Good afternoon! Here are this week's news and announcements from St. Johns Country Day School:
Student Handbook
The 2022-2023 Handbook has been posted to each division's Topics page on My School App. If you have any questions, please reach out to your Division Head, or see "Where to Go for Help" on page 41 of the Handbook.
Middle & Upper School Schedules
Schedules for Middle and Upper School students are complete and have now been released via My School App. Lower School students will receive their schedules on the First Day of School.
MBS Online Store Now Open
Some Middle and Upper School courses require students to provide hard copy books and the easiest way to get them is through St. Johns' online bookstore, operated by MBS. The store is now open and offering free shipping on orders over $99. The MBS store makes it fast and easy to order all the right versions of the right books for your child's classes. Just select the courses your child is taking, and all of the assigned books for those classes will be automatically dropped into your cart—no worrying about versions, ISBNs, or that you've forgotten one. Add or remove texts as you like before checkout, and your purchase will be sent directly to you. Lower School students do not need to purchase any supplemental texts. All materials are provided.
Summer Assignments
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.
Athletic Start Dates
Start dates, times, and locations for fall sports are listed below, along with coach contact information.
Parents, please remember: Before the first day of practice, your child's sports physical form must be complete and uploaded into Magnus. You can do that through the link on My School App or through the Magnus Health app. The required “EL-2” and “EL-3” athletics physical and consent and release forms are available on the Middle and Upper School My School App pages (click on “Topics” and “Athletics”).
| Sport | Date | Time | Location | Coach | |
| Volleyball (V) | Aug. 1 | 3pm | Brown Gym | T. Livingston | tlivingston@sjcds.net |
| Volleyball (JV) | Aug. 1 | 3pm | Brown Gym | J. Lawrence | jlawrence@sjcds.net |
| Volleyball (MS) | Aug. 1 | 3pm | Brown Gym | S. Hewitt | sleverette@sjcds.net |
| Football (V) | Aug. 1 | 3pm | North Field | R. Bantag | rbantag@sjcds.net |
| Swimming | Aug. 1 | 3:30pm | St. Johns | J. Albino | jalbino@sjcds.net |
| Cross Country | Aug. 1 | 3:30pm | St. Johns | G. Stratton | gstratton@sjcds.net |
| Golf (Boys) | Aug. 9 | 4pm | Fleming Island Golf Club | B. Kipnis | bryan@solegolf.com |
| Golf (Girls) | Aug. 1 | 9am | Fleming Island Golf Club | M. Detlefsen | mardetlef1428@gmail.com |
| Cheer (V) | Aug. 2 | 3pm | Brown Gym | K. Kurnitsky | kkurnitsky@sjcds.net |
| Cheer (MS) | Aug. 2 | 3pm | Brown Gym | K. Kurnitsky | kkurnitsky@sjcds.net |
Please send any questions to Director of Athletics Traci Livingston at tlivingston@sjcds.net. (Photo by Ava Morin '24.)
Middle and Upper School Cheer
Any Middle or Upper School students interested in cheer please contact Mrs. Kurnitsky. Middle School practice will begin August 9 at 3:30 p.m. Bring tennis shoes, t-shirt and shorts to practice. Upper School practice will begin August 8 at 3:30 p.m. Both divisions, be sure to bring tennis shoes, t-shirt, and shorts with you to the first practice. See Mrs. Kurnitsky with any questions.
Join Coach Rocky for Summer Football Workouts
Join Spartan Football Coach Rocky Bantag for summer football conditioning at St. Johns! Workouts take place Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, as follows:
- Mondays: 3:00 p.m. - 4:20 p.m. in the weight room, and then 4:30 p.m. -5:30 p.m. on the field for conditioning and drills.
- Wednesdays and Fridays: 2:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. in the weight room, and then 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. on the field for conditioning and drills
Conditioning workouts are open to all St. Johns students in Grades 6-12. Conditioning workouts will take a break for the holiday weekend July 1 and 4. Happy 4th!
Summer Throwing Practice
Join Assistant Track & Field 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. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., through July 29. (Photo by George Auchter '24)
2022-2023 Technology
Beginning this coming year, all Middle and Upper School students are required to bring to School each day a fully charged laptop. Visit the Middle or Upper School Technology page in My School App for all the details, including laptop requirements, and don't miss the link to access special St. Johns family pricing in our exclusive online Apple Store.
Planning Ahead
It feels like the summer only just started, but we know some families are planning ahead to the 2022-2023 school year. Here are a few dates and pieces of key info to get you started:
- Magnus Health. If you haven't already done so, please log into Magnus Health via My School App or the Magnus Mobile app (from the Apple Store or Google Play) to review and update your student's health information and upload updated forms. Having trouble? Please call the Magnus Help line at (877) 461-6831. If you have any questions, please reach out to School Nurse Michele Adams-Lentz '89, RN, MSN, ARNP.
- Supplies. Supply lists for Middle School students are now available in My School App. Upper School students are not issued lists of required supplies, and are asked to provide an ongoing supply throughout the year of whatever they might need (paper, pens, notebooks, etc.), depending on their course requirements. Teachers will let them know during the first week of school if any particular supplies will be required for their class. For Lower School students, all necessary supplies will be provided.
- Orientation Day, Friday, August 5. Once you have ordered your books and supplies, your students are ready to stash them in their lockers on Orientation Day, Friday, August 5. Plan to come find classrooms, meet teachers, and set up lockers or cubbies. Stay tuned for more information on the Orientation Day schedule.
- First Day of School, Tuesday, August 9. We can't wait to see you!
- Open House. Be sure to mark your calendars now for Lower School Open House on Tuesday, August 23, from 7:00-8:00 p.m., and for Middle/Upper School Open House on Wednesday, August 24, at the same time.
- Questions? Have another question or think of something we forgot to mention here? Please reach out to your child's classroom teacher (in Lower School) or Division Assistant (Kim Kurnitsky in Middle School or Dana Goode in Upper School).
Fall Cheerleading
New Uniforms Available
St. Johns' new uniform vendor, Custom Shirts & Uniforms, has a convenient website as well as a storefront on Kingsley Avenue. St. Johns' goal is to provide a uniform that is universal in fit, cost-effective, and presents our students as a united St. Johns. Just a reminder that as we transition, uniform attire from Lands End School will continue to be acceptable through the 2023-2024 School year. Questions? Please reach out to Auxiliary Programs Coordinator Sherry Burnside at sburnside@sjcds.net.
Summer Contacts
We know it's summer, but the work goes on to bring you the best experience and education in Northeast Florida. Though with a nod to summer, we are shortening summer hours. School will be open and Administrative staff will be here 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. If you need anything over the summer, please to reach out to:
| Head of School Valorie Baker | vbaker@sjcds.net | |
| Head of Upper School Jackie Lentini | jlentini@sjcds.net | |
| Head of Middle School Ben Magidson | bmagidson@sjcds.net | |
| Head of Lower School Otis Wirth | owirth@sjcds.net |
We hope you have a great week!