Winter 2012

Dear SJA Supporters,

As we begin a new year, I often wonder if anyone makes New Year's resolutions anymore. Most people never keep them and I have made many resolutions that I let slip away. Thankfully, as a school, I believe our New Year's resolutions are alive and well and worth noting.

First, we continue to embrace improvement. As a staff, we monitor our academic achievement through various forms of data collection. We discuss, analyze, and create goals to support those actions. We are successful in many endeavors and in some we own up to our disappointments as we recognize it is the first, painful step on the road to something better. It is continuous improvement.

Second, as we change semesters it is a good time for reassessment. How did last quarter go? Last semester? What do we want to do differently within our program? How do we tweak and continue on the course for success? These are questions that are at the forefront of what we do. Whether working in our Communities of Practice, departments, or Student Services, each teacher is keenly aware of the goals to create a culture for learning and increase student achievement. We continue to refine Scholastic Opportunities for Students (our intervention block), engineering and other STEM courses, scheduled academic support for our students, and Saturday School.

Third, we teach our students to learn to rely more heavily on the grace of God. We believe in the power of prayer and the wisdom that God's strength can see us through much – through pain, through joy, and through accomplishment. Our campus ministry program involves our students in community outreach and faith retreats. I am pleased that four of our faculty members have joined together to become SJA's Faith Formation Team to meet the spiritual needs of our staff and students.

Our school and student culture are becoming stronger with each semester and each new year. We continue to work on our goals and resolutions that support our vision and mission. St. Joan Antida High School continues to travel the path toward success for each and every one of our students.

Sincerely,

Maria Schram

Principal