Newsletter - St John Villa Academy

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From the President’s Desk.... August 12, 2011 Welcome to St. John Villa Academy. This coming school year brings with it memories and remembrances of 9/11 from Ground Zero. Ten years ago, the final act of many 9/11 victims was one of love. They reached out to their families, friends and colleagues. St. John Villa Academy has a strong tradition of reaching out to students, family members, faculty, staff, administrators, and members of the local community in time of need with love and compassion. On September 9th, 2011, we will celebrate the lives of the victims of 9/11: heroic first-responders, our fire fighters, police officers, emergency service workers, Port Authority personnel, and innocent men and women who were victims of the tragedy simply because their work or service brought them to the site. This includes our alumnae/i who will be remembered at our Mass of Thanksgiving in their honor and memory on September 9th - Adele Sessa from our High School and Salvatore Papasso from our Elementary School. As a Catholic Faith community, we encourage our students to comfort, console, and strengthen others bringing hope and giving them wisdom to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love will reign in the hearts of all. Let us together pray for the still grieving families and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy. May God continue to bless and strengthen them bringing healing, peace, and the courage to live new lives. May God’s blessings be upon you. Sr. Anita Gramer, C.S.JB. St. John Villa Academy, President Important 2011/2012 St. John Villa Academy Events.... Friday, September 9th, 2011 - 10th Anniversary Remembrance Mass of 9/11 Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 - HS Open House - 1-4pm Sunday, October 30th, 2011 - Alumnae Mass and Brunch - 11am Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 - Holiday Fair - 10am-5pm The week of January 29th, 2012 - Catholic Schools Week Saturday, March 10th, 2012 - ONE ACADEMY Dinner and Auction* - 5pm March 22-24th, 2012 - High School Spring Musical - 7pm Saturday, June 2nd, 2012 - High School Graduation - 10am Saturday, June 16th, 2012 - Elementary School Graduation - 10am *Committees are forming! Volunteers are critically needed for this our largest fundraiser of the year. We need you! Contact Development ext 130 or 171 if interested. Page 2
High School Highlights....... Dear Friends, The 2010/2011 academic year welcomed the 75th graduating class. The year was highlighted by traditional senior activities including a special “75 days to graduation” celebration. It’s gratifying that we were part of this historic event. Every time students graduate, it is bittersweet. We are proud to see how much our students have grown intellectually, spiritually and personally and we are grateful to have played a part in each student’s development. While this growth is natural and expected, it is not any easier to see the young women we have grown fond of graduate and leave us. We will miss the class of 2011, but are confident that the lessons and values they have learned at Villa will serve them forever. Congratulations and best wishes to these young women as they begin a new chapter in their life’s journey. May their futures be filled with peace, happiness and success. It is our hope that as they continue to grow into independent, confident women of faith, they will continue the mission they began here and will take time to serve all members of our community with their gifts and talents. This year we were saddened by the closing of St. Peter’s High School for Girls. All at Villa joined in a prayer that God would grant the Peter’s community peace and solace. Recognizing that nearly 100 young women in our Catholic high school community would no longer have a home, Villa girls expressed a desire to help. Realizing our mission, we held a reception for the Peter’s girls and their families to introduce them to Villa. Monsignor Dorney and Mrs. Paula McKeown, Principal of St. Peter’s, attended and have been very supportive. During the weeks that followed, we offered each Peter’s girl an opportunity to apply for enrollment at Villa. The application/interview process was conducted in March. We are pleased that a large number of the Peter’s girls who met our entrance requirements were accepted and have enrolled for September. I am confident the warm welcome our Villa community has already extended to these girls and their families will continue throughout the coming years. Many new members of our Villa family have expressed their desire to be active members of our school and fully participate in all that we offer. We wish our new students, transfers or enrolling into grade 9, an easy transition to their new Villa home. We hope our hospitality and spirit of family will make them love and appreciate their new home as much as we do. The young women of Villa accomplish much each year with this year no exception. Our Christian Service Program continues to involve students above the minimum requirement in community outreach to foster a lifelong desire to serve others. Our unique Major Course of Study Program, which challenges students to independently research and immerse themselves into their own learning experience, continues to attract many students in all disciplines. Our successful, competitive athletic programs continue to attract dedicated athletes who learn teamwork and sportsmanship. Our award-winning performing/fine arts program continues to develop the talents of our artists and thespians. We continue to foster our students altruistic desire to care for members of the local and worldwide communities by supporting their projects to raise money and collect food. Living our mission each day helps us envision a bright future for all at Villa. The new school year will open with exciting new initiatives. We will initiate a new guidance system in September. The Naviance System is an academic, college and career planning tool used by selective and competitive high schools. This technology system will enhance our guidance counselors planning for each student and complement our already unique individual academic/personal counseling. Another new technology advancement is the introduction of the Rediker student information system. This system is widely used by many schools and includes features that will make communication between school and home much more effective. Both of these technology advancements will be discussed with students during the first weeks of school and with parents at our Curriculum Nights. Also, we will extend our collaboration with St. John’s University thru a joint venture whereby St. John’s students, under the direction of their professors, will be on Villa’s campus to help mentor our students with academic needs. In closing, I would like to thank those people who have helped make this year a success. First, I thank God, with Whom all things are possible. Thank you to the Sisters of St. John the Baptist for their support, prayers and guidance. I thank the parents, past and present, for their cooperation and continued support and trust we will continue to work together to make Villa a truly rewarding experience for all our students. Thank you to the Alumnae Association, the Mother’s Club, the numerous volunteers, the coaching staff, and all who help in various capacities to add dimension to Villa. Thank you to the dedicated and talented administrative staff, faculty and school staff. Finally, thank you to our students whose enthusiasm and vitality for life inspire me each day. I look forward to working will all of you again in the 2011/12 academic year. Together let us pray for each other during the coming months as we continue to pray for peace in our community and the world. May God abundantly bless you and your family and keep you safe. Barbara Ann Logan, High School Principal Page 3
Page 1: ST. JOHN VILLA ACADEMY The Villa
Page 5 and 6: ST. JOHN VILLA ACADEMY Financial Re
Page 7 and 8: Alumni Spotlight..... Return, Remem
Page 9 and 10: SJVA 2010/2011 Annual Fund Recap Th
Page 11 and 12: * J. Mario Abrego SJVA 2010/2011 An

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