communication dur ing the summer and throughout the sc hool year will be by text and/or email through the Por tal, all students and parents are required to maintain active Por tal accounts. The Por tal will also be the means by whic h students and parents can c hec k g rades and assignments online once classes have star ted, and it will link with the teac her s ’ Google Classrooms Please notify the main office if you have a new email address in order for us to update the system. We will send all new families a link to the Por tal (via email) dur ing the summer in order for you to set up your Por tal accounts If you have questions about setting up your Por tal account once the link is sent, please contact Mr s Leatr ice Bradford at (956) 542-3581, ext 311, for assistance
COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others ” - Mahatma Gandhi
All students must perfor m a required number of ser vice hour s eac h semester Examples of acceptable ser vice include:
• Direct Ser vice to the poor.
• Ser vice with organizations that indirectly ser ve the poor (In this case, students should be prompted to consider how their work indirectly ser ved the poor)
• Ser vice at or for a Churc h or faith community.
• Ser vice at City or County organizations and/or organized event
• Ser vice to Saint Joseph Academy community and/or special SJA events.
LUNCH
All students must remain on campus in one of the designated areas (7th-9th g rade students will eat in the Student Center; students in g rades 10-12 will eat in the cour tyard and/or classrooms) dur ing the lunc h per iod Parents who opt-in to the SJA meal plan must enroll monthly; students may also br ing their own lunc hes or purc hase lunc h from the Bloodhound Cafe Students are NOT per mitted to have food delivered to them dur ing the school day by anyone (f amily members, fr iends, food deliver y ser vices, etc.), and they may not leave school to have lunch with other persons.
ATHLETICS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Par ticipation in extracur r icular activities is an integ ral par t of sc hool life Students are encouraged to be involved in ways that are consistent with their talents and interests Enthusiasm generated in student activities often overflows into academic diligence. Par ticipating in any of our prog rams is a pr ivilege, therefore membership on
any team or in any club is contingent upon a student’s satisf actor y academic and behavioral compor tment.
SJA is working on developing oppor tunities for students and parents to meet coac hes and moderator s of our teams and clubs (Bac k to Sc hool Night, parent night, etc.). More infor mation about these events will be shared in a separate communication.
SAINT JOSEPH ACADEMY STUDENT & PARENT HANDBOOK
At the beg inning of the sc hool year, all families will receive a link to the 2023-2024 Student and Parent Handbook
This handbook outlines the policies and procedures set by Saint Joseph Academy All students and parents are required to sign documents ac knowledg ing that you have read, under stood, and ag ree to abide by the policies and procedures contained in the handbook and consent for your c hild to par ticipate in our random dr ug testing
TUITION/ FINANCE
For infor mation regarding tuition payments or tuition fees, please reference the sc hool’s website. All necessar y infor mation can be found under the ADMISSIONS and TUITION AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE tabs. If you should need to speak with our Finance Office, please call the main office at 956-542-3581.
STAY CONNECTED
We love to keep up with what is happening with students, families, and alumni throughout the year Be sure to bookmark our sc hool website (www sja us) and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instag ram for lots of g reat infor mation Most of our events can be found on our Saint Joseph Academy Facebook page, but cur rent parents can read more about sc hool- related activities and announcements and share their own images on our SJA Bloodhound Families page Impor tant announcements and reminder s may also be sent to parents via text blasts so make sure we always have your most recent and up-to-date infor mation in our database Please feel free to contact me or any member of the staff should you have any questions I am optimistic about the new year and look forward to working with eac h of you
Blessings,
Mr s. Melissa Valadez Pr incipal