September 22, 2025
SCHOOL NEWS
OFFICIAL COUNT DAY IS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1 (LATE START DAY)
It’s official – October Count Day this year is Wednesday, October 1, and it is a LATE START day.
The most important action you can take to support school funding is to make sure your student attends school on that day. Much of public education funding from the State of Colorado is based on student count, so we encourage you to make sure your student comes to school that day. Please schedule appointments prior to this day or after school, so your student is present and learning this day!
NEW BUILDING SECURITY MEASURES
In lieu of recent events, we have been working with our Executive Director, Mr. Matlick, on implementing a new phase of security to keep our students and staff safe. The first step started last Thursday with keeping the main office foyer door locked at all times throughout the school day. Moving forward, this door will continue to be locked.
We have installed a foyer phone for visitors to communicate with the office staff before entering. All visitors will be held at the door until their identification is confirmed.
In the event that you need to pick your student up during the day, we do recommend calling the main office and letting our staff know beforehand, especially when a second or third emergency contact will be picking up your student. This will not only alert the office staff to the early dismissal, but also prepare them for a potential unfamiliar face coming into the building. All visitors will need to show a valid drivers license or form of identification before a student is released.
During times of high volume entry, we may have the door open if we have staff members at the entrance to allow a timely and efficient entry for our students. We believe this additional measure will continue to support our goal of making sure that we have a safe and secure school community.
We appreciate your patience as we continue to work on making our building safer.
FALL SUPER TESTING DAY Thursday, October 16, 8:30am to 11:30am
All 10th & 11th grade students will be taking the PSAT/ NMSQT exam. The PSAT/NMSQT is a preliminary SAT/National Merit qualifying exam. It serves as practice for the SAT and provides a way to enter the National Merit Scholarship Program for college scholarship, and offers opportunities to connect with colleges and explore careers.
THERE WILL BE NO SCHOOL FOR 7, 8, 9 & 12 GRADE STUDENTS
10TH & 11TH GRADE STUDENTS WILL BE RELEASED AT THE COMPLETION OF THE EXAM
SENIOR SEMINAR PRESENTATION REVIEWERS NEEDED
Each of the 103 members of the Class of 2026 will be presenting their Senior Seminar capstone projects on October 14, 15, and 16. We are looking for volunteers to evaluate and provide feedback on the students’ presentations. Each student will present for 13-20 minutes on a topic within their chosen career field. Your time, attention, and feedback are greatly appreciated. Please click on the link to sign up. SENIOR SEM VOLUNTEER LINK
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
The Student Support Services pages on our JAJAGS website includes information such as mental health resources, parent resources, study skills & tips, concurrent enrollment and college resources, etc. Does your student need EXTRA HELP? Here are some specific resources:
Teacher Office Hours & Email Addresses (teachers are the BEST resource)
Tutoring Request Form (get connected with a student tutor)
PANORAMA SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) STUDENT SURVEY - SEPTEMBER 24
One tool we will utilize this year to ensure that all students feel supported as individuals will be the Panorama Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Student Survey. As a school we will provide time on September 24th during the school day for students to complete this survey. Click HERE for more information, including survey questions, SEL competencies and an opt out link should your wish for your child not to participate.
UPCOMING COLLEGE VISITS
Coming to JA:
Western Colorado University - Tuesday, September 30 @ 8:30am
Colorado State University - Wednesday, October 1 @ 10:45am
High Point University - Wednesday, October 8 @ 2:30pm
University of Northern Colorado - Wednesday, October 22 @ 10:45am
Colorado Mesa University - Wednesday, October 22 @ 1:00pm
Community Events:
NACAC National College Fair, Boulder, CO, October 25, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, register here. https://www.nacacattend.org/25denver
FREE AUTISM PARENTING SUMMIT - October 10-13
Learn how to help your child THRIVE! From the comfort of your home, navigate the challenges of the autism spectrum and learn how you can give a child the best start in life from our panel of experts. The Summit connects autism experts with special needs families, offering effective strategies on key topics to support your child. Click HERE for more information and to register.
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Anyone can call, text, or chat 988 for immediate, 24/7 support.
I Matter Colorado: IMatterColorado.org offers up to six free counseling sessions for Coloradans 18 and under.
Safe2Tell: safe2tell.org is available for reporting safety concerns or threats, anonymously
STUDENT ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
ATTENTION – CURRENT 7TH GRADE STUDENTS/PARENTS – 8TH GRADE WASHINGTON DC/NEW YORK - SPRING 2027
Current 7th graders and parents interested in the spring 2027 8th grade educational trip to DC & NY. We will have a virtual (zoom) meeting on Wednesday, September 24 at 6pm. Please RSVP via this link. RSVP. Don’t miss out on this amazing educational opportunity. Please contact Mrs. Porreco at mporreco@jajags.com with any questions.
PUERTO RICO-SPRING 2026: Attention Freshman and Sophomore Families!
Wednesday, October 1 at 7pm in the Secondary Library we will have an interest and informational meeting for the April 2026 Puerto Rico Science Exploration trip. This is your chance to get ALL of the information! If you are already registered to go on the trip, please encourage your friends to attend this meeting! We will be experiencing many exciting things, from rainforests and coral reefs to waterfalls and old forts!
HOMECOMING WEEK SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 4 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The Homecoming 2025 schedule of events can be found via this link: HOCO2025
HOMECOMING DANCE 2025 - MIAMI NIGHTS
Tickets for the 2025 Homecoming Dance-Miami Nights are on sale and can be purchased by using this link: HOCODANCE2025
The dance is Saturday, October 4 from 8pm to 11pm in the JA Commons. This is a high school only event. If students are planning to bring a guest that does not attend JA, they will need to have a guest form signed by the guest and their school. Guest forms must be turned in by Thursday, October 2 at 3pm to Mrs. Porreco. Guest forms can be accessed via this link GUEST FORM, or picked up in the JA office.
ATHLETICS
ATTENTION ALL BOWLERS
The bowling team is returning for another fantastic season and practices will be starting in October. If you have a student that is interested in bowling, whether new to the sport or showing off your mad talent, we would love to have you join us. This is a competitive club and competing for the right to go to state and represent JA. If you are interested please contact Mr. Kirkley for more information!
JH GIRLS BASKETBALL AND SOCCER TRYOUTS
JH Girls Basketball tryouts will be Thursday, November 6th and Friday, November 7th from 3:45pm to 5pm. We are asking you to attend at least one of these dates.
JH Girls Soccer tryouts- We will be getting these dates out to you soon.