Good afternoon, here are this week's news and announcements from St. Johns Country Day School:
Track & Field Athletes Medal at State
Congratulations to Senior Matthew Stratton on winning his second 1st place finish this year, this time in Boys 3200. Stratton placed 1st in last week's FHSAA Region 1A State Championships, with fellow-Spartan athlete Graham Myers right next to him in 2nd. The 4x800 team, consisting of Stratton, Myers, Walker Cowherd '22, and Richard Nichols '24, also medaled, taking 6th. You can read more and view the podium photo of the 4x3200 team at sjcds.net/news.
Final Exam Schedule
For students taking them, finals exams will be tomorrow, Wednesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 19. See the exam schedule below. Students should report to homeroom at the regular time each morning in regular uniform dress. The food store will be open on Wednesday and Thursday so that students can purchase snacks and lunch between exams. Students will not be allowed to leave campus in between exams.
- Wednesday, May 18 - English 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. and History 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. (Dismissal 1:30 p.m. for students taking exams)
- Thursday, May 19 - Science 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. and Math 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. (Dismissal 1:30 p.m. for students taking exams)
Upper School Friday
Upper School parents, please note that Friday, May 20 is a Special Occasion Dress Day. Students are encouraged to bring clothes to change into (shorts, tshirt, swimsuit) before the Student Council End of Year Party, which will immediately follow the Upper School Awards Assembly.
Join Us for Graduation!
The graduation of the Class of 2022 will take place on Saturday, May 28, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. at Thrasher-Horne Center in Orange Park. All are invited as we celebrate the accomplishments of our senior class and congratulate them on their next chapters. Please join us!
Summer Throwing Practice
Join Assistant Track & Field Coach and Spartan alum Coach Emily Patterson '16 for Summer Throwing—shot put, discus, and javelin. Get some practice or learn an exciting new skill! All ages and skill levels are welcome. Weekdays, 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., June 6-July 29. (Photo by George Auchter '24)
Summer Work
Summer reading and math assignments have been posted on each division's My School App Topics page. Note that work is assigned according to the course the student will be entering next year, and all assignments are due on the first day of class unless otherwise noted.
New Parent Blackbaud IDs
By now, all parents should have received an email from Ms. Gorman alerting them to some changes that are coming soon to your My School App login. Due to a change with the vendor, Blackbaud, all parents will need to convert their login to a new "Blackbaud ID." On a rolling basis, all parents will receive a notice when it's time to make this switch.
Virtual Book Buyback Now Available
Virtual book buyback is now available from the MBS Bookstore. To get started, click this link and login to your account. Or, if you're using a saved link, scroll to the bottom of the page and select "Sell Textbooks." Once you login, you should see a list of books you have purchased that are available for buyback, along with the MBS price for each title. Any questions? Here's a handy guide from MBS to get you started.
Two ASL Camps This Summer!
Your child will want to join St. Johns' own Meagan O'Toole this summer for a fun introduction to American Sign Language! Join us for ASL Camp, June 6-10 (for campers entering Pre-k through Grade 2) or June 10-17 (for campers entering Grades 3-6). Wraparound Camp will turn this half-day camp into a full day of fun, and with Extended Day services, you're covered from 7am to 6pm. Register today at sjcds.net/summer!
Celebrate Summer Birthdays
Don't forget to celebrate your student's summer birthday with a commemorative book donation to the Heinrich Learning Resource Center. Donate a book in your child's name to the Heinrich Learning Resource Center in honor of their birthday or another event! A donation to our collection is a fabulous way to commemorate the people and events in your lives while also supporting the library. Simply make a tax deductible donation of $25 or more to the Heinrich Learning Resource Center and fill out this Commemorative Book Form. Allow your child to choose a title from our collection of new books or request a specific title just for them. A bookplate will be placed in each donated book to commemorate the occasion. Your child's birthday—and your donated book—live on in our library collection! As always, thank you for your support!
2022-2023 Technology
As a part of our continuing efforts to educate our Spartans for the colleges and workforce of tomorrow, last year St. Johns updated its technology protocols to require all Middle and Upper School students to bring to School each day a fully charged laptop. This change will be fully in effect for the 2022-2023 school year. You can get all the details on either the Middle or Upper School "Technology" page in My School App, including the laptop requirements and access to special St. Johns family pricing in our exclusive online Apple Store.
Character Foundations: Perseverance
This month in Character Foundations, students in all divisions are learning about and putting into practice perseverance, which is defined as refusing to give up when life gets hard. Learn more about perseverance and how you can help support St. Johns' lessons at home at sjcds.net/news!
Key Contacts
Some things never change— no matter the circumstances, St. Johns staff stand ready to assist with anything you might need. Please feel free to reach out at any time to:
| Head of School Valorie Baker | vbaker@sjcds.net | |
| Head of Middle and Upper Schools Jackie Lentini | jlentini@sjcds.net | |
| Head of Lower School Otis Wirth | owirth@sjcds.net |
We hope you have a great week!