Campus Connections – January 2020

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year!!!  We wish you and your family a holy and blessed New Year!!

It has been a wonderful year so far with so many achievements and opportunities. In reflecting on the past four months, we have much to be thankful for and excited about. Our prayer for your family is that God continues to bless and provide you with all that you need and more! We look forward to 2020 with its opportunities and challenges.

During the season of Advent, we had many opportunities to pray, serve and grow closer to God. We participated in weekly prayer services led by our students where they learned about the Season of Advent, the baby Jesus and the Christmas season. Our campuses participated in service opportunities and shared their gifts and talents with those in need.

We have begun our next round of testing with MAP. Grades K2 through grade 8 will be testing one hour a week for the next three weeks. Grades 3 through 8 will be testing in the areas of Math, Reading and Language. While grades K2 through grade 2 will be testing in Math and Reading. Middle school will also be testing in Science. In September, we tested to create a baseline to recognize areas of growth and need. And have been using the results to focus our lesson planning. Please make sure your child has breakfast and is on time to school. This will help them settle into the day and feel successful. We have also asked your child to take his/her time on the testing. Students may have a break if they need it. This testing data allows teachers to plan lessons that meet the needs of all students.

Our Christmas Shows were fantastic!! Each show was packed and filled with excited parents, students and teachers! Thank you for attending. I cannot praise and thank our Fine Arts teachers enough for what they do with and for our students!! They certainly want our children to share their gifts and talents.

Once again, our 4th grade went to see the Nutcracker at the Strand Theater. Our students were exceptional. Fun was had by all!  A generous donor allowed us to send students to the Christmas Show at the Boston Pops in December. It was a wonderful event with Santa and beautiful music!

ADMISSIONS:

Our campuses will be holding Admissions Open Houses for prospective families. Please encourage friend, neighbors and colleagues to consider us. Most of our families come to us by word of mouth! You are our best salespersons! Please see our stats on our website and below.  We have a wonderful school to share with others!

I also need volunteers to take flyers and have them hung up at local businesses such as real estate offices, dry cleaners, restaurants, nail salons etc. If you are able to help, please let me know and we will send a packet home with your child. We have flyers in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Portuguese and Haitian. Follow us on social media-Instagram, Facebook and Twitter-to see the latest on SJPIICA!

Tuition fees for the 2020-2021 school year have not been set by the Board of Trustees. As soon as they are, we will send home a re-registration packet with your child(ren).

Thank you for your continued support of SJPIICA.

Dates to remember!

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  No School – Monday, January 20th
  
• Catholic Schools Week
  Monday, January 27th – Friday, January 31st
  
• MAP Testing
  Monday, January 6th – Friday, February 7th
  

A Message from the Business Office

Happy New Year!!  We are very excited for our Academy as we head into 2020!

The financial aid applications are available to be completed on our FACTS Grant & Aid website. Please go to http://online.factsmgt.com/aid  and complete your application as soon as you can.  You may also log in through your ParentsWeb account.

We will be hosting Campus Financial Aid Open Houseson the following dates:

• Neponset:         Monday, January 13^th 2:30pm to 6pm
  Tuesday, February 11^th  2:30pm to 6pm
• Lower Mills:      Wednesday, January 8^th  2:30 to pm
  Thursday, January 30^th. 2:30pm to 6pm
• Columbia:         Tuesday, January 21^th  2:30pm to 6pm
  Monday, February 3^rd2:30pm to 6pm

As always, we are available in the Business Office to assist you.  Financial aid open houses will take place at the Regional Office.  We have listed dates below for your convenience. However, you may also book an appointment if the below dates and times do not work well for your schedule. Please call (617) 265-0019 ext. 7004 or 7202 to book an appointment. Business Office hours are Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm.

• Tuesday, February 18^th  9am to 11am
• Wednesday, February 19^th  9am to  11am
• Thursday, February 20^th  9am to 11am

The Deadline for Financial Aid Applications is April 16, 2020.

As in years past, the requirements are as follows:

1. The financial aid applicant must claim the student(s) on their tax return and students must be enrolling in grades K2 – 8 to be eligible. We need all families to submit the Grant and Aid application for the students that will attend the Academy even the Pre-K and K1 students. This will help SJPIICA when we apply for grants for education programs, technology, services, etc.
2. The federal tax return and W2’s for 2019 must be submitted and/or proof of nontaxable income if not employed.
3. Anyone with a past due SY 19-20 tuition balance will not be awarded financial aid. If you have a past due balance you must reach out to the business office to make a payment arrangement for the balance.

To make an appointment for financial aid assistance or to discuss a payment agreement for your past due tuition please contact  Judith Walker at 617-265-0019 x7202 or Mark Hegarty at 617.265.0019 x 7004or jwalker@sjp2ca.orgor mhegarty@sjp2ca.org

Students shine during Christmas performances

Celebrating Christmas

All three campuses of the Academy performed wonderfully in the Christmas Concert series the weeks before Christmas. Parents, families, and friends were treated to numerous performances, ranging from vocals and violins to recorders and bells! The Academy would like to thank all the students for their hard work and wonderful performances, as well as everyone who attended the concerts. A very special thanks goes out to Ms. Hebard, Ms. Phillips, Mr. Teza and Mrs. McCourt for their hard work in preparation for the shows!

Scroll down on the campus’ website page to check out more performance photos:

• Columbia Campus
• Lower Mills Campus
• Neponset Campus

The Periodic Table

Lower Mills 8th graders have been in the science lab exploring the properties of non metals vs. metals as they familiarize themselves with the Periodic Table of Elements. In particular, they have been researching Carbon in different forms. Students read up on recent research done by The National Science Foundation on Graphene, created by a single layer of carbon atoms in a lattice pattern, which is the strongest material in the world. They discussed what possible products they might be using in the future as technology in this area continues to expand.

Building Together

Gingerbread houses took over the campuses the week before Christmas. At the Columbia Campus, students built 317 houses complete with graham crackers, gum drops and frosting. Middle school students helped the younger students with their creations.

Christmas Card Artists

Congratulations to the winners of the Academy Christmas Card contest:
ELLA, Grade 3, Neponset Campus, clockwise from left; VALENTINA, Grade 6, Neponset Campus; SOLEDAD, Grade 5, Lower Mills Campus; JEZZLYNN, Grade 3, Lower Mills Campus; LEILANI, Grade 5, Columbia Campus; and KIARA, Grade 5, Neponset Campus

Their drawings, selected from students Academy wide, were used on the Academy Christmas Card sent out to over 200 members of the Academy community and local parishes and schools. Congratulations to all the winners!