September 14, 2026
SCHOOL NEWS
PICTURE RETAKE DAY IS COMING
Students who missed picture day or would like retakes, Lifetouch Photographers will be at school on September 17th for retakes. Students will be called down from the classes during the morning for their photos. Families who would like to purchase packages prior to retake day can visit Lifetouch.com and use the code EVTXKDJ9J
IMPORTANT REMINDERS FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
Are your student’s immunization records up to date? The deadline to provide updated immunization information and exemptions is 9/18/26.
Non-Medical Immunization Exemptions: Exemptions expire every school year on June 30th. Please remember to complete the online module starting 7/1/26 to obtain a certificate or you can get a signed exemption certificate from your pediatrician. Here is the link to the online module. We ask that you provide updated exemptions to the school no later than 9/18/26.
TDAP vaccine requirement for 2026-2027 year: A change to Colorado’s Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccine requirement for the 2026-2027 school year.
Parents or guardians of sixth or seventh grade students, starting in the 2026-2027 school year, Colorado law will require students to receive a dose of Tdap vaccine before their first day of seventh grade. This is a change from the 2025-2026 school year and before, when Colorado law required a dose of Tdap vaccine before the first day of sixth grade.
If you have a student in seventh grade in the 2026-2027 school year, you do not need to do anything if you did this last year. For those students who DID NOT take action on this according to Colorado Law we need 1 of these three things this school year:
1. An immunization record showing that your student had an adolescent dose of Tdap vaccine on or after their 10th birthday.
2. An in-process plan, signed by your child’s health care provider, showing that your child is catching up on their tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccine series.
3. A completed Certificate of Medical or Nonmedical Exemption for the Tdap vaccine. Link included above.
Medications at school: If your student requires medication administration at school, you must obtain a physician order from your student’s pediatrician. Doctor’s orders expire every school year. Students cannot have medication at school, both over the counter and prescription, if we do not have an updated doctor’s order on file. This includes but is not limited to cough drops, seasonal allergy medication, ibuprofen and tylenol, prescription oral medications, inhalers, epipens, and other injectable medications. Medication forms can be found on the school website under menu and medical. If you have questions please feel free to contact me at dkollmorgen@jajags.com or Angie Murray at amurray@jajags.com
JA BOOSTERS — First Meeting September 14th!
JA Boosters is kicking off the new school year and we'd love to see you at our first meeting! Join us on Monday, September 14th from 6:00–7:00 PM in the JA Secondary Library. Boosters supports JA athletics, clubs, teacher appreciation, After Prom, scholarships, and more, and it all happens because of families like yours. We have volunteer opportunities available and would love to find the right fit for you. All parents and guardians are welcome! Questions? Email boosters@jajags.com or visit our Boosters page.
STUDENT FEES
Please check your student’s account for any course fees. Even if you have already paid them, please double check in case there were any schedule changes or athletic participation fees. If you cannot find them on Infinite Campus, here is the Fee Paying Guide to help. Yearbooks, parking passes, and PE t-shirts are optional fees and you only need to pay for them if you want those items.
PARKING PASSES
Parking passes can be picked up at the main office. Students can get their pass if they have turned in a completed parking form and made the payment. All passes need to be displayed clearly on the lower right corner of the rear window.
JEFFERSON ACADEMY ENTREPRENEUR EXPLORATION
We are thrilled to announce our upcoming Entrepreneur Exploration Business Fair and Marketplace: One of the most exciting events of the fall semester!
Location: Jefferson Academy Commons
Date: Tuesday October 13th
Time: 2:00 PM to 3:45 PM
Our student entrepreneurs will be showcasing and selling their own products and business concepts to the JA community. This is a wonderful opportunity to support our young business leaders and witness firsthand the incredible work they have been doing all semester!
We Have Two Community Requests:
1. Prize Donations:
We are seeking gift certificate donations for our 2nd and 3rd place Shark Tank Competition winners. If your business or organization would like to support our students by donating a gift certificate prize, please contact Coach Sharpley at msharpley@jajags.com
2. Shark Tank Judges:
We are looking for community professionals who would be interested in serving as Shark Tank judges for our student business presentations. If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please reach out to Coach Sharpley at msharpley@jajags.com
JEFFERSON ACADEMY BUSINESS CLUB
CSU College of Business Field Trip - Wednesday, October 7th
The Jefferson Academy Business Club is heading to the College of Business at Colorado State University in Fort Collins for an exclusive field trip featuring:
CSU Business School Information Session
Guided Campus Tour
Complimentary Lunch provided by CSU
Please see the Business Club Field Trip flyer for complete details!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR FINANCIAL MATH MOCK JOB INTERVIEWS
Dr. Gascon, our High School Financial Math teacher is looking for 3 - 5 volunteers who have experience interviewing and hiring to help conduct mock job interviews with high school Financial Math Class students. Mock interviews will happen September 16 - 22 between 2 and 3 pm. If you are interested and available, please contact Dr. Gascon (dgascon@jajags.com) with best contact number and times, brief experience and field of interviewing and hiring, as well as a few questions you would like to ask during the mock interview.
