St. Joan Antida High School

The objective of the Academy is a smooth transition for incoming ninth grade students by building a strong academic foundation necessary for success in subsequent high school years and post secondary education.  The Academy is a self-contained academic unit with four teachers and a guidance counselor.  Students are divided into one of the four teams – about 25 students in each individual classroom.

 In this inaugural year of the program, success had already been seen and is the result of several components: additional staff training/planning, an instructional coach who facilitated the curriculum revisions, and an emphasis on using instructional strategies that are research based.  In just the first six months . . .

We Are Getting Results!

• For the period September 2008 through February 2009, 91% of ninth graders attended class, as compared to 88% for the school as a whole.  22% of ninth graders were marked tardy, as compared to 26% for the school as a whole.
•  57% of 9^th grade parents attended the parent teacher conferences in October (as compared to 36% the previous year).
• During the first quarter of the 2008-2009 academic year, 42% of SJA freshwomen achieved honor roll status by earning a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.  Of these honor roll students, 79% of them had scored below the 30^th percentile on their placement test as 8^th graders.

Goals of The Academy

• Provide a rigorous curriculum for students from diverse academic backgrounds using the Multiple Intelligences model
• Prepare all students for post-secondary education through challenging instruction, a variety of assessment tools, and exposure to college-level learning while still in high school
• Create a personal approach to high school focusing on developing supportive, positive relationships with peers and adults
• Provide support and interventions to ensure ALL students will succeed.  Each student will have an instructional learning program focused on her individual needs.
• Teach social skills leading to conflict resolution, problem solving, ethical and moral decision making, leadership qualities, and positive peer interactions
• Nurture a parent support network that is actively involved in the student learning process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Academy students pursue a special academic program?
Yes.  The focus is on four content areas of Math, Science, English and Civics.  Placement is determined at individual registration meetings.  Electives are also available for selection and required courses such as Theology and Physical Education are also part of the freshwoman curriculum.

Are there special contacts/administrators for The Academy? Yes.  There is a dedicated 9^th grade guidance counselor who is in charge of overseeing the administration of each student’s individual learning plan once the school year begins.  Each student has an advisory teacher who is also responsible for regular contact with parents.

Is there a special role for parents?
Yes.  Parental involvement is critical to student success.  A covenant is part of the agreement to attend SJA.  Parents are required to participate in identified activities.  At the time of enrollment, our Admissions Director meets individually with each new family to carefully explain expectations.

What is the orientation process?
There is a required orientation week, Camp SJA, for all students prior to the opening of school. There is also a required new parent meeting in August.

Is enrollment limited?
Yes.  Enrollment in the 9^th grade is limited to 100 students as we are committed to maintaining the low student/teacher ratio.