Good afternoon, and Happy Tuesday! We hope you had a great day yesterday. Here are this week's news and announcements from St. Johns Country Day School!
In the News
In case you missed them, last week we posted articles about last month's Banned Books Week, during which our St. Johns Spartans celebrated their "fREADom" to read whatever they wish, and about new St. Johns librarian and information specialist Ms. Amy Perry. You can catch up on these and other stories at sjcds.net/news.
Campus Security Update
As part of our continuing efforts to make our campus safer and more secure for all our students and staff members, beginning this week, the Lower School front entrance door will be locked between morning and afternoon carpool hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. During these hours, please enter school through the Administration door and check in at Reception with your driver's license. Thank you!
Senior College Acceptances
On Friday, St. Johns was thrilled to announce more college acceptances for our seniors: Corey McDaniels to the University of North Florida, Charleston Southern University, and Embry Riddle; Tvisha Patel to USF; and Jett Isley to the United States Military Academy (West Point) and United States Naval Academy. Congratulations, Seniors!
First Quarter Report Cards
The first quarter ended on Friday, and report cards will be available soon! For Lower School students, report cards will be available at teacher conferences on Monday, October 22. Report cards will be mailed to parents who do not attend Conference Day.
For Middle and Upper School students, report cards will be available by noon tomorrow in My School App. To get to them, log in to your Parent Portal, then click on your child's name in the upper left corner. If you have more than one student at St. Johns, click on "Children," and then the name of your Middle or Upper School student. From your student's Progress page, under "Performance," click on "Report Cards."
As always, do feel free to reach out to your division assistant-- Ms. Evans, Mrs. Kurnitsky, or Ms. Goode-- if you have any questions or difficulty accessing your student's report cards.
College Admissions Visits
The University of Rochester and Stetson University will be on campus next week meeting with Upper School students. Students interested in attending one or more of these visits should pick up a blue permission slip in the College Counseling Office. All signed permission slips must be turned in by Friday for visits occurring the following week.
October 22 All School Conference Day
Appointment scheduling for All School Conference Day on Monday, October 22, 2018 is available here. Please use this link to schedule a time to meet with Middle and Upper School teachers, and reach out to Mrs. Evans to schedule appointments with Lower School faculty.
Please note that Conference Day is for parents and teachers only. No students or siblings, please. Extended Day will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Photo by Claire Trammell '20
Winter Sports Start Dates
Here are the start dates and times for winter soccer, basketball, and cheer:
| Sport | Date | Time | Location |
| Soccer | |||
| JV Girls | Oct. 23 | 3:30 p.m. | Soccer Field |
| Varsity Girls | Oct. 22 | 12:00 a.m. | Soccer Field |
| Middle School Boys | Oct. 23 | 3:30 p.m. | Soccer Field |
| Varsity Boys | Oct. 22 | 8:00 a.m. | Soccer Field |
| Basketball | |||
| Middle School Girls | Oct. 29 | 3:30 p.m. | Alumni Gym |
| Varsity Girls | Oct. 29 | 3:30 p.m. | Brown Gym |
| Middle School Boys | Nov. 5 | 3:30 p.m. | Alumni Gym |
| Varsity Boys | Nov. 5 | 3:30 p.m | Brown Gym |
| Cheer | |||
| Middle School | Nov. 12 | 3:30 p.m. | Brown Gym |
| Varsity | Nov. 14 | 3:30 p.m | Brown Gym |
More information, including coach names and contact information, is available on My School App.
Middle School Festival Rescheduled
Due to inclement weather, the Middle School Fall Festival was rescheduled to Thursday, October 25. The signup link to RSVP and participate is still the same -- Please click here to RSVP. We look forward to seeing you there!
Save the Date: Upper School & Alumni Tailgate Party!
Signups are still available for the Upper School & Alumni Homecoming Tailgate Party preceding the Homecoming Game on October 26, 2018. Please click here to RSVP your attendance and provide some planning info. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. and the Tailgate Party starts at 5:00 p.m. The PTL will provide BBQ for all RSVP'd tailgaters. We look forward to seeing you there!
Beyond the Bell Session 2 Starts October 29!
Beyond the Bell Session 2 starts on Monday, October 29 and check out all the great classes to choose from-- Your child can play soccer, learn about the stock market, play an instrument, learn 3D print and design, and much more! Click here to learn more and register today!
Upcoming Open Houses
Do you have friends or neighbors who would be interested in learning what a St. Johns education can do for their child? Do you think they might like to find out more about the St. Johns experience? Please invite them to join us at one of the following upcoming Open House events:
| Middle School Open House | All School Open House |
| Saturday, November 3, 2018 | Wednesday, December 5, 2018 |
| 10:00 a.m. - noon | 7:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. |
Learn more at sjcds.net/open. If you'd like St. Johns to send a personal invitation to someone you know to either of these open house events, please reach out to the Office of Admissions.
Character Foundations: Contentment
This month's Character Foundations trait is contentment, which is defined as "deciding to be happy with what you have." Contentment isn’t always easy-- we do tend to be always looking for the next big thing! This month in Character Foundations, Spartans of all ages will be talking about ways to practice being content. We encourage you to carry on the conversation at home and ask your student what they've learned. In August, students learned about Wisdom, and September's focus was Initiative.
Cool Weather Gear Now in the PTL Spirit Store!
Need a Hoodie? Be sure to stop in and stock up on your cool weather apparel at the PTL Spirit Store. Get a head start on your gift giving list-- the Spirit Store has lots of stocking stuffers for the Spartans in your life. And don't forget the approved Dri-Fit Land's End polos available in light blue, grey, and white. In need of gently used uniform items? Be sure to check out our resale section! Lots of stock and sizes available just in time for that end of the year growth spurt. The Spirit Store is open every morning from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and afternoons from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Chalice Senior Tribute Ads
Do you have a senior graduating this year? Take out a Senior Tribute Ad in the Chalice yearbook and show your pride in their accomplishments. Ad information is available on the Upper School Topics page of My School App, and sales are open until November 30, 2018.
Key Contacts
As always, our faculty and administration stand ready to assist with anything you might need. Please do feel free to reach out at any time to Acting Head of School and Head of Upper School Mary Virginia Fisher, Head of Middle School Jackie Lentini, Head of Lower School Otis Wirth, or Head of Administrative Affairs Tanya Powers.
Division Updates
As part of our efforts to keep you better informed and facilitate access to the information you need most, following are links to the latest Division news. These are the same letters that go home weekly to Lower School and monthly to Middle and Upper School parents.
Have a great week!