JA Secondary Family Newsletter

School News:

Finals Schedule

Finals for all students happen on Thursday, December 19th and December 20th. Both days are early release days and there are no First Period classes these days. Students need to leave or be picked up as soon as possible after their last final each day. Per JA Policy, early finals will not be scheduled. If your student misses their final, they must contact their teachers and schedule a time on Monday, January 6th to make them up.

Thursday, December 19, 2024

A Block 8:25-9:55

C Block 10:05-11:35

Friday, December 20, 2024

B Block 8:25-9:55

D Block 10:05 - 11:35

Enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year

All current JA families will need to visit www.enrolljeffco.org to let us know your student's enrollment plans for the 2025-26 school year. The earlier we know, the easier it is for JA to plan for the next school year and determine what tools and resources we need to provide a thriving experience for our students. Please be sure to complete the Intent to Return in enrolljeffco before January 12, 2025 to confirm your student’s spot at JA for the 2025-2026 school year.

Updated Immunizations

If your student has received vaccines since the end of last school year or if you have submitted an Exemption form through the CDPHE for the 24/25 school year, please let Ms. Murray know or email a copy of their immunization record to amurray@jajags.com

If you need to submit an exemption here is the link; https://cdphe.colorado.gov/school-required-vaccine-exemptions

Student Support Services:

Celebrate the Holiday Season with Kindness

Kindness Elf on the Shelf - Add a new twist to a holiday favorite! Our Kindness Elf on the Shelf comes with ideas and challenges to spark acts of kindness for the whole family.
31 Days of RAKtivities - Kick off the season with a month of Random Acts of Kindness! These will replace our usual Daily Dose of Kindness for the month of December!
Write a Note to Someone in a Care Facility - A simple, heartfelt message can brighten someone’s day. Take a moment to write a holiday card or a cheerful note to residents in senior care facilities. Your words can bring warmth and connection to those who need it most.

FAFSA & Scholarships

FAFSA is now live, 8 days early! You can now go to studentaid.gov and start the FAFSA process. Please make sure you are completing the 25-26 form. Also, HERE is a list of upcoming and December scholarships with two additional ones below.
Westminster Rotary: https://www.westminsterrotary.com/page/westminster-rotary-scholarships. This is a great local scholarship opportunity and JA students often win at least one of them.
Foundation 649: scholarships for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders https://foundation649.com/

Tips for End of Year & Teacher Office Hours

Students should be spending time with teachers before or after school as frequently as possible: Teacher Office Hours

All homework/classwork needs to be turned in on time for the remainder of the semester to earn full credit and recover previous low grades.
If there are missing assignments listed in Canvas that can still be turned in for credit, students need to get these completed and turned in to teachers as soon as possible to recover any potential credit.
Many teachers will have study sessions or study guides leading up to final exams. Students should be attending each study session and completing all study guides.
Specific study strategies

Activities:

JA parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors; we are excited to announce our upcoming Science Fair scheduled for Tuesday, December 17th from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Auxiliary Gym of the Secondary Campus. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their innovative projects and experiments, fostering a love for science and inquiry.

We are cordially inviting you to be a judge for the Science Fair. Your expertise and insights will be invaluable in evaluating the students' work and encouraging their scientific endeavors.

If you are interested in judging, please RSVP by clicking this link to ensure we have a diverse panel of judges.

Thank you for your support in making this Science Fair a memorable event for our students!

It’s Cookie Exchange Time!
JA Boosters Hospitality will be hosting a Cookie Exchange for our Staff - and we need LOTS of yummy cookies to make this special for them! Please bring the cookies to the school on Monday, December 16th by 8am (or when your kids come to school). The cookies can be brought into the office, we will be set up in the Conference Room.

For more information and sign-up, please follow this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F45AAA822A46-53727128-cookie#/

Jeffcon is an annual, one-day student technology conference through the district that allows high school students to learn about various IT roles from experienced industry professionals, and explore various career paths in the field of IT. As always, our mission is to help students foster a passion for IT and to have a lot of fun while we’re doing it. The day is filled with speakers, sessions, prizes, an eSports competition, and a FREE lunch! For more information, check out www.jeffcon.net

This year’s event will take place on Friday, February 7th, 2025 at Bear Creek High School.

Whether you’re a senior thinking about your future, or you’re an underclassman who just loves tech, all high schoolers are welcome! Plus, as an added BONUS, the first 100 students that sign up before December 13th, 2024 are entered into a special drawing to win a retro mechanical keyboard from 8-Bit Do! For more information about attending Jeffcon 2025, please see Ms. Davis in Room 202 or sign up at www.jeffcon.net

Career Day is Coming!
Are you comfortable talking in front of small groups of students? Do you absolutely love what you do for a living? Care to share your enthusiasm with our students? In late February, we will be hosting our annual Career Day event and we are looking for a few interested parents and friends in our community to connect with our students. Presentations will be from 8:00am - 11:00am. For more information, please contact Mr. Cloonan (ccloonan@jajags.com). The more unique your career, the better!

Community Cares

Jefferson Academy's Community Cares program has been chosen by King Soopers as a beneficiary of their Fight Hunger bag program for December 2024 and January 2025! Every time you buy a $2.50 reusable Fight Hunger bag at the King Soopers on 10351 Federal Blvd in Westminster, $1 goes directly to support our school’s hunger relief efforts—right here in our community. This is part of King Soopers’ Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative, helping to make a difference, one bag at a time. Mark your calendars for December 1st through January 31st and join us in the fight against hunger by choosing the Fight Hunger bag for your groceries!