Academy Newsletter 9/27/08

:  I just returned from our first ever Academy Overnight Campout at Beaver Creek Preserve in Otsego.  We had a great time fishing, cooking hotdogs and bratwurst and making s’mores over an open fire, star gazing with one of our telescopes, and sitting around a raging campfire.  Mr. Szynkowski and I spent the night, while Mr. Carroll and Mr. Nichols came out for the evening with their boys.  We had such a good time that we’re going to do it again in the spring.  Look for pictures on the website soon.

 

We enjoyed a presentation by staff members from local cable sports channel BCSN last week as part of our T.E.A.M. time series.  The presenters included part-time SJJ staff member Tom Cole and SJJ alum Zach Silka and they discussed careers in the print and broadcast media industries. 

 

To date we have collected 78 bottles of children’s vitamins to support the mission collection for “Give to Grow.”  Also, several Academy students participated in the food fast last Tuesday as a sign of solidarity and support for those who deal with hunger each day of their lives.  Monday will be the last day we will collect vitamins. 

 

Also on Monday we will show our first after school movie, “Extreme Days,” a little known, but excellent film made in 2001.  Rated PG, “Extreme Days” incorporates extreme sports, commitment, faithfulness, and the power of friendship into a fast paced, funny, meaningful story.  We will begin at 3:15 p.m. in the MacQuade Theater, take a pizza break at 4:30 p.m. and end @ 5:30 p.m.

 

Next Thursday afternoon and all day Friday the 8^th grade students will visit the other Catholic high schools as part of the diocesan high school visitation program.  We are all set for transportation on Friday, but we need more parents to help us out on Thursday.  We will leave here @ 11:45 a.m. and leave the school we are visiting at 2:00 p.m. Please let us know if you can help us out on Thursday.

 

7^th grade students met their high school “Big Brothers” last week.  Ask you son who his Big Brother is—their assignment was to learn as much about their Big Brother as they could.  Their next activity will be in a couple of weeks when they build a motorized Lego race car with their Big Brother.

 

Calendar reminders:  Saturday, October 11—Father/Son Game Night (uncles, grandfathers, cousins, family friends are welcome to attend, too!)  6:30-8:30 p.m. in the commons

Saturday, October 18—7^th/8^th Grade Fun Night—7:00-9:30 p.m.  This is an event that usually brings out 1000+ kids so we need a lot of chaperones.  Please let us know if you can help.

 

Best wishes to all of our sports teams in action this weekend.  We’ll have an updated report on all the teams in next week’s newsletter.  Thanks to all the coaches who make these opportunities possible for the boys.

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. 

 

Academy Newsletter 9/20/08

It was great to see many of you at Academy Parent Night.  For those of you who were unable to attend we are mailing a packet of information home to you.  Please call if you have any questions regarding any of the forms or notes.

 

The boys have a three-day weekend while we spend Monday participating in the “Ignatian Educators Conference” held right here at SJJ.  We will join with the staffs of the other four Jesuit high schools in the Detroit province.  School attending will be St. Ignatius from Cleveland, Walsh Jesuit from Stow, Ohio, University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy from Detroit, and Loyola High School from Detroit.  I’m sure it will be an interesting and enriching day for us all.

 

On Wednesday and Thursday the 7^th grade students will meet their Junior “Big Brothers” for the first time and enjoy a pizza lunch with them.  I met with the Big Brothers on Friday to go over our expectations and hopes for the program for the year and they are looking forward to meeting the 7^th grade boys.

 

Also on Wednesday, our T.E.A.M. (Titans Exploring and Achieving More) program will continue with a presentation for the staff at BCSN, the local cable station that focuses on covering high school sports.  They will demonstrate how they cover events, discuss all the work and responsibilities, and invite the boys to participate.  SJJ Broadcasting instructor Tom Cole, who also works for BCSN, will be the main presenter.

 

We still have space left for students with or without their dad/grandfather/uncle/cousin/brother, etc. to join us at the Academy Campout on Friday night at the Beaver Creek Preserve.  You’re welcome to spend the night or just come for the evening.  Call Mrs. Fritsch at extension 342 to make a reservation. 

 

By now all students should be checking Powerschool and their individual e-mail accounts on a regular basis.  If you are having trouble accessing Powerschool or e-mail please let us know right away.

  

 

A reminder that our first after school movie will be next Monday from 3:15-5:30 p.m. in the theater.  Pizza and pop will be provided.  I’ll include the title in next weekend’s e-mail in case you have any concerns about the selection.  We try to select movies with a positive message for boys that helps develop and affirm the values and qualities we believe in at SJJA.

 

This week we are joining with the high school and having a mission collection to support “Give to Grow,” an organization started by Beatrice Thaman, younger sister of 8^th grade student Harry, that collects vitamins for the children of Guatemala who battle malnutrition.  Any student who brings in a bottle of vitamins, preferably a large bottle of a multivitamin, who be given a dress down pass for a day the following week.  The work of “Give to Grow” is vital and life changing and I can attest to the power of good nutrition for the children of Guatemala.  For the past four summers I have had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala City with groups of SJJ high school students.  We spend a significant amount of time at a pre-school and an elementary student.  The students as these schools started receiving breakfast and daily vitamins over a year ago and the change in them that I witnessed in June was remarkable.   Please support the collection and help “Give to Grow” continue to make a difference in the lives of the children of Guatemala.