CAREER DAY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
This year’s Career Day is on Wednesday, November 18th, from 8:00am - 11:00am. We are starting to plan the morning out and would love to have community members and alumni be a part of this year’s event. If you’re interested in presenting to our students, please reach out to Mr. Cloonan for more information!
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
JA 7th-9th grade PARENT WORKSHOP - Wednesday, Sept. 16th @ 6:30pm, JA Auditorium
The Parent Dance: Understanding the Developing Brain and Building Executive Function
The middle and high school years bring increasing academic demands, growing independence,
and new challenges for both students and the adults supporting them. This workshop offers a new lens for understanding the developing adolescent, along with a practical framework for balancing support and independence. Together, we’ll explore the Parent Dance—when to step in, when to step back, and how to turn everyday academic challenges into opportunities for teens to strengthen organization, time management, goal-setting, self-advocacy, problem-solving, and resilience.
Most importantly, the workshop provides a framework for partnering with your teen and the school to create the structure, support, and accountability they need today while gradually building the independence they’ll need tomorrow.
Our speaker, Roxanne Turner has 30 years of experience in coaching, training, and facilitating personal and professional development. A Board and Professional Certified Coach (BCC & PCC) with deep expertise in executive function, neurodiversity, and the science behind why bright kids struggle. Roxanne is known for translating complex brain science into practical, immediately usable strategies that work in real life. She brings a unique, delightful mix of humor and structure to everything she does, drawing on a background that spans the corporate world, the equestrian arena, and over a decade of specialized coaching practice.
PANORAMA SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) STUDENT SURVEY
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 October 6th 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.
ATHLETICS
NEW ATHLETIC PODCAST:
Jefferson Academy Athletics is excited to introduce Within the Game: Building People Through Athletics, our new monthly podcast.Our inaugural episode features Principal Jeff Pierson in a two-part conversation. Part One explores Why Athletics Matters, while Part Two focuses on Game-Day Safety and Mr. Pierson's experience in school safety and security.
Within the Game goes beyond the scoreboard to highlight the people, stories, and lessons that make athletics such an important part of the student experience.Listen to our inaugural episode and join us each month for a new conversation.
First Episode- Part I: Within the Game Episode 1 Part 1 Passcode: sR*KVC%6
First Episode- Part II: Within the Game Episode 1 part 2 Passcode: .N*#Wr8n
ATHLETIC HALLWAY PROJECT:
We’re excited to continue updating our athletic hallway to create a space that highlights and celebrates our Jefferson Academy student-athletes.The new TVs are now up and are an important part of this project. We’ll continue adding to the hallway throughout the year to showcase our teams, student-athletes, accomplishments, and the moments that make Jaguar Athletics special.
CONCESSION STAND SIGN-UPS WANTED Support our school and your student's club, team or school activity at the same time by volunteering to run the JA Boosters Concession Stand at an upcoming game! We have the Fall Sports Season schedule open for you and your crew to sign up now! All groups running the concession stand receive 50% of the concession sales for their club, team or activity! https://concession-stand-volunteers-2026-27-school-year.cheddarup.com
VOLUNTEERS FOR GAMES We are looking for volunteers to help support our athletic events throughout the season. These are simple and easy opportunities that make a big difference in helping our events run smoothly.
Some of the opportunities we have available include:
Ball Runners- for varsity soccer games
Admissions Table- for JV and varsity games — all admission is paid online, so there is no handling of cash. You will simply check spectators' phones to verify their admission.
Scoreboard Operators- for all levels — soccer and volleyball scoreboards are very easy to learn and operate.
If you are interested in volunteering at our athletic events, please email our Athletic Director, Dan Quaratino at dquaratino@jajags.com or Shayna Chichirico, our Athletics Admin Assistant and Facilities Scheduler at schichirico@jajags.com You do not need to be an expert or have previous experience. We will provide you with what you need to know.