SJA News from Our President

What a great start to a new school year! Besides building improvements, new banners on Ogden Street, new students, new staff and new faculty, we have launched the ACADEMY. Both at the local and national level, there has been much research published on the challenges facing our high schools. The Bill Gates Foundation’s support to create smaller high schools was an important first step in response to these challenges. It soon became apparent, however, that smaller was not enough! Something more radical is required to improve academic achievement, increase graduation rates, and ensure that ALL students would be prepared for life after high school graduation.

To address this issue, the SJA faculty and administration spent about a year planning a new way of meeting the social, emotional and academic needs of our girls. Besides these areas, we also offer our girls a Catholic education to assist them in developing a moral compass to guide them throughout their lives. Since our girls come from so many feeder schools (about 50), it is critical to immediately create opportunities for them to establish positive relationships. With the support of many, Elizabeth Stengel (SJA '93), our Admissions Director, organized Camp SJA, a sleepover with lots of activities including meeting the teachers, a family barbeque, and a school scavenger hunt. Thanks to this great orientation, no one had to have “butterflies” thinking about the first day of school. What the girls did not know was their team of teachers and counselors had been working all summer creating the program for their first year at SJA. Some of the most critical components of the Academy are:

• A core group of four teachers who have primary responsibility for the academic, social and emotional growth of the students.
• A dedicated counselor who identifies, supports, and implements strategies to enrich academic learning based on students’ need and the goals defined in their individual learning plans.
• Extended day three times per week dedicated to academic support and enrichment.
• Extensive, required parental involvement.

The progress of our freshwomen will be closely monitored all year. Data will be collected to document our goals which include:

• Improving retention.
• Decreasing absences and tardiness.
• Increasing academic achievement.
• Establishing positive attitudes and dispositions about self and school.

We are extremely excited about this new program and invite all of you to visit. We are confident our early intervention strategies will result in long term success in high school and beyond.

Thank you for the many ways all of you support all of our girls. It truly makes a difference now and in the future.

Sincerely,

Cynthia A. Marino
President