 

A few calendar notes to help you plan ahead:  Thursday, October 2 the 8^th grade will visit St, Francis De Sales High School in the afternoon and on Friday, October 3 the students will visit Cardinal Stritch in the morning and Central Catholic in the afternoon; Saturday, October 11 is Father/Son Game Night (uncles, cousins, grandfathers, etc are welcome to attend); Saturday, October 18 is a 7^th and 8^th grade Fun Night—parent chaperones are needed—call Mrs. Fritsch to volunteer). 

Looking even further ahead:  Lego Robotics          Saturday, December 6

                                          Power of the Pen     Saturday, January 31

                                          MathCounts             Saturday, February 7

 

Enjoy the long weekend—best wishes to all of our teams and students competing this weekend.

 

Academt newsletter 9/7/08

As we move more into the routine of the school year additional activities are beginning.  Next week we will begin our band program with Xavier Smith, Director of Instrumental Music, working with both beginning and advanced groups of students twice a week.  The following week Luke Rosen, Director of Choral Music, will work with groups of 7^th and 8^th grade students who will form the Academy Chorus.  Also, the week of September 15 our 7^th grade exploratory language class will experience their first look at a new language when they learn about the German language and culture for the week.

 

A great resource for the students is the Learning Center and our Academy Learning Specialist, Mrs. Marcia Chambers began working with the boys last week.  Mrs. Chambers will be here from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and will be available to help the boys prepare for tests, improve study skills, review writing assignments, as well as coordinate our enrichment program.  This is her third year with us and she has been an invaluable resource for the Academy students.  Finally, one more new program will begin next week when a guidance counselor joins us for the first semester to work with the boys helping them with transition issues, challenges with socialization and relationships, and other difficulties they may be encountering.  Following is an introductory note from the counselor, Mussa Orra:

 

Dear Parents-

My name is Mussa Orra, and I am currently working at St. John’s as a guidance counselor-intern under the direct supervision of Bob Borman, SJJ guidance counselor.  The reason that I am writing this letter is because I wanted to inform you that I have been given the opportunity to work with the Academy students as a guidance counselor.  My counseling duties include assisting the students with academic issues, behavioral issues, the transition from the SJJ Academy to the SJJ high school, and generally any other concerns that students and parents may have.

            Currently I am a graduate student at the University of Toledo earning my Master’s degree in both School and Community Counseling, and am on track to receive my school counseling license this December 2008.  I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, also at the University of Toledo.  I myself am a graduate of SJJ, class of 2002, and am looking forward to giving back to the community that has given so much to me.

            I look forward to the wonderful opportunity that I have been given and hope to help make SJJ a great experience for your children as well.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments.

 

8^th grade students reunited with their high school Big Brothers this week enjoying a lunch and working together to build a device to catch and egg as it was dropped from increasing heights.  Congratulations to 8^th grade students Kevin Eberle, Tom Schafer, and Ron Birchfield along with their high school Big Brothers, Ryan Knight, Ryan Wittman, and Walt Anderson for building devices that successfully caught their eggs that were dropped from the top of the Academy staircase without breaking.  They will receive a dress down day pass and a free lunch voucher. (look for  pictures from the egg drop contest and the canoe trips to be posted on our website, www.sjjatitans.org, in a few days)  Next week we will match the 7^th grade up with juniors who have volunteered to serve as Big Brothers. 

 

Our sympathy goes out to 8^th grade student Benito Perales and his family on the loss of Benito’s great-grandfather for whom Benito was named.  Often losing a grandparent is the first experience with loss and grief that a student experiences and to help students express and deal with their grief Mr. Heintschel, along with a counselor from outside the building, organize a grief support group that will start meeting in the coming days.  Any Academy student is welcome to participate in this group.   Also, if your family experiences a loss during the school year please let Mrs. Fritsch or me know so we can notify the school campus ministry office and have the opportunity to express our sympathy.

 

Friday, September 26, beginning at 6:00 p.m., we will have a campout at the Beaver Creek Preserve, a part of the Wood County system of parks.  We will be there from 6:00 p.m. on Friday until noon on Saturday.  There is room for @ 50 people so we are giving the 8^th grade the first opportunity to sign up.  You are welcome to join us in camping out overnight in tents—you will have to bring your own tent—or just join us for the evening or morning.  Below is a link with more information on Beaver Creek.  

http://www.woodcountyparkdistrict.org/beaver_creek_preserve.htm

We will be sending more information home this week, but if you think you are interested please let me know as soon as possible.

 

A few calendar notes:

Wednesday, September 17  school will start one hour late; students do not need to be here until 9:15 a.m.

Thursday, September 18     Academy Parent Night from 7:00-9:00 p.m.  meet the teachers, learn about class trips, etc.

Monday, September 22              no school—staff will be at a conference held here at SJJ