Winter 2012

Dear SJA Students, Families & Friends,

What an exciting start to the year! The young women of St. Joan Antida High School continue to amaze me with the gifts that they bring to school each day. Our faculty members continue the great work of helping to shape these talents so that our students see their true potential and envision their bright futures. The joy of student life at SJA is really reflective of the diversity of our students. They bring many different interests to us each day and, as adults, we have the privilege of watching those interests in our activities.

In the fall, we continued some of our most popular service activities, including: Blood Drive, Restorative Justice program, Fall Festival and the "Sleep in a Box" fundraiser with Pathfinders. Additionally, our Homecoming Week in October was great fun for everyone. It included some silly competitions and dress up days throughout the week and ended with a pep assembly planned by GOMAD. Following the fun week, over 100 girls and their guests attended our Homecoming Dance here in the SJA gymnasium.

We also have enjoyed the return of the Destiny Day program at SJA. Destiny Days are four designated days throughout the year during which students participate in a variety of leadership, service, retreat and academic opportunities. For the two Destiny Days in the fall students worked on issues related to homelessness, social justice, church service, and assisting the elderly. Both Destiny Day and Saturday School also provide wonderful opportunities for students to receive extra academic support from their teachers and tutors outside of the traditional classroom setting. You can read more about all of the service projects going on at SJA on page nine of this newsletter.

Although the start of our year has been full of fun and exciting opportunities, there are many more such experiences awaiting students this spring. Of course, we look forward to annual events such as Senior Retreat, Cultures Week and Prom. However, we will also be adding in two additional Destiny Day experiences for students to really understand more about themselves and how they can contribute back to the community around them. Students will also begin working with teachers and administration on planning even more student activities for future school years. All of our weeks are exciting here at SJA and I hope you have a chance to join us for one of our many activities throughout the year!